New member PRS guitar quality issues.

[Farmdog]

I believe I saw/read that all the SE models come thru the Maryland facility for inspection prior to going out the door? If this is the case, shouldn't these things have been caught in QC?

 

[Tim S]

The best use of your money if you are thinking of buying one of these guitars is go to Reverb and find a used Korean made. Korean guitars are your best bet.

I Think Korean guitars and PT WILDWOOD Indonesian guitars are your best bet.

My PT Wildwood is every bit as good as Korean-made SEs. You’d miss out on many fine SE Standards if you bypassed *all* used Indonesian made SEs.

 

[alantig]

I believe I saw/read that all the SE models come thru the Maryland facility for inspection prior to going out the door? If this is the case, shouldn't these things have been caught in QC?

It's possible they happened afterwards.

 

[Mozzi]

I believe I saw/read that all the SE models come thru the Maryland facility for inspection prior to going out the door? If this is the case, shouldn't these things have been caught in QC?

All that means is that it was checked and passed before it left the factory. I don't know when that date was on yours but after that, it goes to distributors before it arrives at a store. You don't know how its been stored and transported, the climate and humidity conditions its been subjected to. That store could put it out on display for anyone to come in and try that guitar. It could of been on display for months, messed with by people coming into try it and affect the set-up. It could have been just sent out to you after all the random people have played and messed with things without being checked and set-up by the store. The store themselves may well of done a bad set-up, just sand and clean a few frets that had marks/dents/scratches on it from those people that had tried the guitar whilst it was in the shop and thus affect the levels. It could also have been a return from a customer who purchased online within the time limit and they may have messed with things too.

Point is, PRS may well check the guitars but all you can say is that the guitar was deemed 'good enough' and set-up on the date that PRS checked it but that doesn't mean that PRS let a 'dud' through. A lot could have happened to affect that since it left PRS so the best option if you are not happy is to return the guitar to the store and get them to sort it out. Its their responsibility to ensure a happy customer and fix issues.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

It's possible they happened afterwards.

That’s what she said!

 

[Kdogg788]

It's possible they happened afterwards.

All that means is that it was checked and passed before it left the factory. I don't know when that date was on yours but after that, it goes to distributors before it arrives at a store. You don't know how its been stored and transported, the climate and humidity conditions its been subjected to. That store could put it out on display for anyone to come in and try that guitar. It could of been on display for months, messed with by people coming into try it and affect the set-up. It could have been just sent out to you after all the random people have played and messed with things without being checked and set-up by the store. The store themselves may well of done a bad set-up, just sand and clean a few frets that had marks/dents/scratches on it from those people that had tried the guitar whilst it was in the shop and thus affect the levels. It could also have been a return from a customer who purchased online within the time limit and they may have messed with things too.

Point is, PRS may well check the guitars but all you can say is that the guitar was deemed 'good enough' and set-up on the date that PRS checked it but that doesn't mean that PRS let a 'dud' through. A lot could have happened to affect that since it left PRS so the best option if you are not happy is to return the guitar to the store and get them to sort it out. Its their responsibility to ensure a happy customer and fix issues.

I haven't seen a guitar with these issues, but there's no way some of the things wrong with Eric's guitar happened after QC. If the frets were that far off, it's something that was there the entire time. The guitar then went out again after being set up.

-k

 

[alantig]

I haven't seen a guitar with these issues, but there's no way some of the things wrong with Eric's guitar happened after QC. If the frets were that far off, it's something that was there the entire time. The guitar then went out again after being set up.

-k

It's absolutely possible.

I have an Artist V. When I went to the store to try it out, it was unplayable. The strings were up against the frets. There's no way anyone can convince me that it went through any kind of quality check in that condition. When I mentioned it to the sales guy and asked if it could be set up while I went to eat, he said, "I can't believe this is like this. We'll absolutely take care of it." Came back, they'd adjusted the neck, and it played perfectly. I can't say if it arrived at the store like that or not, but either it wasn't played before it was hung (which is entirely possible) or it shifted afterwards. And it has shifted several times since I got it home. I'm not saying Eric's guitar didn't have some sort of issues at QC, I'm saying it's possible that there were no issues there and they developed afterwards, or that they may have been minor enough to pass and worsened later.

 

[alantig]

That’s what she said!

My wife has long said the best stuff happened afterwards. I assumed she meant the cuddling, soft caresses, tender looks, loving words.

Then I realized we don't do any of that, I just leave the room.

 

[jak3af3r]

I read the whole thread this morning and popped in GC whole waiting to get in a studio down the street. So I go have a look at the SE guitars in stock and right on the top of a cherry sunburst custom 24 burl top are sanding scratches in the veneer before it was stained shot with clear. I believe it was cor-tek serial starting with "C."

The SE245 looked and played great though.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

My wife has long said the best stuff happened afterwards. I assumed she meant the cuddling, soft caresses, tender looks, loving words.

Then I realized we don't do any of that, I just leave the room.

Mrs A tells me that I make a release of air (gas) and then roll over and start to snore!

Perfectly acceptable!

 

[Mozzi]

I read the whole thread this morning and popped in GC whole waiting to get in a studio down the street. So I go have a look at the SE guitars in stock and right on the top of a cherry sunburst custom 24 burl top are sanding scratches in the veneer before it was stained shot with clear. I believe it was cor-tek serial starting with "C."

The SE245 looked and played great though.

