as an engineer, it always baffled me that people want to try guitars to find 'the one' out of a bunch of the same guitar. On my end, if one guitar sounds that much better or worse, thats a QC issue that should NEVER happen (even in the better case). In the end, even if the guitar sound is 'incredible' compared to others. You are the one that plays and actually creates the sound. The goal of a brand should be consistency, because thats how you either get repeat customers, or word of mouth. As opposed to people being frustrated when they cant find 'the one' because all the qc is mediocre. This is also coming from someone that has played trombone their entire life, and has seen the consistency across all these brass makers to where you can pick up any trombone with the same specs and it will sound the same (depending on the player of course).
@user-zi8hj5ne1z As an engineer, you should know about the inherent variability in the materials used when talking about a guitar (wood) and a trombone (brass). You can get the properties of different batches of brass to within extremely tight tolerances of each other, but wood is a natural material with natural variability. The density, hardness and elastic modulus of different logs of the same species of tree - even different cuts from different parts of the same log - vary to a degree that would utterly ruin the reputation of any metal alloy supplier. On top of that, the tighter you make QC, the more wasteful you become with natural resources, like when Taylor normalized brown streaks in ebony so that they wouldn't have to throw away any log or cut that wasn't pure black. And that's great. But it also means appearance is less uniform, so one buyer might like one example more than the next, and is justified in trying several of the same model until they find the one with the properties they like the most. It's not failure of QC, it's acknowledgement of the nature of working with natural materials. Buy a carbon fiber guitar if you want man-made repeatability, and a wood one if you're ready for natural variability.
I’ve been through basically every PRS, some more than once. They’re great but I do think they sound a little “even.” I don’t currently have any in my stable for that reason. What some people say is “no mojo” or “sterile” is really just that I think PRS guitars tend to have a really balanced frequency response compared to the more uneven frequencies you get out of a lot of fenders and gibsons. I’ve personally found Suhrs to have a little more character to my ears. But plenty of people say Suhrs are sterile too. So it’s just personal taste I guess.
@@chiricm I don’t disagree. I’ve had a ton of PRS and I also agree they do lack “character.” I believe that’s what others perceive as mojo. Just some quirkiness and unevenness that makes certain frequencies really stand out and have their own vibe going on. I currently have no PRS(used to have like 10…and mostly USA). That being said, I ordered two SE that should be arriving next week. I did this because I realized I’m all out of 24 fret guitars lmao and I’ve got the neoclassical and metal shred bug and have been learning a lot of material that requires 24 frets. I also have several Seymour Duncans laying around that should help these PRS sound more how my ears like them to.
I think it comes from people that don't really get instruments. A friend of mine hates fender stratocasters because he feels it is the reason Eric Clapton lost his MOJO and blames the guitar.
Rhett's subjective feelings about guitar brands with poor quality control and wild variability from one year to another, one model to another, or one guitar to another, being why certain guitars they produce have "mojo" is one of the most absurd takes i've ever heard expressed on RUclips.... and there are a lot of really dumb things said and written here. I have some great Gibson and Fender guitars, but i've played some really bad ones, including guitars that cost over 3K. Gibson QC has gotten better, but the demo shop is all the proof you need of issues that still get sent out the door on an average work day. Fender QC really tanked a few years ago because they let 300 of their most experienced Corona luthiers and craftsmen go, and also moved most signature line production to Ensenada without adding personnel or equipment to handle the capacity or increased expectations for those instruments. The average PRS SE has objectively better QC than the average MIA Gibson or Fender guitar. The S2 and Core models create even more separation from the competition. The difference between the average Indonesian or MIC PRS SE and a MIC Epiphone, or MIC Squier, is a veritable chasm. Folks can like what they like. It's any musician's prerogative to prefer a particular brand or model. That doesn't mean there aren't objective differences in the quality, fit, finish, and design, between different brands. Ultimately if "mojo" is picking up one guitar from an assembly line of bad guitars, i'll be just fine never having a guitar with mojo in my collection.
I could not agree more. Rhett's take on brands and mojo is disappointing to say the least. I would like to think that someone who makes their living by playing guitar would have a more objective opinion on their tools.
Well the guy has 10 grand Les Pauls and talks about 1 grand guitars as if they were garbage... he had a good Epiphone and seemed totally amazed that a guitar for 700 bucks could be good. The worst kind of gear snob. And the guy used heavy strings because he thought it sounded better but then in a blind test preferred 8 gauge said he was converted and put 9 gauge on his guitars because I suppose 8 gauge just isn't manly enough or whatever even if it sounds best... The guy talks about an R9 as if that was a proper guitar. Not some cheap 3k off the shelf 50s Les Paul Standard... So really I think anyone sane shouldn't care what the guy has to say. Now me personally I don't like PRS that much from the sound but to critique their QC is madness. I may not like them to play but I always spend a minute or two admiring one if I see one. They are gorgeous and really well made. So if I had too much cash I would definetly grab one and add some PAFs. Just not a fan of the very modern sounding pickups so if someone handed me a PRS with pickups I enjoy, I suspect I would love it. Mojo is just an excuse for not being able to put your thoughts into words. PRS are too flawless but let's spend 10 grand on an R9 because that's a flawless guitar? I couldn't care less what the guy says. I love Gibsons, I have one. Is it my favourite guitar? Nah that spot goes to my 370€ SC550+. The pickups are nicer so it sounds better and I prefer the feel of necks with binding, that my G doesn't have. And finally, I'm sorry but nitro finish is stupid. It's so fragile. My Gibson looks exactly as old as it is. Scratches from the pick, dings, huge part is loosing it's gloss from sweat... I prefer to leave it hanging on the wall and look pretty. Id it a great guitar? Absolutely. Is it somehow magically better than my well built not made in America non Gibson guitars? Nope... The nut actually wasn't cut that well and the 3 way switch keeps malfunctioning, which has not happened on any of my Epiphones, LTDs or the HB... now to be fair I got it really cheap for a Gibson, due to the nut and it being a sun bleached display model. 800 bucks for 1998 Flying V, limited edition. Would I pay the 3 grand they want for Flying Vs now? Fk now. I bought some Toneriders for my Epiphone and I strongly suspect once installed it will also sound better than the Gibson. Same age, 20 years. Gibson looks heavily used. Epi looks brand new. But oh no poly finish bad!!! That's why every single wooden item on Earth except high end guitars uses poly finish. It's objectively better. And it comes in matte and semi gloss to for you "too shiny" people. Polyurethane finished guitars will last 1000 years easily. As a woodworker using nitro finish makes me laugh. I would never... why would you? More expensive, way harder to apply, highly toxic, takes forever to cure, less durable ahh but its thin and won't impinge on the tonewood... Snobs...
