£5000 PRS Guitar vs £700 PRS Guitar - Are the Expensive Ones Worth It?

[JMaia]

What, the indonesian PRS's are being discontinued? What happened?!

 

[AceIT]

I think the truth is in the middle..
If we are talking about tone and playability often a medium price model with some more bucks of upgrades could compete with the top range one.
e.g.. I have a les paul traditional and I wanted it to feel and sound as similar as possible to my R8....
I swap pickups, electronics and bridge/tailpiece.. and now they are almost comparable.... at half the price ( guitar + mods) and I have a lot of fun working on it.
I think I should get almost the same result starting from a tribute... if not for the aesthetics.
But if we are talking about feelings and "mojo" the r8 wins hands down... will this justify the 2000/3000 bucks extra cost...? to me, in the moment I bought the CS .. yes...
another example is my latest se santana... just swapping the cap with a russian PIO and change the wiring to '50 style make a HUGE improvement...

 

[HANGAR18]

I would suggest a systematic approach to discovering your answer.
1. Do you have the ability to tell the difference between the more expensive PRSi and the least expensive PRSi?
2. If No, buy the least expensive PRS. If YES, proceed to step 3.
3. If you do have the ability to tell the difference between the more expensive PRSi and the least expensive PRSi, do you feel strongly enough about the very subtle differences to pay the extra thousands of dollars to have those subtle qualities in your guitar? If NO, buy the least expensive PRS guitar. If YES, buy the more expensive PRS guitar.

In my personal experience, I can tell the difference between the core line and the SE line and I feel very strongly about those differences, therefore I only buy core line models.

 

[andy474x]

I found it rather interesting that Lee appealed to all viewers to not hate against each other in the comments. I've never seen that for PRS and SE since I follow the brands (that's for about a year and a half or so), for example in the German musicians forum "Musiker Board", it's common that SE owners post in the PRS Userthread and PRS owners in the SE one. The harshest I've ever read about an SE by a PRS owner was "it's just a SE" - which was a joke in the end. That's different for example at the G/E-brands. Could be because SE are really great guitars for the money, could be that PRS players of whatever flavour are just better humans...

On topic: When I still was on the hunt for my own PRS, I played about 20 to 25 different PRS Core guitars (pretty much all Custom 24 and 22 they had, three or four Pauls Guitars and a 513) and already after a couple guitars there was one guitar which was giving me a better feeling than all the other ones. All were sounding like brothers and sisters and just judging the sound and quality of the guitars, I could have taken any one and be happy. But even my dealer noticed I was gravitating to this one 30th Anniversary Custom 24 10 Top in Azul - but it had hybrid hardware and I don't like gold at all. So it didn't come with me that day and I prayed to anybody who would listen (so mostly myself ) that another one would come along and give me the same feeling.
And another one came along, although a bit "forced": Thankfully, the German sales rep offered to meet me at my local dealership and bring some guitars to choose from. The first one was a 100% hit - but even worse, it had gold hardware... So I passed, we opened the next case and out came one with hybrid hardware. All happened in May 2016 and the most common Core PRS here in Germany was still the 30th Anniversary. The first 2016 spec guitars had just arrived - luckily not too late for me, as there was an unremarkable green Custom 24 with natural back and 2016 specs in the third case. Exactly one note was necessary and I knew "that's mine". Interestingly, every time I pick it up and play a single note, I'm instantly reminded of that moment

Sometimes you have to pass one to find "the one"

Good story!

 

[andy474x]

When I was looking for my first singlecut, I tried several guitars - nicer Epiphones, mid priced Gibsons, and of course SE's (didn't have a core budget at the time), mostly unplugged so different amps and pickups weren't a factor. And while the SE's honestly had the edge, I still wasn't finding anything that had the depth of tone I was after. Until one day my wife prodded me to try the SE Akesson on the wall at the shop. Didn't know much about the artist or Opeth, but after a few acoustic strums I could tell the guitar had it going on - and the tone has stood the test of time to this day. Didn't hurt that it has a totally bad @$$ top either, but that was just a bonus and as we all know didn't affect the sound. I was prepared to pass on it regardless of looks. I still hold less interest in SE electrics to this day, not that I don't think they're fantastic instruments, I just know I've found the one for me and I can't say I've played another or feel like I need to find another to surpass it.

That being said, my S2 Semi 22 is my absolute best sounding guitar, and also the most expensive, and I feel that it was totally worth it. I plan on my future 594 making me feel the same way, just waiting for the one (and my wife to give me a green light)...

 

[BWV548]

There are the attributes that we think, and say, move us, and render themselves important, in a guitar (and many other things). Then there is the reality, which is the former, in addition to a number of things that we're not self-aware enough to notice, or (perhaps) care to notice. The degree of self awareness, and the sorts of blind-spots are bound to vary, individual, by individual. Still, I suspect none of us can escape this

 

[Mattsiatti]

I say yes they are

If it's the best sounding guitar he's ever played surely has to keep it, just play it in the dark..

