Compiling A List of Great Music Created With PRS Guitars.

[la szum]

. So the “2nd punk” scene “Grunge” was becoming the new fashion and of course they had to reject beauty and quality because then they would be found out for the posers that they were. It’s taken awhile for PRS to shake that off.

Geesh, you are making my inner, grumpy, old man seem like a Pollyanna today.

That's a lot of shade being thrown in the direction of a genre of music that a lot
of people loved and were inspired by. To call an entire era of musicians "posers" is
more than a little heavy, don't ya think.?

My understanding is while everyone was selling in their vintage gear (Les Pauls, Strats,
Marshalls, and Mustangs) for guitars with Floyds and pointy headstocks those with
little cash were going to pawn shops and buying them up, because they were so cheap.
It was not a conscious choice, as much as a choice born out of necessity. And they also
wanted to create their own genuine movement and not repeat and follow trends already
in place. To me that is art at its purest. Posers are those who follow a trend, not those
who make new ones.

 

[la szum]

Interesting. Mine always has. Gibson, then PRS, now EBMM. Well, and Taylor. When I discover a new-to-me brand, I tend to stick with it for a lonnnggg time.

But I get what you're saying about PRS. It's a good question.

I suppose I am polyamorous. I have too much love to give to just give it to one company.

 

[la szum]

For a long time my personal identity was strongly tied to the American Licorice Company, who makes Sour Punch Straws.

Haha!

I have never been mad one time in my life when someone questioned what brand I owned. I mean,
Jeezus H, are we all still in middle school and looking at the label on the back of our pants, or the
stripes on one another's shoes?

Oh, we still are?! Wow. Ok? I guess I have some catching up to do in the Eternal Brand Wars!!!

 

[State of Epicicity]

My ideal for guitars changes about every 6 months, and I don't trust any brands at all. I think if you find a good guitar, you got lucky, no matter what you paid for it. I'm the most cynical about all guitar makers, so I can't view any brand as good in general; that's what many would consider a character flaw, but it's just very me. Like, in the case of PRS, I was very very close to buying an American made Custom 24, but it was only because I kept trying the Korean made ones, and none of them would stay in tune with any trem use, even though I took an inordinate amount of time with all of them over the period of months. That left me with a bad view of the brand, and made me think they should just stick with the USA made stuff. When I picked up the American made one, it stayed in tune, no problem. That didn't redeem them in my eyes; it just made me think they only really value their customers who can spend that much. That's overly simplistic, but I never want to spend my time fighting another guitar again.

 

[la szum]

Gary Moore‘s Wild Frontier album

Two of its songs:

Great songs!

I love Gary, but can't help but wonder if he ever actually recorded with a PRS, or if
that was just for the video. I definitely don't think "PRS" when I think of Gary Moore.

 

[la szum]

I think a much better question is, given the artists who made the songs that defined and shaped rock, jazz, pop and country music over the last 80 years, if they had their choices of Gibson, Fender, or PRS at the time they recorded, which guitars would they have picked if they had been available?

I’ve had “classic” guitars that I bought in the 70s and I play PRS guitars because they’re better guitars than what I could get that were made in the 60s and 70s. Nostalgia is a mind game, and I don’t let it affect my choices when I spend my money for my music equipment. I want tools, guitars, that get me a sound I like consistently, that I don’t constantly adjust and change.

For each of my Les Pauls, I put in probably three different sets of pickups, trying to find a sound I liked, and, honestly, I never got a sound that really matched what was in my head. My PRS sure do, and I haven’t changed anything on them.

I have my ‘69 Martin D35, but do I play it? Nope, I love my little Taylor, which is much more playable and sounds better. I have my Strats. Do I play them? Very seldom, because they throw fits when the weather changes, so instead I grab one of my PRS which does quite a good version of the Strat sound, and hasn’t reacted to the weather.

Do my PRS nail the Strat sound? No, because they weren’t designed to, but they’re really close, and a Silver Sky or Fiore would and I strongly suspect they’d not piss me off when the weather changes either.

Do I miss my ’61 Strat? Yea, kinda, because, you know, nostalgia, and it’d be worth a LOT of money now, just as my old ES-345 would. But I wouldn’t play them because they didn’t play nearly as well and, honestly, didn’t sound as good.

So, if Clapton, Hendrix, Beck, Page, etc., walked into a music store in the early 60s and had their pick of the current crop of guitars from PRS, Gibson or Fender, which would they have picked? That’s a more interesting question innit?

I am more interested in what has actually happened, and what that says about guitars,
and why people choose what they actually choose. Real data.

If PRS is indeed all that, then why is it not prominently in the music released and created in the
past 30 to 35 years?

Again, I own 3 Core models, so I am not an hater, as much as someone who feels there is a big
discrepancy between what PRS is as a consumer good that has some cachet in the market, and
what PRS is as a creative tool for artists.

 

[TSJMajesty]

I don't trust any brands at all. I think if you find a good guitar, you got lucky, no matter what you paid for it.

That's probably the wisest way to look at it. There are no absolutes, especially with guitars. Some brands tend to put out a consistently, high-quality instrument, of which I believe PRS does a great job at with their core models, but like you, my SE is a POS! Any guitar could arrive to its new owner with a dead note, or a bad Piezo saddle (that even <gasp> got thru Sweetwater's 50 point inspection) because people miss things. We need to know which ones had their final checks done on a Friday!

But I've always been a "brand" kind of person, so until there's an issue that's just totally unacceptable, I just live with the minor stuff.

If PRS is indeed all that, then why is it not prominently in the music released and created in the past 30 to 35 years?

The 2 I own were bought used. At the time, a new 10 Top Single Cut was the absolute finest guitar I had ever played. It was amazing!! I got to use it, brand new from the factory floor, for a month. It was so nice that I considered buying one (I couldn't buy that one.) But it was like $3200, which I couldn't justify in ~2003. And now, when I window-shop their guitars, I still kinda feel that way, that they're too expensive for what you get, and my personal comfort level. But I don't feel that way about the Majesty I own.

So maybe it has something to do with their cost? And I'm talking about going back to before they introduced the S2 line, and some other, newer, less-costly models, which seem to me to indicate they also felt they needed a more "consumer-friendly" price-point for a segment of the market.

And yeah, I'm still in school!

 

[Greg Ferguson]

If PRS is indeed all that, then why is it not prominently in the music released and created in the
past 30 to 35 years?

How do you know they weren't? Album notes rarely specify what guitars were used in a studio, and the hits were usually first recorded in a studio, so the details are sketchy. We can assume, but, without the details, we don't know.

I think the discussion, in general, is of no real consequence because Fender and Gibson now have so much competition from companies that make guitars that sound like theirs. Years ago, I wanted to sound like Duane Allman and, tried Les Pauls, and now have several PRS that sound like his guitars because I learned it's the amp and the guitar settings and a decent set of pickups that get the tone I wanted. We've moved beyond the period when we have to have a specific guitar to sound like "that" song because there are so many others that can get it. And, there are so many guitars that cost less, or are better built, that Gibson and Fender are not even on my radar.

IF someone gave me a Les Paul and told me I'd have to give up one of my PRS, I'd laugh and hand it back to them. I have a good Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, replaced its pickups and wiring and its bridge to make it sound like an old Strat, but twice a year it still goes nuts and has to have the neck adjusted when the seasons change, so it sits in its case 99% of the time because my PRS just work without needing adjustments and they sound so much like it that the hassle isn't worth it. I'd react the same if someone gave me a Strat with the same string attached. I had enough guitars from Fender or Gibson to know they don't bring anything special enough that I'd want to keep them.

Obviously, your mileage varies, and that's fine. I'm glad for you and am very happy for me.

 

[la szum]

https://prsguitars.com/artists

 

[la szum]

That's probably the wisest way to look at it. There are no absolutes, especially with guitars. Some brands tend to put out a consistently, high-quality instrument, of which I believe PRS does a great job at with their core models, but like you, my SE is a POS! Any guitar could arrive to its new owner with a dead note, or a bad Piezo saddle (that even <gasp> got thru Sweetwater's 50 point inspection) because people miss things. We need to know which ones had their final checks done on a Friday!

But I've always been a "brand" kind of person, so until there's an issue that's just totally unacceptable, I just live with the minor stuff.


The 2 I own were bought used. At the time, a new 10 Top Single Cut was the absolute finest guitar I had ever played. It was amazing!! I got to use it, brand new from the factory floor, for a month. It was so nice that I considered buying one (I couldn't buy that one.) But it was like $3200, which I couldn't justify in ~2003. And now, when I window-shop their guitars, I still kinda feel that way, that they're too expensive for what you get, and my personal comfort level. But I don't feel that way about the Majesty I own.

