# PRS Private Stock



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Are the PRS private stock guitars really that special. I mean, how good can the wood be, how good can the workmanship be? There has to be a limit to craftmanship and materials, unless you start to deal in gold and diamonds.

These things are in the $7000 to $30,000 range and I just dont see it.

PRS PRIVATE STOCK Paul Reed Smith-Brazilian Neck/Board! - eBay (item 110473947791 end time Apr-24-10 21:34:53 PDT)


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

if you buy one, there's magic power in the guitar that makes you play like a true shaolin master shredder


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## Brennan (Apr 9, 2008)

PRS Private Stock guitars are a perfect example of the law of diminishing returns. You pay a premium for the small upgrades over a standard production line guitar ... whether or not they're worth it is entirely in the eyes of the buyer. 

As for the materials, gold inlays are quite common among private stock guitars (as well as other precious stones and metals, brazillian rosewood etc...). Add in the fact that the guitars are built by the private stock team (ie, a small group of higher paid luthiers who do more of the work by hand than is done on a production model), and let's not forget exclusivity, and you get the high costs.

And this certainly isn't limited to PRS guitars ... is an R8 really worth $4000 more than a studio? That's a lot of money for a little plastic inlay material and figured wood. It comes down to some people are willing to shell out the money to get exactly what they want, and others are willing to settle for "close enough". Private Stock guitars are for those who want something a little more special than you can find on the rack, and are willing to pay whatever it costs to get it. They rarely stay on sale long, so clearly there's a market for them.


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## Phlegethon (Dec 18, 2009)

personal bias aside . . . I see no reason to spend that amount of money on a solidbody electric guitar. I would also agree that there is a limit in which things affect the tone (by themselves). things like resonant wood only have "x" amount of impact and because a soildbody guitar doesn't rely on acoustics at all. that and one archetype of the perfect sounding guitar was built as cheaply as possible with zero thought to how this instrument could sound good in any way shape or form. I'll give you the info I know about it with links where I have interesting info about. oh, and the guitars I'm talking about would be fender's own telecaster and stratocaster

the body woods chosen for this guitar were picked because they were cheap, easy to mill, and readily available. at no point did they sit back and think "this wood would sound good so let's use it" 

these bodies were then either coated in polyester or bondo (yes, automotive body filler) which was used as a grain filler as it was a cheap and effective way of both filling the grain and giving the paints used on the guitar bodies a surface to properly adhere to. the link below is high ups that work at fender stating in no uncertain terms that they used bondo, and then polyester on their guitars when the technology moved forward. 

FDP - Forum

an interview conducted by seymour duncan with seth lover debunking a whole lot of myths about PAF humbuckers which hopefully eliminates some of the voodoo associated with vintage guitar parts. seth basically goes on to say that the pickups were wound by machine, and that if they had the machines to do it they would've wound them with a process normally reserved for cheap import pickups as it was the most cost effective way of going about things (the people running gibson were only interested in making an instrument that was "good enough" to turn a profit, not to make something that was truly remarkable) 

Seth Lover interview 1978 vintage gibson PAF humbucking humbucker pickups guitars

so no, a private stock PRS isn't worth it. does that thing look absolutely stunning? yes. but in the end, the things that PRS does (especially in terms of taking advantage of myths regarding tone to charge a premium price) will never justify a pricetag as high as that. that private stock PRS functions EXACTLY like my ibanez RG's . . .and would produce a very similar sound to my ibanez RG's. . .and I still am of the opinion that my 300 dollar RG321MH with emg's will hand that private stock PRS guitar it's ass to it on a silver platter when it comes to things that matter (playability, versatility, value for dollar)


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## Tim Plains (Apr 14, 2009)

An R8 is not $4,000 more than a Studio. 
GuitarsCanada, if you don't get it, consider yourself lucky because you've saved yourself a ton of money...lol. I have one and it's absolutely perfect. Then again, so are my other four, non-PS PRS guitars but you can definitely tell that the PS is a cut above. You pay a lot for a little...that's for sure.