@@HunnysPlaylists Although they are checked by machines now, Plek or something it's called, the machine check if all the frets and everything is perfect and you can see if one needs work. Gibsons since that era are impeccable. I am lusting after an Antique Natural Flying V. 1700€, is not too bad and no one besides Epiphone or Gibson makes proper Flying Vs. They all look weird. Though Jackson and ESP make the Randy Rhoads / Alexi Laiho models, I like those but it's a different thing... but fretwork and all that on new Gibsons is fantastic. Half the people who crap on Gibson never played one. And as to the increase in price, it's still much cheaper than what Les Pauls cost originally. By inflation a Les Paul should be 5 grand. So given how pricey labour is I don't think it's that unreasonable. Now I'd rather buy 3 Epiphones and 4 Harley Bentons for the same money but I have not bought my last Gibson. Also my 98 Flying V cost about 800 bucks (plus 20 years inflation, call it 1500) it is now worth 5 grand. I'll sell it when it's worth 30k until then I have some more nitro finish to ruin with my sweaty paws.
I have a PRS 277 and my take on "no mojo" is: 1. Primarily fueled by Rhett's hive mind. 2. The pickups are very distinct. I REALLY don't like them. I also don't really like Ibanez pickups. I just did a pup swap. 3. The flawless QC makes them feel precision manufactured rather than like an instrument. If you have ever picked up a relic'd or heavily used guitar, you know that there's inherently a HUGE difference in feel. If you like the weathered wood feel over the plastic manufactured feel, your brain will tell you "nope" when you pick up a PRS. At the end of the day, only #2 is a real issue IMO, and if it's a big issue to you, just swap pickups. PRS pickups are ideal for some music, but not everyone has to like that. Sometimes the muddiness of a LP, or extra articulation of an Ibanez are desirable. Personally, I'm more a fan of SD and Schecter pickups. To each their own.
dunno who's Rhett, but to me "no mojo" of PRS just comes down to looks. they are just so bland and meh-inspiring. every time i see a PRS i don't think "a vintage-looking guitar", "an agressive guitar", "a blinged out guitar", "a stylish guitar", "a bright guitar" or any other adjective. it's always just "a guitar".
@@swancrunch fair point, but your making a comparison and have an expectation. What I don’t care for is how proprietary they are. Good luck modifying even tuners. Damn mine has sustain for daaaayyyysss.
@@23kyd49 how are they proprietary? from the look of it, you can easily change them to like hipshot or gotoh or some shit. they use all the standart run-off-the-mill electronics (except for rotaries, but those are still easy to find in like radioshack), pickups, nuts, etc. teuffel is proprietary, rick toone is proprietary, strandberg is proprietary (but there are tons of alternatives for their hardware if for some unknown reason you want to change it), but prs? cmon.
@@swancrunch I actually think my satin charcoal PRS looks pretty killer when I hold and play it. And I'm not a PRS fanboy or something, it just looks cool (to me).
I build electric guitars and traditional violins. My take on mojo runs like this - I think on solid bodies and even most semi-hollow bodies, you are completely right. Hitting the production spec properly makes way more difference than anything else here. In the case of acoustic instruments, individual instruments *absolutely* do have mojo. At the point where the individual pieces of wood really, really start affecting tone, then yes, individual instruments, even ones made with the utmost care will be wildly different. As an example, If you think of a Stradivarius violin, there are several with very similar measurements, and safe to say no quality issues - but the difference in tone between these instruments is profound. The same is true on acoustic guitars. There is a video here on the tube where a world class violinist gets to compare multiple Stradivari - even if you don’t like violin it is interesting to watch. But yeah, in guitars like you are showing here, you are absolutely right. Attention to detail and a really good design which is consistently delivered is honestly 99%, if not higher, of the battle.
Thank you! That whole 'No Mojo' section is something I've been ranting on about for years. It's always been baffling to me that Gibson always gets away with the whole 'looking for the one' mentality - when all guitars of the same product line should be equally good. Especially at the premium price point they are at. If you charge several thousand dollars, you need to deliver every single time.
If they were all grat guitars it wouldnt matter if they are different. The prs though is a beautiful commodity but i never liked playing either ther electrics or acoustics. They record beautifully though.