So maybe it has something to do with their cost? And I'm talking about going back to before they introduced the S2 line, and some other, newer, less-costly models, which seem to me to indicate they also felt they needed a more "consumer-friendly" price-point for a segment of the market.

And yeah, I'm still in school!

I don't know what the answer is, or the reason that it seems that the PRS cachet in the marketplace is considerably
higher than the creative output. Just seemed like an obvious thing once it occurred to me.

I bet not even 30 artists have been mentioned in this thread. Checking the PRS artist page 90% of those listed I have
never heard of and I am a guitar nerd. Seems to be mostly hired guns (Nashville, LA) or touring guitarists who support
Jason Aldean or Carrie Underwood. Not a damn thing wrong with that. Just different than someone who writes and
records their own music and then gains some appreciation for doing so.

 

[TSJMajesty]

https://prsguitars.com/artists

I'm surprised Dave Navarrow's not pictured there.

 

[TSJMajesty]

and I am a guitar nerd.

Uh, yeah. And a music nerd too. If anybody would know, it'd be you.

 

[la szum]

I'm surprised Dave Navarrow's not pictured there.

I think they rotate featured artists. He was listed. I saw his name.

Also, I don't think his Sig PRS is in production anymore, and they
seem to be highlighting those who have Sig guitars in production
at present.

 

[la szum]

This thread has taught me that Bro Country is the the new Nu Metal. PRS and Mesa Rectifiers. Go figure!

 

[TSJMajesty]

Also, I don't think his Sig PRS is in production anymore.

I never saw what was "signature" about it.
Oh, and speaking of PRS signature..., Neal Schon has 2 models, but then again, he doesn't really qualify in the context of your question, because his recognizable contributions happened before he started using PRS.

 

[painkiller]

I love Gary, but can't help but wonder if he ever actually recorded with a PRS, or if
that was just for the video. I definitely don't think "PRS" when I think of Gary Moore.

This is actually a bit uncertain.

In the 80s I was a huge Gary Moore fan and collected every magazine article, interviews, snippets, etc. I could get. In some of these he said that the main guitar on Wild Frontier is his 1980 white Hamer Special and his PRS were used for only one song (Friday On My Mind was especially mentioned) and some parts. But in other articles he contrary stated that the main guitars on Wild Frontier are his PRS guitar which he just brought from an US Tour and his Keith Page modded Charvels.

Whatever the true story may be, it seems that PRS guitars were used on the Wild Frontier album.

Here's another Video from 1987 (which appears to be more "live") on which he plays a PRS (go to 2:45):

 

[Greg Ferguson]

I'm surprised Dave Navarrow's not pictured there.

Click the OFFICIAL ARTIST ROSTER button.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Wow. Steven says some things in the first 5 minutes (as far as I've got) that are pretty interesting, taken in the context of this thread.

 

[la szum]

I never saw what was "signature" about it.
Oh, and speaking of PRS signature..., Neal Schon has 2 models, but then again, he doesn't really qualify in the context of your question, because his recognizable contributions happened before he started using PRS.

Not sure either. Gold hardware??

George Lynch talked about using a PRS when he first started Lynch Mob. ESP (who he was an endorsee for)
suspended him for a year when they caught wind of him using a PRS live. Ooopps!

 

[GitGuy513]

It's not about me questioning PRS for being legit or not. I own a few PRS guitars. I was just reflecting
on how their popularity doesn't seem to match their creative output in the hands of a lot of artists. That's
a majour disconnect from the consumer end versus the artistic side.

I am just curious why that seems to be the case. That's all.

Oh, and I like to push the needle, because my personal identity has never been tied
to any brand. And it is fun to discuss and ponder.

Oh I get your point and don’t have any issues with it, but it seems that there’s been enough examples that you’re slightly off the mark. Or at least need to adjust your view a bit. While I’m a huge fan of PRS, (they’re made in the USA and close to my home so I have gotten to know the company and Paul to some degree, and their just great instruments) I also own guitars from other companies. Besides some of the other things I mentioned and I believe others have alluded to this in one way or the other; when PRS came into its own there was (and is) also a huge amount of other manufacturers to content with. Gibson and Fender didn’t have this problem.