Main Differences $2000 PRS vs Gibson?

[Sean Michael]

There's plenty of Core stuff on Reverb under two grand.

So what core would you get off reverb for 2 grand? Something more along the 80s LP rock sound and the coil tap ability?

 

[Elliot]

So what core would you get off reverb for 2 grand? Something more along the 80s LP rock sound and the coil tap ability?

I'm not speaking from experience but I'd bet forum members would recommend: sc 245, sc 250, ted mccarty sc 245 and dc 245(I do own this), sc 58, stripped 58, regular mccarty, custom 22 could get you there. Probably look for something with mccarty pickups, 57/08 pickups, or 58/15 pickups. however, I think the regular sc 245 comes with its own 245 pickups and I haven't heard much about those, honestly. My choice would be ted mccarty but I'm biased.

There are probably others that I'm forgetting but it seems like those would be the common options.

 

[RevBillyG]

So what core would you get off reverb for 2 grand? Something more along the 80s LP rock sound and the coil tap ability?

I got my McCarty Standard for $1200.

 

[mildew]

Your SE PRS is probably better assembled than the American Gibson. With 2k to spend should get get a nice 2nd hand Core CU24, and should have cash left for a tuning head upgrade if you find you dislike the Core tuners.

 

[Grimr]

Main difference for me is fit and finish. IMHO PRS has its own sound so don't buy one hoping it will sound like a LP Standard.

I own 2 Gibson Les Paul Standards. One from 2006, needed fret job right out the box, took years for the Nitro to harden up and for some lame reason they used 300k pots, which took me forever to find out why anytime I played that guitar it sounded like someone threw a blanket over my amp. Why'd I buy it? Because I got a smoking deal on it that even after work that was done to it I still came out ahead. The second one I own is a 2016, much, much better guitar. Fret work was excellent and it plays like a dream. Maybe their getting a PLEK helped? None of their tuner BS and they came back to their senses and reduced the price back to more "reasonable" levels.

Still some finish issues like bleed into the binding and some glue residue but none are a deal breaker for me. Not a fan of Burstbucker Pro's. To my ears they're a bit harsh so I swapped them out for some Seth Lovers and 50's wiring harness. IMHO Gibson has stepped up their game but still not to the level of PRS. At least not in their Standard line. I thought it was marketing BS but every core PRS I have ever touched was pretty much perfect right out of the case. YMMV.

Gibson holds a special place in my heart, because of the shenanigans with their 2015 lineup I was driven to the PRS core line. Over the years I owned a few SE's but never really looked into the core line. Thought they were too expensive. Cue Gibby's 29% price increase in 2015 and a stripped 58 was my first PRS core purchase. Love my PRSi.

 

[JSanta585]

Main difference for me is fit and finish. IMHO PRS has its own sound so don't buy one hoping it will sound like a LP Standard.

I own 2 Gibson Les Paul Standards. One from 2006, needed fret job right out the box, took years for the Nitro to harden up and for some lame reason they used 300k pots, which took me forever to find out why anytime I played that guitar it sounded like someone threw a blanket over my amp. Why'd I buy it? Because I got a smoking deal on it that even after work that was done to it I still came out ahead. The second one I own is a 2016, much, much better guitar. Fret work was excellent and it plays like a dream. Maybe their getting a PLEK helped? None of their tuner BS and they came back to their senses and reduced the price back to more "reasonable" levels.

Still some finish issues like bleed into the binding and some glue residue but none are a deal breaker for me. Not a fan of Burstbucker Pro's. To my ears they're a bit harsh so I swapped them out for some Seth Lovers and 50's wiring harness. IMHO Gibson has stepped up their game but still not to the level of PRS. At least not in their Standard line. I thought it was marketing BS but every core PRS I have ever touched was pretty much perfect right out of the case. YMMV.

Gibson holds a special place in my heart, because of the shenanigans with their 2015 lineup I was driven to the PRS core line. Over the years I owned a few SE's but never really looked into the core line. Thought they were too expensive. Cue Gibby's 29% price increase in 2015 and a stripped 58 was my first PRS core purchase. Love my PRSi.

I think you nailed the value proposition aspect of PRS. If you like a certain model/neck profile, you're basically guaranteed a good instrument if ordered sight unseen. That hasn't been the case for Gibson the past few years. But when they're good, they're really good. Considering the financial trouble they're in right now, I hope that Gibson sorts out the issues they're having and gets back to putting out quality instruments, but at more competitive prices.

 

[jdto]

On the Les Paul Classic, you're going to get a fat neck. 50s Les Paul like. It's going to have a set neck, binding on the body & the neck, separate tone & volume pots for each pickup, & a two piece bridge. It's going to be heavier, thicker, & the headstock is prone to breaking.

The Classic actually has a Slim Taper neck, which is on the slimmer end of Gibson's spectrum.

Specs on Gibson's website for the 2017 Classic:
0.800" at the nut (PRS Pattern Thin is listed as 25/32" or 0.78125")
0.875" at the 12th.

The LP Trad is fatter at 0.818"-0.963" (PRS Pattern and Pattern Regular are listed at 27/32" or 0.84375")

It doesn't sound like much, but you can definitely feel the difference between the 60s Slim Taper and the more standard C profile. Of course, since these are all finished by hand at some point, you'll have some variation between individuals in each model, but in general the Classics in both 2017 and 2016 had slimmer necks, while the Trads are fatter and the Standard had the asymmetrical profile.