The Pinnacle Of My Guitar Journey Is...

[Felix]

I think the natty burst is a nice-looking machine, LSchefman. Tasteful, restrained, classic. My PRS guitars are high-chroma brats: Matteo Blue and Makena Blue (I think a single-color burst, but very nicely done), and I have black guitars and one flamed maple guitar in cobalt violet; a natty finish would look as silly on me as as mine would the other way round, I'll bet. Aw, c'mon! -You can dress in UFOs and tie-die and we can catch a rave or a Psy party together! :tongue:

As far as the sound of trems, I think sergiodeblanc has a good idea and that it is a valid area for exploration, even in words (if I may). The top trem should make the guitar brighter, the lower trem warmer and perhaps better-sustaining - though if it is a one-piece trem, its fulcrum will blunt more readily (brass, of course, is softer than steel). Steel inertia blocks are very bright and have a sharp attack; titanium blocks are even sharper and brighter, and notably cold. Brass is noted for sounding warm, round, and "musical", with some alloys being better than others in this respect (I have a set of meditation bells from Tibet which are quite old; they are heavier and darker and finer-grained than the vast majority of such bells which I have seen, and they sound fantastic aside the new, bright, shiny bells... and the pulse beats -from the two UFO-shaped pieces of metal being very slightly different sizes and shapes- are awesome).

 

[alantig]

The 408 with tremolo.

I know, my Artist V has been my #1 since I got it when they first came out. It's a phenomenal guitar. But the sounds of this 408 I recently got are blowing me away.

No argument here. I have an Artist V as well, and as much as I enjoy it, I love my 408.

I can hardly stand to put it down!

The Artist V does some things the 408 doesn't do, and vice-versa. And I'm still a huge fan of the Singlecut - a guitar that would probably fit well as my main performing instrument if I stuck to certain styles. But the 408 is definitely the guitar I'd reach for first in a session, and go from there.

Huge thumbs up!

When the Sig Ltds came out, the reviews sounded great, but I wasn't sure I wanted to sink the money into one. Then they announced the 408, and sure enough at Experience that year, I found one that was finished on my birthday. With a rosewood neck. It was a sign - a sign I tells ya! It's become my #1, just ahead of my DGT and Tremonti/Artist V. I'm not sure what exactly they did, but they got it right. There's something special about this combination that just works. And the DGT is much the same - taken separately, there are things that I would probably not try, but combined, goodness they work wonderfully.

I have been suspicious as to the positive tonal effects of a trem. My 1st PRS has a trem. When I bought it I was firmly anti-trem because they go so badly out of tune when you break a string. I was also firmly anti-black guitars because they show every little thing. But I bought this crazy black trem equipped guitar because it sounded amazing to me, and played great. I spent twice as much on it as any other guitar in the previous 20 years. It was a big step for me.*

So, it makes me want another USA trem equipped PRS. Namely a 408 with a pattern neck, and preferably no fancy options driving up the price. Probably a Standard. Maybe that blacktop maple top one I saw in the photos taken at the experience last year, which is probably gone.

408 Standard, but I'll suggest the IRW neck. There's something about the combination that makes it really special. The 408s are great to begin with, but the all-mahogany body plus the RW neck just do something. When mine arrived, I strummed the strings while it sat in the case. I literally jumped back because of how loud it was. I was not expecting that. I asked Eric Martin (who I ordered it from) if they'd played it acoustically before they sent it to me, and he said, "We did - and I know." He suggested that it was the hog/RW blend. I have another mahogany guitar, and a couple w/RW necks, and as good as they are, they don't sound like this unplugged.

If I could have convinced my wife to move to Phoenix, I'd let you try mine, but it's just a bit too far for a quick drive!

 

[László]

You can dress in UFOs and tie-die and we can catch a rave or a Psy party together! :tongue: .

If you listen to car commercials that I've scored over the past several years, you'd be very surprised how rave-a-delic they can be!

As an aside, I've had quite a few PRSes with interesting colors -- one of my all-time faves was a very unsubtle Artist II in Teal Black I picked up in '93 - but I'll admit I do gravitate toward the more woody-honey colors.

