What PRS guitar did you want but you bought something else due to the price?

Revelation

Revelation

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I will admit I wanted a PRS McCarthy Hollowbody II Piezo guitar. However at the time the Carvin SH575 with its Alder body and beautiful maple top for thousands less is what I went for. My finances also were limited when my wife agreed to be a stay at home mom until the kids were in school full time. Several years later I am still happy with the Carvin as it's built well, I was able to get a custom color and it plays well. With that being said, I would still love that PRS guitar. The Carvin is my jazz guitar with 011's on it. Carvin/Kiesel has a more acoustic sound while the PRS has a warmer tone. Both are nice, but if there was not a big price difference I would have gone with the PRS.

At this point, I decided I will be going with the McCarty 594 single cut instead. I don't want another semi hollow body guitar and my Les Paul at some point will go to my son.
 
Hmmmm, I would have to say - and this was back in the mid 90s ('96 I think?) - that I had always wanted a PRS Custom (I had previously had CEs and was convinced I'd like the Custom "better"). I am not sure how much they cost back then, I never really looked. What I DID buy was a Jackson PC-1. It was during the Akai-era and Jackson were SERIOUSLY underpriced guitars. The PC-1 was $1699. It had a NICE two-piece mahogany body, a 1/4" Quilted Maple top, a fat neck with a Quilted fretboard, a Schaller built Original Floyd Rose, DiMarzio pickups - a top flight guitar USA-made guitar for $1699.

That guitar was my main squeeze until 2015 - a great 19 years on that beauty. Eventually, in 2017 I decided to do my "great PRS buy" and the PC-1 was replaced by a sweet 2008 Scarlett Red Custom 22 - which I stupidly traded for a Marshall half-stack when I wanted a tube rig again.
 
I was seduced by the first Dragons, but bought a CU22 with dragon pickups. I still had to save for a few years.

But I think my most honest answer is that I don’t really like buying something else for less. It is my nature to get what I really wanted eventually, so I wait until it becomes affordable rather than buy something else that I will lose money on.
 
Was considering a PRS AE50 or AE70 recently, but had limited funds, so chose a Yamaha AC3R A.R.E. Vintage Natural, and upgraded the bridge/nut to TUSQ, the same that AC5R's have. The difference may not be entirely noticeable, but the AC3R has a proprietary onboard mic system that uses Neumann and Royer modeled mics. That in itself is worth the value of the guitar...the savings was significant, about $600 to $800.
 
In the long run it is just cheaper buying what you really want in the first place. That being said, GAS has sidetracked me more than once - guess I am a slow learner...
 
Never happened. I've bought other guitars, but I wasn't looking for a PRS at that time. If I had my heart set on it, I would wait until I could afford it. Early in my life, that wasn't an option. Now, in the last 8 years, it has been a different story. I don't have unlimited funds, but I am willing to use financing (as long as it's 0% for a set time period) to get something I want if I don't have cash on hand.
 
I wanted a Santana, so I bought a KL33... and then got the white westie... and then got a Santana SE for scientific purposes... and then got a Core Santana... which then led to another westie...

Wanted a HB spruce, bought a SE semi hollow.... bought a HB spruce anyway...

Wanted an EG, bought a DC3... then bought a SE EG...

I have no advice besides start a long list of guitars you want, and buy what you can when you can afford them.
 
I went the other way, I started with less costly guitars always looking for the "Gem" then I got my first PRS even on sale it was twice what I had ever spent on a guitar.
I have pretty much sold off all my Non PRS guitars and have filled all my hanging spaces with PRS and even added more spots.
 
If anything, the 594 was a more expensive purchase instead of buying the cheaper Gibson Les Paul Standard but even that is a bit of a stretch of the truth. I know its a similar instrument but there were enough reasons to justify the extra in cost. I could say that ALL my PRS guitars are cheaper than the 10-top, wood library or Private stock equivalents but again that's another stretch of the truth as I wasn't looking for 10-top or above PRS guitars and having to settle for the regular version because of costs.

I am the type of person that won't settle for a cheaper alternative but would rather save to be in a position to buy the model I want. I would rather cut back on non-essential expenditure to maximise the amount of money I can save per month to enable me to buy the model I want and, not necessarily bothered about the premium for a 10-top just as long as its the colour and model I want.

