USA Guitars/PRS Core out of reach?

[DK1984]

For most of us who are "working" folks....the core line as beautiful as they are...are just going to be bought mostly by people who are executives or have a lot of money to spare. Now this post is not to troll or criticize rich people, but it's simply a candid question in my mind about will USA guitars in general be priced so high...they'll be forced to close up the USA shops eventually and foreign models will reign for sales.

Most people can't go and afford a 3k+ guitar, which leads me to wonder what will happen when the S2 line hits that 2k+ mark soon. The CE's used to be pretty affordable but it all has changed. Same deal with Gibson Les Paul Studio's, etc.

So should we grab the S2's while you can still afford them? The economy isn't looking so great either. Even if you have to use Klarna or Afterpay...now or never?

 

[toothace]

You make some assumptions here. I'm one of your stereotypical dentists(I'm a working dentist...so I'm a "working" folk too, right?) that plays PRS( i'm not monetarily rich, not by any means...I'd play them no matter what job I had) and we have a saying in our field... Don't diagnose the patient's wallet. In other words, no one has any business assuming someone will or won't or can or can't pay this much or that much for a guitar(or anything else for that matter). It's a matter of priority. If getting a core is priority for a player, they'll figure out how to afford one. Doesn't matter if they are a "working" folk or an executive or have a lot of money to spare or if they are rich.

 

[andy474x]

Respectfully, I don’t think you’ve considered all the variables, and made some false assumptions. The economy is strong right now, despite the coronavirus hiccup, which will blow over soon enough. Consumers have lots of disposable income, and I don’t feel that PRS prices have increased at a rate disproportionate to inflation.

A few other thinking points: SE’s have had price increases too, now averaging $700-800 and going up to and over $1K. S2’s still have a way to go before hitting $2K, and the standards are all still well under $1500, with the satin models still at $999!!! Deal alert, btw!!! Those lower price S2’s are every bit as capable as the more expensive ones, and incredibly affordable.

Your sentiment has been going around for years, and while there have been times when poor economic conditions have hurt guitar sales, at this moment we are not in that situation, and in general it hasn’t played out that way to any lasting degree. In fact, the backlog of orders at PRS right now would indicate quite the opposite.

 

[jxe]

i’ll be a dentist soon, but i made a lot less money when i bought my guitar 20 years ago (for ~$900).

 

[dmatthews]

I'm a workin' folk too.

 

[mad monk]

As for the core line, I'm now a strictly used consumer. I've purchased 1 new core electric guitar, solely for the pickups I could get with it. Both the guitar and pickups are gone. I've purchased 2 core acoustics. One NOS, one very lightly used. I still have both, willing to part with one. The core electric is a forever guitar.
I love PRS guitars. As for the purchase of a new one, I would have to have Private Stock money to do it. I don't have Private Stock money.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

You don’t think that we 1%ers are just gonna tell you the secret to being a winner of PRS do you?

gimme $500.

 

[AP515]

I have a good job and I make a reasonable income. But it's middle class. I would be powerless to buy a new guitar if not for one thing. I'm out of debt. Interest on a car loan, a few hundred a month. Interest on a mortgage, hundreds a month. Credit cards, hundreds a month. How long does that take to add up to the cost of a core? Answer: not long. If you want to get ahead, stop paying for someone else to get ahead. Do without until you have the cash, then buy it. I rebuilt my onw cars because I could not afford another one. I found used stuff because new was out of reach. I did without until I didn't have to live without any more. I had thousands of dollars in debt until I decided to stop being stupid. It took me years to pay off the last loan. It sure feels good to finally be free.

"Compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world! Those who understand it -- EARN it. Those who don't -- PAY IT!" - Albert Einstein

Be an Einstein!

 

[RickP]

Career cop here. I agree there are a lot of guitars out of my financial reach, some PRS models among the many, many other brands. I have to save to buy the guitars I have, and am fortunate to be able to sell some to buy some these days. It took a lot of years of working my way up to get there. But it can be done.

With the SEs and S2s, PRS has quality offerings at any reasonable players level, even if you have to save for a bit to get there. That’s the beauty of earning things. You really do appreciate them more when you finally get there.

 

[Alan Manning]

I'm 61 this year. It was only 5 years ago i bought my first core.
Mortgage paid kids flown the coop all the time before I played what I could afford like many others.
I worked saved hard and gave up many things and lived like a hermit lol!!!
and yes I'm a working class hero and proud of it. Sure you'll get there one day.!!!

