Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Scotty477 on February 12, 2008, 09:42:13 AM
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I have an unshakeable urge to get myself a PRS style guitar for mucking about with.
At the moment my funds wont stretch to a US PRS, although I'll get around to it one day.
I had a look around for options and came up with the following:
PRS SE range
Patrick Eggle Berlin (not really a clone but very similar)
Crafter Convoy
Vintage VRS100/110
J and D Duke series
Of that lot the Eggle sticks out obviously but they are as rare as rocking horse sh!t and a decent used Berlin Pro would go a long way towards the price of a second hand US PRS.
The PRS SE's obviously aren't clones either.
I tried a Crafter Convoy and it was alright for the price (£200 new) - but only just.
The other two I haven't tried as yet.
Am I overlooking some makes and has anyone tried - or own any of the above? If they're cr@p please let me know and I can turn my GAS urge off :D
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There's a few Eggles on eBay at the minute and the Patrick Eggle forum sometimes has a few.
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A few more springs to mind. I'm assuming you want the doublecut shape.
- Tokai (MIK ~£300, MIJ ~£600) - the MIJ one I had very briefly (it was damaged intransit so I returned it) was very nice. Very resonant and had a shallow-ish wide neck. Wilkinson hardware. MIK ones have alder body and the MIJ ones are made of mahogany.
- Cort M600/700/800 (£200~350ish I think) - never tried them so I don't know but they look nice. Cort makes Ibanez guitars btw so the quality is up to scratch.
I'd avoid any chinese cheapos (stagg, westfield, etc) if you're not trying it out first.
I'd avoid the Vintage one too. Our singer had one and when I had a go at it, the nut flew off the guitar and I had to pay for repairs!
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http://www.edroman.com/guitars/quicksilver.htm
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I keep looking at the green Berlin Pro but green really isnt my colour in a guitar.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Patrick-Eggle-Berlin-Pro-V-1995_W0QQitemZ220199941886QQihZ012QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
There was a natural bri wax Berlin Standard on at the weekend and I was close to bidding but in the end the maintenance of the wax finish put me off.
I'll keep an eye out for one.
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If your serious about getting an Eggle then pay a visit to the forum (and talk to Kilby). They're a good bunch and will help you out and offer good advice. General thing that they try to put across is that there are two types of Eggles: One's made when Patrick Eggle was there and the other when he sold it. In their opinion (never tried a new one myself so couldn't say either way) the old ones are superior.
Mine is a Berlin Vintage Classic, it has abalone diamond inlays, Les Paul type controls, the neck and back are painted black with scr@pped binding and (even if I do say so myself) is the nicest looking Eggle I think I have seen (but I would say that).
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I like the Samick Greg Bennett Ultramatic
(http://www.gregbennettguitars.com/images/um-3-teg_medm.jpg)
http://www.gregbennettguitars.com/um3.html
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Oooooh, I like that too
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The Korean PRS SEs are nice if you like the neck - it's a chunky muddy funster. I would certainly try one out in person.
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The Edwards Potbelly is no clone, but it's quite PRS-ish, smaller and lighter than an LP but still with that mahogany/maple construction.
The prices have gone up a bit recently - now costs around £550-£600 after shipping, VAT and import charges:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ESP-Edwards-POTBELLY-E-PO-96D-DUNCAN-Brandnew_W0QQitemZ270210560230QQihZ017QQcategoryZ33038QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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Not exactly PRS-clones... but the Eastwood Ultra GP (replica of the old Ovation GP) is a $%&#ing hella sexy double cutaway...
(http://www.myrareguitars.com/pictures/ultragp-goldtop.jpg)
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:D Have you thought of a JJ ?
I`ve got a JJ Jewel junior loaded with 2 P90`s. Thick neck carve nice player.
:D 8)
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The Samick Greg Bennett does indeed look nice. My '94 Epi LP is Samick built and is rock solid and I have a 70's (?) mahogany neck Samick Strat that is the same.
The rest look good as well, so lots to think about there. Thanks for that PDT_003
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If your serious about getting an Eggle then pay a visit to the forum (and talk to Kilby). They're a good bunch and will help you out and offer good advice. General thing that they try to put across is that there are two types of Eggles: One's made when Patrick Eggle was there and the other when he sold it. In their opinion (never tried a new one myself so couldn't say either way) the old ones are superior.