I wouldn't settle for an instrument that's not up to the standard or build quality, not able to deliver the exact feel, playability and/or tonal quality that I want and expect, wouldn't make do with something just because of price. I would rather keep the money in the bank making do with what instruments I have and continue to save until the money is there to buy the instrument I really wanted.

Buying an instrument (or anything) you can afford at that time makes no sense to me. If I buy an SE for example just because I have the money but really want the core, then that is a 'set-back' which then makes purchasing the core more difficult. Whilst I could trade in the SE later, its still not going to have the same value as keeping that money in the bank instead. I think its better to go without and make do with what you have until you have saved the money to buy what you want. The only time that changes is if you desperately need a certain type of instrument you don't yet have - like buying a MiM Strat because you need that now for a specific purpose and don't have the money to buy the Silver Sky. Even then iI would potentially look at borrowing or buying the 'cheapest' that I can get away with rather than buy the most expensive I can afford - to keep as much money in the bank as possible to have as little impact on the time it takes to save for the guitar I really want.

With my collection now, I am in a position to wait it out as the 5 PRS guitars I have cover a LOT of tonal options that I wouldn't necessarily be forced to buying a guitar that isn't what I really wanted...
 
I'm with Mozzi on this. Save for what you want, to spend money on something "for now" is wasting money. Now, the OP certainly had good reason to buy the Carvin with family responsibilities being priority , which is no bad guitar either. But in general, with few exceptions I will save save save until i can get what I want. I am amazed how some people can't grasp this. My woman, my father, I see it everywhere. My woman spends money around the clock, thinking she's not spending anything. She calls me "cheap" when I bring it up. I'm not being cheap, I'm trying to save money for better things, like a trip or house renovations etc. My father, more on topic, decided to buy some cheap guitars, cheap pedals, cheap amps.....but he REALLY wanted a PRS. Could not get him to see that the money he had spent on the cheap garbage could have bought his PRS 2 times over. But, everyone's money arrangement is different, and I have to respect that.

As for the original question. Artist V. Couldn't find one, gave up, grabbed a cu24 which was technically cheaper but I really didn't care...week later, darn Artist V showed up @#$@#$
 
Mozzi said:
I am the type of person that won't settle for a cheaper alternative but would rather save to be in a position to buy the model I want. I would rather cut back on non-essential expenditure to maximise the amount of money I can save per month to enable me to buy the model I want and, not necessarily bothered about the premium for a 10-top just as long as its the colour and model I want.

I wouldn't settle for an instrument that's not up to the standard or build quality, not able to deliver the exact feel, playability and/or tonal quality that I want and expect, wouldn't make do with something just because of price. I would rather keep the money in the bank making do with what instruments I have and continue to save until the money is there to buy the instrument I really wanted.

Buying an instrument (or anything) you can afford at that time makes no sense to me. If I buy an SE for example just because I have the money but really want the core, then that is a 'set-back' which then makes purchasing the core more difficult. Whilst I could trade in the SE later, its still not going to have the same value as keeping that money in the bank instead. I think its better to go without and make do with what you have until you have saved the money to buy what you want. The only time that changes is if you desperately need a certain type of instrument you don't yet have - like buying a MiM Strat because you need that now for a specific purpose and don't have the money to buy the Silver Sky. Even then iI would potentially look at borrowing or buying the 'cheapest' that I can get away with rather than buy the most expensive I can afford - to keep as much money in the bank as possible to have as little impact on the time it takes to save for the guitar I really want.
.
Click to expand...

I agree on not settling for subpar guitars or audio equipment. For me I found another company that also produces quality products at a much lower price that I enjoyed which is why I went went them. If I did not find other guitars out there that I didn't like a lot, I would have saved for the PRS until I had the money for it. Tom Anderson is a other company that.makes great guitars as well. Their Tele model caught my eye recently but I am laser focused now on the 594 DC. Nothing else will do.........unless I change my mind again and want the 594 SC version.
 
Now, none. I only buy what I want to play. When I was 14-15, I really wanted a PRS but my parents were paying for my gear and PRS was not in the budget. Ended up with a Fender Elan(Heartfield) that looked PRSish and traded a few years later. I finally got my first PRS in ‘96.
 
