Sell me on Brent Mason

LumpBlockClod

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Sep 7, 2013
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or maybe help me sell myself...

I've spent 95% of last 20 odd yrs playing same 92 AmStd Strat... took a bad slip off the bed a cracked right in 1/2 neck joint to back strap pin...

always been drawn to PRS but can't really swing core and tentative about return to guitar (been a year 1/2) so staying safe with an Ash AmDlx Strat makes sense...

but then I look at Brent Mason and see enough Strat to ease transition but with PRS features (neck finish, trem, tuners, fit/finish, QC) I think I might be happier with, not *too* much more than the Strat (certainly not like jump to a core carved top)...

Tobaccoburst with maple fretboard? maybe Whitewash and get a tortiseshell pickguard made?

thoughts on Stratish-ness of Brent Mason for a convert?
 
I have one, but never had a strat - so I can't help you with comparison, I'm afraid.

I really like it, though. It's a bit of a fat neck, which I like, but I don't think the neck is very strat-like (please correct me, anyone). It's not glossy finish - more like the wood itself, so it's extremely comfortable to play.

Waiting for somebody else to chime in... :)
 
I've got a Brent Mason. Very nice guitar, but it's not a Strat. As Michael points out, the neck is satin-finished rather than gloss, so it feels a bit different, and even the single-coil sounds are a little fatter than a Strat. However, a standard Strat won't do humbucker sounds either, and the Brent Mason will, albeit a little brighter than, say, a Les Paul in the bridge position--the Brent Mason's neck pickup is as good a jazz sound as I've ever gotten from a solidbody. Tuning stability on the Brent Mason is exceptionally good--I had to get GraphTech bridge saddles and locking Sperzel tuners to get my Strat to stay in tune as well as the Brent Mason did right out of the box. The Brent is a very versatile guitar, and it'll do stuff that a Strat won't do, but it's not an exact replacement for a Strat. I sure like mine, though, and I've played Strats and Teles for years. If you want a more Strat-like PRS, the 305 does that really well--in fact, the last 305 I tried sounded better than my Custom Shop Strat. The 305's been discontinued (darn!), but there should still be some around.
 
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A Brent Mason has some Strat-like things happening, but it isn't (and shouldn't be) a Strat clone. It's a significantly different and more versatile guitar. It's a great choice, provided that you test play one to see if you like it.

If you were all-in with Strats, you wouldn't be here looking at PRSes, so you're probably not looking for an exact Strat clone, of which there are many on the market. And you mentioned that you're tentative about returning to guitar after a hiatus. Seems to me that you've got some room to experiment a little, and depart from your formula since you're not doing crucial gigs right now, etc.

By the way, a Brent Mason is a core PRS.

I really like them, and though these days I'm a Singlecut player, I plan to add one to the studio.
 
should have said "prototypical core" i.e. carve maple top, set neck, dual hum etc... i realize the Brent Mason is core not s2 or se...

and when i say it's stratish i'm referring to bolt on neck scale length top rout controls... seems closer to strat than 305/315 due to their carved tops... considering dc3, but why not throw in the 408's and have a humbucker option...
 
Make sure you try before you buy. I love PRSs but none sound very strat like to me. I think PRS makes the finest guitars on the planet, but if you love a Strat and THAT sound, stick to a fender IMO. Just make sure you try the PRS and give your ears a little time to adjust first. :)
 
You could also try out a studio if you can find it - maybe even a swamp ash studio. It's further from a strat than either of the other ones I think, due to the narrowfields, but many people like it, and there's apparently a whole world of tone hidden under the volume and tone controls of that one :). Try one if you come across it
 
I could record some clips of mine. Keep in mind I play mostly rock and is not well versed in other genres :) But I could do some noodling for sure. If you're interested, tell me a bit about what amp you have, if there are any pickup positions you're primarily interested, how gainy you want and if you're mostly interested in single string action, chords, arpeggios or soloing (see, I'm making you work a bit for it ;-))
 
I have a Paul's guitar but would like to add a more country tone to my stable. I was hoping the Brett Mason was the one, but based upon feedback it sounds like I may not be getting much in Tele tone out of it. Any suggestions for a good PRS Country tone?
 
I was convinced the Brent Mason MIGHT be a good answer. In terms of versatility, etc. Never DID get my questions (and desire to buy----"Process my order and ship it to me PLEASE") sated by a well-reputed store that had one in stock. Guess they were too busy to care......Got a 513 instead. I am very happy with it. Now, is it a direct "Strat" replacement? No, I suppose not. But I love the maple neck, etc. And the ability to shift easily from a very nice (IMO) single coil sound to two different varieties of humbuckers make it better than a Custom 22 or 24 or similar insofar as "covering all the bases" with one instrument. And it gives me the Fender-ish sound I was looking for with the quality and feel of the PRS brand.

At this point, I do not see the value in pursuing the Brent Mason. Well, maybe having the 408 AND the 513 already sorta makes it redundant.....;)
 
Django--I've played 513's. Nice guitars, but I wasn't crazy about the humbucking sounds, and the single-coil sounds weren't quite there either. They look great, though...
I've wound up with a Brent Mason, as I prefer both the single-coil sounds and the humbucking ones to those on the 513. The Strat sounds are more "fat Strat" than vintage, but certainly in the ballpark. Tele? Reasonably close, but the Brent Mason doesn't quite have that steely edge that a great Tele has--to be fair, not all Teles do either. I've tried a DC3, and those were actually closer to a Tele in the bridge position, but they don't have the humbucker sounds--and those have been discontinued anyway. I almost bought one, but I got the Brent Mason instead--I think it's a little more versatile.
 
^^^^

Good to know.......IF the dealer had bothered to reply to my multiple calls and emails, I reckon it would long since be here rather than California. But the urge has passed and it is still in his/their stock.....Guess there were more important things to deal with....

I hope to try one someday, but no longer feel anxious to BUY one.
 
Yeah, I think the general consensus is that only teles or tele-type guitars give you the tele sound. That's become my conclusion anyway.

I've heard that the 513 in swamp ash gets closer to the strat tone than the hog/maple. Not surprising, I guess.
 
Not tried a Brent Mason - not too many in the UK, though I have to admit I fancy the idea, however I do have a 408 sig limited , MEIII and a couple of NF3s, I have never managed to bond with strats and I have tried lots (sound great when I sell them and someone else plays them ) for me if I am after the "strat" sound I just lower the pickups on one of the NF3s, this gives you from a PRS point of view weaker sound and more quack in positions 2 and 4, I have never found a strat (including custom shop, Suhr or Anderson ) that gave me a neck as sweet as the NF3 so if the Brent Mason mixes that with humbucker sound its got to be a good idea
 
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