Someone explain PRS' new direction to me..

[Philly Q]

Maybe that is what they're thinking, who knows, but Fender haven't stopped making Strats and Gibson haven't stopped making Les Pauls (apart from 1960-68, before someone plays smartarse  :P )

Fender and Gibson have a steady stream of buyers.  Young kids today know who Slash or Jimi Hendrix are, and what guitar they played.  There's always demand for a 'classic' electric guitar from the fans of the legends who played them.

PRS don't have that heritage to play on, so they can't just churn out Custom 22s forever.

They've got 25 years' heritage, which is a long way short of Fender and Gibson, but still isn't bad.  It's true they don't have any iconic players associated with their instruments (except Carlos Santana).

But they've been extremely successful.  Gibson felt threatened enough to launch that lawsuit over the Singlecut.   I'm not convinced that there's a limitless stream of buyers for Fender/Gibson but demand for a CU22 has just peaked or dried up - yes, it's on a smaller scale, but there are always new customers out there.

I'm probably completely wrong, but I still think it's odd to celebrate your 25th Anniversary by dumping a lot of established models and issuing new ones.  You'd think they'd be trading on their heritage rather than - seemingly - rejecting it.  It smacks of desperation to me.  I wonder if they've overstretched themselves by chasing the big boys and they're going to slip back down into the pool with the likes of Hamer, Music Man, Suhr and Anderson?

(I know I sound like John Laurie off Dad's Army going "We're all doomed".  I'm a glass-half-empty man.  )

[tomjackson]

I think they like to give some models an air of exclusivity by announcing that they will not be continued or that they are only relatively limited.  I remember the 'limeted stocks' of singlecuts that kept appearing in shops and the reviews that said they were discontinued even before the review came out.

If you know you can get one next year, what's the rush?  It's all about marketing and getting you to make the purchase before it's too late.

I prefer companies to have a basic core range with the odd new model, PRS seem to be the other way round.  You almost have to be well into PRS to actually understand their range.

Reminds me when I bought Star Wars on VHS, apparently it was the last time it would be available as the original film on VHS.  Just after I'd bought it they brought out the digitally remastered one on VHS......

[Will]

Solution?

Stop selling the stuff you can buy second hand, and build new stuff with new designs.

It's quite clever if you look at it that way......

Gibson have been essentially reissuing the '59 for 35 years now I think, started in the mid 70s with the occasional mahogany neck w/ full size buckers, then the prehistorics, then custom shop, and more refinements, and they still haven't got it 'right'.
Clever: maybe
Annoying: Defo

[dave_mc]

Reminds me when I bought Star Wars on VHS, apparently it was the last time it would be available as the original film on VHS.  Just after I'd bought it they brought out the digitally remastered one on VHS......

LOL, i remember one time i was going to buy star wars, it must have been just before they rereleased the remastered version. I finally found one, behind the counter in somewhere cr@ppy like caroline music. I asked the price, and was told, "£50, because you can't get them any more"... :lol: I told the salesperson to her face that it was extortion, that i didn't want it that much and walked out. I got the next remastered version for much less not long later. :D

[Ian Price]

Maybe that is what they're thinking, who knows, but Fender haven't stopped making Strats and Gibson haven't stopped making Les Pauls (apart from 1960-68, before someone plays smartarse  :P ).

I'm pretty sure that the CS stuff, particularly relics and limited runs, is where Fender makes a large amount of it's money. I could be wrong (believe it or not I haven't seen their balance sheet!) but can see the logic in offering the same model but with different specs/finishes to keep it selling (to people like me!)

[nfe]

Maybe that is what they're thinking, who knows, but Fender haven't stopped making Strats and Gibson haven't stopped making Les Pauls (apart from 1960-68, before someone plays smartarse  :P ).

I'm pretty sure that the CS stuff, particularly relics and limited runs, is where Fender makes a large amount of it's money.

I wouldn't have thought so. We probably sell 50+ US std strats and teles for every one CS model.

[Twinfan]

Yep, they'll possibly make more per unit on CS stuff but they'll sell many more production line models and that'll be what keeps the company ticking over....

[mikeluke]

Apparently they have just decided to stop making blue ones...

[Ian Price]

I wouldn't have thought so. We probably sell 50+ US std strats and teles for every one CS model.

Yep, they'll possibly make more per unit on CS stuff but they'll sell many more production line models and that'll be what keeps the company ticking over....

Well, that told me didn't it  :)

[JDC]

I prefer companies to have a basic core range with the odd new model, PRS seem to be the other way round.  You almost have to be well into PRS to actually understand their range.

the PRS range makes absolutely no sense to me what so ever, I just had a look again, not a clue! all I see is different pickup combinations

[Twinfan]

Apparently they have just decided to stop making blue ones...

:o

:o

:lol:

[AndyR]

I wouldn't have thought so. We probably sell 50+ US std strats and teles for every one CS model.

Yep, they'll possibly make more per unit on CS stuff but they'll sell many more production line models and that'll be what keeps the company ticking over....

Well, that told me didn't it  :)

Yeah - loser... shouldn't you be sterilising bottles or something? :lol:

[Ian Price]

I wouldn't have thought so. We probably sell 50+ US std strats and teles for every one CS model.

Yep, they'll possibly make more per unit on CS stuff but they'll sell many more production line models and that'll be what keeps the company ticking over....

Well, that told me didn't it  :)

Yeah - loser... shouldn't you be sterilising bottles or something? :lol:

Maybe. Jane does understand that guitar forums are very important!

[Philly Q]

I prefer companies to have a basic core range with the odd new model, PRS seem to be the other way round.  You almost have to be well into PRS to actually understand their range.

the PRS range makes absolutely no sense to me what so ever, I just had a look again, not a clue! all I see is different pickup combinations

And they introduce models called the "Sunburst" and "Smokeburst", which turn out to be basically just existing models in new colours.

It's like every single variation leads to a separate model.  As Tom said, you have to be quite well into PRS to actually understand their range - a casual look at the website is totally confusing.  And next time you look they'll have changed the range again!

[Twinfan]

Yep - they're losing the plot Phil.

The thing that gets me is the Ted McCarty singlecut model.  245 scale, nitro, neck binding, symmetric headstock.  Les Paul copy anyone?

All the stupid limited runs of cr@p too.