Mine is a Berlin Vintage Classic, it has abalone diamond inlays, Les Paul type controls, the neck and back are painted black with scr@pped binding and (even if I do say so myself) is the nicest looking Eggle I think I have seen (but I would say that).
Do you have a pic of that? It sounds wonderful :D
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PM your email and I'll go and take one for you now.
Can you post it into the thread for me as I can't at the minute.
Cheers
EDIT: cr@pola, the wife's got the camera. I'll take a photo tonight.
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I am grossly biased towards Eggles as they are very affordable if you spend a little time and effort.
Firstly if you can get something pre 2001 (the company changed hands around that point), as they are perceived as being a bit better built (and have a better resale value) http://www.patrickeggleguitars.org/ is the Eggle Forum, they track the sale prices of each model (and have downloadable spreadsheets) so you can decide if you are bidding over the odds. Theres also loads of private sales as well as almost all EBay listings (plus clarification of some of the details in the EBay sales)
Secondly TMC in Coventry (who owned Eggle till 2001 or so) have a stock of New Old Stock guitars (and some more recent ones) follow this link
http://www.totalmusiccompany.com/tmc/index.php?keyword=eggle&Itemid=1&option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse
You should be able to get a fair bit (or even a lot) off the listed prices :wink: Phone them and ask for Richard (the boss and general all round good guy)
Personally I am in love with the purple one which is all mahogany, but I decided that I wanted a hardtail at the time
FYI : 24 fret berlins have mahogany necks, 22 fret models have maple necks. With the ebony fingerboard and smaller bodies the 22 fret models can be brighter sounding than you may think
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The Vintage VRS series are really good for the money, I think. Had a play on a few when I used to get lessons in a guitar shop and I always thought they were nice playing and looking guitars. I'd still kinda like a Vintage SG, they play nicely as well.
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I played a Tokai similar to a PRS shape and it was AMAZING.
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Double-cut Les paul?
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eggle. (EDIT: like rob/kilby, i'm biased because i have one!)
i'm no expert on e-bay, but from what i've seen from the last few days, eggles go for much less than PRSs.
EDIT: jj are nice too, but i like eggles more (from what i've tried) and as kilby says, you can get some good deals on eggles.
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eggle. (EDIT: like rob/kilby, i'm biased because i have one!)
i'm no expert on e-bay, but from what i've seen from the last few days, eggles go for much less than PRSs.
EDIT: jj are nice too, but i like eggles more (from what i've tried) and as kilby says, you can get some good deals on eggles.
You should pop down to GE, they have that Tokai (as above posted) PRS style guitar. You can evaluate stuff better than me, lol.
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eggle. (EDIT: like rob/kilby, i'm biased because i have one!)
I must admit to holding a bit of a grudge against Eggle, but I must stress I don't own one, I'm sure they're great guitars.
It's just that back in the '90s (the Andrew Selby years) when they were selling direct to the public, despite being British made and having no import costs or distributor/dealer markup, they were still pretty bloody expensive. I felt I ought to be able to afford one as a PRS alternative, but I couldn't!
As I say, I'm not criticising the quality of the guitars - I just think if they'd been more competitively priced the company might not have struggled the way it did. It seemed to be forever changing ownership - there was the joint venture with Gary Levinson/Blade, then there was a period where Phil Norsworthy was in charge of production. And wasn't former Uriah Heep singer Pete Goalby a director at one point?
I was wondering, does the quality of Eggles vary a lot depending on which phase of the company's history they were built?
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I have one of these. They are excellent for the money. Play very nicely.
(http://www.apexguitars.co.uk/catalog/images/SE%20Soapbar%20Walnut.jpg)
they are now double cut style MKII's. SE's are really good value for money, the QC is excellent. Mine did not need any upgrades!
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And wasn't former Uriah Heep singer Pete Goalby a director at one point?
Yes _ now he heads up the sales dept at Hiscox cases - spoke to him this morning
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Double-cut Les paul?
A DC Les Paul is very tempting as they seem to be going for silly money on USA Ebay at the moment.
