Is PRS guitars a victim of reverse snobbery?

[CandidPicker]

Back to the topic, I find it silly to dis any of the current "big" manufactures. Strats aren't for me, but I cant't say they are bad guitars. They work for so many people other than myself. I'm not going to lie, I'm a Gibson fan, however, I really disliked the irrational aversion some of the other Gibson fans have on PRS guitars. Similarly, I found that some people would blow some of the Gibson issues out of proportion. I didn't find it that hard to find the good ones, be it their regular production, their custom shops or acoustic. I love those guitars, but I can also love my PRSi. They sound and feel different, but they speak to me and inspire me to play and to better myself as a guitarist. Also, contrary to some of the criticism that PRS get, they have a ton of mojo. Sure they're pretty and look like piece of art, but if you gig and play them a lot, they will feel played in and exude as much or more mojo than any other guitar. Also they are one of the easiest guitars to maintain, which speaks to their built quality. I've never had that much ease intonating a guitar than PRSi. The only time I had to work a bit harder to set up a PRS was when a friend of mine set his SE Custom 22 bridge and messed with the pivot screws, but that was not the guitar's fault, but my friends. They are set up from factory so that you never really need to be messing up with those pivot screws to begin with.

Paul,

Thanks for your insight. Each of us has own own likes and dislikes, whether our guitars that break-up earlier or later regards gain stage, whether they clean up at lower volumes or remain dirty. I'd say a good answer is that we're sometimes given a smorgasbord to choose from, and hopefully when we select one guitar over another, one pickup config, one electronics type, string gauge, neck pattern, body shape, or finish.

I think the overriding factor will always be how the guitar feels in our own hands and how it sounds when we put hands and fingers to the guitar. The afterthought is how easy the guitar is to maintain once we've purchased one. Unless one knows beforehand how well you can maintain a guitar, it's dependent on others' experience, reviews and word of mouth.

Kind of like asking your parents for parenting advice regards your child. ("Dad, did we break any stuff in the house you had any trouble fixing, or were we kids who would nap at the drop of a hat?" kind of questions...)

 

[pauloqs]

re: my original quote (from the Gibson Forum) "PRS guitars are like a solution looking for a problem"
My take on that is even more depressing. To me reads as: 'we already have perfection' why would anyone want to look elsewhere".
In other words its a closed mind mentality that wont even consider a peek outside.

Absolutely. I'm a Gibson fan and I'm glad I peeked outside and now I'm also a PRS fan. I find some of the criticism PRS gets is extremely irrational. As a Gibson fan, I find it silly how people who never played or don't usually play Gibson criticize them based on some internet trends or what others, who apparently never played one as well have to say. Similarly, as a PRS fan, I find silly the people who dis PRSi without even trying them out. I suspect these people watch some videos online and/or just regurgitate some unsubstantiated BS. Like, for instance the ridiculos comments saying that PRS sound anemic, don't have as much character, or mojo. I think you have to play one for some time to be able to say something like that, which I doubt would happen because everyone I know who have given PRS a serious go don't think like that. Quite the contrary. I'm glad a guitarist I admire and respect opened my eyes to PRSi. He said that when he had a chance to meet Paul in person he said to Paul that his guitars played so comfortably and well that as a professional musician, it was almost obligatory that he owned a PRS. I'm glad those words inspired me to look beyond my preconceptions and allow me to find a guitar like the McCarty that I just begs to be played constantly. I think people are entiteled to their opinion, but when someone speaks without experience the guitar for themselves, I will not value that person's unsubstantiated and uninformative input.

 

[pauloqs]

Paul,

Thanks for your insight. Each of us has own own likes and dislikes, whether our guitars that break-up earlier or later regards gain stage, whether they clean up at lower volumes or remain dirty. I'd say a good answer is that we're sometimes given a smorgasbord to choose from, and hopefully when we select one guitar over another, one pickup config, one electronics type, string gauge, neck pattern, body shape, or finish.

I think the overriding factor will always be how the guitar feels in our own hands and how it sounds when we put hands and fingers to the guitar. The afterthought is how easy the guitar is to maintain once we've purchased one. Unless one knows beforehand how well you can maintain a guitar, it's dependent on others' experience, reviews and word of mouth.

Kind of like asking your parents for parenting advice regards your child. ("Dad, did we break any stuff in the house you had any trouble fixing, or were we kids who would nap at the drop of a hat?" kind of questions...)

The second paragraph wasn't intended as a reply to your post, but a contribution, I hope, to the general thread.

