1 piece tops: Why do you like them?

[LunarRock]

For me, it seems like book-matching is not as consistent as in years prior. The grain on a flame top just does not line up as it should in many cases.

If I were ordering a PS I would get a one piece for that reason.

Agree, and other brands seem to do have 'better' bookmarks for want of a term, offerings, without going higher up range

There is room in industry for a manufacturing process that could improve bookmark matching, maybe photo analysis against a database of past stained colours, checked again when wood shaped - to lower rate of mismatched bookmarks.

I vote for 1 piece for the rarety and individuality, although even although I wrote that above, personally I love the cross cut effect with different grain across the tops and actually like a plain top with that.

 

[Moondog Wily]

I never thought about it until this arrived. Is there a separate category for 1 piece body?

Stop the presses! OM PRS!!! Thanks for sharing!

 

[HANGAR18]

Forgive me if you've already heard this story...

Back when the PRS McCarty 594 was a brand new thing, my wife & I were at the Experience at the factory that year and we were looking at all the nifty guitars which could be purchased right there on the spot. Thanks to me she has become quite educated on PRS guitars, so while we were there, I told her about this brand new model and that I REALLY-really wanted one. but I didn't quite have enough purchasing power to get one on my own. She would pay for half of the guitar if she could pick out the color and the Maple top. Deal! My wife loves purple and she insisted on a single piece Maple top. So this was the guitar we bought together.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I never thought about it until this arrived. Is there a separate category for 1 piece body?

I can’t remember which one, but some poor guitar just got knocked out of my all time top 5. A new one just made the list!!

 

[11top]

Guitar Aficionado magazine did a write up and photo shoot of this one:







[url=https://imgur.com/OsubXNX][/URL]

 

[Moondog Wily]

Guitar Aficionado magazine did a write up and photo shoot of this one:





https://imgur.com/RYKTL4v

Heavens to Mergatroid!!! I have already written an article in my head on that one! Thanks for sharing!!! So glad you started this post, I have been wanting to start a 1 top post since I joined, just have not got around to it as I have been waiting till I got my tuner buttons and TRC done on my one piece. Should be ready in a few weeks.

 

[Moondog Wily]

Forgive me if you've already heard this story...

Back when the PRS McCarty 594 was a brand new thing, my wife & I were at the Experience at the factory that year and we were looking at all the nifty guitars which could be purchased right there on the spot. Thanks to me she has become quite educated on PRS guitars, so while we were there, I told her about this brand new model and that I REALLY-really wanted one. but I didn't quite have enough purchasing power to get one on my own. She would pay for half of the guitar if she could pick out the color and the Maple top. Deal! My wife loves purple and she insisted on a single piece Maple top. So this was the guitar we bought together.

Purple stain, purple stain
I only wanted to see you jammin'
With the purple stain

 

[WA Paul]

I agree. Maybe my favorite PS.

High praise indeed!

 

[WA Paul]

Brent built some stunners.

I had three of his builds at one point, but traded 2 of them in. Wish I could undo those trades now!

Traded in for an SC 594 SH that I didn’t bond with

Traded in this TOL run for my PS build. I love my P245T but I wish I traded in a different guitar!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

See now this is what I’m talking about!

 

[LunarRock]

Forgive me if you've already heard this story...

Back when the PRS McCarty 594 was a brand new thing, my wife & I were at the Experience at the factory that year and we were looking at all the nifty guitars which could be purchased right there on the spot. Thanks to me she has become quite educated on PRS guitars, so while we were there, I told her about this brand new model and that I REALLY-really wanted one. but I didn't quite have enough purchasing power to get one on my own. She would pay for half of the guitar if she could pick out the color and the Maple top. Deal! My wife loves purple and she insisted on a single piece Maple top. So this was the guitar we bought together.

Nice one, and that's the cross cut effect I love, I don't know if the name if correct but the vertical grain lines over the flame, makes it pop 3d

 

[veinbuster]

My wife instigated this. She showed me the top and I said: “I don’t care what they make out of it, I want it.”

 

[alantig]

Forgive me if you've already heard this story...

Back when the PRS McCarty 594 was a brand new thing, my wife & I were at the Experience at the factory that year and we were looking at all the nifty guitars which could be purchased right there on the spot. Thanks to me she has become quite educated on PRS guitars, so while we were there, I told her about this brand new model and that I REALLY-really wanted one. but I didn't quite have enough purchasing power to get one on my own. She would pay for half of the guitar if she could pick out the color and the Maple top. Deal! My wife loves purple and she insisted on a single piece Maple top. So this was the guitar we bought together.

Nice! I don't remember that guitar, but that year, Brian had a purple sparkle DC 594 which I just loved. Unfortunately for me, my PS had just come in. I've never seen another one like it.

 

[Mike Duncan]

Fewer moving parts.

 

[Tosca]

Nice! I don't remember that guitar, but that year, Brian had a purple sparkle DC 594 which I just loved. Unfortunately for me, my PS had just come in. I've never seen another one like it.

I remember that one too!!! It’s the reason I didn’t hesitate when Brian had a black sparkle Santana Retro at the next experience.

 

[Tosca]

I love all PRSi....but sometimes the one piece tops just speak to me...

 

[alantig]

I remember that one too!!! It’s the reason I didn’t hesitate when Brian had a black sparkle Santana Retro at the next experience.

Yeah, I considered that Santana, too. If I’d been sure I wanted one...

 

[Tosca]

Yeah, I considered that Santana, too. If I’d been sure I wanted one...

That Santana will be joined by a black sparkle sibling soon...

 

[goof1073]

So it really depends on the billet...but the one visual benefit of a 1-piece top is that top is by default not symmetric so when the billet gets carved the pattern symmetry effect doesn't really matter; i.e. I've had an epic book-matched billet that when carved the quilt / top became pretty asymmetric based on how the grain went through the billet. While the top remained extremely strong it just lost the symmetry and that's just something you don't have to worry about with a 1-piece top, or a nice piece of flame.

Speaking of 1-piece tops...here is my baby!!

Here is its raw form:

 

[RJK Tech]