Overall direction of PRS guitars

I seem to remember Paul saying that GC represented about 40% of their sales at one point. Then there seemed to be some sort of mutual falling out of sorts for some reason. I thought I had hear that they bought a lot of guitars but they had som many stores that they only had a few of each in each store which is consistent with the stores in my area vs. the 25 letters they had on the wall. Who knows.
 
Last time I checked, all the hollow and semi-hollow bodies had piezo pickups in them . . . Keep the piezo only as an option
I have a 2016 SE Custom 22 semi that doesn't have piezo (suits me fine) and I agree that piezo should be an option.
 
PRS isn't pushing piezo. They make what the dealers are ordering and what seems to trending with the dealers.

If you are looking for a plainer guitar, a standard but rarer color, or something else standard that you can't find, it is as simple as ordering exactly what you want.

I did that twice for core guitars.

For the most part, the direction for PRS (core) guitars is dictated by dealers and buyers. Models and options that get few orders aren't built often and will even get dropped from the list.
 
Last time I checked, all the hollow and semi-hollow bodies had piezo pickups in them. That's pretty much the only thing I don't care for in PRS. Keep the piezo only as an option and the direction is just right. Plenty of models for everyone.
Do you feel the installation of the piezo detracts from the guitar overall, or you just want to avoid paying for an unused option?

In the core line, all full hollowbodies come with a piezo. PRS obviously converted the "optional piezo" to standard because most of their orders included one, much like how many cars are not offered in Standard Transmission - it isn't worth carrying the low-demand variant. If you don't want to pay for it, I suspect at this stage it might be more expensive to order a HB without it!

In the core line, there are occasional non-piezo semi-hollow options like the Semi-hollow Cu24 from last year (or was it 2014?). But you can also go to the S2 line for semi-hollow Cu22, SC and Mira. And keep an eye out for Wood Library runs or other dealer special orders - sometimes semi-hollows are made without piezo.

And as mentioned, there are SE Semi-hollows with no piezo, including the current Zach Myers model.

Personally, though, having two piezo-equipped PRSi, given the option I will always get a piezo. Which is why the P245 SH is on my GAS list. Along with a nice HB II.
 
I forget which one, but I had a guitar with a piezo bridge, but didn't have a piezo option. I think they just liked that bridge at the time.
 
Do you feel the installation of the piezo detracts from the guitar overall, or you just want to avoid paying for an unused option?

I personally don't have any use for piezo pickup, so I'd rather not have the extra switch, pot and output jack in my guitar. And I don't have, because I bought older HB without piezo :)
 
I find the use of the word 'bling' mystifying. IMHO most PRSi owe a lot of their styling heritage to G's from the 50's on. I could see some called 'fussy' or 'too pretty' if you were being a jerk. But bling? Only PRS I'd call that are Mr. deBlanc's. And those are more 'fab'...

I just turned 41 today, and there a shameful part of me that cruises auction sites for holoflash-finished Kramer Nightswans. I could totally bling out an SE Std with holoflash wrap. I bet Sergio has a hookup...
 
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