Mr Dave Twinfan...

[Brow]

Dave's into all the computer malarky isn't he? Has something happened to Bill Gates?

First Steve Jobs, now Bill Gates - Dave will stop at nothing till he owns all private stock PRS'  :lol:

If it's 1 of those PRS Collection Guitars then it's even higher (by about 6 or £7k) than a lowly private stock!  :lol:

[TheyCallMeVolume]

I really can't stop looking at that guitar. Will the guitar be kept in a case or are you gonna play her?

[Frank]

This will undoubtedly be the longest post I have ever made on this forum. I regret that it will also be my last. No, I do NOT have an issue with Twinfan or anyone else on this forum.

I have a massive issue with Paul Reed Smith.

This post ...

I really can't stop looking at that guitar. Will the guitar be kept in a case or are you gonna play her?

... says everything.

Yes, the guitar looks very pretty. But I don't believe it is worthy of being called a guitar. Guitars are tools, they're made to be played. Otherwise what use are they?

Until PRS came along with their guitars which were never designed to be played the answer would have been "no use at all". Now we have PRS and the answer is "for cynical investment purposes, to lock in a bank vault and for occasional looking at".

A very expensive glass hammer. An investment opportunity. But not a guitar.

So yes, it's a very pretty thing, it has been produced on the very highest quality CNC lathes and it will probably sound good if you ever dare to play it. It's just not a guitar. It's a sculpture of a guitar built never to be played, marketed at accountants, an artificial "vintage guitar" for polishing and looking at.

THIS is a guitar. I get more questions about that video than any other and more compliments about the tone of the guitar than you'd believe.

And it cost me £70. And I gave it away. But in the meantime I quite enjoyed playing it. And I never polished it once.

[James C]

Its a shame that Frank has decided to leave, but all of the evidence of Dave's previous PRS purchases (and that of Francine) point towards the fact that it will be played, as TF even gigged the Modern Eagle iirc.

The guitar may not be used and abused on stage every night, but if you play a guitar frequently and it brings you enjoyment to do so then price isn't a consideration (generally speaking, if i bought a guitar of that value i'd be castrated :lol:)

[Twinfan]

Blimey Frank, that's a strong reaction!  :o

My guitars get played, as anyone who's met me knows.  They generally get thrust into the hands of visitors as I like to know what other people think of them!  My Modern Eagle was gigged regularly until recently and has tarnished pickup covers, dirty frets, a couple of dings and a bit of buckle rash.  My blue Private Stock Signature has replaced it for live use and has buckle rash, a massive ding in the lower edge, scratches in the top finish etc.

This new Collection V will be used regularly but probably not gigged, mainly due to the value and rarity of it.  Replacing it would be nigh-on impossible.  It'll be my #1 for playing at home where I can appreciate it better, and where I actually play guitar the most.

I will use it and enjoy it, because for me it's all about the tone and feel of that particular spec.  I'll be interested to see what other folk think of it too  :)

[Twinfan]

Final word from me on this, I just want to respond to this:

Until PRS came along with their guitars which were never designed to be played........

PRS guitars have always been designed to be played, period.  If you speak directly to Paul, or listen to his interviews, or other people talking about him you'll see he is as passionate as anyone can be about making a guitar that plays and sounds as good as it possibly can be.  I have never heard him talking about his guitars purely as collection pieces or pieces of art, although he understands some buyers see them as that.  That market and perception has come about via a segment of buyers, not Paul Reed Smith himself.

Why does a "tool" have to be ugly to be good?  It doesn't.

[juansolo]

You can use this argument about many things. Nick Mason of Pink Floyd has a collection of old racing cars. Which he still races, properly, competitively. There are many people out there who'd take a £20m Ferrari 250 GTO and wrap it up in cotton wool and look at just how pretty it is. However it was built to be driven and raced, which he does.

[Twinfan]

Yep, I fit Schallers as standard on all my guitars  :)

For the price i'd want them on there as a standard option. Along with a lifetime transferable warranty  that includes free setups for life :D

Not transferable, but I've just noticed it looks like I get the setups  :lol:

http://worldguitars.co.uk/news/our-legendary-setup-free-for-life/

[James C]

Dave, what's the actual name for the colour of that model?

[Twinfan]

It's a new one: Blue Tourmaline with Smoked Burst

[Andrew W]

It's a new one: Blue Tourmaline with Smoked Burst

Sounds like a fish dish.

It's a very pretty guitar but I haven't yet heard a 408 demo that's made me get them. Dave, can you suggest a really good demo that might make me see the light? I'm still too much of a DGT person I think. :)

[Twinfan]

The Bryan Ewald demo here is probably the best I've heard:

http://www.prsguitars.com/408/

There seem to be two schools re. 408s:

School 1

They don't like the look of them, the toggle switches, the fact you can't change them for something else, the lack of separate volumes etc.  These guys usually prefer more vintage tones and want a Strat and a Les Paul in one guitar.  For them, and for David Grissom himself, the DGT is the super-versatile guitar they like.

School 2

Aren't into vintage stuff, like things that look and sound a little "different", like their pickups on the slightly hotter side of PAF, hate weedy split tones and are after a more modern sounding Tele and Les Paul Special in one guitar.  For these guys, like me, the 408s are be-all and end-all.

[Philly Q]

Final word from me on this, I just want to respond to this:

Until PRS came along with their guitars which were never designed to be played........

PRS guitars have always been designed to be played, period.  If you speak directly to Paul, or listen to his interviews, or other people talking about him you'll see he is as passionate as anyone can be about making a guitar that plays and sounds as good as it possibly can be.  I have never heard him talking about his guitars purely as collection pieces or pieces of art, although he understands some buyers see them as that.  That market and perception has come about via a segment of buyers, not Paul Reed Smith himself.

Why does a "tool" have to be ugly to be good?  It doesn't.

Agreed with all of the above.  Especially the last part.

Frank's statements (and flouncy exit) are ridiculous.  I've never understood why people get so worked up about this subject anyway, but on this occasion we're seeing quite ludicrous amounts of inverse snobbery.  And why is all the hate directed at PRS?  I've never seen a rant about a Strat or a Les Paul (or perhaps more relevantly a Suhr, Collings, Tyler, Huber, Tom Anderson...) or whatever being not "worthy of being called a guitar".

Frank, just go and buy another Strat.

[Andrew W]

There seem to be two schools re. 408s:

School 1

They don't like the look of them, the toggle switches, the fact you can't change them for something else, the lack of separate volumes etc.  These guys usually prefer more vintage tones and want a Strat and a Les Paul in one guitar.  For them, and for David Grissom himself, the DGT is the super-versatile guitar they like.

School 2

Aren't into vintage stuff, like things that look and sound a little "different", like their pickups on the slightly hotter side of PAF, hate weedy split tones and are after a more modern sounding Tele and Les Paul Special in one guitar.  For these guys, like me, the 408s are be-all and end-all.

Thanks for that, it does rather chime in with what my ears tell me. I don't think they're for me but I do admire PRS for trying something different and pushing the boundaries.

[Twinfan]

My thoughts exactly - finding something that traditional-yet-novel in the guitar world is pretty darn rare...