NGD Bernie Marsden Black Cherry

[grausch]

Hi,

Just got my new Bernie Marsden and thought I would post some pics and quick impressions. I only had a chance to play, inspect and take photos for about thirty minutes so bear that in mind. I originally wanted one in the original yellow sunburst colour, but due to some uncertainty about the recent colours (refer to http://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/prs-bernie-lightest-color-year.19714/), I decided to get one in Black Cherry. Had some buyer's remorse over that decision until I saw this beauty in person. This guitar looks much better in person than in the online pictures I saw (and am posting here ).

Photos and visual inspection

Even the back looks stunning.

Rosewood fretboard has a nice dark hue and the inlays look great as well.

Obligatory headstock photo. Note how the finish around both of the E-string tuners looks a little off. More detailed photos to follow below. The nut also has some very deep nut slots and the nut material feels different to what I am used to. It also also not entirely flush with both sides of the fretboard - the fretboard is slightly wider than the nut and there is a noticeable gap if I slide my finger over it.

Based on my quick inspection, the finish on the body and neck is absolutely flawless. However, I do have some finishing issues with the headstock. With both of the E-string tuners, there is some slight damage to the finish and only one of the tuners is installed flush.

Damage to the finish on the low E.

Not really easy to see on this photo, but the finish also isn't quite right with the high E.

High E and G tuners not mounted flush with the headstock.

D and A tuners not mounted flush as well.

The fretboard has also gotten what appears to be sawdust on several frets. I always assume that the guitar should be properly cleaned before it is strung, but when I change the strings on this one the fretboard will get a proper cleaning. The binding at the pickup also looks a little rough, but I am nitpicking here and can easily correct that myself.

Playability

My main axe is a Gibson SG Deluxe (http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-USA/SG-Deluxe.aspx) so that is my main point of comparison. The SG has had a professional setup a month ago so it has pretty low action and I had it set up with 8s, therefore it plays extremely easy.

On first impression the Bernie is much heavier than the SG - the guitar is much thicker and the neck is much more solid. Once I installed the strap, first thing I noticed is that my Dunlop Straploks won't fit over the strap buttons - need to find another solution or install proper straplocks. Using the same strap as the SG, the Bernie feels like it is a little lower. It is not really noticeable, except when I need to play barre chords (or root-six chords) which causes the wrist angle to feel different - playing Taking Care of Business is where this is really noticeable for me.

The neck is pretty thick compared to the SG, but it is not as chunky as a '58 reissue Gibson Explorer I was lucky enough to play on. Going by my dodgy recollection, the neck feels very similar to the standard SE 245, although people have posted that the Bernie is slightly thicker. The Bernie's neck is pretty comfortable though, but I need to spend some more time with it before being able to better judge how well it plays.

I probably am a nitro-snob - I went to a local guitar shop to buy a Squier Classic Vibe, played 3 chords and put it back. The poly finish on the neck was just too thick for my liking and did not feel nearly as nice as the nitro on the SG's neck. Don't know what's different between the poly finish on the Squier and that of the PRS, but the PRS finish feels great - no issues with it at all.

I needed to tune the Bernie and I checked intonation at the same time. Using a tuner, the Bernie's intonation was spot on - after some recent humidity changes and subsequent truss-rod adjustments, the SG's intonation is just the slightest bit off. I never expected the Bernie's bridge to be that well intonated, so kudos to PRS for getting that exactly right.

The action is a little higher than that of the SG and I am guessing that the guitar comes with 10s. Difficult to judge the string gauge since the scale length is shorter than I am used to. Playing the Pentatonic Chicka (

) with the Bernie is a breeze. The Chicka requires a lot of muting with the left hand, and perhaps the higher action of the Bernie helped. All I know is that I got this right on my first attempt. With the SG, I usually need a couple more attempts. Guessing that the lower action and lighter strings make this exercise more difficult since it becomes easier to fret a note I am attempting to mute.

