How am I having this problem?

[Dirty_Boogie]

Yup, happened to me too. Had a beautiful Core Custom 22, 10-top, artist package, and for whatever reason, it was just not a guitar I wanted to grab and play. It certainly sounded fantastic, but it just didn't "speak to me". Was an anniversary gift from my wife, so I felt an obligation to keep it. I finally decided to offload it for an almost 20-year old Custom (the guitar, not my wife ), and I can barely put that guitar down.

 

[SinSir]

Some guitars just have “it”.

Others… not so much.

Word!

Yeah, that guitar was great on paper (and in pics) but was just okay IRL. IMO

Blanket statements like “Cores are better than SEs” or “Private Stocks are a cut above the rest” or “the new guitars are even better” aren’t always true.

These words are true. I had the fortune of living next to CME, and was able to play more than my fair share of PRS dream guitars, and about every other make or model. I can't count how many times I was sure a guitar would have "it", but fell short for me.

They even got my dream PRS in that I'd be lusting after for years. I had all but convinced myself that I was going to unload some serious guitars to take her home.. to my surprise, it just didn't have "it" for me. Great guitar, just wasn't the dream I had in my head.

 

[JasonE]

I feel really lucky reading threads like this. I have only had a very small number of guitars I have not been able to bond with. I find that they all have a personality and I am able to appreciate what each one brings to the table. The only guitar that I purchased that I knew right away when I received it was not going to be one that got to stay was an Ernie Ball Axis. I kept it for several months trying to get used to the neck on it but I just couldn't do it. The neck felt like a broom handle to me it was so small. I have played necks with 1 11/16 wide nuts since I started playing. I have been able to adjust to the DGT and Suhr Modern that I have. I can't go any narrower than that. What is funny is I can play a mandolin but the width of the guitar neck kills me.

I just remembered two other guitars that I walked in the shop with the intent to buy and walked out without them. The first one was a Knaggs. I loved the way the guitar looked but when I got to the shop and actually played it, I was not impressed at all. A similar thing happened with a PRS Santana at the same shop. I saw pictures online and went to the shop with the intent to buy it. When I got it in my hands I honestly couldn't find a reason that I needed it. It was like my CU22 but a 24 fret guitar. My CU22 has a very chunky neck on it. The Santana felt smaller than my CU22.

 

[Max Headroom]

Appreciate all the empathy here, makes it a little better.
No I don't need to sell it because I need money or anything like that so that's a non issue but I just hate the thought of it sitting/ hanging unloved.

The idea of forcing myself to play it every time does not really appeal as I fear I might just lose all interest in playing at all.
Going to be some soul searching but I think my mind was already made up before I posted.
However a few possible reasons as to why it doesn't gel with me have been brought to light and that helps somewhat.

It's still a stunning fine piece of guitar porn though

 

[Rhythmisking]

Sometimes I think of this as the difference between a 'really NICE' guitar and a 'really GREAT' guitar...

 

[László]

Max, I've been there myself. It's not that I was disappointed. I chose the wrong combinations. I outsmarted myself. There are reasons for certain classic tone combinations.

This may just be me - I find that the best tone combination for me is to have the traditional woods for a model. One departure, and very often it just doesn't work.

Like Korina or Swamp Ash bodies instead of mahogany, when the guitars I want to sound like have the traditional mahogany back and neck. Like an ebony fretboard or maple neck, when the guitars I like best have rosewood and mahogany.

Et cetera....

For example, the only PRS electric with an ebony fretboard that has EVER worked for me was an Artist V. I've had several others, none of them did what I wanted, most recently a Special Semi Hollow Artist. Or a WL 594 with maple neck.

Etc.

Then there's the issue of pickups. I'm just not all that into the 58/15 variants. and can't really explain why. I've had 6 with those pickups!

There are certain things they do I really like, but not everything. They didn't compare - for me - to the 57/08s. Yet I love the 85/15s in my CU24 PS. Love them!

Go figure.

I've only had one PRS whose neck carve wasn't for me, a Pattern Thin. But with all this stuff, YMMV.

 

[Max Headroom]

Max, I've been there myself. It's not that I was disappointed. I chose the wrong combinations. I outsmarted myself. There are reasons for certain classic tone combinations.

This may just be me - I find that the best tone combination for me is to have the traditional woods for a model. One departure, and very often it just doesn't work.

Like Korina or Swamp Ash bodies instead of mahogany, when the guitars I want to sound like have the traditional mahogany back and neck. Like an ebony fretboard or maple neck, when the guitars I like best have rosewood and mahogany.

Et cetera....

For example, the only PRS electric with an ebony fretboard that has EVER worked for me was an Artist V. I've had several others, none of them did what I wanted, most recently a Special Semi Hollow Artist. Or a WL 594 with maple neck.

Etc.

Then there's the issue of pickups. I'm just not all that into the 58/15 variants. and can't really explain why. I've had 6 with those pickups!

There are certain things they do I really like, but not everything. They didn't compare - for me - to the 57/08s. Yet I love the 85/15s in my CU24 PS. Love them!

