When is a “Wood Library” not a Wood Library?

Milsco

Milsco

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Recently posted a NGD thread..

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/ngd-and-feeling-blessed.56120/

..and this guitar has got me wondering, and please correct me if I’m wrong:

Ebony fingerboard, flame maple neck, 10 Top.

But..this is not a Wood Library - not marked on the hang tag and confirmed by PRS customer service.

Are these specs that sometimes appear on non WL/Artist Core models?

For context, I’m just interested in learning about PRS. Makes no difference whatsoever to my enjoyment of this guitar.

Thanks,
Scott
 
Part of it depends on the year it was made. They have named things differently over the years. There was an artist package for a number of years that went through some changes and included different things. It could also be a special dealer run that might not be a wood library.
 
It's certainly a gorgeous guitar, and it is indeed unusual to find a maple neck and ebony fretboard on a non-WL or Artist Package Core model.

Wood Library guitars often come with 10 tops (I have one currently, and have had several), though they can also come with Artist tops. !0's are marked with the 10 in the corner of the headstock. Artist tops are not marked.

As others have said, there are occasionally one-offs and dealer runs.
 
What Is Confusing To Me Is How Things Are Categorized. Most Of My PRS Collection Was Acquired When PRS Labeled Their Guitars As Follows.

1. Standard Or Regular
2. 10 Top
3. Artist Package
4. Private Stock

Now It Seems That A 10 Top Can Also Be A Wood Library? Where Does A Wood Library Actually Fit In According To My 1 Through 4 Category Listed Above? Is A Wood Library Better Than An Artist? Is A Wood Library Better Than A 10 Top? Is A Wood Library A Supposed Private Stock Top Or Private Stock Like Top But Merely A Production Guitar? It Is Confusing And To Have 2 "Categories" Associated With The Same Guitar Is Even More Confusing.
 
Bogner said:
What Is Confusing To Me Is How Things Are Categorized. Most Of My PRS Collection Was Acquired When PRS Labeled Their Guitars As Follows.

1. Standard Or Regular
2. 10 Top
3. Artist Package
4. Private Stock

Now It Seems That A 10 Top Can Also Be A Wood Library? Where Does A Wood Library Actually Fit In According To My 1 Through 4 Category Listed Above? Is A Wood Library Better Than An Artist? Is A Wood Library Better Than A 10 Top? Is A Wood Library A Supposed Private Stock Top Or Private Stock Like Top But Merely A Production Guitar? It Is Confusing And To Have 2 "Categories" Associated With The Same Guitar Is Even More Confusing.
Click to expand...
Wood Library is all about woods that are unavailable on regular core guitars being made available for 10 guitar or more runs for dealers. Typically, you won't see a Wood Library that's below a 10 or Artist grade top. Dealers are making bling guitars that scream "buy me"....
 
Glide-bpm said:
Wood Library is all about woods that are unavailable on regular core guitars being made available for 10 guitar or more runs for dealers. Typically, you won't see a Wood Library that's below a 10 or Artist grade top. Dealers are making bling guitars that scream "buy me"....
Click to expand...
I Understand All Of That But How Is A Wood Library Also Labeled A 10 Top? That Is The Confusing Part. If The Wood Is Indeed "Different" It Needs To NOT Have Dual Categorizations And That Batch Of Guitars Should Just Simply Be Called A Limited Dealer Run Of 10 Tops, Etc. The Wood Library Connotation Appears To Have A Lot Of Ambiguity To It. Additionally, The Price Of A 10 Top And An Artist Package Is Not The Same So Then There Is That Issue On These "Runs" As Well. Sounds Like A Mind F*@$ On Words In All Sincerity. I Am Also Not 100% Certain That All Wood Library Guitars Are All Batches Of 10 Or More Guitars To A Dealer. It Seems To Be More Confusing Then It Needs To Be. :(
 
My 594 is an AP/WL build, and I get it - figured hog neck, quilt top, African Blackwood board, dealer spec inlays. My SSH, which I got second hand, was listed as a wood library, marked 10 top… I don’t entirely get it. No other exotic woods. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining - I got a fair price, and love the guitar. Maybe that’s the only metric that matters!
 
