Utter disappointment with PRS...

[Mozzi]

I'm in Canada and every dealer in my city has told me that the wait for a PRS guitar is 8-12 months.

For a 'regular' PRS guitar? Not a PS or WL but a 'regular' run Core that reps take to stores for them to sell in their shop? To me, that would say that PRS don't send guitars to Canada regularly. If you asked for a 594 in Faded Whale Blue - a regular model in a regular colour - not even a 10top, you would need to wait 8-12months?

All that says to me is that PRS only send stock north once or twice a year and so the Rep would have to wait until PRS send a batch to them, go through a list of Guitars they received to find the PRS 594 in the colour you requested to take to the store you asked in to fulfil your order. I can see that sales may be a bit slow for a very high priced guitar and a relatively 'low' population so PRS aren't going to be sending hundreds every month but that is somewhat surprising.

 

[Acnestes]

I live in Boston with several dealers around and I see core models on the walls (don't know how many are 10's) come and go.

 

[Mozzi]

I'm in Canada and had zero issues getting my 594 soapy from the States a couple months ago. From Reverb seller.

I don't know how the law works, including importing guitars from the US with potential CITES regulation but if its relatively straightforward, the OP has a massive range of 594 10tops to pick from if they return the one they are not happy with to get their money back to fund a Reverb Purchase.

Some absolute stunners on there and that's before you include the 10top options. In truth though, I tend to prefer a lot of the non-10 tops because they have more character - a more interesting finger print...

 

[Andy80]

For a 'regular' PRS guitar? Not a PS or WL but a 'regular' run Core that reps take to stores for them to sell in their shop? To me, that would say that PRS don't send guitars to Canada regularly. If you asked for a 594 in Faded Whale Blue - a regular model in a regular colour - not even a 10top, you would need to wait 8-12months?

All that says to me is that PRS only send stock north once or twice a year and so the Rep would have to wait until PRS send a batch to them, go through a list of Guitars they received to find the PRS 594 in the colour you requested to take to the store you asked in to fulfil your order. I can see that sales may be a bit slow for a very high priced guitar and a relatively 'low' population so PRS aren't going to be sending hundreds every month but that is somewhat surprising.

That's right. A regular run core guitar, doesn't matter if it's 10 top or not. That said, the dealers are always ordering, so stuff comes in, and they all look great.

A few years ago, the wait was about 3 months. Not sure if they've just skyrocketed in popularity. Suhr guitars have the same wait as well. Well priced guitars that are super high quality.

 

[Andy80]

In fact, I ordered a TX20E about a month ago and it's still not in yet

 

[Acnestes]

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a dealer that has a presence in both Canada and the US. Too bad! It might have made the import thing easier if it was within one firm.

 

[Tim S]

All that says to me is that PRS only send stock north once or twice a year and so the Rep would have to wait until PRS send a batch to them, go through a list of Guitars they received to find the PRS 594 in the colour you requested to take to the store you asked in to fulfil your order.

That is a possibility that simply never occurred to me <emoji hitting yourself in the head>

 

[C&M Music - Lafayette]

Do they actually define in detail what a 10 or any other top is? Or are you left totally at the mercy of the subjective judgement of someone at PRS?

From the PRS support page FAQ's?

What is a 10 top?
A very small percent of the maple trees cut in North America are actually figured. To make “10-Top” status, a PRS top must have clearly defined figure across its entire top with no “dead” spots. A guitar designated as a 10-Top will usually have a small “10” written on the back of the headstock in the upper right corner. Some of our earlier guitars have the “10” stamped into the finish in the same position.

 

[dcm_guitar]

I am still struggling to work out why it took a year in the first place. Does the dealer have a bad reputation with the the rep that they cannot get a 'regular' run guitar? I remember reading in the 'Silver Sky' thread that someone was still waiting for their pre-ordered Silver Sky from a specific dealer (in the US) yet all the colours were available from multiple dealers on Reverb. This is a guitar that was 'difficult' to get hold of initially as demand was greater than PRS could make. I live in the UK so its a bit like Canada with CITES and import laws but when I can find Silver Sky's online in every colour and I can find every colour on Reverb in US stores, then something is 'wrong'. You can't blame PRS when retailers have regular run guitars for sale and advertising them oon Reverb, yet a pre-order in a specific store cannot be met.