Go figure.

I've only had one PRS whose neck carve wasn't for me, a Pattern Thin. But with all this stuff, YMMV.

Absolutely some good food for thought there sir.
Especially the wood aspect ( Korina body) and I already suspected the 58/15 pups.

And yet I love the pattern thin on my PS...go figure.
But if we were all the same there would only need to be one guitar...lol.

 

[Bogner]

I've totally had this happen to me. My nicest PRS at one time was an Artist package Singlecut with 7's. Incredibly gorgeous, but when I played it it felt like it was a dead thing...not literally dead as in not sustaining notes, it actually sustained and rang nicely, but it was just not responsive to my inputs ina way that gave something back. It did everything perfectly like it was supposed to (maybe too perfect?), but it was like dancing with a robot, or maybe like singing with too much auto-tune and compression so there's no inflection and nuance. I tried and tried to find a way to understand and work with it, but I ended up selling it.

I've come to understand that what makes a guitar engaging and magical to me is a certain type of responsiveness that has a personality to it. It's very hard to describe, but I need the guitar to respond and sound differently depending on what I'm doing with my hands in ways that I can use expressively. I thought about changing the pickups but decided that wouldn't fix the problem. Switching pickups works for overall changes in tone or color of sound, but they don't change the interactive nature between the guitar and the player.

So a have a Santana signature, an SC 250 and a SAS that are incredibly responsive to what I do with them. They make me smile when I play them because it's almost like they're alive. A McRosie that's very nice and I do really like it, but it doesn't give quite as much back. Same with a core Starla, an Artist package CU22 and a few others. Sound great and play nicely, but just not quite as 'alive'.

Don't really know what it is, but it's more like they're 'tools' rather than 'partners'. Nothing wrong with a great tool, but a great partner is something different.

It Is All About Frequency And The Relationship Between The Player And The Guitar. Some Frequencies Just Don't Mesh Well Together.

 

[Bogner]

But if we were all the same there would only need to be one guitar...lol.

You Watch That Filthy Little Mouth Of Yours And Stop That Crazy Blasphemy Talk Right Now! "Only Need To Be One Guitar...." (Shakes Head...)

 

[JasonE]

Max, I've been there myself. It's not that I was disappointed. I chose the wrong combinations. I outsmarted myself. There are reasons for certain classic tone combinations.

This may just be me - I find that the best tone combination for me is to have the traditional woods for a model. One departure, and very often it just doesn't work.

Like Korina or Swamp Ash bodies instead of mahogany, when the guitars I want to sound like have the traditional mahogany back and neck. Like an ebony fretboard or maple neck, when the guitars I like best have rosewood and mahogany.

Et cetera....

For example, the only PRS electric with an ebony fretboard that has EVER worked for me was an Artist V. I've had several others, none of them did what I wanted, most recently a Special Semi Hollow Artist. Or a WL 594 with maple neck.

Etc.

Then there's the issue of pickups. I'm just not all that into the 58/15 variants. and can't really explain why. I've had 6 with those pickups!

There are certain things they do I really like, but not everything. They didn't compare - for me - to the 57/08s. Yet I love the 85/15s in my CU24 PS. Love them!

Go figure.

I've only had one PRS whose neck carve wasn't for me, a Pattern Thin. But with all this stuff, YMMV.

You are not the only one that is this way. I am very similar. I find that the traditional wood combinations are what really work for me. I am not a fan of korina, basswood, poplar. I stick with mahogany, alder, maple and ash. I like the more classic combinations. I like a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. I also like a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. All maple works on some guitars as well.

I have an SAS. Mine has a solid maple neck. It works. I have a strat that I have had for quite a few years that is also solid maple neck on ash body. That guitar works well too.

When I had my Suhr Standard built I went with a mahogany body with a quilt maple top, maple neck with rosewood fretboard. It has an HSS pickup configuration. It works very well and has a wide variety of tones in it. It covers a lot of ground.

My Experience P22 has mahogany body with flame maple top, flame maple neck with mexican ebony fretboard. To me, the mexican ebony works as well as rosewood on this guitar. It was the pickups that I struggled with for a bit until I noticed how far away from the strings they were. They sounded dark and dull. I raised them to where I typically start at and it changed the tone a lot. I now have them where I like them.

Most of my guitars are mahogany bodies and mahogany necks with rosewood fretboards. I have a decent handful that are maple necks with rosewood fretboards. There are only a few with all maple necks in the collection. Those are SAS, Strat, Tele, etc..

 

[Maxime Bousquet]

Appreciate all the empathy here, makes it a little better.
No I don't need to sell it because I need money or anything like that so that's a non issue but I just hate the thought of it sitting/ hanging unloved.

The idea of forcing myself to play it every time does not really appeal as I fear I might just lose all interest in playing at all.
Going to be some soul searching but I think my mind was already made up before I posted.
However a few possible reasons as to why it doesn't gel with me have been brought to light and that helps somewhat.

