Solved / Would you go around with your 20k PRS?

MrSuperstar

Blues Lawyer
Joined
Feb 25, 2021
Messages
118
Location
Napoli, Italy
Hi guys, I've been playing guitars for about 15 years and after an important professional success I gave myself a PRS Private Stock (here the thread) as a gift, the price is something around €20K.
The guitar came to me a month ago and I'm playing it literally all day all days, also in gigs in some club, it's starting to have the first dings on it.
After all I bought the guitar to play it, not to put it in a glass case and admire it, I'm a proud supporter of the motto "be a player, not a polisher".
Recently, to further improve my repertoire, I felt like enrolling in a university course that goes deep into jazz and blues music.
Hence the Hamletic doubt about whether or not to take that beast with me.

The guitar would be with me all the time (about half an hour by car and ten minutes by foot), the main fear I have is of a robbery.
Also, the fact of be in a class with other people who might "talk to friends about the fact that that guy has a 20k guitar with him, every week at this time" isn't very safe.
I mean, it's not like talking about "a guy who might have an iPhone in his pocket" that on the street, in the middle of the crowd, is pretty camouflaged. A guy with a guitar in his hand can be seen hundreds of meters away.

The thing that really makes me angry is having to live in a place where the fear of going out with something expensive makes you think like that, in short, it doesn't make you fully enjoy what you own.

I'm considering buying a €200 Harley Benton just for those lessons. What would you do?

EDIT:
the place where the college is located is quite delinquent and I would also like to avoid "banging in the face" of other students a €20K guitar.
my final choice fallen on this €249 Harley Benton DC-DLX
here some nice feature:
- Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Graphtech TUSQ nut
- 22 Blacksmith Medium Jumbo stainless steel frets
- Gotoh Tune-o-Matic bridge
- Gotoh Kluson tuners
- Soft gig bag

I would like to thank all PRS users who intervened in this thread with their advices.
 
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A guitar at $500 or $20,000, nothing is really safe from theft! If you have a fear about this, opt for a cheaper guitar for your practices!?

If I had a private stock, it would be insured against theft!
by the way where and at what time did you play??:p
 
In my mind a 20k guitar isn't the piece to lug around to lessons.
Performances, recording, and self enjoyment would be it's main purposes, and any decent axe that you don't care if it's stolen or dinged up can be used for something as tedious and unglamorous as lessons.
 
I would take it. On the street, you’re just another guy carrying a guitar. I’ve never felt remotely threatened carry around my white tuxedo case. Some people look twice because it stands out, but it’s just admiration.

I doubt if anyone in class will know or imagine what it cost. In the unlikely event someone does, I expect they will just appreciate your good fortune. I know a decent number of people in university music classes that have spent more on a single instrument than I have, and I have some pretty nice stuff.
 
I can only guess at the situation as I'll likely never be in it. But for me, I crap razor blades if I have to leave any guitar in the case locked in my truck in the small town I live in. I also agree with Sergio though, any guitar deserves to be played no matter how it arrives there, especially your best pride and joy. Not my call really, honestly don't know if it were me.
 
I agree with the insurance chain of thought! Get some of that and then enjoy your guitar whenever/wherever you want!! Granted, if the insurance company ends up paying out to you, you will still have to deal with replacing it, but let it live and do the same yourself!!! Another option to consider is a tracking device! Could be put inside back plates or if hollow, inside f-hole areas. Could also be put into the fabric of the case. The only thing I don't like about that option is, many of those devices require a subscription to their service that their unit will report to in the case of a theft. Would provide some extra peace of mind though!! Best of luck and I hope either way, you play it whenever you want to!!!
 
No for all sort of reasons - especially if the rest of the class are mostly playing sub 1K guitars. Also no to a 200 guitar - what's the point? It'll almost certainly be junk. Buy something you like that's a bit less in you face (i.e no so obviously expensive) or take one of your cheaper guitars (I doubt you've ended up with a 20K PS and nothing else). Or look at it as an opportunity to get something a bit off the wall with a plan to sell it after the course ends - so for me something like a Tele (always fancied one) or a JEM 777LNG (who doesn't want a bright green pointy headstock guitar).
 
My first concern with a 20k guitar is it taking damage. Since you are not as concerned with that and it has already taken light damage, I wouldn't worry about it. I cured my fear of theft of my guitars by insuring them. I started getting worried about taking 3k - 7k guitars into some of the places I was gigging. That caused me to find someone to insure my instruments. I use Heritage for my insurance and haven't worried about it since. I don't care what others think about the level of guitars I play. I play them for my enjoyment. My recommendation is to insure it so if it does get stolen you can replace it.
 
Like Sergio said, we only live once. that's why you bought it. When I play out of the house my main player is an ME1. Granted not 20K but not cheap either. I've had my PS Buckeye out numerous time and it is in the realm of yours. Just always have it in my grip or vision. Never left in car alone. But take it and enjoy safely.
 
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