NUGD – My first PRS

[merciful-evans]

This might not be a welcome addition but I feel I have to share it.

About 10 years ago I needed a bass for recording. Anything with a clean signal would do. I tried a Squier Jazz bass in the shop, but took home an a new unboxed one. And to my complete amazement, it was in perfect concert tuning all the way from China. Credit where its due, even for a £150 guitar.

 

[RaySachs]

And to complete the circle, I just sold a very nice bicycle frameset that I'm unable to use anymore due to health reasons, but which was once as dear to me as this guitar is now. So now the guitar is fully paid for through the sale of my two previous electric guitars, a nice camera lens, and this bicycle, and to the extent I felt a bit guilty about spending so much on a guitar, now I don't, having refilled our coffers. It's a small detail that many here probably can't relate to much if at all. But it feels like a big deal to me... At this point, this guitar and my Martin are probably my most prized possessions.

 

[shimmilou]

Yes, a beautiful guitar! Congrats man!

 

[AP515]

And to complete the circle, I just sold a very nice bicycle frameset that I'm unable to use anymore due to health reasons, but which was once as dear to me as this guitar is now. So now the guitar is fully paid for through the sale of my two previous electric guitars, a nice camera lens, and this bicycle, and to the extent I felt a bit guilty about spending so much on a guitar, now I don't, having refilled our coffers. It's a small detail that many here probably can't relate to much if at all. But it feels like a big deal to me... At this point, this guitar and my Martin are probably my most prized possessions.

Oh we can relate. I commend you for your financial savvy.

I've posted this before because you are an example of it.

My rules of acquisition:

1. Never go into debt for a hobby/pastime; never.
2. Never use money that is needed for living expenses; never.
3. If you want it and can afford it, buy it.
4. Trade or buy in the used market to try all the guitars and amps you want, and turn them later if you want, without loosing any money.
5. One in, one out, is useless limiting. Trade what you want, keep what you want.
6. Marry a woman who loves to see you happy (you also need to let her do the things that make her happy). Agree on a budget and stick to it. There is no need to hide or deceive for either of you.
7. Insure the expensive ones.
8. If you learn the other rules correctly, you can have more worth in your gear than you have diverted money.

 

[Melisschief]

And to complete the circle, I just sold a very nice bicycle frameset that I'm unable to use anymore due to health reasons, but which was once as dear to me as this guitar is now. So now the guitar is fully paid for through the sale of my two previous electric guitars, a nice camera lens, and this bicycle, and to the extent I felt a bit guilty about spending so much on a guitar, now I don't, having refilled our coffers. It's a small detail that many here probably can't relate to much if at all. But it feels like a big deal to me... At this point, this guitar and my Martin are probably my most prized possessions.

This is probably wrong of me to ask, but curiosity has gotten the better of me: what bicycle frameset did you sell? (If I had to place a bet, I’d say it’s some kind of boutique titanium frame.)

Nice guitar! I’m glad that you found a way to adjust to it and hope it gives you many years of happiness!

 

[RaySachs]

This is probably wrong of me to ask, but curiosity has gotten the better of me: what bicycle frameset did you sell? (If I had to place a bet, I’d say it’s some kind of boutique titanium frame.)

Nice guitar! I’m glad that you found a way to adjust to it and hope it gives you many years of happiness!

Yeah, it was a custom titanium brevet bike designed by Tom Kellogg, who designed all of the Merlin ti frames. He’s one of the two or three best custom frame guys in the US, if not the world. It was my second Kellogg custom - the first one was more of a classic road racing bike, which I sold about a year ago. This one was a bit more relaxed light touring bike. In a way, kind of a sad day to let my last road bike go. I’m down to a town bike at this point - my days of long athletic rides in the hills and cycle touring are over and those were very good days.

This guitar is pretty damn nice consolation though...

-Ray

 

[Melisschief]

Nice! I have a Merlin Camena, which was also designed by Tom Kellogg. It got me thru the 5 passes of the Death Ride a few years ago. I’m hoping to make a cycling comeback one of these days. In the meantime, learning to play the guitar is happily taking up most of my spare time.

 

[RaySachs]

Nice! I have a Merlin Camena, which was also designed by Tom Kellog. It got me thru the 5 passes of the Death Ride a few years ago. I’m hoping to make a cycling comeback one of these days. In the meantime, learning to play the guitar is happily taking up most of my spare time.

