What artists influenced or what prompted you to get PRS gear?

[ReptilianNosewood]

I had always considered them overpriced and had played em at stores for 10 minutes at a time and thought they were good but too expensive. Then i met a guy who i started jamming with and he let me use his Stripped 58 at a session and i realized how great they were, but i still thought they cost too much. I was about to buy an EBMM Petrucci, and so he brought over his McCarty Korina with the trem and first year 57/08's. I played that for about a half an hour and was online looking for used PRSi that night. Ended up buying an SE which was cool, but i was not satisfied. A month after that i got my Custom 24, and maybe 10 months after, my SC245.Now they dont seem overpriced at all, they are still expensive to me, but worth every penny.

 

[BMiller]

My first exposure to PRS was in the early/mid 90's when I was in high school. It wasn't until the late 90's when I was in the Army did I see one in person. We were in a bar, and my buddy (also a guitarist but very new at the time) leaned over and asked me what I thought of PRS guitars. Apparently I told him that they were over priced for what they were and he'd be better off with Gibson or Fender. Supposedly I also told him that they were "Doctor and Lawyer" guitars. I don't know for certain....I was probab;y drunk at the time.

Fast forward a few years and the SE line was released. The salesman who got all of my money at my preffered LGS tried and tried to get me to like the SE Santana....but I never could. I really didn't like those guitars at all.

Then one day my aforementioned Army buddy calls me up to proudly tell me about his new SE CU24. He loved it and wanted me to try one out. So I did, and while I liked it, I was into stop tails at the time. About 3 years after that, he called me to exclaim the quality of his 20th Anny that he had just picked up and how much better it was over his SE.

And a few years later, fate struck me. The bassist in my band was perusing Craigs List in another town and found an SE Singlecut listed for $150 and asked me if I wanted him to check it out. It was in sorry shape....dents, dings, crap strings, mismatched tuners (one side black, one side stock chrome) when he laid eyes upon it. He sent me pics to see if I was still interested in it. At $150, it was still a solid guitar, so I said "Yes....and get it for the best price you can". He brought it to practice that night and I ended up playing on it the entire night....crusty strings and all. At that moment I was hooked! BTW, he got the price down to $110.....but I still gave him $150 ($40 finders fee plus it was worth it!)

Since then I've been a PRS fanboy. At one time I owned a pair of SE Tremonti Standards, the SE Singlecut, an SE 245, and an SE Santana. Sadly, those are all gone now but they funded my Cores....although I still have my SE Tremonti Custom.

Just my little story....lol....

 

[garrett]

............ "Hey don't mess up the pictures dude!!!"

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I had those! Something happened to 'em though.

 

[alexanderraimo]

Zach Myers and Seth Morrison.

 

[Big Eric Bee]

Not a player. But seeing one at Knut Koupee in Minneapolis. Specifically a Limited Edition model. The 1989 model. Flamed redwood top. Stunningly beautiful guitar. Had seen them before that time, but that guitar hooked me. Then a little later found a very, very early CE (with Chainsaw pickup). Have had a few since that time. Quite happy with my current pair. Even though I'm mainly an acoustic player, there is something fundamentally right about a PRS.

 

[Buildermike]

Guitar Player Magazine article about PRS around '85/'86. PRS was local to me since my Dad had his boat in Annapolis while we lived in Northern Virgina. Ended up purchasing a '87 Custom.

 

[bluefade]

Mid 90"s , I'm in the local Mom&Pop store...The manager of the guitar dept. has been given free reign to increase sales in any way he wants...BINGOHe brings in the ENTIRE line of PRS...I'm Impressed to say the least,but I can't see myself dropping the COINS Up to this point,I had'nt spent more than a"G" note for an instrument...Well ,The manager and I have a long running relationship, so he says "pick out any model and take it HOME for a few days ! If you don't like it , just bring it back( no pressure). That was back in the mid 90's...I'm 30 plus PRS's later...GO FIGURE

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I kept getting weird guitars....Spirit GT Pro...Rogue Aluminator...B.C. Rich acrylic ...Warlock, I think...? He finally said, you should get a real guitar. I said, I hate getting mainstream stuff, so not a strat or a tele or a Fender or a Gibson...he said, you should get a Tele, it's the greatest guitar ever built...I said, it looks old-fashioned...can I get it in purple? He said, purple? You should look at PRS guitars...so I got a teal? turquoise? metallic Santana SE...then I got a core something...Mira? Starla? I forget...

 

[László]

I broke into this guitar store in 1991 by accident. Well, I miscalculated thinking I was digging a tunnel into the bank next door. It happens.

Anyway, I break through the basement wall of this store, and there are a bunch of damn guitar cases, there's no vault!

So my partner says, "Dude, it took two months to dig this tunnel, lets at least snatch some guitars and stuff, and make good our loss."

Anyway, I grab as many of these guitars as I can carry, and throw 'em into this utility company truck my partner stole for the caper, and we high-tail it out of there.

Well, we had these hot goods, we couldn't just fence 'em all at once, so I started messing around with them, and decided to learn to play. The one I picked said Paul Reed Smith on the headstock, and wtf do I know? I figured he was like this rock star dude, right? I only picked it because most of the goods got trashed in the utility truck, but this one was on top of the pile and stayed kind of nice.

Anyway, I learn to play this thing pretty good, and next thing you know, boom! Some guy comes along and says, "Son, I'm going to make you a rock star." And he hands me another one of these PRS guitars!

By this time, I'm hooked, right?

They say you can't steal just one.

