594 artist package vs wood library artist package

[Tag]

I recently played a 594 and was pretty much blown away. Im looking for one I like, and am seeing what's called wood library artist packs, but they do not have the pau birds. All the non wood library artist packs I have seen have pau birds.
Whats the difference?? The wood libraries are also usually less money, but not always. What are the differences and why no pau birds on wood libraries? I love the pau birds! Lol!!

 

[dkilpatrick]

If you (the customer) orders an artist pack, you can order any of the specs that are available in the artist pack catalog and PRS will build the guitar to those specs.
the difference with wood library is that they are small batch runs that a dealer will spec specifically for that run, and hand select all the woods including specific artist grade tops at the factory.

 

[flux]

Whats the difference??

A recent thread on the subject might help: Wood Library vs Artist Package

The Artist birds you mention are usually standard issue across the line (for Artist Package models). Other specs & options are model-specific, though, and will vary with Wood Library selections and special orders.

A complete list (with pricing) for 2018 (USA) is on page 11 of the current product catolog. (.pdf)

 

[Guitpicky]

The only artist package upgrades my 594 Wood Library doesn't have are the abalone signature on the headstock and gold hardware. It has every other upgrade and then some... the green paua/abalone birds, chrome hardware (which I like better for finish durability) SA ribbon mahogany body, artist grade 10 top, cocobolo fretboard, Brazilian rosewood headstock veneer, ebony truss rod cover and the East Indian rosewood neck that is way more awesome than I ever would have imagined before trying it. It's not the so much the look of the EIR neck (which is especially complimentary on my particular 594) it's the feel moving up and down the neck while playing. Smooth as a baby's butt, you really have to try it to appreciate it.

If you haven't checked out the AP and Wood Library 594s from Eddie's, Brian's, Wildwood and others you should have a look before ordering an AP directly from the factory. You might find something that really grabs you. One advantage is you get to see it before you buy. Ordering from the factory you won't get to see the finished product until it's done and there is a several month wait. The special Wood Library runs can sometimes have wood options not normally available with the Artist Package like the cocobolo fretboard on mine. The APs also tend to run a few hundred $$$ more than the WLs with similar options. I guess it all depends on how bad you want the gold hardware and abalone signature. The WL are just as much one off guitars as the AP, I've never seen another one like mine before or since I purchased it.

Mine came from Eddie's and I think them and Brian's both do great WL runs with nice wood/color selection and good creativity. There are others too, those are just the ones I've drooled over the most. I'd also check the others in the vendors forum here and even Sweetwater as they too have some decent WL and AP 594s from time to time.

 

[László]

Jack Gretz’ shop has WL with fancy birds - I think they’re Paua. I have one from this run. So they’re out there. Seek and ye shall find.

http://forums.prsguitars.com/thread...quilts-are-arriving-at-northeast-music.27999/

 

[Tag]

Thanks guys. You really have to look at each guitar. I found one I really like, but I have to give up the pau birds on it. Its a Mahogany neck with Ebony board. I already have my PS with Brazzy neck and board, and my cu22 semi hollow with mahogany and RW, so I dont think I should go with those again. An ebony board should be cool! Loved it on my one ps that is now gone. I also need to watch the weight. No more guitars over 8 lbs for me. The one I dig is just under at 7.999999999999 lbs.

 

[Glide-bpm]

Wood Library Artist 594... cocobolo fretboard, Korina back/neck.

 

[RaySachs]

As someone really new here and a non-PRS owner at this point, I think I’d be hesitant to own a guitar with such striking looks. Like the specific look or not, I just have the feeling I’d be too distracted by the look of the thing to play it. Or if I had an audience they’d be looking more than listening (although that might not be a bad thing in my case!). But I was also taken by one of those Anderton’s videos where Rob Chapman bought a wood library 594 and it was the best playing and sounding guitar he’d played, and by a good margin. He was considering returning it because he didn’t really like the red burst look of it. But he claimed he played several other non-wood library 594s and none sounded nearly as good as that one, so he was conflicted. I’ll never spend the $$$ for that nice a guitar, but that video haunts me as I consider buying a base model off the rack 594, which would already be overwhelmingly the most I’d ever spent on a guitar - by a factor of about four for an electric guitar...

