Best years for PRS guitars?

[SinSir]

Right now I'm just relaxing and trying to not revisit my local Guitar Center.
The reason?
If I do I'm probably coming home with yet another guitar as I saw a very nice SE SC in Cherry Red for very little coin a couple days ago.
Not sure of exact year but it was a Korean job .

Speaking of the best years of PRS.. for me the Korean se are some of the best out there. Good luck with the hunt!

 

[Tone-y]

So after 2 pages I still don't know anything about PRS' best years, supposing that there is such a thing as PRS' best years...

I don't think that's because anyone here is being difficult or not bothering to answer, rather than I think most people don't really have a strong opinion on the best years because there isn't really any.

 

[Max Headroom]

Speaking of the best years of PRS.. for me the Korean se are some of the best out there. Good luck with the hunt!

Well I did return and decoded serial number to be a 2010 model.
Fortunately for my wallet it was on hold until 8/24(normal practice at Guitar Center if they buy from Joe Blogs to ensure it ain't nicked).
I can breathe again as working away next week so I'm sure it will be sold by time I'm back.
Besides my SC594 Wood Library is due to be delivered Monday so will have that to look forward to end of next week.

 

[bodia]

Well I did return and decoded serial number to be a 2010 model.
Fortunately for my wallet it was on hold until 8/24(normal practice at Guitar Center if they buy from Joe Blogs to ensure it ain't nicked).
I can breathe again as working away next week so I'm sure it will be sold by time I'm back.
Besides my SC594 Wood Library is due to be delivered Monday so will have that to look forward to end of next week.

Nice!

 

[dogrocketp]

I read the first few paragraphs. First of all, Paul never worked for Alembic. Secondly he has gone on record as giving Howard Leese a lot of credit for being the first. Third they didn’t wind their own pickups early on. They only started doing that because their supplier couldn’t keep up. There’s a video of that conversation somewhere on YouTube. So……we have an expert spewing garbage that’s wrong. Leave it there, and try not to step in it.

 

[Stephen J.]

I haven’t read the article, but my gut reaction was to reply 2023. I saw the 1985-2023 and realized I was wrong.

I guess there are a few way of approaching the question. What era was best for the company? What era was best for innovation? What era was best for overall quality of product across the various lines?

It seems like the SE line really took off when they were doing a ton of signature guitars. I think that era got people to realize the World Instruments guitars were gig worthy. I have a couple of SE Instruments, but I am still hesitant to claim they are real PRS guitars.

I think the S2 line really showed the ingenuity of PRS. About that time was when Private Stock instruments started throwing out stains that were on a different level. I think the need to entice customers on each end of the financial spectrum really generated some creativity.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I read the first few paragraphs. First of all, Paul never worked for Alembic. Secondly he has gone on record as giving Howard Leese a lot of credit for being the first. Third they didn’t wind their own pickups early on. They only started doing that because their supplier couldn’t keep up. There’s a video of that conversation somewhere on YouTube. So……we have an expert spewing garbage that’s wrong. Leave it there, and try not to step in it.

Hey it’s on the internet, it’s got to be true!

 

[ViperDoc]

Every year.

 

[Lewguitar]

I've had my best luck with PRS guitars made from 1995 - 2000.

I've owned one CE24, three CE22's and one CU22 from that six year period, all with Dragon 1 pickups.

Still own the three CE22's and that's the model I feel a connection with. It's comfortable, sounds great and never disappoints.

And they're beautiful!

https://imgur.com/AbMz9k9

https://imgur.com/bwR32Rb

Didn't bond with my 2002 CU22 with the long neck heel. Or the Dragon 2 pickups.

Didn't bond with my SC58 from 2012 either. Sold it yesterday.

 

[HANGAR18]

I think the 2015 and newer PRS guitars are the best made, and the current Indonesian made guitars are the best SE series ever made.

