PRS Experience question

Will do . Thanks for everyone’s comments/advice. Now it’s time to save some money and get ready. Excited.
Thanks again.
I bought mine there last one, and it wasn't tough at all. As others mentioned, S Club members get in early, ~ 4 hrs before general public, IIRC? We wandered around, checked out all the guitars, checked out a lot of the stages, then came back. I'd say that MOST of the guitars that were available stayed that way throughout the S Club time.

The dealers are definitely there to sell the guitars, and PRS makes it easy for them. When I finally bought mine, I completed the sale w/the store (@MooreGuitars , FTW!), then they walked me to the "get your guitar ready" part. Basically, the stores all get their guitars hours before we see them. There's a "running through the displays, grabbing the ones they want, with a quota per store" time the day before, then they set up their tables for the weekend. The shops have spreads, stands, etc, but they don't have the cases. PRS keeps each of the cases for the shops, and that's what you're doing when you head to the "get your guitar ready" part. After you pay, the store takes you to the "PRS case guys". They find the case (in the back) that goes to your specific guitar, check it out w/you, check the guitar w/you, register the sale, etc. When all that is done, you can either take your guitar then and there, or leave it. If you leave it you get a wrist band that matches one they put on the handle of the case, and they take the case away and store it for you. I left mine w/PRS for a few hours, while we toured, partied, drank, and checked out the stages. At the end of the day I swung by, showed my wristband, and picked up my guitar. Easy-peasy, and I'm planning on doing it w/my PS this year (Moore FTW again!!)

TLDR: Definitely guitars for sale, PROBABLY not as many people dropping $5k as you'd expect. PRS makes it easy to buy and take home, many shops will ship. I agree w/vchizzle that you may want to consider reaching out to your favorite shop before the event, so they can try to keep an eye out for what you're looking for.
 
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I bought mine there last one, and it wasn't tough at all. As others mentioned, S Club members get in early, ~ 4 hrs before general public, IIRC? We wandered around, checked out all the guitars, checked out a lot of the stages, then came back. I'd say that MOST of the guitars that were available stayed that way throughout the S Club time.

The dealers are definitely there to sell the guitars, and PRS makes it easy for them. When I finally bought mine, I completed the sale w/the store (@MooreGuitars , FTW!), then they walked me to the "get your guitar ready" part. Basically, the stores all get their guitars hours before we see them. There's a "running through the displays, grabbing the ones they want, with a quota per store" time the day before, then they set up their tables for the weekend. The shops have spreads, stands, etc, but they don't have the cases. PRS keeps each of the cases for the shops, and that's what you're doing when you head to the "get your guitar ready" part. After you pay, the store takes you to the "PRS case guys". They find the case (in the back) that goes to your specific guitar, check it out w/you, check the guitar w/you, register the sale, etc. When all that is done, you can either take your guitar then and there, or leave it. If you leave it you get a wrist band that matches one they put on the handle of the case, and they take the case away and store it for you. I left mine w/PRS for a few hours, while we toured, partied, drank, and checked out the stages. At the end of the day I swung by, showed my wristband, and picked up my guitar. Easy-peasy, and I'm planning on doing it w/my PS this year (Moore FTW again!!)

TLDR: Definitely guitars for sale, PROBABLY not as many people dropping $5k as you'd expect. PRS makes it easy to buy and take home, many shops will ship. I agree w/vchizzle that you may want to consider reaching out to your favorite shop before the event, so they can try to keep an eye out for what you're looking for.

Perfect explanation and exactly what I needed to hear to convince me to go, so thank you. I envisioned a zillion people buzzin around everywhere and a free for all tryin to grab/buy as quick as possible like a feeding frenzy. No thanks for that but the way you are explaining how it goes down is much more reasonable. If I'm going to spend what I think I'm gonna have to spend I'll need at least an hour or two to shop/play without a ton of pressure. Also glad they do it on Friday. Thanks again for everyone's help.
 
