Bought My Dream Guitar...It didn't go well!
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- Опубліковано 2 сер 2024
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In this video, Ben talks about the old adage "You should never meet your heroes!" But what does that have to do with Guitars?
#dailyguitardraw #crimsonguitars #guitarteardown #prsguitars #electricguitars #bencrowe
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:13 The reality often doesn't match the dream. What Ben loves and hates about the PRS!
9:21 The dilemma with 'guitar acquisition syndrome'........
10:46 Ben doesn't want one guitar that has everything - that's overkill!
12:38 Ben's versions of the PRS build over the years.
14:19 You can own this guitar - Daily Guitar Draw -- dailyguitardraw.com/
15:26 Except - classical guitarists play only one guitar it seems.
18:16 Conclusion
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I'm starting to think that there is more enjoyment in looking for the next guitar than actually buying it😅
And playing it!
There… you have found real wisdom.
that's nothing new.
The power of unobtainium...
There have been times were I have bought a guitar and loved having it then sold it two or three days later. The purchase at times has definitely been more exciting then the ownership.
Single guitar person here!
I've been playing for 25 years now, and over the years, I've refined my tastes in what I like and don't like in an instrument.
In 2021, Richard from Indra Guitar built me a bespoke instrument and I haven't felt the GAS syndrome since.
The more I look at it, the more I feel like the electric guitar is the just interface. Now that I have one that looks good and plays extremely well for my personal tastes, I don't feel like I need another one, ever. If I need to change my sound, I would more likely change my pedalboard.
To make an analogy, the guitar is the mouse/keyboard, the pedals and amps are the software. I only own one mouse and keyboard, but I use multiple software according to my needs and what I'm trying achieve.
Unless you just play for pleasure, you really only need 2 guitars. 3 if you want an acoustic. One to play, and one back up if that one breaks mid gig/session.
The PRS core line has developed so much since this edition. That doesn't mean you'll like a newer one any better but they are different and don't have the same issues. I have a Custom 22 with the pattern regular neck carve - best neck shape for me personally. There are so many variations out there.
For what I recall Custom 22 never came with the regular neck. Only pattern or pattern thin... For me I feel comfortable with the regular and the wide fat I have in my 2005 standard and 1998 ce. It's a shame they don't offer more choices of neck profiles like they used to do before...
Almost two years have gone by since I used everything I learned watching you to build my own guitar. I haven't seriously played another instrument since. When I do, they feel sterile and the necks are weird. Maybe my neck is weird, definitely not a standard shape, but it is by far the most comfortable neck I have ever grasped. When I carved it, I carved it to fit my hand. The only GAS I've had has been to build another with a few refinements from the original and a different body style. I still have six other guitars that sit in their cases and only get pulled out to remind me why I like the one I made so much. This was the first, and so far the only guitar I have made. Yesterday I purchased two truss rods and a few more tools. I have been itching to build again since I finished the last. I got some incredible rosewood and Paduak sp? to make fretboards, enough for three... Here we go!
Just curious , what do you mean by carving the neck to fit your own hand?
Is the neck slimmer/thicker than standard? Or does it have a groove in for your thumb? Or something else?
I got a -91 PRS Standard 24. I just love it. It’s been in the family from new. Hundreds of gigs. Nothing has been repared, just new string now and then, and some cleaning. Not even truss rod hasn’t been adjusted. There’s never been no need. It just works, and is always in tune. And feels and sounds amazing. Going to keep it for another 30 years.
It's odd isn't it? I acquired a PRS core Mira about 6 months ago, the honestly wasn't my dream guitar in any way, and I wasn't particularly drawn to PRS before, but this guitar has become my new #1. You can never tell.
It's all about the inspiration you feel when it's in your hands. There's no feeling like being inspired by a new Guitar, you play better, for longer, and what you play has more effect on you. It's magic. I also think it's only partly about the guitar itself, often it's how your mind shapes the experience for you and if your experience isn't fully positive, you pick holes in everything and subsequently feel little to no inspiration. All you can do is move on and get something else.
You’re speaking my language brother. On the acoustic scene. Been drooling over a Taylor K22ce V-Class for years. Finally pulled the trigger - spending 3x more than I ever have on a guitar in the last 25 years. Nearly cried when I opened it - so gorgeous. Spent the next few months wondering if something was wrong with ME! Sweetwater saved my life and allowed an exchange well outside the standard window.
I bought a 1998 PRS all mohogany body, standard. It's been my work horse ever since. It gave me more than I needed from the start. I've grown as a player, and my comprehension of what I like/dislike in a guitar has too. I still love my PRS but I completely understand realizing your tastes develop over time. I think that's why PRS continues to develop and refine what they do. We all do its a part of growing. That guitar is a snapshot in time of the PRS journey, which is still going. Thanks for sharing!
I also think that PRS were struggling through the early-1990's in transitioning from low-volume to much higher output. A decade later most of the issues raised had been resolved.
Maaaaan I’m so with you. Dreamt years to buy one, got a fantastic looking and playing 408, and sold few months after buying it.
I totally get it. I bought a core 594 single cut after wanting it for ages. I got it and it was beautiful. Fit and finish, impeccable. I just couldn't fall in love with it. I bough an ESP eii and it's a forever guitar.
It's not weird what happened to you. Sometimes the same thing happens with people (hence the advice "don't meet your idols"). In any case, come across new instruments, or build them; It's always a good thing, because it changes our perspectives. I make guitars as a hobby. I always thought that Gibson manufactured with better quality and design than Fender. I had to make a Les Paul and a Telecaster with my own hands, to realize the genius of Leo Fender to simplify shapes and processes; and in any case deliver instruments with which epic songs have been made. Thanks for the channel. Thank you for your videos and teachings. Greetings from Argentina.
I'm so glad you've posted this video, I was becoming really concerned with my need to buy "just one more guitar", I thought I was alone and now I know there's more of us out there, thank you so much. 😆
So funny I ran across this video. I just put a guitar up on Reverb I bought a few days ago. It was something I had been coveting for 2 years and when it was finally in my hands I just knew I didn't love it, and I wouldn't ever love it. Perfect instrument not a flaw on it, I had just built it up in my mind that this was going to be 'the one'. I've been a 'serial guitar buyer' for the last few years and now I am also looking for just one or two guitars for life. Found one, still searching for the second. I always enjoy your videos sir. Thanks for doing what you do!
Had 3 prs guitars.. on my 4th an sc58. Want to love them but always end up back at my telecaster. Totally agree with you.. different guitars speak to different people. Awesome video.