I like the sound of the SG because I play mostly dad rock and jazz, and I just like the sound of the SG and Les Paul for that genre. It has a warmer sound and more lower mids than my PRSi. However, my PRSi have more of a full frequency in their sound character. They tend to cut more easily through a band mix without having to raise the volume on my amp. Also, I like how the top end on PRSi have typically a roundness to them that makes for a very enjoyable sound. I haven't played one PRS where the top end had that ice pick character that I really dislike. A reason I'm considering a S2 Mira is that it was described to me as the love child guitar between a Les Paul and an SG. Regarding the growl needed for my dad rock stuff, I've been using the tone knob more often, which affords me a beautiful PRS growl for what I want to play. The added clarity of PRSi relative to my Gibson guitars give me a sound with humbuckers that I like for songs that would otherwise be typically more "suited" for a single coil guitar. For instance, I felt I needed single coil guitars to play some of the Pink Floyd solos. I find that a PRS with humbuckers give me the clarity I want for some of those Pink Floyd solos. Even with gain, I can hear all the notes very well defined when using my PRSi. For those reasons, my McCarty is probably my desert island guitar. I would rather have both Gibson and PRS guitars in my arsenal, though. The sound of both Gibson and PRS guitars provide that very primitive gut sensation that you get when you play an inspiring instrument. My advice would be to try several PRS and I believe one of them will inevitably speak to you. However, there will be the possibility that you will still prefer an SG. Some people find them very finicky, though I haven't found that myself. Nevertheless, they are beautiful and very loved instruments.

 

[Snoopygore71]

Eh...in my opinion, anybody who completely dismisses the legitimacy of any given commonality or popular opinion takes themselves entirely too seriously.

Life's too short and there is far too much to enjoy in life to completely write something off based off of a personal preference, let alone one or two isolated experiences in which somebody's expectations weren't fulfilled.

I love PRS guitars and prefer them in all aspects. That doesn't mean that every time I see a Gibson or Fender in a catalog or on a stage I roll my eyes and scoff in disgust. Hell, I'll pick one up to play just about any time I'm in a guitar shop simply because I love guitars, regardless of brand. I just haven't found one that ticks all my boxes like a PRS does.

100% here, still have the Fender and Gibsons, had Gretsches and EBMM. The body shape I find the most comfortable to play, Les Paul's dig into my forearm and the lack of contour on the front of a Strat or Tele bothers me. The classic PRS double cut is the one for me.

 

[Tonart]

I think tonal diffference between brands are over exaggerated out there.

Many LP’s you try at the shop are not going to sound like Jimmy Page. That was 50’s old growth wood. Just because they’re the same design doesn’t mean so. Gibson Custom R9s sound very different from regular Gibson USA LP standards to my ears. R9’s use lightweight genuine mahogany. Many individual LP’s will sound insipid. They’ll still retain some singlecut sound, but the tone will be weak. Depends on the guitar.

Not every SG will sound like Angus Young on Back in Black.

Same goes for Fender strats, although in this case I think the singlecoil sound will disguise the differences somewhat.

Same for PRS too. I have a Collection VIII McCarty that stands out from my other PRS.

Compare the best individual LP against the best individual McCarty, the best strat against the best silver sky. I don’t think I will find much difference, either way. All will be killer.

It’s the individual guitar. The individual woods used. The individual builder.

Not the brand. Every brand will have their fair share of unicorns and duds.

 

[pauloqs]

I think tonal diffference between brands are over exaggerated out there.

Many LP’s you try at the shop are not going to sound like Jimmy Page. That was 50’s old growth wood. Just because they’re the same design doesn’t mean so. Gibson Custom R9s sound very different from regular Gibson USA LP standards to my ears. R9’s use lightweight genuine mahogany. Many individual LP’s will sound insipid. They’ll still retain some singlecut sound, but the tone will be weak. Depends on the guitar.

Not every SG will sound like Angus Young on Back in Black.

Same goes for Fender strats, although in this case I think the singlecoil sound will disguise the differences somewhat.

Same for PRS too. I have a Collection VIII McCarty that stands out from my other PRS.

Compare the best individual LP against the best individual McCarty, the best strat against the best silver sky. I don’t think I will find much difference, either way. All will be killer.

It’s the individual guitar. The individual woods used. The individual builder.

Not the brand. Every brand will have their fair share of unicorns and duds.

