Update! How different is a PRS 594 to a Gibson Les Paul?

Littlejonny

richardhomer said:

Sound Affects in Ormskirk have got a very light 2020 R8 in at a decent price (there’s some damage to the finish from a stand but otherwise looks in good shape).

https://www.soundaffects.com/electric-guitars-c95/2020-1958-r8-les-paul-standard-re-issue-iced-tea-burst-pre-owned-p23827

And it looks like the Clapton burst with the plain top, which is more cool IMO

Secret_Sam

And who could resist a reason to visit Ormskirk?  

PPPMAT

The 594 is a very well built guitar and will play even better. I personally found that the DGT got closer to a Les Paul in tone as others have already said. I have owned a 594 and just found it didn't have the bottom end of a good Les Paul. Also a Les Pauls note separation is worse than the PRS but that to me is a key part of its sound.

Nerine

PPPMAT said:

Also a Les Pauls note separation is worse than the PRS. 

I find this very curious as a statement. 

I don’t really know where to start with it. 

RaymondLin

No 2 guitars sounds the same, no 2 Les Paul sounds the same so there can be as much difference between 2 Les Pauls vs Les Paul vs 594.

Most of the difference IMO isn't the sound, it is in how it feels in the hand.  I've seen and heard many blind tests between them, not once when I have been convinced they sound so different that you can pick them out every single time.

imalrightjack

Secret_Sam said:

And who could resist a reason to visit Ormskirk?  

They had a good Turkish restaurant a few years back!

YourArsenal87

I’ve owned three 594s (two double cut and one single) and three Les Pauls (r7, r8, r9). In my opinion, the 594s don’t really feel or sound like Les Pauls. Lea Pauls, to my ear, have a broader sound, more bass and treble basically, while 594s (along with most/all PRS) have a narrower, more focused, mid heavy sound. The 594s are amazing in their own right, but if you want a Les Paul, warts and all, they don’t completely scratch the itch. At least not for me.

On a side note, my personal favorite Les Paul type I’ve played the past years, and the only one I currently own, is a Heritage Custom Core H150. I’d recommend trying one out, they don’t retain value as well so can be found for great prices used. The custom low output vintage voiced pickups are outstanding. The build quality on mine is better than the custom shop LPs I had, they all had various imperfections such as file marks on the fingerboard binding. However, it certainly shares more of the quirks of a Gibson than a PRS does.

mrleon83

So, I popped into coda today, nice store (last time I visited a coda it was in Luton!)

They didn’t have the 594 I wanted to try (a 8.12lb lightweight) in the store but I did compare the one they had with alight aged Murphy 58.

I didnt plug in as it was more about feel/acoustic resonance (and I’d go after the one which I assume was in there where house) … overall the fretboard and playability was way better on. The 594, but the Les Paul felt better in other ways.

neither hit quite as hard as the heavy aged r8 at the Gibson garage so it makes it awkward.

 The big surprise was an Eastman they had which I think I may have liked better than both eek 

So a bit of pondering to do, should prob just get the Gibson garage one as it was without doubt the best Les Paul kinda guitar I’ve ever played but holy crap it’s expensive … 

Powerslave

If that ML R8 is still at the garage, grab it.

You'll regret it if you don't.

If it is that good and you don't secure it now then you could spend a lot of time and waste a lot of money looking for something to match even just your impression of it.

594s are great guitars but they are not a Les Paul whether they they look like one (SC) or not (DC).

And LPs are not created equal. If you've found your grail, you need to take it home with you.

imalrightjack

Powerslave said:

If that ML R8 is still at the garage, grab it.

You'll regret it if you don't.

If it is that good and you don't secure it now then you could spend a lot of time and waste a lot of money looking for something to match even just your impression of it.

594s are great guitars but they are not a Les Paul whether they they look like one (SC) or not (DC).

And LPs are not created equal. If you've found your grail, you need to take it home with you.

@Powerslave is absolutely right. 

