anyone play a PRS?

jibberish · August 01, 2012, 10:54:16 PM

please tell me more about the sg2000.

also, why isnt yamaha more popular? they seem to be quite well built and always kind of cheap.

srsly disco, your 2nd explaindo should have been your first. at least you told me something about what you hear. i'm ok with that. and yes you are allowed to hate something, but dont express your hatred via a big shit. tell why. that adds value to the sentiment. and now you have helped the picture of "PRS is shooting for middle of the road" by your description of the sound, and that fits with the talk about the neck radii, and them shooting for the middle...

see, you guys have given me stuff to look for when i start trying some out to make my decision. Already i have a question list during my next audition of one..

will it be expressive enough? i monkeyed with my pup height by the low e string on my LP to get a srs twang off that string when i need the effect since i combine bass/rhythm and solofills into my arrangenments and need that e as a bass note. i play viciously, just like electrohash. i have pounds of broken strings. i wear out fret wires retardedly fast. i play goofy comedic things, and there we have mutes, over the top bends and other cartoony playing.
i can get this out of the LP and for sure not my low end ibanezes, they are tonally dead.

will i like the neck feel? chances are good that i will. i have actually only had the most trouble with those wide flat shred necks. the musicman has the most comfy neck for me there is,teh LP is second. and that heel business, i'll for sure be watching for that

are the controls where i need them? i am going to remove the pup selector switch from my LP. i have already disabled it since i always bump it to the neck pos when playing. im good with the separate vol and tone for eachpup. i dont need the on-off effect you can do with the switch and one volume turned off heh.

ALSO, if someone is getting rid of an old PRS that is still a player, or like worn frets is cool, i understand changing brakes on a car, maybe we can talk. if one is to try out something blind, the used piece is a safer risk.

this status thing about PRS is truly sad. jeezus, i just want a guitar that serves my needs the best, music needs.
im glad im not one of those pin dick overcompensators, but maybe life really is a bitch for a "short short man" and they have to be like that.

*piquing on mescaline..heh, that woulda made archie bunker proud as the "pinochle of syntax fails".
when you peak, it means you are at the top of the buzz, like a mt peak...
you definitely peaked my interest [snicker face goes here]

NoSleepTilSleep · August 01, 2012, 11:07:47 PM

SG2000 (and even the SG1000 and everything in between): a pseudo-sleeper, but the world has come around to their awesomeness...as with all things vaguely weird and Japanese, sometimes they're dirt cheap, other times egregiously overpriced (I found one without a bridge and p/u's a meth-tweaker was selling for $200... put another $300 worth of parts into it, and now I'll never sell that fucker). But they haven't reached Tokai price stupidity yet, which is nice.

They're sg's with a les-paul body thickness and neck-through (no heel issue and great fret access), plus there's a stupid-huge brass block under the bridge that helps with sustain (its the only guitar I have that can compete with my EGC in terms of power and sustain). Ebony boards, with top-notch finishing, and a neck carve like the transition les pauls (not as thick as a 50's nor as skinny as 60's...nicely middle of the road).

If you can find one, snag it (I don't think anyone who's played one would advise against them)

Jake · August 01, 2012, 11:17:18 PM

Those Yamahas are great. I regret selling mine very much.

jibberish · August 01, 2012, 11:35:00 PM

jake, why was your yamaha great? like what did it have/do that stacked up over other guitars for you? thx

Jake · August 01, 2012, 11:59:09 PM

Very well-rounded instrument in every regard, but pickups were the real star of that guitar for me. They had such a great low/mid bark that could cut through anything. Also, I've never had pickups that cleaned up so fantastically when backing off the volume. Even with the hissiest, gainiest amps they would clean up to a clear, sparkling full-bodied chime.

I could go on, but the self-loathing is kicking in hard.

