I’ve never played a PRS !! What am I missing ??

BillDL

If you have never played a guitar with a 25" scale, then I would encourage you to do so. PRS fretboards are more "Gibsonish", being wider and flatter than Fender fretboards, but the very slightly longer scale makes them feel quite different from Gibsons and being half an inch shorter than Fenders the lower string tension (for the same guage strings) makes them feel less "stiff" than a Fender.  I don't currently own a PRS of any description, but I have a couple of very good PRS-a-like guitars and the in-between scale length is the best of both worlds.

Offset

I have absolutely no desire to own a PRS.  They don't interest me in the slightest I'm afraid - I don't like the looks or the finishes and I think they're the antithesis of 'cool'.  At first glance I thought their new Tele-alike might be intriguing.  But as more pics came out I realised it was utterly fugly.

I cannot deny that the Core models look superbly built and finished, and I know that most people who play them seem to absolutely adore them.  We all have our chains pulled in different ways and long may that continue.  But... not for me.

elstoof

I find them getting cooler the more people moan about how uncool they think they are 

RustySpanner

Recently bought a satin Vela and it's just a ridiculously nice instrument to own. 

Well designed, nicely made, versatile, sounds fantastic, inspiring to play.  

Can't fault it really. 

DrJazzTap

Interestingly I used to lust over an Amber custom 24, flamey top and birds and all that jazz. Nowadays doesn't float my boat. 

HAL9000

In a recent hunt for a Strat I tried out a couple of PRS Silver Skies. They were both well made, felt and sounded great. Necks were superb (8.5” radius which, to me, felt the perfect compromise between vintage and modern). Almost certainly better bang for the buck than the Fender I ended up with - I just couldn’t get past the headstock and the bird inlays. I’d absolutely recommend though if you don’t mind the aesthetics.

Philly_Q

riffpowers said:

Always stuck to Gibson les Pauls and hamers , and it occurred to me I’d never played a Paul Reed smith. 

What am I missing ??!

Honestly if you like Hamers you should try PRS.  I'm not saying they are in any way "the same", but I think they come from a similar philosophy of using traditional timbers, with very high build quality and beautiful finishes, on mainly double-humbucker designs.

My first good guitar was a Hamer, I owned seven or eight of them over the years, but in recent years my favourite brand is PRS.  One thing I would say in direct comparison, Hamer necks were always too skinny for me but I really like PRS neck profiles, they're not super fat but they just feel right.

My 2013 S2 Mira even has the equivalent of "Hameritis", with clouding of the finish on parts of the neck and around the neck joint.  That should make you feel right at home. 

octatonic

I'd have to try a couple of dozen Gibson's to find the right one but most PRS guitars I can get on with fairly easily.

Guitarists are weirdly traditional sometimes.

dazzajl

You’re missing an exquisitely built guitar with fabulous ergonomics that will probably come with fairly uninspiring pickups and the looks of a 1930s radiogram. If you’ve not had one, you should probably try one although they’re not best for the thin skinned or easily upset.  I’ve worn the dentists coat twice now and I’m sure I will again at some point.  

RandallFlagg

I've owned many PRS over the years and always end up moving them on. For me, when I think of PRS I think of a sound that has a nasally middy element in the tone, regardless of model and a glassy, super glossy finish and shape  that makes they really slippery when playing sat down and find the necks too glossy on the majority of models.

ICBM

RandallFlagg said:

I've owned many PRS over the years and always end up moving them on. For me, when I think of PRS I think of a sound that has a nasally middy element in the tone, regardless of model and a glassy, super glossy finish and shape  that makes they really slippery when playing sat down and find the necks too glossy on the majority of models.

My Swamp Ash Special isn't nasally or middy - I think it's one of the more 'Fendery' sounding models. I wish it had a glossy neck! It has a horrible nitro-finished one that goes sticky no matter how many times I wipe or micromesh it... one day I'll probably just sand it off completely and be done with it.

I do find the shape and ergonomics of the double-cut 22-fret models fit me perfectly physically, better than any other guitar. The knobs and switch are in the best places, the trem works perfectly, and they're really well-made. I do think they look cool too, although I'm not a fan of the birds (never had any on the six PRS I've owned) or overly-flashy flame maple tops (or quilt at all).

Way cooler than any of the current generation of high-end relic'ed retro-mash-up parts-bin specials, anyway.

Boromedic

octatonic said:

I'd have to try a couple of dozen Gibson's to find the right one but most PRS guitars I can get on with fairly easily.

Guitarists are weirdly traditional sometimes.

And people say the dentist trope gets boring..... 24 guitars, really?!

BigPaulie

I've got an S2 Mira and it's very nice.

The neck profile is great. And the guitar just works.

cruxiform

riffpowers said:

What am I missing ??!

A brief feeling of elation followed by years of disappointment and regret.

Very similar to marriage.  

strtdv

Very well made guitars, I find the neck profiles comfortable, lots of switching options.

On the negative side, I find them not very "distinctive" sounding which i think is possibly the 25" scale length.
The neck pickups on 24 fret models are reputed to be a bit lacking compared to 22 fret models (I've only played 22 fret ones).

I'd ignore what people think of as "cool". If you want to play technical death metal on a hello kitty strat and can make it work sound wise then go for it.

octatonic

Boromedic said:

octatonic said:

I'd have to try a couple of dozen Gibson's to find the right one but most PRS guitars I can get on with fairly easily.

Guitarists are weirdly traditional sometimes.

And people say the dentist trope gets boring..... 24 guitars, really?!

Perhaps a slight exaggeration.
It is more than 5.

HAL9000

Elwood said:

The only downside is the lack of originality with dentistry jokes on here.

Yup, I know the drill ;-)

steveh

Should be easy for the OP to rectify things and play one - they're everywhere!

I've played them since 1989, when I bought a 1987 CU24 that was genuinely a Fender/Les Paul mash-up. PRS have gravitated more towards Gibson since, or at least the mahogany fixed neck guitars have.

I've had loads but these days have settled on a Silver Sky - the core is better than any Fender I've owned (and the equal of Tyler/Suhr etc.), and my SE is just stupid good for the £££. Played a Fiore the other week - one guitar that did absolutely everything and "reasonable" price for the quality on show.

Ultimately, PRS are very well made, extremely reliable guitars, built by a guy who's still passionate about what he does. Great VFM used (bedroom flippers excepted). SE are crazy good for the £££.  

JD50

RustySpanner said:

Recently bought a satin Vela and it's just a ridiculously nice instrument to own. 

Well designed, nicely made, versatile, sounds fantastic, inspiring to play.  

Can't fault it really. 

That's the only PRS that's appeals to me but not yet had the chance to try one out. 
What are the pickups like?

motorhead

A Les Paul for Strat players is a reasonable sweeping statement. Quality and consistency are excellent, there’s not a lot to fault.

But to me, they are the Lexus of the guitar world. Impressive in many ways but exciting in none. PRS have made a great contribution to the industry but more through process and consistency than any major functional breakthroughs.

I’d disagree on the ergonomics. Apart from the semi-hollows, they are all on the heavy side, for my liking.