So when do we head out to the party?

 

[Felix]

Let's go!

 

[bluefade]

The 408 with tremolo.

I know, my Artist V has been my #1 since I got it when they first came out. It's a phenomenal guitar. But the sounds of this 408 I recently got are blowing me away.

I had a Sig Limited stop tail, and it was phenomenal, but it didn't become my #1. This one has.

Maybe it's just this hunk o' wood, maybe it's the way the guitar sounds with a trem (they do tend to resonate a little differently). Maybe it's the BRW fingerboard (heck, it could be the knobs, for all I care, speculation is irrelevant). This is the most beautiful sounding electric guitar I have ever owned. That's all I need to know.

Crisp low end, airy high end, the most open and clear sound even in humbucker mode on the bridge pickup. Unless I crank it, in which case, it's searing hot. The neck pickup is gorgeous, but also very detailed and articulate. It can do nearly any of the tones I hear in my head.

The guitar sounds great with either the HXDA or the DG30 amps. It seems to be agnostic regarding pedals, it sounds good with all of them.

I can hardly stand to put it down!

The Artist V does some things the 408 doesn't do, and vice-versa. And I'm still a huge fan of the Singlecut - a guitar that would probably fit well as my main performing instrument if I stuck to certain styles. But the 408 is definitely the guitar I'd reach for first in a session, and go from there.

Huge thumbs up!

Tell us how you feel in a year or two , after Pauls next MASTERPIECE comes out...

 

[Pfloyd57]

Imagine the challenge for Paul and the other good folks at PRS: how do you manage to continue to top yourself? Everyone is in a culture of continuous improvement, but at some point it seems Paul and the gang will reach a point of diminishing marginal returns. I'm just grateful they aren't there yet and they keep pushing the boundries out further and giving us all reasons to acquire yet another work of art. In any case, I guess we always have the endless color choices to justify the next purchase!

 

[László]

Tell us how you feel in a year or two , after Pauls next MASTERPIECE comes out...

This is my second 408-equipped guitar; the first was the Sig Ltd, a wonderful instrument I was lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time with, so it's not like I'm unfamiliar with the pickups and the overall design and simply gaga over the latest wrinkle.

What I'm talking about in this thread comes down to an individual instrument that just sounds really good, and a really well designed model. And of course it may be that I just prefer the sound of the trem equipped guitar with the 408 pickups. I'm certainly not saying this is somehow a better guitar than the Artist V - it isn't - it's just more versatile for my work, and more so than the Sig.

Paul's Guitar is after all a newer model, and I really like the way it sounds, but on balance this one fits like a glove. Of course, I'm all about masterpieces!

Imagine the challenge for Paul and the other good folks at PRS: how do you manage to continue to top yourself?

PRS could have rested on their laurels a long time ago, but haven't. Not only have they continued to innovate with the electric guitar designs, but they branched out into acoustic guitars and amplifiers by bringing the right people on board and releasing top quality products.

If you look only at the last few years with the electric guitars, we've seen new tuning machines, new finish, new colors, new models - really the list goes on. Constant experimentation and refinement.

I am not worried about PRS. They will innovate.

 

[Felix]

If you listen to car commercials that I've scored over the past several years, you'd be very surprised how rave-a-delic they can be!

...So now I've been listening to tracks in car commercials, listening for Psytrance-ish tracks, and (though it seems that more generic EDM-ish stuff predominates in this type of ad) there are a few which come (sort of) close! I have to wonder sometimes, when I hear a snatch of rave-a-delic (hey, that could be a legitimate genre next month) car-commercial music, "is that Lesteban's work?"! :tongue:

Do you use any older synths in your work? I love vintage synths - and sold two (so far) so I could afford my Hollowbody II.

 

[Aeetus]

I agree ref the colour, it's a modern guitar with classic looks.... The epitome of the modern classic. Beautiful!

 

[László]

Do you use any older synths in your work? I love vintage synths - and sold two (so far) so I could afford my Hollowbody II.