 

[dogrocketp]

I’m past retirement age, still working 40 hours a week (divorce), live modestly, and still get a buzz every time I open a guitar case and pull out a PRS. Don’t throw your hands in the air. If you want it and you live reasonably, it’ll be yours. The only thing better than a PRS is the gig I get to play it on.

 

[Mirroredas]

There was never a better time to be a musician. Gear quality rose faster than the cost of it, at all levels. On a recording, a well maintained S2 will be indistinguishable from a core model. Nowadays, in the right hands, you can probably say the same thing about an SE.

3k+ guitars are a luxury item. They are not necessary to make great music. I look at the more expensive PRSi not only as top tier instruments, but also as works of art. No one should stop you from aiming at having one, but never forget that most people in the world won't ever own a simple SE Standard.

 

[jak3af3r]

I have a good job and I make a reasonable income. But it's middle class. I would be powerless to buy a new guitar if not for one thing. I'm out of debt. Interest on a car loan, a few hundred a month. Interest on a mortgage, hundreds a month. Credit cards, hundreds a month. How long does that take to add up to the cost of a core? Answer: not long. If you want to get ahead, stop paying for someone else to get ahead. Do without until you have the cash, then buy it. I rebuilt my onw cars because I could not afford another one. I found used stuff because new was out of reach. I did without until I didn't have to live without any more. I had thousands of dollars in debt until I decided to stop being stupid. It took me years to pay off the last loan. It sure feels good to finally be free.

"Compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world! Those who understand it -- EARN it. Those who don't -- PAY IT!" - Albert Einstein

Be an Einstein!

This.

 

[DK1984]

If you guys read my original post, I never was trying to attack dentists...executives making 500k are mainly who I was referring to. I never said that dentists don't work.

 

[bodia]

You don’t think that we 1%ers are just gonna tell you the secret to being a winner of PRS do you?

gimme $500.

Lowered your rates????

 

[bodia]

Career cop here. I agree there are a lot of guitars out of my financial reach, some PRS models among the many, many other brands. I have to save to buy the guitars I have, and am fortunate to be able to sell some to buy some these days. It took a lot of years of working my way up to get there. But it can be done.

With the SEs and S2s, PRS has quality offerings at any reasonable players level, even if you have to save for a bit to get there. That’s the beauty of earning things. You really do appreciate them more when you finally get there.

Thanks for your service.

 

[DK1984]

Respectfully, I don’t think you’ve considered all the variables, and made some false assumptions. The economy is strong right now, despite the coronavirus hiccup, which will blow over soon enough. Consumers have lots of disposable income, and I don’t feel that PRS prices have increased at a rate disproportionate to inflation.

A few other thinking points: SE’s have had price increases too, now averaging $700-800 and going up to and over $1K. S2’s still have a way to go before hitting $2K, and the standards are all still well under $1500, with the satin models still at $999!!! Deal alert, btw!!! Those lower price S2’s are every bit as capable as the more expensive ones, and incredibly affordable.

Your sentiment has been going around for years, and while there have been times when poor economic conditions have hurt guitar sales, at this moment we are not in that situation, and in general it hasn’t played out that way to any lasting degree. In fact, the backlog of orders at PRS right now would indicate quite the opposite.

Respectfully, I have considered the points that you have made. But does it change the fact that USA guitars will eventually be priced too high for most people to afford? That's what I'm concerned about primarily.

 

[jak3af3r]

While we're on the "dentist/lawyer" thing, I just got a job at Lexus in the parts department and have to watch these corporate "training" videos.

My favorite was a scenario where a lady got a promotion at a law firm and automatically decided to buy a Lexus but which one??? So she calls her doctor dad to ask his recommendation.

 

[justjoshin]

As stated already, the S2 range does offer a USA guitar at a very affordable price point. Gibson and Fender also have the same type of offerings with Tributes and Deluxe models. I could afford a core PRS but I decided spend my money on more that one guitar. I purchased a Gibson Les Paul Traditional and a PRS SE Zach Myers for less than a core. Just ordered a new S2 singlecut for a third of the core price as well. All together 3 guitars for around the price of a core 10 top. I enjoy playing a different guitar each day for now, but I may end up with a core at some point.... Just like AP515, I only have a mortgage at the moment and I am striving to get that out of the way ASAP right now!

 

[jxe]

My favorite was a scenario where a lady got a promotion at a law firm and automatically decided to buy a Lexus but which one??? So she calls her doctor dad to ask his recommendation.

well???