Owning the highest echelon of PRS guitars

My PS is the best guitar I've ever played....I have a 94 core CU24 and 14 Artist CU24 i won't part with...they are great too...and I have a whole slew of other brands which are also great. The PS is just a step up over everything for me and it isn't even a slight thing, it's not only me but others who pick it up can tell as well.

I say find the best PRS build type you "click" with (ie. singlecut, Custom, Vela, ect.) and find it in a used PS. I paid $7500 for my 2010 SC250 used...but I sold my brent mason, CU24 floyd and a SC594 that more than covered the cost....WORTH EVERY penny. If you have multiple cores...ask yourself...what is your favorite build type...find a used PS guitar and get it. If you gotta sell a few cores to make it happen...I don't think you'll regret it. I don't.

This is just my bad advice.

Any advice is appreciated. A few pointed me toward used PS... Which I think it is quite a good advice when you know exactly what you want...
 
I have owned 5 PSs, and would still own them all if I could have afforded to keep them. Still own 2.
I also have 1 Core model, and 1 WL. Between all 4, it would be hard to pick a winner. Each guitar is flat out amazing. I also have an exceptional Gibson 60th anniversary wildwood Murphy R9 that was more $$ than my PSs, and the PSs are better built and better sounding instruments IMO.

The entire PS experience is amazing. Like others have said, going there, talking with both Paul's and picking everything you want makes for an extremely personal instrument. My WL and core are just about as exceptional though, and the biggest difference to me is the thinner all nitro finish. (You have to request that and go over it with them)
All of my PSs I PLAYED. Dings and dents PRS can repair at very fair prices if it bugs you that bad, but buy them to PLAY them. All of my PSs have played and sounded EXCEPTIONAL, and PRS is the only major manufacturer I would trust in that regard.

On the downside is it will not stop you from wanting other guitars, but it will stop you from wanting anything less, which means you will want other PSs, or absolute top WLs or core guitars.

On the whole, I have been lucky enough to own some of the finest vintage guitars, and new guitars from the major builders and smaller builders as well. John Buscarino is one of the top archtop builders on the face of the planet, and the custom order from him is one of the very few guitars that have met or possibly exceeded my PSs, and it was well over double the price. Of course that's a 17" all hand carved/ built guitar by 1 guy.

Bottom line...if you want a guitar that's going to look, sound, and play as well as anything out there,
go for a PS, get EXACTLY what you want, and plan on keeping it for life. But PLAY the damn thing or it's a waste of $$ for anyone without money to burn.
 
I own four 'core' models, including one 'meta' core model ;) (Santana Brazilian), and despite the S2 and SE models being superb in their own rights, I'm now too spoiled to ever go back.

The trick is to absolutely play the hell out of them, but always spend a few extra minutes as you lovingly put them away, wiping them gently with a soft cloth and telling them in a soothing voice how important they are to you. They really love that. I can tell. :)
 
Late to this party but...

Speaking purely from my own experience, a few months ago I bought a limited edition WL 10 top C24, and to my eyes and ears (and fingers) it’s significantly nicer than any other regular core C24 I’ve seen or played.

It’s a nice little halfway house between core and PS, in that it has a one-piece mahogany back in clear finish, flame maple neck and flame maple fretboard (satin finish, too) with matching flame maple headstock, plus green abalone birds with black corian outlines, and in a colour that I haven’t previously seen on a regular core model (but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been on one, just that I haven’t seen one). So basically things you don’t usually get on regular core models.

So my point is, if you want something that’s somewhere between core and Private Stock then maybe look at the limited edition runs. They do cost more, and sure, I’d be upset if I damaged it, but I’d be upset if I damaged my £800 SE as well.
 
Now, if you're talking about some of the special WL Dealer runs that have unique wood combinations (like Swamp Ash, Korina, etc) then you're looking at something different than Core. Personally, I find the added expense on those to be worth it. You can get some special things that way that you would otherwise have to go PS to get.
Absolutely this.
 
PS, WL and Core are all FANTASTIC. Honestly you can’t go wrong between any of the three. That said, below is the decision process I use:

1) If I can find a core that meets my needs, I go with the core.
2) If I can’t find a core but can find a WL that meets my needs, I go with the WL.
3) If my needs can’t be met with the above and/or I want the PS buying experience, I go with PS.
 
