Have you ever bought the same guitar to get a better top?

[Johnny Rigs]

I just did, and it feels a little weird. And yet very much worth it at the same time. Hadn't even gotten the first guitar cleaned up and photo'd for the NGD post I'd teased about, and saw a 10-top version in the same color and looks to be better condition for a little less ... so I jumped on it.

We'll find out soon if it was a wise decision. But a 10-top is almost always worth it, no?

 

[WEDGE]

It’s looks and how good the guitar is can sometimes be inversely proportional. It’s an expensive lesson.

 

[xjbebop]

a 'better' top does not guarantee equal or better feel/sound/tone...

Some of my 'best' guitars are very plain looking...

 

[Outlier22]

No I haven't but it doesn't sound out of the question lol.

 

[Johnny Rigs]

It’s looks and how good the guitar is can sometimes be inversely proportional. It’s an expensive lesson.

a 'better' top does not guarantee equal or better feel/sound/tone...

Some of my 'best' guitars are very plain looking...

Yup, both can be true here. I guess I'm going on the trust that PRS guitars have a consistency to them. If it were a Gibson I liked, I wouldn't trade it just for a better looking version.

 

[veinbuster]

I try not to buy the same guitar twice. If I bought something hideous that sounded great, I might be tempted to get something better looking - so I just buy pretty stuff in the first place.

 

[Mozzi]

I just did, and it feels a little weird. And yet very much worth it at the same time. Hadn't even gotten the first guitar cleaned up and photo'd for the NGD post I'd teased about, and saw a 10-top version in the same color and looks to be better condition for a little less ... so I jumped on it.

We'll find out soon if it was a wise decision. But a 10-top is almost always worth it, no?

A 10-top may have a better looking grain (subjective of course) but only you can decide whether its 'worth' it for you. I liken it to paying extra for having metallic paint on a car - it doesn't change the performance, comfort or drivability of the car - it just looks a bit better (if you like metallic paint). All a 10-top means is that the top 10% of the figured maple from that batch is used instead of the rest of the maple. You could end up with a top that wouldn't make the top 10% in another batch and the best of the rest is actually better. When I say 'better' I refer to the subjective nature of what people consider aesthetically better.

My Custom 24 isn't a 10-top but to me, its one of the best 'flame maple' tops I have seen.

Some of course may not think its the best but I love the Chevron style, the fact that it has thick and thin stripes and isn't uniformly even - I find some 10-tops look almost like someone has used a ruler and a marker and drawn equally spaced lines across the guitar because they are so regular and even. I much prefer to see more character and more 'randomness' that nature throws up and to me, this is why I won't specifically pay a premium just for a 10-top.

Each to their own of course. If it makes you happier then its worth it. If you do come to sell, you may get a 'bit more' - although you also had to pay more too. A 10-top though is a cosmetic upgrade and its personal choice as to whether you think the 'premium' for a 10-top is worth the extra - for me it isn't and would 'begrudgingly' pay extra if the only option to get the model I want in the colour I want (or of the only 'core option was particularly poor) was a 10-top but I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to find a 10-top specifically.

 

[bodia]

I've had multiples of the same guitar before. I had 4 - 594s, but am down to 2, at the moment. One DC and one SC. The SC is the only SC I have had. The DCs I kept the one that sounded best. Also happens to by my favorite finish/top out of the 3 I had. I also have/had multiple Santana shaped guitars. But, they are all different. One is all Korina. One is hog/Sapele. One has a maple neck. The last is a "regular" Santana. Not sure that I would go down the multiples of the same guitar rabbit hole again.

 

[11top]

Yep. While these are both really nice ME1s, I had to have the one on the left (and I bought them both from the same guy. ).





I sold the one on the right.

 

[11top]

Uh oh, I did it again..................







Sold top one.

 

[Johnny Rigs]

Each to their own of course. If it makes you happier then its worth it. If you do come to sell, you may get a 'bit more' - although you also had to pay more too. A 10-top though is a cosmetic upgrade and its personal choice as to whether you think the 'premium' for a 10-top is worth the extra - for me it isn't and would 'begrudgingly' pay extra if the only option to get the model I want in the colour I want (or of the only 'core option was particularly poor) was a 10-top but I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to find a 10-top specifically.

I may not have worded it clearly, but the 10 Top version I found was being sold for less than I paid for the non-10 Top. In the end I'm sure it'll be a wash when/if I sell the non-10 Top. But I didn't pay a premium for it.

 

[gush]

I am hopelessly tempted by every PRS I see..............

The ONLY thing that would stop me from buying a duplicate is this.

I have my guitar with me, the new duplicate I want to buy there in plain view AND my wife is standing there asking me why I need 2 of the exact same thing.

Not sure how I would win that one.

Well I guess I COULD just use the exact same line I would use if I was showing them to her after the purchase.

 

[Johnny Rigs]

I am hopelessly tempted by every PRS I see..............

The ONLY thing that would stop me from buying a duplicate is this.

I have my guitar with me, the new duplicate I want to buy there in plain view AND my wife is standing there asking me why I need 2 of the exact same thing.

Not sure how I would win that one.

Well I guess I COULD just use the exact same line I would use if I was showing them to her after the purchase.

