MichaelT

Yeah, I've definitely heard worse than me. I can sing in tune, mostly, and can do some backups. I don't have the voice or the range for lead vocals so I just tell people how horrible I am. And, I find it hard to sing and play guitar at the same time if it's anything fairly complicated. I'm a lot more comfortable just playing.

Other people would certainly cry if they heard me sing. Perhaps even threaten bodily injury. At minimum, they might run to find the nearest set of earplugs or caulking sealant. One person even vomited violently! My singing is almost as bad as Vogon poetry. There's a song that a friend of mine wrote that we recorded back in 1991 and it still brings feelings today. Not crying but definitely a powerful song if you pay attention to the words and understand their meaning.

I don't know what's up with people continuing to post in this thread. I, for one, wouldn't!

You have reached the end of the internet: http://hmpg.net/

Until a few months go by and he creates yet another alter-ego, sure. His last post was: "You guy's hate on people too often and too easily, no wonder there's so much violence and bad crap going on in the world, kids today just want to criticize and hate. Whatever man, I admit I almost got sucked up into the hate and anger, but I'm stopping myself. You guy's go on and say what you want, I'm out of it......Later." Seems to me like he started it. My mom used to say, "You can dish it out but you can't take it." I guess that applies to this guy.

In response to the latest posts and the original post and poster, I've done a little more research both online, videos, reviews, probably a good hour and a half to two hours worth of playing various PRS guitars of various models and variations. I think PRS should spend less time comparing themselves to Gibson, particularly the Les Paul, and come up with their own look and sound. I've read a lot about McCarty and what he did for PRS and how he worked at Gibson and how X pickup or guitar is like the old Les Paul and the old PAF pickups. Or, they're as thick as a Les Paul or solid (or not) like a Les Paul, blah blah blah. The neck feels like a Fender, most of their bodies look similar to a Strat with a Les Paul type finish. The headstock looks too small for the body and the colors on some of them are questionable. I'm not a Floyd Rose fan and I rarely use a whammy bar at all and for that, I have a guitar. The single bridge/tailpiece design isn't my favorite either. I'd rather see an all new PRS guitar with a different look, feel, features, etc. Then quit comparing it to a Les Paul or any other Gibson, Fender, whatever and be a brand of it's own without the comparisons. Players and critics might compare but the company shouldn't be making comparisons to another brand. It makes them seem like a knockoff. If I want a Strat-like guitar, I'll get a Strat. If I want a Les Paul-like guitar, I'll get a Les Paul. All that being said, I did stop by the Guitar Center in Louisville yesterday since I was in town for a meeting. After playing their newest 594 McCarty guitars yesterday, they were ok. It was a good guitar, sure. It wasn't my favorite I've ever played and I wasn't blown away like I think I should be for a $4000.00 guitar. Again, Fender neck, Les Paul-ish body or Strat-ish type body, weak (in my opinion) pickups in a fairly light guitar. It doesn't weigh any more than my Les Paul Standard or Tribute. It feels about the same for a completely solid guitar. It was good but not great, no love at first sight or first play. It warranted about 10 minutes worth of play through an amp similar to mine at home for each version, Les Paul style and Strat style. It sounded good, felt pretty good and pretty solid but not $4000.00+ worth of good. However, if we're basing it on the original poster's definitely of quality, the finish and everything did look good. The body looked good, and the finish was shiny, fancy wood and all that. The frets seemed a little bigger, which might just be that they're different. The heel seems a little thicker than the Les Paul but since I have big hands, it didn't matter much to me. The tailpiece and bridge were different than I'm used to but they seemed functional. FYI, on the ones I played, the tailpiece was all the way down to the wood, just to go over that argument again about break angles. The archtop looked better on the regular. On the single cut, it seemed weird and looked like a pregnant, dolled up Les Paul. So, after careful review and consideration, although I agree that Gibson's QC isn't perfect and that stuff happens, I don't think PRS blows away Gibson. They're good and a viable option and Santana and others seem to get a good sound out of them. However, I'm fairly certain Santana can play just about any guitar and make it sound good. I'm glad that they (PRS) seem to be making strides in making good viable guitars. I just feel they're a bit overpriced for me. I'm not really wanting to pay that much for a guitar that to me feels good, sounds good, plays good but not great. The strings were sure low, making playing pretty fast fairly easy. It was a bit harder to get a good grip on them for bends though. My '81 V is about that low or lower and it's easier to bend than the PRS was. The tailpiece on it is also about twice as far back as a regular tailpiece though. I can't remember if that's what the difference is or not with the break angle and string tension. The SC didn't even have binding at all in the cutaway, so they couldn't "screw that up" like Gibson did on the Traditional. I didn't actually check to see if it was real binding or just the wood cap showing through. Anyway, this is my personal opinion. I'd rather have any of my Gibsons over either of the PRS 594 guitars. It's highly possible that I'm just biased but I did give them each about 5 minutes checking them out and about 10 minutes each of playing them, then another few minutes of each just checking them out. That little MIM Telecaster I played felt better to me than the PRS did and I'm definitely more of a Gibson guy than Fender even though I like each. There's even a few Ibanez guitars I like as far as the feel of them. I never really liked Jackson, Dean, Hamer, Kramer, Charvel, BC Rich and such. I don't hate them but they're not something I'd buy or play. After careful consideration and playing PRS, looking at them, checking them out, I think they're now in that category as well. Good guitars but not for me. That's my personal non-trolling opinion after playing a few and checking them out. I won't even post what my wife said.

