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Topic: PRS Guitars - Anyone Here Own One? Opinons? |
Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 1:48 pm |
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| Been looking at a few new and used PRS (Paul Reed Smith) guitars. Interested in any opinions on them! |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 3:39 pm
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| They're like what Ted McCarty might have built in Kalamazoo had CNC machines been available. |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 5:24 pm
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I had a PRS Custom 24 for a while. Initially I thought it sounded great for blues and rock but the pickups seemed to hot for a clean country sound.
I eventually discovered that it cleaned up nicely and provided some decent twang once I rolled off the guitar volume knob to about "8". |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 5:50 pm
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| I played a few guitars at Guitar Center tonight. Even the PRS ones there had twisted necks on them. Marked as new but definitely seconds. I noticed that the Epiphone 335 I played there had a severely warped neck in the upper frets whereas the one I have at home that I bought from Sweetwater has a really great neck on it. Guitar junkie here! |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 6:57 pm
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I'm assuming you know that there are US built PRS guitars which are really nice and also pricey.
Then there is the SE series of asian built guitars. Not so special. An acquaintance of mine has one of these. I was not impressed with it at all. |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2019 4:06 am
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I played the SE models ($800 range) that are totally Korean built. Was totally impressed with everything except the warped neck at Guitar Center.
The SE models ($2000 range) are built in the USA using Korean parts.
The totally USA models can extend well into the $4k range.
I've ordered this model from Sweetwater:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SECU24TS2--prs-se-custom-24-tobacco-sunburst
That's the only one they have left but the one I ordered has a much nicer grain finish. If it sucks at all I will consider upgrading to a used CE model. I agree with the stellar reviews about the play-ability of the SE model but it does seem that the quality is hit or miss. |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2019 4:15 am
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Here's the one I ordered:
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Jeff Garden
From:
Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2019 7:20 am
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I think you'll like it, Greg  My Maine buddy Johnny Hiland came home from Nashville about 10 years ago to play the State Fair here. He had his own PRS signature model at the time (think he has recently shifted to Kiesel Guitars). I'm sure he had custom pickups in it but I was super-impressed with the range of really authentic sounds he could get out of it in songs that ranged from rock to jazz to blues to his trademark chicken' pickin' country. Nothing sounded like an "all purpose" guitar that was trying to emulate a particular style and sounded only "close" - everything about it was top shelf and the real deal.
They don't make it anymore but here's the description and a few reviews
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HilandAMB--prs-johnny-hiland-model-johnny-hiland-amber
https://johnnyhiland.wordpress.com/johnny-hiland-signature-paul-reed-smith-guitar/ |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2019 8:22 am
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Thanks Jeff and thanks for all the feedback from everyone including the negative reviews which are often the most helpful (and honest)!
I've got a stable of strats, teles, Ibanez, 335, 339, SG, Les Paul, Godin, Epi's and a bunch of really nice reworked Korean and Indo guitars. Just looking for something a bit different to try out! |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 22 Aug 2019 10:45 am
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| I've got an older McCarty model. I think of it as a Gibson with most of the function improved. Better balance, painless player. Really nice guitar. |
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Dale Rottacker
From:
Walla Walla Washington, USA
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 23 Aug 2019 6:35 pm
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I have two SE singlecut P90 style PRS guitars, the Korean build, and both are really stellar. I recently bought one of the new S2 American built models, really gorgeous finish, the coil splitting on the pickups was perfect, fit and finish flawless, but the neck was a bit less comfortable than the Korean models I have, so I returned it. Planning on selling one of those if someone wants a killer $500 guitar.
_________________
Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com
www.musicfarmstudio.com |
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Mickey Adams
From:
Bandera Texas
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Posted 26 Aug 2019 1:56 pm
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Mickey currently plays, a Modern Eagle PRS, and yes...many many...Excellent quality control. I love the 24 fret necks, but also the 22. I have found several incredibly vibrant specimens...
As for GC...Youd be hard pressed to find a SINGLE guitar on the wall that is properly setup, unless its used..
