Ever consider selling several PRS to buy a single Private Stock?

[HighGain510]

As I'm sure many of you saw from the last thread, I am fortunate enough to have a pretty healthy stable of seriously amazing PRS! However, from time to time I get this nagging idea that while variety is the spice of life and all, I really tend to gravitate towards 2-3 of my PRS and the others typically get played maybe once every 2-3 weeks, so I ponder if it might make more sense to consolidate once again and sell off (or do a dealer trade if I am not getting a total shaft job on the deal ) a few of the pricey ones to finally pull the trigger on a personally-spec'd Private Stock. I've owned several PS models in the past but never taken the plunge to actually spec one out for myself and typically they've either been sold off due to fits of GAS or because I wanted to check out something else, so one of my obvious concerns is that since I'm a bit fickle at times, sinking money into a private stock can be risky as the resale value (especially in the current used marketplace environment) can be rough. I think part of it is that while I might dig the specs on those PS, there's not really a special "connection" with the order as I didn't really pick everything out myself so it's basically just another tool (vs something *truly* special, like a PS should be) and I get the feeling that might be part of the reason I never really gel with them completely.

All of that being said, I've owned enough guitars to have a pretty good idea of what I like and don't like tone-wise, and what I'd love to see in a Private Stock as far as specs go (the really difficult part is that since I'm not "wealthy" by any means, I can likely only afford one shot at this so I'd have to pick between one of the 3-4 ideas I had for dream PS models... :dontknow so I'm pretty sure that since I wouldn't be going with anything outlandish, I'd likely be satisfied with the result! I'm also close enough to the factory that I would have no issue taking a vacation day and driving out there with the dealer to hand-pick the woods myself and see test stains on the ACTUAL pieces I picked to ensure there would be no "this doesn't match what I ordered!" issues either.

Right now I have a ton of really nice guitars and I enjoy playing them all, but I think the root of the problem stems back to the first part of my post: When you have well over a dozen+ guitars, you definitely gravitate towards a few of them more than the rest, so does it really make sense to keep around a bunch if you're not playing them a ton? I know, I know... first world problems to the nth degree, right? :flute:

I'm leaning towards the potential of doing a hybrid DGT/P22 build, or perhaps even just a non-piezo straight DGT build (maybe adding a middle single coil to make the ultimate swiss army knife PRS, kinda like a hybrid DGT/Brent Mason with DGT hums and the single coil used with the Mason perhaps?), but again that's just two of the potential combos I've been considering. Finish and inlays have been narrowed down to 2-3 choices as well, one of the absolute favorites of mine was the Jade Glow finish paired with a totally black ebony (or super dark blackwood or BRW, depending on what the PS vault has at the time) fretboard paired with Gaspeite green “J” birds with banded malachite centers like I had briefly on that PS Semihollow CU24:

That as a DGT or P22 would likely be my ultimate PRS (would have to debate on going solid body vs chambered/semihollow as well as I like both options), but I also love a few other "glow" finishes as well that have turned out great so the finish options might be tough to narrow down still. That combo above was seriously one of the nicest-looking Private Stocks I've ever seen (and I've seen a bunch in person and owned several previously), plus the top and stain on that one was just impeccable. I'm thinking if I could order that DGT (or DGT + piezo) setup with the color/wood/inlay combo above, I'd likely absolutely love it!!! :rock:

Any of you folks done the same thing? If you decided to sell off a bunch, did it work out well for you, or do you miss having the monster harem of a dozen sweet pieces sitting around for the tonal variety? Unfortunately like I said, I'm pretty fickle so I like to try out a bunch of different guitars, so I also keep going back and forth as to whether or not it's really the right decision for me, but I keep thinking if I had 1-2 REALLY nice ones that I picked out myself and spec'd from the ground up, I would have even more reason to go PS and enjoy the ride. The real problem is that I have too many cool ideas, not enough cash to make them all a reality!

 

[Whitecat]

Definitely thought about it myself.

But - when I glance over to the guitars, I realise that I have very little overlap with my collection as it stands... other than currently having two Stripped 58s, everything else has attributes that the other ones don't and are very different tonally, so I feel like I'd be sacrificing the overall 'what mood am I in' versatility. Although you're right that some get played more than others, I feel like my current stable ticks almost every box possible - I've got a 24 fretter, I've got a bolt-on, I've got a 12-string, I've got a Hollowbody, I've got one with a Bigsby, I've got one with P90s, I've got one with moons, I've got one with a rosewood neck, and I've got those Strippers which are for me the Les Pauls that I couldn't find previously.