Especially if they use their guitars to play El Kabong

Are you relieved that it's not weight relieved or not relieved that it's not weight relieved? I read an article where the guy was saying that it wasn't weight relieved but it was light and that was due to them using lighter mahogany and a thinner maple cap. So, it kind of IS weight relieved, just not chambered. So, with less mass and less density, does it have the same sound, sustain and tone? The world may never know.

Not to continue with the necro equine battery but you (Bluesy) kind of started this thread and beating up on people and now resorted to real life threats? Not good, man. As John Mellencamp once sang, "Forget about all that macho **** and learn how to play guitar. Play guitar." That's what it's really all about, right?

So, let me get this straight. You have a guitar you love and you're praising it in at least two forums, its quality and sound and EVERYTHING about the guitar is awesome and blows away Gibsons and Les Pauls in particular. But, if it's weight relieved, you hate it and it's going back? If you couldn't tell before, does it really matter? Maybe to you it matters but can you really tell the difference? I don't recall anything about the 594 being weight relieved, FYI, but what if it is? Just play it and love it for years and don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff.

<sarcasm> So now you're knocking Fender... </sarcasm> Kidding! I'm enjoying reading and learning in the midst of all the other trolling and flaming and troll feeding and baiting. But, in the process, I did go out and try some different guitars so it was worth wading through most of the BS just to learn more about PRS and play a few. I've always loved learning and I've mostly been playing and not really learning about the different guitars and amps. I knew what worked well for me for a long time. People have such a wide range of knowledge, experience, opinions and facts. I'm enjoying time here.

It's an actual image and I've seen it before. It appears to be or have been for at least one model. There's no reason to throw around accusations of photoshopping because that's just not the case. Even on the PRS forums there's threads about this. And, another post from McMutt: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/120137-gibson-loses-out-to-prs/ That one's from 2 years ago. We get it. You like PRS. Cool. I like Gibsons and prefer mine over PRS as do some others here and elsewhere. Les Pauls have been weight relieved for a long time on many of their models and people still play them, love them, get good sound out of them and make good music. I love my 2017 LP Standard and it has the Ultra Modern Weight Relief and it plays and sounds like a Les Paul, weight relieved or not. My 2017 Tribute has the 9 hole weight relief and it sounds and plays awesome as well. Getting people to try PRS is definitely a good idea. I think everyone should play and test as many guitars as they can to decide the one they like the best. I've had great luck with my Gibsons since 1984 when I bought my first one and it's held up great all these years, plays fantastic and sounds amazing after all this time. I'm pretty sure there wasn't any weight relief in the '81 "The V" because it's a monster with mahogany back and maple top. My Les Pauls are about the same weight, although I don't have a scale to confirm that with. The problem here is that Bluesy/McMutt is coming to a Gibson forum, slamming Gibsons and praising PRS. Glad you love your guitar as much as we love ours. There's no need to knock one over another though. It's all opinion, choice and preference. There's not a PRS in the world that I'd have over my Gibsons, any of them and my mind isn't liable to change. But, I'll give new ones a chance from time to time and if I find one I love, I'll get it. There's no reason for me to choose a very expensive guitar that I just like, not love. I think many of us feel that way and that's where the rubbing of fur the wrong way comes into place with this thread. Glad you like your PRS guitars and I hope you get as much enjoyment out of them as I have my Gibson for three decades. Rock on! Or, blues on, country on, jazz on, whatever!

He's definitely not just making guitars as a hobby. He's making lots of money. The pricetags he's putting on guitars is assuring that. I don't really care for his 594 Singlecut. It looks like a generic and not so great knockoff of a Les Paul, without the style and class. I'm looking forward to playing one though, just to see what I think of it. I think that since I've been playing Gibsons and one in particular for 33 years, nothing I play is going to compare to it in my mind.