Yes! I’m about 20 live shows into using the DGT SE. Can confirm it’s just brilliant, does everything I need and does it very very well effortlessly. And that’s live, in the heat of battle. Would recommend one to anyone, and full of inspiration and mojo when you need it in a solo.
Pretty stoked to hear this. I'm a huge Fender and Gibson guy, but I had to pull the trigger on the McCarty SE. Looking forward to getting back into the PRS arena. The DGT looks to be a killer guitar too.
If you play a guitar long enough, it gets mojo........if you don't play a fender or a gibson, it does not have mojo either. That means...for me when you buy a new guitar in a shop, you have to create the mojo during the years using it :)
This hasn't been my experience, I tried out several different DGT SE's and they were all quite different, one really dark sounding another bright, some had three piece tops others two piece, the one I own is 7.1 pounds, but one I tried was 8.3 pounds. I think the mojo thing comes from people liking the sound of the good examples of vintage guitars and any modern change goes away from that vintage sound, obviously a guitar like an Ibanez RG isn't going after a vintage thing so no one cares. PRS markets itself in both camps both always improving (modern) as well as being vintage in looks, sounds and design cues, Paul often talks about owning vintage guitars and figuring out what makes them sound so good and finding the key and implementing it into his guitars and the reality doesn't match up to the marketing spiel, so people try out the guitars with an expectation of hearing some vintage mojo but get disappointed.
@@voxshallyou need to try that with the US line of geets. PRS hired McCarthy bc Gibson kicked him to the curb and employs a lot of the vintage construction where it makes sense, makes upgrades where it makes sense. The modern USA pickups are excellent and very vintage sounding.
I agree they sound good, but I've had a lot of the US line on medium term loan and compared to the best vintage examples they are still a big downgrade in my opinion, I think this is most obvious in p90's but also in humbuckers and the silver sky single coils. Sometimes I prefer the modern stuff in a band mix though, but by itself I prefer the sound of the vintage guitars and find them more inspiring to write songs. @@papa_pt
Mojo is also related to the feeling that people get when they hold the instrument they saw in the hands of their idols as a kid. But if music is about doing something interesting now - using what the world is like today, then this isn’t a problem. Jimi never played a PRS but if he was alive today, he probably would have.
Maybe that's why I've never understood the prs has no MOJO comment because all of my favorite artists growing up in the late 90's and early 00s played PRS
This is a good point but today it's a 38 year old company and many of our idols have been famously playing them for a long time now. I've heard this PRS has no mojo comment for years and I think a lot of it has to do with exactly what you said. However a lot of people saying it back in the day were playing Kramer, ESP, Jackson, Charvel, BCRich, etc and those were all new brands at the time too. I got a PRS in 1988 about 3 years after they started and kept it until 2006. It was a USA made CE 24 bolt on. It was the best guitar I ever played and sounded amazing. I regret selling it every day since 2006. LOL I think it had a lot more mojo than my Ibanez RG-550 that I sold to get it.
John Mayer might help. But before John, there werent many famous PRS players. Santana. John MCoughlin. Mark Tremonti. Chad Kroeger. Not the type of people that attracts guitar players these days. If anything, having Creed and Nickelback players probably put them off, even though Mark is a beast player. Ive said it before, get rid of the birds and more people would like them. Cheaper to make too. Leave the birds for custom.
@@ToneDeth.dgt gold top has no birds , don’t mind the birds but actually don’t want more birds either so have been happy about that to be honest and it is the best SE for me to date for sure
This has been my "mojo" argument for years. Fenders range in quality from 1-10 and 90% of their guitars are 5 and lower. But, because of their QC and the way they spec their materials, pretty much every PRS is an 8. There are still 10s to be sure and they're just as rare as a 10 by Gibson or Fender but it's much harder to tell the difference with a PRS because the spread is so much smaller.
I have really appreciated your PRS Series. I’ve enjoyed AND learned a lot (and not just about PRS guitars). I’ve been watching a TON of guitar gear reviews. Your channel and a half dozen others, have led me to buy three different PRS guitars. Over 30% of guitar sales are done online. Detailed (nit-picky (not a bad thing)) reviews like yours provide a very important services to those who can’t get to a store. I too have noticed the unwarranted negativity towards PRS Guitars. I call it unwarranted because negative reviews that I’ve come across have a very distinct theme…. The reviewer does not WANT to like the PRS guitar. One reviewer left me so perplexed because with each point he was acknowledging looks, feel, appointments, playability, sound quality and even price, yet ended with with a thumbs down. When I commented that I was confused, his reply was “I just don’t like it.” I have a couple of favored brands and PRS is probably top of my list because of the thought (engineering) put into every model. The attention to detail and quality control, makes PRS my first go to If I’m looking for a specific type of guitar. For ME PRS is the “Lexus” of guitar makers. Like Lexus PRS elbowed its way into the High End market. You have lists of top luxury cars, some approaching a century of existing and one an upstart from the 80’s. Likewise, you have various lists of the top guitars, with PRS (started in 85) consistently being in the top 5 along with other famous brands that have been around forever (having enjoyed their cult following for decades. The PRS hate is emotional. Thank you for this series! But I'm kind of glad it’s ending…. I’m running out of cash! :-). Looking forward to you next challenge.
when i was doing my research getting into guitar this year, it seemed like people just didnt like Paul because of his ego/loud way of speaking. but to me its not a bad thing, especially because the products back up everything he says. from what i've seen, PRS has done more innovation compared to gibson and fender recently, and the QC by far outshines those for the price point. You pay a premium, but you get quality even if its a 'low end' model. I have also been buying cheaper import guitars and QC on some of them were horrible and they were only 100-200$ cheaper. I'd rather buy the guitar that is perfect out of the box, besides swapping strings out and doing a setup if you like specific action.
