The tactile feel of a high end guitar.
- Thread starter reverend1
- Start date
Guitar Heel
Demented Trick
Don’t you mean shark sandwich?
Rolled fretboard edges are also good. My PRS Standard 22 feels like it has binging but its just the way the fretboard edges are treated.
Chad
Slender Hobbit
I can’t remember which rig rundown it was, but they mentioned using a wound G to keep the G string in tune. Might be worth a try.
cvogue
Yes, that's Oolong. :)
OK, what did I miss? Guess I have to get on here more often, not getting the running Rob Roy gag...
Guitar Heel
Demented Trick
It’s just that it’s an amazing movie. Also. I’m allegedly descended from that clan. And he fires a gun in each hand. EACH HAND. And some people just can’t appreciate high cinema.OK, what did I miss? Guess I have to get on here more often, not getting the running Rob Roy gag...
BlockInlay
Octavate.band
One of the reasons I smile every time I pick up my Nash guitars.
Help!I'maRock!
Mediocringly Derivative
Now that I'm actually on a computer and can type, here's my actual response.
Regarding a solidbody, nobody is going to make a better quality guitar than my PRS Custom 24. You can change the woods and the paint, give it different dimensions and hardware, and gussy it up with whatever gaudy appointments you can think of. But it's not going to be an objectively better instrument. Different, yes, but not better. That said, it's now a 13 year old guitar. I've not played a lot of PRS in its price range in the past year or so, and I can't comment on how much better or worse the current Custom 24 is compared to it. Especially when they're charging double what I paid due to inflation and market forces.
But let's say PRS is making the same guitar with the same woods for double the price today. IMO, that's the market standard. Everyone, Gibson, Fender, Collings, Reverend, etc., is using that reference as the standard against which their guitars are finished and priced. It's been that way for at least 20 years, and it's not likely to end anytime soon because of how slowly the guitar market moves. PRS forced Gibson and Fender to up their games in the 80s and 90s, and they've continued to move closer to him in their fit and finish over the past 10 years. Fender particularly has upped their QC considerably, and we've seen Gibson make strides in fits and starts as well.
The thing that makes a company like Reverend so attractive is they're trying to implement PRS style QC in their import guitars. PRS' import guitars that are made in the same factory are nice. But they're not as nice as Reverend's because they're being built to a price that keeps them affordable while not competing with their own higher priced offerings. Reverend doesn't have that problem. Here's the line, here are the improvements for this year, the price went up because they think the guitars are worth it. I'm sure there are cost choices made along the way, but because the guitars don't have to be objectively worse, like an Epiphone or an SE, there's a lot more freedom to be had.
On the flipside, when you're talking about Collings, Sadowsky, Suhr, Anderson, etc. Those guys are playing a different game as well. The only one of them who has introduced a lower model line is Suhr, and they couldn't get the consistency John wanted with the Rasmus line, and he ended up rejecting most of them. Now Suhr offers a "Pro" line, which is really just their most common specs and maybe a satin finish to help reduce costs. Is a Sadowsky or Collings solidbody worth $2k more than a PRS or Fender Elite? I guess that depends on who you want to support. If you prefer a guitar constructed by a small team of builders instead of off a production line, then it's going to be worth it to you. If not, then it's money down the drain.
With my own guitars, my PRS Custom 24 is objectively better in the tactile feel department than my Ibanez AR-50. One is a flagship model, and the other is built from the scraps of flagship models. But man, that AR-50 kills, and is as fine a backup guitar as I need. I think I'll get it that fret level next year.
Regarding a solidbody, nobody is going to make a better quality guitar than my PRS Custom 24. You can change the woods and the paint, give it different dimensions and hardware, and gussy it up with whatever gaudy appointments you can think of. But it's not going to be an objectively better instrument. Different, yes, but not better. That said, it's now a 13 year old guitar. I've not played a lot of PRS in its price range in the past year or so, and I can't comment on how much better or worse the current Custom 24 is compared to it. Especially when they're charging double what I paid due to inflation and market forces.
But let's say PRS is making the same guitar with the same woods for double the price today. IMO, that's the market standard. Everyone, Gibson, Fender, Collings, Reverend, etc., is using that reference as the standard against which their guitars are finished and priced. It's been that way for at least 20 years, and it's not likely to end anytime soon because of how slowly the guitar market moves. PRS forced Gibson and Fender to up their games in the 80s and 90s, and they've continued to move closer to him in their fit and finish over the past 10 years. Fender particularly has upped their QC considerably, and we've seen Gibson make strides in fits and starts as well.
The thing that makes a company like Reverend so attractive is they're trying to implement PRS style QC in their import guitars. PRS' import guitars that are made in the same factory are nice. But they're not as nice as Reverend's because they're being built to a price that keeps them affordable while not competing with their own higher priced offerings. Reverend doesn't have that problem. Here's the line, here are the improvements for this year, the price went up because they think the guitars are worth it. I'm sure there are cost choices made along the way, but because the guitars don't have to be objectively worse, like an Epiphone or an SE, there's a lot more freedom to be had.