The Bernie has no nibs where the fret meets the binding. I have seen no comments on this before, but to me this is a really great move. My SG developed some back bow around the 3rd/4th frets and this causes the high E to be very close to the edge of the fret. G-chords were a real pain to play as the high E would slide less than 1mm and then go dead. The Bernie does not waste that real estate with "pretty" appointments, rather it has the full fretboard available. To be fair though, the SG does not have any issues when the neck is properly adjusted, but I much prefer the PRS approach of having no nibs. Refrets will also be slightly cheaper when they need to be done.

Sound

I plugged her into my Bugera G5, but that was just to make sure that everything worked. The pickup selector switch felt like very decent quality and the volume and tone pots operated very smoothly. Absolutely no complaints there.

Based on very limited time playing at low volume, I concur what several owners here said - the neck pickup is very good. I loved its sound on the clean channel. No comments yet on the bridge pickup - it sounded decent enough though. Unplugged the Bernie had very good sustain, and I reckon it has better sustain than the SG.

I do feel that the nut is a weak spot for the Bernie though. I haven't played a lot, but based on my initial impressions the nut needs to be replaced.

Overall impressions

I still need to decide if I am going to keep the Bernie. I don't mind having the nut replaced, and at least it isn't lacquered in like with the Gibson, but the misaligned tuners and the slight damage there really are annoying. It felt like the guitar did not stay in tune as well as it should, and I am not sure if it is due to the nut (most likely) or the tuners (I hope not). Once I have spent a bit more time playing and listening to it I can make the final decision.

However, considering the price I paid for the Bernie, I can replace the nut, repair the finish on the headstock, upgrade / correctly install the tuners and still not be close to the cost of the SG. In my case, I got the SG on sale, but it still cost twice as much as the Bernie. Bang-for-your-buck the Bernie really is a phenomenal guitar and all of the issues I have can be fixed.

 

[toothace]

Great review! I go back and forth between looking for a Bernie or a Zack Myers. Looks like the tuners might have been taken off and not reinstalled properly? (Remember all SEs get checked at the factory in Maryland...I find it hard to believe those tuners would make it past them)

 

[grausch]

Thanks for the comments toothace - you managed to get through a wall of text.

I had the opportunity to play a Zach Myers at one of our 2 guitar shops. Unfortunately I spent most of my time with the SE 245 and then a variety of other guitars as I wanted to try out different neck shapes. The Zach Myers has a satin neck that felt very close to that of the SE 245 - probably identical, but I am not 100% sure. With the PRS finish the satin finish matters very little to me. With the Squiers I wouldn't buy one unless it has a satin finish.

It boils down to individual taste, but I also did not like the Tampas Green that much and I prefer my backs to be the same colour as the rest of the guitar. The weight of the Zach Myers will be better, but I am sure the wife will appreciate the "quieter" Bernie when I rock away with headphones on. In my case the Bernie was also 300€ cheaper online than the Zach Myers at the store. That made the decision just so much easier, although I may pick up a Zach Myers in Vintage Sunburst sometime in the future.

I am based in Luxembourg, so I am not sure if the guitar was inspected in Maryland or in the UK. I can probably fix the issue with the tuners, but that will mean taking them off, putting a little nail polish on the cracks in the finish and if the holes are drilled properly then I just need to reinstall and tighten them properly. If the holes were not drilled properly, then it could get a little problematic.

When I get home today, I will try and distract the kids with the TV and then just spend some time playing and getting to know the Bernie. Based on my initial impressions it will be a great guitar and I will struggle to get a guitar as good for a similar price should I return it. It may just be worth it to upgrade the tuners to locking tuners, replace the nut with a bone nut or TUSQ XL nut and take it from there.

 

[Bob Turner]

Nice ! Very Nice !

 

[Chartle]

Congrats on the new axe! Great informative post and really cool to see other Bernie tops. Hope she works out for you.

