Can you custom order, standard line (not private stock) guitars?

Ruben Bernard

Ruben Bernard

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Just out of interest, for example, if I wanted to get a... McCarty 594 hollow body II, BUT I wanted to get it in a specific colour as an example. Is there a way for it to be made and shipped without the private stock attention and specialty (Which would be incredible but I definitely cant afford at the moment). Is there a way to do this? or do you just find what comes off the line each year and just wait to see if what you want appears eventually?
 
You can do that through a dealer, but you'll have to wait until they make one. Always a chance that one is in the pipeline, but it'll be something of a crapshoot. Assuming that what you want is one of the color options for that model, that is.
 
As far as I know, in general PRS _only_ makes what dealers order - the exception being when they have a new model to be released that expect to be quite popular, then they'll ramp up early production while they contact dealers for specific orders. Or for special events like Experience (sigh) where they offer up a bunch of guitars for the dealers to sell right there on the factory floor.

Anything in the pipeline was already a dealer order. Sometimes dealers order "on spec", without a customer, but mostly (AFAIK) they order based on a customer spec (who usually puts down a deposit).

So if you contact a bunch of dealers, maybe you can find one who already has one on order without a pre-determined customer. (Larger places like Sweetwater are probably in this category.)

Or, if you have patience (lots of patience, recently, like a year possibly, or more), place an order with a dealer and wait for it to be made for you.
 
Ruben Bernard said:
Just out of interest, for example, if I wanted to get a... McCarty 594 hollow body II, BUT I wanted to get it in a specific colour as an example. Is there a way for it to be made and shipped without the private stock attention and specialty (Which would be incredible but I definitely cant afford at the moment). Is there a way to do this? or do you just find what comes off the line each year and just wait to see if what you want appears eventually?
Click to expand...

You cannot get custom stuff, but your dealer can order what you want from the standard offerings. However, the backlog is loooong, so unless you just absolutely must have something super specific, I recommend regularly cruising the usual suspects (Reverb.com along with the sites of top PRS dealers) and something kickass will definitely come up sooner than PRS can deliver a new order.
 
garrett said:
You cannot get custom stuff, but your dealer can order what you want from the standard offerings. However, the backlog is loooong, so unless you just absolutely must have something super specific, I recommend regularly cruising the usual suspects (Reverb.com along with the sites of top PRS dealers) and something kickass will definitely come up sooner than PRS can deliver a new order.
Click to expand...
when you say the wait is "loooong" how long is loooong? Like a few months? ...Or a few years
 
The wait time is long to get stock from most companies these days.
Yeah, if you just want a specific color on a certain model, best to just save it on your reverb search feed and/or regularly search on your browser. It’s not a bad idea, if you have a dealer you like, to let them know what you’re after. You never know what they might have or order.

For me, I don’t have the patience for that wait these days. If it were PS, where I wanted things outside the normal realm, that would be a different story. Last year, I really wanted a charcoal 594 with a maple neck, preferably roasted. I searched for months looking for one and just gave up. I did put out feelers with a dealer buddy(Doug @ Wildcat Guitars) that I wanted to do business with(the stars never quite aligned). A bit down the road, he got one in and I snagged this one:

7Q0U612.jpg


I ordered some matching control covers from @docteurseb
If you don’t have a preferred dealer, check the dealer section here, check out websites and make some contacts. Unless you’re looking for something super odd, I would think something would pop up sooner or later.
 
vchizzle said:
The wait time is long to get stock from most companies these days.
Yeah, if you just want a specific color on a certain model, best to just save it on your reverb search feed and/or regularly search on your browser. It’s not a bad idea, if you have a dealer you like, to let them know what you’re after. You never know what they might have or order.

For me, I don’t have the patience for that wait these days. If it were PS, where I wanted things outside the normal realm, that would be a different story. Last year, I really wanted a charcoal 594 with a maple neck, preferably roasted. I searched for months looking for one and just gave up. I did put out feelers with a dealer buddy(Doug @ Wildcat Guitars) that I wanted to do business with(the stars never quite aligned). A bit down the road, he got one in and I snagged this one:

7Q0U612.jpg


I ordered some matching control covers from @docteurseb
If you don’t have a preferred dealer, check the dealer section here, check out websites and make some contacts. Unless you’re looking for something super odd, I would think something would pop up sooner or later.
Click to expand...
Firstly... she is stunningly beautiful and I can see why you wanted the matching covers. The quilted maple is gorgeous.
Secondly, just out of curiosity... how long was a bit down the line?
Thirdly, once again, Jesus Christ that is a stunning guitar <3
 
vchizzle said:
The wait time is long to get stock from most companies these days.
Yeah, if you just want a specific color on a certain model, best to just save it on your reverb search feed and/or regularly search on your browser. It’s not a bad idea, if you have a dealer you like, to let them know what you’re after. You never know what they might have or order.

For me, I don’t have the patience for that wait these days. If it were PS, where I wanted things outside the normal realm, that would be a different story. Last year, I really wanted a charcoal 594 with a maple neck, preferably roasted. I searched for months looking for one and just gave up. I did put out feelers with a dealer buddy(Doug @ Wildcat Guitars) that I wanted to do business with(the stars never quite aligned). A bit down the road, he got one in and I snagged this one:

7Q0U612.jpg


I ordered some matching control covers from @docteurseb
If you don’t have a preferred dealer, check the dealer section here, check out websites and make some contacts. Unless you’re looking for something super odd, I would think something would pop up sooner or later.
Click to expand...
Love that guitar!
 
@Brian G Guitars just got a pallet full of PRS guitars like last week or something. I'm not sure what was in that haul, but they always get great PRS guitars, I'd hit them up.