The link John F posted explains it. I own a few wood library PRSi and it comes down to the dealer hand picking specific combinations of wood for a limited 10 guitar run for their store. They pick the models and colors for the run and then pick which wood combination will make up the 10 guitars. Then PRS decides which blanks get which colors. If you catch a dealer at the beginning of the WL run process you can usually reserve one by color or by wood selection but not both.
 
This seems to be more an issue for buying used? Some comfort that you know what you’re getting? My used DGT (I blame you Les!) has a korina neck and cocobolo fretboard (allegedly). And a quilt maple top. It would be nice to know whose WL run a guitar came from, and some way to know the history? And are WL built with more attention than the core line but less than PS?

That being said, there’s some good marketing techniques at work here.

Maybe they should let the forum members do a WL run….
 
GGJJGG said:
This seems to be more an issue for buying used? Some comfort that you know what you’re getting? My used DGT (I blame you Les!) has a korina neck and cocobolo fretboard (allegedly). And a quilt maple top. It would be nice to know whose WL run a guitar came from, and some way to know the history? And are WL built with more attention than the core line but less than PS?

That being said, there’s some good marketing techniques at work here.

Maybe they should let the forum members do a WL run….
Click to expand...
If you email the serial number on the back of the headstock or the code sticker under the pickup to prs customer service, they can tell you exactly that information. I believe the attention they get is the same as the core guitars. There is not a separate assembly line specifically for wood library. it is possible though that an employee who does finish work on private stocks could also work on a wood library guitar.
 
I have a double cut McCarty 594 Artist model. It came with Artist grade flame maple top, select mahogany back, Artist grade Gaboon ebony fretboard & headstock veneer with inlaid green abalone signature, green ripple outline / green abalone center Artist bird inlays, gold hardware, Black Paisley Artist case. The color is Slate Blue, from a list of 46 optional colors if I counted correctly.

So as I understand these models, Wood Library the dealer picks the woods from the vault and they mix and match from core tops, 10 tops, Artist tops and Private Stock tops. They also pick neck wood, fretboard, back etc. Artist models the options are fewer, and PRS staff pick the Artist tops.

I’ve seen non-10 top wood that I thought was a 10, and seen some 10 tops that didn’t look as good as some non-10 tops.

I thought the price of my Artist model was a bargain considering what I got. I bet the more exotic wood in some Wood Library models goes up in price accordingly.

I believe you get what you pay for, and as my friend Billy often says, “you pay for what you get.” :D
 
Artist Package Quilt Wood Library - Brian's Guitars PRS Forum run.

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Wood Library "10" Top Quilt with flamed maple neck.

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Not much difference IMHO, huh???
 
GGJJGG said:
This seems to be more an issue for buying used? Some comfort that you know what you’re getting? My used DGT (I blame you Les!) has a korina neck and cocobolo fretboard (allegedly). And a quilt maple top. It would be nice to know whose WL run a guitar came from, and some way to know the history? And are WL built with more attention than the core line but less than PS?
Click to expand...
I will gladly shoulder the blame, unless you don't like it, in which case, who me?

I've had a lot of PRS guitars over the years. At all option levels and PS.

Wood Library, Artist Package, 10 Top, and plain Core are all production guitars. They don't differ in build quality, only in options available. Options cost, and they can be worth the dough, but the essential quality of the build of these guitars is the same. It's excellent.

On the other hand, Private Stock have their own build team, and a good deal more time is lavished on each build by PRS' most talented/experienced builders. There is a quality difference, in my opinion, and the customer pays for that extra attention and special sauce as one would expect.
 
Last edited:
Glide-bpm said:
Artist Package Quilt Wood Library - Brian's Guitars PRS Forum run.
Wood Library "10" Top Quilt with flamed maple neck.
Not much difference IMHO, huh???
Click to expand...
Beautiful guitar, and much more than a standard artist model. Wish I could find them in the wild.
 
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