Bernies do indeed come with 10-46 strings
https://www.prsguitars.com/csc/setup.html

There is a lot of talk about neck carve and how it is slightly thicker than most 245s but I was told from multiple PRS reps there is no custom carve for Bernies - it's just wide fat. But then again, im pretty sure I've heard an interview with Bernie otherwise. As long as people are happy I spose haha. I'm awaiting on my new Bernie to feel myself. Regarding the nut, besides the issue you mentioned, it appears the corners were cut/"softened" like the core models so you dont catch a finger when you slide or utilizing the first fret. Sounds like you have a plan of action for what youd like to upgrade. If you ever weigh the new guy, let us know. I find it interesting overall so keep us posted!

 

[grausch]

Hi Chartle,

Thanks! It is really a great axe.

Pardon me if I misunderstood, but I am assuming that you are asking about the actual weight of the Bernie - according to my bathroom scale it weighs 8.6 lbs and has 0% body fat.

I really can't remember about the neck. Once I am familiar with this one, I may try out the SE 245 and Zach Myers in the shop again. Perhaps the heel is different, but I am not sure. Will be difficult to make a direct comparison since I did not buy the guitar at the only PRS dealer in town. Regarding the nut, I think you are right, but the nut is physically about 1mm too small meaning that there is a small gap and that is noticeable. It is probably within tolerance, but the Gibson nut is a perfect fit. I also installed a TUSQ XL in another cheap guitar I have here, and I made it fit perfectly. Again, this is nitpicking about something that is quite small and easily fixable - I just tend to have pretty high expectations.

I have also now spent an hour playing in Rocksmith, so can't really comment on the tone, but can comment on the feel and playability. Except for the A string drifting slightly, all the other strings are perfectly in tune. I did not bend a lot, but I guess the nut is better than I first thought.

I absolutely love the bridge - it is much more comfortable when palm muting that the SG and I find it easier to change how much I mute as well. Before I received this guitar I was convinced I would replace the bridge - no I am not so sure anymore.

Edit: Want to change the strings to 8s as that is what I am used to. Pretty sure that the strings and the lower action make the SG feel like the better player, but this is another easy fix as well.

 

[Stoptail22]

Nice Black Cherry top! Congrats!

I bought two "final run" Bernies this year. Before you ask why: The first has a weight of 3,8 kg and was a little too fat for me, so I didn't keep it. The second weighs 3,5 kg and is perfect. I did some mods on the guitars, especially changing tuners, so i did close inspections on both ones.

Now sorry to say, but your Bernie doesn't look as brand new as it should. It seems that the tuners are not the originals. The tuner bushings do not fit the peg holes. This will never pass the PRS quality checks. The binding next the to neck pickup is flawed with a sharp knife, and the strings show the d'Addario colour code. Original PRS strings have golden balls. Again, sorry to say that.

 

[Stoptail22]

Just an addendum:

It seems that the headstock and TRC are not original too. The laquering is not as perfect as on my Bernie, and the letters do not have an exact contour.

 

[g.wizz]

great review all around
Congrats on your new tone beast

 

[grausch]

Hi Stoptail22,

Thank you very much for your post. I was looking at the tuners and the holes seemed to be incorrectly drilled, but yeah, if the bushing are too small this will lead to the exact effect I am seeing with mine.

I thought the binding next to the neck pickup came that way from the factory, but you are right - someone took a sharp knife to it and "smoothed" the edge. Strings are definitely d'Addarios - I just assumed these were factory-issued or replaced by the dealer.

Here is a pic of the back of my headstock.

Here is a pic of the back of a PRS that I found from another online retailer.

They look pretty close and I think the differences relate mostly to the lighting - perhaps I am missing something on the photos. However, the fact that they don't fit perfectly does not inspire a lot of confidence.

The box it came in and the gigbag all looked pretty new - I did get a brown gigbag, rather than the red as per the photos on the website, but I am not sure if that was merely an incorrect photo.

The protective plastic coverings are still on the back electronic covers, but the front had no protective plastics of any kind. I thought it odd that the pickups did not have any plastic covers, but again, I just assumed it was done that way by PRS.

Edit: I got the photo from session.de, but they also have several other Bernies in stock. All of the photos show the d'Addario coloured strings

Here is a picture obtained from the Thomann website.

