USA Guitars/PRS Core out of reach?

DK1984 said:
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.
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I know more than a few "working folks" (your choice of labels, not mine) who make a sh!t-ton more than many executives with plenty of money to spare. Just sayin'.

DK1984 said:
Now this post is not to troll or criticize rich people...
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Then why add the caveat in your first post if it wasn't a reasonable conclusion?

DK1984 said:
...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.
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This one is simple (to me). Right now the demand exceeds the supply and the market will bear the price to keep it that way. The opposite will be true one day. Between now and then, there are plenty of killer US-made PRS guitars on the used market for silly money.

RickP said:
Career cop here.
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Respect.
 
Hmm Get your point. BUT this has ALWAYS been the case, top end insturments have always been out of reach to many be that Guitar ,Violin, flute , piano. My first electric was 73 Stratocaster and was $400 at the time, A Les Paul was completely out of reach it would be 10 years before I got my first Les Paul ( used ) when you couldn't give a used Les Paul away paid $500 for a Les Paul Custom. after that I spent years buying used and discounted even my first PRS ( KL-33 and a 305 ) were not super popular and heavily discounted. I did a bunch of trading and saving to get the guitars I have now, but have yet to pay over 4k for a guitar. Yes for me most ( If not all ) new Wood Library , PS etc are more than I would spend in cash, I do have all Core guitars with 3 being new when I purchased. for me like any hobby you start small and work your way up.
 
DK1984 said:
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.
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Don’t be too worried. The market is an ecosystem that has ways of balancing itself. Just ask Gibson. If it gets too rich for a large enough number of buyers to support it, then it dies and something with the right mix takes its place. I’d love to have a Veyron, but they don’t make any at my price point. But, apparently, there are enough people buying that they keep making cars... even more expensive ones. It’ll take care of itself. :)

As for me, I’m still working up to my white 594 HB II. Goals are important!
 
DK1984 said:
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.
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While there probably are a few "executives making 500k" that buy PRSi, I am not one of them, yet I have quite a few core PRSi, a few of which I bought new.

I just choose to spend my disposable income in certain ways, like guitars and cruises. I really should save it all up and pay off the mortgage, but my wife and I are the happiest we've ever been in our lives after getting together 5 or 6 years ago, so we're making up for past misery, as it were.

More than likely, after this year's Experience 2020, my PRS procurement behavior will diminish, but will not go away totally.
 
Oh I get where you're coming from.

Wife and I are certainly not rich but we don't carry much debt and we both make decent money especially considering where we live.

I purchased a cu22 new a few years ago and at the time I really had to scrape and save to do it but that was the last new prs purchase.

I'm perfectly happy buying used good condition prs guitars. Lot of bang for the buck. I absolutely can buy a brand new 594 if i want but that doesn't fit our long term plan.

Our house will he paid for in 5 years and we owe on my wifes 2019 nissan as she needs a nice vehicle for real estate.

I drive a 2002 ford 350 van which means no car payment for me.

I could have a new vehicle and we could have a much nicer home but I like being debt free as much as possible, it just frees up our money.

I am also maxing out my 401k contributions and have been for a number of years. When I retire we are buying a brand new bike and I'll be shopping for a new prs, maybe a PS who knows.???

So at 65 I will have purchased two new prs but several used prs. 20 years ago I would have thought that impossible.

Good luck.
 
OP, you might wish to consider that those who are just starting out in life may not have a lot of disposable income to begin with, and that as you grow and age, so does your income level if you work hard at what you do.

Also consider that there are many people who don't work as hard, but still make an acceptable living. These folks may not have disposable income, and are more likely folks who will gravitate towards less expensive guitars.

The key is to choose what career you wish to pursue in life, and make that your goal when you consider your education. If you're highly paid, sure, you can afford expensive gear. If not, consider less expensive gear.

Plz see my signature below. Like some, I once owned several very expensive pieces of gear, but could not justify owning them because of my lack of ability. Now, older and wiser, my goal in life is to be less foolish with my spending and more aware of what temptations there are that could separate me from my income.
 