RaymondLin

I agree, if it’s a great guitar that you want, and it sounds like you have already found it, then get it.  It might be expensive now but if it is one and done then it’s cheaper down the line.

i have 1 CS Gibson Les Paul, cost me a lot of money in 2014 but I’ve not spent money on another Les Paul or even tried a other since.

Boromedic

Every one needs a one that got away story!!

dazzajl

 There is some great wisdom on this thread. If you absolutely fell in love with a Murphy in the Gibson shop, it’s unlikely you’ll find the exact same feel in any other guitar. It also might be that if you play the same ML R8 again, after all the others you’ve tried now, that magic might have been in your head all the time. It does happen….

If you want a guitar that feels like an old Gibson, was built like Gibsons used to be and isn’t £8k, get a Maybach. That’s what they do. 

But if you play that R8 again and love it just as much, or more, and it’s affordable, then maybe that’s the best path. They might even knock a huge chunk off for a sale. A large part of the price could be about building perceived values?? 

YourArsenal87

dazzajl said:

 There is some great wisdom on this thread. If you absolutely fell in love with a Murphy in the Gibson shop, it’s unlikely you’ll find the exact same feel in any other guitar. It also might be that if you play the same ML R8 again, after all the others you’ve tried now, that magic might have been in your head all the time. It does happen….

If you want a guitar that feels like an old Gibson, was built like Gibsons used to be and isn’t £8k, get a Maybach. That’s what they do. 

But if you play that R8 again and love it just as much, or more, and it’s affordable, then maybe that’s the best path. They might even knock a huge chunk off for a sale. A large part of the price could be about building perceived values?? 

Maybach Lesters are great, especially at that price point, but they aren’t built like they used to be. They use two piece backs that are weight relieved, don’t use ABR-1 bridges screwed directly into the top and don’t have nibs. 

I had a lovely Maybach Lester that had a crazy chunker of a neck, and an immense sound. 

dazzajl

YourArsenal87 said:

Maybach Lesters are great, especially at that price point, but they aren’t built like they used to be………

Well that’s sad. The R8 it is then. 

Th4fonz

Just save up and find a used customshop les paul that you have tried and you will keep it for life.  A prs 594 isn’t a les paul it’s a prs.  Tokai heritage meh tried them all and they ain’t no customshop les paul.  But they are cheaper if money is the issue.  

Nerine

Sounds to me like the LP is the only thing that’ll scratch the itch. Sometimes that’s just how it is regardless of how superior others claim the other choices to be. 

Bottom line is that if you had a 594, you’d probably still think about the Gibson. If you had a good Gibson, it’d simply go to your grave with you. 

That’s the difference. 

YourArsenal87

dazzajl said:

YourArsenal87 said:

Maybach Lesters are great, especially at that price point, but they aren’t built like they used to be………

Well that’s sad. The R8 it is then. 

Haha yeah, I mean they’re still great. That’s mostly pedantic stuff. Well worth a try, along with Eastman I’d say.

Boromedic

Nerine said:

Sounds to me like the LP is the only thing that’ll scratch the itch. Sometimes that’s just how it is regardless of how superior others claim the other choices to be. 

Bottom line is that if you had a 594, you’d probably still think about the Gibson. If you had a good Gibson, you'd be thinking about the Murphy Lab R8 that got away. 

That’s the difference. 

Fixed that for you...... He's enamoured with that Murphy Lab R8, not just Les Pauls as a blanket thing.

Nerine

Boromedic said:

Nerine said:

Sounds to me like the LP is the only thing that’ll scratch the itch. Sometimes that’s just how it is regardless of how superior others claim the other choices to be. 

Bottom line is that if you had a 594, you’d probably still think about the Gibson. If you had a good Gibson, you'd be thinking about the Murphy Lab R8 that got away. 

That’s the difference. 

Fixed that for you...... He's enamoured with that Murphy Lab R8, not just Les Paul's as a blanket thing.

It didn’t need fixing.