Why do so few 'big name' bands/artists use PRS?

guitarfishbay

AlexO said:

I've never played one and have no desire to.

I just see them as bland blues dentist guitars, the guitar to me is a symbol of counter culture and they appear to be the total opposite of that.

But buying the same guitar as everyone else is the opposite of counter culture.

You literally can’t get more mainstream than Fender and Gibson

not_the_dj

5 pages before "historical re-enactment" was mentioned...very poor game of forum bingo in this thread, i’ve only managed to get “Dentist” and “Rob Chapman” 

thegummy

Haych said:

Is there such a thing as the 'PRS sound'?  To me PRS seem to be trying to replicate the Gibson sound but in a more aesthetically and ergonomically pleasing package without going too Parker Fly.  There seem to be certain types of guitar sounds, I don't think PRS really fall into their own.  

Brands like Ibanez don't really either, but they come at it from a different perspective, it's all about speed and playability for them.  Again, while PRS no doubt play very well they don't have the extreme playability that the pointy Ibanez type guitars do.

So without their own defining and distinct sound and without bringing much else other than high end woods, attention to detail and bling to the party they're a bit much-of-a-muchness.

Perhaps that's another reason why maybe big names prefer other brands.  The design may be 50+ years old but it works and does what they need and sounds how they like it.  If you already have all the mojo you want/need why change to something else that, apart from pretty woods, fancy inlays and big price tags, does nothing new? 

On that basis, is there really a Gibson sound or is there just a humbucker sound and Gibson were the first to use it?

Or would you say there are other brands that use humbuckers but have their own distinct sound that aren't PRS or Ibanez?

thegummy

guitarfishbay said:

PRS into a Mesa Dual Rec was pretty much the sound of Nu Metal.

PRS do have a sound, play a bunch of them and they've got a generally balanced if slightly midrange forward tone.  It's more polite than a typical Les Paul but fatter than a Fender with humbuckers.

I put EMGs in my PRS anyway.

The comments in this thread seem to be suggesting that but when I was a teenager and nu-metal was the in scene, I had barely heard of PRS. If any brand seemed to dominate the scene at the time I'd have said Ibanez.

Was there really a lot of the big nu metal bands playing PRS at the time?

thegummy

guitarfishbay said:

AlexO said:

I've never played one and have no desire to.

I just see them as bland blues dentist guitars, the guitar to me is a symbol of counter culture and they appear to be the total opposite of that.

But buying the same guitar as everyone else is the opposite of counter culture.

You literally can’t get more mainstream than Fender and Gibson

Like the goth kids in South Park say "if you want to be a non conformist you just have to dress exactly like us and listen to the same music we do"

thegummy

That the notion exists that Fender or Gibson would be associated with counter-culture reminds me of Apple's marketing managing to convince people that paying hundreds or thousands of pounds to one of the biggest companies in the world for overpriced electronics was somehow being an individual and rebelling against the man.

guitarfishbay

thegummy said:

guitarfishbay said:

PRS into a Mesa Dual Rec was pretty much the sound of Nu Metal.

PRS do have a sound, play a bunch of them and they've got a generally balanced if slightly midrange forward tone.  It's more polite than a typical Les Paul but fatter than a Fender with humbuckers.

I put EMGs in my PRS anyway.

The comments in this thread seem to be suggesting that but when I was a teenager and nu-metal was the in scene, I had barely heard of PRS. If any brand seemed to dominate the scene at the time I'd have said Ibanez.

Was there really a lot of the big nu metal bands playing PRS at the time?

Linkin Park
POD
Limp Bizkit
Hoobastank
Staind

7 string Nu Metal was mostly Ibanez though.

Grocer_Jack

Philly_Q said:

Grocer_Jack said:

I've been playing guitar since the late 70s and I've never even touched, let alone played, a PRS. The shiny high end ones don't fit in with the look of any of the bands I've been in. I am slightly curious about the more recent low end PRS models, as they look considerably less dorkish.

But considering brands I've never owned, I'd rather have a Gretsch, or a Guild, or a Mosrite or.....

Again, not trying to put words in your mouth but is that due to growing up associating those guitars with chaps sporting quiffs or groovy pudding-bowl haircuts who were considered cool at the time?

Yes of course it is! 

