What makes PRS a 5000$ guitar?

Since we brought up the topic of where hardware is made, have you noticed that guitars don't say "Made In USA" on them anymore? One big manufacturer in CA let out why that is. There have been some laws passed that in order to put the "Made In USA" on a guitar, every single part of it has to be actually manufactured in the US. If you use one piece of hardware that was not made in the US, you can't put "Made In USA" on the guitar. In the past you could if you mostly made it in the US. This is why you have started seeing Assembled In USA or just the name of the city and state that the guitar was made in.
 
JasonE said:
Since we brought up the topic of where hardware is made, have you noticed that guitars don't say "Made In USA" on them anymore? One big manufacturer in CA let out why that is. There have been some laws passed that in order to put the "Made In USA" on a guitar, every single part of it has to be actually manufactured in the US. If you use one piece of hardware that was not made in the US, you can't put "Made In USA" on the guitar. In the past you could if you mostly made it in the US. This is why you have started seeing Assembled In USA or just the name of the city and state that the guitar was made in.
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Reminds me of TheGearPage threads trying to figure out exactly where Duesenberg guitars were made...
 
JasonE said:
Sorry for the detour...since you mentioned a good Chef's Knife. I finally decided to invest in a GOOD Chef's Knife about 5 years ago. I can't recommend doing this enough. It makes cutting so much easier. It really does make a difference in the finished product. You can get a good knife for $100 or less. Get good steel and keep it sharp.
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Since you brought this up, I have to jump in on it. Having made my living with a knife in my hand for almost 30 years, I agree with the quality and durability side of this argument. A high quality knife should last a lifetime in the hands of the right cutter in anything other than heavy retail or packing house use. However, I've seen what happens to even the best blades when abused by unskilled humans with a steel in their hands. I even went as far as to take a knife away from a family member as I couldn't stand to see what she was doing to the knife blade on a steel. I equate that to me doing (trying?) some sensitive luthier work in front of our friend Greywolf. I understand professionalism and where it lies in specific fields. Some people need to learn to leave well enough alone.
 
About imperfections.. this guitar is currently 4,500$. Is this acceptable? You can see spots of color where its shouldnt be. Its a 10 top mccarty 594.

Photo
 
Noiz93G said:
New here. Hello guys and gals!

I'm new to this brand. All my life I played Strats. Single coils. And now I'm on a hunt for some humbuckers so I have my eyes on Gibson and PRS. I always liked Gibsons but over the years I found out that I hate how they are built. They are cool looking, icoinic and some if them sounds like the song I love.

In the past few months I am thinking of buying a PRS. I buy guitars rarely and I tend to buy them high end expensive. I dunno, well crafted guitars make me play more.

So I am comparing Gibson Les Paul Reissues vs PRS Core McCarty 594 and the questiong is really, what makes them 5000$ guitars? I played an great 10 Top today but I saw some tiny imperfections in the build. I know it will be hard to find a 100% perfect guitar but still.. its expensive becauae of the wood? The lacquer? The factory's bills? Is core McCarty 594 equivilant to Gibson's Custom Shop in terms of knowledge and the level of the carftmanship?

TL;DR:
I bought my Strat Custom Shop for about 3300$ a few years ago and I can actually notice the amazing maple piece they used for the neck, and the uniqe and expensive alder body they chose. With the PRSs I played (today) I didnt seem to notice a big difference between the lower end ones, or didnt see "eye popping" woods except the 10 maple top ofcourse. I dont have much experience with Mahagony wood to determine so I take this in mind.

Sorry for my English, hope I got it right so you understand what I'm asking.

Edit: Forgot to ask. Are PRS necks easy to break as Gibsons? Like one fall and bye bye type of necks?

Thanks.
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My core 594 10-top is the most expensive guitar I have purchased at near $5k, followed by a 2012 Les Paul Standard and Gretsch Broadkaster, both at $3000 apiece.
The core 594 It is thoughtfully designed and produced with some nice touches. Obviously as a 10-top you are paying a very sizeable premium for the look and the wood that you see. While the design is more thoughtfully done, it is hard to see why its production cost is any higher than a Les Paul.

To me, The price of a high end guitar is pretty much set at what the market will pay.. so a $5k guitar may be worth $5k to someone, but may be ugly to someone else and barely worth a grand.. At the $5k level, you may well have to wait to get something you like (I waited 4 years before I saw a LP that I fell for)

I do not think the 10-top are better made than a non 10-top.. its just the cosmetics of the wood.

