dcm_guitar
New Member
I've been an avowed acoustic guitarist most of my playing life. I progressed through cheap ones, to nicer ones to really nice ones to custom orders from the factory to having an individual builder create something specifically for me. I've settled on two from the same luthier that were built for me. They are wonderful instruments.
Since I was so deep into acoustic guitars, I didn't give much thought to electric guitars. I had one inexpensive electric guitar that I would "goof around" with, but I just didn't consider them seriously.
I started to play a little more electric guitar, and decided to buy something decent. I didn't want to get in "too deep", so I went safe and found a Strat I liked. It wasn't too much (especially compared to the acoustics) and that seemed fine. After having the Fender for a while, I decided I need a Gibson as well. I picked up a Les Paul. It sounded different than the Strat and played different than the Strat.
The Les Paul was exactly what you expect from a modern Gibson. The finish was a little sloppy and it didn't stay in tune very well. The biggest issues was I was ALWAYS accidentally pulling the first string off the fret. I think the nut slot for the high e was in the wrong position placing the string too close to the edge of the fretboard. That guitar was infuriating to play. It was an expensive instrument and (for me) a disappointment. It was pretty, though.
I had a very fortunate work occurrence in 2016 and decided to treat myself to a really nice electric guitar. After a LOT of research I decided to get either a PRS of to have something built specifically for me. I ended up getting the PRS because I didn't want to wait. Still being primarily an acoustic guitarist, I decided to "split the difference" and get a hollowbody electric. I found a gorgeous Hollowbody II artist package and snatched it up.
You can probably guess how this story is going to proceed. The Strat played nice. The Les Paul hung on the wall and looked pretty. I had also picked up a high-end Telecaster and a custom shop Gibson 339 prior to the PRS hollowbody (these are different, and less interesting stories) . All these guitars (except the Les Paul) got relatively equal playing time. If I HAD to choose a #1 from these choices it would have been the Tele, but not by much. The PRS changed everything. The guitar feels right. Setting it up is effortless. It took me quite a while to get the Fenders set up to my preference. The PRS took about 15 minutes. It's been perfect ever since and hasn't budged. It's ALWAYS in tune. The feel of the neck (satin finished maple) is perfect. The darn thing is also ridiculously pretty. And the sound.......It has a depth of sound that isn't matched by my other instruments. From clean to crunch to dirt there's more in the PRS than the other guitars. The difference between the neck and the bridge pick up sounds are very diverse. The tone pot actually makes a difference throughout its entire range.
Once you get something good, you want more of it. That's the downside to multiple guitars. I have the Hollowbody II AP. I now have an AP CU24-08 on order. I just picked up a Vela. The Les Paul and my first Strat are gone (although I do have a couple of different Strats that serve different purposes). Now, I'm looking at the 339 and think, "Do I need that guitar?"
I know, this post is too long, Whatever. I've enjoyed writing it as I sip my coffee. If I'm not playing guitar, I might as well be writing about guitar.
Since I was so deep into acoustic guitars, I didn't give much thought to electric guitars. I had one inexpensive electric guitar that I would "goof around" with, but I just didn't consider them seriously.
I started to play a little more electric guitar, and decided to buy something decent. I didn't want to get in "too deep", so I went safe and found a Strat I liked. It wasn't too much (especially compared to the acoustics) and that seemed fine. After having the Fender for a while, I decided I need a Gibson as well. I picked up a Les Paul. It sounded different than the Strat and played different than the Strat.
The Les Paul was exactly what you expect from a modern Gibson. The finish was a little sloppy and it didn't stay in tune very well. The biggest issues was I was ALWAYS accidentally pulling the first string off the fret. I think the nut slot for the high e was in the wrong position placing the string too close to the edge of the fretboard. That guitar was infuriating to play. It was an expensive instrument and (for me) a disappointment. It was pretty, though.
I had a very fortunate work occurrence in 2016 and decided to treat myself to a really nice electric guitar. After a LOT of research I decided to get either a PRS of to have something built specifically for me. I ended up getting the PRS because I didn't want to wait. Still being primarily an acoustic guitarist, I decided to "split the difference" and get a hollowbody electric. I found a gorgeous Hollowbody II artist package and snatched it up.
You can probably guess how this story is going to proceed. The Strat played nice. The Les Paul hung on the wall and looked pretty. I had also picked up a high-end Telecaster and a custom shop Gibson 339 prior to the PRS hollowbody (these are different, and less interesting stories) . All these guitars (except the Les Paul) got relatively equal playing time. If I HAD to choose a #1 from these choices it would have been the Tele, but not by much. The PRS changed everything. The guitar feels right. Setting it up is effortless. It took me quite a while to get the Fenders set up to my preference. The PRS took about 15 minutes. It's been perfect ever since and hasn't budged. It's ALWAYS in tune. The feel of the neck (satin finished maple) is perfect. The darn thing is also ridiculously pretty. And the sound.......It has a depth of sound that isn't matched by my other instruments. From clean to crunch to dirt there's more in the PRS than the other guitars. The difference between the neck and the bridge pick up sounds are very diverse. The tone pot actually makes a difference throughout its entire range.
Once you get something good, you want more of it. That's the downside to multiple guitars. I have the Hollowbody II AP. I now have an AP CU24-08 on order. I just picked up a Vela. The Les Paul and my first Strat are gone (although I do have a couple of different Strats that serve different purposes). Now, I'm looking at the 339 and think, "Do I need that guitar?"
I know, this post is too long, Whatever. I've enjoyed writing it as I sip my coffee. If I'm not playing guitar, I might as well be writing about guitar.
