All I want for Christmas is a PRS take on a DC JR-Style Guitar

[Em7]

There is nothing that says "I am ready to rock" than pulling a Les Paul Jr out a case. A Les Paul Junior is just a one P-90 pickup example of badassness. We only need to look at some the most influential recorded guitar tones to grok this reality. The guitar tone on Mississippi Queen is pure Junior tone. That recording is accompanied by Bad Company's first album and Jethro Tull's Aqualung, which are both examples of Les Paul Junior tone. The Junior is one of the most recorded guitar tones in rock history.

I have been looking for a double-cut version of a Les Paul Junior for quite a while. Gibson only offers a Les Paul Junior double-cut from the custom shop. That kind of defeats the whole junior ethos. I think that PRS could offer an S2 DC JR-style guitar at the $1,500 price point. I would start with the core Mira body, which is not that far from a Les Paul Junior double-cut. Plus, it is more ergonomic than the Les Paul Junior body. PRS could keep the CNC programing for the bridge routing while deleting the pickup and control cavity routing. They can add programming for two holes on the top for the bridge and the volume and tone controls along with a shallow route for a dog-ear P-90. CNC programming for the back would be the race track oval control cavity that is found on Les Paul Junior. The control drop-in would be two pots and an tone control. If I had my choice between an S2 DC JR and Gibson Custom Shop Junior, I would pick PRS every day of the week because PRS necks and their fretwork are far superior to anything Gibson is doing, just sayin'

 

[markd21]

Interesting idea. Basing it on the Mira makes sense. Personally, I would much rather have the controls like a Santana.

 

[aphantomvaper]

There is nothing that says "I am ready to rock" than pulling a Les Paul Jr out a case. A Les Paul Junior is just a one P-90 pickup example of badassness. We only need to look at some the most influential recorded guitar tones to grok this reality. The guitar tone on Mississippi Queen is pure Junior tone. That recording is accompanied by Bad Company's first album and Jethro Tull's Aqualung, which are both examples of Les Paul Junior tone. The Junior is one of the most recorded guitar tones in rock history.

I have been looking for a double-cut version of a Les Paul Junior for quite a while. Gibson only offers a Les Paul Junior double-cut from the custom shop. That kind of defeats the whole junior ethos. I think that PRS could offer an S2 DC JR-style guitar at the $1,500 price point. I would start with the core Mira body, which is not that far from a Les Paul Junior double-cut. Plus, it is more ergonomic than the Les Paul Junior body. PRS could keep the CNC programing for the bridge routing while deleting the pickup and control cavity routing. They can add programming for two holes on the top for the bridge and the volume and tone controls along with a shallow route for a dog-ear P-90. CNC programming for the back would be the race track oval control cavity that is found on Les Paul Junior. The control drop-in would be two pots and an tone control. If I had my choice between an S2 DC JR and Gibson Custom Shop Junior, I would pick PRS every day of the week because PRS necks and fretwork is far superior to anything Gibson is doing, just sayin'

Check out Ally Venable, she bad asses the heck out of a junior dc!

 

[Em7]

That guitar is an earlier Tribute take on a DC Les Paul Special (two pickups instead of one). A real Les Paul Special is basically a slightly upscale two-pickup Junior. However, the neck pickup takes away some of the rawness much in the same way that the neck pickup on a Telecaster takes away some of the rawness found on a Esquire.The 25th Anniversary Mira 245 Soapbar is about as close as PRS has gotten to a Les Paul Special since moving from West Street. If you get a chance to see really old West Street guitars, they were clearly DC Junior/Special inspired. Juniors were big in the Baltimore/Washington DC area in the seventies. No song showcases the rawness of a Les Paul Jr more than ""Mississippi Queen." Leslie West pretty much put a guitar that was originally created for students on the map in the pro world, which inspired Mick Ralphs to use one on Bad Company's first album and Martin Barre to use one on the album "Aqualung." The Les Paul Jr was the inspiration for the SE line. Carlos asked PRS to produce a guitar for students that filled the role of the old Les Paul and SG juniors. The SE One was the answer. SE originally meant "Student Edition." A simple single P-90 pickup guitar with Stevensville build quality (I have no interest in purchasing an SE). The old core 245 Mira body and core wraparound bridge with an S2 245 neck and machine heads would make for a great starting place. Slap a dog ear P-90 on it and rear route the control cavity. I own a 2009 core Mira Korina, but the pickguard mounted pots and switch do not make sense on that guitar because the control cavity is separate from the pickup cavities (i.e., it is not one big drop-in like it is on the S2 or SE Mira). I would rather see the controls rear routed. I am certain that PRS could use a one-piece mahogany body and still meet a $1,500 to $1,600 MAP price while making a profit with a gig bag. Gibson is selling a production Les Paul Jr SC, but not the DC version. One has to go to the Custom Shop to get DC Junior, but a MAP of $3,800 does not make sense for a Junior. It destroys the ethos of the guitar as a working man's instrument.

 

[garrett]

You need to join the cult of the SE One. The body thickness is just right so it's quite playable above the 15th fret.

An S2 Mira One would be 100% awesome, though.

 

[Ovibos]

SE One + bandsaw = done

 

[Em7]

You need to join the cult of the SE One. The body thickness is just right so it's quite playable above the 15th fret.

I have zero interest in owning an SE.

 

[toothace]

I have zero interest in owning an SE.

You need to learn to expand our horizons...

 

[Em7]

As a native Marylander who has been following Paul since he and Orkie (a.k.a. John Ingram) manned the West Street repair shop, I will never consider SEs to be real PRS guitars. PRS is a Maryland-based company and all of its production employees live in Maryland. PRS does not own the SE facility and not a single PRS employee is involved in the day-to-day building of SEs. That makes SEs PINO (PRS In Name Only) guitars to me. Other people see the situation differently and I am okay with that reality. I personally believe that if PRS had built out the S2 line first, there would be no SE line.

 

[vchizzle]

Used S2 Mira with a custom pickguard for one p90?

 

[Em7]

Used S2 Mira with a custom pickguard for one p90?

I own a core Mira. The S2 and SE Mira pickguard took a cool, but understated guitar and made it butt ugly. It is a moot point at this time because I ordered an Eastman SB55DC/v. I almost pulled the trigger on a Gibson Custom '58 DC Junior, but then I came to my senses. A junior is supposed to be a working man's rock machine, so buying Gibson Custom kind of defeats the purpose. The Custom Shop price approaches the low-end price for a vintage DC Junior.

 

[RickP]

I was going to suggest the P90 Mira, the 25th Anniversary one, but I saw you’re on to it already. It’s the PRS take, I think. Killer guitar, light and raucous.

 

[Em7]

I decided that I am going to scratch that itch with an Eastman SB55DC/v. I like PRS guitars, but I am an equal opportunity buyer.

 

[László]

My son has a vintage Jr. from the '60s (I think a '64). It's a pretty cool beast of a thing. Unfortunately, they aren't making 'em like that any more.