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I was wondering, does the quality of Eggles vary a lot depending on which phase of the company's history they were built?
in my experience, the early ones are generally very good. the middle period, after Patrick left and while various management came and went, is at least equal to them, yet are for some reason not as well regarded just because Eggle himself had left. the most recent ones are... patchy. i actually have three of the newer ones, because they were all bargains, and i love them all, but they all have minor issues. one had the side dots on the neck drilled in the wrong places then filled and re-done, another has obvious filler on the body. in the earlier days the misaligned dots would have meant the neck would've been scr@pped and the body with little holes would never have been used. the other had a slight hardware problem.
Generally speaking they're very good to excellent guitars, but i'm sure there are a few dogs out there. and i agree with Philly that they have often been overpriced. but unlike PRS, you can find bargains, my Evo 22, a cross between a PRS McCarty and a Les Paul, cost under £600! but the current owners are charging huge amounts of money, and the guitars i've seen have been, frankly, unfinished. that's if you can find any new ones!
oooo, lengthy post!
the Eggle forum; i used to be a member but i haven't been in a while. i found someone there to be very condescending and arrogant and just couldn't be bothered any more. it is a very useful resource if you want to find out about the guitars though.
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I found out the model of the Tokai I played:
A PR-52, newly introduced model too.
(http://www.tokai-guitars.co.uk/guitars/new_models/pr-52.jpg)
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Double-cut Les paul?
A DC Les Paul is very tempting as they seem to be going for silly money on USA Ebay at the moment.
I'm suprised no one has mentioned a Hamer of some sort.
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Double-cut Les paul?
A DC Les Paul is very tempting as they seem to be going for silly money on USA Ebay at the moment.
I'm suprised no one has mentioned a Hamer of some sort.
Hamers have the ugliest headstocks ever, in my opinion.
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I was wondering, does the quality of Eggles vary a lot depending on which phase of the company's history they were built?
the Eggle forum; i used to be a member but i haven't been in a while. i found someone there to be very condescending and arrogant and just couldn't be bothered any more. it is a very useful resource if you want to find out about the guitars though.
I would have to say I agree that they where a bit over priced, good but overpriced.
Having talked to a few people I would say that the quality was fairly constant until TMC sold the company, aparently once the factory was producing Mr Eggle spent his time either selecting timber or building their acoustics on another site. So in reality it was only the 1st 18 months or so he was really actively involved in the building of electrics.
Trev Wilkinson was involved in a lot of their designs
As for the Eggle forum I reckon I could name the individual in question and he indeed can be a pain. Bu there is still some good info if one is shopping for an Eggle
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I'm suprised no one has mentioned a Hamer of some sort.
Hamers have the ugliest headstocks ever, in my opinion.
Nooo! I like the headstocks, and the logo.
I would've mentioned Hamers, but nowadays a new one costs as much as a PRS (justifiably so, unless they're both overpriced). You do see some eBay bargains though.
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I'm suprised no one has mentioned a Hamer of some sort.
Hamers have the ugliest headstocks ever, in my opinion.
Nooo! I like the headstocks, and the logo.
I would've mentioned Hamers, but nowadays a new one costs as much as a PRS (justifiably so, unless they're both overpriced). You do see some eBay bargains though.
I really like the Hamer headstock it's well balanced (especially compared with other companys horrible headstocks)
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Trev Wilkinson was involved in a lot of their designs
I knew they used a lot of Wilkinson hardware but I didn't realise he was involved in the designs. He's a very clever chap.
I always thought it was odd that they went through that phase of using Kent Armstrong Sky pickups - good quality, but budget models really (I know they used Duncans at other times).
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You should pop down to GE, they have that Tokai (as above posted) PRS style guitar. You can evaluate stuff better than me, lol.
haha, i doubt it... was it MIJ? (aqctually, looking at the pic you posted later, it looks like MIK) I've tried a bunch of their tokais, just not that one... :)
I must admit to holding a bit of a grudge against Eggle, but I must stress I don't own one, I'm sure they're great guitars.
It's just that back in the '90s (the Andrew Selby years) when they were selling direct to the public, despite being British made and having no import costs or distributor/dealer markup, they were still pretty bloody expensive. I felt I ought to be able to afford one as a PRS alternative, but I couldn't!
As I say, I'm not criticising the quality of the guitars - I just think if they'd been more competitively priced the company might not have struggled the way it did. It seemed to be forever changing ownership - there was the joint venture with Gary Levinson/Blade, then there was a period where Phil Norsworthy was in charge of production. And wasn't former Uriah Heep singer Pete Goalby a director at one point?