I'd be selling one. Wouldn't keep both.

 

[Mozzi]

I may not have worded it clearly, but the 10 Top version I found was being sold for less than I paid for the non-10 Top. In the end I'm sure it'll be a wash when/if I sell the non-10 Top. But I didn't pay a premium for it.

I have bought all my PRS guitars brand new and to get the same model from the same year, there is a 'premium' for a 10-top. Occasionally I have seen 10-tops cheaper but only because they are 2 or 3 yrs older - a 2015 10-top in a sale compared to a 2018 non-10 top for example. As I buy 'new', I would generally expect to pay a premium for a 10 top and no doubt would have to find a lot of money to replace any of mine. I doubt I could sell my 'non-10top' for the money I would need to get a 10top.

My point still stands though that a 10-top is just a cosmetic difference. I wouldn't buy a 10top specifically myself. If I was in the position to own multiples of the same model and then had to sell, I don't know that I would look to keep a 10-top (if I had one) over a core - it may depend on if it offered something more to me than just cosmetically better or which guitar would give me the better deal financially. I would trade a 10-top in any colour that's not Red to get a Fire Red Burst non-10top but I wouldn't necessarily trade a non 10top for a 10top unless it offered something more - some 'mojo' that resonates well with me.

 

[Johnny Rigs]

My point still stands though that a 10-top is just a cosmetic difference.

As is the color Fire Red Burst.

It's ok, we're talking about different situations. Both guitars I'm referring to are a used and discontinued model.

 

[Mozzi]

As is the color Fire Red Burst.

It's ok, we're talking about different situations. Both guitars I'm referring to are a used and discontinued model.

Of course colour is a cosmetic difference but I think that is different to just the pattern of the grain. I wouldn't trade a Fire Red Burst non-10top for a Fire Red Burst 10-top just because its a 10-top. I would never buy a blue guitar regardless because colour can be a reflection of you, your political values, your sporting allegiances etc. An Orange guitar in Northern Ireland is very unlikely to be bought by a Catholic for example because of what that colour means to them but in Holland, it could be very popular. If you are Liverpool or Manchester Utd FC Fan, you won't buy a Blue guitar - the colour of your local arch rivals or prefer to buy Red by association. I don't know which colours are associated with the Democrats and Republicans and whether or not that affects US guitarists. I can't be the only person avoiding certain colour(s) or wanting a specific colour because of association with politics, sports teams, religion, nationality etc. That's different to whether or not the pattern of the grain is adjudged to be 'better'.

Anyway, if I was buying used as you are, I again wouldn't necessarily buy a 10-top - its only 'better' if the condition is better. I would buy the one that is in the best condition for my budget and would take into consideration any mods, case, case candy etc. The one that is the 'best' condition would be the one I would buy but I doubt I would buy a replacement one just because its a 10-top. Chances are, I wouldn't be looking on the used market after deciding to buy a model. It always seems that as soon as you buy, some else decides to sell one at a better price and better condition that almost always makes you wish you had waited.

Ultimately though, to answer the question posed at the top of the thread, I have not bought the same guitar just to get a better top and as I buy new, in the colour I ultimately want, the chances of me buying a duplicate guitar for a better top are practically zero - I won't say never but I can't see it happening....

 

[Casi1]

Hmmm. I would have had to have played both first... because I have experienced the situation where one guitar sounded and felt WAY better than it’s twin. Same model, same year, same PRS factory. But one just doesn’t have that magic thing that the other does.

Because of this, I would have had to have played the prettier one before getting rid of the other one. But if the prettier one sounded and felt as good as the other one, then the non-pretty sister would have to go bye bye.

 

[Johnny Rigs]

Hmmm. I would have had to have played both first... because I have experienced the situation where one guitar sounded and felt WAY better than it’s twin. Same model, same year, same PRS factory. But one just doesn’t have that magic thing that the other does.

Because of this, I would have had to have played the prettier one before getting rid of the other one. But if the prettier one sounded and felt as good as the other one, then the non-pretty sister would have to go bye bye.

Oh there will be a side by side shootout

 

[Turkeyhead]

I did once. I had a non 10 top single cut trem that I got a great deal on, so I bought it and thought of it as something I could sell later or trade for something better. I played it for a while and fell in love with it. Then I came across an SC245 artist with rosewood neck so I traded it toward that. Then I wanted to replace the sc trem someday. eventually found a sc trem 10 top quilt with a rosewood neck. It's prettier and I like the rosewood neck but I have to admit I miss the plain one. They both sound about the same and both played great and similar, but there was something about the one I traded. If I came across it again, I would buy it back in an instant and keep both.

 

[Turkeyhead]

I know it's shallow and meaningless, but still real. The look of a guitar can have an effect on the playing. If you don't feel good about the color etc. of a guitar, mentally it can bring some people down (me sometimes) and you don't play as wall because of your discomfort with the guitar. Some people have no weakness to this, but I'm not one. I can get over it though in some cases. I had a blue McCarty that I hated the color. I bought it any way and loved the guitar. traded it too... Had the opportunity to buy it again but was broke. Maybe three's a charm. It was just a great playing guitar. I'm starting to think the lesson here is the I shouldn't get rid of a guitar because I'll want it back.