DK1984 said:
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?
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I am far from rich but own 5 core PRS guitars that I had to save up for, sacrifice other things in my life to save up quicker and be able to put more money aside to purchase the guitars I wanted. If you cannot 'justify' spending $3k or have the patience and desire to save up for a $3k guitar, then you can still buy used Core models for less. In fact I have seen used Cores around the price of higher end S2's.

Foreign/import guitars are great for their price but they are built to that price point. Much like an S2 is built to its price point by making concessions - using import parts, using thinner woods (the maple cap is around half the thickness so you can get 2 guitars from the same amount of maple as a 1 core) and different carve (to reduce the amount of time spent sanding). Different way of making the neck - again means they can get more guitars from the same quantity of wood - all money saving. Not to say they aren't great guitars at all but they are built to a price point. A Core is a guitar that is built to be the 'best' they can make and that dictates the price - different from price point dictating the build.

Prices are not static and do rise over time due to inflation and the rising costs of materials, factory overheads and labour costs. If it takes say 1 person 20hrs to make a guitar from start to finish and they were paid $5 an hour, that's $100 of labour and if their wages go up to $10, that's $200 without factoring in the increase in cost to Factory cost,( the cost of electricity used, business rates, insurance etc) and the increase in cost of buying the woods and other materials, the cost of distributing those instruments around the world etc - that affects the overall cost in making an instrument.

Foreign makers may have lower overheads, lower wages, lower electricity bills etc but they are making guitars to a price point too. They are making guitars to sell for whatever 'price' they are targetting rather than making a guitar and then that dictating the price.
 
DK1984 said:
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.
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As you can see, you have hit upon an thoughtless interwebs theory that gets perpetuated by posts like your original post (and the one I'm quoting) without a reality check. Look for the recent thread about occupations in this forum. Most are "working folk." Stop perpetuating a myth that only the wealthy buy PRS core guitars. This came about in many facets: jealously, relative rarity (in the past)tunknown, snobbery that "real" working guitars have to be simple slabs or be made by Gibson, etc.

Yes, PRS core guitars are expensive, compared to imports and some other simpler American-made guitars. Compared to guitars in the same quality/class? Not out of school at all. Go look at Kauer, Novo, Koll, Collings, Tyler, Suhr, Anderson, Warrior, Baker, Fender custom shop.

Buy what you can afford, save for your dream guitar. Buy used. Lots of options.

BTW, this forum is full of really good people with lots of good information and ideas. Enjoy it for that. Misconceptions (and trolls) get rapid responses, which keeps this place a nice place. The attitude you were picking up on is that response. Had your original post left out the rich people bs, you would have received a more engaged discussion, instead of a bunch of posts about not being 1%ers.
 
jxe said:
i’m still making payments on a (quite modest) single engine plane. my stablemate chipped the fin on his gulfstream v and got soooo pissed— i was like ‘guy, you’re flying your own jet? count your blessings. lol.’
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I have a 1/2 share in a plane, and these people are complaining about PRS being a money hole.

Seriously, PRS prices at this point are fairly in line with both Fender and Gibson’s US made offerings on near gear. Also shop the used market, I have gotten several US made guitars that were in mint condition that retailed for $1500 or so new for around $900. One was only 6 months old when I got it. Plus, the quality curve with guitars is not linear. From $150 to 500 there is a massive quality jump, from $500 to $1000 a moderate quality jump, from $1000 to $2000 a noticeable drop but diminished, once you get over $2000 the quality jump is minor and mainly cosmetic.
 
I don't think any of it is out of reach, especially with PRSi. PRS and their wide range of products are in conjunction with their price points and as a player, you have the opportunity to choose what you want. IMO, PS is the epitome of what guitars should be, and Core is still the best bang. I mean look at this


And the best part is Core guitars are still PS level worthy, but not quite cause come on :)

18260681_lg10.jpg
 
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