More valuable? 2012 Custom 24 10 top with Paul’s signature or 2015 30th Anniversary non-10 top?

[Jesse Segovia]

I have a line on two different PRS Core Custom 24s, a 2012 10 top with Paul’s signature on the headstock in one of my favorite finishes, and a 2015 30th Anniversary non-10 top in a finish I’m gradually getting to like. Both are in near-mint condition although I’d say the 2012 is a little mintey-er. The 2012 is about $200 more expensive.

All things being equal (which of course they never are), which of these guitars will hold a higher value over time? I’m buying this not as an investment but as a player, but I plan to take care of it and seeing as I’ve sold lots of guitars in the past, I may one day find myself selling this to buy something else.

Which would you choose and why?

Thanks!

Jesse

 

[shimmilou]

Both of them together are more valuable than either one, so get both.

 

[Jesse Segovia]

Both of them together are more valuable than either one, so get both.

Excellent idea! Is that your Black Gold Burst guitar in your avatar? That's the finish of one of the guitars!

Jesse

 

[Going Modal]

Essentially: a couple years older with Paul's signature and a 10-top versus a couple years newer without his signature and no 10? Without seeing the guitars (which would make all the difference in this case), I'd say they're even or could go either way. PRS has hand-signed a LOT of guitars in his day, and I don't think it's as rare as people think to get one with his ink on it. And 10-tops, too--I've seen amazing ones but I've also seen fantastic non-10 tops.

A big part of the difference will come down to pickups--the 30th will have the new (at the time) 85/15 pickups, whereas the 2012 models often had 59/09 pickups. My personal preference would be the 2012 with 59/09's, since I've removed a couple sets of 85/15's from Custom 22's & 24's and replaced them with the 59/09's, and like them in that guitar. But the color/finish will be a huge personal preference between ANY two guitars, too. I say, in this case, the "value" should be equivalent; just pick the one you want more.

 

[László]

Paul's autograph is unlikely to make it more valuable, he autographs lots of guitars. A 10 top is easier to sell down the road, if you decide to do that. However, you might (or might not) prefer the 85/15 pickups on the 2015 model to the 59/09s on the 2012. I believe that two neck carves were also available on CU24s both years - Pattern Regular and Pattern Thin. Be sure to get the neck carve you prefer, each has its own feel.

 

[bodia]

I agree with what has already been said. The 10 Top is likely to command a higher price, in the future, regardless of Paul's signature. I'd grab that one since it's in a finish that you already fond of.

 

[JasonE]

I always go for the 10 tops. I have bought a couple that were not 10s but they were decent tops. I just find that down the road I wish I had spent a little more money and got the 10 top on the ones that I didn't. The fact that the 10 top is a finish that you love, it would be a no brainer for me. The signature is probably not adding anything to the price but may add a little to the desire to have it. Paul is still signing guitars so all you have to do is get it in front of him and ask and it will probably receive the signature.

 

[Jesse Segovia]

Thanks very much for all the replies. I guess I should've been more specific - the seller says it's got Paul's signature on the front of the headstock instead of the inlayed or painted signature logo. He says Paul sometimes signs guitars when a new finish comes out.

Would this be more valuable than Paul signing the guitar on the back of the headstock or somewhere else?

Jesse

 

[László]

Thanks very much for all the replies. I guess I should've been more specific - the seller says it's got Paul's signature on the front of the headstock instead of the inlayed or painted signature logo. He says Paul sometimes signs guitars when a new finish comes out.

Would this be more valuable than Paul signing the guitar on the back of the headstock or somewhere else?

Jesse

To some buyers, maybe. There are others, like me, who'd rather have the inlaid logo. I wouldn't buy a guitar for that kind of reason, personally, but others might. You just can't predict the future value of guitars.

For a while, you could pick up a used PRS for a lot less than they're going for now. Demand is high.

When it comes to the value of a guitar, it's all what someone is willing to pay, right? Today, it's a seller's market. Five minutes from now, who knows? Then, too, some guitars sell faster than others. Guitars don't make great financial investments, unless you get something pretty darn old and hang onto it a long time, and even then, it's unpredictable.

My '65 SG Special hasn't appreciated very much since the day in 1965 my brother bought it, when inflation is factored in.

 

[Jesse Segovia]

So the Anniversary models with the purfling and flight pattern inlays, those aren't any more valuable than the Core Custom 24s?

 

[Going Modal]

So the Anniversary models with the purfling and flight pattern inlays, those aren't any more valuable than the Core Custom 24s?