However, this week I am discovering that all the color finishes that they put on the core model guitars during the 2000's are all my favorite colors. So right now I'm trying to scrape together a couple of grand to buy an older model PRS guitar that has a BEAUTIFUL finish to it that you just can't get these days.

As a matter of fact, if anyone has SEVEN PRS guitars they'd like to trade for a bad-ass Harley-Davidson touring motorcycle (2011 Road Glide Custom), let me know.

 

[dogrocketp]

Mine range from 1992 to 2021. While admittedly it’s a small sample size, I don’t honestly feel that some years are “better”. My goal has always been to have as many sounds as possible, and they all deliver. The biggest plus to newer guitars to me is that they’re becoming increasingly more consistent sonically. I’ve bought and sold around 50 PRS through the years, using the money to upgrade and buy instruments that produced more of the sounds I wanted. The very worst one that touched my hands was excellent. The ones I kept are incredible to my ears. They range from SE’s to Wood Library. I have no intention of getting rid of any of them. PRS makes great guitars. It took me 45 years to get my first, now all the others are gone, except an archtop and a bass. And I do have a PRS SE archtop Hollowbody that is stellar.
I’ve also helped several of my friends get theirs, and they’ve all said thank you repeatedly.

 

[Rod/]

I thought the "article" was written by someone with poor brand understanding. The bold ideas supported by "fans think" statements are incredibly uncomfortable.

Worst **** than Phillip McKnight's youtube channel

Edit: no beef nor anger to the OP. I'm sure the intention was good

Ahh. Phillip McKnight

 

[JasonE]

I thought the "article" was written by someone with poor brand understanding. The bold ideas supported by "fans think" statements are incredibly uncomfortable.

Worst **** than Phillip McKnight's youtube channel

Edit: no beef nor anger to the OP. I'm sure the intention was good

Ahh. Phillip McKnight

Why does Phil get so much hate? I watch his weekly shows and he presents things in a very neutral manner. He gives good advice on setting up and maintaining guitars. He knows the market from being a shop owner for a number of years. I just don't see why people bag on him so much. Is it jealousy because he has a successful YouTube channel?

 

[Simon Says]

Why does Phil get so much hate? I watch his weekly shows and he presents things in a very neutral manner. He gives good advice on setting up and maintaining guitars. He knows the market from being a shop owner for a number of years. I just don't see why people bag on him so much. Is it jealousy because he has a successful YouTube channel?

Hate is a strong word. I'm a big boy; I can like and dislike whoever I want.

 

[JasonE]

Hate is a strong word. I'm a big boy; I can like and dislike whoever I want.

I completely agree you can like or dislike whoever you want. Your comment leaned on the hate side for me. I am honestly trying to understand why people bag on him so much. What don't you like about him?

 

[Simon Says]

I completely agree you can like or dislike whoever you want. Your comment leaned on the hate side for me. I am honestly trying to understand why people bag on him so much. What don't you like about him?

I will PM you later tonight after work

 

[Lewguitar]

Why does Phil get so much hate? I watch his weekly shows and he presents things in a very neutral manner. He gives good advice on setting up and maintaining guitars. He knows the market from being a shop owner for a number of years. I just don't see why people bag on him so much. Is it jealousy because he has a successful YouTube channel?

I don't see him as being a real player. Pete? Of course he's a real player.

This was the video that made me think (rightly or wrongly) "this guy doesn't REALLY know what he's talking about...not compared to a real player like Pete."

 

[JasonE]

I don't see him as being a real player. Pete? Of course he's a real player.

This was the video that made me think (rightly or wrongly) "this guy doesn't REALLY know what he's talking about...not compared to a real player like Pete."

If you are looking to Phil to be a ripping player, that is probably not a fair comparison to Pete. Pete plays guitar for a living. Phil is a gear guy that is mainly a bass player. I have seen some pretty decent playing from him in some of his guitar reviews, especially for a person that mainly plays bass.

He knows his way around doing setup and repair work on guitars. He also winds his own pickups and is knowledgeable in that area.

