Question: PRS hate, Why?

reverend1

reverend1

Kick Henry Jackassowski
I'm just curious, what is the reason behind the PRS hate? It seems people either love them or hate them. Not much in-between. It reminds me of Gibson, but I understand the Gibson hate. They are not lead by a raging douchebag like Gibson, they don't have hair brain ideas like robot tuners, blue tooth whatever, or abominations like the Firebird X.

People tell me how much they hate the birds but they can never tell me why. They seem like a tasteful inlay as far as an upgrade from the standard dot/ block inlay goes. Sure they're expensive, but from what I have seen so far, the materials used in the construction and the attention to detail seem to be there to justify the price.

biamun's thread this morning, as well as, my own GAS got me thinking about this today. :shrug:
 
it started out as "what, Gibson isn't good enough for you" style luddites, and extended into Steve Albini's snorkeldick comment becoming part of the online forum vernacular. they tend to be ostentatious and since they don't sound exactly like a Gibson or Fender they "lack character". nevermind that people change pickups on everything else, and PRS pups can be changed too.

so in other words, if you can think of a reason to hate PRS, somebody is claiming that as their reason.

i like mine. everybody else can fuck off.
 
I think most of the hate centers around the fact that they're a relatively new company (compared to Gibson and Fender) that make fairly pricy guitars (took many years to offer any kind of "entry level" guitar) that were often largely bought up by the wealthier doctor/lawyer type player.

Similar stigma to BMW's being "Yuppie cars". BMW happens to build one of the best driving cars on the market... but the guys who would rather put coffee-can sized exhaust on their Hondas and Toyotas, or the guy driving the Camaro or Mustang with a solid rear axle will boast about how much better their cars are.


The fact that Gibson keeps jacking up their prices without adding any kind of substantial "value" to their instruments has actually helped underscore that PRS are valued on their quality, not just the Fancy McGlitter editions.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
it started out as "what, Gibson isn't good enough for you" style luddites, and extended into Steve Albini's snorkeldick comment becoming part of the online forum vernacular. they tend to be ostentatious and since they don't sound exactly like a Gibson or Fender they "lack character". nevermind that people change pickups on everything else, and PRS pups can be changed too.

so in other words, if you can think of a reason to hate PRS, somebody is claiming that as their reason.

i like mine. everybody else can fuck off.
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I was snooping around a PRS thread at HC and someone was claiming that No-One, zero, people record with a PRS. When several people listed artists that recorded albums with a PRS, he stated he was a "professional" session player and no engineer or record company would allow a PRS to be recored. Obviously that's a bunch of BS but this guy was apoplectic by the end of the thread. When I pointed out the if I wanted a guitar to sound like a Gibson or a Fender I would just use one he called me an idiot. :grin:
 
I grew up in the DC area and remember when PRS was pretty much a local company. It was a big deal when a friend of mine got Paul to make him some pickups for his Kramer. (The guy had a Kramer endorsement). I like the looks of the more subtle PRS guitars, but of the ones I have played, I have only liked the old bolt on ones. It has been years since I have tried one out though and I doubt I will, I have no need for a guitar that expensive.
 
baimun said:
Similar stigma to BMW's being "Yuppie cars". BMW happens to build one of the best driving cars on the market... but the guys who would rather put coffee-can sized exhaust on their Hondas and Toyotas, or the guy driving the Camaro or Mustang with a solid rear axle will boast about how much better their cars are.

.
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Lol, I know that song.I live in redneck NASCAR heaven, and every time I go to the gas station in my 911 I am always accosted by some hillbilly telling me how much better his 1984 Mustang 5.0 is than my foreign job stealing piece of shit. I'm always happy to take them up on their offer to race. They always think there doing well until they get to the first turn. :grin: Of course I don't tell them I'm a graduate of Skip Barber and a certified SCCA driver.
 
reverend1 said:
I was snooping around a PRS thread at HC and someone was claiming that No-One, zero, people record with a PRS. When several people listed artists that recorded albums with a PRS, he stated he was a "professional" session player and no engineer or record company would allow a PRS to be recored. Obviously that's a bunch of BS but this guy was apoplectic by the end of the thread. When I pointed out the if I wanted a guitar to sound like a Gibson or a Fender I would just use one he called me an idiot. :grin:
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thats stupid.

I personally don't care for them, because they're not my thing. They are very well made instruments that I've never bonded with and I usually don't like how they sound when other people record them. Also, Paul Reed Smith seems to be a pretty good guy along the lines of John Suhr and I have a lot of respect for that.
 
I don't hate them at all. I hate the aesthetics of the more over the top ones, the flamey topped gold hardware bird inlay bullshit. I'm not a huge fan of inlays at all, I'd prefer to have them be as minimal as possible if they have to be there at all. I like Howie's and quite a few others that I've seen, though. I haven't played enough to really get a handle on whether I like the way they feel or not, honestly of the ones I've played they've been pretty hit or miss. I haven't touched one in almost 10 years, though.
 
I don't hate any guitar... I'm pretty sure I would like to own a PRS, but I don't really care... I don't need one, and I don't want to spend that kind of money...
 
No hate from me at all. They're fantastic instruments in general. I had a Custom 22 as my main guitar in the 90's for a couple of years and it was great, but I ended up preferring Strat's in that band and haven't really looked back. I had a SE Singlecut that I just didn't bond with. Whenever I'm guitar shopping with that kind of top end budget in mind, I always check out various PRS models and I'm always happy with how they play and sound..I just haven't found "the" one yet.
 
