A Gorgeous PRS!!

[duhvoodooman***]

Today at work, I had the treat of holding and admiring the PRS guitar pictured below. This is a Custom 22 Artist Package guitar with the beautiful quilted maple top. Not sure if this color is the Amber or Santana Yellow, but it sure is a thing of beauty. Gold-plated hardware, Paua bird fretboard inlays, locking tuners, rosewood headstock and fretboard. Really a beautiful instrument. Didn't get to play it, since it was during work hours, but at least I was able to snap a few quick photos.

It belongs to a fellow I work with who has been a prominent guitarist in the Albany NY area for about 20 years. He still gigs with his trio pretty much every weekend. He told me he's got about 50 guitars (hey, Spuds--a rival!! ), about half of which are Deans, because he has an endorsement deal with them. The rest are a mix of LP's, several Strats, 4 PRS's (this one he considers the nicest of the bunch), and a few others. He's also got a ton of amps, including 4 Marshalls, 2 Mesa Boogies, 2 high-end Fenders, 2 Madisons (never heard of them; located in CO), and a few more. Quite a bunch of gear!

Anyway, here are the pix:

Attachment 337 Attachment 338 Attachment 339

[duhvoodooman***]

Three more:

Attachment 341 Attachment 342 Attachment 343

[Katastrophe]

Absolutely beautiful guitar, DVM... I'm envious of your buddy, that he can afford such beautiful instruments... If I had the money, I'd probably have a PRS, but I'd have to have a lot of money first!

Until that day that I win the lottery, there's always the SE line...

[Spudman***]

(hey, Spuds--a rival!! ),
Attachment 337 Attachment 338 Attachment 339

Oh my! I'm at 49 and eyeing another one.









Not!

[Nelskie]

. . . I had the treat of holding and admiring the PRS guitar pictured below . . .

Wow. That guitar is a stunner, DVM, no doubt. Yet, your post alludes to an almost implied reverence of it as a piece of art, and not as a musical tool. From my experience, players who own PRS guitars seem to fawn endlessly over their instruments, which I guess is OK. Yet, when I see a beat-up old Les Paul or Strat, I know those battle scars have been earned. To me, that speaks of the sweat and soul that went into making that guitar that way. For some reason, I can't look at a PRS and see the same thing. Yeah, call me biased, but pretty dove inlays don't relay the same grit and character that the wear tracks on the neck of Keef's Macawber Tele do.

Still, a very, very cool guitar. Thanks for sharing.

[SuperSwede]

Yet, when I see a beat-up old Les Paul or Strat, I know those battle scars have been earned.

Nelskie, I agree with you. However there is a lot of those relic strats / lp out there, and I really dont understand why people would like to have a new already beat up guitar without any real "soul"...

DVM, that was a really awesome PRS.. I bet you at least for a moment thought about grabbing it and run away ?

[duhvoodooman***]

Wow. That guitar is a stunner, DVM, no doubt. Yet, your post alludes to an almost implied reverence of it as a piece of art, and not as a musical tool.

That was pretty much the reaction I had to it--more of a piece of art than a working instrument. It was almost too gorgeous to play. Not sure I'd ever want to actually own one, but it was nice to admire! The owners comments were along the same lines--he rarely plays this or the other PRS's he owns--his axes of choice when he gigs are his well-worn LP's!

[Nelskie]

--more of a piece of art than a working instrument. It was almost too gorgeous to play

Yeah - the "flaming" that AAAA maple top is insane. Super-ultra primo.

--he rarely plays this or the other PRS's he owns--his axes of choice when he gigs are his well-worn LP's!

This seems to be something very common to PRS owners - in that they have other "working" guitars, while their PRS stay tucked safely in their cases back at home, or in the studio. To each his own, I guess. I could never justify spending that much money on a guitar, and not playing it constantly. Or out live. Or in the garage. Wherever!

And another question - who else besides Santana plays PRS? As much as I read in G1 and GP about how wonderful these guitars are, I don't see many prominent artists using them.

[Robert****]

Johnny Hiland uses them.

[duhvoodooman***]

And another question - who else besides Santana plays PRS? As much as I read in G1 and GP about how wonderful these guitars are, I don't see many prominent artists using them.

