I was going to hijack a classified add but thought i would post here. There seems to be a lot of BS about how pre factory PRS 's are so much better than new CNC milled guitars. Now i can see the appeal of old strats and les pauls - they have a definite history. However I dont see the same appeal of an old PRS. Am i missing something here but surely a new modern custom 24 will play and have a better build quality than an old PRS custom (sound is subjective so i wont comment upon that aspect)
Thats Pauls whole philosophy in a nut shell surely - improving the guitar every year.
the consensus seems to be that new PRS players are described as that old chestnut of lawyers and dentists. whilst old prs players are somehow cooler.
Comments
The only thing that older PRS guitars have going for them is that for 1991 and earlier, Brazilian rosewood was standard on almost all models (only CEs used Indian rosewood). So you get that magic mojo. There is also an argument that the wood looked a little nicer on the old ones because they didn't need so much of it, so it was easier to find pretty tops in those days, but that's both purely cosmetic and also subjective.
Otherwise, IMO, modern is virtually always better when you're talking about model progression. Using the Custom 24 as an example - there isn't a single bit of it that isn't both changed and improved (other than the Braz, if that floats your boat). The trem, tuners, pickups, even the carve is a little less dramatic (in a good way) - all better.
Paul wants it that way - he wants you to feel like your old PRS is junk and your new one is the tits - thankfully, the differences are not that extreme. If you have an older PRS, you very likely have a very nice guitar for life that might just want a new set of pickups sometimes.
But if you are buying your first one, I would always prefer something more recent.
Someone will no doubt be along, in a minute to say define better, which of course, I can't...
just my 2p, for what it's worth.. 2p, probably..
certain aspects are changing like the supply of genuine abalone for inlays, but whilst this adds aesthetic beauty it does not add one iota to the playing performance - just an Eco isse and ditto for Brz boards as mentioned earlier
To be fair PRS have made few bad guitars but my favourite is still a Modern Eagle
Alas, they seem to take forever to sell. This dealer bought this one for under £2k on ebay and its still for sale 3 years later at his now inflated price of £4195
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PRS-Custom-24-Sweet-Switch-Electric-Guitar-1990-Vintage-Cherry-Sunburst-/291514760583?hash=item43dfa23d87:g:M1gAAOSwMmBVpBVy
Personally I like the old PRS in some respects because they were from my era. They feel more handmade for some reason. The brazilian boards are a bonus, the maple tops are often more defined and the inlays are often prettier than the 2000's era, but performance wise you'd have to hand it to the newer guitars.
Granted 4K is a lot more than mine at 2K and yes that ebay example has Brz and sweet switch - I think in this example that 2K on e-bay was well priced but equally a tour of any outlets be it FB, Reverb etc will show customers asking such prices as well as dealers so I don't think all the blame lies with a dealer for asking prices
Equally I have turned down either the chance to buy or indeed the chance to trade in such models, based on the customers expectations
I do know early examples where fairly rare in the UK based on Paul's output at the time and also in the UK the fact that the previous importer (Chandler Guitars) had limited funds available to both run a store and an import business, so selling sites are not exactly loaded with them - I remember in the late 1980's asking Chandlers if I could buy 5-10 guitars for the shop I worked for at the time and they quoted around 4-6 months for deliveries to arrive in dribs and drabs
There's been an awful lot of grey imports of early PRS guitars in recent years to the UK to boost numbers though. My geordie friend has a huge amount of them that he's bought from the U.S...you'll see them all over ebay at hopeful prices!
I dare say a few have come over from the USA at a later date as used, or even a few new ones in the day - but at under 1.30-ish exchange rate then 'cheaper' USA imports are not going to be easy to find - Plus an Article 10 CITES certificate is now required to clear Customs both USA and EU - yes 2 sets of paperwork (unless brought back on the plane)
I had a choice of PRS and definitely felt the more recent models were better.
I noticed that classified and thought it was just trying to inflate the price. Fender and Gibson have definite eras but as far as I can tell PRS have consistently improved over time.
The only thing I preferred was the smaller heel of the 1990 standard 24 but that really was it. Pre-factory twaddle is just a way for people to make a bit more cash when selling them.
Thanks Mark, the guitar is playing really well. Very nicely set up out of the case. I think it is the first time I have ever bought a guitar that I have not had to adjust in some way. I think that reflects both your attention to the guitars you sell and the quality of PRS.