Anachronism
Bassist with a guitar habit
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2018
- Messages
- 136
A persistent knock on PRS guitars is that they are "dentist" or "lawyer" guitars, too expensive and too pretty for working musicians. If there was every any truth to this, the SE and S2 lines should have put it to rest. In particular, the S2 guitars are priced in the same range as competing American-made instruments. And if the Core lineup is then considered against premium offerings from other manufacturers, it holds up well with regard to price and quality.
But I think that PRS guitars are undervalued in another way, which is their versatility. Has any other major manufacturer tried as consistently or as successfully to create guitars that cover as much ground as PRS instruments do? Mr. Smith seems to be dedicated to perfecting instruments that can do it all, or at least come close. The efforts to incorporate coil splits, coil taps and piezo systems seem more persistent and successful at PRS than at any major competitor, with the result that one PRS guitar can often take the place of two or three guitars from competitors.
Perhaps I'm biased by a current PRS stable of a 513 and a P22, but it seems to me that a good response to the "dentist guitar" jibe is that, in addition to the more affordable SE and S2 lines, PRS would rather sell customers one or two amazing and versatile guitars than a half-dozen more limited guitars. A working musician might be better off with a 509 or a Paul's guitar or a Custom 24-08 than with the minimum of 3 guitars traditionalists would insist on buying from other companies.
But I think that PRS guitars are undervalued in another way, which is their versatility. Has any other major manufacturer tried as consistently or as successfully to create guitars that cover as much ground as PRS instruments do? Mr. Smith seems to be dedicated to perfecting instruments that can do it all, or at least come close. The efforts to incorporate coil splits, coil taps and piezo systems seem more persistent and successful at PRS than at any major competitor, with the result that one PRS guitar can often take the place of two or three guitars from competitors.
Perhaps I'm biased by a current PRS stable of a 513 and a P22, but it seems to me that a good response to the "dentist guitar" jibe is that, in addition to the more affordable SE and S2 lines, PRS would rather sell customers one or two amazing and versatile guitars than a half-dozen more limited guitars. A working musician might be better off with a 509 or a Paul's guitar or a Custom 24-08 than with the minimum of 3 guitars traditionalists would insist on buying from other companies.
