Artist Package Instruments Sound Better?

[CatStrangler]

My Artist V was one of the best sounding guitars I've ever owned, a complete gem.

Different pieces of wood, different sound.

So it goes.

Yep. and I would encourage EveryAxeAGem to give the AV some more time. I dislike every new guitar I buy when I bring it home. It usually takes one or two weeks, before I have my "ah ha this is the sound inside this guitar" moment and then I love it. Not to say some guitars don't have "it", some most certainly do not, and that's the guitar business. That's why I prefer to buy new from a dealer that has a return policy.

P.S. I can't speak for the AP instruments but I think the PS program excels at making sure you get a great sounding instrument, and very often an exceptional sounding instrument.

 

[solacematt]

I guess it definitly depends on the wood. My AP HB I got this year I don't think sounds better then my HB Spruce. Same pickups, but I think that overall the AP just sounds as good as a regular McCarty with the same comfortability because the spruce seems to have a larger back.

 

[László]

I've said it before and I'll say it now. Once you get to core level instruments, the sound doesn't improve beyond that. Artist and private stock instruments are about ornamentation and customization. Anyone who thinks they are getting the holy grail of tone needs to come back to reality. When PRS refers to "select" anything, its wood chosen more for figuring and uniqueness than anything else.

I disagree here. PS are a little different.

But I'm not going to talk the talk, I'm going to walk the walk and provide clips of the instruments. You decide if they have an exceptional tone or not.

The McCarty Singlecut: bought for its sound, not its looks.

Bridge Pickup, HXDA Amp: https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/blues-ii-hotg
Neck Pickup, DG30 Amp: https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/hammer-dg-30-custom-v2

My PS acoustic was hand tapped for tone by Paul Smith and Jack Gretz. It has a maple body because I was looking for a brighter guitar to mix in tracks. Here's a noodle on it that was really just intended to show its basic tone and sustain; darn thing rings like a bell!

https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/acoustic-noodle

My son Jamie, who records in LA and has two gold records to his credit as an engineer said "That guitar fills a freaking room all by itself. Amazing!" when he heard it.

Unfortunately, I don't have what I consider to be a good tone demo of the CU24 30th Anni yet, because the tracks I've recorded with it are pretty thickly orchestrated, so it is sitting in a mix, plus it's slathered with effects. However, I'm going to record some clips of just the guitar and amp to show what it can do. It's an amazing guitar.

Granted, it could be luck. But three home runs out of three tell me differently. They also play incredibly well. They have a very slightly lovelier feel than my other PRSes have, too.

Point is, if you want PS to go for looks, that's what they'll do. If you want them to go for tone, they will certainly nail it.

 

[django49]

My Artist V was one of the best sounding guitars I've ever owned, a complete gem.

Here's a clip, I think the tone of the guitar is really sweet: https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/morganatic-blues

As another opinion, from the subsequent owner of that particular AV, I think the combination of materials (neck, board, etc) as well as the "tweaked" (I understand) pickups for that particular model has resulted in a guitar whose sound fully lives up to its looks.

 

[CatStrangler]

I have my own PS "hammer" Les that is a very different beast, but I love that neck tone!

 

[László]

I have my own PS "hammer" Les that is a very different beast, but I love that neck tone!

It's a really nice tone, right?

They're all a bit different, of course. I can actually make that guitar sound different on the bridge pickup if I play it differently, use a different amp, etc. I was going for a "thing" on the bridge pickup with the HXDA.

That bridge tone I linked was Hammer>>HXDA. I added a little delay or reverb in the DAW later. But I can get the guitar to sound very different playing in different styles.

By the way, my friend and session singer Liz Larin was the one who said, "You sound like a god on that thing" when I played the Hammer for her. So she more or less cemented the name of the guitar!

She's a hell of a talent, and even though she's a Strat player, I wanted to add this clip of her performing live, because she's so damn good. When she sings on my tracks I'm always stoked:

 

[Drew]

I disagree here. PS are a little different.

But I'm not going to talk the talk, I'm going to walk the walk and provide clips of the instruments. You decide if they have an exceptional tone or not.

The McCarty Singlecut: bought for its sound, not its looks.

Bridge Pickup, HXDA Amp: https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/blues-ii-hotg
Neck Pickup, DG30 Amp: https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/hammer-dg-30-custom-v2

My PS acoustic was hand tapped for tone by Paul Smith and Jack Gretz. It has a maple body because I was looking for a brighter guitar to mix in tracks. Here's a noodle on it that was really just intended to show its basic tone and sustain; darn thing rings like a bell!

https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/acoustic-noodle

My son Jamie, who records in LA and has two gold records to his credit as an engineer said "That guitar fills a freaking room all by itself. Amazing!" when he heard it.