What a topic! Haha!
I made my first guitar 12 years ago that I designed to do more or less everything I wanted. I love that thing and it's my number one for sure.
That comes with two problems:
1) It's not perfect. The neck is bought and not made so I'd actually like to have something more custom to my taste, but the current neck does feel good and thus is part of why I love that guitar. I'd like a little more output from the pickups and they look ugly, but the sound fantastic so I don't wanna change either. The oak body is absurdly heavy but again: It sounds so good I don't want to change it.
2) I still own around 50 guitars or so because I like so many different guitar styles and sounds. Steelstrings, nylonstrings, 12-strings, sitar-saddles, strange pickups, Nashville tuning, different constructions, 7-strings, etc. All flavors I do use very often and although I have my number one and I could live with only having that one, I would thoroughly miss all the others.
Another problem I have is that while I'm a better builder now my first guitar is still the best playing and sounding one. I can't seem to top it (yet)! I'm still trying though...
You're right about those older tuners. They are pain. I've played many PRS's over the years. I finally found the one - a core 594 SC. It was by chance - as the store manager showed it to me and initially I did not like the color, but when I played it I knew. Only change I made was swapping out the bridge pup for a 57/08. Love this guitar!
I think this is an exercise in object relations. I've been through all sorts of feelings after buying my SG and eventually after 3 years (after putting on some open pick up covers and changing the knobs) I've come to know and appreciate it. It's not perfect, but then nothing is.
Hey Ben. Years ago I - like you - obsessed for quite some time over the sheer beauty of PRS. I eventually pulled the trigger and bought a PRS SE custom 24 (30th anniversary edition).
Its has a beautiful figured maple top in a kind of orange burst. It's stunning. But when it arrived and began to play it... Same exact thing, I am not in love with it. It doesn't sound or feel like I had expected or hoped for.
I forced myself to give it some time to see if it would grow on me.... though it never did. I even attempted to trade it in at Guitar Center once but they offered me only a fraction of what I had initially paid. So now it sits, a beautiful wall piece that rarely gets played... Part of why I got interested in making my own.
I have an esp ltd f10 that ive had around 12 year, i routed the body for a floyd bridge, upgraded the pickups and i love it, the other six guitars were sold as they just never got played
Had the same experience, wanted a Custom 24 for many years, finally bought one, and it just never became “my” guitar. It was beautiful, it was incredible made and it sounded good, but had the same experience as you, just not for me (I also hated the locking tuners 😂). So, I sold it and got a Fender Telemaster and absolutely love it.
The One guitar for me was my first electric. A Squier Stagemaster, it just feels good instantly. Like a glove. Doesn't stop me from getting more though. Found a London City comet that I fell in love with, that has almost the same effect.
Finding one guitar that you like doesn't mean you can't keep collecting them and finding more guitars that really vibe with you.
I have the 7 string Stagemaster and the integrity of the neck and fingerboard is like something from a much more expensive guitar, I mean really surprisingly good. They stopped producing them so I kind of have to hold onto it.
When I was about 15 years old, I saw an ad in a guitar magazine showing Paul Stanley holding one of his Ibanez PS signature guitars. The cream and abalone binding around the glossy black paint, the pearl/abalone inlays, the chrome hardware, and that crazy yet beautiful Iceman body shape... I fell in love. I couldn't afford one though, so it just remained a dream. He left Ibanez for Washburn in the late 90s, and I never really thought of it much after that. Fast forward to 2015 and I walked into a local guitar shop. Hanging on the wall was my dream guitar, albeit a newer version as he had just returned to Ibanez. All those feelings came rushing back and I bought it after only playing it for a few minutes. I still have it, but, it's the guitar I play the least. I never really bonded with it, sadly. It's not a bad guitar at all, as it plays well and it's quite comfortable to play sitting down. But it's just not for me. I don't have the heart to get rid of it because I feel like I bought that for my younger self, so there it remains on the wall behind me, next to guitars that I play far more frequently. Perhaps one day I will let it go.
Funnily enough I have my dream guitar, the one for me! It's a PRS hollowbody 2 and I am rapidly wearing it out; in fact I expect I'll be bringing it to you to to sort out the trenches in the frets! You my too fall in love with it, who knows!
In my guitar journey I started by playing a friend and family acoustic, got the bug for the strung instrument and got to try a friends electric before I was purchasing. First personally owned instrument was a red and white Fender Squire Strat with Frontman 15G package (I plan to cut the power head off the cab and make a mini stack head out of it, will include some pedal circuits and controls on the face for built in effects and a loop in the back). Got good fast, was upgraded to a Burgundy metal flake Cort X6 with floyd rose floating trem and a Kustom DFX-30 amp. Learned a lot about how they're made and whats important and got into classical to understand fundamentals and history, enter the Beaver Creek single cut nylon. Shortly afterwards I enjoyed the shorter scale length and grabbed myself the "most capable" do everything guitar, A Epiphone Nightfall arch top les paul with EMG hz passive pickups, floating floyd rose double locking system, coil taps, its heavy, thick, and perfect. Paired that with the Behringer GMX212 amp and I haven't had a need to go bigger. Then I got the impulse for a round back acoustic Ovation, and I got one, and its got electronics and side mounted tuner/eq interface and its great, the sound is amazing, but its a bit of a finger biter, I could probably adjust the action slightly but back then I wouldn't. I gave it a headstock rash one adventurous night and have fear of hurting it further so it stays home safe. Stepped into a pawn shop and got a discount on a chip and scratch older Jackson Dinky with the same EMG hz pickups in it as my Ephiphone Nightfall and solid tail string thru body but you can see in the finish's reflection the wings of the body glued onto a neck thru piece with the smoothest heel area. Its almost a soloist, almost. I fixed the chip and scratch finish, the wiring, and it had foil in the output socket, its great and is the flattest fastest shredding machine I have. My friend got himself a (with the U ) Gibsun from China and it was short scale 7/8 size but 22 frets and it would bend strings forever and was gentle on the fingers. With the want for a travel acoustic for campfire and nephews, I found the Enya Nova Go and grabbed the electronic-less version and am SUPER impressed with how nice it plays. It did require a setup for bridge height but the shorter scale and 0 fret makes the tension and action so low that it feels easier to fret and play than my Epiphone Nightfall electric guitar. I still have all of them. I'm still on the first set of strings for the Enya but it will go everywhere without fear, Have had years on the Epiphone and its my baby and its dirty, would switch off to the Jackson for alternative tuning and that double stop with bend root note stability, played more metal on a classical than anyone should, bust out the Ovation whenever the power goes out or previously camping/outdoor hangouts, and have resigned the Cort, Beaver Creek, and Squire to the rack for the up and coming fam if they show interest. I had always wanted a floating bridge headless travel guitar tho. A one piece stick with string clamped neckstock plate, all the tension and tuning done at the bridge, no keys or tools required would be nice (knurled thumb screws, bridge spring tension adjustment wheel, cam locking string anchors, truss rod wheel beside bridge pickup behind fretboard), 2 pickups (possibly blind behind the very small Top, limited option to make it look good), and a small rod attached body outer (knee/arm/strap button/double neck 12 or bass) if wanted. Kind of like a wingless Hohner G2. Hardware was always the issue with that idea. Nobody had it, and if they did sell something that would work, it would be waiting lists and nearly $1000.