I was wondering, does the quality of Eggles vary a lot depending on which phase of the company's history they were built?
i've heard the earlier ones are meant to be better, but that's 100% hearsay.
Mine, i think, is a later one, judging from the serial number etc. it has some cosmetic imperfections, but it's still a seriously nice guitar for what I paid for it. they'd put you off if you'd paid full RRP, no doubt, but at a decent price, it's not really anything to worry about.
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haha, i doubt it... was it MIJ? (aqctually, looking at the pic you posted later, it looks like MIK) I've tried a bunch of their tokais, just not that one... :)
It was MIK
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thanks :)
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There's a bloke on the Eggle forum selling a Berlin Pro with a case. It sounds very nice but he hasn't posted pictures yet.
It has the falling leaf inlay.
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There's a bloke on the Eggle forum selling a Berlin Pro with a case. It sounds very nice but he hasn't posted pictures yet.
It has the falling leaf inlay.
Ohhh falling leaves, I like them so much better than the PRS birds
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There's a bloke on the Eggle forum selling a Berlin Pro with a case. It sounds very nice but he hasn't posted pictures yet.
It has the falling leaf inlay.
Thanks TM, I'll take a look.
Is it this one, from Philiprst?
(http://homepage.mac.com/philiprst/Eggle/pictures/picture-1.jpg)
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Going off at a tangent slightly I came across a PRS/Eggle type clone by a US/Korean company that looks very nice indeed and has all good reviews on several sites.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=290204999135&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=019
(http://imagehost.vendio.com/a/5340921/aview/1156846699942_1155756250588_IM005734.JPG)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=120205017771&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=002
(http://i12.ebayimg.com/08/i/000/bd/5c/60cb_1_sbl.JPG)
Rather interesting.
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There's a bloke on the Eggle forum selling a Berlin Pro with a case. It sounds very nice but he hasn't posted pictures yet.
It has the falling leaf inlay.
Ohhh falling leaves, I like them so much better than the PRS birds
yep. :)
There's a bloke on the Eggle forum selling a Berlin Pro with a case. It sounds very nice but he hasn't posted pictures yet.
It has the falling leaf inlay.
Thanks TM, I'll take a look.
Is it this one, from Philiprst?
(http://homepage.mac.com/philiprst/Eggle/pictures/picture-1.jpg)
there was one like that (can't remember if it had the leaves, though) about a week ago with a buy it now around the £500 mark, i think. It didn't sell, if it'd been slightly lower i might have considered it (there was another one, in natural, which was a lot cheaper, but then shot up in the final hour, lol, which i was kinda after).
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I've got a Dean Vendetta 4 which is super nice in a cheap, rocked up PRS way. For a more McCartyish vibe check out the Dean Hardtail. LTD MH is quite nice.
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just to add, the one i saw on ebay didn't have the leaves, but was pretty similar other than that, i think. :)
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Here is one of mine that I was working on today
And it's a Southpaw (leftie) too.
Some very nice maple on this one ...and a pair of BKP Abraxis H/Bs too!
I'll post more once it's finished and I've taken some decent pix
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/P1040845.jpg)
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Johnathan, everytime you post I get an urge to do as much overtime as possible :?
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Here is one of mine that I was working on today
And it's a Southpaw (leftie) too.
Some very nice maple on this one ...and a pair of BKP Abraxis H/Bs too!
I'll post more once it's finished and I've taken some decent pix
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/P1040845.jpg)
FIT!!!
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I quite like the look of these (especially the hollow red-ish 1):
(http://www.indieguitars.com/guitarshop/images/Aussiepix/annivlg.gif)(http://www.indieguitars.com/guitarshop/images/Aussiepix/ipr1natlg.gif)(http://www.indieguitars.com/guitarshop/images/electric_guitars/Electric_Traditional/ipr2stdlg1.gif)
(http://www.indieguitars.com/guitarshop/images/electric_guitars/Electric_Traditional/ipr2dudelg1.gif)(http://www.indieguitars.com/guitarshop/images/electric_guitars/Electric_Traditional/ipr2bluelg1.gif)(http://www.indieguitars.com/guitarshop/images/electric_guitars/Electric_Traditional/ipr2blacklg1.gif)
They're Indie brand guitars (www.indieguitars.co.uk) and I've heard can be really good value for money.