The finishes are way too flashy for me. Flamey, burled, quilty, whatever.... just, UGH. Doesn't matter what name is on the headstock; that's just too much for my tastes.

The bird inlays on the neck, however, are all right in my book. I've never had a problem with that.
 
If find the right one I'd buy it, but a lot of them haven't felt great to me and if I'm dropping that kind of money on a guitar, it's not going to be an electric.
 
I think the remark "That's a nice guitar you've got attached to that piece of flame maple" sums up most of the distaste for PRS. The fact that the company builds so many Liberace-tacky "collector's edition" guitars rubs a lot of people the wrong way, as well.

I would take a more aesthetically restrained PRS in a heartbeat, though. Maybe a semi-hollow with Narrowfields.
 
rusholmeruffian said:
I think the remark "That's a nice guitar you've got attached to that piece of flame maple" sums up most of the distaste for PRS. The fact that the company builds so many Liberace-tacky "collector's edition" guitars rubs a lot of people the wrong way, as well.

I would take a more aesthetically restrained PRS in a heartbeat, though. Maybe a semi-hollow with Narrowfields.
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Every maker does special editions with various flamey tops or whatever. I not a flamey quilty top guy either. The models I gravitate towards are the Swamp Ash Special, and my local dealer has a Mahogany Special that I really like as well. Neither one is flamey, but they play SO well.
 
I prefer a simpler guitar aesthetic so a lot of the PRS models are just too over the top for me. I'd be afraid to play one in a grimy club. But I know they are nice guitars. And right now my main guitar with the rock band is a PRS SE. I am GASing right now for the real thing though - just get one good PRS twin humbucker guitar and be done with it. I'll be settled with what I need then. I have a few good paying gigs in the next few months so after that money comes in I'll see what I can find used. New they are way out of my reach....
 
paulskirocks said:
I don't hate any guitar... I'm pretty sure I would like to own a PRS, but I don't really care... I don't need one, and I don't want to spend that kind of money...
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That sums up my feelings as well. I'd own a few if I had lottery infused income, but even then, not the Private Stock guitars. I would like to play a Sweet 16 amp.

I could certainly own a Mira like this...
front.jpg

main1.jpg
 
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reverend1 said:
Every maker does special editions with various flamey tops or whatever. I not a flamey quilty top guy either. The models I gravitate towards are the Swamp Ash Special, and my local dealer has a Mahogany Special that I really like as well. Neither one is flamey, but they play SO well.
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I thought about this, but the more "deluxe" Fenders or the various Ibanez Prestige models aren't marketed to the Guitar Afficionado crowd the way that PRS and Gibson collector editions are. I have a friend whose dad, a big-shot DC lawyer, is a major PRS and Gibson collector; apparently, there's a whole sector of guys like that out there, who often don't even play guitar at all, who buy these ridiculous flame-and-inlay guitars purely for speculative purposes. It's reminiscent of nothing so much as the boom in "deluxe" sports trading cards in the early 1990s--and we all know how that turned out. BTW, I kinda wonder how well Private Stock PRSes will hold their value over time, in a world where even dubious late-'70s Fenders are worth now what pre-CBS instruments were 20 years ago.

The SAS and Mahogany Special are gorgeous guitars. I love big, grainy ash (as you can see from my avatar).
 
rusholmeruffian said:
I thought about this, but the more "deluxe" Fenders or the various Ibanez Prestige models aren't marketed to the Guitar Afficionado crowd the way that PRS and Gibson collector editions are. I have a friend whose dad, a big-shot DC lawyer, is a major PRS and Gibson collector; apparently, there's a whole sector of guys like that out there, who often don't even play guitar at all, who buy these ridiculous flame-and-inlay guitars purely for speculative purposes. It's reminiscent of nothing so much as the boom in "deluxe" sports trading cards in the early 1990s--and we all know how that turned out. BTW, I kinda wonder how well Private Stock PRSes will hold their value over time, in a world where even dubious late-'70s Fenders are worth now what pre-CBS instruments were 20 years ago.

The SAS and Mahogany Special are gorgeous guitars. I love big, grainy ash (as you can see from my avatar).
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I hear what your saying. On the other hand, if I could figure out how to make ridiculously expensive item to market to folks who would buy them just to have them I would.
 
reverend1 said:
I hear what your saying. On the other hand, if I could figure out how to make ridiculously expensive item to market to folks who would buy them just to have them I would.
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A lot of the custom acoustic makers end up making their living off of these guys. I spent a couple years on an acoustic guitar user group and there were multiple guys on there who owned twenty or thirty custom built acoustics from one man shops or smaller custom makers and since the build wait time is often two to four years they will have another three or four or order at any given time. When a new builder starts to get a good reputation in the acoustic community they will then get dozens of orders from theses guys since they need to try different size and wood combos from each maker (at $4000.00 plus per guitar).
 
I love the way they look. Probably the best looking factory guitar made IMO. I've played a few in stores and really haven't been very impressed with either the sound or playability. Most recently it was a CE with the low E string flopping off the edge and a neck that was way too thin for me. Before that it was a McCarthy that was, I thought, a little nondescript in the sound dept. Still, pretty sure they're great guitars if you get the right one.
 
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