Perfectly understandable if it's not for you. PRS have fantastic build quality, they're great guitars, but they have a style, they feel and sound a certain way and that's not what everyone wants. For me, when I first picked up my S2 Custom 24 it was perfection. I wasn't sure if I would like it, it had a rounder radius than most guitars I own, a very different neck profile, a different scale length to what I'm used to, but for me all of those things came together to add up to a great playing guitar. It's reliable, it has the best trem I've ever used, the best volume/tone pots, and the pickups and tuners are as good as anything I've ever used. Even so, I could completely understand someone else disliking it. Different strokes for different folks.
Think it's worth saying that's a much older PRS though, and a lot of the features you complained about have changed subsequently for exactly the reasons you pointed out. PRS actually moves on where a lot of guitar companies don't, which is admirable.
The Guitars I love are the ones I have put myself into. For context I am a run a repair shop. My first fav guitar is an ibanez SA series, I got it when i was 15 and was never afraid to tinker until it was mine, it's been thrashed and I love it. My partscaster telecaster is another favourite, a vintage harmony that I X braced is possibly my desert island guitar, and my strat which I resprayed and refretted with stainless steel. I never 'loved' those guitars before working on them, but afterwards, now they're inseperable to me.
I totally understand, the concepts of building up something in your mind. And if not meeting your expectations when you finally get it. Which is probably why I’m not completed my concept guitar. Sincerely, your fellow luthier.
Wanted a prs for years played a few they were all good. I bought one and I love it. Special 22 HSH wide fat. Fantastic
I've managed to find this in my Fender 70s Hot Rod Jazz bass - it's the only one I reach for and the only bass related GAS I get is towards a short scale Mustang bass - purely because I'm a massive Mustang fan.
However guitar wise I couldn't whittle myself down to one really nice guitar. I still have my dream 69-74 Fender Red Competition Mustang in my head, but I couldn't just stick with one because as you touched upon, I need different things for different scenarios. I have come across guitars that really work for me though, and I'm happy with what I have currently (just happen to have an MIJ Competition Mustang that scratches THAT itch).
I’ve had about 30 guitars over the past 15 or so years, but for the past 10 one of those has remained constant whilst a few others have rotated out. It’s a Lindo LDG-7x with upgraded hardware and a Seymour Duncan Nazgul sentient set. It does everything I need for a gigging and recording guitar. Versatile tone, stable tuning, intonation and action that fits me well. It doesn’t have all the frills I’ve had on some of the others, with Floyd roses, locking tuners, graphite nuts, but it’s a workhorse guitar that feels great to play and I keep going back to over any of my others.
I had a 90's CE24 and I don't think it was anywhere near my 2013 and on PRS' They got better with all the tweaks Paul kept making. Love my little PRS collection. They showed me the light after owning many Gibson's. FYI a standard is all mahogany, you have a custom (maple top).
I just bought my PRS Tremonti 10 top. It was and is my dream guitar it fits me so well and sounds so amazing. But completely understand things not fitting for each person individual. The phase III locking tuners are amazing.
I had the same outcome many times over the last few years. Charvels, Jacksons, etc. Now one I was not disappointed and exactly as I remember was the Les Paul Custom Lite from 89. Still a wonderful guitar and perfect the way I remembered it. A couple big surprises to me were Fernandes Japan guitars. The FGZ in particular with the licensed trem is possibly the most comfortable guitar I have played.
You've made some fascinating points in this video Ben! The one thing that I might add, is that PRS have evolved past almost all of the things you criticised in this video. That Crimson Scion is stunning! A fair comparison would have been a PRS wood library, not a 1997 Standard!
I am a one guitar guy. I’m the same with motorcycles. Been playing bass and guitar since I was 15, and now I’m 47. Had a precision copy, bass collection, GS1, Yamaha sg200, fender prodigy( still have it) Spector 6 string bass, and my latest one is my old beloved Gould surfrider bass that I converted into a Baritone. Had to give up bass due to a failed back operation and due to being disabled and off work, couldn’t afford a baritone for my band. (Drop A, the fender just couldn’t cope) and I’m absolutely sunned and amazed that it made an absolutely fantastic guitar. I think because the Gould was my number one bass for over 20 years, I recognise the feel. So if I were to get another instrument, it would be a backup for this. I keep looking at short scale basses to convert now though, this has given me the confidence to have another go. Epiphone eb0 might be the next victim.
The way the intro led into your montage intro had me worried from the start.
"This WAS my dream guitar....burn it."
Similar reaction to a PRS SE Custom Quilt 24, I traded it for a SE Hollowbody II and absolutely love it. Fatter neck, knobs in a better position, Ebony board, 22 frets and 58/15 pups give it a much improved tone, top notch quality. Only drawback is no trem. Its super comfortable and inspiring.
I did the same with a 2018 Paul Reed Smith Santana, played probably 25 hours on it and sold it. The guitars that I owned and made me sing were a 1966 Gibson 335 Trapeze & rectangular markers, my 1969 Fender Stratocaster Arctic White with maple neck, an 1996 Epiphone Emperor Joe Pass Signature and my baby for the moment is a Univox Matsumoku made 1959 Les Paul JR Special (Dual Dog Ears P90) that I bought for $100.00 CDN ($75.00 US). At one point, I had 18 guitars and sold 12 of those I would cherish for their legendary shapes, colors and beauty and kept those that I was one with.
Great vid. Hated my first PRS, didn't play another for years. Now I own several - love them all. Still, my Strat is #1 just for comfort. The guitar I lusted after as a kid was a Les Paul. Now I find them clunky and uncomfortable to play sitting down. There is no one guitar to rule them all. You don't need to be a guitar monogomist!