I’ve been sort of playing guitar for much longer than I was a cyclist, but I was a pretty strong and versatile cyclist and I’m one of the most limited guitarists I know. The upside of which is you never run out of challenges and it doesn’t get boring! I’m good enough to really appreciate and enjoy a great instrument, but not near good enough to get the most out of it...

 

[AP515]

I’ve been sort of playing guitar for much longer than I was a cyclist, but I was a pretty strong and versatile cyclist and I’m one of the most limited guitarists I know. The upside of which is you never run out of challenges and it doesn’t get boring! I’m good enough to really appreciate and enjoy a great instrument, but not near good enough to get the most out of it...

Give it time. With Guitar patience and persistence pays off. I should know, I've been persisting for years.

 

[RaySachs]

Give it time. With Guitar patience and persistence pays off. I should know, I've been persisting for years.

I was about 8-10 years really ON, followed by about 30 years mostly off. And then waaaaay OOOONNNNN again for the past year plus and I’ve improved a good bit in both breadth and depth in this year of playing intensively and with today’s online resources to learn from. And I love it as much as ever. I wouldn’t have bought this amazing guitar otherwise! Don’t know how long it’s gonna last, but I seem to go in 10-20 years cycles of interest and the longer end of that takes me pretty far down the road into old age. If I last that long!

 

[RaySachs]

Another NGD. Didn't think this warranted it's own thread on a PRS forum, but I figured I'd add a post here. The one electric guitar thing didn't work out. For two reasons. First, with nothing to compare it to, the 594 started feeling almost routine, just like "this is what life is like now". It felt great but I need contrast. When I was cycling a lot, I always needed a second really good road bike for both a change of pace and to remind myself of how absolutely sublime my #1 was. A reality check, some perspective every now and then. AND, because I'm a strat player going back so far, I just missed that sound. 594 split coil is a great sound, but no way it's a strat. And once I started selling off cycling and camera gear to pay for the 594, I overshot the target and ended up with more $$$ freed up than I anticipated. So after experimenting a bit, including a very short stint with a three pickup Tele modern player plus, I ended up with this guy.

It's not a Silver Sky (didn't have the $$ or the inclination although I know it's a fine guitar), but it kind of looks like one with the Inca Silver finish and rosewood board. It's a Robert Cray strat. I don't use tremolo bars and I always blocked my strats - this one's a hardtail right from the factory floor and it gives the guitar a slightly different sound and it's notably lighter as well. The neck is sublime. And it's just a freakin' strat, with that stratty glass and honk and quack and growl. And it actually sounds a bit like Robert Cray even though I don't. A hardtail strat has always been my Fender holy grail (with a three pickup tele or blocked trem strat being decent stand-ins) and now I finally have one. REALLY happy with it. And the 594 looks happier having a friend on the wall next to it.

Cray-5 by Ray, on Flickr

Cray-8 by Ray, on Flickr

Cray-3 by Ray, on Flickr

 

[AP515]

Congrats! They to together well. Put a maple fretboard on that baby (and add the bridge pickup to the tone pot), and you would be right where I live with Strats!

 

[dcm_guitar]

CONGRATS!!! I just read the whole thread. Congrats on the 594; that guitar just oozes class. Congrats on the hardtail Strat!!! If you have the means without undue burden, multiple guitars is REALLY a wonderful thing. They're all just a little different, and they all add something unique.

 

[RaySachs]

Congrats! They to together well. Put a maple fretboard on that baby (and add the bridge pickup to the tone pot), and you would be right where I live with Strats!

I've always played maple fretboards and have preferred them (and ebony) in the past. They've always felt faster and smoother and rosewood has often felt sort of grabby to me. But I've warmed up to rosewood lately and this strat is no exception - it plays plenty quick. I'm sort of aware of the difference but not in a bad way at all. I sort of had in the back of my mind that if this didn't work out, I'd replace the neck with a Classic Player 50s maple fretboard neck - I had one of those and LOVED that soft V. But I think I like this deep C even more and so far the rosewood isn't bothering me in the least.

