Got to play with a $16,145 PRS, and...

[littlebadboy]

My wife had the urge to drive around Chicago again, and we stopped by the Chicago Music Exchange!

Of course I went to the PRS section and got attracted to this guitar because of the pink accents. I picked it up to inspect and every detail was just beautifully made! I looked at the tag, and misread it as $1,600+. I test played it and it plays beautifully and feels very nice too! I took a look at the tag again, and it was $16,145! It did play like a $16k guitar too, I'm not going to lie.






I asked my wife if I could buy it. She asked how much was it, and she cussed.

What a beautiful instrument it was! I'll start regularly betting on lotto.

 

[Greywolf]

Private stocks are worth the wait , I'm blessed to have 5

 

[bodia]

That’s a hot looking guitar!

 

[littlebadboy]

My same post got lambasted at another site for its price tag. Honestly, to me, it's akin to a master artist work, and this beautiful instrument did look and feel like a work of art.

What would you guys say?

$16K and no solid Gold or even Gold filling? No diamond fret markers? They need to make those changes.
I wouldn't give them a penny more than $15,999.50 for it..

I'm just curious, what makes a $16,000 guitar worth $16,000 ?

 

[jlf599]

My same post got lambasted at another site for its price tag. Honestly, to me, it's akin to a master artist work, and this beautiful instrument did look and feel like a work of art.

What would you guys say?

Let me guess...TGP?

They have a real hate/hate relationship with PRS there. To be fair, I think it took me 5 or 6 PRSes to figure out what it was about. I had several in trade that I wanted to like but just didn't do it for me. I've stumbled upon a few on a whim and became a believer...including a used Paul's Private Stock.

I've only played 4 or 5 Private Stocks now but I do have to say of the ones I've played, having played the Core models of them, there is indeed some level of mojo to them. I'm not sure I can describe it. I had pondered selling my Paul's to recoup some money and just get a 10 Top and call it a day but I tried a few and they just didn't feel/sound the same to me. Is it in my head? Maybe? But if I like a guitar more, I'll play it more.

I've got a bunch of Private Stocks in my Reverb watch list, but I can't bring myself to buy a 14-16k new guitar. I *want* to but I can't make myself do it. I've even got the order/build form for doing an Owls in Flight from Sweetwater sitting in my downloads dir but still can't do it. Maybe I'll talk myself into it in time.

It's not that I don't think it's worth it...it's whether I can justify it to myself.

 

[veinbuster]

Everybody need a loto win dream.

It is a bit hard for me to wrap my head around there being that many Private Stocks out there.

 

[Maertl513]

This PS doesn't seduces me. Even not the price.
I was allowed to play a personally by Murphy aged LP in that price range, same feeling.
Aswell Paul's former personal replacement P's G, it was cool though, but the neck profile wasn't my good suede shoes, you know?
I could even play other PSs, but they didn't attract me.

If a PS is made fully by my demands, then I will bond.
Often I could catch myself when facing PSs guessing: Too much and too expensive in relation to stock body design and parts, CNC useage.
And when you once experienced a tight connection to a luthier, who reports frequently situation updates with explanations and a bunch of pictures, PS is not an option, especially from overseas. I found my PRS crown jewels in two examples of a core model. I'm not jealous. Persons are different.

If you admire the guitar, buy it, because nobody wants to be the rich on a cementary.

Persons are different.

 

[Stephen J.]

I take more issue with the wait time for a custom build than I do with the price. If I had significantly more income and I found one in stock that I was excited about, I would buy one. As things stand now, I feel very fortunate to be buying the occasional used core or S2.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

Heck with the guitar, which is really sweet, BTW, but what’s more important here is…

Do we finally have the big reveal??? Or is that one of CME’s models holding the guitar for the pics?

 

[BrianC]

I would love a PS BUT the cost of everything is just out of control for me. I have 5 amazing core and 1 SE. If I was getting started now it would have never happened.

I play the hell out of mine and gig them all. They are worth every penny I paid. I just feel bad for others in a different situation.

Back to the PS: of course it is luxury purchase. I am lucky enough to have save a few pennies I have NO idea what someone's net worth would need to be to justify that amount??

 

[DISTORT6]

Just the recent PS limitations would stop me.

 

[TheCraftsman]

There’s some amazing PS builds out there even a lot used, but, for me, owning a PS would be about having a guitar built and spec’d for me, not paying 12-20k for an axe built and spec’d for / by someone else.

 

[xxxadixxx]

It is always a tough question to answer, "is a PS worth it?". The only PS I played is the one I spec'ed out and received in December 2024. Is it 3x the "quality" of my core guitars (same model)? That is not the way I considered the purchase. I wanted a very specific design/look which is only available via PS. That means the comparison with the core is irrelevant to me. I would reserve that assessment for buying a PS which is very similar to a core (maple top, mahogany back/neck, etc.). In that case, I probably would not spend the full new PS money for that build but that is just because I could get something very similar for far less.

Recognizing the prices are high it is tough to make a blanket statement about value. That is subjective to each person based on their circumstances. I can only say my PS is very different from my core guitars and that I am happy with the purchase. In that case, I feel the guitar is worth it. Life is too short. If you like the guitar and can reasonably afford it, then do not let the haters stop you from enjoying it.

That guitar looks incredible by the way. I have not seen many pale moon ebony tops like that.

 

[JDutch]

Should've tried your luck to see if the sales associate also would've misread the price

 

[watelessness]

i HATE when that happens! :-D

 

[littlebadboy]

Let me guess...TGP?

No, not TGP. I choose not to go there anymore.

Heck with the guitar, which is really sweet, BTW, but what’s more important here is…

Do we finally have the big reveal??? Or is that one of CME’s models holding the guitar for the pics?

Forgive me... What's a CME?

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

Forgive me... What's a CME?

Chicago Music Exchange

 

[DISTORT6]

No, not TGP. I choose not to go there anymore.

Forgive me... What's a CME?

Chocolate Monkey Enema

 

[Tonart]

Whether PS prices are justified means a different thing for every person.

For me personally and me only, it’s not justified UNLESS it’s an ultra rare figured top or unobtanium wood, and sounds the deal.

For someone at the financial level of say Warren Buffett, it’s really a 1.6 cent guitar. Doesn’t need much to justify. I’d buy a guitar for 1.6 cents (every hour) if it had just half a figured top.

Let’s hope these guys don’t learn guitar.

 

[Greywolf]

I find it amusing that people think PS 's are overpriced .. At the Artisan Guitar show (top luthiers , held in Harrisburg in April worth the visit) the last 2 visits the cheapest guitar was $+6500 and the majority were well over 15 . John Monteleone has several over $150 K ..

The minimum time I spend on a build is 100 hours .. add in exotic material costs and you can imagine why the prices are high

Alembics least expensive guitar is $12,975 +$750 for a case AAA maple tops are +2800 Top model starts at $43,000 !
Benedetto same deal .. $12,500-40K
,