I'm fairly certain that's one of the ones I played. However, I cannot say with any certainty that it was. It was one of the "top shelf" models with around a $4000.00 price tag on it and it was also locked and I had to have someone get that one down, and one or two to its left. I think they were all over $3000. I can honestly say that I didn't like any of the PRS guitars as much as I love my two Les Pauls and my two Flying V's, all Gibson. I'm not saying it sucks or that Gibson blows them away. I have my preference and the PRS didn't cut it for me. They're nice but my 2017 Standard was the best guitar I played all day that day. That being said, I set up my guitar the way I like it and since the PRS guitars were at Guitar Center and probably came straight out of the factory without any setup, that could be why I wasn't impressed. Maybe there is room for improvement after being set up. I wouldn't give any of them a bad review, just not a glowing review. However, since I didn't actually pay a whole lot of attention as to which models I played and I don't recall you mentioning in your original post which model it was that had you so impressed, I'd be willing to give it another go. I'll never pass down an opportunity to play a guitar, any guitar. If and when I do play one, I'd be happy to post my review. Like I said, I'm not saying that any of the PRS guitars I played weren't good. They just didn't appeal to me. And, don't even get me started on John Mayer. He may be famous but his guitar playing, that I've heard, does nothing for me. My wife has said the same thing about his playing. Granted, I've not heard all his work but I wasn't particularly impressed by him either. He can play but I don't think he's any better than me. Funny thing is, out of all the guitars I played, a little Fender MIM Telecaster was the best out of all of the ones I played at the various stores. It very much surprised me with the way it played and felt. Had I been truly shopping and not just playing, that guitar would have went home with me. It may still come home with me after I play it a few more times. The Les Pauls I played and the Flying V were great but I already have those, so I was mostly testing out other brands and models and that little Tele made the grade and I liked it better than the American made Tele right next to it. We won't talk about how a Goldtop Les Paul Classic would have went home with me if I wanted to spend the money on it but didn't. I can't remember what year it was but it was definitely a nice guitar too. I'll let you know if I played a 594 or get the chance to and will give my honest opinion. Glad you're happy with yours because agree or disagree, we're all musicians here and all have some love of the guitar. If you're happy with yours and making music playing it, great. I'll do the same as will others here and we can agree to disagree whether or not PRS is blown away by Gibsons or Gibsons are blown away by PRS. It's an age old argument and it's all opinion based. Gibson vs Fender, Hendrix vs Van Halen, etc, etc.

So, after a foray to Louisville to play a few PRS guitars, a few Les Pauls of varying ages, a Flying V, some Strats and Teles, it was an entertaining trip! I went to Guitar Center, just because of their variety. I also went to Do Wop Shop and Guitar Emporium as well. Just because I hadn't played some PRS, I played a few lower end ones, a few used ones and a few higher end ones. I didn't play a single one that felt as good as the four Gibsons I own, although a 2004 Les Paul Custom came close, if it didn't have bent bridge posts and a few cracks in the finish around the post holes. Apparently it got dropped or abused fairly hard. The PRS felt like the Fender necks. Most of the tops were pretty and they played alright, not terrible. I didn't nitpick over the finish on them, nor really looked all that close. I buy a guitar for its playability and whether or not I like the feel. I can tell in just a few minutes whether or not I like them. After playing and hearing the PRS, I didn't care for them all that much. They were ok but I didn't feel that they warranted that high of a price tag. My Les Paul Standard was the best guitar I played that day, with a used Fender Telecaster coming in a close second. It was a well put together guitar, setup well and sounded and felt great. They also had a 61 Melody maker and a 64 Strat that were awesome. I didn't get to play them but I did take a look at them. The 89 V was pretty awesome as well and I was tempted but the price tag and the fact that I already have a couple of V's, I didn't buy it. So, for me, PRS didn't make the cut and I probably played 9 or 10 of them. That's my personal opinion and preference and I'm in no way saying anything bad about them. There was one really pretty dark brown colored one, great flame and all but I didn't care for the sound of it that much. So, my opinion is after about 5 hours of playing various guitars, I still like my Gibsons the best, with a couple of Telecasters coming in after those. There was a really pretty Taylor that caught my eye but the store was closing and I didn't get a chance to play it. Had I been seriously shopping and buying, they'd have probably stayed open. So, my opinion is that I don't think PRS blows Gibson away and that's after giving them serious consideration and playing time. I think they're pretty nice guitars but not ones that I will be purchasing. I also won't be trolling the PRS forums but at least now if I'm asked, I can give an honest opinion.

If I understand what I read, they just made them that way for a while and that's how they make the Traditional or it's truly a flaw? My Standard isn't like that.