As for wiring the bridge pup to the tone control, I've done that with strats in the past and I STILL didn't use the bridge pickup by itself. I use the #2 position quite a bit but I sort of like just having the tone control on the middle and finding the right combination for just the right amount of quack. Putting the bridge on the same tone control makes that harder and combining the neck and middle on the first knob and giving the bridge a dedicated tone control (which my Classic Player 50s was wired for) gives me less flexibility in the #4 position, which I also use a lot. The only way putting a tone control on the bridge makes sense to me is if it would get me to play it by itself, but it's never worked out that way in the past... So I'm gonna keep this one stock for the foreseeable future.

-Ray

 

[RaySachs]

CONGRATS!!! I just read the whole thread. Congrats on the 594; that guitar just oozes class. Congrats on the hardtail Strat!!! If you have the means without undue burden, multiple guitars is REALLY a wonderful thing. They're all just a little different, and they all add something unique.

I've never had a problem affording multiple guitars, although when one of them is a 594, that makes it less of a slam dunk! But I've just never liked having too many options - it tends to hurt my head and give me choice-paralysis rather than enjoying the variety. Not to mention keeping them all maintained and keeping track of what needs new strings. I've been through that with cycling and it's just not how my head works best. I've gone back and forth between having one and two electrics my whole playing life, having one far more of the time than having two. But that one was always a strat, and I guess not having a strat within reach is a problem for me, no matter how great the 594 is. So, now I'm back to having two... And the 594 sure feels like a lifetime guitar, so I'll probably have two for as long as I'm able to play.

-Ray

 

[AP515]

...Putting the bridge on the same tone control makes that harder and combining the neck and middle on the first knob and giving the bridge a dedicated tone control (which my Classic Player 50s was wired for) gives me less flexibility in the #4 position, which I also use a lot. The only way putting a tone control on the bridge makes sense to me is if it would get me to play it by itself, but it's never worked out that way in the past... So I'm gonna keep this one stock for the foreseeable future.

I see your thought process here. You could tie it to the neck tone pot. Since they are never on at the same time, they would be independent as far as tone control goes.

 

[dcm_guitar]

Custom bikes and good camera gear are NOT inexpensive hobbies. I get it. Having mostly one guitar is a choice and not a necessity.

I have a couple of high-end Fenders (American Deluxe Tele and American Eite Strat). I have a custom shop Gibson 339. They're all really nice guitars (the Strat in particular plays exceedingly well). However, once I got the PRS (Hollowbody II) things have changed a bit. The other guitars are still REALLY nice, but they don't have the same solid feel to them. They're always needing a "tweak" here and there. The PRS makes me want to play more AND play better.

Sigh....This means I just bought another PRS and have yet another PRS on order.

The only thing you can do to yourself that would be worse is to get into home recording.

 

[RaySachs]

I see your thought process here. You could tie it to the neck tone pot. Since they are never on at the same time, they would be independent as far as tone control goes.

That's a great idea. I don't know if I'll do it, but if I ever do decide to rewire it, that would be the way to do it. Never thought of that option, but I like it! Thanks...

-Ray

 

[RaySachs]

Custom bikes and good camera gear are NOT inexpensive hobbies. I get it. Having mostly one guitar is a choice and not a necessity.

I have a couple of high-end Fenders (American Deluxe Tele and American Eite Strat). I have a custom shop Gibson 339. They're all really nice guitars (the Strat in particular plays exceedingly well). However, once I got the PRS (Hollowbody II) things have changed a bit. The other guitars are still REALLY nice, but they don't have the same solid feel to them. They're always needing a "tweak" here and there. The PRS makes me want to play more AND play better.

Sigh....This means I just bought another PRS and have yet another PRS on order.

The only thing you can do to yourself that would be worse is to get into home recording.

Yeah, PRS really did raise the bar and I don't see any other big manufacturer getting close to jumping over it. But I still love Fenders. Never had a thing for Gibson's. I've played 335s and I had an Ibanez semi-hollow I liked more than any 335 type guitar I ever played.

As for home recording, I've done it a bit and still do a very small amount with Garage Band, but I'm honestly not a good enough musician to really care about the results beyond occasionally enjoying the process. So now the vast majority of my home recording is limited to a looper that stores up to 100 tracks, so I always have someone to jam with, whether I have a good rhythm idea at the moment or not...

-Ray

 

[AP515]

...I had an Ibanez semi-hollow I liked more than any 335 type guitar I ever played.

Nothin but love for the Ibanez version of the 335! Lovely guitar.