Care to share the choices made and lessons learnt on the PS? Any tips? It would be very interesting I reckon.
We talked for a long time about custom orders in general, not just PRS, but with other companies as well. It seems it should be a very exciting, fun, somewhat simple thing to get exactly what you want, but its not. My earlier experiences are not all that abnormal, and communications between dealer and builder are not always easy. Again, this is not just PRS, but custom orders with builders in general. The simpler and more common the guitar, color, options you choose, the less the risk of mistake. (Obviously) No matter how much he would like to, he could not guarantee a few stipulations I had asked for would be met. Everything was agreed upon already, but his "gut" feeling told him otherwise. Sooo.. I am changing the build type from an artist 3 semi hollow trem, to a more modern Cu 22 semi hollow trem LTD. (My second favorite PRS ever, and I already have my Pomegranate Artist 3 anyaway) The only other worry I have, is the color. They will not 100% agree to do color samples on the top I choose. They will 75% agree to it! Which leaves me with I am going to get the pomegranate (or other color) the way it turns out on that day. I can then refuse the guitar when it shows up, but Doug will be stuck with it. I am trying to find a color that I will like even if its a few shades different that what i order, but thats not an easy thing to do. I would go natural, and that gets rid of ALL color problems, but I am just burnt out on natural guitars. Had to many natural archtops over the years. If I cant find another color, I will just have to convey to them when I pick the woods how important it is to get the color as close as possible, and hope for the best. Doug is going to speak to them one more time about emailing me out color samples on my top. If they agree, the rest is easy. Its going to be a Custom 22 semi hollow LTD with a wood bound F hole. Artsit 3 purfling. Brazzy neck, Americana birds and matching headstock eagle with banner, phase 3 tuners, Quilted maple top and headstock overlay in pomegranate, brazzy board, 57/08s, WF, Matching Mahogany back plates (ribbed mahognay back), quilted maple tuning buttons in pomegranate, ebony knobs and McCarty switching with pull pots to allow all pup combinations. Cu 22 semi hollow LTD frets and neck radius. I would also like LTD written in script pau shell on the truss rod cover like the artist 3s had artist 3 written, and pau purfling around T rod cover as well. Side dots in pau. Thats pretty much it i believe. I think in the end, it is better to have two different guitars anyway. If I got another artst 3 semi holow, I am sure I would fall into the A/B which one sounds better thing, and waste hours and hours on it. Going this route, I will have a very different guitar than the 2 I have now, and that is actually a good thing! Most importantly, you know its a PRS, and the quality is going to be about as good as it can get, and the guitar is going to sound and play impeccably. thats what keeps bringing me back!!!! :rock:
