Cage Match: PRS vs Suhr

Dave Merrill said:
I wonder why. Seems like the longest-lasting option.
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I’ve wondered this too since I won’t buy a guitar anymore unless it has stainless frets. When I was looking for info on this, I read an interview with Paul in which he said that the fret material that they use is designed to be long-lasting and durable, “so play it hard and don’t worry about fret wear.”
 
Dave Merrill said:
I wonder why. Seems like the longest-lasting option.
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Chewie5150 said:
There's a nice Ian Thornley signature at my local shop for ooooh only $5000+. ouch. nice specs on it though.
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Paul Smith himself talking about frets.

From the video caption: ....We use frets with a lot of nickel, which rings well. And between the fret radius, the superglue, and the tines of the fret, they fit so well in the fret slots that the sound transfer is unhindered.
 
I played through a Pete Thorn Suhr, and the setup was perfect right out of the box. The most comparable brand to Suhr that I’ve read has got to be Tom Anderson. Andersons have a little better upper fret access. Both Suhr and Anderson use stainless steel frets exclusively. :)
 
State of Epicicity said:
I played through a Pete Thorn Suhr, and the setup was perfect right out of the box. The most comparable brand to Suhr that I’ve read has got to be Tom Anderson. Andersons have a little better upper fret access. Both Suhr and Anderson use stainless steel frets exclusively. :)
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The majority of Suhr guitars are stainless, but they are not exclusive. You can absolutely get a Suhr with non stainless frets.
 
AxeManDan said:
The majority of Suhr guitars are stainless, but they are not exclusive. You can absolutely get a Suhr with non stainless frets.
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Thanks for the correction. I think I must've been lumping Suhr and Anderson together on that. I've only read about Suhrs with stainless steel frets.
 
State of Epicicity said:
Thanks for the correction. I think I must've been lumping Suhr and Anderson together on that. I've only read about Suhrs with stainless steel frets.
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You are correct that the majority of Suhr guitars are stainless, I believe all the “standard/production” models are and you need to order custom if you want steel frets. Either way, fantastic guitars! :)
 
A couple of notes to add. You can find Custom 24s with Pattern Regular necks, not all are Pattern Thin. I have tiny hands and I don't have any problems playing any of the PRS neck carves, from thin to vintage. My favorite pickups are the 58/08s, 59/09s, and the 408s. The 408s are magical in my opinion but you are committing to them because you can't swap them due to their shape.
 
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I’m a bit late to the conversation.

I have some experience with both Suhr and PRS. I have a Suhr Pete Thorn Signature and a PRS Core Mccarty 594. They are both phenomenal guitars. I purchased the Suhr from Humbucker Music (great experience with this shop - highly recommend) and the setup was PERFECT. It played like a dream. Everything about the Suhr is flawless. I did have to tweak the truss rod after a couple weeks as the guitar settled in my area’s climate. But I absolutely adore this guitar. It plays and sounds amazing!

My Mccarty 594 needed some setup adjustments when it arrived. The action was VERY high. I brought the action down and tweaked the truss rod and it has played great ever since. The construction, playability, and sound are all phenomenal.

Both of these guitars are wonderful. If someone forced me to just stick with one of them I would have a very hard time choosing. The Suhr covers more sonic territory, so it might win in that case.

I don’t think you could go wrong with either company.
 
JRod4928 said:


Paul Smith himself talking about frets.

From the video caption: ....We use frets with a lot of nickel, which rings well. And between the fret radius, the superglue, and the tines of the fret, they fit so well in the fret slots that the sound transfer is unhindered.
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This is it. What they do is always because of how it sounds or makes the instrument feel in your hands. The reason PRSs play like they do, sound like they do, and last like they do, is because everything they do is about the tone and player experience. Does each item make a huge difference? Probably not. But the result of all the little things coming together in one guitar definitely makes a noticeable change from lesser luthiery. They've made a believer out of me.

You can get a PRS with stainless frets if you're going Private Stock, which is crazy expensive but allows you to "have it your way," in Burger King parlance. But you can also rest assured that what they use lasts a long time. Another popular brand that I own does not use these frets, and their 2009 model is back at their shop as I type this getting a badly needed refret. My two 2007 PRS 513s that have been my #1 and #2 gigging guitars forever still have frets that look new. Whatever they're using works!
 
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Rick said:
This is it. What they do is always because of how it sounds or makes the play. You can get a PRS with stainless frets if you're going Private Stock, which is crazy expensive but allows you to "have it your way." in Burger King parlance. The reason PRSs play like they do, sound like they do, and last like they do, is because everything they do is about the tone. Does each item make a huge difference? Probably not. But the result of all the little things coming together in one guitar definitely makes a noticeable change from lesser luthiery. They've made a believer out of me.
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This.
 
I'm considering keeping my JP15 and selling my 7 string PRS towards a PRS S2 model or something used. There is a 93' PRS Custom 24 10 top for sale locally. looks nice though I have no real idea of its relative worth. $2400 CAD asking price.
 
Chewie5150 said:
I'm considering keeping my JP15 and selling my 7 string PRS towards a PRS S2 model or something used. There is a 93' PRS Custom 24 10 top for sale locally. looks nice though I have no real idea of its relative worth. $2400 CAD asking price.
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New USA PRS > Used USA PRS (Custom or OLDER CE Models) > New USA CE Model > New S2 Model

Personally I feel that if you're looking for USA PRS/ Suhr / JP15 type of quality, you won't find it in the S2 line.

That's a pretty good price for a Used USA PRS Custom 24 10 top assuming no issues. That era should have HFS/Vintage Bass, or maybe Dragon I pickups - which are all very good. Just check the normal stuff for a used guitar and you'll be fine. I briefly had an early 90's CE24 and a later 90's CE24. Their build quality was on par with the USA Cu24 that I bought, considering my CE's were 20 years old....

Assuming all the normal stuff checks out for buying a used guitar, I'd have no concerns buying a used 93 PRS Cu24.
 
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JRod4928 said:
New USA PRS > Used USA PRS (Custom or OLDER CE Models) > New USA CE Model > New S2 Model

Personally I feel that if you're looking for USA PRS/ Suhr / JP15 type of quality, you won't find it in the S2 line.

That's a pretty good price for a Used USA PRS Custom 24 10 top assuming no issues. That era should have HFS/Vintage Bass, or maybe Dragon I pickups - which are all very good. Just check the normal stuff for a used guitar and you'll be fine. I briefly had an early 90's CE24 and a later 90's CE24. Their build quality was on par with the USA Cu24 that I bought, considering my CE's were 20 years old....

Assuming all the normal stuff checks out for buying a used guitar, I'd have no concerns buying a used 93 PRS Cu24.
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thanks for the tip. Yeah the guitar looks to be in good shape based on pics. Though no bird inlays? I guess some older runs had just the dot inlays..may check this guitar out
 
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