What an intelligent and comprehensive assessment of PRS guitars. While I’m primarily a Fender and Gibson guy, I never bought into the no mojo thing for PRS guitars. I have one PRS guitar and that is the original Zach Meyers signature guitar. The tone that comes out of that guitar is incredible. I will never part with it. In fact it’s my belief that one of the distinguishing characteristics of PRS guitars, besides their great build quality, is the clarity and tone of their pickups.
Mine have no mojo. All My Gibson's, Yamaha's, Fender's do. I like my Prs's, but a pickup change is mandatory. They do lack personality where my other stuff oozes personality and flavors. I like my prs's , feels good, plays well (but for the neck joint), sounds like... not so much. Thank God for Dimarzio, EMG and Seymour Duncan. I would off my Prs's (two USA and one import) if I couldn't change the pickups. Prs is great if you want to fight with the sound, change magnets, tweak pu heights and then ultimately change pickups.
I feel PRS guitars basically "get out of your way" - so if you have a style, you just want a guitar to get out of the way between you and your sound then they are really awesome... but I actually think my fenders and gibsons are more clunky or in your way... sometimes that's helpful for a certain style, but honestly I think PRS are just more ergonomic so they don't force you into a mojo position, they just get out of your way, less balanced, sticky necks, just slightly less curvy, etc. - . does a Strandberg have mojo, a Klein, etc. I just think the mojo thing is kind of mediocre player looking for something that helps them sound better but the PRS will more likely expose you... you'll sound like how you really sound... so it can help you find your sound, because it doesn't force you or limit tone.. that's my honest opinion. When I got my prs, I was able to explore how I was playing with more sensitivity.. but it was a transition.
The earliest example of the "mojo" misconception that I can think of is the PAF pickups. The original Gibson PAF humbucker pickups were wound up in a machine that did not count the number of turns, so the operator had to eyeball it. This lead to each Les Paul having a slightly different character. While this is touted by many as a source of "mojo" (mojo = uniqueness?), by modern manufacturing standards it was simply an issue of quality control.
Plus PAFs had lower output and required turning up the amp for the same level out, that allowed greater gain character from the amp at the same relative volume.
Problem is PRS makes the most boring sounding guitars I have ever played. There is a reason you see them with bands like Nickelback but not with legendary players because lets face it, no one beats the sound of a Fender or a Gibson. They are the sound of rock. PRS play great, feel great but just do not have "it" in my opinion they sound sterile.
Owned a Prs se 7 string. Horrible higher fret access and phat neck ( not in a good way) Only difference in the electronics was a cap on the volume pot to recover highs the pot drops. A famous mod actually, but other than that a mega fail from me. I currently own a solar evertune 7 and 6 string and the thinner neck is just beautiful. Some people talk about the “tone” from the platter neck, but in my experience it’s just harder to grasp and play. Hey not all of us have huge hands like Paul Gilbert 😂😂
the "no mojo" and "Sterile" sound of PRS is better explained than quality control. Paul set out to make a guitar which supposedly had the best qualities of both strats and les pauls, but ended up making a bland dish which had neither of their qualities . It has neither the chime and spanky funk of a strat, nor the smooth lead and aggressive riff-rock of a les paul. it ended up somewhere inbetween which made traditional players hate it. I played a PRS for some time to give it a try and realised that it has good sustain and strong fundamentals, but no unexpected overtones or resonances on any fret ( hence no mojo). but yet, mark tremonti sounds unbelievable on a PRS, which i chalk up to his talent.
I agree with your take on the “No mojo” comments. I feel like people also say that to justify their overpriced Gibsons and fenders, especially when they could’ve gotten a PRS se guitar that’s guaranteed to play just as good out of the box for under $1k😂
I have 5 “overpriced” gibsons and fenders made in USA. My prs se custom 22 sounds better than all 5 of them. I still play the americans way more, and never take the SE on stage
Mojo. It can't be scientifically measured. But art isn't science. Play what you like because any guitar can have mojo, for any random person that might happen to play it.
My pov on the "no mojo" thing doesn't go along with the one guitar doesn't stand out in the brand, it's that PRS sound is so Hi-Fi and middle of the road trying to be so versatile in one guitar it really doesn't stand out,, I'm gonna go with bassist Joe Dart's Signature bass came out, a one knob one pick-up bass, people saying "that bass isn't versatile" Joe Dart responded by saying "you're not versatile" it's kinda something like a good stand out tone and signature tone instead of a middle of the road indistinct sounds like everything but not like anything tone would make a big difference in making the mojo happen
My first guitar search after seriously starting playing led me to buy a PRs se custom 24 08 early this year. I was watching all these videos about factories for Gibson, fender, and PRS. The PRS ones stood out. Specifically, because they gave credit to the international builders on the headstock, and they actually were showing off their foreign facilities in addition to their USA facilities. For the price, quality control was incredible (except for a cracked/slightly burned binding that was next to the neck humbucker in a pretty hidden spot. I did get credit back from sweetwater for that, because it slipped through both PRS QC and Sweetwater). It was set up perfect out of the box. I only lowered the action, after putting in a set of 10s instead of 9s. Beautiful blue quilted top, and the neck and body have Birds Eye and flame in it. Even with the neck/body being 3 pieces. If you have the money and like the sound of PRS pickups, and a wide/thin neck I think it’s a great purchase. They even do all the SE demos on their youtube channel as well. The SE pickups are meant to be 'import equivalents' to the core/s2 models, and still have that signature PRS sound (i know its not for everyone, but I like that sound) I would love to by the new quilted violet se custom 24, but they have the same pickups as my current one. All of those new models look amazing. I'll have to keep an eye out for holiday sales this year.
