grausch
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2016
- Messages
- 505
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.
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 (
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.
