Hey, PRS devotees and fellow guitarists. I am not YET a PRS owner but I am getting closer to it. I could use some perspective, so thanks to anyone who’s willing to slog through this long post (apologies!) and share thoughts here, as I'm being very deliberative about my PRS purchase.
I’m finally getting back into playing some after our child is now 3 ½ years old. Except for these last few years, I’ve played off and on for 20 years, played in a few bands, and enjoyed the improv space in the jamband realm. I’ve never been a great lead player yet consider myself to have a decently good ear for harmony. In the last year, I finally got my wits about me to at least try to learn about music while I’ve not been able to play with any regularity. I’ve been studying some music theory where in my musical life to this point I’ve either sight-read piano and trumpet and played guitar by ear and some tabs. Learning theory has opened me to a vastly expanded musical realm and gotten me excited about playing guitar again and playing guitar regularly. These days I can’t get enough of it, where before I felt plateaued and stuck and would get frustrated and put my guitar down. While I have a long way to go to execute fluently what I’ve recently learned (I actually now have foundational understanding and some application of modes, arpeggios, chord tone soloing, etc.), I’m seeing so much more in my head and hear more when I listen to some of my favorite guitarists, at least in this genre: Trey Anastasio, Jimmy Herring, Derek Trucks, Jerry Garcia, Chuck Garvey, etc. It makes so much more sense to me now where it mostly just sounded really good before. I’m super inspired and plan to get back to playing with others utilizing more knowledge and ability (though admittedly less dexterity than in my 20s) once the pandemic is behind us all….
What I’ve found in actually playing maybe 2-3 hours a week now is that my one electric guitar, a ~1998 G&L ASAT Z-3 that has served me very well for two decades, isn’t overly comfortable to me when I stand up now as it was before. When I stand to play—which is what I try to do most anymore to be kinder to my back—the blockiness of the Tele-style isn’t suiting me that well now. I’m finding, too, that I get some fret slipoff when I try to hammer on and pull off on the high e-string (like on the Spirit of Radio intro) or fret the e-string directly under a b-string bend. I do like the narrower neck it has, but this phenomenon bugs me a bit now on top of the standing discomfort. Granted, I expect that my less-than-perfect technique certainly accounts mostly for it, but it’s still not something I’m enjoying as my skills grow. Do I do these kinds of things a lot in my playing? No, not much, so I’m trying to temper my annoyance here.
I’ve done a fair amount of PRS research (my wife would say more than “a fair amount”) and even played some of them lately. Local stock is limited, yet I’ve been able to try several SE models, a CE24 solid body, a Silver Sky, a Mira, some McCarty 594s, an SE Paul’s Guitar, and most recently two DGTs (a 2014 and a 2019). What I’ve been thinking I’m hoping for is a 22-fret guitar with humbuckers and a Stoptail or 2-piece bridge. I’ve thought that this combination is ripe for tone—for me. Maybe even a semi or full hollowbody, yet I don’t think I want to deal with learning how to control feedback, and I'm not as wild about real fat necks. But what I guess I REALLY NEED is a guitar that’s super comfortable to play standing up and sounds nice with some light to medium overdrive. Looks aren’t as important to me, so I’m not looking for 10-tops, etc.; this said, if it’s good-looking to boot, all the better.
What I’ve noticed thus far is that the DGTs and the CE24 have felt the best, though no angels have sung loudly. I did have some string slipoff with both of the DGTs, though, and it’s got me a little leery. (I tried on purpose to see if it would happen, and it did.) I didn’t have any string slipoff with the CE24. But the DGTs, especially felt really good playing leads higher up on the neck on lower-note strings, and seemingly more so than the CE24. I’m tallish—around 6’—and have a 9.25” thumb to pinky span, FYI, so I'm not short-fingered. (I’d probably end up setting up a DGT with 10s instead of 11s if I bought one. I can’t tell if I do like the DGT really well or if the many great reviews have brainwashed me.) Unfortunately, the DGT and the CE24 were at different stores and on different days, so I couldn’t side-by-side them. The CE24 would be a study in learning a 24-fret guitar after never owning one before. I don’t know that I have a preference for a set neck or bolt-on, as long as I don’t have neck problems.