Same here, I LOVE how slick PRS necks are, but that lack of soul rumor hangs around for a reason
I get this completely. I absolutely craved a fender jaguar which I bought a Japanese re-issue with my first job. I couldn’t get on with the thin sound of it and was so disappointed. I also bought a lovely vintage 335 which I realised I was too scared to really enjoy playing, but I was so pleased to discover that the one guitar I’ve listed after all my life, the gretsch white falcon turned out to be the most amazing guitar that was more Versatile than I could have imagined.
Ive owned two custom 24, and were great however watching Crimson videos led to constructing a workshop and building a ‘Es295’. There is nothing finer than a guitar you built yourself for you!
i bought a new dream PRS McCarty 594 (core) in Orange Tiger in February. It's beautiful and completely Perfect.... too Perfect. It seems there's point where perfection comes at the cost of personality. I feel the same way you do about your PRS. It has the coveted 85/15LT core pick ups in it. I don't like them. I want to put 57/08 pickups in it, but it feels like I'm doing something wrong. I put it up for sale on Reverb this week. Contrarily, I bought my other dream guitar a Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul 1959 M2M. I'm completely in love with that guitar.
I have a custom 24, bought it last year as I had wanted one for 20 years. I love it, it feels like it’s mine.
I was like you but with the BC Rick Mockingbird. I have loved them since the late 70's when I first saw one in a magazine ad. Then one of the local guitar shops got several in. Of course they were "do not touch" top shelf instruments at that time. Thru the 80's they came out with a more production level build and i finally got to play one. Like you said it was like meeting your hero and learning they were mere mortals.
Anyway over the decades when ever I was in a music store I had to grab one for a few minutes and mess around a bit while I had the opportunity. Having that intimate knowledge of what they felt like and how they sounded I was pretty familiar with them. Long story short (not) I was traveling for work and happened to go into a Guitar Center in Texas of all places. The instant I picked up the one I now own I knew it was "the one" the neck felt cool to the touch like it chilled like wine. As i slid my hand up to the headstock while getting it off the wall I noticed no feeling at all of the frets. along the side.with the binding and fretwork better done for a production model than normal. It was noticeably heavier then most I had ever played. that seemed to come into play when I plugged it in It sounded more warm (we know that was more pickup and amp but at that time ...) It did however sustain much better than many guitars I played that day.
By the time I had to go to work that evening I had purchased the guitar and made arrangements to have it shiped from that store to the one closest to my home for no extra cost. that way it was waiting for me when I rotated home for me time off. between new locations. It got some much needed love after I learned how to do frets during GGBO 21 and it plays better than it ever has. I even managed to add a Floyd rose FRX to it and set that up properly. (except for getting that tiny locking ball to keep up with weather changes on its own)
I've had the same experience with PRS and I owned a couple core ones. I had the same issues that you have with yours until I bought my double-cut 594. My gas was cured by that antique white, natural mahogany back 594. Sometimes it's the actual guitar itself, not the model. My custom 24 25th anniversary wasn't for me (wide-thin neck, 24 frets, etc.) but my 594 is. I literally stopped looking at guitars online which I had never done before in my life ans I haven't done it, with the intention of buying one at least, since.
I’m about in the same boat. I’m a bass player, and for 20 years I wanted a Fender American Deluxe Precision V. I finally found one at a price I could afford, and at first I was over the moon.
Over time, though, the honeymoon phase ended and I started to see how it doesn’t quite seem right for me. I’ve tried different types of strings, tried it for different types of music, and while it is a very nice instrument, it’s not quite what I had built it up in my head to be.
I think I’m about to sell it, but they’re not in production anymore and I’m worried about the regret setting in if I do let it go.
My whole reason getting into building guitars was the wish to play as many different guitars as possible to find my dream guitar. After having built a few I realized that there won't be a single dream guitar for me. The journey of birthing them however turned out was the actual dream I followed without realizing at first :-) let there be sawdust Thank you Bun and team for being great guides along my journey
I was just playing my 1986 Standard a few minutes ago. It's a great guitar. You may want to immerse yourself in yours for a couple of weeks and see if you change your mind.
I’ve got 5 PRS guitars, and honestly love every single one. I do understand though that it’s all subjective. This was very well done, Ben. You pointed out what you liked, and were honest with your critiques without ever presenting these critiques as objective facts.
my first guitar had a bad fret, bought it with my job working money around age 12 or 13. the guitar that replaced it a year later was what i really learned on, and later recorded most of 7 albums with. played it from age 13 to my mid thirties before i owned any other electric guitar (except another bad fret guitar i gave away to a restorer, and some junk parts left over form a microtone experiment made out of a junker, which i tried to turn into a synth guitar ) . so my first guitar started out as a cheap plywood strat copy, then i botched the floyd rose install on it so it never whammied much or stayed in tune, and i put in some emg humbuckers all crooked. i really loved that guitar, and my crate amp had electrical problems so i modded the input to be quieter and have more treble to counter balance the humbuckers. i thought it sounded great, never found myself tone chasing. only changed my strings when they broke, sometimes i tuned my computer to the guitar because the tuning was so wonky. i never had much money to chase gear so i would just get whatever cheap computers and tape machines and dub back and forth between as needed. no sound deadening panels, no microphone stands, just making music.
now my main guitar is a first act strat copy i got at the thrift for 30 dollars, i had to change the pickups because they didn't really work, and i put in 15 dollar used single coils. i have a 5.375 inch neck extension on it, so it plays in 16 tone per octave (uneventone, just uses 12 tone fret positions ). and now i love playing that. it has really high action and i love how it helps me play staccato.
i now have several cheap guitars, that are mostly for microtone, macrotone, and single string separated output experiments. i do not re-fret anything, i just move the bridge in whatever way works. cheap hot rail humbucker pickups make great single string single coils when they are turned sideways.
I'm so sorry to hear that you don't love that PRS! But I totally understand. Sometimes you just build a guitar up in your mind so much that when you get it, it can't possibly live up to the expectation. I'm a giant PRS fan. I own an SE Custom 24 from 2020 and it's an unbelievably amazing guitar. Now, I have swapped out many of the imported parts for the Maryland-made components, and added a couple of my own modifications, but right away, it was perfect for me. I still dream of getting one of the Core Custom 24s, but I absolutely love my SE.
