Why are PRS Tuners so ugly?

[Dirty_Boogie]

If you would, I will respectfully beg to differ. These are Opinions only for discussion, .for anything else

I can't help but to identify these things as I made my living as an Industrial Engineer and Lean Program Manager for my Teams.

$2 here, $2 there,.....it all ads up. Collectively, at the end of the day, EVERYTHING is all about money. Less Labor, Less inventory, Less Carrying costs, Less Ordering, Shipping, etc......

Using $2.00 as an example, $2.00 times 10,000 manufactured core models per year, equals $20,000 realized in "hard savings". Then you can count on "soft savings" as listed above.

There is always the "Squeeze" in manufacturing. Rising costs due to inflation and the competition pushing down the price point to capture market share.

Hence, the S2 line was designed to compete in the $1000 to $1500 market (Street Pricing).

If any model is the "Cash Cow", it is the new CE Bolt on, IMHO. Import parts are all over that guitar. Even the Gig Bag is Asian. Take away the 85/15s, and I would bet the sales would drop. I would believe PRS new this ahead of time.

Funny thing, even the original PRS Gig bags (Non SE) has less features that the original ones made years ago.

BTW - Look at the cost of the S2 Tuners vs the Phase II or Phase III tuners on the PRS website. You know that the list price is a Function of the cost. Therefore, I believe we are looking at more than $2.00!!!

Look at the tremolo price difference between the S2 and Core. Wow!

Seems like we have the same professional backgrounds! Again, all very valid points. But, when you're dealing with luxury brands (of which PRS clearly is one) conventional logic (i.e., things that make sense to engineers like you and me) doesn't aways apply.

 

[Bluesverb]

LOL. There is no such thing as conventional logic to a guitar player!!! Especially one with GAS!!!

Funny thing... Eddie Van Halen bought a bad body (the body was going to be thrown away at the store), chiseled the heck out of it, put a barely wired pickup in it that didn't align up correctly, painted it with spray cans of paint, put a neck on it, etc... and I have been chasing that tone ever since!!!

He changed the Music Industry with a Mutt of a guitar. Rules of Tone? The way he saw it.

Now, I need to go buy a new guitar. If PRS only made an Air Guitar (Willcutt Specs/Library Run), I would rule the world!

LOL

 

[László]

For example, whenever you stop or prevent Chrome platting, it saves money.

Actually, the truth is that it costs PRS more to plate only portions of the parts (yes there are parts that are only partially plated).

This was told to me by Paul R. Smith, the man, and the legend.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Would it not be fair to say that the largest expense of building any instrument, is people hours and the investment in technology to mechanise some of the processes. Not to mention the cost timber preparation??

PRS take approximately a month for a neck to go from pre-cut billet to finished product. Apparently “bean counters” have tried several times to “save” PRS production costs by speeding up this process. PRS have resisted this “money saving” wanting their necks to be as stable as they can be.

Long may it continue!!

 

[C&M Music - Lafayette]

The largest expense, I believe is not cutting corners. We all know PRS does not cut corners.

 

[Ovibos]

The largest expense, I believe is not cutting corners. We all know PRS does not cut corners.

Yeah, Explorers and V's are probably cheaper to make because they just cut some corners.

 

[C&M Music - Lafayette]

Truth! Look at what CBS did Fender back in the day. Look at what Henry Jerkowitz does to Gibson now and for a long time now.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Truth! Look at what CBS did Fender back in the day. Look at what Henry Jerkowitz does to Gibson now and for a long time now.

I see what you did there!