Honestly, my SE has the same quality as my Core. The SE has the second best top, second only to the Core. I own 6 guitars, and honestly, I prefer the sound of my SE 85/15s pickups over the 59/09 pickups in my core.
I disagree though PRS guitars are well built I have never felt one with a soul. I got close with a M594 single cut but I never got a chance to plug it in. A guitar can be well built but still not have it
I own a PRS SE custom 24 which is from a previous line up when they were still made in Korea. It has actual binding and a beautiful zebrawood top. It's the perfect guitar for me and there is just nothing wrong with it. Especially for people like me, that don't live in a country with these huge guitar shops, PRS is just amazing, because I can order something with the specs/looks that I want and be sure that I will get a good instrument.
Prs guitars have never been interesting to me which is odd bcse I love classic style electric guitars and the specs are definitely specs I like, but for some reason they just don’t interest me.
I'd argue that the Holcomb should have tuners because metal guitarist tend to favor fresh string for their brighter tone. I'd want locking tuners if I'm changing strings on a shorter intervals.
PRS are great! They feel great, they sound great and they look great. I think their finishes are some of the best looking. My main workhorse is a Tremonti SE. I typically choose it over my Les Paul.
8:31 as someone who has been doing the comparison thing since the 70's, I can say your mojo theory may be a bit flawed. I've been that guy who played hundreds of Teles, Strats, Les Pauls, ES-335's, SG's, Rickenbackers, etc.. to find "the one" in each batch; but not because the others sucked (although, when you pick up that many over nearly 50 years, there's bound to be a turd in the punchbowl along the way). The reason I would land on "the one" was because it fit ME best. The way I play, the way I pick, the fact that I'm short, my love of fatter necks and flatter fretboards, my ear for tone... And when it comes to PRS SE's, I can say that the experience, the hunt if you will, is just "Yeah, I'll take that one, I like the way the grains are on the top." That's because they are alike. Nothing wrong with that, but there's no "this guitar is mine, there are many like it, but this one is mine." That's fine and is generally what we look for in most products, but the experience is like buying a new iPhone, a Dyson vacuum, or a McD burger (anywhere in the US). They will all be the same, and that's exactly what many people want, and some people want that in a guitar. Why get surprised that the neck is slightly slimmer or has a quirky tone in the pickups or something like that? You know that if you tried on at Guitar Center, you can buy one at Sweetwater, they will be nearly identical (weights do fluctuate, even if by a few ounces), and your experience should be the same. Just as there's a thrill opening that new pedal, iPhone, or Super Soaker 5000; there's a thrill with that new PRS SE. I love the SE and S2 lines, and I've owned cores as well, and I even have a PRS birds tattoo. That said, my main guitar for years on stage was an American Standard Strat and recently for several years, a Les Paul Standard. I played a core PRS SC and CU 22 as well as a CE24 for a while in between. I've been to the factory and done the "Experience". I've met Paul and the team. I can say, unequivocally, that they make a fine product. I look at them like a BMW motorcycle. They are incredible feats of engineering, but it's the Harley Davidson that people deck out, customize, and turn into a work of art that reflects their persona. It might leave an oil stain wherever it goes, but it truly has but one owner who blings it out for the world to see.
I appreciate your insight thank you! I purposely said theory because i don’t think I have all the answers. And what I’m saying may be true for some in some cases but not true for others. Thanks for sharing!
I would say one influential brand on Paul that doesn't get recognized is Ibanez. I heard him mention owning one in his young life. The tri-Tone switching became the 24-08. The artstar headstock ala John Scofield model and its similarity to the original Santana Model to today's PRS headstock is rather uncanny. Even the double cutaway that had a maple cap, unlike the Gibson Jr, that's all mahogany was an Ibanez and Yamaha thing in the late 70s.
SE’s are very good for the price but if you want to see why PRS guitars are special you have to check a Core line PRS. Since you have an SE DGT I strongly suggest to check a core series DGT. I think you will be amazed how different level Core DGT will be. There is much more time and skill spend on hand crafting, fretwork and all the other details. Also pickups are really boutiqe level, the fretwork is world class top notch, core DgT also has different frets than rest of all the PRS guitars including all core series and even private stocks. I am sure they wil be different than the SE. The fretboard edge is extra rounded for each fret etc. You should definitely get a Core DGT. How I know , I have four core series PRS and an S2 :).. Because experiencing the quality and playability of core series PRS I am having hard time buying other guitars now :). And I dont understand the people who say PRS do not have mojo. Which brand has then? Ibanez? Kiesel? Only Gibson and Fender right?
I agree, but the only downside is the price for the core model. Maybe someday I can save up and justify spending on one. but right now (and probably for the next 10 years) that's unrealistic.
Agreed. I've played dozens of SE SIlver Skies and, while very solid instruments, can't hold a candle to my American version. It can't match the dynamism of the pickups and the precision feel and resonance of the neck.
Imagine telling an audience “I can’t play tonight. My guitar has no MOJO.” Better toss that excuse out and supply YOUR mojo. A guitar is a tool. Don’t be a poor craftsman.
Let me guess. "I have a minor problem with PRS guitars. There is nothing wrong with them, but I still do not feel like playing them..." Okay, I send it before watching. Might be wrong, but I doubt it.