Thanks for sharing your vast experience on WL and PS.
This is not a fair question but i m gonna ask anyway...
In what musical situation that you would select your PS over a core?

Hard to say, because I don't have the same models in PS as Core, and because I'm writing the music and producing the final deliverable tracks for the client, I pretty much have carte blanche to use whatever I think works in the context of the music.

An awful lot of choosing my PS models when I record with them is that I'm inspired by them for whatever reason, be it tone or feel.
 
I have owned 5 PSs, and would still own them all if I could have afforded to keep them. Still own 2.
I also have 1 Core model, and 1 WL. Between all 4, it would be hard to pick a winner. Each guitar is flat out amazing. I also have an exceptional Gibson 60th anniversary wildwood Murphy R9 that was more $$ than my PSs, and the PSs are better built and better sounding instruments IMO.

The entire PS experience is amazing. Like others have said, going there, talking with both Paul's and picking everything you want makes for an extremely personal instrument. My WL and core are just about as exceptional though, and the biggest difference to me is the thinner all nitro finish. (You have to request that and go over it with them)
All of my PSs I PLAYED. Dings and dents PRS can repair at very fair prices if it bugs you that bad, but buy them to PLAY them. All of my PSs have played and sounded EXCEPTIONAL, and PRS is the only major manufacturer I would trust in that regard.

On the downside is it will not stop you from wanting other guitars, but it will stop you from wanting anything less, which means you will want other PSs, or absolute top WLs or core guitars.

On the whole, I have been lucky enough to own some of the finest vintage guitars, and new guitars from the major builders and smaller builders as well. John Buscarino is one of the top archtop builders on the face of the planet, and the custom order from him is one of the very few guitars that have met or possibly exceeded my PSs, and it was well over double the price. Of course that's a 17" all hand carved/ built guitar by 1 guy.

Bottom line...if you want a guitar that's going to look, sound, and play as well as anything out there,
go for a PS, get EXACTLY what you want, and plan on keeping it for life. But PLAY the damn thing or it's a waste of $$ for anyone without money to burn.

Tag, it's good to see you!!
 
I'll in my collection , the fancier it is , the less it gets played . That being said , I'm 1000% for building your "forever 1 and only dream" ...so a Private Stock makes long term sense.
 
I have owned and stupidly sold three private stocks. I’d like to have every one of them back …


PSHBfrontangle.JPG



410-F5-F55-5-EC3-4-CC1-96-FB-CAE48-FC2-DDD0.jpg




C49-C96-C6-7848-49-CB-A489-E1-E2-A766-F497.jpg
 
Hi folks,
Im pretty new here however not new to PRS's guitars.

After moving from SE, S2 and eventually to a core guitar, I personally do feel there's a big step change in playing a core guitar.

And I wonder what's there in the world of wood library and private stock guitars...
Knowing their value and if I were to own them (in my imagination), I would play them sparingly and admire them (open the case and look at it and close it back) occasionally.
Not sure that's enough to justify to buy a WL or PS... it is really worth that experience of owning even 1?

So folks... appreciate that if you would share your experiences.

Tim
Hey Tim, I'm a new guitar player myself and also a die hard PRS fan. While my dad bought me my first PRS (SE singlecut) back in 2007-2008ish, I only strummed on it for a month or so before I gave up... Sad, right!? Fast forward to 2022, I mentioned that story to one of my clients and he heckled me so much that I decided to pick the SE up again out of guilt. This was right at the start of June. I immediately fell in love and ended up buying a Wood Library CU 24-08 within 2 weeks haha. Another 2 weeks later, I bought a SE Angelus A60E to bring an acoustic in my arsenal. While I've never played a "regular" core, I can't tell you enough how much of an upgrade the WL is over my SE singlecut. Its got a swamp ash back, satin maple neck, a "downgraded" private stock top, its just perfection. I'm now starting the process of commissioning my first Private Stock build. From a playability standpoint, I don't expect the PS to be substantially better than my WL if any, very diminishing returns compared to the SE to WL upgrade. That said, as a hobbyist woodworker, the ability to use woods like tulip, hormigo, cocabola, spalted maple, ziricote, buckeye burl, ebony, black limba etc is worth it to me to commission a build.

