went to soundcontrol in milton keynes today....
tried a few schecters, Gibson les paul studio, and a PRS very similar (i think it might be exactly the same model), as this one:
http://machinehead.co.uk/product_info.php/cPath/38_116/products_id/643but in orange.
up until i tried the PRS, some cheap schecter was top of the bunch... ahead of the gibson which was more than TWICE the price...
then the PRS... and just... wow... it blew me away, having never
properly played something of that quality before...
i was constantly thinking of all the spec i had in mind for a possible custom guitar... and this (in an odd way) was actually really close...
- the neck was felt very similar in length and balance to my Gibson (same scale i think...? i havent checked)
- at the same time, the profile was much more leaning towards my jackson, but a bit slimmer and a bit wider i think.
- there was body carving.. BUT it was pretty shallow, and the central column, i.e. where the pickups and bridge are- was COMPLETELY flat... so it felt really natural for me to play, just like my melody maker.
- the two humbuckers were controlled with a 5-way rotary switch, which coil-split each humbucker (i think...?) meaning it was bloody versatile...
- the humbuckers themselves were really quite nice, and played through a Marshall JVM it sounded excellent. (although i would still replace the pickups in time i think, as it did lack SOMEthing)...
- it also has locking tuners, and a vintage trem (which is bearable- as long as it isnt a floyd)...
so to cut a long story short... I LOVE IT SO MUCH!
i was thinking in my head... "what would i possibly change if i went custom".... and i honestly couldnt think of a thing....
it looked and played exactly how would want.. i know i said a lot i wanted a natural finish, but that was realy due to my hate of really spangly flame and quilt tops... so this solid, bright orange was a similarly nice alternative- VERY striking as well - would look awesome on stage.
dont have the money right now, so ive had it reserved for two weeks...
im not jumping to conclusions just yet... gonna try some more stuff to make sure this is the right decision... but its just such a gorgeous guitar... i fell in love with it the second i picked it up.
EDIT: just found the exact model:
http://www.prsguitars.com/cemahogany/index.htmlanyway- no real point to this.... just wanted to inform a few of those who have helped me out a GREAT deal (thanks again everyone), of where im headed...
all the advice definitely sent me in the right direction... and the encouragement to try stuff out is what made me do so today.
cheers!
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