-Ray

 

[garrettb]

As someone really new here and a non-PRS owner at this point, I think I’d be hesitant to own a guitar with such striking looks. Like the specific look or not, I just have the feeling I’d be too distracted by the look of the thing to play it. Or if I had an audience they’d be looking more than listening (although that might not be a bad thing in my case!). But I was also taken by one of those Anderton’s videos where Rob Chapman bought a wood library 594 and it was the best playing and sounding guitar he’d played, and by a good margin. He was considering returning it because he didn’t really like the red burst look of it. But he claimed he played several other non-wood library 594s and none sounded nearly as good as that one, so he was conflicted. I’ll never spend the $$$ for that nice a guitar, but that video haunts me as I consider buying a base model off the rack 594, which would already be overwhelmingly the most I’d ever spent on a guitar - by a factor of about four for an electric guitar...

-Ray

I get where you're coming from. I was not at all a birds and 10 top guy until I got my 594 in 2016, and I've been into PRS guitars since the mid 90's. Sometimes I almost feel guilty when I look at that Violet 10 top. The whole guitar is so pretty, it's like it emits its own light. But the looks don't matter at all when I play that thing; it brings the goods on all fronts.

I don't feel right bringing it to every gig. It's all mental, I know, and shouldn't matter, but I feel I'd get some sideways looks bringing it to some places. For the more upscale gigs, it feels like a great choice, though. That's why when I bought my Custom 22, I went for a goldtop; a bit more classic, a bit less flash.

So anyway, the moral of that thread derailing ramble is that this is why PRS make guitars in non-10 and solid color finishes. Oh, and never say never.

 

[László]

As someone really new here and a non-PRS owner at this point, I think I’d be hesitant to own a guitar with such striking looks. Like the specific look or not, I just have the feeling I’d be too distracted by the look of the thing to play it.
-Ray

The guitars sound and play great. You don’t want all the fancy wood? They make them in solid colors. Just get a simple white one, or a gold top.

So many guitar companies have copied the PRS look, and so many people are playing guitars that have either fancy wood or fancy veneers, that I seriously doubt the guitar would distract from your no doubt fabulous performance, anyway, but get a plainer looking one and your problem is solved!

 

[RaySachs]

To be clear, I LIKE the fancy wood and LOVE the birds! I just think I'd feel weird playing a guitar so over the top ornate. Realistically I wouldn't see it while I was playing it. I have an Ibanez semi-hollow body with a horrible fake relic finish that I hate looking at but love playing - it was being discontinued (no doubt because of horrible fake relic finish that didn't sell) and I got it for half price. It's been decades since I've played in front of more than a handful of people so it's not about an audience, but for the occasional jam session, I sort of feel like if I showed up with a guitar looking wood-library good, I'd better freakin' be able to play play the hell out of it. And I'm, at best, a decent player within an EXTREMELY narrow range. So I guess I'd be self-conscious about it, whether that should matter or not.

If I do end up with a 594, it will be one of the base models I'm certain. The only thing that gives me any pause at all is that Anderton's video I mentioned and Chapman's very clear, almost overwhelming preference for this one wood-library 594 to the other 594s he'd selected that one from, in addition to the other PRS models he played in that video (I think a custom 24 and maybe a 245?). I tend to be a stickler for feel much more than sound. I can tell from playing a guitar unplugged for about 2 minutes whether it's one I want to spend some serious time with or not. If I like the feel of a guitar and the way it resonates unplugged I can almost always find a sound or a few I like once I plug in. But if the feel doesn't grab me almost immediately, there's not much point in going farther. I've bought a few I was lukewarm about initially figuring I'd grow to like them, but it didn't happen, so now I trust my instinct on that. I can almost NEVER hear the subtle differences between guitars on a youtube video - at best I get an idea of the relative tones and textures from various pickups and switching options. But on that video, even I could hear how amazing that one wood library sample sounded relative to the others he played and he indicated the difference between that one and the other 954s he played was just about as stark.

My own playing would likely not expose those differences in sound like his did, but that video does makes you think you might be paying for more than aesthetics. That said, I'd played a good number of guitars costing about $1000 or less that I've absolutely loved the sound of, so I know I shouldn't even think about videos like that, but it did crawl into my head a bit. As for the never say never, a wood library guitar costing $10,000 or more is simply not a possibility in the happy retirement I'm living and hope to live for a good while yet. That's one of those things that are part of my lottery winning fantasy, like a Manhattan Penthouse or a villa on the Amalfi Coast. Even $3500-4000 for a base model is an enormous stretch for me, and I'm gonna have to be wowed when I play one to even think about going that far. That said, I can be wowed - it's happened before with much lesser instruments!