Perfect explanation and exactly what I needed to hear to convince me to go, so thank you. I envisioned a zillion people buzzin around everywhere and a free for all tryin to grab/buy as quick as possible like a feeding frenzy. No thanks for that but the way you are explaining how it goes down is much more reasonable. If I'm going to spend what I think I'm gonna have to spend I'll need at least an hour or two to shop/play without a ton of pressure. Also glad they do it on Friday. Thanks again for everyone's help.
No worries, glad I could help. I would tweak a couple of your expectations tho:
- If you get there @ Sig Group time (and expect a line to get in, even then), there won't be zillions. There will be dozens, maybe hundreds. Even during "regular time" it's close to "hundreds/ thousands", not gazillions.
- It's not really a free for all for shopping. IMO (making up numbers here) 90%+ of the folks are looking, not buying. You're definitely in the minority if you're there w/the intent to buy. That being said, if you're looking for a SPECIFIC guitar, it's best to talk to shops ahead of time, so they can try to grab/hold it for you...
 
Definitely not much pressure...but I can say the Sig. Club crowd has increased each year...but in a GOOD way. All good folks, and haven't seen anything but good manners...

That is, until 2 people want the same guitar, than Paul has the 2 potential owners stand on the parking lot and he drops it from the factory roof...We've all seen him throw 'em, so why not???!!!

PLUS: what Doug said above^^^^
 
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Definitely not much pressure...but I can say the Sig. Club crowd has increased each year...but in a GOOD way. All good folks, and haven't seen anything but good manners...

That is, until 2 people want the same guitar, than Paul has the 2 potential owners stand on the parking lot and he drops it from the factory roof...We've all seen him throw 'em, so why not???!!!

PLUS: what Doug said above^^^^

You are allowed to hire a proxy to catch the guitar for you. This is how jfb makes extra coin for his purchases each event. Being 7’ 8” tall gives him an advantage. Word to the wise - do not think picking a celebrity will give you an advantage in this situation, because jfb does not get star struck. I’ll never forget the look of disappointment on the face of that dude who picked Peter Dinklage as his proxy in 2016.
 
You are allowed to hire a proxy to catch the guitar for you. This is how jfb makes extra coin for his purchases each event. Being 7’ 8” tall gives him an advantage. Word to the wise - do not think picking a celebrity will give you an advantage in this situation, because jfb does not get star struck. I’ll never forget the look of disappointment on the face of that dude who picked Peter Dinklage as his proxy in 2016.

However...JFB (like Tyrion Lannister) does have “a tender spot in his heart for cripples and bastards and broken things.”
 
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No worries, glad I could help. I would tweak a couple of your expectations tho:
- If you get there @ Sig Group time (and expect a line to get in, even then), there won't be zillions. There will be dozens, maybe hundreds. Even during "regular time" it's close to "hundreds/ thousands", not gazillions.
- It's not really a free for all for shopping. IMO (making up numbers here) 90%+ of the folks are looking, not buying. You're definitely in the minority if you're there w/the intent to buy. That being said, if you're looking for a SPECIFIC guitar, it's best to talk to shops ahead of time, so they can try to grab/hold it for you...
Indeed, it was easy for me to snag the guitar that I wanted, but I must admit I was quick about it (within 15 min of the sales floor opening for Sig Club members), and I grabbed right before someone else was about to pull the trigger.

OTOH, there were plenty of other guitars there that caught my eye, so I wouldn't have been too sad if I had missed out on the SSH I did snag, I'm sure something would have filled the void.

And speaking of the SSH: the one thing about talking to a dealer ahead of time is that the limited editions that are announced at Experience aren't on your radar until you actually see them. They get announced on the website the day after, IIRC. So if you want to grab something "special/limited" (like 2018's SSH or 594 SHs or Paul's Guitar w/ TCI) then you have to just wait and see in person.
 
And speaking of the SSH: the one thing about talking to a dealer ahead of time is that the limited editions that are announced at Experience aren't on your radar until you actually see them. They get announced on the website the day after, IIRC. So if you want to grab something "special/limited" (like 2018's SSH or 594 SHs or Paul's Guitar w/ TCI) then you have to just wait and see in person.

Yup, this is definitely true. My brother in law picked up one of the 2018 semi hollows that were made for the Exp, and we didn't see it on the site 'til afterwards.
 
Now that the event is in May, I have shot at going this year. It is a long haul from SoCal. Will have to take the wife ( a work in progress) and see more of the area. I know that if I go, there will be additional costs other than air, car, food, & hotel.
 
I’m working on making my first PRS-E this May, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be duct-taping my credit card into my wallet, but I’m not sure it will help.
 
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