 

[pac90]

"first world problems"

the DC wins there for me also

i like that red autumn skyish burst too

 

[Guitarsan]

Rob's lament reminded me of a YouTube video with Paul in it. He was talking about being in a room full of PRS guitars for sale to dealers. After they had been through and done their picking, there were several "left". Paul happened to pick up one of the ones "left" and gave it a play. It was a WTF moment for him. He then plugged it in. And he had the same feelings Rob was having - "what is magical about this particular guitar, it's off the charts!?" He playfully mocked the dealers saying "you missed the best one". (By tone). He was so enamored with it, he ended up buying it. (He claims even he has to buy the guitars, but let's not quibble with semantics of it, you get the point.) Let's face it, there's some random "sum of the parts" thing that happens every once in a while, and you'll never know unless you play that guitar. Did someone wind the pickup a bit different? Did the Brazilian factor in? Was the body particularly resonant? The answer might be yes to all the above.

 

[Casi1]

The question of value for money is always entirely personal and subjective, because we don't all value things the same way. So "Is expensive guitar X worth the extra cost over less expensive guitar Y," is a fairly meaningless question.

A better question is, "Can you tell the difference, and, if so, does that difference matter more to you than the money?"

As to the looks, for me it's nice to love the look, but I bought a glorious sounding CU24 30th PS with a quilt top, even though I much prefer flame tops. I fell head over heels for the tone of that guitar. I love playing it.

I could've found one I liked the look of, but the tone of the one I have was exactly right for me. I think I'd have regretted passing it up based on looks.

I agree with this. I feel that 'most' expensive PRS guitars are worth it IF the guitar is what you want (tone wise, visually, feel-wise, etc). Therefore, its a totally personal decision regarding whether its really worth it or not. I personally would not buy a guitar (expensive, rare, or otherwise) if I didnt like the tone or the looks of it unless I was buying it to sell it elsewhere.

My intro to PRS was a S2 Custom 24... That guitar changed my life. Prior to the S2 calling my name in G Center, I was struggling with the weight of an LP and the width of a strat. After holding it, I swore the S2 was made for me. I was cool with the S2 for a year until I fondled a beautiful McCarty that had a Brazilian rosewood neck. Was that McCarty worth 3x the money as the S2? To me, yes because I knew the sound, the look, and the ease of playing it would haunt my dreams FOREVER. It was just a better guitar than my S2.

You may wonder what happened to the S2 since I brought the uber expensive McCarty home. Well, unfortunately, it got no love after the McCarty joined the family. I almost sold that S2 a few months ago but instead turned it into a metal guitar by putting EMG pups in it.

If I had never saw, held, or played the more expensive guitar (which looked and sounded awesome to me) than I would have been just as happy with the less expensive guitar. My advice to anyone is to play as many models as you can get your hands on. Only you will know if the guitar is worth it or not.

 

[Guitarsan]

Second thought on "are the expensive ones worth it?" Don't overlook the obvious answer.

Every time someone buys one.

 

[clasbtenn]

I was brought up in a family where fine instruments were understood, known, and respected. It was my father who told me that Gibson guitars are what you want. I always had the nicer and sometimes, the nicest guitars. I was educated on things the older musicians already knew, like the wood, it's aging process, quality in everything to help give the instrument a fighting chance to shine and excel.

I can feel, hear, and see the difference between guitars. This doesn't mean I would not give a lower costing guitar a chance. I mean we all love teles, and strats. They have their differences as well, and that is part of the fun in finding a killer tele or strat, or other low cost guitar.

I am near the end of my buying of guitars, so I don't have the time to invest in buying a Core guitar, then a WL, and one day thinking about a PS. I only hope that the guitar I wind up getting is not just looks and o.k sounding. At this level, I want it all, and no excuses. I know I've been as exacting in detail to my dealer as I could be, and gone over every detail enough that he should have no question. I understand being specific, so that there is just no guessing involved by the builders on anything. All I can do is wait and see.

 

[László]

I know I've been as exacting in detail to my dealer as I could be, and gone over every detail enough that he should have no question. I understand being specific, so that there is just no guessing involved by the builders on anything. All I can do is wait and see.

The problem, of course, is that as specific as you might be, you won't be tapping the wood, applying the stain, deciding what does/doesn't feel right, look right to you, sound good, etc. So how does the builder interpret your instructions? Words still have to be translated to wood.

With a wooden instrument - you know this - there's going to be a certain element of chance.

Of course, chance can result in a delightful surprise here and there, or disappointment if you have expectations that are incapable of being fulfilled.

Not being highly familiar with the brand, you're at a disadvantage being as picky as you seem to be. I'm willing to bet you'd be a lot better off playing a bunch and finding one in dealer stock, so you know exactly what you're getting, than throwing your money at the proverbial ceiling and seeing if it sticks.

Just my two cents.

 

[Ovibos]

I really like my SE's.

My RLCE24 is my favorite guitar I've ever owned, so the price diff (much less that full-fat core, to be fair) was definitely 'worth it' to me.

 

[Lee B.]

As nice as that 594 sang in his hands, Rob should just tint his glasses blue.

 

[Parralax view]

The worst of the high end guitars I've played are much more fun to play than the best of the cheap ones I've played.

Since I started having enough cash to have a choice, I've chosen the higher end guitars.

Perfect. SO many will not admit as such and continue with "it's just as good, if not better" it's their summation and rationalization alone.