I did for years and years, but not any more. In the past I made use of some really nice vintage gear, but deadlines and video changes come so fast now that I began gravitating toward more and more use of soft synths where I could recall a whole session (including levels) just by opening a DAW file to accommodate client needs, that often happen "same day."

So I gradually sold them off as the digital emulations improved. My son who loves vintage hardware synths and has several nice pieces himself is still mad at me!

So I've gone from Moog, PPG, Sequential Circuits, Waldorf, and many others, to software. I won't say the software sounds as raw and juicy, but it sounds good in a different way that's still valid for what I do.

Oddly enough, I still prefer to use real tube amps instead of models, but at the point I'm playing guitar, I'm using a real instrument anyway, so might as well just mic up the amp and go!

One of my best friends and occasional session guys has a wonderful collection of high end vintage synths in his studio, one that's really amazing. But since he's also in my business, he doesn't use them, either. Things just happen too fast. However, they sure make his room look cool!

 

[Felix]

Analog machines are terrific time-users! -True that. Nothing sounds quite like them: true, too, which is why to me they can't be beat. If I were scoring commercials, you can bet I'd be using a PC, though, if only for the convenience!. 20 years ago I was super-fond of digital processing; as I get older I find I appreciate analog equipment and other things with ephemeral natures better and better.

 

[ozboy]

Do you notice much difference in the tapped v untapped version of the pups? I watched one English shop review the 408 favorably and that said they could hardly hear a difference in tone between tapped an untapped version. Based on their sound lcips I couldn't hear much difference either. Not that my ears are the benchmark mind you.

 

[László]

Do you notice much difference in the tapped v untapped version of the pups? I watched one English shop review the 408 favorably and that said they could hardly hear a difference in tone between tapped an untapped version. Based on their sound lcips I couldn't hear much difference either. Not that my ears are the benchmark mind you.

Yes, tapping the coils makes them absolutely sound like single coils -- of that pickup. They don't sound like a completely different pickup. They're not supposed to.

If you put them in single coil mode, for example, and switch to bucker mode, you can hear the top end roll off and the additional compression and phasing caused by two coils changing modes. The idea isn't that they sound completely different; it's that single coil pickups and humbuckers have subtly different characteristics in their attack, clarity, etc. It's subtle, and it's supposed to be subtle!

You simply have to understand what's happening, and what to listen for. Many people don't. That's ok. They're used to the typical "split coil" settings on humbucker guitars that employ phase and parallel/series switching, etc. Totally different thing!

 

[ozboy]

Thanks. As a rock guitarist subtle is a bit of a new concept. I will look into it:wink:

 

[László]

Thanks. As a rock guitarist subtle is a bit of a new concept. I will look into it:wink:

Haha!

Honestly, try 'em. They may or may not be your cuppa tea, but I think you'll be impressed by how well they work in any case.

One of the guys at PRS told me they're like seeing HD TV for the first time. I think he's right.

 

[Skeeter]

Do you notice much difference in the tapped v untapped version of the pups? I watched one English shop review the 408 favorably and that said they could hardly hear a difference in tone between tapped an untapped version. Based on their sound lcips I couldn't hear much difference either. Not that my ears are the benchmark mind you.

I never understood this mis?-conception. I guess if you are only playing with a ton of gain, you might not notice the difference? But really with any decent amp, you should hear a difference. I use my Siggy on everything from hard rock to jazz, and find all 8 sounds different and eminently usable in various situtations across a lot of amps and different pedals. If I can't find 85% of the sound I'm looking for from my Siggy, it's probably a tone that dosen't exist!

Anyways, enough with hyperbole - to my ears, the bridge split sounds like a cross between a P90 and a Tele - really cool for crunchy alt-rock stuff, or stringy twang. And the neck split is almost a dead-ringer for a Strat (though maybe a bit brighter and with more clarity).

I do think the differences in the neck pickup sounds are more subtle than the bridge, but still it has more of a single coil "feel" even if there's not a drastic change in your tone. And the while the narowness of the neck humbucker might not quite you LP neck girth, it can be used for modern high-gain playing - like some of those crazy dimarzio pickups, where you can shred without getting muddy at all.

Just my .02 of course!