The PRS neck has a lower break angle to the headstock so I am sure it is more resilient than a Les Paul.. So if you want to throw a guitar around..umm mebbe don't get either??..lol

As an instrument, It has a VERY different tone than a Les Paul.. So please solidly understand that going in, a 594 is not a tonal substitute for a 1959 reissue, or even a Les Paul Standard. It is a different guitar, sounds different and so has its own thing going on.

If the tone is important, just check both a 594 and an LP out through the same amp then hunt for cosmetics you like.
 
Mystic38 said:
My core 594 10-top is the most expensive guitar I have purchased at near $5k, followed by a 2012 Les Paul Standard and Gretsch Broadkaster, both at $3000 apiece.
The core 594 It is thoughtfully designed and produced with some nice touches. Obviously as a 10-top you are paying a very sizeable premium for the look and the wood that you see. While the design is more thoughtfully done, it is hard to see why its production cost is any higher than a Les Paul.

To me, The price of a high end guitar is pretty much set at what the market will pay.. so a $5k guitar may be worth $5k to someone, but may be ugly to someone else and barely worth a grand.. At the $5k level, you may well have to wait to get something you like (I waited 4 years before I saw a LP that I fell for)

I do not think the 10-top are better made than a non 10-top.. its just the cosmetics of the wood.

The PRS neck has a lower break angle to the headstock so I am sure it is more resilient than a Les Paul.. So if you want to throw a guitar around..umm mebbe don't get either??..lol

As an instrument, It has a VERY different tone than a Les Paul.. So please solidly understand that going in, a 594 is not a tonal substitute for a 1959 reissue, or even a Les Paul Standard. It is a different guitar, sounds different and so has its own thing going on.

If the tone is important, just check both a 594 and an LP out through the same amp then hunt for cosmetics you like.
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The cost of that fancy wood is high. That definitely adds a lot to the cost of the instrument. You can't even get Honduran Mahogany anymore and that was a very desired wood for guitar building. I have a Hamer and a Heritage that are both made of it. It costs a lot of money to get quality woods and they are getting harder to get a hold of which is making the price of getting them go up even more. If you see a one piece flame top, that piece costs exponentially more. A one piece quilt top is even more because they are more rare. All of this factors into the sale price of the guitar.
 
JasonE said:
The cost of that fancy wood is high. That definitely adds a lot to the cost of the instrument. You can't even get Honduran Mahogany anymore and that was a very desired wood for guitar building. I have a Hamer and a Heritage that are both made of it. It costs a lot of money to get quality woods and they are getting harder to get a hold of which is making the price of getting them go up even more. If you see a one piece flame top, that piece costs exponentially more. A one piece quilt top is even more because they are more rare. All of this factors into the sale price of the guitar.
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I think thats what I said, just in a different way?..lol
 
Mystic38 said:
I think thats what I said, just in a different way?..lol
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My underlying point is that the guitar isn't just priced at what the market will bear. There are costs that go into the materials that many may not be taking into account or fully understand. Scarcity is becoming a real issue and is really driving prices up. I recently saw another high end builder commenting about that exact thing and how it is getting difficult for them to fine the quality lumber they need. That is going to drive some high prices in the not so distant future. If they can't get the lumber their production numbers are going to drop fast.
 
You could research everything from craftsmanship to build quality to wood selection (sound vs. tone) to parts spec to playability to tuning stability and beyond. Pick it up and it will tell you itself.

A Core 594 is the best guitar made. Ever. F7CKING EVER. Even a used one at $3500 will smoke everything else in the stable. GO FORTH.
 
Mystic38 said:
My core 594 10-top is the most expensive guitar I have purchased at near $5k, followed by a 2012 Les Paul Standard and Gretsch Broadkaster, both at $3000 apiece.
The core 594 It is thoughtfully designed and produced with some nice touches. Obviously as a 10-top you are paying a very sizeable premium for the look and the wood that you see. While the design is more thoughtfully done, it is hard to see why its production cost is any higher than a Les Paul.

To me, The price of a high end guitar is pretty much set at what the market will pay.. so a $5k guitar may be worth $5k to someone, but may be ugly to someone else and barely worth a grand.. At the $5k level, you may well have to wait to get something you like (I waited 4 years before I saw a LP that I fell for)

I do not think the 10-top are better made than a non 10-top.. its just the cosmetics of the wood.

