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

[Snoopygore71]

Dave Navarro, Chris Haskett, Alex Lifeson, Stuart Fraser and a CU22 ad in GW in 1994

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Chris Haskett

He was cool.

 

[JonW]

When I started playing the guitar in 2004 (on an Epiphone Les Paul Standard what would be something like a Standard Plus Top today), I've always seen myself as a Les Paul guy and was - of course - dreaming of a beautiful Gibson Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul Reissue. Being a massive fan of Jimmy Page at that time, it was terrible to pass on his #1 signature guitars in 2005, but as a student I just couldn't afford the price of 6300€, no matter what I would do.
The following years, I continued to monitor the prices they would be sold for on Ebay, still dreaming of one at some point. I even laid out alternative plans, like buying a 1959 Reissue and getting a "make-over" for it (looking back there from now: WTF was I thinking?!)...
In comes Gibsons product policy over the years: We're talking 2009 onwards, so everything got worse and worse from the POV of a potential customer. Layered fretboards, higher prices every year, the guitars still not 100% like the original 195x ones...
Early last year, I got my annual bonus at work and had some amount of that "left over" so I was finally able to fulfil my guitar dreams - but as many of you may know, 2015 was Gibson's worst year in the past 20, 25 years or so (I know, I know, veeeeeeery subjective ). The "normal" Reissues didn't even have the long neck tenons any more and the True Historic series was just pathetic for 8000€+. So you could argue that actually Gibson made me buy a PRS (just like VW made me order a Tesla ).
Of course my taste in music shifted a bit over the years and I was (and still am) heavily into all the stuff of Steven Wilson (thats: Porcupine Tree, his solo career and Blackfield - there's still some stuff left for me to discover!) and he mostly plays PRS. So he is the artist who gave me the necessary kick in the butt to stop looking at PRS guitars in a catalogue (remember the times of a good old paper catalogue?) and actually walk into a store, stop in front of them (usually I walked past the PRS stuff ) and ask to try them.
The rest is history: After testing about 20 to 25 different ones, I settled upon the Custom 24, Pattern Regular neck and 85/15 Humbuckers... which then crossed my path in this package

 

[Bill SAS 513]

An instructor at a small music store ("Christy's") next to my parent's restaurant in Westminster...Brad Malinowski (sp??) had an early gorgeous white pearl that played unbelievably...and I loved the idea of the rotary...still do. Then I saw Big Al (Lifeson) with one and fell even harder.

 

[László]

I settled upon the Custom 24, Pattern Regular neck and 85/15 Humbuckers... which then crossed my path in this package

Yours is a beautiful guitar; it's a great model. I also have a 30th CU24 and it's very sweet indeed.

 

[Mike Duncan]

 

[Mike Duncan]

 

[Mike Duncan]

 

[JonW]

Yours is a beautiful guitar;

Thanks!

 

[pac90]

Consistency and quality = PRS across different price points

 

[squirrel211]

Jimmy Herring. I dug PRS's for a decade+, but seeing Herring play one made me take the plunge.

 

[Baggysacs]

In the 90's, before I started playing I saw Daniel Johns of Silverchair and Ross Childress from Collective Soul.

Ed Roland and Ross Childress of Collective Soul

I was curious if anyone would mention Collective Soul. I wouldn't say they made we want a PRS since I was never into gear for the name, but they were the first artists that made me go "what are they using to get that insanely good tone?" What is crazy is that they both played with high distortion and then clean tones, sometimes in the same song and with the same guitar. I probably would have walked past those "expensive" PRS guitars in the shops if it was not for that initial experience.

 

[David Eaton]

Read an articles about PRS in the March or April 1982 guitar player magazine. I was 14, and lived in Annapolis, so I went to his shop to meet and talk to him. Took until a B stock sale at Chuck Levin's in 1991 before I could afford one. An 89 CE that I still have.

It was clearly David Grissom that, 15 or so years later, inspired the purchases of the the 3 DGTs and the DG30.

 

[geeterpicker]

The first artist I saw with a PRS was Carlos Santana. I always loved his searing tone. What made me want one is that I felt the need for an electric to balance out what my Telecaster gave me. I considered Gibson, like many do, but was intrigued by PRS. I've only had a PRS for a day now, but I can already tell it gives me a whole lot more than I expected, tonewise. With the coil split, I have so many good options.

 

[tabl10s]

None, since I first read the about the guitars in '82 and saw them in' 86. It wasn't till the debut of the Cu24, that I started to warm to the brand(I was a BC Rich guy).

 

[matonanjin]

Santana, of course.

 

[dreamtrain]

David Grissom playing on the Joe Ely album, Live At Liberty Lunch. David's tone, his style, his phrasing. Everything about it was amazing and I was hooked.

yes, seeing that tour was what got me hooked on PRS

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Wasn't an artist, for me. Although, I am a HUGE Lifeson fan. Walked into a GC in '97 and saw this section of beautiful guitars on the wall. PRS, not at all familiar with the brand, at that time. Checked a few out, and couldn't believe the quality, feel and finish. Ended up walking out with a sweet McCarty. Haven't looked back.

That's eerily similar to my story. I had only seen a couple, and of course Lifeson's since I am a HUGE Rush fan. 97 was my 10th anniversary. I had quite playing guitar for almost 10 years after breaking my left wrist playing basketball. I couldn't play for years, and it drove me crazy. The summer before our 10th, I told my wife that I wanted to start playing again even if I had to sit down or sling the guitar super high. I just couldn't stand not playing anymore even if it still hurt. We went in and were looking at guitars for her to buy me as a present. I showed her several Ibanez around a grand and after I thought we were done looking, she says "So is that the best?" And I said "no, those are the best." They had 5 Custom 22's on the wall, all identical except 5 different colors. She asked if I'd ever played one and I said "yes, I played one for like 60 seconds the last time I was here and put it up quickly." She asked why. I said "because it's the greatest guitar I've ever played and it's way more money than I can ever spend on a guitar."

A month later, convinced she'd bought me the Ibanez, I unwrapped a natural maple top Custom 22. I started playing again then and haven't stopped since. I still have that guitar of course, plus many others, but 3 more PRS's all in the avatar pic. The two "nice" ones you see were my 50th Birthday present and my 25th Anniversary present! Plus, as I've said here before, we've been married almost 30 years and she's still freakin HOT! So yes, I'm the luckiest man alive. LOL.

What does that have in common with your story? Well, it was 97!

 

[Ravens23]

Why, Carlos Santana... of course.

 

[Parralax view]

Mine was a dream only. I picked up a Whale Blue Santana in the Central Dallas GC many moons ago and it played so effortlessly compared to my guitars that I knew that I had to have one some day. I couldn't afford the price tag and quietly put it back up on the wall. About 10 yrs. later, I had a McCarty gifted to me bought at the same store on a visit back home.