So what do you expect PRS Maryland to do? Do you expect them to scrap the instrument because of some sanding scratches under the finish? Do you expect them to spend hours stripping the guitar down, re-sanding the top and refinishing the guitar - $100's spent fixing something that has absolutely NO impact on the guitar as an instrument? It doesn't affect the playability, the sound, the comfort or the functionality of any part of the guitar.

Its one of those incredibly minor things that I wouldn't be surprised if it was passed by PRS. Its far too expensive a job to 'fix' or to scrap a perfectly playable instrument. It doesn't affect the playability, functionality or tone of the guitar so what do you expect PRS to do? If they had to fix 'every' minor issue spend $100's doing so per guitar, it won't be them that pays in the end. Its not making any difference to the guitar as a fully functional and playable instrument.

I really do wonder what people expect PRS Maryland to do with a 'relatively' cheap instrument for incredibly minor cosmetic issues that have absolutely no impact on the guitar as a functioning instrument. I can totally understand replacing a nut, levelling frets, sanding fret edges, rewiring a pot or something like that because they affect the playability, the function etc. Even fixing some finish issues on the neck if there is a bump or divot because that can be felt when playing but something under the finish, sanding scatches, dust etc, that has absolutely no impact on the instrument at all, what do people expect them to do?

At most, I would expect PRS to have a word with the company to take a bit more care to minimise the chance of these things happening too regularly in the future.

 

[Victek]

So what do you expect PRS Maryland to do? Do you expect them to scrap the instrument because of some sanding scratches under the finish?

One way that some guitar makers deal with blemishes and other minor defects is by designating them "factory seconds" and selling them at a reduced price. It's a straightforward way to deal with the problem.

 

[Tim S]

One way that some guitar makers deal with blemishes and other minor defects is by designating them "factory seconds" and selling them at a reduced price. It's a straightforward way to deal with the problem.

^This^

In the clothing industry, factory seconds usually get their logo removed and are liquidated. That would keep the PRS name off of (cosmetically) flawed products.

 

[Plugske]

^This^

In the clothing industry, factory seconds usually get their logo removed and are liquidated. That would keep the PRS name off of (cosmetically) flawed products.

Normally these are complete batches where there have been issues with the production process like stitching or dyeing. If it is a single piece with a stain or something like that, it would end up in the sale at the store.

If a whole batch of SE's comes with production issues it will not find it's way to the shops, if it is a single piece it could end up there.

If you are in the market for an SE you need to be aware that you are part of the whole chain. In fact the last link in the process. You need to do the final QC. If you visit a physical store and see any defects, simply do not buy it but do address it to the dealer. Eventually it will end up in the sale and someone will buy it that takes the discount over the small (cosmetical) flaw. When buying online you need to look closely at the terms and conditions and ask the right questions before buying, as with everything that you would buy online.

If you do not want to be part of this all, save up and get a PRS made in the PRS factory. The QC and the eye for detail there is more strict.

 

[Tim S]

Normally these are complete batches where there have been issues with the production process like stitching or dyeing. If it is a single piece with a stain or something like that, it would end up in the sale at the store.

If a whole batch of SE's comes with production issues it will not find it's way to the shops, if it is a single piece it could end up there.

If you are in the market for an SE you need to be aware that you are part of the whole chain. In fact the last link in the process. You need to do the final QC. If you visit a physical store and see any defects, simply do not buy it but do address it to the dealer. Eventually it will end up in the sale and someone will buy it that takes the discount over the small (cosmetical) flaw. When buying online you need to look closely at the terms and conditions and ask the right questions before buying, as with everything that you would buy online.

If you do not want to be part of this all, save up and get a PRS made in the PRS factory. The QC and the eye for detail there is more strict.

The sad part is, before Cor-Tek Indonesia, we could rely on pretty much every SE to be flaw-free and consistently good. Now we can’t.

 

[jak3af3r]

So what do you expect PRS Maryland to do?

I don't expect them to do anything. They didn't make that guitar. They probably didn't look at that guitar. I don't know what their sales figures are but I would guess they sell more SE guitars than USA so it doesn't make sense for every SE regardless of final destination to be inspected by PRS.

Have you built a guitar?

Have you stripped a guitar?

Have you stained, grain filled, lacquered, or done anything related to guitar production?

The scratches should not have been present on a veneer top because you can't sand those. I don't expect that to be sanded out. It's done. However, those scratches were big enough to be seen BEFORE that guitar was stained.

And just if you were curious, what I do expect.

I expect that guitar that costs exactly the same as a brand new S2 to be as good as an S2. And they're not.

Mistakes happen, I get that. And I dearly love SE guitars. My first electric was one but these new ones don't compare at all to the Korean made ones of yesterday that were also about half the cost new (at least mine was.)

 

[Ryan Goddard]

I'm new to PRS. I'm guessing it states the country of origin on the back of the headstock?

 

[alantig]

I'm new to PRS. I'm guessing it states the country of origin on the back of the headstock?

For the SEs (or at least most of them), yes.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Well my PT Wildwood SE 245 is outstanding.

I’m guessing the move to Cor-Tek had an element of economy in it.

Hopefully the issues that we’re hearing or are being addressed at source to keep the high standards that we’ve come to expect from PRS.

 

[Victek]

If you are in the market for an SE you need to be aware that you are part of the whole chain. In fact the last link in the process. You need to do the final QC.

Agreed. I bought my first SE CU24 from a local Guitar Center. I discovered that there was an issue with the pickup switch; when I brought it back they ordered a new switch and replaced the old one. They also provided a whammy bar since the guitar didn't come with one. Buying from a dealer that you're comfortable with and who will address issues is important.