With so many models out there and limited time (the aforementioned 3 ½ year-old…) and limited local stocks, it’ll take me a long time to try out models that I haven’t yet in the bigger cities that are 2+ hours away from me. I’m super eager to try some Core Customs, 408s, etc., although I will say that I’m getting a little disheartened in trying to find “the one” that’s right for me that will likely be my go-to guitar for the next 20 years. I may have an unrealistic expectation that it's going to hit me hard when it happens.
Here are some main points I’m considering:
-- My #1 preference is something that is comfortable to both hands/arms in playing standing up. Strat-style contours feel good to my body, but the Silver Sky hasn’t stricken me, and neither have top-end Fenders. I had a USA Strat 20 years ago and it was good for me then. I don’t believe so now.
-- I have a strong preference for humbuckers with some interest in split/tap to open up tonal options. This said, once I find the sound I like most, I probably won’t change it often, especially live.
-- I have a preference for 22 frets but am willing to mentally shift to 24.
-- I *think* I’d like a hardtail bridge, but I can always block a trem or just not use it. Most important here is the right-hand/risk position comfort.
-- I think I prefer a non-fat neck. Thus far, the DGT, Pattern Thin, and Pattern Regular necks have felt good to me, noting the DGT e-string slip-off.
-- I’d like to think that the guitar will probably be one I keep and play for the next 20 years
-- My budget is ~$2,500 max, though if I don’t spend as much now, it might mean more pedals and/or an additional guitar in the future.
Sorry for the very long ramble, but I’d love to hear from seasoned PRS owners and your advice/best practices/lessons learned, etc. I know—playing and trying them out is the best way to settle on what’s right for me. I’ve done a good amount of that and will keep doing it, but my ability to test drive a lot is limited, and, man, I’m ready to find the PRS I want to get old with.
Thanks so much for listening!
I’m finally getting back into playing some after our child is now 3 ½ years old. Except for these last few years, I’ve played off and on for 20 years, played in a few bands, and enjoyed the improv space in the jamband realm. I’ve never been a great lead player yet consider myself to have a decently good ear for harmony. In the last year, I finally got my wits about me to at least try to learn about music while I’ve not been able to play with any regularity. I’ve been studying some music theory where in my musical life to this point I’ve either sight-read piano and trumpet and played guitar by ear and some tabs. Learning theory has opened me to a vastly expanded musical realm and gotten me excited about playing guitar again and playing guitar regularly. These days I can’t get enough of it, where before I felt plateaued and stuck and would get frustrated and put my guitar down. While I have a long way to go to execute fluently what I’ve recently learned (I actually now have foundational understanding and some application of modes, arpeggios, chord tone soloing, etc.), I’m seeing so much more in my head and hear more when I listen to some of my favorite guitarists, at least in this genre: Trey Anastasio, Jimmy Herring, Derek Trucks, Jerry Garcia, Chuck Garvey, etc. It makes so much more sense to me now where it mostly just sounded really good before. I’m super inspired and plan to get back to playing with others utilizing more knowledge and ability (though admittedly less dexterity than in my 20s) once the pandemic is behind us all….
What I’ve found in actually playing maybe 2-3 hours a week now is that my one electric guitar, a ~1998 G&L ASAT Z-3 that has served me very well for two decades, isn’t overly comfortable to me when I stand up now as it was before. When I stand to play—which is what I try to do most anymore to be kinder to my back—the blockiness of the Tele-style isn’t suiting me that well now. I’m finding, too, that I get some fret slipoff when I try to hammer on and pull off on the high e-string (like on the Spirit of Radio intro) or fret the e-string directly under a b-string bend. I do like the narrower neck it has, but this phenomenon bugs me a bit now on top of the standing discomfort. Granted, I expect that my less-than-perfect technique certainly accounts mostly for it, but it’s still not something I’m enjoying as my skills grow. Do I do these kinds of things a lot in my playing? No, not much, so I’m trying to temper my annoyance here.