If I sat down with bunch of guitars and found out that objectively the closest one to say, the 'My Generation' Who sound was a PRS, I'd buy a Rickenbacker. (got one anyway )

thegummy

guitarfishbay said:

thegummy said:

guitarfishbay said:

PRS into a Mesa Dual Rec was pretty much the sound of Nu Metal.

PRS do have a sound, play a bunch of them and they've got a generally balanced if slightly midrange forward tone.  It's more polite than a typical Les Paul but fatter than a Fender with humbuckers.

I put EMGs in my PRS anyway.

The comments in this thread seem to be suggesting that but when I was a teenager and nu-metal was the in scene, I had barely heard of PRS. If any brand seemed to dominate the scene at the time I'd have said Ibanez.

Was there really a lot of the big nu metal bands playing PRS at the time?

Linkin Park
POD
Limp Bizkit
Hoobastank
Staind

7 string Nu Metal was mostly Ibanez though.

Limp Bizkit definitely weren't playing PRS back then - checking on Wikipedia, he apparently played PRS for one tour then never touched them again.

Was the Linkin Park guy playing PRS when Nu Metal was big or did he move on to use them in later years?

Guess it's just that none of the Nu Metal bands I was in to used them except POD. Before this thread I'd have never known PRS had any association with the genre.

guitarfishbay

From what I remember Brad Deleon was using PRS from the start of Linkin Park but I think he also uses some Fenders as well 

guitarfishbay

Found this https://www.linkinparkguitar.com/bradsguitars.htm

Sporky

not_the_dj said:

5 pages before "historical re-enactment" was mentioned...very poor game of forum bingo in this thread, i’ve only managed to get “Dentist” and “Rob Chapman” 

Sorry, I wasn't on my game. 

timmysoft

PRS do a lot more than just making expensive toys for dentists and consultants.

the genres that I tend to like embrace the PRS and you’re just as likely to see one as a Gibson or Fender. You’ll also see other cool brands like Charvel, ESP, Musicman and Ibanez. 

Seems like a few people on here are old.

thegummy

guitarfishbay said:

From what I remember Brad Deleon was using PRS from the start of Linkin Park but I think he also uses some Fenders as well 

Fair enough, I always hated them when I was a teenager as an accessible pop version of Nu Metal for younger kids lol

I only ask cause when I googled for photos, any of the ones from back in the day seemed to have him playing an Ibanez or a Fender-style guitar and any where he has a PRS are from way later.

Rabs

Its just amazing how certain words start threads like this...

Nibs..  there I said it  :P

DeeTee

Rabs said:

Its just amazing how certain words start threads like this...

Nibs..  there I said it  :P

NOW LOOK HERE, BUDDY...

skullfunkerry

Philly_Q said:

skullfunkerry said:

Funny thing about headstocks... I've got a thing and I know it's ridiculous where singlecut guitars should have a 3-a-side headstock and doublecut guitars should have 6-in-line.

See, Danny Spitz was right all along. 

I've never seen that before... Christ it's ugly!

Philly_Q

thegummy said:

guitarfishbay said:

From what I remember Brad Deleon was using PRS from the start of Linkin Park but I think he also uses some Fenders as well 

Fair enough, I always hated them when I was a teenager as an accessible pop version of Nu Metal for younger kids lol

Was there a sophisticated adult version of nu metal then...?

guitarfishbay

Philly_Q said:

thegummy said:

guitarfishbay said:

From what I remember Brad Deleon was using PRS from the start of Linkin Park but I think he also uses some Fenders as well 

Fair enough, I always hated them when I was a teenager as an accessible pop version of Nu Metal for younger kids lol

Was there a sophisticated adult version of nu metal then...?

Karnivool - Themata

Coincidentally PRS players 

thegummy

Philly_Q said:

thegummy said:

guitarfishbay said:

From what I remember Brad Deleon was using PRS from the start of Linkin Park but I think he also uses some Fenders as well 

Fair enough, I always hated them when I was a teenager as an accessible pop version of Nu Metal for younger kids lol

Was there a sophisticated adult version of nu metal then...?

Well I was a teenager at the time, it's not as if I'm still in to the genre now but Linkin Park were quite obviously the watered down, accessible version that every hit genre has for the mainstream kids whose parents take them to the concert as opposed to music for the slightly older, possibly just less square teenagers to listen to while drinking cider, smoking hash and engaging in sexual activities.