Picture is smaller and I can't zoom in properly, but these definitely look different to mine.

 

[grausch]

Nice Black Cherry top! Congrats!

I bought two "final run" Bernies this year. Before you ask why: The first has a weight of 3,8 kg and was a little too fat for me, so I didn't keep it. The second weighs 3,5 kg and is perfect. I did some mods on the guitars, especially changing tuners, so i did close inspections on both ones.

Now sorry to say, but your Bernie doesn't look as brand new as it should. It seems that the tuners are not the originals. The tuner bushings do not fit the peg holes. This will never pass the PRS quality checks. The binding next the to neck pickup is flawed with a sharp knife, and the strings show the d'Addario colour code. Original PRS strings have golden balls. Again, sorry to say that.

I did not buy the guitar there, but managed to find some detailed pictures on session.de and all of the Bernies had d'Addario strings, so perhaps the retailers just replace them. Would be great if you could compare the close-up photo of the tuners to yours. I would like to at least know if these are the original tuners before I go through the hassle of sending it back.

I never noticed anything odd with the headstock lacquering and I think the photos exacerbate this somewhat by being so "zoomed in". The lacquer looks a lot smoother when looking at it under normal light, but yes, there are some "lines" on there that are not on any other part of the guitar. If this is something that is not present on your Bernie, then PRS really has high QC standards. I never would have noticed it on mine if you hadn't mentioned it.

 

[Stoptail22]

Ok, I'll do some photos tomorrow. As I'm from Germany, it's now dark outside and inside artificial lights or camera flashs will not produce the quality pictures which I hope will clarify whats's on with your Bernie.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Congrats on the new Bernard! Like that colour a lot!

Regarding some of the flaws.... Don't worry about it. Some of my tuners aren't flush with the top of the headstock. I swapped my nut very early on and have had stable tuning ever since. Had issues with my bridge that I've sorted.

I love, love, love my Bernie. Is it perfect? No, but damn, it rocks with the best of them!

This is mine:

Top pic is how it looks today after a few mods over the years.

Rock that bad boy!

 

[Stoptail22]

I always knew that I'm a lousy guitar player, but now I know that I'm a lousy photographer, too. Most of the issues I adressed are only visible when using a magnifying lens and they exist on both yours and mine Bernies.

This is the fretboard of my first Bernie which will go into sale. I'm sure your Bernie will look quite the same after cleaning.

However, the tuners still look as being not the originals or they may have been reinstalled after a temporary change to replacement locking tuners. This would also explain the use of the d'Addario strings. You may glue the bushings into the headstock to prevent further slippery.

Have fun with your Bernie as i have with mine! The neck shape is the best ever!

 

[grausch]

Congrats on the new Bernard! Like that colour a lot!

Regarding some of the flaws.... Don't worry about it. Some of my tuners aren't flush with the top of the headstock. I swapped my nut very early on and have had stable tuning ever since. Had issues with my bridge that I've sorted.

I love, love, love my Bernie. Is it perfect? No, but damn, it rocks with the best of them!

Rock that bad boy!

Hi Mike,

Thanks! I really like the colour as well. Not quite sapphire blue, but works for me. While I did not initially plan on upgrading the tuners, the cost of sending the guitar back will be pretty close to the cost of an upgraded set of tuners. So, step 1 will be to take off the tuners and see what is actually going on there, see if I can repair the issue, and then decide whether or not I want to upgrade the tuners. Would like some that fit in the original holes, but if the original holes aren't drilled that well, then I guess any decent locking tuners will do.

That being said, the stock tuners are surprisingly good and all of them have a very consistent feel and action. One of the Grovers on my SG feels has a very different resistance to the others, and while it doesn't bug me, it is great that the PRS tuners do not have this issue.

Before I forget, while I liked the PRS Bernie was playing with, the comments you made about your guitar and the pics you posted made the decision to get one significantly easier. That bad boy was being rocked last night - needs some minor setup changes for my preferences, but played very well indeed!