Unfortunately, I don't have what I consider to be a good tone demo of the CU24 30th Anni yet, because the tracks I've recorded with it are pretty thickly orchestrated, so it is sitting in a mix, plus it's slathered with effects. However, I'm going to record some clips of just the guitar and amp to show what it can do. It's an amazing guitar.

Granted, it could be luck. But three home runs out of three tell me differently. They also play incredibly well. They have a very slightly lovelier feel than my other PRSes have, too.

Point is, if you want PS to go for looks, that's what they'll do. If you want them to go for tone, they will certainly nail it.

No offense intended, because I think the neck pickup in the singlecut is heavenly sounding, but the bridge pickup is like a fork on a plate to my ears. Very raspy and too much treble accentuation. Just my opinion. Great playing though

 

[tabl10s]

That what I did and also to get the ebony board and the IRW neck in pattern regular although I couldn't specify the top only if it's flame or quilt
the other additions (mixed hardware and MEII birds) cost me a few hundreds more but i wanted the bling ( I'm shallow yeah )


That is what I hear now in my 513, maybe it's due to the combination of the rosewood neck and the select mahogany but also balanced nicely
with the clarity and snappiness of the ebony board.

If I were lulu enough, I'd have a guitar where every fret would have a different tone-wood.

 

[Raven17]

My personal experience is the AP, Wood Library, Private Stocks, etc. Have a higher probability of having that "Mojo". That guitar that gives you chills and brings out the creative sessions that you live for. I have a few core models that I've been able to get that from, a few more that I've modified to get that mojo. I have sold some insane looking guitars because they were too sterile for me, but can it be a coincidence that my top 10 highest Mojo guitars are mostly AP, WL, PS or Custom Shop builds from other brands? I personally think not. Just my two cents.

 

[tabl10s]

Did I say I'm not embarrassed?

I just figured I'd man up about my guitar case obsession.

Didn't know you could but the leather version. I prefer them to paisley.

 

[László]

No offense intended, because I think the neck pickup in the singlecut is heavenly sounding, but the bridge pickup is like a fork on a plate to my ears. Very raspy and too much treble accentuation. Just my opinion. Great playing though

Well you're the first person I've ever met who's liked my playing better than my tone! LOL.

No offense taken. We're all different, and we all appreciate different things. That's the bridge pickup tone/amp combination that floats my boat. I used a different amp with the neck pickup recording in the clips. I was going for something different, of course.

Truth is, I'm always a little unsure of myself on guitar. I'm really a keyboard player.

 

[László]

Didn't know you could but the leather version. I prefer them to paisley.

My McCarty Singlecut came with paisley, and the CU24 30th came with leather, probably a good thing as it's easier to tell the cases apart at a glance when I want to get a particular guitar (I keep mine cased when not in use, because I'm that guy who does that).

Back when the AP guitars came with leather instead of the black canvas, I used to buy them for my non AP guitars. I actually don't quite know why, but I thought they looked a little nicer than tolex sitting out in my studio when clients came over. Maybe because I have black leather furniture in the studio. I know -- too matchy-matchy, right?

So I probably prefer the leather, too. Plus it's easier to dust, doesn't scuff as easily as Tolex, and you can clean it with a little saddle soap. I'm neutral on the paisley. I like it, but I feel a little weird about it going to a session.

 

[Blues Trucker]

I like paisley cases and amps.
As far as the tonewood debate in correlation to electric instruments goes...........................
Believe what you want. I don't care.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

... But at least I'm embarrassed about it.

Did I say I'm not embarrassed?

Why would anyone be embarrassed for wanting nice luggage? I like luggage. I'm not embarrassed.

 

[László]

Why would anyone be embarrassed for wanting nice luggage? I like luggage. I'm not embarrassed.

Well, you know, it's just something that's fun to kid around about.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

In my case, it was because the difference in price between the two guitars I was looking at was more than $300. So what I should have done is bought the cheaper one (which I kind of preferred anyway) and a separate paisley case.

 

[László]

It's really fascinating. There's so much to experiment and pursue. I can see why folks like PRS fell in love with the art of tone.

So true! I'm definitely an armchair luthier.

 

[11top]

Aesthetics

 

[sergiodeblanc]

So what I should have done is bought the cheaper one (which I kind of preferred anyway) and a separate paisley case.

Yeah.. maybe.

 

[Brad737]

The beauty is what you're paying for with the Artist package. It doesn't affect the tone one way or the other. There are plain looking guitars that sound amazing, and plain looking guitars that sound dead. There are Artist guitars that sound heavenly, and some I've played that were duds. Same goes for any guitars, even the highly celebrated Les Paul Bursts from 1958-1960. Some of the best sounding Bursts have rather plain tops.