Yes, they're built by a Private Stock team (who's names are listed on the PS letter that comes with the guitar. Four people are on mine, one's Paul.) and wood selected for it's tonal qualities & looks.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Are Nine said:


> An R8 is not $4,000 more than a Studio.
> GuitarsCanada, if you don't get it, consider yourself lucky because you've saved yourself a ton of money...lol. I have one and it's absolutely perfect. Then again, so are my other four, non-PS PRS guitars but you can definitely tell that the PS is a cut above. You pay a lot for a little...that's for sure.
> 
> Yes, they're built by a Private Stock team (who's names are listed on the PS letter that comes with the guitar. Four people are on mine, one's Paul.) and wood selected for it's tonal qualities & looks.


Oh, I get it... what I was getting at is the difference in price. How can you go from $2000 - $4000 to $15,000 ? that is what I am saying. There simply cant be that much difference in the materials and workmanship. If there is, then the $4000 model is not very well made, and we know that it is. It has to come down the rarity factor.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

GuitarsCanada said:


> Oh, I get it... what I was getting at is the difference in price. How can you go from $2000 - $4000 to $15,000 ? that is what I am saying. There simply cant be that much difference in the materials and workmanship. If there is, then the $4000 model is not very well made, and we know that it is. It has to come down the rarity factor.


Simply because the market exists, no other reason.

I love my PRSi but can't ever see myself paying more than $2500 for any guitar. The custom 24 I now have is about as good as it's ever going to get for me. ;-)


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## Ship of fools (Nov 17, 2007)

I am with you totally on this GC, its getting to the point of no return, yes the wood is very rare but vcan be obtained through other resources out there ( recaptured rosewood is even better then the original ) and yes there is a minimal amount of gold and probab;ly some extra in the wiring and soldering ( gold soldering is as far as I am concerned still the best way to go if you can afford it ) but the leap is to great from a top of the line PRS ($4000.00 ) to $15,000 what am I not getting then in the first case, makes me wonder.Ship


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## Tim Plains (Apr 14, 2009)

GuitarsCanada said:


> Oh, I get it... what I was getting at is the difference in price. How can you go from $2000 - $4000 to $15,000 ? that is what I am saying. There simply cant be that much difference in the materials and workmanship. If there is, then the $4000 model is not very well made, and we know that it is. It has to come down the rarity factor.


The $4,000 model is just as well built. Actually, there is no $4,000 model. I believe PS starts at around $7,000 - $8,000.
If all you're getting is a plain jane PS (if there is such a thing) then cost won't be as high as the really fancy ones. The more you customize it, the higher the price goes.
Case in point...here's where you pay the difference. Look at the PS guitars here. PRS Private Stock
The $30,000 Washington DC Inlay one is probably that much money just for those inlays.

Mine is a 2004 and its price new was around $9,000. As far as PS goes, it's a pretty plain guitar. It's just a PRS McCarty...with gold MOP inlays surrounded by 14k gold and a Brazilian fretboard.
Remember, you can customize these anyway you want. That's when the price skyrockets.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I think a big part of it is the "rare, for collectors!" part. I don't have a problem with that: if someone has the money to buy a really nice PS PRS, and they do, power to them! I will hunt down a used model that I like, and buy that instead.

There's some luthiers who charge $6000 for their guitars - but if a luthier can do the same guitar for $3000, and you get that attention to detail and quality of materials, it's hard to justify that extra $3K except for bragging rights.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

They are stunning guitars, no question about it. They are also of very high quality. I have played several PRS and they just "feel" great. I can understand the custom models as well in terms of getting into the gold inlay etc. Just seems like you are going from a great guitar in the say $2500 price range to something that is 10 times more.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

GuitarsCanada said:


> They are stunning guitars, no question about it. They are also of very high quality. I have played several PRS and they just "feel" great. I can understand the custom models as well in terms of getting into the gold inlay etc. Just seems like you are going from a great guitar in the say $2500 price range to something that is 10 times more.