The modifications I've made to my SE Custom 24 are as follows:
PRS locking tuners
Maryland-made PRS 85/15 pickups
PRS 5-way super switch
Mann Made USA PRS tremolo assembly (John Mann was the designer and manufacturer of the original PRS tremolo system)
Fender coated tremolo springs
Push/push tone potentiometer (In my opinion, the push/push pots are infinitely better than the push/pull pots. Especially if your control knobs are particularly slick)
Orange Drop Capacitors
Dunlop Strap Locks
I also had the frets Plek'd. The fretwork was amazing to start, but I was very curious about the Plek'd system and it lives up to the hype in my opinion.
I've been thinking about sanding off the finish on the neck, but I haven't convinced myself that I need to do that yet.
I had a similar thing recently with a Gibson Les Paul Custom.
I just didn't like playing it that much, and am currently in the process of sending it back.
My wife bought me a Suhr MK1 in amber with a carved top, it's literally the nicest carve I've ever seen, as soon as I held the guitar it felt like I'd owned it for years, since that point I've hardly played any of my other guitars.
When you know you know.
Great channel.
Know exactly where you are coming from. I've had a few PRSs over the years but there was just something about them that just never quite "fit" for me took me a while to admit that as I was a complete fan boy of them and was in denial...
I had a similar but not exactly the same experience as you. My main guitar had always been an Ibanez RG570 from about 1991. Bought it in 92 did a couple of mods to fit a multibucker and microswitch to coil tap it and then played it as my main guitar for just under 30 years. It's pretty beat up now but still plays brilliantly and I'll never part with it.
I was made redundant after working for a company for 20 years and got a great redundancy package. I found a job within a month and consequently had a chunk of free money to blow.
Like you I'd always wanted a PRS Custom 24. I looked at the price of new ones but I couldn't justify it to myself and so set about looking for a second had one on Reverb. I found a beuatiful emerald green 2001 ten top with a bit of cosmetic damage to the back of the neck. Nothing serious. It was still expensive but I could justify it to myself.
I bought it and it arrived and I played it and while it felt really good and easy to play and sounded amazing it just wasn't as amazing as I'd hoped it would be.
I decided I'd probably built it up too much in my own head for it to live up to my idea of it.
I'd spent a ton of money on it so I decided to persist and play it as my main guitar for a few months and see if we bonded. I'm happy to say that yes we did. It was a slower burn than I expected but now I understand the quality of these guitars. It does sound amazing. It is easy to play. The tuning stability is far better than it has any right to be. And the looks are always inspiring.
All in all I'm glad I took the plunge and it will be my goto guitar in almost every situation now. My RG570 still has the faster neck so if I'm playing any shredtastic nonsense it fits better but other than that the PRS fits the bill.
I hope you persist a bit longer with your guitar - They are a slow burn and they have no standout features other than being super competent at literally everything.
Love the channel.
Luv and Peace.
i went through this last year. my obsession with Tool, had gotten me fascinated with finally owning a Les Paul. I was looking at images on the internet, watching videos of Adam playing, and reading and watching reviews. until one day, I went to guitar center, to play a few. within one minute of sitting down with one, all of that I had buiilt up in my mind, was gone. I immediately returned to being a teenager, and the first time I tried to play a Les Paul. I never liked the ergonomics of them, the weight, the bridge so high off the body, and on and on.
I will confess that the Dragon 1 has been a dream guitar, since its release. however, this was based upon experience. I was lucky enough to have played one, and that was my first exposure to PRS guitars.
The main thing I look for when buying new guitars is the shape/comfort of the neck, and I'll change everything that I don't like. Obviously I want the body shape and finish to be to my liking as well, but as long as it looks good and feels nice to play then the rest is easily changeable. I rarely sell guitars either, so by modifying them they always end up being to my liking.
For example, when I bought my Flying V the first thing I did was swap the Influence pickups for EMGs. I also swapped the switch and volume knob positions as I wanted switch>volume>tone not volume>switch>tone. I finally I moved the strap button to better balance the guitar when standing, I tend to always put Grover machine heads on most guitars I buy also, unless they come as standard.
Having spent 10 years working in guitar shops, I've played and setup many many guitars, and personally most guitars that come out of the factory are never usually to my liking. It's a personal thing so I just make them my own. Plus it is fun to do!
Agreed on the PRS neck. I walked into CME after lusting over a Vela for about too years. I held it for about 20 seconds and put it back on the rack. The neck profile at the 1st fret just didn’t feel right. I ended up walking out with my second Eastman SB59 because I love that neck profile so much.
My comment on only one guitar, I have a lot of guitars all to try and find "the one" but,, another nod to you as a builder POV, the one I can always grab and have immediate inspiration is the Warmoth frankenstrat I built , it's honestly been trial and error with it evolving over the years but it's always sounded great and always felt great
I got a PRS S2 Standard (the ones with the matte finish) in 2017 and couldn't believe how well-made it is, with subtle and clever updates on little things like the tuners, trem, and electronics that are genuine improvements over the standard Fender/Gibson-style parts you see on nearly every other guitar. I think the S2s are an improvement over the more traditional PRSes with the thick poly finishes on them -- with what we know now about thinner finishes, I'm not surprised that the old Standard models with layers upon layers of poly feel "dead" or uninspiring. Besides, it just looks sexy AF. This is my "one guitar" for big rawknroll and fluid lead soloing, and for what it is, it's excellent. I generally prefer Fender-style pickups in guitars, so my *next* "one guitar" will probably be a Strat style thing of some kind -- I like the Music Man Cutlass Nitros and the new Charvel customs.
I've owned a fender squire, black and white, (first guitar), an Epiphone Les Paul light sunburst with two push pulls, a reissue fender Jagstang ( Kurt Cobain style guitar) seafoam blue, An American Telecaster black, chrome with raw maple neck, and then the Ed Roman Baker B1 (Not confused with the original Baker guitars) with a smoked grey burlwood top in a coffin case lined in dark purple diamond stitching. The last was the one I want to get back, and regret getting rid of, as it's rare and hard to find, and just fell in love with, and at home with, even the custom coffin case.
I traded all my guitars as well. Which was fun talking and jamming with other guitar players.
Not the most extensive list, but it's interesting to experiment and see what different guitars feel and sound like and the moods they can put you in.
So, no not one guitar for life. But maybe there is a one guitar you know you'll never part with, if not a few.
That Baker B1 with the coffin case was that for me. But I will always love to play and own other guitars.
For me, I have a fleet of guitars precisely because they are different. You approach how you play them entirely differently. I've had guitars that didn't do everything I wanted them to, but that's OK, there's another one that does.
Same here.