This is a regular run guitar. Its not a Wood Library or Private Stock order with a PRS dealer - its a regular run......

My order is a regular 24-08. It's not a wood library nor is it a PS. It's a regular run 24-08. It is an Artist Package which is an upgrade to the core model, but it is a core model. I ordered the guitar in November of 2017 and I am still waiting.

 

[pauloqs]

^ My translation of that is there is a subjective aspect to the grading, however, the guidelines are clear enough that it's quasi-objective. PRS seems to do a good job at it to, despite this one case. In my OPINION, perfection is unattainable, but is something to always strive for. If this was one case in thousands, maybe millions of guitars sold over several years, I say they are doing their job well. Like so many things in life, 100% success rate is virtually impossible and the best that can be done is try to make the probability of success as close to 1 as possible. With that said, to me, they messed up on OP's guitar.

I also think this thread blew out of proportion a little. OP needed to vent, and he did among fans of PRS that will most likely remain loyal customers. Also it sucks to have to wait so long, but at the same time, these are mostly hand built instruments that are not mass produced relative to bigger production, more affordable business models. On top of that, there are hoops to go through in order to get the guitar to Canada that has nothing to do with individual countries laws. It is mostly due to the CITES agreement which is international and affects us all. Scale plays a large role with how easy it is to export guitars abroad. To put things into perspective, the population of Canada is around 37 million, which is less than the 39.5 million people who live in the state of California and a little over half the 66 million people who live in the UK. Also, because the popularity of PRS in England, I conjecture that the per capta export to Canada is also lower than in England, which seems to have a huge guitar market, even in absolute value. That is why @Mozzi gets his guitar order from the PRS factory faster than someone in Canada who is much closer. I'm not a specialist on the subject, though.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I conjecture that the per capta export to Canada is also lower than in England, which seems to have a huge guitar market, even in absolute value.

That’s only because @veinbuster has stopped buying guitars.

 

[Mozzi]

^ My translation of that is there is a subjective aspect to the grading, however, the guidelines are clear enough that it's quasi-objective. PRS seems to do a good job at it to, despite this one case. In my OPINION, perfection is unattainable, but is something to always strive for. If this was one case in thousands, maybe millions of guitars sold over several years, I say they are doing their job well. Like so many things in life, 100% success rate is virtually impossible and the best that can be done is try to make the probability of success as close to 1 as possible. With that said, to me, they messed up on OP's guitar.

I also think this thread blew out of proportion a little. OP needed to vent, and he did among fans of PRS that will most likely remain loyal customers. Also it sucks to have to wait so long, but at the same time, these are mostly hand built instruments that are not mass produced relative to bigger production, more affordable business models. On top of that, there are hoops to go through in order to get the guitar to Canada that has nothing to do with individual countries laws. It is mostly due to the CITES agreement which is international and affects us all. Scale plays a large role with how easy it is to export guitars abroad. To put things into perspective, the population of Canada is around 37 million, which is less than the 39.5 million people who live in the state of California and a little over half the 66 million people who live in the UK. Also, because the popularity of PRS in England, I conjecture that the per capta export to Canada is also lower than in England, which seems to have a huge guitar market, even in absolute value. That is why @Mozzi gets his guitar order from the PRS factory faster than someone in Canada who is much closer. I'm not a specialist on the subject, though.

I don't get any order faster in the UK - I search the UK for the guitars I want in the colour scheme I like. NONE of my guitars were specifically ordered in although IF I was desperate, I could phone up one of the known PRS dealers to ask their PRS Rep if they have or can locate a certain model in a certain colour but EVERY PRS I have bought has been advertised in a retailers online shop. Its no different from ANYONE browsing the countless online stores, checking Reverb for their own area and buying what ever guitar catches their eye. Its NO different fro the years before the internet when you went to your local Music stores and bought whatever guitars they had in stock.