That's pretty much it.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

GuitarsCanada said:


> They are stunning guitars, no question about it. They are also of very high quality. I have played several PRS and they just "feel" great. I can understand the custom models as well in terms of getting into the gold inlay etc. Just seems like you are going from a great guitar in the say $2500 price range to something that is 10 times more.


You can make that same comparison for pretty much anything......cars, watches, etc......many factors come into play such as status, disposable income, quality (perceived or not), priorities etc...My GF drives a BMW and i drive a Ford......She has solid arguments for her car and she never questions my high end (high end being relative) gear purchases...why should i?


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

davetcan said:


> can't ever see myself paying more than $2500 for any guitar.


Just give it time... 

I started frequenting the forums over 10 years ago.....I set myself a limit and over the years it grew....I recently "busted" my limit by double but corrected myself by selling it.....Owned the same LP and Strat for over 17 years and once the Forums started.....sold and bought over 60 guitars......dangerous things these forums...


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Online guitar forums are where I read up on gear, found out about products I might not have given a 2nd thought to if I saw them in 'zines, asked questions about gear I couldn't try/afford, and GAS'd.

I no longer GAS as much due to forums (when you know what your dream guitar is, you generally get reduced to GAS'ing over the figuring in the woods of guitars), but I spend a lot more time on them then I do playing.

I have not spent over $2500 on a guitar, and don't plan on it any time soon. I'm too big a fan of buying used.


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## Hired Goon (Mar 4, 2008)

PRS is on my to do list, but I would not ever consider private stock. It will not play or sound better than guitars half the price and less. It's more like buying a piece of art to stick on the wall.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Alex Dann said:


> Just give it time...
> 
> I started frequenting the forums over 10 years ago.....I set myself a limit and over the years it grew....I recently "busted" my limit by double but corrected myself by selling it.....Owned the same LP and Strat for over 17 years and once the Forums started.....sold and bought over 60 guitars......dangerous things these forums...


LOL, I know all about the perils of forums. I started playing about 17 years ago and frequenting forums shortly thereafter. I've gone through, and continue to go through, an inordinate amount of gear. One of the benefits of starting late in life (maybe the only one) was having a pretty decent disposable income that allows me to feed this habit but I'm trying to live by some self imposed limits. I've been VERY tempted by some VERY nice stuff, some of them yours ;-), but so far have managed to keep myself in check. My Schecter Strat and LP have been with me most of those 17 years and will always be here. The rest are probably always going to be in some form of rotation with the possible exception now of a couple of PRSi one of which I'm picking up on Friday 
The above analogy of comparing a PS PRS to art is one I was going to make myself. My wife and I also prefer original art to posters/prints etc. We have both but I'd much rather buy from, and support, local artists. If we didn't do that then maybe I'd have more to spend on guitars, but I don't think I would. I enjoy trying new things too much.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

"I enjoy trying new things too much"

and there lies my battle......i've come to grips with it and it's a hobby at the end of the day (albeit, an expensive hobby). So much great gear these days - i picked up a PRS DC 245 yesterday.....these guitars are great....i was telling my partner how great it was and she agreed but stopped me short and said that i'll just end up selling it......she's probably right


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

I think if you're at the point where you know what you like and it makes a difference to you, then yeah - knock yourself out with the PS of your dreams. Same thing could be said about having Linda Manzer build you an acoustic guitar or any number of builders out there. Are they worth it? I'm sure they are to just about everyone that has one. Do most people that spec them out and have them built take a bath on the cost if they try to sell them down the road? Yep, I'm pretty sure they do. In my mind, they held up better a few years ago when they didn't build them for "stock" for some of the big-player PRS stores and limited them to end-user/buyer specs - but the world was a different place a few years ago as well and I'm sure it suits their needs as a business.