The QC isnt really my idea of mojo. For me its how the thing inspires you. Hard to define and very personal. I pick up a lot of brands with excellent QC and mojo. PRS guitars are just too refined to appeal to me. I would never say they are bad, they are high quality, they just dont have a character that appeals to me. Every once in a while I see one.
I love my S2 Custom 24. It's just a solid guitar. I did change the pickups on it, but otherwise there was little I needed to do to it. And I'm seriously eyeballing the new SE CE24's. (the GAS is real, haha!!)
Am I the only person who doesn't think locking tuners are necessary with vintage style tuners? I'm not saying the old style is perfect, just that on vintage fender style tuners with the split post you can lock the string in place if you use them properly without a locking mechanism. So it's a lighter tuner and performs that function...
They're just a bit more trouble to restring but they work fine. The only thing I'd say is that the modern geared ones are more precise than vintage 15-1 ratio tuners.
I owned a 2016 Custom 24 SE made in korea and it was awesome. Still, I remember during the transition from korea to indonesia, about 2019, some SE were really sub-par. I tried 4 in a store and 1 was really good, 1 just ok, 1 meh, and 1 was an absolute dog. Really, it sounded and felt horrible, I couldn't believe it was a PRS. I've never tried a SE since then, so I am glad to hear they are back again at full quality control.
I owned two PRS guitars, and while I loved their aesthetics, tones, and quality to price ratio of the SE models, but I disliked how the lower horn carve doesn't clear the last fret (and the round hollowed out area doesn't help much for upper frets access). For me, clearing the last fret is critical because it allows for the most comfortable upper frets access, without forcing you to angle your fretting hand awkwardly towards the pickups. There are some passages that simply can't be played efficiently if the lower horn carve doesn't clear the last fret. This is one of the reasons why I prefer Ibanez, as their guitars are designed with great upper frets access in mind. John Petrucci's signature Majesty models are a great example of awesome upper frets access.
Great video and great series! And yes, if a PRS is missing its “mojo”, look no further than the player. Mojo comes from the soul, not the tool. By the way, I love and appreciate the self-deprecation. It makes you very relatable. Keep up the good work!
Yep ...... Carlos Santana comes to mind. I know of a guitarist that can play every note Carlos plays, but he comes across like a machine without a soul ....
I really like the PRS guitars I own or have owned, my biggest complaint with PRS is that outside of the Holcomb you don't have a hardtail with a more modern hardtail bridge. That being said I like the Holcomb and it has specs I like (20" radius, hardtail etc).
I know it will never happen. but i would love to see a prs flying v style guitar. if I ever get rich enough to buy a private stock, i would try and twist their arm to make one XD
@@user-zi8hj5ne1z It could happen. At a big rock festival in 2018 or 19, I saw Mark Tremonti playing an Explorer shaped PRS. He only used it for one song and changed guitars. I whipped out my phone and took a picture of it. Been wondering when that guitar will come out. I think all that needs to happen to make a Flying V possible is one of Paul's big artists wanting one for their signature.
I think the MOJO things comes down to Gibson Les Paul has a sound, Fender Teles and Strats have a sound... PRS has a perfect mix of all those sounds but does sounds slightly different and I think that's what people think is the lack of MOJO, I personally love my PRS. I do agree with pretty much all of this, definitely need at least a 12" radius and solid colors.
Carvin guitars suffered the whole lack of mojo thing back in the day. Likely a bit before your time. They were made in USA but for many folks they were made too perfectly, too machined without the hand craftsmanship vibe and that they lacked any kind of soul or particular sound. Each model, unless a wrong spec somehow got put on or one missed, was literally perfectly built. And I've owned and ordered a bunch. Kiesel seems to have gained ground in carrying on that quality in the family business with improvements as you see them more and more in the spotlight than you ever did with Carvin. International sales helped greatly, I'm sure. I can see where PRS would fall into this debate.
I found after buying 5 of these things, that the standard/custom 24's have a drastically different neck than the McCarty or 245. I actually hate the chunky necks, but those 24's are amazing. Wonderful video! Thanks!
Super interesting theory on the mojo thing! Never thought of that before but it's exactly what happens with vintage instruments. It's not that there was something magical about an old guitar being old, it's just that only the really good ones have survived, making it seem like ALL vintage 1962 Strat's were amazing, but I've heard from enough people that are in that world that they've played vintage Strats/LP's that are amazing, and vintage Strats/LP's that were absolutely terrible. Something else I would add to the "mojo" thing is PRS makes a very pristine sounding guitar. There's a clarity and cleanliness to the tone that some people like and some people don't. I think in some people's mind imperfection is mojo, personality, character. I have played PRS long enough that I can tell when a guitar player is playing a PRS with his coils split, it has it's own sound, it's a thing. Whether that translates to having "mojo" is completely subjective.
A lot of it is bunk but vintage instruments are a bit different because of the way the wood sap crystalizes and becomes more stable and the pickups change as the magnets age.
I like PRS brand but the pickup can use an upgrade and covers. For some reason the pickups sound on the thin side. Maybe I need raise them or it maybe their characteristic sound. I heard recently PRS is going to start putting the S2 line pickups in the SE models. I'm still toying with the idea of swapping.