If you aren't into cool & unique wood choices, then I wouldn't think a PS build would be worth it, even if you can easily afford one. You could even argue the same for WL vs core. Ask yourself how much you value you place on looks/uniqueness the WL and/or PS will offer you and you'll have your answer. Hope this helps!
 
Private Stock are in my opinion the best guitars made. That said, Core guitars are built on solid, time-worn recipes and offer every bit of playability and satisfaction that a Private Stock could offer, except for the elite factor. If you’re looking to be Mr. Jones, go for a PS. Pick up any core and I bet it would sound just as good. Core rocks.
 
I have owned and stupidly sold three private stocks. I’d like to have every one of them back …


PSHBfrontangle.JPG



410-F5-F55-5-EC3-4-CC1-96-FB-CAE48-FC2-DDD0.jpg




C49-C96-C6-7848-49-CB-A489-E1-E2-A766-F497.jpg
It pains me to say this, but if you sold those three guitars, we can't be friends anymore. No more Christmas cards for you, buddy!

After careful consideration, I'll revoke my statement above. Anyone who has sold those three guitars has endured enough pain already! Self inflicted, but pain nonetheless. I'm here if you need a shoulder to cry on.
 
would you be satisfied at the point now that you would not look for a "better" guitar?
I traded my black swamp ash special and $200 for an Archtop II in 2001.

I have not bought a guitar since. I put a deposit down a few months back on a husk but that’s for me. I will never need another guitar. This one is near perfect in looks and perfect in sound and playability
 
I was just at CME and picked up a number of PS and other than aesthetics didn’t notice a difference between my two cores.
This has always been a fear of mine. I have often thought about selling off a number of my cores to fund a PS. My fear is that I would end up with a very expensive guitar that didn't do anything for me more than the ones I sold. I also fear that I would miss something I sold more than what I ended up with. Then you have the huge loss you would take if you decided to sell the PS. It is an expensive decision all the way around.
 
If your goal is to have "The One" carefully spec it so you have every tonal option you could want and go for it. Then never sell it , and put it in your will that way .
 
Hey Tim, I'm a new guitar player myself and also a die hard PRS fan. While my dad bought me my first PRS (SE singlecut) back in 2007-2008ish, I only strummed on it for a month or so before I gave up... Sad, right!? Fast forward to 2022, I mentioned that story to one of my clients and he heckled me so much that I decided to pick the SE up again out of guilt. This was right at the start of June. I immediately fell in love and ended up buying a Wood Library CU 24-08 within 2 weeks haha. Another 2 weeks later, I bought a SE Angelus A60E to bring an acoustic in my arsenal. While I've never played a "regular" core, I can't tell you enough how much of an upgrade the WL is over my SE singlecut. Its got a swamp ash back, satin maple neck, a "downgraded" private stock top, its just perfection. I'm now starting the process of commissioning my first Private Stock build. From a playability standpoint, I don't expect the PS to be substantially better than my WL if any, very diminishing returns compared to the SE to WL upgrade. That said, as a hobbyist woodworker, the ability to use woods like tulip, hormigo, cocabola, spalted maple, ziricote, buckeye burl, ebony, black limba etc is worth it to me to commission a build.

If you aren't into cool & unique wood choices, then I wouldn't think a PS build would be worth it, even if you can easily afford one. You could even argue the same for WL vs core. Ask yourself how much you value you place on looks/uniqueness the WL and/or PS will offer you and you'll have your answer. Hope this helps!
I was just at CME and picked up a number of PS and other than aesthetics didn’t notice a difference between my two cores.
This has always been a fear of mine. I have often thought about selling off a number of my cores to fund a PS. My fear is that I would end up with a very expensive guitar that didn't do anything for me more than the ones I sold. I also fear that I would miss something I sold more than what I ended up with. Then you have the huge loss you would take if you decided to sell the PS. It is an expensive decision all the way around.

I'd like to respond, but I'll start off by saying that one person's 'better' when it comes to musical instruments is the next person's "I don't get it."

My mantra: There's no 'best', there's only what's best for you!

So I'm not asking anyone to agree with me, nor am I saying anyone else is somehow wrong. We all appreciate, hear and want different things out of our instruments. I've now been in the music business 31 years, and spend every day in the studio for hours and hours. Knowing exactly what I want/need to hear isn't much of a mystery any more. This is not a prescription for anyone else. I can only say what's working for me.