-Ray

 

[Glide-bpm]

As someone really new here and a non-PRS owner at this point, I think I’d be hesitant to own a guitar with such striking looks. Like the specific look or not, I just have the feeling I’d be too distracted by the look of the thing to play it. Or if I had an audience they’d be looking more than listening (although that might not be a bad thing in my case!). But I was also taken by one of those Anderton’s videos where Rob Chapman bought a wood library 594 and it was the best playing and sounding guitar he’d played, and by a good margin. He was considering returning it because he didn’t really like the red burst look of it. But he claimed he played several other non-wood library 594s and none sounded nearly as good as that one, so he was conflicted. I’ll never spend the $$$ for that nice a guitar, but that video haunts me as I consider buying a base model off the rack 594, which would already be overwhelmingly the most I’d ever spent on a guitar - by a factor of about four for an electric guitar...

-Ray

Trust me... You find one you love, you'll get over the fear of playing it at home or out on the road.
I gig the heck out of my Wood Library guitars. I'd probably gig a Private Stock if I ever get one...

I love them too much to leave them all alone in a case or gathering dust on a rack!!!

 

[RaySachs]

Trust me... You find one you love, you'll get over the fear of playing it at home or out on the road.
I gig the heck out of my Wood Library guitars. I'd probably gig a Private Stock if I ever get one...

I love them too much to leave them all alone in a case or gathering dust on a rack!!!

I’m not a many guitar kind of guy - I have a strat, a humbucker guitar with a shorter scale (currently an Ibanez semi-hollow) and a Martin acoustic. So if I end up with a PRS or something else to replace the Ibanez, I’ll play it all the time. I’m more of a bucker guy than single coil these days so any new guitar would fall into that #1 slot and it’ll definitely earn its keep. Who knows, if I end up with a 594 and like the single coil sound of it enough, it could end up being my only electric. But I’m getting ahead of myself - I have to play one first and see if it’s as good a fit for me as it is for so many folks here. I’m actually fine with my current gear so I may end up sitting tight. But I’m excited to check it out and see if the 594 magic works for me... And if it does and I get one, I’ll play it like I stole it...

 

[László]

To be clear, I LIKE the fancy wood and LOVE the birds! I just think I'd feel weird playing a guitar so over the top ornate. Realistically I wouldn't see it while I was playing it. I going that far.
-Ray

Ray, far be it from me to talk you into trying one of the 594s. I was so blown away by my first one that I bought a second one within a few weeks.

And I didn’t buy Private Stock, which is different from Wood Library, which is pretty much the same as Core, only slightly fancier dealer-spec’d trim and woods. Though I do have a few Private Stocks, the 594s have become my daily drivers.

To get to the point of the part of the post I quoted...

After a few days of oohing and ahh-ing when you take it out of the case, you reach a point where you stop looking at it, and start playing it like any other guitar. The self-consciousness goes away.

I felt the same way many years ago when I got into PRSes. I was a little shy about playing it in front of the guys I was hiring for the ad music sessions I was producing and writing. They were so good, I was fairly mediocre (though I wrote the parts they played), and I felt they were going to say, “This dude does NOT deserve this guitar!”

But truth is, no one gave a rat’s ass, and after some gentle ribbing at first, everyone got over it. Now they just roll their eyes when I launch into one of my “tone” rants, and after I’m done, we get the sessions finished.

Point is, no one really cares about fancy at all. Play what you like. If you spend your life worrying about what the general public thinks of your guitar, you’ll go nuts because everyone thinks something different!

 

[bodia]

Ray, far be it from me to talk you into trying one of the 594s. I was so blown away by my first one that I bought a second one within a few weeks.

And I didn’t buy Private Stock, which is different from Wood Library, which is pretty much the same as Core, only slightly fancier dealer-spec’d trim and woods. Though I do have a few Private Stocks, the 594s have become my daily drivers.

To get to the point of the part of the post I quoted...

After a few days of oohing and ahh-ing when you take it out of the case, you reach a point where you stop looking at it, and start playing it like any other guitar. The self-consciousness goes away.

I felt the same way many years ago when I got into PRSes. I was a little shy about playing it in front of the guys I was hiring for the ad music sessions I was producing and writing. They were so good, I was fairly mediocre (though I wrote the parts they played), and I felt they were going to say, “This dude does NOT deserve this guitar!”

