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PRS sound
I’ve been looking (thinking) about a PRS Hollobody. I like the way the look, I like the way they play. I think they are a great guitar, except...
I hate the way they sound. Every time I’ve played one I find the sound very cold and very high pitched. I much prefer the sound of Gibson’s with PAFs in them, it’s just the the build quality of the Gibson won’t match the PRS. The Gibson is so much more warm and round. Is it me or is that just the PRS sound and you’ll never get it to match The kind of sound produced by a Gibson? Jack
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The Princess looked at her more closely. "Tell me," she resumed, "are you of royal blood?" "Better than that, ma'am," said Dorothy. "I came from Kansas." --Ozma of Oz, by Frank L. Baum, 1907 1975 Mossman Great 1995 Taylor LKSM-12 2008 Taylor Fall Ltd GC 2008 Applegate C Nylon Crossover Fender Stratocaster - Eric Johnson Model Nyberg Cittern 2011 Eastman AC508M 2012 Epiphone ES339 |
#2
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My son bought a PRS SE in July and we played a few different models before settling on the 35th Anniversary model. We tried the SE Hollowbody as well. We liked it a lot but the build quality, sound and above all neck were more to our taste on the 35th. We did try some US-built models while we were there just because we could!
At the end of the day pickups are an easy upgrade. We prefer the feel and build quality of PRS over Gibson as well so if a Hollowbody is what you want then go for it and change the pups.
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Gibson ES-335 Studio 2016; Furch OM34sr 2015; Fender MiJ Geddy Lee Jazz bass, 2009; Taylor 414CE 2005; Guild D35 NT 1976; Fender MIM Classic 60s Tele 2008; Fender US Standard Strat 1992; G&L ASAT classic hollowbody 2005; Ibanez RG350MDX 2010(?); Ibanez Musician fretless, 1980s; Seymour Duncan Tube 84-40; Vox AC4TV; Ex-pat Brit in Sweden
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#3
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this is my biggest stopping point with PRS Guitars.
They just sound... uhmm,,, Unidentifiable?? if that makes sense...??? Great quality, very nice guitars really, but they don't have any soul (my opinion, you're mileage may vary). |
#4
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To my ears PRS's sound very much like SG's. Humbuckers with a more bitey treble and midrange than almost every other HB equipped guitar I've ever heard.
And yeah, a bit "white bread" or "plain vanilla" tonal color. Great for some applications like AC/DC or Santana and not so good at others. Personally, I would have a hard time buying a high-end guitar that I felt needed a pickup upgrade straight out of the gate, but that's just me.
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#5
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What PRS Hollowbody? The SE II has the import pickups and is smaller than a Gibson 335 type guitar. Even the core II models are smaller in size than the 335 which also contributes to a tonal difference (in addition to the PRS / Gibson tonal differences).
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#6
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I have 6 PRS guitars. 2 Santanas, 1 hollowbody 2, 1 McCarty singlecut, 1 custom 22, 1 angelus acoustic ( I also had a very early custom 24).
The scale lengths have a lot to do with overall tone balance. The 25" scale length on the customs and regular HB's does give a 'tighter' sound and feel. The shorter 24.5" scale on the McCarty's give a warmer sound. Ted McCarty worked for Gibson and when Paul 'collaborated with Ted the features on the McCarty models give them a more 'gibson' tone. The Santanas always had a shorter scale length. Initially, I was not a fan of PRS pickups and have replaced the pickups in all my guitars. That being said Paul has put in allot of effort in upgrading his pickups and I cannot comment on the current pickups. So my suggestion, try a McCarty 594 Hollowbody 2. |
#7
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That being said, if the build quality was head and shoulders over the competition, I would most certainly buy a guitar I didn't love the pickups in. But it would have to be a situation where there was no question which guitar was the beast.
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#8
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Here's the guitar... Last edited by rockabilly69; 10-19-2020 at 03:52 AM. |
#9
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Martin comes to mind. Just like you describe PRS, Martin is like this to me. Most all high end Martin's I've tried, all sound like they have a VERY dense pillow stuffed in them. Sometimes some guitars just don't meet certain people's expectations, and you just look elsewhere for a different guitar.
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'49 Martin A Style Mandolin '76 S.L. Mossman Great Plains '78 Gibson Gospel '81 Martin 7-28 7/8 D-28 '03 Taylor Jumbo Custom '04 Ramirez 1-E Classical '09 Breedlove Roots OM/SR acoustic/electric ‘15 Martin Centennial DC - 28E |
#10
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Thanks guys. I agree this is about expectations and not actual quality. I had a good friend tell me that he loves that PRS sound. To him it cuts through the mix better. One person’s cold sound is another person’s cutting sound. I will admit I have played a CE22 special edition that I really liked. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend $3500.
I also find that the American pickups are far better sounding than the Asian pickups. To me the Asian pickups have a much thinner sound. I will probably keep looking and playing. Might find one I really like in my price range. Jack
__________________
The Princess looked at her more closely. "Tell me," she resumed, "are you of royal blood?" "Better than that, ma'am," said Dorothy. "I came from Kansas." --Ozma of Oz, by Frank L. Baum, 1907 1975 Mossman Great 1995 Taylor LKSM-12 2008 Taylor Fall Ltd GC 2008 Applegate C Nylon Crossover Fender Stratocaster - Eric Johnson Model Nyberg Cittern 2011 Eastman AC508M 2012 Epiphone ES339 |
#11
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We all like what we like, the beauty of it is there's plenty to choose from these days. Back when I was just coming up to speed, (early 70s) there wasn't much of a selection like there is today. The fact is, PRS guitars visually are beautiful instruments. There is no doubting the attention to deal and the inspiration to be perfect. Kind of like Taylors I guess, Lots of people feel the same way about them as I do about PRS (But I like Taylors!! So there is that..) |
#12
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#13
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The original hollow body models had relatively weaker pickups than their solid body models. I have owned 2 of them and speak from experience, and a review in Guitar Player magazine said the same.
I have not tried their newer pickups but I like their older models like the Dragon II. |
#14
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#15
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The PRS Hollowbody II are absolutely beautiful guitars. And IF I ever buy another PRS in my life, it would be the one I want, unless the box itself doesn't sound good. But I'm one who thinks that 99.5446% of the electric guitar tone comes from the pups and amp, so I'd have no problem swapping pups. I have a 97 CU22 with Dragon II pups that I never liked and switched. I still don't prefer the guitar over others that I have, but the pups sound much better.
If I had the money, and if you have the money, I'd get one of these for my hollowbody needs:http://languedocguitars.com/
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I'm into acoustic guitars, MM & PRS, my kids, Technics decks, Titleist, Reggae music, KY Bourbon, fine rum and chrome pans from Trini. |