Fair question. The PRS website lists a boatload of artists, but it looks like an "everybody who ever bought one" list as opposed to artists who use a PRS as their main axe (or one of them). More telling, perhaps, is the photo gallery. After Santana and Dave Navarro at the top of the page, I don't know who hardly any of these guys are! Of course, that may be more of a reflection of my own ignorance!

Johnny Hiland uses them.

I get the impression that that's a fairly recent development. I may be wrong, but I thought that prior to PRS enlisting him for a signature model, he was known almost exclusively as a Telecaster player.

[Tone2TheBone]

Having once owned a PRS Custom SE I will say that even their Korean made American counterparts are well built and stunning guitars. Impeccable quality comes to mind. Indeed it was a great guitar to play and a beauty to look at and it wasn't even an American built carved top Custom 22 or 24...but as Nelskie put it...it pretty much sat in my case whilst I played on the Gibson and Fender. I couldn't stand the thought of having a guitar that only got played once in a while so it was traded for the Muddy Waters Tele. I'm just an old fashioned kinda player I guess.

Another "sometimes" PRS player is Alex Lifeson of Rush but it was funny to read a comment in Guitar Player Mag (edited to mention the right magazine) made by Geddy Lee in talking about his favorite Alex Lifeson sound. Geddy commented that his favorite Lifeson sound was with the Gibsons (335, 1275 and Les Pauls) because of their distinct fatter sound. Upon reading that and being a LP player myself I had to agree.

A friend of mine has a PRS Santana II and it's stunningly gorgeous and of excellent build. But I also feel that maybe these guitars are too pretty for some old school players like me.

SS mentioned something about relicing that I agree with. Some of you know how very finicky I am with my guitars. However my Gibson Studio LP has been in a fire...has some of the nitro rubbed off and peeled off...has dings and gouges and cracks everywhere...has burn marks on the neck...is pitted here and there on the back and has one scratchy pot that I once thought about replacing but decided against it. Next week it will be 20 years old from the day it was manufactured in Nashville and I've had it for the same amount of time even though I did not immediately acquire it brand new that year in 1986. 20 years of use and abuse and bars and cars and not a THING bothers me about that guitar cosmetically. 20 years of natural relicing does it for me also Super Swede. *thumbs up*

[duhvoodooman***]

Hey, Tone, I like the new gear list in your sig. And seeing that Marshall rig of yours reminded me that....

Off topic a bit, but my friend here at work mentioned that he's planning on selling one of his Marshall rigs--it's a 100W Silver Jubilee head (with the silver tolex) and matching 4x12 slant cab, also in silver. (Is that saliva hitting the floor that I hear???) He's looking to avoid shipping costs/hassle, so any interested parties within driving distance of the Albany NY area, shoot me a PM! Warning--it won't be cheap!

[Tone2TheBone]

DVM - I highly recommend any Jubilee you can find anywhere! Jump on it somebody.

[Katastrophe]

I'm just an old fashioned kinda player I guess...

However my Gibson Studio LP has been in a fire...has some of the nitro rubbed off and peeled off...has dings and gouges and cracks everywhere...has burn marks on the neck...is pitted here and there on the back and has one scratchy pot that I once thought about replacing but decided against it.

Ted Nugent played a PRS during the Damn Yankees years... But, was back to his Gibbys on the Super Group show...

Tone - You? Old fashionded kinda player? NEVER woulda guessed! Your Paul, however, has been reliced the right way... It's been through hell and back, literally! Talk about serious mojo! You gotta pic?

[Tone2TheBone]

Kat - I'll snap some new pics of the Gibby today. Nugent was a hero of mine in HS.

[duhvoodooman***]

Nugent was a hero of mine in HS.

Old Fart Moment: I remember him from when I was in HS, too. But it was '68, the band was the Amboy Dukes, the song was "Journey to the Center of the Mind", and nobody had ever heard of Ted up to that point!

Hey, post the pix of that LP soon, Tone, while my eyesight is still good enough to see 'em!!

[SuperSwede]

Tone, you have really delicious stuff! Keep on posting pics

[Tone2TheBone]

I'll play nice for once and post pics of my naturally relic'd Gibson on the Calling all Lesmeisters thread. Check it out.....

http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?p=10361#post10361