I own a really nice and versatile collection (I'm not a collector, though) and I love and use them all - depending on what I'm doing or trying to go for.
Some are kept fully original, others modified to suit my needs or do something I didn't have before. None are what you might call collector's items. Their value to me is usually far higher than what they'd do on Reverb or what I paid for them... 🤣🤣
At some point I will sell those I use the least (I need the space), but that's going to be a really tough process...
I absolutely agree,also customising a little. I love having different guitars for different things. I have a Les Paul (classic worn Epiphone) love the worn finish and just the sound,a black MIM Fender Player series which I put a black pick guard with Jeff Beck pickups in and also two Dime guitars. The base model ML which led onto the Dime-O-Flame....iam not gonna modify them haha. I got the 60s Epiphone Standard before the Classic Worn but I didn't particularly like the sound so I stripped it and got a sander too it....that was like 6 months ago but I'll get too it one day too turn it into a custom hard rock/metal guitar.
Oh yeah and a cheap SG knockoff that I actually keep forgetting about that's in the back shed. I still have at least two more guitars that I want but like many storage...ugh.
Four amps probably doesn't help haha
Generalization versus specialization - anything that is remotely good will be specialized not generalized, sure it may be passable but through generalization you lose the ability to excel at any one thing. That is the reason why there are signature models.
I usually buy the cheaper versions of guitars I have wanted and sell them down the road . I've had a Korean washburn hb 335 that I bought for 275 and sold for 800 on Reverb. Also a 72 strat that I never really liked much I bought in 70s that I sold for 4000. A dillion tele I bought for 300 and sold for 650 and mex tele I bought for 300 and sold for 750 . A epiphone 175 premium I bought for 425 and sold for 1250 . Most of these were sold during covid . Ended up buying a 2019 Les paul standard for 1700 and a 2021 60s figured es335 for 2200 . My wife also bought me a 2019 American elite tele for around 1200 that was a customer return back in 2000 . Also have a 2017 sg standard , gibson es137 and a Dano electric 12 string . On the acoustic side I have a j45 standard , prs parlor ,seagull 12 string , washburn dobro , goodtime banjo and takamine ef341sc .lm always buying and selling and think I've done alright . I actually play all these guitars ,some more than others ,depending what type of music I'm into at the time . I really think I'm satisfied with what I have now and have nothing listed on Reverb.
Totally feel you on this one, Brother.
However, with time I found mine. It just turned out to be three, not counting the two electric/acoustics,lol. 🙏🎸
I love mine! Variety of tones. Once I bought a cheap Epiphone Les Paul … upgraded the pickups to the same Seymour Duncans as my Ibanezes and … it sounded just like the Ibanez! You’ve just got to love things for what they really are.
The "One" instrument is the Tele! (Love the video Ben.) (Beautiful sunburst finish on that guitar, compliments to the finish guy.)
I ended up with a Peavey Predator as my first guitar when I was 13 (I'm 45 now) and it took a long time for me to appreciate it as a unique instrument. At the time, it felt 'not quite like a strat' and I lusted over 'real' strats, and teles, les pauls, etc. But now that I've played a few other guitars, I feel like I can appreciate it more. It sounds somewhat unique, its bigger, its kind of scrappy. Its a forever guitar. Funny how the limitations you have to accept when you are younger become a part of you, and later in life you wouldn't trade them for anything.
holy crap....it has happened the same to me, I have a Peavey predator 1991 USA red... i have buy another good guitars (tele, duo sonic,cyclone,lp studio)..... the bloody Peavey still being my no 1....of course I updated pick ups (tex mex and seymour HB) ... it feels great at playing... the tone.... (unpluged) is so friendly and inspiring to me....anyway
It is for this exact reason that I am afraid to finally play my dream PRS. A PRS Tremonti. Every time I go to the guitar store it is always a story of "literally sold our last one yesterday" or "a guy just bought our last one 30 minutes ago". It's like owning a unicorn, the fantasy is more than the reality. I will get one at some point, but damn are they expensive!
I felt this pain last year. ESP Custom Eclipse was sold in under a year from purchase. What an amazing guitar it was, but I just couldn't get comfortable with the feel of playing it. I sold it for very-very low price to a young ripper that wouldn't have been able to afford such a guitar for a long time. His smile and holding back of tears made said pain immediately vanish.
I have had 20 or so PRS guitars over the years. All of them custom 24. I get one, it's beautiful but just playing it. No life, no soul and off it goes eventually. Then after a while I just see one that is so beautiful and I need it. Then I can't stand playing it. There are 2 PRS I have and have had that I love and play and will keep. The Limited Edition Artust V. This guitar is a custom 24 in everyday but the pickups. This guitar has such a soul and life. Then I have a PRS custom 24 with a floyd rose. Again beautiful and love how it plays but hated how it sounded. So I put in Suhr DSV pickups. Not a normal pickup but one of my favorites. Slightly hotter PAF sound but very clear and slotted on each string. This brought the guitar to life.
I’ve had the same guitar since 1989, sort of.
As of a few weeks ago the only original part of it is the body. I just installed a new neck with a 54mm nut, fulfilling a desire I’ve had for as long as I’ve played electric.
I’m not sure I really count as “being happy with one guitar” given all the modifications I’ve done. But my desire is to have a single instrument that does what I want it to and no production model has all those things.
I am very, very close to being finished with adding new neck. I think. There’s nothing in how I play and the music that I create that I can’t achieve now. There are little details to improve like a better nut but the broad strokes are finally all there.
And it feels great. Seriously. For the first time in decades I’m not thinking “I really wish my guitar did this” and/or “how the hell will I play that” and so on. It makes me really, really happy to be so close to just getting on with playing after thinking about the instrument for so long.
Will I someday have another desire for a thing that my guitar won’t do in its current form? Maybe. But I’m 56 and give how long I’ve been thinking about it all that seems unlikely.
Anyway the details amuse the guitar nerds and annoy the purists.
It started life as Tokai Strat copy. I went through a phase of making it as “versatile” as possible (installed Craig Anderton’s switching system to get all the possible pickup combinations in series and parallel for instance).
But now I’ve honed my needs down and it’s much simpler.
A single Seymour Duncan Coolrails in the neck position. Three way switch that engages two separate trim pots set to different values. I really only use one of those settings but I thought I’d future proof it a bit.
The bridge is a Hipshot Trilogy. Each string has a lever that gives it three tunings with a quick flip. I play finger style with unusual chord voicings so it comes in handy when the stretch for a note is a bit much.