The purfling and "anniversary birds" inlay certainly do look more fancy to some people (I love 'em), however it's a matter of taste and some people might simply prefer the regular birds. Again, it might command a higher resale down the road; but if a narrower segment of the market wants them, then it's hard to say. [Why might some people want the cheaper/simpler birds? Well, for one, the regular birds inlay has the owl at the 24th fret. And, believe it or not, that's the cool sort of thing that might keep somebody wanting the regular birds, whereas the anniversary birds do not have the "special" bird at the 24th fret. Stranger things have happened.]

 

[Jesse Segovia]

And to further complicate things, a fellow selling another 30th Anniversary non-10 top Custom 24 finally responded to my many emails - this guitar is $600 less than the 10 top.

 

[Jesse Segovia]

A big part of the difference will come down to pickups--the 30th will have the new (at the time) 85/15 pickups, whereas the 2012 models often had 59/09 pickups. My personal preference would be the 2012 with 59/09's, since I've removed a couple sets of 85/15's from Custom 22's & 24's and replaced them with the 59/09's, and like them in that guitar. But the color/finish will be a huge personal preference between ANY two guitars, too. I say, in this case, the "value" should be equivalent; just pick the one you want more.

Thanks for this comment. I've been searching the web for 59/09, 85/15 comparisons and so far it seems most people prefer the brighter, more articulate 85/15 which also sounds a bit more scooped, over the 59/09 which apparently has more mids - some say the 59/09 is more of a metal pickup while the 85/15 is more classic 70s rock. Does that sound like your experience with these pickups?

Jesse

 

[Going Modal]

Thanks for this comment. I've been searching the web for 59/09, 85/15 comparisons and so far it seems most people prefer the brighter, more articulate 85/15 which also sounds a bit more scooped, over the 59/09 which apparently has more mids - some say the 59/09 is more of a metal pickup while the 85/15 is more classic 70s rock. Does that sound like your experience with these pickups?

Jesse

To my ears, the 85/15 is very "modern"--similar to what you've said, I find them very articulate, brighter, somewhat scooped (but not a lot), and very "immediate" feel from the strings straight to the amp. [I like it for: very clean, or very distorted.]

The 59/09 to me is also punchy but more in the mids. The 59/09 is supposed to be (by its name) a "1959-like" vintage-styled pickup; however, I feel that it's entirely halfway between a late-'50s PAF style pickup and the more modern PRS 85/15. So suppose if a true PAF (or let's say the PRS 57/08 model) is on the far vintage side, the 85/15 is on the far modern side... to me the 59/09 is right in the middle. [I like it for: barely dirty through very overdriven.]

Output power seems pretty comparable between the 85/15 and the 59/09; they're still medium output pickups. I suppose the hotter stuff like the Metal and Tremonti would be even better for true metal.

 

[shimmilou]

And to further complicate things, a fellow selling another 30th Anniversary non-10 top Custom 24 finally responded to my many emails - this guitar is $600 less than the 10 top.

So, three guitars it is!

Yes, Black Gold Wrap Burst is the official name, my first PRS

 

[Jesse Segovia]

Thanks so much to everyone for your help and guidance. I picked up the 2012 Charcoal Burst this evening. She sounded amazing at the seller's house and she sounds fantastic acoustically - I won't get to play her through my amp until tomorrow at the earliest.

She's absolutely gorgeous and plays like a dream. No regrets here at all! I'll have to figure out how to post photos here so I can share this with everyone.

Jesse

 

[Jesse Segovia]

To my ears, the 85/15 is very "modern"--similar to what you've said, I find them very articulate, brighter, somewhat scooped (but not a lot), and very "immediate" feel from the strings straight to the amp. [I like it for: very clean, or very distorted.]

The 59/09 to me is also punchy but more in the mids. The 59/09 is supposed to be (by its name) a "1959-like" vintage-styled pickup; however, I feel that it's entirely halfway between a late-'50s PAF style pickup and the more modern PRS 85/15. So suppose if a true PAF (or let's say the PRS 57/08 model) is on the far vintage side, the 85/15 is on the far modern side... to me the 59/09 is right in the middle. [I like it for: barely dirty through very overdriven.]

Output power seems pretty comparable between the 85/15 and the 59/09; they're still medium output pickups. I suppose the hotter stuff like the Metal and Tremonti would be even better for true metal.

Thanks again for the reply. I came of age during the 70s with Led Zep, ZZ Top, Peter Frampton style Marshall crunch and I play in a classic rock band, but we also play some 80s and grunge stuff and more modern music so a versatile guitar like the PRS comes in very handy. From what you've said I made the right move going with the older 59/09-equipped guitar rather than a guitar with the newer 85/15s.