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My YouTube Channel
My music:- https://soundcloud.com/hubobulous
Woe is me ...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
There weren't a lot of guitars made before 1990 at all. I had a 1990 with a serial number that was in the 9000s if I remember correctly. I had a 98 with a serial number of just over 40,000 so even at that stage there were not a lot of them around. According to the PRS website 2014 starts at 206,060 so there are a lot more of them around now.
https://www.prsguitars.com/csc/year.html
It also interesting to note that production of the set neck US main line has declined. They made about 18,000 in 2007 but the numbers have declined significantly since then. 2013 was about 3000 down on 2012 and was the lowest production since 2000. The S2 line might have offset some of this but the main line is definitely not selling like it used to.
But Ive just bought one & I do a blue collar job. I just like stuff that works well. Besides I think the dentists have moved onto Fender CS relics, I put my own dings in
Prior to G n R, the 80s were dominated by Strats and 'Super Strats'.
I don't really think PRS have ever been particularly 'fashionable'. What they really achieved was a way of combining Gibson(ish) and Fender(ish) sounds into a highly playable, classic looking guitar, built to a standard that has changed industry perceptions of mass-production.
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.
My view from the inside is - it isn't going to get better. But hey enough of the doom and gloom, let's boogie..
Have you tried the more recent pickups though? I too agreed with you once, until about 2008 - I wanted a PRS badly in the 1990s but once I actually plugged one in I was like, "meh."