Do you feel like your PRS is too nice?

[pdq]

All of mine get regular play time except my 86cu24.

4 years ago I got hit by cancer which caused me to recalibrate my life and I bought a 10 Top Custom 24 in black gold. After playing what I thought was the best guitar I'd ever own (a 1992 Gibson LP Classic Plus) for a number of years, the CU24 was an epiphany, mainly because of its neck and playability. But I wanted a quilted maple top, which meant buying a Private Stock. Rational move? No, but when you are 70, get hit by cancer and the docs are only delivering bad news, it changes your perspective on life. YOLO. That guitar sits behind me in the office on a stand and it is the one I pick up and play. I'm careful in handling it, but I don't store it in its case.

Now, to add to my idiocy, I was recently down in Stevensville and ordered a PS SC594 in really beautiful deeply quilted maple, for both the front and back. I limit myself to 3 guitars (the other one is a 12 string Martin), so when the SC594 arrives, I'll have to sell my '92 LP which is in pristine condition.

So yes, you have to play them. Last week I bought a SC594 from the SE line and sent it to my niece. Gorgeous guitar and I know it'll be actively play, so keep them out in plain view and play them every time you look at them. Picking them up makes me smile.

They aren't meant to be museum pieces in class boxes.

 

[veinbuster]

There is no such thing as too nice.

Embrace the goodness and enjoy every minute of it.

 

[Gtrbldr]

Would you say the same things if it were your partner?

 

[DISTORT6]

Would you say the same things if it were your partner?

The next guy will really appreciate your lack of use…

 

[SinSir]

Play it and don't think twice. It's a guitar.. imagine if all the greats had decided to case queen their guitars. What music would music be like?

Play it like you stole it. It's just money and possessions. Live the passion

 

[Longneck Tenon]

Somewhere or another, maybe this forum, don't remember.
I was slightly admonished for leaving my PS out and hanging on the wall where it is ready to play at a moments notice.
So no, all built to play and if they look bangin' in the bargain that's a bonus.

I know somebody who kept their entire vintage guitar collection hanging on a wall.

 

[Stephen J.]

Sometimes i do feel self conscious when I bring a beautiful guitar to a gig.

Everybody wants to comment and look at it and they assume a PRS is super expensive and i feel like they're thinking "How can he afford that?"

They don't know it's a Bernie Marsden I have less than a grand into!

Can't help it if it's prettier and sounds better than most Les Pauls.

https://imgur.com/fuydfm0

That is a nice looking guitar.
I would comment if I saw you with it.

 

[Slowhands]

I have a beautiful 33 year old 10 top and I'm the type that would worry about scratches and scuffs but I'm 'lucky'. I bought it with a fairly long hairline crack up a section of the back and so I'm liberated from worrying about condition and I just play it.

 

[aamefford]

I’m pretty precious of my stuff. I have a black S2 Studio in Nitro. It’s gonna wear and that’s ok. I have an ‘03 Santana III in poly. It’s in good shape, but has 20 years on it, so that’s ok. I would struggle with a new wood library or PS or probably even a core. So, used stuff for me I guess.

 

[Toolmaster Of Brainerd]

Now, to add to my idiocy, I was recently down in Stevensville and ordered a PS SC594 in really beautiful deeply quilted maple, for both the front and back. I limit myself to 3 guitars (the other one is a 12 string Martin), so when the SC594 arrives, I'll have to sell my '92 LP which is in pristine condition.

Increase your limit to 4 guitars. Keep your LP. It sounds like a guitar that you've had for a long time and is important to you. Keep the PRS collection too. You've done your time with restraint. You're due up to increase the limit a little.

 

[Moondog Wily]

I don't feel any of mine (Core CU24, WL 594 HBII, PS CU24) are too nice to play, but I am not taking them to certain places, that's for sure! Been playing my PS CU24 quite a bit more the past couple of months, and a couple of weeks ago I noticed some fret wear due to my gorilla grip/cowboy chord playing ;~(( That would be the first sign of any wear/tear on this guitar, so the heart sunk a bit!! But hey, what could be better than fret wear, I mean, it didn't happen because I knocked it over or dropped it!!! Gotta play 'em and the only reasons I don't play my PS more is it weighs 2lbs more than my HBII and it does not fit my current material as well. Will never sell it though, lifetime keeper for me ;~)) And believe me, if we were to base what you should own on skill level, I would be owning SE's only ;~))

 

[Rod/]

No

No… play it!