It didn't hurt that it was also a sexy bitch.

harm.on.x · August 02, 2012, 04:25:16 AM

Quote from: Jake on August 01, 2012, 10:34:00 PM
I have never had the impulse to buy one...Cosmetically, they're too fancy pants, flamey, graceful birds in flight, shiny, etc, etc. for me. I prefer a more blue collar rock and roll instrument.

The one I have is pretty unassuming. A simple burst, no fancy flame top, no birds on the fretboard. Quite a pedestrian looking guitar. I do prefer the body shape of my tele though.

I get the whole issue about PRS being associated with posers with penis size problems. No argument here.
But those are often the same wankers who fork out serious cash on vintage, reissues, and custom shop teles with fancy bird's eye necks, relic jobs, etc. They are the people who have driven the guitar market to the state it is today. What are we supposed to do? Stop playing our teles because some rich CEO bought a vintage tele for more money than Keef has spent on class A drugs?

Quote from: Jake on August 01, 2012, 10:34:00 PMMy friend was always a Strat guy but wanted the sonic density of a Les Paul. This is exactly what a PRS is.

Yes! Very well said! This is exactly what a PRS is.

Quote from: Jake on August 01, 2012, 11:59:09 PM
Very well-rounded instrument in every regard, but pickups were the real star of that guitar for me.

Man, that Yamaha does look like a nice instrument. I always wanted to try one of those. One question. Do you remember the neck being a bit narrow at the nut? I've had a Yamaha and played a couple more and I was surprised at how much of a guitar one could get for little money. They all had a narrow neck though. I prefer the 1 11/16 inches nut width. In all guitars I've owned and played for extended periods of time. My fenders included.
EDIT: ...and are those pu's Schallers? I noticed the two screws to the bottom strings and one screw to the top stings side.

Lumpy · August 02, 2012, 04:45:51 AM

I hate the quilted tops and fancy finishes like a Scandinavian coffee table, the bird inlays and 3000-4000 dollar pricetags (for a new one, not a vintage one). But the main thing is that I have never seen a heavy band use one with a convincing, enjoyable tone. But I've seen a couple of bands with really bad tone using them. I don't want to say who (one of them rhymes with Doday is the Tay).

If they are comfy to play, that's nice, but I can't hear that.

I just looked, seems like they have a budget line now, and prices across the spectrum. I still hate them, maybe in a totally irrational way, oh well.

I,Galactus · August 02, 2012, 08:50:32 AM

Quote from: Lumpy on August 02, 2012, 04:45:51 AM
(one of them rhymes with Doday is the Tay)

Lumpy · August 02, 2012, 03:01:58 PM

Quote from: jibberish on August 01, 2012, 10:54:16 PM
also, why isnt yamaha more popular? they seem to be quite well built and always kind of cheap.

Maybe because they make motorcycles and pianos and stereos and snowmobiles too? If Fender made kitchen appliances too, it might detract from their guitars. But I do think Yamaha guitars are somewhat popular (and I agree, they can make some nice instruments).

clockwork green · August 02, 2012, 03:57:50 PM

Quote from: Lumpy on August 02, 2012, 03:01:58 PM
Quote from: jibberish on August 01, 2012, 10:54:16 PM
also, why isnt yamaha more popular? they seem to be quite well built and always kind of cheap.

Maybe because they make motorcycles and pianos and stereos and snowmobiles too? If Fender made kitchen appliances too, it might detract from their guitars. But I do think Yamaha guitars are somewhat popular (and I agree, they can make some nice instruments).

Fender is making car stereo's now for Volkswagen.

NoSleepTilSleep · August 02, 2012, 03:58:55 PM

I should have qualified what I said (and I hate be a vintage queen) but I'm just referring to the Yamaha's made in the 70's/early 80's in Japan. I can't comment on the newer stuff which seems generally pretty unappealing (to me anyway).

They're popular to an extent, Bill from Mastodon and Shawn from Blood Ceremony play them pretty exclusively (and Santana still rips his every now and then).. plus Matt Pike's and Brent Hinds 9-strings are based on the SG2000.