It's still a stunning fine piece of guitar porn though

Sometimes we don't bond. Very difficult for me to part with a guitar because each one is an outlet, a way of releasing my emotions, of expressing who I am, a story is attached to each of them, it is difficult for me to reduce that to a piece of wood and metal. It's disappointing when the spark isn't there but it happens...

 

[ViperDoc]

Dial up some pickup height spice and put some new strings on that baby. Better?

 

[László]

You are not the only one that is this way. I am very similar. I find that the traditional wood combinations are what really work for me. I am not a fan of korina, basswood, poplar. I stick with mahogany, alder, maple and ash. I like the more classic combinations. I like a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. I also like a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. All maple works on some guitars as well.

I have an SAS. Mine has a solid maple neck. It works. I have a strat that I have had for quite a few years that is also solid maple neck on ash body. That guitar works well too.

When I had my Suhr Standard built I went with a mahogany body with a quilt maple top, maple neck with rosewood fretboard. It has an HSS pickup configuration. It works very well and has a wide variety of tones in it. It covers a lot of ground.

My Experience P22 has mahogany body with flame maple top, flame maple neck with mexican ebony fretboard. To me, the mexican ebony works as well as rosewood on this guitar. It was the pickups that I struggled with for a bit until I noticed how far away from the strings they were. They sounded dark and dull. I raised them to where I typically start at and it changed the tone a lot. I now have them where I like them.

Most of my guitars are mahogany bodies and mahogany necks with rosewood fretboards. I have a decent handful that are maple necks with rosewood fretboards. There are only a few with all maple necks in the collection. Those are SAS, Strat, Tele, etc..

It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one who feels this way!

One of the reasons I'm so happy with my current guitars might be that they've all got common characteristics: solid mahogany bodies and necks, rosewood fretboards (BRW or Madagascar), and maple tops. That's my happy place. Every time I deviate from it, I wind up moving the guitar after a year or two (takes me a while to decide ).

This isn't to say folks who like other combinations are somehow making a mistake - they are making a great choice if the combinations of woods chosen give them what they like.

 

[markd21]

It is a sucky feeling. That's the same reason I traded off my Modern Eagle V. It just didn't jive with me after 2 years.

 

[Slow Dog Noodle]

Ok, I have something to admit too. And this thread feels like a circle of people in an old YMCA gym with notepads and lots of strong coffee. I played for about 30 years before I got by first PRS. During the shutdown I was playing more and had more cash, and so splashed out for a core 35th Anniversary.

What a beautiful guitar. I've never played or owned something as well crafted, well designed, and well put together. Its stunning, and easy to play. Everything is in the right spot, the neck feels good, its not too heavy. Etc. But after playing it for a few years now, and adding another core McCarty that is equally stunning, I've come to the realization that I don't love the sound. I've tried both guitars through different amps, tried every setting that I can change. It is strange, as a lot of you are saying. It's like there's something missing. And I am not a tinkerer. I don't want to change the pickups out. I don't want to make any modifications. I'm not at the point where I would consider selling either of my PRS, but more often, I find myself reaching or my strat, or my les paul over the PRS. Maybe I just need some more time with them. Both PRS are fun to play and inspiring - I just don't love the sound coming back to my ears, if that makes any sense.

Thanks for listening. My name is Slow Dog Noodle and i've been a guitar addict for 35 years now.

 

[Birdsofprey]

Slow Dog just my .02 cents here but have you adjusted your amp(s) to a different guitar, LP, Strt, PRS. I find even switching between same models for me a CU24 and there variants I have to tweak my amp settings and it really makes a big difference. Just a question/ thought.

 

[Max Headroom]

Dial up some pickup height spice and put some new strings on that baby. Better?

Setup is tweaked as good as I can get it but no I have not tried new strings although it came to me with new strings fitted and they were /are 10-46 which I usually don't have any issue with although I don't know the brand,

 

[ViperDoc]

Setup is tweaked as good as I can get it but no I have not tried new strings although it came to me with new strings fitted and they were /are 10-46 which I usually don't have any issue with although I don't know the brand,

I feel you on this problem. Sometimes, a guitar doesn't have it. It could be the weather, phase of the moon, or the sum result can't deliver the goods you need. I have a PS that is a beauty queen, but it doesn't have the sonic mojo like the first 594 I ever bought. That core is a f4cking drop dead siren. Every note is blessed. I remember when I first bought it, I wasn't sure about it being unfamiliar with the layout. I am now.

 

[aamefford]

I’m not super experienced, but NECKS. patter regular and Santana necks are pretty far apart, but both work for me. Pattern thin or wide thin, not so much. The difference between pattern regular and wide thin is way less than pattern regular and Santana I think. It seems like a hand has a range it likes. Get outside that range, and the magic just kinda goes away. Too bad your PS is out of my price range - I’d probably love it.

 

[aamefford]

I bought a used PS Santana that I loved the looks/spec of, but just didn't do it for me. I ended up selling it on Consignment through Brian's. Sure was a looker, though.

I’m totally an ass man. That is gorgeous!