Mojo has nothing to do with QC. You can find mojo in poor qc guitars and perfect guitars. It doesn't even come at a price. If you ask people what a LP or Tele should sound like, you'll get many different answers. And mojo is what happens when what comes from the guitar meets your personal expectations of what a great example of that guitar sounds like. Or it could change what you want. People confuse qc for lack of variability. PRS has excellent qc but that doesn't mean that all of the guitars sound the same. It has the same variability as other companies. The difference is how it's perceived. Companies like Gibson and Fender have been recorded for 70 years. PRS doesn't have that same history. People aren't buying a PRS to get the sound of something recorded even 10 years ago. So most people aren't running the racks for PRS because they're not seeking anything in particular. And people assume that they all sound the same but that's incorrect. And if you find one that sounds better than the others. That doesn't mean the others suck. Paul himself even says that magic guitars exist.
There are superior PRSes but far, far fewer garbage ones than Fender and Gibson churn out. That's why it feels like "magic" when you find a good Fender -- it took fifty tries to get one.
@@markuyehara7880 it has nothing to do with what's good. Some Teles are twangier than others. Some LPs are very bright. A Tele with a very powerful midrange isn't a bad guitar. A LP with a lot of low-mids isn't bad. Some people would prefer that. That doesn't mean it's garbage. Someone else might love it. It took me years to find my Tele. None of the ones that I rejected were bad. They just didn't have the thing I was looking for.
I'm not a fan of "Locking Tuners"...... pretty much on ANY guitar. Personally, I'm glad that I don't have to "pay extra" to get "lockers" when I don't like them. I do agree with you about the "mojo" factor..... PRS has the best consistency of anything else. While I do have guitars with a flatter radius, I don't think I prefer it over PRS's typical 10" radius. I do NOT like a radius under that though....a main reason that I could never find a Fender guitar that I could live with. Not interested in solid opaque colored guitars, I want to see that wood grain......but I wouldn't mind a little cheaper option in offering the moon inlay over the birds.
So I’m 60, been into guitars since I was 15….played Gibson, Fenders, Hamer, Hagstrom, Ibanez, Jackson Charvel and others….the most resonant one? I just got a real ESP George Lynch Kamikaze 1 and it’s a beast. Go try an ESP Japan Custom Shop guitar.
I just bought a Swamp Ash Special, and that guitar kicks ass. It was playable right out of the box! Out of all the budget brands I've bought, the PRS definitely has the highest quality and attention to detail. Edit: PRS may be successful, but they'll always be #3 out of the big brand names.
Got a DGT SE and immediately put locking tuners on it. Fantastic guitar and I’m comparing it to my Artist DGT. Crazy what they did for less than a grand!
Once I heard real "mojo" from the skilled hands of a friend on his '65 Trini Lopez first, then hisTokai Strat. But not from his beloved PRS. Is that a comparison of guitars quality standards, I don't know... Is "mojo" the reason, that people often prefer old and poor guitars like Harmony and Kay?
In my Collection I have Various Gibson's & Fenders. I own a Collins I 35 which is to die for. PRS have there place. I've played Modern Eagles from ME1 and purchaes a ME - V A few years back when they first came out. Its just Glorious . I love ther Hollow Bodies and HB 594 . Maybe I'm missing something but I think there great. I have yet to find a Hollowbody to Top my Collins. Gibson ES 335 are hard to find a really good one. Thete one of the best guitars ever made. Love my Tele and I have a Strat that rings like a bell. My PRS Collection I won't part with. Some PRS like any other guitar didn't connect with. But PRS hold there own. Its like a Crayon Box. Pick the Colour of Sound you like.
Wouldn't say mojo relates to QC. QC to me is more about the guitar's craftmanship, attention to detail, correct installation of the parts and to what degree you can set it up to the most desired results. Specifically the frets (leveling, crowning, sprout, polishing), nut (how well it's cut) and bridge (if the saddles are sharp and cause string breaking, correct installation and placement) and neck pocket (any gaps, correct neck angle). The whole "trying a few of the same guitar in order to find the one" is a totally different thing, and it's not entirely what mojo is. To me personally mojo is how the guitar makes you feel when you play it and what it makes me play. I definitely agree that they don't lake mojo but have the same amount of it, and I'll add that it's different than anything else. It's the whole jack of all trades mojo that PRS has, that if you're looking for it then PRS is the guitar for you and if not then don't even consider one. I'd never consider a Mccarthy if I'm looking for a Les Paul, I'd never consider a Custom 24, a DGT or their derivatives if I'm looking for a Suhr kinda Superstrat, I'd never consider a Hollowbody 2 if I'm looking for a 335, I'd never consider a Mira or a Santana if I'm looking for an SG, I wouldn't even consider a Silver Sky if I'm looking for a Strat. But if I'm looking for the thing PRS does I'll never look elsewhere :)
Mojo comes from the Player. Its that simple! Whether they feel an attachment to the Instrument (based on looks, feel, history, Famous Artists/songs associated etc etc) and if you aren't 'open' to an Instrument, already 'dislike', have some bias etc - its preventing you from playing with any 'feeling'. I find most 'tone' demos (regardless of Brand) to be quite Sterile as they play the same 'lick' as similarly and emotionless as possible to 'hear' the difference between Pup positions and clean/dirty too. Santana never sounded Sterile or had no 'Mojo' playing his PRS, and so many artists always seem to play with emotion....
For me Mojo is not QC of guitars, rather aesthetics that guitar will bring out and PRS doesn't really look exciting, it isn't really vintage and not really modern stuck somewhere in 90s with weird Flame and Quilted tops. Personally I grew up seeing a lot of PRS guitars in nu-metal music, so I don't hate the look of Custom 24. However, their line is not really bringing out any genre inspiration like BC Rich or 8-string Ibanez for metal or some old Teisco guitars for indie. At the end of the day if some kid comes in to buy guitar in store, if it's not visually exciting he will not even try it. That said they should do a black SE Standard for suuuure.
