Is there a decline in the popularity of PRS guitars ?

richardhomer

impmann;527031" said:

I've just always thought they were neither Arthur nor Martha.

I'm sure they are very nice - I've played and looked after/repaired loads but honestly, they have never moved or inspired me. Much like Eggles (arguably the UK PRS copy) they just look incongruous for a lot of music styles and their slightly bland sound (sorry to the fans, but Paul's pickups suck) just don't work for me.

I guess I'm the "target demographic" for a PRS guitar player in many ways - 40+, can't play a Les Paul due to the weight, reasonable income etc (not a dentist - although with redundancy at the end of next month, that changes soon)... and I've never wanted one. None of my guitar playing friends want them either.

So is it that the appeal of furniture guitars is limited? And that lack of appeal means their resale value is affected? Possibly...

But bigger picture a moment - the market is FUCKED right now. One of the reasons I'm losing my job of 10 years is because sales are flat - despite the smiles, it isn't very different for other major MI manufacturers. The reason? There just too much equipment sat in shops and warehouses that no-one wants - because we have all bought our fill. Yes, GAS, kicks in for all of us but in percentage terms that represents a small sample of a small market. The facts remain that it is an industry in decline.

So, no PRS, aren't alone. But as mentioned, due to fashions there are a lot of unwanted PRS guitars in the channel so the effect is amplified for them.

In your opinion....

FWIW, I could not disagree more about the pick-ups - especially the newer ones.