Wednesday September 21st

[LDS22]

Krispy Kreme - yuck (meeting ran late).

Anyway, I wanted to know what/who got you into PRSi? How did some of you build these incredible collections that I've seen?

My story:

First off I had a couple of cheapo guitars. I was working with PRSman and he showed me calanders and a couple of his axes. Well, of course I was immediately smitten and decided I needed one. I was about a day away from paying way too much for way too little at Guitar Center when I showed up at work one day at 7:00am and PRSman (before I could sit down) came to me and said you better call this guy or I'm gonna. It was an ad in the Denver paper for PRS CU22 - $1400. I called him that morning (found out it was 10 top, birds) and set up a meeting for later that day. He opened the case and I was still 15 feet away and knew I was going to buy it. I didn't even plug it in. I gave him $1250 and got outta there. I got a steal too. It has what I would call an artist grade (maybe private stock if it wasn't dark cherry burst) top that looks great from any angle. So, my thanks to PRSman. Now, let's hear some more stories.

[irwcustom]

Same as yesterday

A mate of mine in about 1990 had an 89 custom. I played it and that was that.

[John LeQuire]

Lunch: Subway 6" meatball, chips + Sweet tea

I originally started looking into getting a guitar when I was 13-14. Didn't have much money, or really know what I even wanted. A friend of my dad's (and a mentor, of sorts, to me) gave me a few guitar magazines and buyer's guides. The one that caught my eye was the 1999 Guitar World buyer's guide. First ad I turned to was a PRS ad for the Santana model. Pretty cool, I thought. Next thing I saw was the PRS listing, which showed an Artist (?) model in purple. Not too bad. I flipped back to the front and saw a few pictures of the Rosewood Limited model, and was addicted from then on. I ended up getting a Fender MIM Strat (all I could afford) but those PRS just haunted me. Took another four years (summer 2003) before I could afford a PRS, but it was well worth the wait. The sad part is, I can see the exact same thing happening to me with regard to Ron Thorn's guitar. I keep telling myself "Someday." Maybe that will come true too.

[tms13pin]

Quick homemade hot ham and cheese.

Hey John! Murfreesboro?? I taught at MTSU for a year in the Dept. of
Recording Industry (97-98 school year). How's the "center of TN"?

I saw PRS axes in the magazines. Came out right while I was finishing
undergrad in '85. Never really got my hands on one until I was finishing up
grad school in '96. I was working part-time as a guitar tech in a local used
guitar shop here in Pittsburgh when the owner got a (basically brand new)
vintage yellow flamed CE22 in on a trade. I oogled that thing everytime I
came in to work on guitars. The price was low too... $825. But most of
what we sold were 2-300 dollar axes for beginners, so it sat for a few weeks.
I couldn't stand it, and finally worked out a deal on it. Basically paid $650 in
cash and traded some other crappy gear for it.

My main guitar was still my strat. My wife (then live-in girlfriend and also a
guitar player) really took a liking to my CE22. But she'd never play it out
with her band because she was too afraid of damaging it (even though I
told her not to worry and to just play it, as that's what it was built for!).
So, when we got engaged in '97, and she didn't want a ring (how lucky is
THAT!), I told her I'd buy her a PRS of her own instead. She didn't want a
new one, so we looked around and got a sunburst '92 CE24 for her. I traded
my CE22 a few years ago for a LP (dumb trade, I never did warm up to the
LP and it is since gone) as I didn't think we needed both around, but I really
did like that axe (mine was a W/F and hers is a W/T).

So, I'm on the prowl for another HB Spruce (also got rid of one of those
earlier this year, stupidly) or CU22 or maybe SAS, something will surface
that grabs me. In the meantime, I at least still have her CE24 to play when
I want!

--Tom

[John LeQuire]

Quick homemade hot ham and cheese.

Hey John! Murfreesboro?? I taught at MTSU for a year in the Dept. of
Recording Industry (97-98 school year). How's the "center of TN"?


It isn't too bad. Had a busy week of school, but looking forward to a bitter-sweet concert tonight (my favorite band's farewell tour). Enjoying the course-work so far, but I'm definitely looking forward to the upper level classes that involve studio time though.

[bleujazz3]

Lobster Bisque and Cabot Cheddar cheese.

I was smitten after reading about PRS in my Guitar Player magazine back in late '94. I knew that a place about an hour and a half away had some in stock, but didn't know what kind to order. Price tag kinda scared me when compared to Strats.

I bought a CE22 trem maple top in tortoise shell with Dragon II pups, 5-way switching off the rack. What burned me was they offered lifetime warranty for an extra hundred bucks through their store. Of course, I thought I'd never part with the guitar, so like a numbnut, I paid the extra hundred. I think my total price was about $1550 out the door. Way too much for a '94 CE. But she was well-loved and the DII's screamed through my Marshall half stack at the time.

Too make a long story short, the CE22 left me for another guy a year and a half later. I eventually learned there was another PRS dealer down where my Gram lived, and I'd visit that place about once a week for a couple hours at a time, learning everything there was to know about PRSi options. After the tortoise shell left me, I bought a non-10 Cu22 with McCarty switching and birds in Royal Blue with DII's. This one had covered pups compared with the CE22, but was awesome just the same.

The rest is history, and I've been trading up ever since, with the mindset that if I took a loss on selling the guitar, it was the equivalent of a "rental" fee. The use that I got out of the guitar was the amount the guitar depreciated, even though I kept my pieces in near-mint condition. You can view my current PRS harem at the bottom of this post on My GearPage.