If you're into PRS and can spout off exactly what you like and what you need your axe to have then it's an awesome way to go. I'm sure it also has a trickle-down effect to their regular production line and the increase in special-run & limited edition guitars. Case in point, there's at least 1 of the Long & McQuade 50th anniversary PRS guitars around the forum and before that special run, you couldn't get that colour without going private stock. If that's your dream colour and you like all the other specs then you've basically got a PS guitar at about half of what it takes to get into the PS level. 

I don't see the day when I'll fill out the form and order one - but if I had the ways and means to do it, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to spec one out to my heart's content and I don't think the build quality and components would make me question the decision when I got it. I'm just glad Satim who pops up on here every now and then had a Brazilian Limited Edition for sale a few years back with the specs I wanted in the colour I wanted.


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## Brennan (Apr 9, 2008)

Are Nine said:


> An R8 is not $4,000 more than a Studio.


Sorry, I meant R9. The point remains the same ... the higher up the chain you go, the less significant the upgrades become, and the more you're going to pay for them. It's just the nature of the beast, and it's the same story with pretty much every consumer product available. There are definitely increased costs in producing these guitars, but the simple fact is, they cost what they do because there are enough people out there willing to pay for them. Personally I have no problem throwing in the cash to get exactly what I want (to a point, of course) and do hope to order a PS guitar at some point in the future, but I can fully understand those who say it's not worth it as well.


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## jcon (Apr 28, 2006)

Alex got it right with the cars, watches analogy... You can buy a $20 Timex that'll keep time better than a $6000 Ulysse Nardin (I had a serious watch fetish in another life not too long ago) but there's still a huge market for luxury items. That's what most of the Private Stock guitars are - to me anyway.
Slightly off topic... I've got a friend who's into high end shotguns. Those guys are willing to pay thousands of dollars for nice hunk of burled walnut (unfinished) to turn into a gun stock - I think they're driving up the prices of some nice wood that could have made its way into a fine guitar. :sport-smiley-002:

I'm just a total sucker for a nice piece of wood and if anyone knows where I can get a hunk of wood that looks like this for under $2500 let me know ASAP! largetongue









Cheers,
Joe


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

PRS .. private stock.... ( Pat Regan Special... ) 

Cost me $400 in parts


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Alex Dann said:


> "I enjoy trying new things too much"
> 
> and there lies my battle......i've come to grips with it and it's a hobby at the end of the day (albeit, an expensive hobby). *So much great gear these days* - i picked up a PRS DC 245 yesterday.....these guitars are great....i was telling my partner how great it was and she agreed but stopped me short and said that i'll just end up selling it......she's probably right


.....and that, to me, is the big deal now. There is so much great gear now, compared to 'the good old days' that you don't have to spend $2k to get a good guitar. But if you have the disposable income, why not? I can't think of many things I'd rather surround myself with than guitars and gear. Some like watches, some like shotguns, some like bikes, some like wine - nothing wrong with any of that.

I, too, am an ****ahem**** older player with (finally) some disposable income. I'm not quite to dropping 3 or 4 thou on an axe just yet, but that's maybe because I just haven't found something I like that much. Yet. Not saying it won't happen.

This is a great time to be a player. The gear we have access to these days, for such relative bargains, is great compared to 20 or 30 years ago. For $1000, you can get a very nice guitar and a very nice tube amp. You spend more, you get better (looking, sounding, features, whatever) but you really don't have to spend much to get good stuff. Especially considering the value of a buck now compared to 30 years ago.

For $1000 now, I could probably buy 3 or 4 pretty good low-power tube heads. I don't think I could buy even 1 tube head 20 years ago for $500 (probably what that $1000 was worth 20 years ago, maybe even more).


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

jcon said:


> I'm just a total sucker for a nice piece of wood and if anyone knows where I can get a hunk of wood that looks like this for under $2500 let me know ASAP! largetongue
> 
> Cheers,
> Joe


If you can live with a thin veneer of flame/quilt/figured maple over maple, and enjoy the playability of the guitar, you can find many guitars for $800 or less that look stunning.

Edit: a carvin at $770BIN

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=250616641251


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