If I was after a 594 or Custom 24-08, I would be online looking to see what stores that deliver to my address without any customs or import duty hassles, shops that IF I have any issues, won't cost a fortune to return (which tends to limit me to the UK). If I can't find one in the colour I want, I would phone up a store and ask if they can source one (ie talk to their PRS Rep to see if they have or can get one) and if not, either wait to see if one eventually does come in or find one in a different colour. Its clear that I have a specific colour in mind and I have been fortunate to find the model of guitar I want in my preferred colour choice - but I do have back-up or 2nd choice colours I would consider if I was desperate for an Instrument. I certainly haven't ordered any guitar and ALL my guitars were bought from searching different retailers to see what PRS guitars they have in stock.

I browse stores regularly, looking to see who has what and what prices they are - that tells me how much I need to have saved, which store may have the model I want and/or the right colour too. I was seriously considering a stunning violet burst in a chevron cut for my Cu24 but then a Fire Red Burst came in at a different store and I snapped that up. I was looking at a Burnt Maple Hollowbody and a blood Orange (I think - that had a PS stock type case too) and whilst I was deliberating about which one, I happened to see the one in my Avatar - Not one was 'ordered' in specifically. I can't say I didn't order them because I technically did order them online BUT these were ALL guitars that were currently in stock in a retailer - NOT ONE was a Custom Order.

Admittedly, I am also not bothered about paying the premium for a cosmetic only upgrade to a 10top. If the choice comes down to a Blue non-10 top or a Fire Red Burst 10 top, I am paying the premium to get one in Red. Either way though, ANY guitar I buy is bought from guitars currently in stock and I certainly have never ordered any guitar that's not in stock. If the exact model and colour isn't available, I either keep hunting the internet to find one OR compromise and get the model in a 2nd choice colour - I certainly wouldn't wait a year!!

 

[AragonWingfoot]

There’s nothing wrong with that too, it has character and should still be a Ten Top. It’s beautiful and natural with character. If you don’t like it someone else will. Send it back for what you really want but it’s not a flaw. I don’t think PRS should be blamed for this it’s just how the wood is. It’s not detrimental or even slightly degrading in quality.

 

[Acnestes]

There’s nothing wrong with that too, it has character and should still be a Ten Top. It’s beautiful and natural with character. If you don’t like it someone else will. Send it back for what you really want but it’s not a flaw. I don’t think PRS should be blamed for this it’s just how the wood is. It’s not detrimental or even slightly degrading in quality.

I've been thinking that a good analogy might be that the OP ordered what he reasonably expected was going to be, say, something like a Rembrandt, but instead he got something like a Picasso. They both have great artistic value, but are they ever different!
Things really could have been easy if PRS had just e-mailed a photo and asked, "Is this OK with you?", instead of shipping it without warning, because as has been stated, someone else out there would have liked it, and everyone would have been happy first time around.

 

[pauloqs]

I disagree. A 10-top should not have a dead spot that big.

 

[shimmilou]

It doesn't look like a "dead spot" to me, just very dark in that area, but still shows "clearly defined figure".

 

[elvis]

With the number of guitars shipping with highly figured maple tops, I think the overall quality of the figuring is getting worse. Just not possible to source that much figured maple.

Still some really nice ones, though.

 

[pauloqs]

A dead spot doesn’t mean a spot with no figuring. It’s a spot where the figuring is not as pronounced and don’t pop up as much after staining it. My McCarty is not a 10-top, but just a regular figured top and it is also in faded blue. The dead spots on mine that prevents it from being graded a 10-top are figured just not as much as the rest of the guitar. On those spots, the stain is darker like you see on OP’s guitar. The thing is that on my regular figure non-10-top, the dead spots are much smaller and not as geometric as OP. Mine have more random shapes that give it a more organic look.

 

[Acnestes]

With the number of guitars shipping with highly figured maple tops, I think the overall quality of the figuring is getting worse. Just not possible to source that much figured maple.

You probably hit the nail on the head. Before long, if you want a real, "10 Top" it's only going to be on a Private Stock.

 

[AP515]

You probably hit the nail on the head. Before long, if you want a real, "10 Top" it's only going to be on a Private Stock.

You may be right but there are many possible turns in this road. They could find a stand of Curley Maple trees with lots of curl in them. However, quilt tops are reserved already. Flame will logically be the next. If it happens it will drive up the cost of the ones on the used market.