 

[AP515]

I didn't know what they were when I saw one for the first time on the wall at GC. I went there to look for a good Les Paul. Walked out with the green Cu24 AP in my avatar. That started the addiction. I had only owned one acoustic and one cheap Squier Strat before. That was 11 years and about 25 guitars ago. Still have a dozen or so.

 

[Bluesdog Paul]

My first PRS (received about a month ago) was not prompted by any artist but happened entirely by chance. I could care less about artist endorsements or getting something a particular artist plays, anyway.

So, I was looking through various guitars on Sweetwater's Web site, with an eye towards something like an ES-335. And then it happened. I stumbled on a sweet looking, Black Gold-Burst SC-594 that wasn't just speaking to me, it was SCREAMING at me (Sweetwater shows pictures of the actual guitar up for sale). For the next week, I couldn't get it out of my head, and I kept visiting that guitar online. Finally I jumped on it. I have some great guitars, but had never owned or even played a PRS. There was a void in the "family", so to speak.

I don't know what I was expecting, honestly. I figured it would be a good guitar, considering the price, but, man, this thing blows everything else I have out of the water. It way surpassed my expectations and quickly became my Number One. I only regret I waited so long to own one, but perhaps it was just a matter of meeting the right one at the right time.

 

[dmatthews]

A long time ago (when the earth was green)... 2010 actually, I was convinced to go to a Dweezil Zappa band camp in NY with a buddy. I had never seen or heard of PRS guitars at all. At the time I was playing a Yamaha Pacifica that needed replacing.
First night was a lot of fun. Next day we had a full day of classes. After that I came to the main house where there were multiple guitars lying around in their open cases. Had to check them out of course. Every one was an absolutely stunning core PRS. At the time I really didn't know what I was looking at. Every guitar I picked up and played was incredible.
At the last evening of the camp I was lucky enough to win a SE ONE Korina, and I got Dweezil to sign it for me!
I played and gigged it for a while and then started to look to replace my Pacifica.
Bitten by the PRS bug I landed a 2009 305 on a Ebay auction. That was it... game over... done like dinner... hook line and sinker!
Then a Mira
Then a McRosie
And a P22 a while back.
Full on fanboi with zero shame.

 

[Mattsiatti]

Was looking to pick up a suhr modern then I saw the prs custom 24 played a few fell in love
Felt nice and a great range of tones
The only two people I remembered seeing playing prs were Santana and johnny hiland but wouldn't say they influenced my choice

 

[Maertl513]

As first impact to fall in love with PRS the advertisings in the guitar mags could be named, I bought in the early 1990ties. One of the first guitarists I combine with PRS were Alex Lifeson and Dan Huff. Dan Huff with his stunning amber colored CU... Between first contact and acquisition approx. 19 years went by.
Therefore Mr. Dave Weiner is responsibly and the reason for actually buying a PRS in 2011. He showed off a PRS with a very interesting layout and amazing tonal versality. I bought my 513 with those specs that are my core specs talking about PRS: 10T and and quilted maple top.
In late 2016 I bought a PRS SE Mark Holcomb, yes, I like the music of Periphery.

 

[Boogie]

Carlos, then Howie. But even then, they didn't make me want one, I just knew they existed. The discovery had nothing to do with artists, per se. But it was David Grissom at Experience that personally explained his adventures...gear, why and how...that convinced me to buy a specific guitar and amp. That's never happened before and I completely admit that it was the best decision I've made as a musician.

 

[11top]

Since the question was specifically about PRS, my answer is "none." I was into guitars way before PRS. The reason I bought my first 2 PRSi was due to a magazine ad. I was already a wood junkie (shotgun blanks and furniture were my interests prior), and saw photos of figured maple on PRS guitars. I called the local Indianapolis dealer, Dean Nikou, who subsequently became a very good friend, and ordered a CE and an Artist II, which I still own. I was not influenced by any artist.

 

[drawshot]

I wasn't inspired by any artist, at all.

I dove into guitars and trying my hand at learning to play when I realized previous hobbies were no longer in the cards, for me.

I jumped into a Squier, which my son has now, and loves...then a couple Epiphones (which were great platforms to learn some beginning things on).

One day, I was in my local shop and had a discussion with the owner. I explained my obsessive/compulsive personality to him, and said I was on the hunt for the very best I could get my hands on, without selling a kidney.

He suggested a 30th Anniversary SE Custom 24. I took the plunge, and that started the PRS tunnel vision.

I have, since then, lost count of how many SE and S2 models I've owned. Currently, I have two modded SEs (BM and ZM), and I'm picking up an SE Soapbar II today.

I also have an SC 594 Ten Top, and I'm 30 days away from bringing a DC 594 Ten Top home.

I think I'm just about full, now...but would LOVE to add a Satin Vela.

For me, it doesn't matter who plays them, too...I just focus on what I like, and enjoy learning as much as I can about them. Hearing that 'Big Name' players use them is cool info, though.

 

[mad monk]

I fall into the "No specific artist" camp. Saw Ted Nugent in the Damn Yankees video, heard all about how expensive they were. A co-worker heard I used to play guitar, and wanted to learn some early (70's ) rock tunes. I told him I'd try, but I didn't have an electric guitar since I'd quit playing and sold all my stuff. He had a Standard 22 that he let me play. That was all it took. Still don't like the rotary switch, but that guitar made me want to play again. I've been through over a dozen guitars since then. Except for 1 "mistake" guitar; PRS are my only electrics.

 

[Volteau]

Apart from "those two", PRS just sound so big. I had an Ibanez before it and the difference in the "hugeness" factor was stellar.