First Private Stock Pep Talk

[Dancing Frog]

Now, it's just a matter of trusting the process. It should be good, but there will parts that you didn't envision. You've given an artist a vision to interpret, it's only to be expected. I found that to be the most disconcerting part of the process after the specs and color were settled, and the wood was picked out. I wasn't unhappy when I got mine in, but it took me a few days to warm up to the slight deviations from spec. In my case, the controls had been moved slightly, the neck was stained when I specified natural, and the PS number was different than the one I got when I picked out the wood. But, these all turned out to be improvements in the end or inconsequential. The neck would have stood out like a sore thumb in any view but direct front, and the additional controls were in a slightly more comfortable position farther from the bridge than I thought was possible due to body depth. And, they added something that I hadn't even thought about, clear knobs, which honored the Reflection Nebula concept that I had communicated at the beginning of the process by putting a 4 star asterism in front of the nebula top.

 

[Defpony]

Now, it's just a matter of trusting the process. It should be good, but there will parts that you didn't envision. You've given an artist a vision to interpret, it's only to be expected. I found that to be the most disconcerting part of the process after the specs and color were settled, and the wood was picked out. I wasn't unhappy when I got mine in, but it took me a few days to warm up to the slight deviations from spec. In my case, the controls had been moved slightly, the neck was stained when I specified natural, and the PS number was different than the one I got when I picked out the wood. But, these all turned out to be improvements in the end or inconsequential. The neck would have stood out like a sore thumb in any view but direct front, and the additional controls were in a slightly more comfortable position farther from the bridge than I thought was possible due to body depth. And, they added something that I hadn't even thought about, clear knobs, which honored the Reflection Nebula concept that I had communicated at the beginning of the process by putting a 4 star asterism in front of the nebula top.

I think this is great to hear, especially after the die has be cast, so to speak. I have wondered about the whole "artistic license" aspect of this process, and I am looking forward to it. I'm actually a bit excited to see how things shake out, assuming most of my "vision" will be honored.

Any other PS owners have a similar experience?

Gawd, is it June yet!?

 

[alantig]

Yep. There were a couple variations from the original plan for my guitar. One was a misunderstanding on my part - totally on my part. Which meant that the guitar was CNCed for two knobs and a toggle when I wanted four. Paul Miles worked his magic and sent Brian a proposed layout, which I agreed to but also asked Brian to have them use their best judgement. My original vision was something like the 594 turned out to be (knobs only, not toggle). That's not what I got - and I'm very happy about that. The 594 layout would not have worked out all that well for me, and what I ended up with is so much better than what I'd originally pictured.

The other variation - I was going to have the names of some of my influences written on the edge of the guitar under the clearcoat. I got an e-mail from Brian - he said the PS team had contacted him and the finish team was very seriously asking if I would consider removing the names because they thought it would not work aesthetically with the finish. The funny thing was, after seeing the guitar in the PSF thread, I had the same thought, but I didn't want to ask for a change that late in the process. They made a couple suggestions of locations on the back, but I asked if they'd be willing to do inside the cavity covers so as not to disrupt the flow of the back.

There were other things I had done at Tina's suggestion that I hadn't thought of or forgot. The guitar would not have been as beautiful if not for their suggestions and changes. I'll be the guy kissing their feet next weekend.

 

[dogrocketp]

I`ll look down for the guy doing the wet kissing on Saturday. You`ll have an easy time spotting me. Just look for the fool with a pile of drool under his triple wide feet during the factory tour.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I must admit to kind of stalking that one myself, other than the ziracote neck, very similar to something I would order myself. I get the impression that ziracote would sound like a rosewood neck and as a funny guy in a Flying circus film once said "we already got one!"

Looks like someone bought that one. Oh well, snagged the pics, anyway. I really like a lot of what was going on with that one, will keep it on my phone with the recent black'n'gold private stock singlecut, for reference.

 

[ViperDoc]

You should consider your color choice in intimate connection to the top wood you've selected, which is a very nice, tight flame. Look up examples of your colors in flame and quilt and see how they differ. You may like colors better or worse depending your wood. For example, see the difference in Ultraviolet on tight flame:

http://briansguitars.com/product/paul-reed-smith-private-stock-violin-ii-ultraviolet

vs. quilt:

http://willcuttguitars.com/paul-ree...ery/prs-private-stock-2221-sc-245-ultraviolet

Both the colors you mentioned are excellent, you should simply see what you like best on tight maple and go from there. I don't know your preferences, but since your PS knows no bounds, I usually recommend finishes that have additional complexity, like a nice smokeburst. Take a look at the latest GOM JUNE guitar in Persimmon Redburst. The burst adds sensational depth, and with the right tone, it can really jump. The latest 594 PS guitars are all made with tight flame and look great with the McCarty teardrop burst effect. That would also look bangin. Good luck!