Quote from: Lumpy on August 02, 2012, 03:01:58 PM
Quote from: jibberish on August 01, 2012, 10:54:16 PM
also, why isnt yamaha more popular? they seem to be quite well built and always kind of cheap.

Maybe because they make motorcycles and pianos and stereos and snowmobiles too? If Fender made kitchen appliances too, it might detract from their guitars. But I do think Yamaha guitars are somewhat popular (and I agree, they can make some nice instruments).

Discö Rice · August 02, 2012, 07:03:05 PM

I can see why one would maybe think because Yamaha is a huge company with a lot of irons in the fire that quality control might fall by the wayside, but I'm sure they aren't building their guitars in the same places they build motorcycles. They turn out nice instruments (their drums are killer, too), and I'm inclined to believe they're made by people who know their specific craft well and take pride in their work.

eyeprod · August 02, 2012, 07:49:00 PM

I ride an old Yamaha and I'd play one of their guitars too, if I could find a deal on one of the old ones. They're logo is 3 tuning forks, so maybe they started out by making musical instruments .

EddieMullet · August 02, 2012, 07:53:54 PM

I own a PRS SE One it is a single cut with a single P-90 (PRS calls them soap bars) and I like it, it is a nice Les Paul Jr. clone, and I liked it better than anything else I could find in the $300.00 price range. I bought mine used so new ones might be more than that, but for 300 bucks it was pretty unbeatable neck through body and it doesn't have that chunky heel.

I liked it better than the Epiphones and Squiers in that price range.

Lumpy · August 02, 2012, 08:38:20 PM

Quote from: Discö Rice on August 02, 2012, 07:03:05 PM
I can see why one would maybe think because Yamaha is a huge company with a lot of irons in the fire that quality control might fall by the wayside, but I'm sure they aren't building their guitars in the same places they build motorcycles. They turn out nice instruments (their drums are killer, too), and I'm inclined to believe they're made by people who know their specific craft well and take pride in their work.

I'm talking about the public perception. The question was "why isn't Yamaha more popular?" (I don't know that they're not popular, actually, but lets discuss anyway). One reason might be when you mention the name Fender or Gibson, people think "guitar" but when you mention the name Yamaha most people probably think "motorcycle". I think they do make good instruments, so no argument from me there.

Pissy · August 02, 2012, 09:05:25 PM

Yamaha's are made in China now I think. At least some are. Their Pacifica line I remember being pretty top notch when they were made in Japan. Early 90's is the timeframe.

Jakes guitar looks like a Matsumoku guitar, but not too sure. It resembles the Arias and the Washburn wing series though.

Bummer about getting rid of your'n, Jake. I doubt you'll find that kind of character in another one.

Edit: from their website-

The historic SBG models are individually handcrafted by the highly skilled master luthiers of the Yamaha Music Craft workshop in Hamamatsu, Japan.

So I'm wrong.

showdown · August 03, 2012, 04:18:07 AM

You can't really go wrong with older MIJ Yamahas, even the bottom-range guitars are pretty good. And IMO, the newer China/Indonesia guitars have good QC too.

liquidsmoke · October 03, 2018, 01:55:38 AM

Got one of these recently on Reverb in mint condition for hundreds less than the new price. 2016 S2 Singlecut Standard satin tobacco burst. 25" scale. No birds, no maple top, no high gloss finish to slow your hand down on the back of the neck. So far the frets seem very level. Thick clear tone. Love the look. I think it's about 8.5 lbs. Using a .074 for F# and it sounds great. Liking the hums, coil tapping when you want single coil sounds. Mostly US made. Was about to order a Gibson LP 'Vintage Mahogany' when I starting reading about this model. The only thing I don't like is that the high and low strings are a little closer to the ends of the frets than I prefer. Might have a new nut cut and installed to fix that. Otherwise it's pretty much exactly what I was looking for.