The S2 series has increased quite a bit in price. An S2 594 is going for around £1800. Gibson have dropped their prices - an 'All American' Les Paul Standard is going for about £1850. What are your thoughts ?
I don't know what the exchange rate is but those are Gibson's answer to "affordable" with hit and miss quality. You have to have a Custom Shop to compare at all to PRS IMHO, and they are way above PRS.
Gibson is on a bit of a ‘under new management’ strategy right now, I’d expect prices to be a bit lower for a bit until they can prove they’re capable of making consistent high quality products, especially in this price range (Custom Shop excluded). And as someone mentioned, 594’s in any guise are selling quite well these days, so there’s the supply/demand aspect. Personally I’ve owned a few Les Pauls in this price range and thought the quality was OK, but try as I may, I just can’t bond with a Les Paul. Curious to try the S2 594 to see if it’s better for me.
I don't much care about G's pricing and price discussion of new PRS isn't allowed on the forum last I checked. PRS has always been priced fairly for whatever line/silo/tier you're talking about. Their quality and consistency has always been tops in comparison to most other guitar makers.
Because PRS doesn't want this forum to turn into a "click here for DEALLLZZZ" type forum. We are here to discuss the merits, features, or perceived issues of the guitars/amps/etc. The Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) can be briefly discussed, since PRS publishes that info in their catalogs, typically. And prices for older discontinued models is OK, since it isn't competing directly with current production. There are plenty of other forums to visit if you want to scour around for the best possible deal. btw, we also don't do a buy-sell sub-forum here for similar reasons. Check out Reverb, eBay, or Vintage Rocker. Or even The Gear Page.
We seem to have covered the price discussion... I would say play as many guitars as you can and pick the one that feels and sounds the best to you regardless of the manufacturer. I'm playing a "wait and see" game with Gibson. I've played quite a few Les Pauls. When I was finally in the market to get a real Les Paul I played a ton and bought the one I liked the best. It turned out what I really bought was the one I disliked the least. I kept that guitar for about 4 years, but rarely played it. It was gorgeous to look at and it sounded great, but ...... So, whether you get a Gibson Les Paul (of any level) or a PRS 594 (of any level) or anything else, buy the one you REALLY want. Don't buy the one that makes you say, "I've always wanted a Les Paul, and this one is the best of the bunch I played." Buy the one that makes you say, "I REALLY love this. If I don't buy it and someone else does I'm going to regret it." To me, the big advantage PRS has over Gibson is that (at this point) I will gladly purchase a PRS based on photographs alone. The PRS consistency and attention to detail is so good I'm very comfortable that I know I'm going to get (at worst) a REALLY good guitar. But I played a TON of PRS guitars and got a feel for how I connected with these instruments before I reached this level of comfort. I won't do this with a Gibson. Since everything you're looking at is local, put your hands on them and play them and let your senses and your experience make your choice. I will also, make a final plug..........The new PRS 594 core models are really something else. Every one I've picked up has been FANTASTIC; every one. I honestly don't know if the "pixie dust" from the core models carries over into the S2 line becuase I haven't tried an S2 594. However, 2020 (late 2019 forward) 594s are really special and I if you can get one (I KNOW they're expensive) I would do it. I have a feeling we'll be talking about this specific run of PRS guitars for YEARS. They really are that good; like 1959 - 1961 Les Paul good. Enjoy the search. It's FUN!!!!!
I think this has been covered many times but there's really no such thing as a one to one comparison of PRS vs. Gibson prices as they both have product lines within every price segment. Also, I think the picture is pretty different across the pond. S2's are still priced very favorably compared to most of Gibson's mid level line, especially used.
Have you played at a store a Gibson Les Paul and immediately a PRS S2? Excluding sound and tastes (subjective) you could clearly see/feel that PRS is offering a far superior instrument for the value.
I've not seen any directly comparable lines or models between the two makers tbh... S2 is their budget American line but the quality is excellent, and at least where I live they're priced near an SG standard, for example. The low priced Gibsons (and I have tried a lot of them over the years) are almost always flawed, they're hit and miss and seem to need a lot of tlc and hand finishing on the buyer's end to bring them up to scratch. SG standards can be nice guitars but also subject to finishing flaws and workmanship issues I don't see from PRS. Gibson LP standards, as another example, are somewhere near half the price of some of the 594s and customs here. But you're getting two piece backs, Gibson fit and finish quality etc. I'm not sure you can compare these models at all. Have not played any Gibson custom shop guitars. They look like they're great, but that's like it's own entity. I do read an alarming amount of reports of twisting necks with LP reissues though
From https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/official-forum-rules-read-em.920/ 4. Dealers, Distributors and Forum Member Sales The PRS Forum is an information and communication site only. Please do not post items for sale or discuss retail or wholesale pricing of any kind. If you'd like to post a classified ad, there are many established websites and forums that support gear sales.
The build on every single PRS including the SE are the best in the business. Gibson on the other hand has had a very bad couple of years. I worked in a music shop for a few years and was repeatedly shocked at the poor finish on guitars in the 2k range. At that price you should get a stable tight fitting instrument. I also find Gibsons to be unbalanced either being neck or body heavy.