P.S. Thank you Guitar Player, for allowing me to become part of a greater world, especially one that includes PRSi! :)

[Big Mike]

Taco Salad, Fresh fruit, Sobe Peach Tea.

I was a snob. I built my own guitars from Warmoth parts or played Hamer. Talked trash about PRS. The pickups were crap, they weren't guitars so much as pretty bragging right items. (only had heard HFS at that time really).

I was working in a music store, and I had customers come in with them a few times for restrings (I admit, I didn't do it right, damned winged tuners) pup changes, usually HFS/VB for Dragons or DiMarzios, adjustments, etc. One in particular, I think it was a Sig now that I think back, in Teal Black. Just floored me. Phenominal tone, and played killer. But I was still too snobby, to think about it. The only PRS dealer around never had more than one or 2 and wouldn't budge of list. (I worked in a store, I was never paying list).

About that time, John Mellencamp's album came out. "Whatever We Wanted". And the first radio single was "Get a leg up" I was pretty blown away by the tone of the guitar player. (Later found out it was David Grissom, my first introduction). Later on delved deeper into Grissom, when "Storyville" came out (his band with Double Trouble). When they opened for the Allman Bros locally, that was it. THAT tone, the Goldtop PRS, everything about his tone and playing slayed me.

From then, it became sort of a "upper eschelon" in my thinking. I wanted one, but couldn't or wouldn't justify it. Still in the same town it was GC or the crappy dealer for PRS. Seemed unattainable. But a goal now.

The store I worked out closed, and my boss moved to Indiana to work for sweetwater. For the hell of it, he sent me the DVD. We were good friends, he told me I needed one, and would give me a stupid good deal on it.

He did. I ordered the Standard 24 goldtop. I decided I didn't need the frills of the maple top, (I love the growl of the all mahogany with buckers). That one took a good long while. Almost 10 months. While I was waiting, I discovered the old PRS Forum, and several of the great dealers websites for looking at cool stuff. I still thought Mapletop was an unnecessary frill.

Well, while perusing Magdon one day, (still awaiting my Standard) I saw a purple CU22 that killed me. The cheveron flame was cool, but the trans purple was "IT" I had to have it. Case closed, out it came. I've been a devoted CU22 user since. I love the standard (that finally came a month after the CU) and have had several others, and aquired more, my Studio, a cool CE came and went, a cool SCT came and went, a Curo came and went, a 20th CU came and stayed. I'm hooked. I love the guitars.

Now Its led me to Thorn, but there will always remain at LEAST that purple CU. Never going anywhere. I can now get close to that "TONE" I heard in my head, that happened to also belong to David Grissom.

[Donk70]

Beef Mexi plate and 9 beers ;)

I saw Bad Company with Damn Yankee's as the opening act in 1989. Of course, Uncle Ted was playing his Wackmaster and the guitarist for Bad Company (not Mick Ralphs) was using an Amber Custom and I was amazed at the tone. I later did some research and found that I could not afford one, but I promised myself that one day I would have one. Fast forward to 2002 when I got my 1st (CU22 WB) and I've had 4 others since then. I currently only have one (CU22 AP Quilt in Amber) but I hope to pick up a McCarty in the near future.

[LDS22]

Beef Mexi plate and 9 beers ;)you win for best lunch of the day (week?).

[tms13pin]

you win for best lunch of the day (week?).
I concur... !

--Tom

[Donk70]

I concur... !

--Tom
To save face, I want to point out that I don't do that every day. Yesterday was a special occasion.

[kingsleyd]

oyster chowder, Cape Cod chips, sliced celery & red pepper, limeade

First became aware of PRS through Musician magazine article (1984?) though realized after reading that the guitars I saw the guy in Happy the Man play were PRSi. Also Al DiMeola was playing one then; I wasn't a huge fan but liked the tones he got during his early PRS phase.

First played one at a wedding in '86, a red CU. Loved it. Had to have it. But was a private school teacher, which involves taking a vow of poverty. Took until '91 to finally get one (a NOS '89 that a local shop in VA had on the wall) and never really bonded with it, although I owned it for 5 years and played it a lot. I had a lot of the same gripes that others had and that resulted, ultimately, in the McCarty model, but by then I was into the Kleins and had pretty much given up on PRS. (despite Paul's efforts at a couple of NAMM shows to convince me how cool his new guitars were)

Obviously, I eventually came around... I really REALLY like my ME, and the HB spruce as well. And the CU-22/12...

[EmeraldQuiltBirds]

Well I blame all of my PRS gas and ownership on the Fender Musical Instruments Corp.

Last year sometime I bought a new US Strat, a week later the chrome came off the tuners. I exchanged for another NEW IN BOX US Strat and a week later the chrome came off the tremolo. I again exchanged for a US Deluxe Strat this time and once again, only worse, a week later the finish on the body started cracking. I then took it back and started to try out PRSi. I knew I wanted a CU22 but for some reason they just weren't talking to me(yes the guitars). I played probably 100 before I finally picked up a wide/thin neck model and immediatly became glued to it. I hardly let go of it long enough for them to put it in the case for me to take home. It was an Emerald Green 10 top quilt birds with tremolo and like I said W/T neck. It was incredible....I miss that guitar like crazy. Now I have a Private Stock and a CU22 20th. And because of my infatuation with PRS it has brought me to this forum where you people made me try out a Taylor acoustic which I ended up buying one of!

This board has ruined my wallet. My wallet left me because I wasn't giving it enough money. I guess you could call it a gold digger.