Help to choose a PRS guitar? :)

[SotosOpeth]

Hello guys!
I am Sotos, I am playing mainly acoustic guitar but as far as electric guitars I don't know much especially about PRS models.

I will super appreciate if someone can help me a bit on what models to look for and what are the things you are looking for on a good PRS(I saw some made in Korea etc).

I have a Fender Telecaster USA 2003 in great condition, just returned minutes ago from mu local repair man and everything works great in my Tele but I personally find it again and again too noisy, it looks like this is how Teles are.I get noise every time I don't touch the strings or small noise drops when I am playing hammers-pull offs and is quite annoying while recording.
It looks like the single coil curse.Didn't know years back that single coil guitars make so noise, so now I am in the process of thinking to sell my Tele and get a PRS.I love the sound of PRS I just don't know differences about the models, there too many and for sure I don't want to get a worst quality guitar than my US Tele and I am around the budget of 1500-1700 $ for a PRS.

Does anyone know what PRS model Steven Wilson is using?That guitar sounds great!Also Mike Einziger from Incubus has an amazing PRS at least at Morning View album and DVD.

I play clean and with distortion and I am changing to lower tunings quite often if that helps to suggest me some models.Any PRS I 've heard has nice clean sound and I like some models with more clean midrange sound when using distortion.

I appreciate your time so much guys!Thank you!

Sotos

 

[shupe13]

I don't think it's possible for PRS to make a worse quality guitar than your USA Tele!

I'd suggest playing as many as you can get your hands on. That applies to all guitars. Budget and playability.

 

[SotosOpeth]

You are right, I ll try to find more models to test them.Thanks brother!

 

[garrett]

Looks like Steven Wilson plays (or at least played) a Singlecut Trem and a Custom 22. Found several pics of him with various examples of those models.

Mike Einziger played an Archtop on Make Yourself and Morning View, as well as live during that era.

One thing to note: It's normally for any guitar to buzz when your fingers are not touching the string path. The issue with single coils is they will hum even when you are touching the strings.

That's a great budget for either a used Core model or a new S2 model. Maybe go for something with the stoptail to make retuning easier. It would help to play as many as you can, because you have a ton of options available. I'd start with a Singlecut and a CU22.

 

[SotosOpeth]

garrett thanks so much!Appreciate your help and time!
You are 100% right that guitars with single coils they hum even when touching the strings, that's my problem, I didn't explained it well before.
Thank you for the information, I just saw as well Steven Wilson uses a custom 22.What a nice guitar!
Have a good day Sir!

 

[vchizzle]

You could shoot down the middle if you like both Mike's Morning View sound and Steven Wilson's tone and get a semi hollowbody of some sort. Good news is they exist in all tiers of PRS' line up...SE, S2 and Core models.

 

[shupe13]

In 35+ years of playing guitar the biggest mistake I've made minus practicing and exploring all styles of playing is buying guitars based on popularity and not bonding. Therefore loosing money in the process.

Example being Strats. Mexican, Asian or American. They just don't work for me. And I've had several over the years. The same goes for The RG shred machines of all levels. I could go on and on. Gibson/Epiphone up until I rediscovered PRS (SE as the USA models are out of reach for now) are all that work for me.

PRS may not work for you. Before you invest, find THE guitar that works for you.

 

[markintime]

With your budget and your liking for the Tele, I think you could give some serious consideration to the S2 Vela.

 

[GS1]

In 35+ years of playing guitar the biggest mistake I've made minus practicing and exploring all styles of playing is buying guitars based on popularity and not bonding. Therefore loosing money in the process.

Yeah...that Gibby headstock is like the sirens' song, stearing me straight into the rocky shore every time!

OP, good luck on your search, you have a nice budget, and should find something that you'll love.

 

[SotosOpeth]

Thanks so much everyone for your time guys!!I am checking the models that you are suggesting!

Shupe 13 you are very right.I have to try more PRS models, that is for sure.To be more clear about the budget, I don't have this amount plus the Tele, I just think after selling the Tele and adding some more as well I ll end up with something like 1700$.

I was looking this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PRISTINE-...099083?hash=item28116dc7cb:g:4IwAAOSw42JWDrhu

Risky without trying and I bet he is not trading! But it looks like a beast guitar!

Hopefully I ll get there!

 

[kes7u]

Nice, but funny ad there on Ebay. 'AAAA' grade flame maple top??? Sorry. We're not Gibson here. I think what he is trying to say there is that it is a pretty nicely flamed standard PRS top!

Kevin

 

[Kazz]

garrett thanks so much!Appreciate your help and time!
You are 100% right that guitars with single coils they hum even when touching the strings, that's my problem, I didn't explained it well before.
Thank you for the information, I just saw as well Steven Wilson uses a custom 22.What a nice guitar!
Have a good day Sir!

I believe he also uses a P22 which is basically a Custom 22 with an Piezo pickup and associated controls added.

 

[Iceman101]

Dude, you might consider a s2 singlecut semi hollow. You got the coilsplits, the airiness of a semi hollow and you can use alternative tunings due to the stoptail.'S2's are great PRS'guitars.
(I own 4 Usa models, 5 S2's and 7 SE's so I guess I am entitled to say that the S2's are great)

 

[Huggy Love]

Forget who plays what, by the time you chase down that tone you will have lost the path to your own personal tone, (which I think is 100 times more important than trying to sound like someone).
Wipe the slate clean in your mind, go to a store that stocks PRS, try out as many as you want, and *FIND YOUR OWN TONAL PATH*.

*The hum thing can only be remedied by replacing with HUMbucking PUs which can be put into almost any guitar, including Teles, so that's a non-issue.

 

[Kazz]

Forget who plays what, by the time you chase down that tone you will have lost the path to your own personal tone, (which I think is 100 times more important than trying to sound like someone).

I pretty much agree with you, but if an artist you like has a guitar you like then at least it's a starting point to help determine what you might like to look at, especially for new people.

If you like the sound of humbuckers mixed with a piezo pickup through 2 specific styles of amp, it's probably going to take a *long* time to find a similar sound by choosing random gear to try.

Of course you should still try other things and not just buy something because someone else has it. If I'd worried too much about who played what I may never have tried PRS! If I never considered it at all though, I still might not really be aware of some of the models I'm most interested in.

 

[SotosOpeth]

Hey guys!
Thank you for your time to write your thoughts!
You are right, of course and it is not the right way to choose an instrument because it worked for someone else, but I loved the sounds I 've heard made by Steven Wilson using his PRS.
I have heard other artists with PRS as well and just Steven Wilson's sounds are closer to what I am looking for.

As for putting humbuckers on the Tele I don't consider it that much for two reasons, one is because I am used to acoustic guitars with way bigger bodies than the Tele and the 2nd reason is that I don't think I am going to have the tone results I want even with hambuckers on a Tele due to the specific woods, body size etc so will be better for me to sale it and move on.

Have a good day friends!I am continue my searching!
Thanks again for all the information!