I put a new route under the scratch plate and installed an acoustic stompbox driver. I do live looping and wanted some basic percussion sounds without doing the circus act of picking up and putting down instruments.
I put two holes in the aluminium guard I made and installed cut down plastic water valves with spring returns. One pushes the driver diaphragm for “thumps” and the other taps a metal surround for “tacks”. The signal runs out to a trs jack.
There’s a Virtual Jeff digital whammy that I took the regular arm off of and installed a bit of wood dowel pointing up. The Trilogy is too long to put the Jeff behind so you can operate it like a regular whammy bar. My solution is to move the dowel back and forth with the heel of my hand.
And of course the wide neck. I started in Classical guitar and never liked how skinny electric necks are near the nut. Only 2 songs of mine have parts fretted bellow the fifth fret. This new neck is so very comfortable that I was honesty angry I hadn’t made that change sooner.
Finally I moved the front strap button to a new hole I put on the neck plate and added an aluminium extension off the back the top right part of the body for the other button. I made a cardboard model to figure out how to get it to hang perfectly and later discovered that my solution puts the strap attachment points in very similar places in relation to my body as a Klein ergonomic guitar.
Anyway, I have one guitar and no desire for another but clearly I’m a freak, or at least that’s how most guitarists treat me when I try to explain my instrument. 🤣
Every prs that pass in my shop I feel the same, stunning craftsmanship, beautiful solutions for all the problems, the mix of materials to make all the hardware is fantastic.
But I aways feel like “that’s a perfect guitar to look, but not for me to play”
After owning "more than one" PRS ... a few things that my help you in your continued search: the 22 fret models will sound more like LPs while the 24 fret models will be more like SGs (I have observed too many chase 'two free frets!' and then complain they don't get LP tones). Some PRS have skinnier bodies which can throw off the feel (remember Paul tries to be goldilocks just right between Gibson and Fender) where SC vs DC body styles adjusts the weight too. The sterile/bland/not-bonding guitar tone claims can be corrected! Pickup height/tip adjustments (often that is all they need), but there are caps and pots swapping, before the last mod of pickup swapping. The SE models are quite a good value especially the later MIK models found on the used market. The S2 Vela model is a fun Tele/Gretsch/offset mashup. By far though, my biggest fix for any LP guitar including PRS is rotating the bridge pickup 180deg so the screw poles face the neck side, lower the pickup and raise the screw poles 3/16ths inch for a beastly P90 tone -- an easy reversible mod to try out. If you still have that guitar for a few days, I'd suggest testing that.
Ultimately it comes down to the individual instrument. I had a PRS custom 24 about 10 years ago that I similarly disliked - it was less than the sum of its parts. I wrote off PRS as a brand, as it was my first experience of owning one, and I was disappointed after thinking they are the GOAT brand. Fast forward to last year, and I happened to play a pre owned custom 24 in a local shop, fell in love, bought it, and now even my main strat is a PRS Silver Sky!
after owning several bass guitars over the years and even fully customized myself an old squier bass to my taste, I figured it out that my end goal was quite simple - I like certain shapes, certain sounds, a certain feel in use and all of these spread over 3 variants: 4 strings, 5 strings and 6 strings
today, 15 years later from that moment and about 8 years of not playing a bass guitar at all, my goal is 2/3 complete :)
the 4 strings bass was the 1st made, initially as a custom shop order for a warwick corvette $$ model (precision+humbucker pickups), which later was modified at a luthier that I know (and like his work) to replace the fretboard with a fretless ebony piece and added perl iron cross inlays - with thomastik flat wounds and drop C tuning, I still like this guitar the same as when the fretless conversion was completed
the 5 string bass was easier to do, its also a warwick corvette $$, but with with 2 humbucker pickups, I kept this one fretted and only modified the electronics a bit - with the same thomastik flat wounds in standard tuning, it's a joy to play almost any type of music
the 6 strings bass will be the future project and last one - I'm certain it will be a musicman bongo, 2 humbuckers and fretless ebony fretboard ... maybe with some small changes at a luthier if I don't like or are not available all the details that I care about as the factory options
Last guitar I bought was 1982 or 1983 Lado H-300. I play it almost daily. Birds-eye maple solid body neck thru (it weighs a ton, but thats what wide straps are for). it has a varitone switch with dual humbuckers, single volume and tone. It just 'fits' and or it is what i am used to. I have tried playing hundreds or more over the years and almost bought a couple but never quite gave in to the temptation. I would just go home, pick up my Lado and think 'yup right decision'.
PRS.
I got a love hate relationship with them
I've had one SE model and two S2. Buying a pretty expensive US instrument (S2) and having to swap hardware to make it useful - pickups/electronics and tuners.
Threw some Suhr pickups in the two S2's and it made them into way better instruments.
Bit for me.. The neck and part of the design where there as so much wood behind the bridge.
I got a Music Man L3 on the wall. And that will stay with me for a loooong time - got it in 2016 or so.
And I'd love to get my hands on the L4 SSS and HH.
Hi Ben, surely GAS is a great way to find "the one" guitar that suits you best? Of course, I still end up keeping all the ones that didn't quite make it! I guess my nearest experience to how you feel about your PRS is the new-design Yamaha Revstar Standard which I bought as soon as it was released; it's wonderful build quality and superb value for money so, logically, I can't fault it... but... and it's the all-important "but", I just don't connect with it - try as I might, it's always second-choice somehow. My "Number One" is a ToneFox Elcaster Mk.1, which just felt "right" and as though I'd been playing it for 40 years the moment I picked it up! But, of course, I'd never have found it without GAS... 😉
Bought 2 very expensive prs 24s and sent both back because they looked fantastic but just didn't feel like i thought they should have. Just bought a cheap used se and didn't expect much from it but turns out I love it. I don't expect it to be like my tele deluxe or deluxe strat. But it feels and plays almost as good.
I’ve owned 2 PRS guitars: a 1985 Standard (22 frets, all mahogany body, solid foam green), which I still own, and a 2001 McCarty w/Indian rosewood neck, which I sold about 5 years ago. I bought both as brand new. The Standard is from the 1st year of production, built in the original small factory, mostly hand made (before heavy use of CNC machines). It was probably from the first run of guitars they built after receiving lots of dealer orders at the very first NAMM show for PRS. Despite issues with the locking tuners and no tone control (only the sweet switch) it plays great and sounds very good. It feels like a well-crafted guitar. The McCarty however was a real disappointment. Notes thinned out and had little sustain past the 12th fret. It refused to intonate properly, even with a replacement stoptail bridge with adjustable saddles. Notes had a hard, brittle attack and pickup swaps didn’t help. The longer neck heal was uncomfortable. I didn’t like the 10” fretboard radius ( I much prefer 12”). Eventually I admitted to myself this McCarty was a failure and didn’t live up to the hype as a pro level musical instrument. It was decidedly UN-musical and I’ve never regretted selling it.
