594 tuner question

[Andrew Paul]

Love my SS. Those grey Teisco Del Ray-esque tuner buttons are the only cheap looking part on an otherwise pretty guitar. Work great, just homely. But even on a ‘63.5 era guitar... locking tuners (on my ‘18 model anyway). I don’t buy it.

Yeah, just cosmetic. I like the looks of metal tuner buttons or wood. On my Paul’s guitar it has the fake ivory type buttons, looks ok but I’d prefer wood.

SS is a nice guitar. I would prefer the normal PRS trem bridge but it wasn’t made for me. I wonder if you replace the trem with a core PRS one. Then I’d buy an SS. Remember just my personal preference.

 

[RickP]

Yeah, just cosmetic. I like the looks of metal tuner buttons or wood. On my Paul’s guitar it has the fake ivory type buttons, looks ok but I’d prefer wood.

SS is a nice guitar. I would prefer the normal PRS trem bridge but it wasn’t made for me. I wonder if you replace the trem with a core PRS one. Then I’d buy an SS. Remember just my personal preference.

I’m not sure if you can swap, but it’s an interesting thought. I don’t do the single coil thing a lot, but the SS fit in well with my Tele and a Gilmour version black Strat I built a while back. It has a uniquely sweet sound the others don’t do. Not my bread and butter, but a great niche instrument for me. And it has homely, but locking, tuners.

 

[Bluesverb]

The SS is exactly what John Mayer wanted. It is nice to see his vision come to life.
I agree on the plastic buttons, wether they are chrome or gray. I like the wood or actual metal.
BTW- I am a big fan of Narrowfields. So much so I had PTC do this mod and paint job to my SAS.

I am no John Mayer, however, I specd out my own custom guitar!

 

[Andrew Paul]

The SS is exactly what John Mayer wanted. It is nice to see his vision come to life.
I agree on the plastic buttons, wether they are chrome or gray. I like the wood or actual metal.
BTW- I am a big fan of Narrowfields. So much so I had PTC do this mod and paint job to my SAS.

I am no John Mayer, however, I specd out my own custom guitar!

Can’t see the photo.... you’ peaked my interest though

 

[Bluesverb]

 

[shinksma]

@Bluesverb , your photos are all Google Photos, and require a sign-in to see them - so you must have them in a private folder/library/album. That's why they don't show up for us, but you can see them (you are signed in).

 

[Bluesverb]

@Bluesverb , your photos are all Google Photos, and require a sign-in to see them - so you must have them in a private folder/library/album. That's why they don't show up for us, but you can see them (you are signed in).

OOPPPS

 

[Bluesverb]

 

[Andrew Paul]

Awesome looking guitars!! Did you ever post to thread explaining that bridge pickup with the four coils?

 

[Farmdog]

Unfortunately, it's just business. The cheaper tuners on a great guitar will always drive experienced, educated players to upgrading to locking tuners, which results in another $200 sale for PRS. In reality, well engineered, non-locking tuner should stay in tune fine if you do your string changes properly.

 

[Black Plaid]

Unfortunately, it's just business. The cheaper tuners on a great guitar will always drive experienced, educated players to upgrading to locking tuners, which results in another $200 sale for PRS.

 

[bodia]

Ditto

 

[Guitpicky]

Cool, Thanks. I am fine with the change. I assume that being a core guitar that the change was done more out of a quest for better tone than a cost savings measure.

I think it’s a combination of things. To make them look more like a vintage Les Paul since the target audience they’re trying to attract are LP fans. Of course they have to also find a way to appease the PRS fans of innovation so they have to market all of it as an improvement or they lose that crowd.

It could also be a sourcing issue with the P3 tuners. I don’t know what the actual cost difference is, but the P3s are clearly better tuners from a pure quality and functionality standpoint. It’s a highly competitive market and manufacturers are always trying to cut costs to maintain profit margins. Of course they can’t advertise it that way to their customers so everything has to be hyped as some miraculous improvement.

Honestly, it kind of all goes in one ear and out the other without hitting anything in between for me

 

[grausch]

I don’t know what the actual cost difference is, but the P3s are clearly better tuners from a pure quality and functionality standpoint.

Sorry for just quoting one specific sentence from your post - I believe that the 2020 594s aim for lower weight at the headstock in which case the vintage tuners may work better. Not sure if the headstock is regular McCarty thickness, in which case the Phase IIIs may also not be ideal - https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/phase-iii-tuners.3445/page-2#post-54541. With all that being said, I am not sure why PRS could not spec a lighter weight 594 tuner - just replace the tuner buttons with the DGT buttons and if needed, shorten the string post to correct the break angle over the nut.

Of course, there is probably a reason why I am not running a guitar company...