 

[grausch]

I always knew that I'm a lousy guitar player, but now I know that I'm a lousy photographer, too. Most of the issues I adressed are only visible when using a magnifying lens and they exist on both yours and mine Bernies.

This is the fretboard of my first Bernie which will go into sale. I'm sure your Bernie will look quite the same after cleaning.

However, the tuners still look as being not the originals or they may have been reinstalled after a temporary change to replacement locking tuners. This would also explain the use of the d'Addario strings. You may glue the bushings into the headstock to prevent further slippery.

Have fun with your Bernie as i have with mine! The neck shape is the best ever!

Thanks for the pic. I compared the headstock of the SG to the Bernie last night, and even with the different finishes (nitro vs poly), the quality of the finish between the USA Gibson and the Bernie look exactly the same to me. On my pics, the Bernie hadn't been cleaned yet and there was some of the sawdust material on it. Here is a pic of the SG's headstock I took a couple of days ago. The photos do highlight issues that are not visible to the naked eye. Looking at a zoomed-in photo on a 24-inch screen does tend to make it look like there can be flaws, but when I hold the guitars in my hands and visually inspect them form different angles, I find absolutely no flaws.

The guitar itself plays great - my main concern was that I had gotten B-stock or a used product while paying full price for it. After sleeping on it, I don't think that was the case. I quite like the stock tuners so will see if I can't fix the issue. Not that keen on using glue, since it will make removing them very difficult if I do decide to upgrade. Saw that you used Gotohs on a different thread. Are these the ones you used? https://www.thomann.de/intl/gotoh_sd90mg_nickel.htm?ref=search_prv_17. Since you spent a lot of time planning that upgrade, do you know the bore dimension of the stock Bernies tuners?

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Just a suggestion, as the grommets to a couple of the tuners do appear to be sticking up a bit....however, they appear to be seated almost flush. Have you had any issues??? If it's still on your mind, I would recommend finding a way to safely, gently tap them down. Those types of grommets are pushed down, and the "teeth" grab the wood of the headstock. That's a gorgeous guitar, and the items you mentioned should all be easily "fix-able", if they weigh heavy on your mind....or Replace 'em and rock that dawg!!!!!! Nice guitar!!!!

 

[grausch]

Hi Bill,

To be honest - the tuners are just a minor QC issue which I can either have fixed or fix myself. The guitar does go flat when I do big bends, but that could be due to the new strings, they way the strings are wound around the pegheads, or due to the nut. I would need to have a new nut installed before I can give any comments about their ability to hold tune. That being said, the tuners look to be installed pretty firmly and I doubt if they would cause any tuning problems - they also feel like high-quality tuners that compare favourably with the Grovers in my SG. I will see if I can tap the grommets down, but not all of the tuners are at the same angle, so I am assuming the holes were either drilled too large or some are just slightly skew.

This is purely a cosmetic issue and it is not noticeable unless you really look for it. I am happily playing the guitar right now and you're right - it is a nice guitar!!!!

The biggest concern I had was that perhaps the retailer had done something dodgy - while I can never rule that out completely, the rest of the guitar checks out perfectly and I will give them the benefit of the doubt. Worst case scenario, I replace the tuners and unless I put on locking tuners, it will cost exactly the same as obtaining a replacement guitar. If there was any concrete evidence that the retailer was not to be trusted, I would have been contacting them and insisted on getting a "perfect" replacement guitar all at their cost.

While the thread may have been sidetracked around a minor QC issue my original observation still stands - the Bernie is a phenomenal bang-for-your-buck guitar and it punches well above its price range. I will definitely be keeping mine and just fix the tuners if I ever feel the need.

 

[DogPhishHead]

That's a beauty ! Play it in good health !

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

BTW...

D'Addarios come stock on the Bernie. 10's.

I'd used another brand for years Rotosound, very good too) but was impressed enough with the stock D's that I only use that brand , guage and type on all my guitars.

It could be the holes where drilled at a slight angle or the bushing wasn't knocked in straight. I might remove them next string change and have a look.