So, after all this entertainment, does anyone have a picture of this finish or binding issue this guy is talking about? I'd like to see it on my Les Paul. Or is this "defect" only on Traditional or Historic ones? I wouldn't have wanted to buy an expensive guitar with an obvious defect or flaw. I get that but trolling at least two boards apparently numerous times under various names is a bit silly and either stupid, immature or trolling. Later today we are going to Guitar Center and I'm going to check out a PRS and see what I think. So help me, if there's just one flaw... :D

Now this is funny. In my 36 years experience of playing guitar, I also learned spelling and grammar along the way. I think this guy is 21 at best.

The moderator over at the PRS forums apparently had enough of his nonsense as well and locked the thread saying: "Ok, that's probably enough bashing for now. Besides, it's a bit unseemly to use a company sponsored forum to denigrate a competing company. Let's return to talking about PRS guitars." I wonder if he's going to hit Fender or Ibanez forums next? Silly trolls.

I'd be interested in playing one to check it out. I don't care a lot for the looks either but I'm willing to give it a chance. I don't think it's going to compare to any of my Gibsons but that's just speculation at this point. Edited: I just went to the PRS site and I'm not liking the looks either. If I want a guitar that looks like a Gibson, I'll get a Gibson. If I want a guitar that looks like a Fender Strat, I'll get a Fender Strat. But, I hope to play some this weekend and see what I think. I drive my wife crazy when I take a guitar off the rack, touch it, hold it, then put it back without playing it.

I've never actually picked up a PRS to play it. So, question for those people who have, how do they compare, dollar to dollar to a Les Paul? A $3000.00 Les Paul vs a $3000.00 PRS or whatever the top of the line is for each? Santana makes them (PRS) sound good but then again, it's Santana and he made a Les Paul sound good too. So, rather than feed the troll, what's other people's opinions of them? Are they everything he's saying? I like my Gibsons a lot but I'm just curious as to how good the PRS really is? I've just never had the desire to pick one up and try them out but I'm sure others here have checked them out.

All four of my Gibsons are awesome. Sorry you had a bad experience. Gibson states on their website: "AA-grade flamed maple top: Beautiful top with just the right amount of flame for an authentic vintage look" I do find it odd that Gibson would send you 3 different guitars, each with the exact same flaw. Are you sure the store wasn't pulling a fast one and giving you the same guitar each time? Did you check the serial numbers for each? For that kind of price, I'd have bought this: http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2016/Custom/Standard-Historic-1958-Les-Paul-Standard.aspx But, glad you're happy with your PRS. Sorry you had a bad run. Good luck.

We were watching Axxess TV a few weeks back and REO Speedwagon was in concert and they played "Tough Guys" off the Hi Infidelity album. It was a newer concert after Gary Richrath died so they had a different guitarist. Well, my wife thinks it's funny when I hit an artificial harmonic and make the guitar "squeal." She'll laugh and go "squeal!" So, the guitarist played the song and I complained about him not hitting the "squeals" the way Gary did on the album, so I brought it up on YouTube for her to hear. So, for fun, I decided to "re-learn" the song because I had played it long ago, paying great attention to the "squeals" in the song. She came home from work and I played along with the album, hitting all the squeals like the album. She got a kick out of it and had me play the song three more times. Not a hard song but definitely fun to play and working to hit the right artificial harmonic, right tone at the right time. Before that was Hangar 18 by Megadeth because my oldest son wants to learn how to play it. It'll be a few years before he'll be able to play it fully but he likes the fact that he can play the intro chords to it, at least.

I certainly don't think people, even here in the US, feel that way about everything. I'm fairly certain most of us have things made in all different countries throughout the world. A lot of Americans do take pride in their work and creating things or doing things. For a great many, it's just another job to get money. As far as guitars go, I'm going to continue to buy Gibson guitars made in the US because I've had such great luck with the ones I have. But I also have a Sony TV, Samsung TV, and all kinds of other major appliances and electronics quite possibly produced elsewhere in the world. I quite like my Samsung TV and phone over other US made products. Good quality is good quality, regardless of where it's made, in my opinion. You'll certainly find people in the US who have the holier than thou attitude and will only buy domestic made products. I'd think that's a fairly small minority these days. The issue is that many of those folks are fairly vocal about their beliefs as well. I do think that the Gibson guitars I own are superior to other non-Gibson, non-USA made guitars though. Why? Because they're mine and I love them. There's probably "better" guitars out there in the world but mine will always be the best to me. That being said, I've also played some USA made Les Pauls and other Gibsons that I didn't care for at all, including an R0. That's the difference between my opinion and the truth. Truth can be proven by fact and not just hearsay and opinion. Does a Ford break down more than a Toyota? I don't know because I've never owned either but I'm sure there's actual data out there. What a lively discussion.