_________________
ARTIST RELATIONS: MSA GUITARS
2017 MSA LEGEND XL D10, S10, Studio Pro S12 EXE9
Mullen G2, Rittenberry S10, Infinity D10, Zumsteel 8+9
Anderson, Buscarino, Fender, Roman Guitars, Sarno Octal, Revelation Preamps, BJS BARS, Lots of Blackface Fenders!
Last edited by Mickey Adams on 27 Aug 2019 6:17 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 26 Aug 2019 3:15 pm
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The Private Stock Modern Eagle V Limited | PRS Guitars:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34vpqE4wBOE
Nice!
The PRS SE I received is excellent if you accept the fact that almost any guitar you buy for less than $1000 will need some work. I got the truss rod adjusted for 0.006" at the 8th fret while clamping the strings at the 1st and 14 frets. The Nut is a bit off with the 1st string 0.022" high at the 1st fret, but the 2nd through 6th strings being an acceptable 0.012" to 0.020". I've had to rework the nut on the every single guitar I've bought except for a Gibson SG that I bought last year. There's a very slight twist in the neck measured at about 0.005". Fit and finish is excellent, the guitar plays like a dream with the minor nut refinish and truss rod adjustments I made. I set the strings at 0.065" to 0.070" with no fret buzz anywhere.
This is definitely one of the finest sub $1000 guitars I've ever bought but I can say the same for the recent Fender Strat and Tele I bought. All three have great pickups and play like butter after being set up. I have to repeat that almost EVERY guitar I played in a music store had warped necks and uneven frets to the point of being junk. There are lots of great places to buy guitars other than Sweetwater, but the Sweetwater guitars I've bought have all been keepers. I've swapped out the pot metal bridges on a few sub $500 guitars and the difference there was really dramatic as far as sustain goes. |
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Godfrey Arthur
From:
3rd Rock
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Posted 27 Aug 2019 11:26 pm
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PRS, great guitar poor resale value. Strange but true.
Suhr, another choice of the pros is a fine guitar.
Would love to have a Suhr Reb Beach!
_________________
ShoBud The Pro 1
YES it's my REAL NAME!
Ezekiel 33:7 |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 28 Aug 2019 5:52 am
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Suhr guitars are awesome and if I was to go for quality over quantity I would just buy a few Suhrs. Their basic tele starts at $2,799.
The PRS guitars like many used guitars, lose 40% of their value as soon as you buy it. I've had good and bad luck buying used ones but they are a super value used if you can get a good one.
I liked the first PRS so much that I bought a second SE in Trampas Green with the natural finished headstock.
My favorite Suhr guitar:
https://www.nstuffmusic.com/p-113706-suhr-classic-t-deluxe-aged-cherry-burst.aspx
(GoFundMe?) |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 28 Aug 2019 9:16 am
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| Congratulations on your new PRS axe[s] Greg. I hope they serve you well. |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 28 Aug 2019 4:58 pm
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Thanks Jerry!
Got the PRS Tampras Green guitar today. This one is near perfect. No measurable neck twist, neck bow set to 0.004" and frets are as good as a Pleck job right out of the box. Intonation is right on and all I did was lower the strings 0.005" across the board at the 12th fret. No fret buzz anywhere with 0.009 - 0.042" strings. Woo Hoo, a guitar from a box store that requires no work and I can just play it!
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 10 Sep 2019 6:52 am
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No one builds a finer mass produced electric guitar thean PRS.. I have had a bunch over the years, including Cust 22-cust 24-Cust 22 Triple Soapbar-CE22-CE24, - SE Soapbar and my current SE Angelus... The USA builds are superb guitars, and blurr the lines between gibson/fender sounds very well,IF you know what you are doing, and play and tune better than either.. The Korean built SE guitars are FAR better than most Korean/chinese guitars from other companies.. My SE Soapbar was not just a great guitar for the price, it was a GRAT guitar..
My SE Angelus acoustic/electric is not up to the quality standards of all the other PRS guitars have owned over the past 3 decades.. Its ok and sounds really good, but the string angle is changing, its becoming harder to play, and I just don't ever expect anything like that from anything that bears the PRS logo, imported or not.... bob
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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