I don't think it's about being fickle, it's about having lots of colours on your palette - as long as you know how to use 'em.

 

[László]

I sold one to help fund my PS acoustic. It worked out well, I love the acoustic and won't ever sell it.

However, I do miss the guitar I sold. So there's that.

I now wish I'd been just a little more patient and kept the first one, too. Then I'd have both.

 

[HighGain510]

Definitely thought about it myself.

But - when I glance over to the guitars, I realise that I have very little overlap with my collection as it stands... other than currently having two Stripped 58s, everything else has attributes that the other ones don't and are very different tonally, so I feel like I'd be sacrificing the overall 'what mood am I in' versatility. Although you're right that some get played more than others, I feel like my current stable ticks almost every box possible - I've got a 24 fretter, I've got a bolt-on, I've got a 12-string, I've got a Hollowbody, I've got one with a Bigsby, I've got one with P90s, I've got one with moons, I've got one with a rosewood neck, and I've got those Strippers which are for me the Les Pauls that I couldn't find previously.

I don't think it's about being fickle, it's about having lots of colours on your palette - as long as you know how to use 'em.

Ha see I'm sitting exactly where you are! I have a CU24 with a maple neck and ebony board in a finish I love, a P22 Trem with a solid rosewood neck that I love, a Hollowbody II with a maple neck that I love, a 513 with a solid maple neck that I love... they ALL sound great and all sound unique. That's the part that I can't seem to get over... I love the variety, but I guess I just feel badly that I'm not able to spend 3+ hours a day playing them all as much as I would like.

I sold one to help fund my PS acoustic. It worked out well, I love the acoustic and won't ever sell it.

However, I do miss the guitar I sold. So there's that.

I now wish I'd been just a little more patient and kept the first one, too. Then I'd have both.

That's another good point Les, I've done the same culling of the herd to buy a large purchase before, and ended up regretting it later because one or two were REALLY good ones that missed terribly. That's part of why I was asking around about this, maybe just to give myself some semblance of "has anyone done this, and did you find yourself regretting letting go of the other ones to make it happen?!" as I know it's happened to me before and sometimes it's a case of "don't know what you've got 'till it's gone" syndrome. I know places like this aren't usually the crowds that will try to talk you out of things, so I appreciate the contrary viewpoints as I keep going back and forth between the excitement of "I'd love to spec this out myself, it would be PERFECT that way!" and "Man, I'd have to sell at least 2-3 REALLY nice ones just to make this happen.... is it worth it? :bawling:".


Part of this discussion is spurring from the fact that my wife and I sat down to chat last night and she's thinking 2 years from now is when she's ideally "planning" to start having children (plural, we both feel comfortable with the idea that two kids would be the right number for us). This means I need to plan ahead to a) have enough cash set aside to be prepared for the children, they are more expensive than most folks realize and I've been asking buddies with kids what to expect... the numbers are staggering as I'm sure most of you folks already know and b) if I'm able to plan for one last big instrument purchase, now is the time to do it because once the kids come, it's goodbye GAS fund and hello daycare bill! :rofl: If I don't do this within the next year or so, it's likely not going to happen for several years after we have kids as I know that stage of life is going to be more about saving extra cash for the kids than it will be on spending money on gear, since I'm a realist I know my options are limited there so I'd like to plan ahead and figure out if this is something I can actually consider or not.

 

[WEDGE]

I did just this to get my Modern Eagle. Cost me a couple of really nice guitars. Funny part is I never play the ME, I mean like never. It probably has just a few hours play time on it as I am somehow paranoid about damaging it or having the faded blue finish disappear on me. Ironic part is it is by far the best feeling, playing, and sounding guitar I own. I think about getting a PS but wonder if I will feel and treat it like the ME and that would be a shame and waste.

 

[HighGain510]

I did just this to get my Modern Eagle. Cost me a couple of really nice guitars. Funny part is I never play the ME, I mean like never. It probably has just a few hours play time on it as I am somehow paranoid about damaging it or having the faded blue finish disappear on me. Ironic part is it is by far the best feeling, playing, and sounding guitar I own. I think about getting a PS but wonder if I will feel and treat it like the ME and that would be a shame and waste.

Yeah that's part of my fear too. One of my favorite guitars is finished in nitro, I just feel like nitro when done right can absolutely let the guitar sound and feel amazing. The flip side is I'm also SUPER careful with it and always leave it in the case when I'm not playing, so I haven't been taking her out of the case much at all because I usually grab the PRS off the rack since they're close and readily available. If I went PS I'd likely go with the clear nitro finish for the clearcoat and then I wonder if I'd end up in the exact same boat as I am with this other one! :rofl:

 

[RedGuitars]

I sold these:

To buy this:

Wish I had kept the PS, the Std 22 Studio, and the Melancon Strat...