The PRS neck has a lower break angle to the headstock so I am sure it is more resilient than a Les Paul.. So if you want to throw a guitar around..umm mebbe don't get either??..lol

As an instrument, It has a VERY different tone than a Les Paul.. So please solidly understand that going in, a 594 is not a tonal substitute for a 1959 reissue, or even a Les Paul Standard. It is a different guitar, sounds different and so has its own thing going on.

If the tone is important, just check both a 594 and an LP out through the same amp then hunt for cosmetics you like.
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To me this also reads that to you, you don't care about all the Quality Control steps, the extra time and resources to ensure that 'EVERY' Guitar leaves the Factory in a very high standard, and have a good Warranty and Customer service team too. You can say it took '4' years to find a Les Paul that met what you deemed 'worthy' of its asking price - whether it was the sound, feel, cosmetics, playability etc or combination of all these. PRS aims to make Every PRS like that 'one' - nothing you can 'fault', the only choice is do you like this colour, that patterned top because you know everything else will be 'Fantastic' - not something you have spend 'years' trying to find the 'perfect' 594 for example worthy of paying the price.

As I tried to say earlier, its whether or not you value that aspect about a guitar. Some may value the fact they can make a decision to add a guitar to their collection and not feel like they have to spend years to find the 'one' for them...

As for being very different in tone - to you and your 'LP', they maybe, but a Re-issue doesn't sound like a 'Vintage' LP with PAF's. But then you can't tell in a mix whether someone was playing a 594 or 'LP re-issue' in a blind test with a bit of distortion....


Each to their own of course...
 
Victor Vector said:
It's all moot.....You could fork out for a '59 and it still doesnt automatically make you a good player (just ask Kirk Hammet) . That's not for sale.
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Hell, all you had to do was ask me (or hear me play)...and I ain't even remotely famous!🤣
Of course, I don't have a $5000 (or more) guitar but $$'s spent don't make the player.
 
Mozzi said:
To me this also reads that to you, you don't care about all the Quality Control steps, the extra time and resources to ensure that 'EVERY' Guitar leaves the Factory in a very high standard, and have a good Warranty and Customer service team too. You can say it took '4' years to find a Les Paul that met what you deemed 'worthy' of its asking price - whether it was the sound, feel, cosmetics, playability etc or combination of all these. PRS aims to make Every PRS like that 'one' - nothing you can 'fault', the only choice is do you like this colour, that patterned top because you know everything else will be 'Fantastic' - not something you have spend 'years' trying to find the 'perfect' 594 for example worthy of paying the price.

As I tried to say earlier, its whether or not you value that aspect about a guitar. Some may value the fact they can make a decision to add a guitar to their collection and not feel like they have to spend years to find the 'one' for them...

As for being very different in tone - to you and your 'LP', they maybe, but a Re-issue doesn't sound like a 'Vintage' LP with PAF's. But then you can't tell in a mix whether someone was playing a 594 or 'LP re-issue' in a blind test with a bit of distortion....


Each to their own of course...
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I suggest you kindly don't "read into" my posts stuff I did not write. You are neither my wife nor my therapist.

By all means go with what stance, bias, opinion and prejudice you prefer.. but do it in your own posts.
 
I bought 4 SE models first. Then I decided that PRS is definitely the brand I want to spend money on based on how much I liked the SE.
Also the fact that the founder is still trying to improve on every model release makes me want to invest in the legacy Paul is trying to create.
As opposed to the other big brands which are just corporations with visions that are more focused towards sales and profits!
Now I own 2 Wood Library 10 Tops (Studio and DGT), and a Modern Eagle V.
Don’t think I need another for a little while!
 
LaxActium said:
I bought 4 SE models first. Then I decided that PRS is definitely the brand I want to spend money on based on how much I liked the SE.
Also the fact that the founder is still trying to improve on every model release makes me want to invest in the legacy Paul is trying to create.
As opposed to the other big brands which are just corporations with visions that are more focused towards sales and profits!
Now I own 2 Wood Library 10 Tops (Studio and DGT), and a Modern Eagle V.
Don’t think I need another for a little while!
Click to expand...
Methinks you need a 66 year old adopted son...🤣
 
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