Versatility--PRS 509, 513 or.....Gibson Nighthawk

Dave Merrill said:
Yeah neck dive, bad. At first I thought I could deal with it, but actually no, it was a pita I just didn't need. Too bad, fun guitar otherwise, if a bit of an import cheapie, but that's what it was, so no complaints in that score.
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Good to know. Thanks. They caught my ear because I heard a guy playing one and with my eyes shut I would've guessed he was playing a Strat. I think PRS might be a better option.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
That's one thing I've only seen on one PRS. The original Santana model was difficult to balance when sitting or standing, and I walked away from that model. Every other model I have sits and hangs beautifully.


That was the "decidenator" for me. I'm not one for all the settings that the 513 had. Years ago, when I was doing guitar repair, the owner of the shop built a guitar similar to the 513 and got lots of sounds from it, but I thought too many of them were not what I'd want to use.

I use every sound of the 509 because they're all very mainstream, either Strat or Les Paul-type sounds. I tend to leave it in an SSH configuration but switch the neck to humbucking occasionally just because.
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That's cool, I didn't even know about these TBH. I knew about the Fiore, so when I was looking at McCarty's I probably would have gotten one of these instead. That being said, my McCarty sounds just like my old Les Paul, and then some other sounds with the coil splitting. I have a Suhr JS Signature Pro in HSH that covers all I would to use. I am going to get a push pull to split the neck, I haven't even done that yet. I could see if you are covering a lot of different songs, but I don't understand how you would use 9 different tones. I am asking to learn and understand, not diss.
 
Larry Ball said:
I could see if you are covering a lot of different songs, but I don't understand how you would use 9 different tones.
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It's basically set up so you get a five-way switch like a Strat, but then can split the neck and bridge pickups, so the total combinations come to 9. The split coil sounds are very Strat like, so positions 2 and 4 are just like the "out of phase" positions on a Strat. You get a similar sound using the humbucker settings but with a bit beefier sound.


and
 
Greg Ferguson said:
It's basically set up so you get a five-way switch like a Strat, but then can split the neck and bridge pickups, so the total combinations come to 9. The split coil sounds are very Strat like, so positions 2 and 4 are just like the "out of phase" positions on a Strat. You get a similar sound using the humbucker settings but with a bit beefier sound.


and
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That is awesome. I watched the video and some others, read some on it. I could get a push-pull knob and coil- split my HSH suhr, and the McCarty splits, but that's all right there, and I like the way the small switches put the 5 way blade into a reasonable configuration.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
That's what mine was doing too. It worked, and the pickup split switch worked, but it didn't have the output it should have. What confirmed to me there was a problem was when I rolled down the tone control to 0, and the neck pickup's output dropped to nothing even though the volume was at 10, but the other pickups sounded as they should, darker but with a lot of output volume.

I got confirmation from PRS this morning that the pickup on mine does need to be replaced, so, hopefully, it'll be on its way home by next week. I'm not happy I had to send it in, but, all in all, working with PRS support has been fine and if I ever need to send in a guitar for a similar situation I'll be less nervous. I'm in Arizona, so shipping added some delay, but both repair shops I use locally are running about three-month backlogs, so sending it to PRS has actually been the faster path to getting it fixed.

I don't seek the eye candy that their maple caps tend to have, but I do want the mahogany body and neck, maple cap, and rosewood fingerboard. That said, this one has grown on me…
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PRS-509-Wood-Library_245691_Angle-Right__51481.1511380976.1280.1280.jpg

I have sometimes an odd way of buying guitars. In this case, I searched for PRS 509 on Reverb, handed the iPad to my wife and asked "which one do you think I should buy", and she picked this one so I bought it. Except for that bridge pickup I really liked it. And come to think of it, I don't remember it being an issue when it first arrived. I don't know that's because I hadn't fiddled with the pickup height or if it was just because if it was new and shiny.
 
I’m a long, long time 513 player. I still have two 2007 models, both with solid Brazilian Rosewood necks. These were my main gigging guitars for years, and they are the most versatile guitars I have ever owned. The rosewood necks are a joy to play, and I prefer the switching system, along with 4 more sound options, to the 513. I have found, between the 513 and 509, people generally prefer whichever one they owned first, and that’s certainly true in my case. I don’t think you can go wrong with either one, the 513 is just more right for me!