Here's my PRS History:

I've had a lot of PRSes since 1991, probably 35 or so. Four of my current set are PS models. Why'd I buy PS? It wasn't for looks. I won't post pics of these guitars, because pics tell you nothing about tone. I special ordered two of them because they had woods and features I wanted. The two others were bought because they sounded better to me than the Core models I compared them with at the dealer.

I don't knock Core models, quite the contrary, I still buy Core Models, too. I don't need a PS version of every guitar that I might use on a track. But for my bread-and-butter work, there's something about these PS guitars that I can't put into words very well that simply works and inspires my playing. Call it mojo or magic or just something that works for me and no one else, but it's there.

I should probably add that 'works for me' is all the justification I need to unlock the bank account, but YMMV on that. ;)

In 2012, I had a Tonare Grand Artist acoustic model with cocobolo sides and back and an Adirondack Spruce top for a while, when PRS was still making Core acoustics. I loved it. But I wanted the same guitar with maple sides and back. The only way to get one was PS. I like the way a maple acoustic blends in on a dense arrangement, it floats over the high frequencies and I get a little more pick attack to mix in. I went ahead with the PS order. I waited a year for it.

When the guitar came I was astounded at how good it sounded and felt. 9 years later, I've still never played an acoustic that sounds anywhere near as good - for my purposes. And my session friends have some damn fine acoustics by legendary hand-builders. The Tonare sounds better now than it did new.

Worth the extra dough? Sure - plus it's paid for itself many times over, as have all of my guitars.

My next foray into PS was a McCarty Singlecut, a model that was only available in PS. I've owned several other PRS Singlecuts with both the wrap and two piece bridges. After my great experience with the acoustic, I figured, why not try one of these, I was happy with the acoustic. My dealer had one in stock, and shipped it to me. Again, floored. Sounds more like a truly vintage guitar than a newer one, including my 594s. I think the Madagascar Rosewood fretboard it has, and the thicker body than usual, gives the guitar a warmer sound. It's a dream, and is my #1 electric. I've done all kinds of sessions with it.

I've still never played a SC style guitar that had this depth of tone. The longer I've played it, the more I've come to realize how special the guitar is. I'm not alone. Tim Pierce plays one that was part of this run, and it's exactly like mine. Sounds pretty much the same, too, except he's a better player. ;)

A year later I was interested in one of the 2015 30th Anniversary models. There were two available at my dealer in finishes I liked, one was the PS. I didn't want a PS initially, I was looking at the Core. But the PS sounded so much better to me (warmer, clearer, more responsive to the pick), I couldn't get the tone out of my head. A few days later I bought it. I was in love.

As with any guitar, the more one plays it, the better one understands what it's capable of. It's also only gotten better over time. Notes jump off this guitar like they were on springs. It's super-resonant and punchy.

The most recent PS I bought was a model made to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the PS department. There was no Core version. On this one, the mahogany is a little bit thicker, and the maple a little bit thinner than usual. This was the first PRS to use the 594 scale length, and it has two Paul's Guitar Pickups and a Narrowfield in the middle. As luck would have it, it's the prettiest sounding guitar I own. I use it a ton in my work. This one was a pre-order, the other two electric PS models were from dealer stock, as previously stated.

So here's my conclusion and thinking after all this:

1. If you're concerned that a PS won't sound as good as your Core models, buy from dealer stock so you can play the guitar first. If all you're after is the additional decor on the guitar, as Yosemite Sam used to say, "You pays your money, you takes your chances," and the result may or may not be what you want.

I don't mind taking a risk on an instrument, but I'm glad I know what I like. I felt confident buying the two from dealer stock I got. I played them before closing the deal. I knew what I was getting.

2. If you know exactly what you want to custom order - by that I mean which wood combinations, pickups, and other things that make sound are going to give you what you can't get in Core sound-wise - then in my experience, a PS is a low-risk investment.

My experiences have been incredible, and I'm still over the moon about these guitars.

3. If you play a core and a PS model back to back (and do it for more than a few seconds using an amp so you really get a feel for the nuance), and there's no difference in the things you're looking for except the paint and trim, or the difference isn't worth the extra money, by all means get the Core and don't give it a second thought! Core models are still fantastic guitars!
 
Back
Top