 

[JasonE]

I have always taken ALL of my guitars out and played them as well as rotated them through gigging. I take extremely good care of them. They are the last thing to go on the stage and they come off and go into their cases before any teardown starts. I also carry polish with me and wipe them down when I put them in the cases. This was a huge thing when smoking was allowed in the bars I was playing in. The cases would only be opened long enough to get the guitars out then they stay closed until after I wipe the guitar down with polish and then opened long enough to put the guitar in it. That really helped keep the smoke smell off of them. To me, if I was afraid to take them out and play them, I may as well sell them. I want to enjoy them as much as possible.

 

[pdq]

Increase your limit to 4 guitars. Keep your LP. It sounds like a guitar that you've had for a long time and is important to you. Keep the PRS collection too. You've done your time with restraint. You're due up to increase the limit a little.

Toolmaster:

No -- I am not into multiples, and I don't understand people who have 20 - 30+ Stratocaster look-a-likes each worth a few hundred dollars and never get played.

I have the Martin 12 string, which by itself is an orchestra. Then I have the 2 electrics, a pristine 1992 Gibson LP with PAF pickups which has a very well defined "voice" and the 2021 PRS Private Stock Custom 24 with a very different "voice". With these 3, I feel like I can cover the entire spectrum without needing 27 more guitars. I'd rather have 3 "really nice" guitars versus spending the same money on 30. I'm also a traditionalist, so I don't have a desire to play a 7, 8, stringed, or other configuration guitar. I guess I'm old school in that regard.

But, all 3 get played regularly -- there are no "Case Queens". When the new SC594 Private Stock arrives, I'll sell the Gibson LP to maintain my limit of 3.

Different strokes for different folks, eh?

 

[ElrytNamrogo]

I play all of mine, but don't gig them all regularly. All of mine have been gigged, but only a couple give me the tonal spectrum I look for when doing the band thing.

That being said, I make sure all mine get played at home.

 

[dogrocketp]

There is no such thing as too nice.

Embrace the goodness and enjoy every minute of it.

I definitely embrace the goodness and enjoy every minute my partner! As Sinsir said, I live the passion with her!

 

[spawnofthesith]

Not at all, I can think of few to none scenarios where I'd have a guitar that I wouldn't want to bring to a gig

 

[Victor Vector]

Did it pay for itself? Does it do the dishes?.....well then it aint too nice now is it.

 

[Gtrbldr]

Fun thing is, my best guitar is also my plainest guitar. No problem bringing that one to my "gigs". However: usually not a risk, since I only play in church.

Needless to say: I have no problem bringing my nice 10tops either.

 

[László]

Does anyone else ever experience this feeling?

No.

But we're all different.

Recently, my wife told me the garbage disposal in our kitchen sink started making funny noises. I decided to test it. Yes, it made funny noises but still functioned.

My wife ran into the room. "Don't use it!" said my wife. "It's on its last legs and could go any time."

I said, "If we're not going to use it at all, what's the difference if it breaks? If we do it your way, we don't ever use it, but we replace it. If we do it my way, we use it until it breaks and we still replace it. Same outcome but we get a little more use out of it."

I mention this because if you're going to sell your guitar, you might as well get some use out of it until you do. Not using it won't bring you significantly more at time of sale. You're in kind of a no-lose zone if you play it.

And you might actually like playing it and get over your "too nice to play" feeling.

As an aside, I have 4 PS and 1 WL model, and I play them all. I take the best care of them that I can, but they're made to play. I keep them cased when not in use. They haven't faded and if there's wear, it's microscopic.

But the main reason I case 'em is to buffer temperature and humidity changes that occur in all houses, so they stay set up properly for a long time. I use the D'Addario humidipaks, and put one in each electric guitar case. They only work in a case, so I keep them cased.

It takes less than five seconds to open the case and take the guitar out. I guess it takes only a second or two to take it off the stand, but WTF, that's not very much different.

I've never found it a deterrent to keep a guitar in a case; however, I know very reasonable people who disagree, and more power to 'em.

The relic preference is a mystery... If you don't mind playing an instrument they banged up with hammers and chisels at the factory, isn't it a bit illogical to be averse to creating your own patina on your own guitar, albeit in a more natural way?