If the thread had rather been:

What PRS guitar did you I want but you I bought something else due to the price fact that I can't play worth a s**t and didn't deserve or merit the nicer one?

I'd have answered a Custom 24-08. :( :)
 
Great Gazoo said:
fact that I can't play worth a s**t and didn't deserve or merit the nicer one?
Click to expand...

This sentence bugs me!! NO guitar should be off limits regardless of your perceived skill level. It bugs me that some people think they (or their kids for that matter) have to start on something cheap and that if they/you get 'good enough' they/you can then look at more expensive models and the highest end guitars are solely reserved for the musician who has made it, who is selling albums and getting lots of people through the door at their concerts.

That is complete and utter BS!!! Anyone is 'good enough' to own the high end guitars and what's most important though is that you (or anyone else who wants to play regardless of ability) have a guitar that makes them want to pick up the guitar and play. If anything, its more important to have a high-end guitar to start playing on because most people don't have the knowledge or skill to tune, to set-up the guitar and intonate etc etc. Having a guitar that plays incredibly well, remains stable and in tune, doesn't have sharp frets/nut, doesn't have shoddy electronics and a cheap jack that crackles and/or intermittently cuts out etc is the most beneficial to the beginner. Nothing is going to put them off quicker than the guitar going out of tune quickly, has poor action etc. It is far more important to have a quality instrument to start with.

If you can afford a core PRS guitar, regardless of your skill level, then buy it. Even if you feel a brand new PRS isn't quite right for you, I would still say buy it if you can afford it and if you are 'worried' about dinging it, worried that you will be scared to play it at that price maybe look at the used market instead. There is NO reason why you shouldn't spend your money on what you want. Being limited by budget is a different matter but if you can afford to buy a mor expensive guitar, then ability shouldn't be holding you back.

If it makes you pick up the guitar, play more often etc, you will get 'better' anyway and it may be just the kick you need to improve by playing more...
 
Mozzi - Sorry that you are triggered. And I disagree with your rationale: your method of argument is Hegelian - you immediately push any assertion to an extreme; straw man it; then propose your anti-thesis. For example:

What do you mean by "can afford one?" Is it simply having money that is completely discretionary (if such even exists)? What other valid uses for the money might have been undertaken? Does my will for a thing override other valid uses of funds? For a given level of skill in playing, would the funds differential matter? How much money is worth the risk vis-a-vis the expectation that the payoff will be more dedicated play (a cause-effect which you seem to take for granted, yet how many high-end guitars are just gathering dust?). Why do you you only mention "cheap" guitars and "high-end" as though there is nothing betwixt the two?

I agree - up to a point - that one should buy an instrument that allows even a beginner opportunity to determine what they and the instrument can actually do (not be limited by a "poor" instrument). That being said, the SE Custom that you see in my avatar, I submit, does the job. If I can't learn to play and learn to want to play with it, I submit an S2 or Silver Sky or Cu24 or ... wouldn't have likely done any better (and, if they did, maybe there is a different issue). Again, the problem with your argument is that you seem to consider only "poor" guitars and high-end guitars.

Had I written a check for a new 24-08 it would not have bounced. My family have not actually "used" the funds for anything else - they just remain as part of an emergency or if-we-need something fund. But I think it would have been a poor and disproportionate decision to buy a Custom instrument. I could not (at this point) elicit from the instrument the nuances of tone that you folks talk so much about here (and about which I enjoy reading). The SE is a better instrument than I am as a player. I am content that I didn't spend $150 on a "bad" instrument and decide "guitar isn't for me" on that basis. But, if it turns out that I am simply one of those folks who just isn't going to be a "good" player or that I can't or won't commit the time needed to improve - the SE isn't the issue and I made a prudent - and I think this is the key point - financial decision given the vagaries that one faces even though I "could" afford a $5k instrument without invoking debtors prison. I can sigh and lust over Custom Shop Friday, enjoying every minute of it. and yet recognize that my SE is not limiting me. If and when that changes, well then.