But yeah, to answer your question, you can order specifically what you want as long as it's in line with the Core lines specifications, but you will have a very long wait time. Also, you won't get to pick woods or anything like that. So if the appearance of the wood grain is something that's important to you, sometimes (most times, really) it's best to shop what is currently available through dealers.
 
Last edited:
I recommend watching the Fireside Chat with Paul, Jack & Jamie...

In that, they said that 2021 was a 'Hard' year despite it being 'successful' because of how hard its bean trying to not only get over the backlog of orders during the time the Factory had to shut down, getting back up to and exceeding the number of guitars they were producing, but doing it through years of experience without compromising on quality but the hardest thing was having to tell people that they can't have what they 'desire' yet and that they will have to wait for it.

If you look on PRS website for a 'regular' Core spec guitar, you will see the colours they are available in so unless its one of the more 'uncommon' colours (like Vintage White for example), then you may want to order or just keep scouring on the off chance that a shop gets one in in the colour you want and has it 'long enough' to advertise it online before its gone.

Sometimes its better to have a 'back-up' colour too if grain matters to you or patience to wait until the right top comes along - something you won't have if you pre/custom order from a retailer as you'll get the top that they get sent which may well be a 'stunner' as a lot on 'non-10 tops' are but unless you specifically order a '10-top', you could get a top you don't like - albeit in the right colour.

Ordering will guarantee you'll get a guitar, but doesn't mean that other shops won't get their 594 HBii's with fantastic looking tops/backs long before you get yours, it just means that they ordered theirs a LONG time before your retailer added another one in that colour to the list of guitars to be built...
 
Mozzi said:
I recommend watching the Fireside Chat with Paul, Jack & Jamie...

In that, they said that 2021 was a 'Hard' year despite it being 'successful' because of how hard its bean trying to not only get over the backlog of orders during the time the Factory had to shut down, getting back up to and exceeding the number of guitars they were producing, but doing it through years of experience without compromising on quality but the hardest thing was having to tell people that they can't have what they 'desire' yet and that they will have to wait for it.

If you look on PRS website for a 'regular' Core spec guitar, you will see the colours they are available in so unless its one of the more 'uncommon' colours (like Vintage White for example), then you may want to order or just keep scouring on the off chance that a shop gets one in in the colour you want and has it 'long enough' to advertise it online before its gone.

Sometimes its better to have a 'back-up' colour too if grain matters to you or patience to wait until the right top comes along - something you won't have if you pre/custom order from a retailer as you'll get the top that they get sent which may well be a 'stunner' as a lot on 'non-10 tops' are but unless you specifically order a '10-top', you could get a top you don't like - albeit in the right colour.

Ordering will guarantee you'll get a guitar, but doesn't mean that other shops won't get their 594 HBii's with fantastic looking tops/backs long before you get yours, it just means that they ordered theirs a LONG time before your retailer added another one in that colour to the list of guitars to be built...
Click to expand...

In all honesty, I'm not looking for just a specific colour. I'm looking for a few specific details in the guitar, but I thought writing about the colour was the easiest example I could think of to put without being specific. It's more that I'm very very new to the PRS community, and I'm more just curious about how things work and how to find/buy exactly what you're looking for.
And I'm also looking a little ahead into the future, so I'm not expecting to buy, let alone wait for and receive a new guitar any time soon. Its more just about preparation and mostly curiosity :)
 
Ruben Bernard said:
In all honesty, I'm not looking for just a specific colour. I'm looking for a few specific details in the guitar, but I thought writing about the colour was the easiest example I could think of to put without being specific. It's more that I'm very very new to the PRS community, and I'm more just curious about how things work and how to find/buy exactly what you're looking for.
And I'm also looking a little ahead into the future, so I'm not expecting to buy, let alone wait for and receive a new guitar any time soon. Its more just about preparation and mostly curiosity :)
Click to expand...

The 'Core' specs are just that - the core specs of the 'guitar' that EVERY guitar will be manufactured to. The only 'option' is colour. That is for both 10 tops and regular Core models. They are the 'core' specs for every guitar unless you go 'Private Stock' to get your own 'custom' spec version.

The next level up is Wood Library so if you wanted a maple neck, you have to find a retailer that is prepared to order a 'run' of guitars to get the 'spec' you would prefer but the only option to have a guitar built that is different to the 'core' range is to go Private Stock - which again means talking to a PRS Dealer. PRS don't deal with the 'customer' directly, all their instruments are 'sold' to the retailer and its through them that you would need to 'order'.

If they don't make a Core ToM bridge version of the Tremonti (their 'current' models are listed on their website), then the only option is to look at Private Stock or hope that between Tremonti & PRS, they decide to release a two piece fixed bridge version sometime in the future. All you can order from a retailer in terms of 'Core' is from their 'current' Core line-up and the only choices are the colour it comes in from the selection of choices that they currently offer and whether or not you want a 10-top. Ordering anything different would require a 'Custom', therefore Private Stock order for a '1-off' build to cater to your spec. It doesn't matter if they made one a year ago, as far as 'Core' is concerned, that is the entire range of specs they are making this year. You can't order a Core Custom 22 for example this year because its not part of their 'core' line-up this year.

Like I said though, everything is done through your PRS dealer if you want to go that route or accept the specs that PRS and especially the Artist who's signature model it is, have decided upon and decide if you can work with it, modify or alternatively, find something else instead. If they made one in the past, you can keep looking for a used one, but have to accept that finding a used one in the colour you want may not come up. The Tremonti is currently a Trem only model so no you can't order a 'core' Tremonti with a 2 piece bridge...

Hope that helps....
 
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