But truth is, no one gave a rat’s ass, and after some gentle ribbing at first, everyone got over it. Now they just roll their eyes when I launch into one of my “tone” rants, and after I’m done, we get the sessions finished.

Point is, no one really cares about fancy at all. Play what you like. If you spend your life worrying about what the general public thinks of your guitar, you’ll go nuts because everyone thinks something different!

Couldn't agree more. You gotta play what gets the best out of you, damn what everyone else thinks or says. At the end of the day, they don't matter....at all!

 

[Glide-bpm]

All I worry about is whether I like it! Preach, boys (n a few girls...)

 

[RaySachs]

At the end of the day, I’ll play a 594 and if it really knocks me out, I’ll order the nicest one I can afford. Which will be a core model and I’ll go for the one that looks best to me or, if I can play a few and pick from them, the one that plays and sounds best that I’m OK with the looks of. There are a few core finishes I’d probably stay away from , but most of the finishes to the core instruments look great to me. I wouldn’t pay more for a ten top, but if I could afford it I’d probably move up to the artist series because I love ebony fretboards. But that’s out of my range, so it’s gonna be a core level or nothing. And it may well be nothing - I just played my current semi-hollow and I love that guitar. So this is in the interest of leaving no stone unturned and if it really knocks me out, I’m sure I’ll find a way to pay the price of entry, but if not, I’ll be more than happy staying put...

 

[László]

At the end of the day, I’ll play a 594 and if it really knocks me out, I’ll order the nicest one I can afford. Which will be a core model and I’ll go for the one that looks best to me or, if I can play a few and pick from them, the one that plays and sounds best that I’m OK with the looks of. There are a few core finishes I’d probably stay away from , but most of the finishes to the core instruments look great to me. I wouldn’t pay more for a ten top, but if I could afford it I’d probably move up to the artist series because I love ebony fretboards. But that’s out of my range, so it’s gonna be a core level or nothing. And it may well be nothing - I just played my current semi-hollow and I love that guitar. So this is in the interest of leaving no stone unturned and if it really knocks me out, I’m sure I’ll find a way to pay the price of entry, but if not, I’ll be more than happy staying put...

Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[g.wizz]

As someone really new here and a non-PRS owner at this point, I think I’d be hesitant to own a guitar with such striking looks. Like the specific look or not, I just have the feeling I’d be too distracted by the look of the thing to play it. Or if I had an audience they’d be looking more than listening (although that might not be a bad thing in my case!). But I was also taken by one of those Anderton’s videos where Rob Chapman bought a wood library 594 and it was the best playing and sounding guitar he’d played, and by a good margin. He was considering returning it because he didn’t really like the red burst look of it. But he claimed he played several other non-wood library 594s and none sounded nearly as good as that one, so he was conflicted. I’ll never spend the $$$ for that nice a guitar, but that video haunts me as I consider buying a base model off the rack 594, which would already be overwhelmingly the most I’d ever spent on a guitar - by a factor of about four for an electric guitar...

-Ray

When I ordered My 513 AP in FBJ with IRW neck in 2013 I had a CU22 10 top in FBJ and before it a CU22 Mcburst non 10 top so I knew what to expect playability and fit and finish wise, but took a gamble on the top since I didn't know what kind of flame I would get, after a 10 weeks wait I opened the case and I was speechless, so after the honeymoon phase faded away (and it was long), I enjoy playing it immensely and love the tones I'm getting but I still admire it from afar be it hanging on the wall or laying it on the couch or when a friend comes over and plays it (in 4 years never kept it in the case), The bottom line it's a joy to play and look at anytime, period.

 

[László]

When I ordered My 513 AP in FBJ with IRW neck in 2013 I had a CU22 10 top in FBJ and before it a CU22 Mcburst non 10 top so I knew what to expect playability and fit and finish wise, but took a gamble on the top since I didn't know what kind of flame I would get, after a 10 weeks wait I opened the case and I was speechless, so after the honeymoon phase faded away (and it was long), I enjoy playing it immensely and love the tones I'm getting but I still admire it from afar be it hanging on the wall or laying it on the couch or when a friend comes over and plays it (in 4 years never kept it in the case), The bottom line it's a joy to play and look at anytime, period.

You do have a gorgeous one!