Is this top patter "normal"

[amerykanin]

Hi All,

I'm planning on buying my first PRS guitar - Custom 24 35'th anniversary - and I've got some real images from the store. Looks good, put this top pattern is a bit unusual (the armrest area).

https://1drv.ms/u/s!ArtYyBAaEV--g6gKJldeVRp9n53uWQ?e=nFjC2D

I know that it doesn't affect the tone, and the aesthetics are very "personal preference". But we're talking here about a pricey guitar.

Question is - in the PRS world is that considered as something unique and good, or more likely if I'd like to sell the guitar in the future it'll be considered as a production flaw?

Thanks for your opinion.

Cheers

 

[jak3af3r]

I don't see anything unusual. Understand that the light and dark colours in the top depend on the angle of light reflecting off the wood. It could be that angle makes it look uneven.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Looks normal to me.

 

[shinksma]

Well, it isn't a 10-top, the flame is mostly along the center of the body, and the area you are concerned about has essentially no figuring, instead showing off the natural grain. I'd certainly not discount it for the lack of figuring, but it really is a matter of personal taste.

 

[amerykanin]

I don't see anything unusual. Understand that the light and dark colours in the top depend on the angle of light reflecting off the wood. It could be that angle makes it look uneven.

Don't know why, but I'd assume that the more the pattern is stretched and going all the way through the top - the better. Especially around the armrest it looks a bit like growth rings kind of pattern.

 

[Tony M.]

The question is "Do you like it?".

It's a matter of personal preference.
I do not feel it devalues the guitar in any way.
In fact I feel that it makes the guitar unusual and unique.

Besides, when you are playing it that part will be hidden.

 

[jak3af3r]

Don't know why, but I'd assume that the more the pattern is stretched and going all the way through the top - the better. Especially around the armrest it looks a bit like growth rings kind of pattern.

Better and worse are comparative terms. There's nothing wrong with it. You're dealing with the unpredictablability of nature here. Sometimes you carve down into wood and the figuring doesn't run all the way through front to back like this top.

Other times you get a piece that looks plain and carve down into it and find figuring.

 

[bodia]

I'd rock that, in a heartbeat. But, I love quirky tops! Definitely not a flaw. Just natural wood!

 

[alantig]

Don't know why, but I'd assume that the more the pattern is stretched and going all the way through the top - the better. Especially around the armrest it looks a bit like growth rings kind of pattern.

You're right - to a point. If the flame pattern went from edge to edge, it would be graded "aesthetically" better. Would it sound better? Eh - maybe, maybe not. I highly doubt it would affect the sound enough for me to hear.

But as Tony said, do you like it? Red is a pretty notoriously hard color to photograph, and the grain on any guitar can play tricks on your eyes depending on how the light hits it. In my experience, the guitar that really drove that point home for me is my Makenna Blue Tremonti. I saw it on a table at Experience one year. My immediate reaction was "Tremonti!" (because that's one of the things I'd been looking for), and my next immediate reaction was, "Ugh...that top." I liked the blue, but there was very little figuring. I picked it up anyway - and the flame changed. You'll never confuse it for a WL or PS top, but when the light hits it right, it's a really nice top.

You can see in this picture how the grain fades out in the armrest area, like the one you showed. But if you look at the knob area (heh heh heh, 'knob area'), the grain looks a little stronger. Which is similar to what's happening on your pic.

But a different angle and...

Still not super strong, but much better than the first picture shows. And look at the area just to the left of the gap in the pickups - smudgy and washed out here, but not in the picture above.

I'm not saying that the red guitar will show the same thing, just that it's possible, and it's hard to really judge a top from one picture. And the reflections in that area don't help.

 

[dogrocketp]

Personally, the grainier the top the more I like it. I'm not out hunting for ten tops. I also don't buy for resale anymore. How does the guitar SOUND? I have a moss green guitar. I don't like green guitars. I can never sell tis one because it has magic sound.

 

[QuiltTop319]

Top looks great. That's the way the wood grain accepts the stain. Great color, by-the-way!

 

[veinbuster]

Not to everyone’s taste, but it is not abnormal.

 

[amerykanin]

I like the idea of having something unique. And I'm not planning to buy and resell - just doing a "what if" thing here.

I was thinking that the more experienced prs experts would come over and say - "quality control had a bad day", but it turns out that it's "not a bug, it's a feature".

The best thing for me would be to get it shipped and play on it for a bit. I'll post some extra pictures here.

Thanks for the opinions, much appreciated.

 

[ChesterB]

Flame in the maple can be hard to capture in pictures. I have found tops usually look much better in person.

 

[Huggy Love]

Life is a series of trade offs.
Unique grain/one of a kind -vs- standard flame/what you expect.
Still boils down to....

The question is "Do you like it?"

 

[AaeCee]

It's just a little unusual in a good way, but I like 'em a little unusual.
I'm a little unusual ... hopefully in a good way too.

 

[Guitpicky]

I’m just going to be honest and not try to say what I’m “supposed” to say or what I think you want to hear. Obviously it’s your money and if you like it that’s what matters most. OPOs only matter if you’re worried about resale value, or put another way... whether or not you’re getting your money’s worth in comparison to other examples of its kind.

Keep in mind this is only my opinion and half the reason I bought a PRS core model is because I love beautiful things, especially natural beauty like highly figured wood. I look for symmetry and novelty, and ideally the best of both worlds. Because it’s an instrument I also look for as close to quarter sawn as possible. So those are the considerations I’m using to grade a top.

Call it vanity or whatever you want, but especially with PRS, looks matter. Just being honest, I would take a pass on that top without a second look based on my own criteria. The color is too washed out or muddy looking, it lacks symmetry and there isn’t enough novelty to make it in any way striking or memorable. It’s also a little too flat sawn for my taste, and that’s most noticeable in the arm rest area.

Because it’s a core PRS and I’m investing a lot in physical beauty, that top just wouldn’t pass muster for me. I’d be a little disappointed and depressed every time I saw the same guitar with a nicer top and scolding myself for my own lack of patience and resolve. Whether buying or selling, this particular guitar isn’t going to command top price for its type and that’s just a reality based on the core PRS customer base expectations.

Lastly, my opinion only matters to me... but you asked

 

[Bill SAS 513]

All I see in that area is a weather map that appears to be
showing the effects an earthquake would have on one of the Hawaiian islands...
But I love the flame...maybe not a "10", but I love the flame /book-match down the middle.

 

[amerykanin]

There's also a second instance that I can pick https://1drv.ms/u/s!ArtYyBAaEV--g6gPX_vlNeLFbjQ33g?e=egbHdd - looks more "traditional", don't you think?

 

[veinbuster]

There's also a second instance that I can pick https://1drv.ms/u/s!ArtYyBAaEV--g6gPX_vlNeLFbjQ33g?e=egbHdd - looks more "traditional", don't you think?

Its very much a personal preference thing. I like the one in the original post better.
This one is arguably more traditional.