I’ve done a fair amount of PRS research (my wife would say more than “a fair amount”) and even played some of them lately. Local stock is limited, yet I’ve been able to try several SE models, a CE24 solid body, a Silver Sky, a Mira, some McCarty 594s, an SE Paul’s Guitar, and most recently two DGTs (a 2014 and a 2019). What I’ve been thinking I’m hoping for is a 22-fret guitar with humbuckers and a Stoptail or 2-piece bridge. I’ve thought that this combination is ripe for tone—for me. Maybe even a semi or full hollowbody, yet I don’t think I want to deal with learning how to control feedback, and I'm not as wild about real fat necks. But what I guess I REALLY NEED is a guitar that’s super comfortable to play standing up and sounds nice with some light to medium overdrive. Looks aren’t as important to me, so I’m not looking for 10-tops, etc.; this said, if it’s good-looking to boot, all the better.
What I’ve noticed thus far is that the DGTs and the CE24 have felt the best, though no angels have sung loudly. I did have some string slipoff with both of the DGTs, though, and it’s got me a little leery. (I tried on purpose to see if it would happen, and it did.) I didn’t have any string slipoff with the CE24. But the DGTs, especially felt really good playing leads higher up on the neck on lower-note strings, and seemingly more so than the CE24. I’m tallish—around 6’—and have a 9.25” thumb to pinky span, FYI, so I'm not short-fingered. (I’d probably end up setting up a DGT with 10s instead of 11s if I bought one. I can’t tell if I do like the DGT really well or if the many great reviews have brainwashed me.) Unfortunately, the DGT and the CE24 were at different stores and on different days, so I couldn’t side-by-side them. The CE24 would be a study in learning a 24-fret guitar after never owning one before. I don’t know that I have a preference for a set neck or bolt-on, as long as I don’t have neck problems.
With so many models out there and limited time (the aforementioned 3 ½ year-old…) and limited local stocks, it’ll take me a long time to try out models that I haven’t yet in the bigger cities that are 2+ hours away from me. I’m super eager to try some Core Customs, 408s, etc., although I will say that I’m getting a little disheartened in trying to find “the one” that’s right for me that will likely be my go-to guitar for the next 20 years. I may have an unrealistic expectation that it's going to hit me hard when it happens.
Here are some main points I’m considering:
-- My #1 preference is something that is comfortable to both hands/arms in playing standing up. Strat-style contours feel good to my body, but the Silver Sky hasn’t stricken me, and neither have top-end Fenders. I had a USA Strat 20 years ago and it was good for me then. I don’t believe so now.
-- I have a strong preference for humbuckers with some interest in split/tap to open up tonal options. This said, once I find the sound I like most, I probably won’t change it often, especially live.
-- I have a preference for 22 frets but am willing to mentally shift to 24.
-- I *think* I’d like a hardtail bridge, but I can always block a trem or just not use it. Most important here is the right-hand/risk position comfort.
-- I think I prefer a non-fat neck. Thus far, the DGT, Pattern Thin, and Pattern Regular necks have felt good to me, noting the DGT e-string slip-off.
-- I’d like to think that the guitar will probably be one I keep and play for the next 20 years
-- My budget is ~$2,500 max, though if I don’t spend as much now, it might mean more pedals and/or an additional guitar in the future.
Sorry for the very long ramble, but I’d love to hear from seasoned PRS owners and your advice/best practices/lessons learned, etc. I know—playing and trying them out is the best way to settle on what’s right for me. I’ve done a good amount of that and will keep doing it, but my ability to test drive a lot is limited, and, man, I’m ready to find the PRS I want to get old with.
Thanks so much for listening!