On the flipside, when you're talking about Collings, Sadowsky, Suhr, Anderson, etc. Those guys are playing a different game as well. The only one of them who has introduced a lower model line is Suhr, and they couldn't get the consistency John wanted with the Rasmus line, and he ended up rejecting most of them. Now Suhr offers a "Pro" line, which is really just their most common specs and maybe a satin finish to help reduce costs. Is a Sadowsky or Collings solidbody worth $2k more than a PRS or Fender Elite? I guess that depends on who you want to support. If you prefer a guitar constructed by a small team of builders instead of off a production line, then it's going to be worth it to you. If not, then it's money down the drain.
With my own guitars, my PRS Custom 24 is objectively better in the tactile feel department than my Ibanez AR-50. One is a flagship model, and the other is built from the scraps of flagship models. But man, that AR-50 kills, and is as fine a backup guitar as I need. I think I'll get it that fret level next year.
Dexter Inferno
Serious error
I can guarantee you it will help. That and a Graphtech nut, and your problems should be gone.
I've used the String Butler for about a year now on my LP, and that thing is brilliant. It just works.
reverend1
Kick Henry Jackassowski
What prompted this question was playing a few songs at a Jam night with a Master built strat that cost $5,500, and later a Suhr Custom Modern (it had a one off paint job, maple neck, and Thornbuckers, but it wasn't the Pete Thorn model) that was $6,500. They were both great guitars, and there wasn't anything wrong with either of them. The being said they just didn't blow me away. The Fender was no better than a good Fender Elite Strat and the Suhr was really nice, but it wasn't nicer than either of the guitars I paid $2k for.
The reason I was discussing the "feel" of the guitar in your hands is in the both guitars had wood combinations that I've played on lower end guitars, pickups are subjective, and the their electrics so there's a bunch of stuff in the signal chain that is contributing to the sound. Not to mention I was playing through someone else's rig. Although, it was a really nice sounding Vibrolux.
Anyhow, I was trying to figure out what makes a $5K+ guitar work it to those who have them. Imo there was nothing that really set them apart from nice guitars in the $2-3 range. Other than the name on the headstock. Woods are the same, fret work was great, but no better than the lower price stuff. Bone nuts all around, rolled fingerboard edges, high end hardware on both price ranges. PRS is a little easier to justify the prices of the higher end stuff because you can see what you're paying for, 10 tops, crazy wood choices, but these guitar were both painted alder, with maple necks.
When you pick up a $500 guitar and then a Custom 24 or something like my Valentine you can instantly feel the difference in build quality just by the way they feel in your hands. The same thing goes for a MIM Strat and an Elite series Strat. It's not unlike the Custom Shop SG with the midnight blue sparkle paint job I played. It was nice, sounded good, it was one of the better Gibson's I've played, but it was $8k. It was nice but it wasn't $6k nicer than a standard SG imo. I guess I really expected to be blown away or have some moment where I understood the difference, and that never happened.
Help!I'maRock!
Mediocringly Derivative
I'll always give John Suhr a pass. He's fighting the good fight, makes everything he can in-house, and keeps strict tolerances. I think the real question we should be asking, is at what point does a guitar become a luxury item? Because that's what a $5k guitar is. They're not supposed to be worth it.
reverend1
Kick Henry Jackassowski
Like I said, the Shur was great it just wasn’t something that made me want to save the money to buy one. I’d certainly consider one of his Tele’s in the 2k range, but I think that’s my ceiling.
Also, I like my American 60th Anniversary tele much more than I ever enjoyed my Suhr Classic T and there is about $2k difference between those two instruments. My $1300 PRS makes me much happier and to my sensibilities feels like a much "better" guitar than many of the more expensive PRS models. At the end of the day, it is just what makes you happy and how much you are willing to spend for happiness.
reverend1
Kick Henry Jackassowski
That seems to be what I’m learning.
DFB
Kick Henry Jackassowski
Yep, I bought my Heritage for $950.
Great guitar.
Help!I'maRock!
Mediocringly Derivative
The second thing Reverb has proven is people will buy nearly anything, and then make ham fisted attempts to sell at ridiculous prices.
cvogue
Yes, that's Oolong. :)
I know what you mean... a couple of years ago when I bought my amp the guy also had some high end "boutique" guitars there (Sully?) and an Ernie Ball (Axis I think). I tried them just for fun and I liked my PRS CE best of all. Maybe I'm used to it but it's basically a 2K guitar (1997 model, I paid about 1K for it in 20007) and I liked it best. Yeah the uber expensive boutique guitars just didn't blow me away at all. They looked nice but frankly just didn't play that well for me. To each his own, but yeah the 2K price point seems to be the sweet spot.