Thanks....Yes that can't be easy, but someday if you ever do, I for one would be very interested to find out! It's fascinating how workmanship and materials could translate to a difference, even though the geometry and electronics of the guitars are the same.
I've thought a lot about this question since you posed it yesterday. And I think I can give an answer. I'm no connoisseur. I bought my first PS in 2013. And I love the Core models. But yeah, the materials and workmanship can translate to differences.
Here's an example: the necks on all of my PS guitars are Peruvian Mahogany. My Artist V also had this neck wood, and I freakin' flipped over that guitar. Like the PS models I have, the neck felt alive. I'm not going to make a qualitative judgment, better or worse. But different? Certainly.
The African Ribbon Mahogany on the backs of my two electrics is the same stuff on that Artist V, which was an incredible guitar. Again, looks aside, it seems to sound a little different. I could move on to the fingerboard wood, etc., but the point is you can hear the wood. As with any electric guitar.
The fretwork is not just perfect, it's...incredible. This is the case on the acoustic as well as the electrics. The strings glide so smoothly. But these are details.
There is a solid feel to the guitar that has nothing to do with the weight. I know that sounds crazy. But I remember playing my first one for the first time - it felt like it was carved from a single block of wood, not glued together bits and pieces of wood. Yes, I realize that makes virtually no sense. And yet, there it is. That was my impression. It absolutely sticks in my mind.
Finally there is the finish. Paul's nitro is not the sticky, globby goo that gets sprayed onto lesser guitars. It's got a beautiful sheen, and it's hard as crystal. I thought I hated nitro until I played my first PRS with a nitro finish (that was my first Tonare, not a PS model by the way). It completely changed my way of thinking about guitar finishes. I think it sounds different, and maybe that's one reason for the subtle differences I hear with PS guitars, but mostly I love the feel.
Tone is subjective. My PS guitars sound a little different, and I believe that there are subtle details that sound fantastic. But someone else might not dig them. I can understand that.
Warning: Les Is About To Make One Of His Inherently Flawed Analogies.
I'll admit that this question can't be answered without empirical evidence. It's a thought experiment. Take it in good fun, OK?
Imagine if the engineers at Mercedes Benz or Rolls Royce were given the blueprints for a very nice car - a nice car, but not a Mercedes or Roller.They're tasked with making the car using the very same blueprint, but with their own materials, on their assembly line, with their workers, using their assembly methods. To make whatever little improvements they thought necessary when it comes to quality, but not compromising the original design.
Their further instruction is to spare no expense on the car's interior materials, engine, exterior materials and finish.
Remember, they are not modding the car, they are building a new car from scratch from the same design, but with their own materials and processes.
Would it be the same as the original car off the dealer showroom? Would one be able to tell the difference?