 

[HighGain510]

I sold these:

To buy this:

Wish I had kept the PS, the Std 22 Studio, and the Melancon Strat...

Did you regret losing the other ones while you had the PS though?

 

[TFC]

I think you should sell your guitars insanely cheap to, say, a guy who lives nearby. Once that's done, you'll feel a whole lot better about buying that PS. I'll even let you play them once in a while.

But seriously, I'd be really wary about getting rid of anything that you really love. You'll definitely miss those, no matter what you get to replace them. And to say you're "fickle" is to put it mildly, so you're right to be cautious about believing any PS you get will be "The One". That said, looking over your PRS collection and knowing what you like, I'm thinking there may be 2 or 3 that might fall into that category of "keepers" (HAHA, right?), along with that other gold one. I'd say go for it, as long as what you're selling to cover it are guitars that you probably would have ended up selling anyway. That, and start clipping coupons for diapers NOW.

 

[Woollymonster]

I did just this to get my Modern Eagle. Cost me a couple of really nice guitars. Funny part is I never play the ME, I mean like never. It probably has just a few hours play time on it as I am somehow paranoid about damaging it or having the faded blue finish disappear on me. Ironic part is it is by far the best feeling, playing, and sounding guitar I own. I think about getting a PS but wonder if I will feel and treat it like the ME and that would be a shame and waste.

I know exactly what you mean. Definitely a consideration when you own a uber high end expensive anything. I went through the same transformation that the OP is considering a few years back. It was not until then that I could afford custom shop guitars anyway. So I gathered up all the dupes and started taking some pictures.

My first piece of advice is to be patient. Don’t trade anything with a dealer. You will get screwed. Take the time to take nice photos and do accurate write ups for Reverb, Flea Bay, and Craig’s List. EB will get the most exposure but they are charging 10% commission now. Add that to your Paypal fees and you have lost a lot of value. If you are patient, you can sell much cheaper.

I am down to 6 custom guitars (5 elect, 1 acoustic) now and 3 amps (gig-able, practice, acoustic). Couldn’t be happier. Lately I have been able to concentrate on music and not worry about managing a stable of gear. I don’t have any dupes. Buying and selling gear was fun for me for a while but then it got to be exhausting and burt up time for practice and play.

My second piece of advice, no matter how much you spend or how exotic the components, play it before you buy it. I for one think you are on the right track to becoming a better and more satisfied guitarist. Others will no doubt disagree.

Best of luck to the OP with the family and everything! Teach those kids to play.

Cheers,
Woolly

 

[HighGain510]

I think you should sell your guitars insanely cheap to, say, a guy who lives nearby. Once that's done, you'll feel a whole lot better about buying that PS. I'll even let you play them once in a while.

But seriously, I'd be really wary about getting rid of anything that you really love. You'll definitely miss those, no matter what you get to replace them. And to say you're "fickle" is to put it mildly, so you're right to be cautious about believing any PS you get will be "The One". That said, looking over your PRS collection and knowing what you like, I'm thinking there may be 2 or 3 that might fall into that category of "keepers" (HAHA, right?), along with that other gold one. I'd say go for it, as long as what you're selling to cover it are guitars that you probably would have ended up selling anyway. That, and start clipping coupons for diapers NOW.

Man... I knew I should have brought more to the NoVa Swap..... :spitcoffee: :rofl: Yeah that's another issue, I'm afraid I'd sell off some good ones, buy the PS and then have it not TRULY be one of those "WOW!" moments like I had with a few others that came in. My CU24, my 513-M, the P22... all ones that I go "WOW I love this!!!" when I play them. The HB-II falls into that category as well, I just haven't had it as long as the rest and as such haven't put a TON of time on it yet, but it's likely in the group of guitars that I could see staying for a long time as well if I get attached to it. It's also one of the most expensive PRS I own right now too, so if I opted to go the PS route, that bonnie pink bursted goodness would likely be one of the pieces to go on the chopping block to help provide the funds and I'm not sure if I would be kicking myself later for letting it go in the first place.

Roger that on the diapers... I'm excited to have kids someday but after several conversations with some of my close buddies who just recently started having kids, if younger folks think Private Stocks are expensive, they're really in for a shock once they start popping out kids!