I am not suggesting, by the way, that another might feel differently: someone might well judge that the cost for a Custom is worth the aesthetic complacency alone - I get that; the colors; the carve; the woods and inlays ... the guitar might just be worth the cost in terms similar to that of contemplating a painting (which often cost as much for original works). Absolutely. I just don't believe that my post deserved a "BS" vituperative response from you.

In hindsight, I realize that my original post might have come across as one of those "poor pitiful me" sorts of thing. I'd hoped that the frown followed by smiley face would convey the tone I meant to attain, but perhaps not. In any case, that was not the intention.
 
@Great Gazoo You missed the point about the money side of things. If you can afford it was meant to imply that you have the money available to make that purchase with everything else taken into a consideration. It wasn't meant that the purchase should be made just because you have the exact amount in the bank but in doing so, will leave you in a financially difficult situation, it wasn't meant that just because you have the money, you should buy regardless of any other needs either for you or your family etc. Being able to afford means that you are not putting yourself or any dependants in a financially weak or uncomfortable position. Being able to afford it means that once everything else is taken into consideration, you are able to make the purchase and that doesn't mean having all he money in one go either. If a shop offers interest free payment over 12/24months for example, being able to afford it just means that you are in a position to be able to make the monthly payment without any negative consequence or putting you and your family in a difficult financial situation.

I am well aware that just having the money in the bank to be able to buy is very different from being able to afford something. I was very particular to use the phrase 'IF you can afford it' to imply that everything else, rent/mortgage, groceries, utility bills, loan payments, insurance, petrol etc are paid and that you have the money either in one lump sum or adding a monthly payment to your expenditure is possible. That's what 'affording' it means - at least to me and that is different from just having the money in the bank to buy. If the money you have is needed for other things, then you cannot afford it - at least not in a one off payment but maybe you can afford to add a monthly payment to the store to buy it because you have enough free cash a month to make that payment - therefore afford it. If you have 10k sat in the bank with everything paid off and nothing else allocated for that money, free to spend it on what you want, spending 3-4k on a Core is well within your budget and therefore you can afford it.

I know that I have to save money to buy a Core guitar for example and, for me to be able to afford the guitar, I have to have more money in my bank account than the cost of the guitar to ensure that any bills or other expenditure is also accounted for. Just having the cost of the guitar doesn't mean I can afford to buy because that would put myself in a financially difficult situation so therefore, I cannot afford to buy it until I have saved some more.

I hope that makes sense.

An SE is still a quality instrument and still a guitar that I would consider great. If the shop has set it up, then it would be a great guitar for any level of player from beginner to professional - in fact there are professionals who happily use an SE. What annoys me though is that people don't believe that they should own a Custom 24-08 for example because they are not 'good enough'. If that guitar inspires you to play it more than your SE and you can afford it (with everything taken into consideration) then I see absolutely no reason a person shouldn't buy. Not being good enough is not a valid reason for not owning a High End PRS in my opinion. Not having the money, not sure on what you really want, not sure if you will feel comfortable playing a guitar as expensive as that etc are valid reason's but not being good enough or not deserving of a guitar are not valid reasons at all.

You won't get to hear or experience the nuances that a Core guitar has over an SE for example until you actually own one and can put it through your own rig and compare with the SE and/or any other guitars. I am sure though you would hear a difference. I am not suggesting you go out and buy a core tomorrow but that if you want a Core, then your ability is irrelevant and no one can has the right to question whether you deserve it or not.

I am not a professional musician, not even gigging and doubt I ever will again but its up to me what guitar I choose to spend my money on and I don't care if I was a complete beginner, if I want to start on a core PRS, then I would. If it makes me more determined to play, encourages me to play at every opportunity then its the right guitar regardless of its 'price point', regardless of what anyone thinks etc. Its entirely up to you how you spend your money and not what 'level' a guitarist you are!!
 
I was really considering to save up for a 594. Then one day while at a GC I played a 2019 Gibson LP Traditional in Blueberry Burst.
I must admit, I own that LP today and I LOVE it. The top isn't nearly as nice as a 594 would have been but, that LP plays, sounds and feels so right.
The price was considerably lower than a 594.
If this is Gibson's new ownership's attention to detail, then PRS need to lower their prices to compete.
 
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