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Thank you Brow! Indie FTW! I love my Indie, absolute stunner of a guitar, in both looks and playability. I love it to bits.
I'd definately buy another Indie (if I had the money, of course)
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how much are those southpaws? sim to PRS price? Are they custom to customers spec?
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how much are those southpaws? sim to PRS price? Are they custom to customers spec?
The Tiger JT Preacher on his site is worth £2000. Which is custom.
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Picture of my Greco PRS/Eggle alike
Only one that I have seen in the UK
Has a pair of Abraxas btw!
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Just realised that picture is cr@p - let me know if you want a better one
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Just realised that picture is cr@p - let me know if you want a better one
I'd be interested to have a look at it please. I had a quick check on UK/US Ebay but there was none there. Does it have a model number?
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Sent you a PM
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From the TMC website:
PATRICK EGGLE GUITARS CLEARANCE
As most Patrick Eggle users probably know.The owners of TMC used to own Patrick Eggle Guitars in Birmingham(approx 1997-2003)before selling it on to the current owners.
Over the past year we have been clearing a number of Patrick Eggle guitars that have remained in stock with us over the last 4-5years.I am now down to my last remaining few that can be found on this TMC website. I am quite happy to consider any reasonable offers on any of the remaining Patrick Eggle guitars that I have in stock.................Contact Richard
http://www.totalmusiccompany.com/tmc/
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Love the purple one and the Berlin Custom - would £2.50 swing the deal??
:-)
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Certainly when I bought my Berlin this time last year I got 100 quid knocked off the initial price, so I dare say that it would be possible to get considerably larger discount.
That purple one is indeed lovely to play, and even better looking in real live (I thought it would suit a set of purple & cream RYs)
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I can't believe how cheap those Indie geetaws are!
Are they really that good?
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From the TMC website:
PATRICK EGGLE GUITARS CLEARANCE
As most Patrick Eggle users probably know.The owners of TMC used to own Patrick Eggle Guitars in Birmingham(approx 1997-2003)before selling it on to the current owners.
Over the past year we have been clearing a number of Patrick Eggle guitars that have remained in stock with us over the last 4-5years.I am now down to my last remaining few that can be found on this TMC website. I am quite happy to consider any reasonable offers on any of the remaining Patrick Eggle guitars that I have in stock.................Contact Richard
http://www.totalmusiccompany.com/tmc/
some of them are on ebay too, for less than the price on their website. Just to let people know. that new wave pro looks cool, but i'm not fond of the colour... :lol:
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But not the purple one....
I like the Custom but the missus would kill me!
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aye that's true. :)
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You met my missus then Dave?
:P
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:lol:
you know what i mean. :)
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I can't believe how cheap those Indie geetaws are!
Are they really that good?
Well, it's only a comparison from my current Indie. Hopefully they'll have them in the guitar shop when I get around to visiting.
But I can vouch for Tokai 'PRS-esque' guitars, they are good!
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My GAS is sorted.
I just got a '94 Patrick Eggle Berlin Plus Hardtail on ebay. It looks to be in very good condition from the pics and I have to say it looks terrific as well. It has a light amber flame maple top ... and I can't see a join. It may be a one piece top :D
Once I get it, I'll evaluate SD's in it but It's always been my intention to get a set of Rebel Yells for this type of guitar.
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Pics or link please :wink:
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Doesn't matter, I found it over at the Eggle forum.
That really is a nice axe. The flame on that top is awesome.
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I'll post the pics - or new pics once I get it. I don't want to tempt fate before it arrives safely at my doorstep.
... but it is a nice flame :D
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i saw that one (on ebay and the eggle forum obviously, not in the flesh...) and it looked very nice. good score! :twisted:
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They really don't like the New Eggles, or indeed, people with new Eggles over there.
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They really don't like the New Eggles, or indeed, people with new Eggles over there.
It's a very narrow niche that the Eggle forum concentrates on but I've found them to be quite helpful and friendly.
I suppose it helped that I let them know I was after an early Eggle though - and got one.
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They really don't like the New Eggles, or indeed, people with new Eggles over there.
granted i'm pretty new (even though i registered a while back, just never got round to posting), but i've been in contact with the owner of the forum, and he was fine when i mentioned i had a newer one... :)
of course, if i brought it up on the open forum, it may be a different story. :)