My R0 is my best sounding Les Paul. I also have a Standard, a Standard High Performance and a Studio. Even my Studio has more in common with my R0 than my McCarty or Custom 24. Those four LPs do something for me that no other guitar is able to do. Not even my SG. They, however, are not better than my McCarty or Custom 24. They’re just different. The converse is also true. My McCarty does something for me that no other guitar is able to do. Now if you ask me, would I be happy to play all that I play with my LPs with my McCarty? Or vice versa? Absolutely. As for sounding like Jimmy Page, most of it was in his fingers. Give him a Ukelele and he will get a more authentic Zep tone for Black Dog or Heartbreaker than any other guitarist. I’ve see so many people want to sound like him and get his amps, pedals and guitars from Zep era and they get very close. Jimmy Page on the other hand will play through an Orange or an AC30, like he has actually done, and get even closer. So in that regard, I don’t need to get all of Jimmy Page’s gear to cover Led Zeppelin and be happy with my tone. So I’m happy to play a McCarty through an AC15 or a Blues Jr to get an amazing tone that no original burst will be able to achieve. All I’m saying is there is a PRS sound that most of Paul’s guitar have. His guitars have an identity in both feel and sound. And I’m extremely happy with these things. They don’t need to emulate a golden era Gibson. They are unquestionably inspired by it, specially the McCarty and 594. But they became their own thing and that is great.

 

[CandidPicker]

I like the sound of the SG because I play mostly dad rock and jazz, and I just like the sound of the SG and Les Paul for that genre. It has a warmer sound and more lower mids than my PRSi. However, my PRSi have more of a full frequency in their sound character. They tend to cut more easily through a band mix without having to raise the volume on my amp. Also, I like how the top end on PRSi have typically a roundness to them that makes for a very enjoyable sound. I haven't played one PRS where the top end had that ice pick character that I really dislike.

Right there with you, Paul. My style is mostly 70's classic rock, along with both older and younger blues, and some commonly played jazz/funk tunes. And recently, I find myself listening to more country and modern acoustic tunes. I owned this really nice LP Silverburst Custom some years ago, a "fretless wonder" model that was a joy to play for fast licks.

A reason I'm considering a S2 Mira is that it was described to me as the love child guitar between a Les Paul and an SG. Regarding the growl needed for my dad rock stuff, I've been using the tone knob more often, which affords me a beautiful PRS growl for what I want to play. The added clarity of PRSi relative to my Gibson guitars give me a sound with humbuckers that I like for songs that would otherwise be typically more "suited" for a single coil guitar. For instance, I felt I needed single coil guitars to play some of the Pink Floyd solos.

If possible, Paul, try to locate a core model Mira when they come up for auction. Here's a pic of one, a limited edition, that I owned about 5 years ago that I should never have let go...

I find that a PRS with humbuckers give me the clarity I want for some of those Pink Floyd solos. Even with gain, I can hear all the notes very well defined when using my PRSi. For those reasons, my McCarty is probably my desert island guitar. I would rather have both Gibson and PRS guitars in my arsenal, though. The sound of both Gibson and PRS guitars provide that very primitive gut sensation that you get when you play an inspiring instrument.

My advice would be to try several PRS and I believe one of them will inevitably speak to you. However, there will be the possibility that you will still prefer an SG. Some people find them very finicky, though I haven't found that myself. Nevertheless, they are beautiful and very loved instruments.

I'd agree in a heartbeat, Paul, though my finances won't allow a purchase of a more expensive guitar any time soon. I traveled that path some years ago and realized that my age was catching up with me and I wasn't missing out on the fun and games as much. My enjoyment is currently owning 3 simple but elegant guitars that are cost-effective and do the job I desire.

The only time I've personally reached out to someone for financial help was the time my 2nd car's timing belt snapped en route to SE Connecticut, and needed towing home. It was time for a new used low-mileage car, which has served me well since '07. My then living Gram funded a large portion of the car's cost and gave some cash to her other 2 grandsons. It was necessary for me to sell my beloved PS guitar to cover the remaining costs and downgrade to the Mira Ltd. Edition plus 2 other guitars.

I am sure there might be times where you will face important decisions that still require owning a car for work, or something of the kind. I just hope my good fortune (and the well) never runs dry where one could find ways of saving money for important things while living within my expense budgeting. I'd hate to cut out life's pleasures just because of not being to afford them, but one lesson of life is don't spend what you don't have and don't give away what you can't afford. There are plenty of other folks with their hands out asking for things, but you can't give away what you don't already own. I find that people are mostly asking for food these days, but I personally can't justify giving people food when that's all they're interested in.

Sorry for the Dad speech, it's been ingrained into me as well. Best wishes finding the guitar and tone you heart desires, and we'll spend time together in our virtual open-mic coffeehouse together sometime. You'd be a welcome addition to our Friday group when the weather warms slightly and grows more crowd-friendly.