Here’s one of them:

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And two:

07825EAC-9B5E-420E-81CC-5CBB60289B96.jpeg
 
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Johan Allard said:
So what's your main gigging guitar now? Mine's a PRS Custom 22 Piezo.
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The pandemic pretty much killed off my band of the last dozen or so years, so it’s been mostly jams and a few invited sit-ins recently. Still use the 513s, but have been really enjoying the lightness and tone of a pair of PRS McCarty Hollowbody Spruce guitars. I also added a 594 Hollowbody II as a retirement gift to myself a while back. All three play impeccably, and my back thanks me every time!

My “Spy vs Spy” guitars:

797B369B-0B99-4656-AC4E-83278B81ECA3.jpeg

And the retirement gift:

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They had one on Reverb with a ten top for < $4k... seemed to good to be true as compared to other pricing. It is funny though, it would be the same burst as my McCarty (not a 10-top). I think the 10-tops are too beautiful to play, they are like something you should frame and put up on a wall in your house. I don't want to pay that, as I am sometimes clumsy and dink the guitar against random things.

The 509 on Reverb
 
Larry Ball said:
They had one on Reverb with a ten top for < $4k... seemed to good to be true as compared to other pricing. It is funny though, it would be the same burst as my McCarty (not a 10-top). I think the 10-tops are too beautiful to play, they are like something you should frame and put up on a wall in your house. I don't want to pay that, as I am sometimes clumsy and dink the guitar against random things.

The 509 on Reverb
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Disagree - 10tops are meant to be seen on stage with the owner ;)
 
Larry Ball said:
They had one on Reverb with a ten top for < $4k... seemed to good to be true as compared to other pricing. It is funny though, it would be the same burst as my McCarty (not a 10-top). I think the 10-tops are too beautiful to play, they are like something you should frame and put up on a wall in your house. I don't want to pay that, as I am sometimes clumsy and dink the guitar against random things.

The 509 on Reverb
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I understand the feeling.

My first 10-top intimidated me, and I was afraid to take it out lest I damaged it or people thought I was pretentious. I had a Goldtop in the same model that I played a lot more because it was roadworn, and eventually gave it to my son-in-law who uses it for his shows and loves it.

Since then I got good deals on two other 10-tops and decided, yeah, they’re pretty, but they sound and play great, and my friends know that I’m not pretentious and am happy to let them play the guitars too. It’s probably our insecurities telling us we’re not worthy, kind of like meeting a beautiful woman, being unsure about her, and talking to her and learning she’s really fun to know and hang out with.
 
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Larry Ball said:
They had one on Reverb with a ten top for < $4k... seemed to good to be true as compared to other pricing. It is funny though, it would be the same burst as my McCarty (not a 10-top). I think the 10-tops are too beautiful to play, they are like something you should frame and put up on a wall in your house. I don't want to pay that, as I am sometimes clumsy and dink the guitar against random things.

The 509 on Reverb
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That's both too pretty (most PRSs are to my eye), and also ugly imo, don't care for those colors, at least in the pics
 
10-Tops, Artist, Wood Library, Private Stock… all made to be played! Not using them is like buying a Ferrari and leaving it in the garage. Live a little, and to hell with what others think of you playing it. Not their money, not their guitar, not their business!

If you’re going to have a great guitar, enjoy it to the fullest. If you buy one just for you to savor in you happy place, that’s great. But if it’s to play, give yourself the gift of enjoying every note. A few honest dings just enhance the memories. [/hijack]
 
Rick said:
10-Tops, Artist, Wood Library, Private Stock… all made to be played! Not using them is like buying a Ferrari and leaving it in the garage. Live a little, and to hell with what others think of you playing it. Not their money, not their guitar, not their business!

If you’re going to have a great guitar, enjoy it to the fullest. If you buy one just for you to savor in you happy place, that’s great. But if it’s to play, give yourself the gift of enjoying every note. A few honest dings just enhance the memories. [/hijack]
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Oh don't get me wrong, I would play it. I was just expressing my appreciation for the some of the tops I've seen, especially PRS. The wood puts a bit of the earth and nature into a some amazing looking guitars. But I would be playing it like mad.
 
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