What are your thoughts?

Scott_Abene said:
Honestly, I think that I am just a picky SOB.
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I'm picky too, but I like PRS, Fender/G&L, Music Man, Godin, and others, but I'm not a fan of Gibson stuff. It sounds amazing in the right hands, but my hands aren't as comfortable on their instruments and their sound isn't so great in my hands that I feel the need to adapt. I can and would, but I've yet to play the Gibson electric that made me want to own it.
 
Dogsinotpalc said:
I'd love to try that Sterling SUB though.
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I Fricken Love my Sterling AXS

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Dogsinotpalc said:
I'm picky too, but I like PRS, Fender/G&L, Music Man, Godin, and others, but I'm not a fan of Gibson stuff. It sounds amazing in the right hands, but my hands aren't as comfortable on their instruments and their sound isn't so great in my hands that I feel the need to adapt. I can and would, but I've yet to play the Gibson electric that made me want to own it.
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I love my Les Paul Guitars... That being said there is little chance in Hell that you would ever see me playing one in a live situation. I will record with them but standing up and playing live with them they just do not sit right on me.
 
There aren't too many PRS's that really catch my eye. There is just something about their aesthetic that I don't like. That being said, most of the Gibson line and half of the Fender line are over-priced compared to what you can get for 400-700 bones nowadays.
 
What it comes down to is how much bells and whistles are on a guitar. Increase the amount of aesthetics along with hardware and the price goes up.
 
Modern Saint said:
What it comes down to is how much bells and whistles are on a guitar. Increase the amount of aesthetics along with hardware and the price goes up.
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But it doesn't.

The PRS may not have many bells and whistles, but a Sandard Strat or LP Studio don't either, and the PRS almost certainly will have better fit and finish.
 
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Prages said:
But it doesn't.

The PRS may not have many bells and whistles, but a Sandard Strat or LP Studio don't either, and the PRS almost certainly will have better fit and finish.
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I must've missed something on the prices because when I googled the S2, I saw $1399 from Sweetwater meanwhile the studio was around $899.
 
I think that they're both overpriced, and that one is significantly more overpriced than the other, despite being a lesser product, and one that's produced by a company run by contemptible management.
 
Modern Saint said:
I must've missed something on the prices because when I googled the S2, I saw $1399 from Sweetwater meanwhile the studio was around $899.
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Yes, but the Studio that's $899 (or $999) is a blowout/demo price of the leftover 2013 models IIRC (you can still find some NOS at Sam Ash, too, for similar prices). The current versions (2014 and, ugh, 2015) were/are significantly higher, and the 2014 had a satin vs. gloss finish.

I agree with you, though - if you count the current LP Studio as the "acceptable" current entry-level LP from Gibson, it is actually less expensive by $170. Not to mention having a HSC and nitro finish.

To pick nits further, if you take a Gibson LP Studio, it is fundamentally the same as a Traditional or Standard, in that the dimensions and styles are virtually the same. The major differences being mainly with the "bling": tops, binding, inlays, pickups, etc - yet the core construction and techniques, dimensions, and electronics are virtually the same (homemade pickups, arched tops, case, etc). The PRS S2 line, OTOH, really only resembles the "non-S2" line in head-on viewing, only. The core wood quality, construction techniques, dimensions (especially the flat tops w/beveled edge vs. carved tops), hardware (some Asian-made) are completely different from the rest of the MIAs. The S2 doesn't even come with a HSC. At least, though, they are still built in the US...

If PRS came out with the S2 line at, say, $999 - $1099, I would be more inclined to bite, but frankly, considering the price points, if I were to choose between PRS lines I would either 1) purchase a used, "non S2" model MIA PRS that would be in the same price ballpark as a new S2; 2) Get a SE and plop in a set of good pickups and still total around 3-400 less, or 3) Get a used S2 for just over the price of a new SE :wink:.

So I guess it comes down to preference and QC from piece-to-piece, but from a cost standpoint, I can't see where PRS has that much of an advantage :shrug:

Don't even get me started on the Fender "standard" MIAs - you want to talk about a price increase and bang-for-the-buck? Ouch! Hell, the American Special Strats/Teles were $749 5 years ago when they debuted; $1K now. Fender MIM is a wonderful thing, however.
 
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Tig said:
When the S2's came out, we were worried that their value would drop dramatically. I haven't seen many used S2's go up for sale so I don't know if that happened or not.
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There a minty S2 Mira at a area GC for $899. Seems low, but considering typical used markdown percentages, it' not that far off.
 
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CBHScott said:
Yes, but the Studio that's $899 (or $999) is a blowout/demo price of the leftover 2013 models IIRC (you can still find some NOS at Sam Ash, too, for similar prices). The current versions (2014 and, ugh, 2015) were/are significantly higher, and the 2014 had a satin vs. gloss finish.

I agree with you, though - if you count the current LP Studio as the "acceptable" current entry-level LP from Gibson, it is actually less expensive by $100. Not to mention having a HSC and nitro finish.

To pick nits further, if you take a Gibson LP Studio, it is fundamentally the same as a Traditional or Standard, in that the dimensions and styles are virtually the same. The major differences being mainly with the "bling": tops, binding, inlays, pickups, etc - yet the core construction and techniques, dimensions, and electronics are virtually the same (homemade pickups, arched tops, case, etc). The PRS S2 line, OTOH, really only resembles the "non-S2" line in head-on viewing, only. The core wood quality, construction techniques, dimensions (especially the flat tops w/beveled edge vs. carved tops), hardware (some Asian-made) are all different. The S2 doesn't even come with a HSC. At least, though, they are still built in the US...

If PRS came out with the S2 line at, say, $999 - $1099, I would be more inclined to bite, but frankly, considering the price points, if I were to choose between PRS lines I would either 1) purchase a used, "non S2" model MIA PRS that would be in the same price ballpark as a new S2; 2) Get a SE and plop in a set of good pickups and still total around 3-400 less, or 3) Get a used S2 for just over the price of a new SE :wink:.

So I guess it comes down to preference and QC from piece-to-piece, but from a cost standpoint, I can't see where PRS has that much of an advantage :shrug:

Don't even get me started on the Fender "standard" MIAs - you want to talk about a price increase and bang-for-the-buck? Ouch! Hell, the American Special Strats/Teles were $749 5 years ago when they debuted; $1K now. Fender MIM is a wonderful thing, however.
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I didn't want to visit the Fender's primarily because the MIM's are cut in the same Corona factory as the MIA's and are assembled in Mexico. The attention to detail on sanding is said to be better on the MIA's but the bottom line is just where they are assembled. Cost wise, really no comparison so the F stands for Fail.
 
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