"it just did not speak to me" - Exactly the same for me. Saw the book, wanted one, bought a Custom 24 with TenTop and what was I playing in the end? A Tele. Still love everything from PRS from a technical viewpoint and designwise.
Ben, you are absolutely right ! My son has about 8 guitars now. He takes 3or 4 to every show for the different sounds and not to be tuning all the time lol. I love to go to the Music stores with him to look at different guitars. He has 2 PRSs but is always looking for others. Can't stand those guitars that you can change pickups !
I'm happy with one (electric) guitar. I've reached guitar monogamy.
I played in bands, wrote music for people, recorded a bit. And I did find use for a total of three guitars back then. Had three basses as well. Now... I just play at home for pleasure and I'm happy with one. I have a telecaster made from Warmoth parts. Standard Tele bridge and Neck pickups and a strat pick up in the middle (Nashville style) and threw a freeway 10-way switch in for fun. I've always loved single coil sounds. The funny switch can give me three humbucker type tones for when I do fancy going that way. None of them are "genuine" classic humbucker tones but they get me close enough to have fun with. I thought I did lust after another guitar, a Music Man Stingray RS. One actually came up second hand at a crazy good price and I didn't spring for it. I missed out on an original 70s model back in the 90s when I had no money... it was the one that got away. And even when the modern one came up... I could let it go.
Classical musicians... they are drilled from day one that it's all about the music. This is the way it ought to be IMHO. The reverence given to guitars is a distraction. Remember Clapton probably only picked up a Les Paul back when he did as they were cheap at the time and were mostly out of favour.
I am buying prize draw tickets on the dailyguitardraw.. because... we often holiday in Dorset and I want to go somewhere other than pub, museum or beach on time that we're down there... I suppose if I end up with another guitar I'll enjoy it. But I do not lust for one. I have a Tele that I assembled to my specification. Any other guitar would be a compromise.
I know exactly what you mean. I own a 7-string PRS and it's incredible beautiful, sounds amazing and heavy as it should. After several years of wishing to own one i do since round about 2 years, but since the first time of taking it in my hand, it does not fit to me though i am used to 7 strings in general. But i would not give it away after all, it is simply too beautiful and well crafted.
I had a PRS custom 24…. Oddly, I found that I preferred playing my $75 squire bullet strat 😮
I absolutely love my PRS SE Custom 24. I can see why it’s not for everyone though, and tbh I don’t know the differences between a 1997 one and one I bought new a year or two ago. Maybe you’d like the newer ones, maybe not. At least you’ve now scratched the itch though!
For me, the dealbreakers are the restringing procedure imposed by this particular type of locking tuner, the rotary switch, which is nigh-on impossible to operate in a hurry, and the the choice of sonic combinations the switch provides. Right now, the guitar I'd go for would be the SE Custom 24-08 with Fralin Unbuckers, PRS SE locking tuners, a Graphtech nut, ivory-colored pickup rings and trem tip, and PRS core saddles.
My assortment of go to guitars was honed in the 70s. Part time session man. Everything from car jingles to holiday music and so on. I've been really lucky as all my instruments or pawn shop refugees. A L.P...strat..tele and a es335. Are they modded? Sure. I made them play and sound to my specs. If you want a guitar that feels like your favorite pair of old faded blue jeans you gotta tweak it to your style
When I gigged, I used a Strat with a Hot Rails in the bridge position, and hotter single coils in the middle and neck positions. Very versatile, only had one guitar back then.
I just wish I could find that one guitar that I can just love and bond with as a musical instrument. All the guitars I've ever had have been working spanners.
I've been playin Patrick Eggle guitars since 1996 and always wondered, after multiple comparisons from punters, if a PRS would be any better.. so I bought one, a second hand PRS studio model (mahogany body and neck, rosewood board, no maple) with HSS pickups controlled by a 5 way rotory - and I had the same reaction as you - there was nothing about the guitar that I could fault, my job at the time was a bit shit and I'd come home on my lunch break and play it for half an hour, and despite my efforts I just never bonded with it. So it was eventually sold, and it makes me sad 'cos on paper it was arguably perfect for me.
These days my main plank id P J Eggle 96... turns out I was already on the right path.
I had a CE 22 which sat in its case for years, I swapped it for a schecter omen 8 string and never looked back!
I bought (second hand) a PRS SE Singlecut Korina several years ago, and it too has the half moon dots, A great and comfortable guitar. The only guitar I play more often than it is the one I built at Crimson about 5 years ago - it is my blood, sweat and tears - and one of my most important achievements. Every serious guitar player should try to build a guitar - it raises our appreciation of the instrument to a higher level.
I have also loved the PRS design and story. Always wanted one but when trying them out at a guitar shop I haven't bonded with them. They have been a guitar that I CAN put down unfortunately.
I had exactly the same experience with my Rickenbacker Walnut 4003, love the shape the sound, my 2 replicas sounded like Rics but were not rics £2,220 later@, reduced to tears how bad it sounded the quality, the attitude of Ric customer service. Like you say don't meet your hero's.
I have an early 2000s CE22 that I got about 13 years ago. Without a doubt the most reliable (tuning, trem, set up etc) I own. If ever I was to tour and only allowed one guitar it'd be that one. When I bought mine someone had replaced those locking tuners with Schaller M6s. I put the later PRS ones on really nice.
So I can't agree Ben. Oh I preferred the CE the bolt on maple neck giving it a bit more snap. The 5 position knob you simply get used to.
I do have the one,for me anyway, yes I have others too ,but this one never fails me. Ebony fretboard, Wilkinson trem, spurzel tuners,1994,probably mahogany body not 100%,(not worried),
only changed the bridge pickup for a tesla shark(iron gear),it just gels so good and the coil tap for me is perfect. I have played many ,fender gib etc,got a se prs too (really like it),but the one that always fits and inspires and plugs into my soul is my Patrick Eggle New York,its the one.
Totally agree on the versatility point. Last thing im interested in is a guitar that covers everything
Went through a few, now just have one. A USA strat. Might buy an es335 sometime but would be happy if it is the only one I own.