To be really honest, one area that I can compare Pete and Phil in is getting an honest answer about a product from them. Phil is much more willing to give you an honest opinion. Pete will give you a sales pitch. I will give you an example.

I put a post on TGP when I was really digging into compressor pedals recently. I tagged Pete in one replay and asked him for his honest opinion because he had done product review videos for the main three pedals I was looking at. He basically addressed them one at a time and just said they were cool then gave me a recommendation for the latest Suhr compressor pedal that didn't have the level of control on it that I stated I wanted in my original post.

I rephrased my question and made it directly pointed to the three pedals I was asking about and he never answered me. I even told him that I understand endorsement deals and if hey didn't want to answer publicly that he could send me a PM. I don't want to cause him any issues with his endorsements.

The part that kind of ticked me off about the whole thing is he obviously was paid to do a video for each of the pedals I was asking about but wouldn't give me his honest opinion on which one he thought was the best fit for my use case that I posted. That to me says I can't really trust his opinion in his videos anymore. He is just saying the things the manufacturer wants you to hear. Phil would have given me his honest opinion with reasons for why he has that opinion.

I ended up buying all three pedals and have figured out which one fits my need best. All three are great but one had some features that made it get the spot on the board.

 

[JasonE]

I don't see him as being a real player. Pete? Of course he's a real player.

This was the video that made me think (rightly or wrongly) "this guy doesn't REALLY know what he's talking about...not compared to a real player like Pete."

I am watching this video right now. What exactly in it made you think he didn't know what he was talking about? He is interviewing Pete and giving Pete a chance to talk about his signature model guitar. He is asking questions like an interviewer would. That doesn't mean he doesn't already know the answer to the question he is asking. I am down to the last couple of minutes of the video and haven't heard anything yet that makes Phil look like he doesn't know what he is talking about. In fact, I have heard some things that says he does know.

Maybe my opinion is different because I put his live shows on and listen to them while working. I have heard some good things come out of him. He gives good advice. He says when he doesn't know something. He is never saying bad things about others, in fact he says good things about others. He has a good relationship with Pete and Tim Pierce. They say good things about Phil.

 

[Lewguitar]

If you are looking to Phil to be a ripping player, that is probably not a fair comparison to Pete. Pete plays guitar for a living. Phil is a gear guy that is mainly a bass player. I have seen some pretty decent playing from him in some of his guitar reviews, especially for a person that mainly plays bass.

He knows his way around doing setup and repair work on guitars. He also winds his own pickups and is knowledgeable in that area.

To be really honest, one area that I can compare Pete and Phil in is getting an honest answer about a product from them. Phil is much more willing to give you an honest opinion. Pete will give you a sales pitch. I will give you an example.

I put a post on TGP when I was really digging into compressor pedals recently. I tagged Pete in one replay and asked him for his honest opinion because he had done product review videos for the main three pedals I was looking at. He basically addressed them one at a time and just said they were cool then gave me a recommendation for the latest Suhr compressor pedal that didn't have the level of control on it that I stated I wanted in my original post.

I rephrased my question and made it directly pointed to the three pedals I was asking about and he never answered me. I even told him that I understand endorsement deals and if hey didn't want to answer publicly that he could send me a PM. I don't want to cause him any issues with his endorsements.

The part that kind of ticked me off about the whole thing is he obviously was paid to do a video for each of the pedals I was asking about but wouldn't give me his honest opinion on which one he thought was the best fit for my use case that I posted. That to me says I can't really trust his opinion in his videos anymore. He is just saying the things the manufacturer wants you to hear. Phil would have given me his honest opinion with reasons for why he has that opinion.

I ended up buying all three pedals and have figured out which one fits my need best. All three are great but one had some features that made it get the spot on the board.

Can't really trust any review in Guitar Player, Guitar World or any of the others either. They can't give an honest review or the company making the product will refrain from advertising with them.

I like Pete's reviews.

Phil's I'll watch, but with some skepticism.