 

[TFC]

Of course, option 2 is to bargain with the wife. Negotiate down to one kid, and that should free up funds for a 2nd PS. Negotiate further down to no kids and a medium sized dog, and we'll look forward to your next set of "PRS stable" photos.

 

[CantankerousCarl]

Roger that on the diapers... I'm excited to have kids someday but after several conversations with some of my close buddies who just recently started having kids, if younger folks think Private Stocks are expensive, they're really in for a shock once they start popping out kids!

Kids ARE Private Stock

I have thought about this exact same thing, even started the process and threw up some listings. I am one of those who get attached to guitars...not all material possessions, mostly guitars, and I might hug my car every once in awhile...

But every time I get rid of something, I somehow end up bringing it or something similar back into the stable...sooner or later. I have two guitars that I bought back after trading them in to GC as a quick "justify this purchase" move. And it ends up costing me more in the long run than it would have it I just kept the damn things. Either that, or I search for weeks or months for something exactly like it, and then, same boat.

I probably pissed away enough to have a good chunk of a PS bought and paid for in shenanigans. Such is the nature of my illness, I suppose.

Like others have mentioned, I tend to worship rather than use my really nice onces - I do play them, but certainly not as much as they deserve to be played. So I wondered myself about the opportunity cost...here I am, uber-cautious with a $4K guitar...how will I treat a $10K guitar?

I thought about saving up for a PS for my 50th bday (6 more years) but with the kids growing fast, I have alot of other things to save up for.

 

[themike]

Of course, option 2 is to bargain with the wife. Negotiate down to one kid, and that should free up funds for a 2nd PS. Negotiate further down to no kids and a medium sized dog, and we'll look forward to your next set of "PRS stable" photos.

Normally I would agree but Matt's wife gives him wayyyyyy to much slack already. I mean have you seen his collection and related man cave? haha

 

[veinbuster]

Kids are expensive, but worth it. I didn't buy gear very often until the youngest finished school.
I might sell a couple of guitars to soften the blow of getting a new expensive one, partly there is no financial impact, but at least as much to keep the music room from overflowing.

 

[jcha008]

This thought went through my head a little over a year ago, and for me it was worth it. I had a few core-model PRSi that I enjoyed, but a PS with certain specs would always stick in the back of my mind. When the raspberry came up for sale with my exacting specs I was willing to purge my others for this one. To me it was great as I play the snot out of the PS and it's really an incredible instrument. I say do it, but maybe not at the risk of losing some unique items that may hold some sympathetic value.

 

[László]

I did just this to get my Modern Eagle. Cost me a couple of really nice guitars. Funny part is I never play the ME, I mean like never. It probably has just a few hours play time on it as I am somehow paranoid about damaging it or having the faded blue finish disappear on me. Ironic part is it is by far the best feeling, playing, and sounding guitar I own. I think about getting a PS but wonder if I will feel and treat it like the ME and that would be a shame and waste.

Wedge, I completely understand this feeling. It's my natural impulse, too.

But somehow I managed to convince myself to play my acoustic every day, and on every session I need an acoustic guitar for. And I do!

After years of babying my guitars, I came to the realization that I bought them for me, not for the next guy. If I don't enjoy them, who's going to? Even if I left them in pristine shape for my son, he wouldn't keep them that way, because the lucky guy isn't stuck with my OCD gene.

So I try to keep them in great shape. But I play them and enjoy them. If something happens that bugs me, and if something goes wrong, the PTC has my back.

 

[tiboy]

A while back I worked out a tentative deal to trade 2 PRS and some cash for a PS. It fit the downsize mode I was in at the time and the PS was spec'd (in all significant respects) as I would have done it from scratch. Ultimately, I couldn't pull the trigger just because.

Ok, it wasn't just because. It was for the reason stated by Ozboy reprinted below.

Private t stock instruments are about looks and vanity and image rather than about quality of music. I love looking at them and admire them as beautiful examples of what an be done to polish and stain wood. As a musical instrument though I'm not even sure what they really represent. Some musos willy Nelson eg like to have the seemingly worst looking instrument possible.

My my advice ask yourself how much of the ps desire is about owning a look and how much is about musical quality

 

[LumpBlockClod]

another couple months may have saved enough for an S2...

/sigh

 

[Egads]

Start planning for the day care bill by putting that money aside. If you've got two years before the first kid, that's two really nice PS guitars! We thought we were ready, but didn't take to heart the fact that it's really like have a second pricey mortgage to handle.

When you plan your PS, just make sure it covers the ground of what you are giving up, but hold on to the truly special ones.

So, was that semi-hollow Jade Glow Siggy yours? That is sick!