PRS just started a 20% of most sale on SEs (not the DGT though) after this video posted. Includes Sweetwater so use Dr Fludd's link to save if you're getting one. And nice video series on the SE line too, Andre.
Great video. I agree with you 100%. I own many guitars and so far the PRS has become my favorite. They are reliable, always sound great and when you know the QC is good you can play it without worrying about it. Keep up the great work.
God damn it, I can't. I can't get a Taylor, I can't get a PRS. I don't have it in me. Maybe my mojo-sensor is more developed than my ears? Maybe I'll get a McCarty on the day I buy a Lexus.
Andre, regarding your "No Mojo" point. I respectfully disagree. Yesterday I played two of the new Swamp Ash guitars back to back, one had a very flat no relief action, the other had a bit higher action around the 12th fret. More importantly, one of them had a much louder (probably 6dB) neck pickup, with completely different tonal character . The other guitar had a much darker tone overall (for all pickups), especially noticeable in the neck position. There was also a slight weight difference. I agree with you that PRS guitars are much closer than any other major manufacture between guitars. I notice this trend especially out of the guitars being built in Indonesia , to include epiphone and fender.
PRS are beautiful guitars. I own 3 and almost never play them. I have a hollowbody 2 piezo, custom 22, and a silver sky all of which are core models. When I plug them into any of my amps, the sound is very uninspiring. I immediately want to plug in any number of other guitars which are much less expensive but which sound so much better. It has nothing to do with Rhett Shull or Tim Pierce or quality control. It has everything to do with the sound - period.
I have a PRS American CE. I got it because it was less than the core, but it had a lot of the same parts. Now to find out that there's an SE CE, All I want to do was buy one and compare. The heel joint is the biggest difference. From what I see it's not quite the same. But knowing that it's PRS. There's always good quality with everything they do just about. That swamp ash special is really calling my name. I've always had a great experience with any PRS.
The Mojo thing is being misinterprated, It's not about finding a special guitar and that they are all "special" My view is, and I've had 3.. 2k+ PRS's They are voiced very flat and transparent sounding, a good starting point for a session guitarist that needs to cover a lot of different vibes, It can sound like many other guitars in a way but a PRS never lands in either direction. It's never going to have the soul of a Les paul or a Jazzmaster it just sounds in between and very flat. I can pickup my Jaguar for example and unplugged strum a few chords and the emotion and tone that comes out is wonderfull, If I do that on my PRS it's just mostly string noise with very little shaped voice.
I would like to see this lad breakdown Tom Anderson (to me the best playing guitar) and i own, PRS, mayones, Suhr, Gibson, aristides, etc. ............Or I would like to see him breakdown aristides, if he hasn't already.....great video!
The PRS-SE made in Korea by WMIC are very good. I can't tell about those made by Cort in Indonesia. Bought a Single Cut Korina 2nd hand for €250 in order to give a try to the limba wood and considered to re-sell it for the same price after a few weeks, well, still havent... I thought that the PUs were good but lacked character, funny fact, there was a set of Gibson C57/57+ home... "Mojo" comes from pickups in most of the cases...
PRS guitars are definitely well built and consistent. I've never really enjoyed playing one. I can't imagine I'm the only person who has this problem. Otherwise they wouldn't have such a small share of the market compared to the other big brands. Gibson(34%), Fender(30%), Ibanez(12%), Yamaha(7%) and even Epiphone(4%), all have a larger share of the US market than PRS as of 2023.
A) I don't NEED locking tuners, because of the way I restring them - it's irrelevant(?) B) "PRS guitars have no mojo" - I've owned a few, and sold all but one. As I see it, "mojo" is generated by quirks, foibles, ODDITIES THAT MUST BE WORKED AROUND. My Custom 24 IS perfect in that there's nothing wrong, but it just... doesn't do anything that surprises me. So I kinda think personality equates to minor FLAWS that force us to interact? Kinda stoopud, I know, but...my two faves are a Warmoth and a USA Custom-wooded one. I did ALL the work on both, real Lawrence pickups, the so-called "tele-shaped" one has ELABORATE switching that'll let me do all sorts of things - at least half of whch I don't need. Boy do they got mojo... Hahaha. They're both perfect, and they're both really weird. C) Dammit, darn, oh BOOGER. Can we stop pretending that people ARE going to dutifully trot off to music stores because "you really need to try them?" THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENS. We really, really need a poll, or quickie research project - SO MANY people buy 'em off Ebay, or Sweetwater, Musician's Fiend, or Reverb. We buy them TO try them and simply hope we did it well enough not to lose too badly when we sell them back out there. 85% is my guess? Mebbe 92.5%? Really, really REALLY! For Real. That's how all the companies stay in business, right?
I own a PRS Custom 24, and honestly I didn't love the rotary switch or the pickups. I replaced all the wiring with a Freeway switch, and a set of Bare Knuckle Mules! I love having a custom 6 way Freeway Switch. The Mules take the PRS to another level!
I took a PRS SE Korina Singlecut w/moons,added PRS locking tuners,PRS wraparound adjustable bridge w/Brass studs. Schaller S-locks strap locks and put in Seymour Duncan Green Magic pickups (so it’s a PRS Greeny) and made it no tone,2 volumes so I can control the out of phase middle by having a neck volume.
Was getting bored and then he said the thing about "no mojo" and Rhett Shull. That makes a TON of sense. PRS guitars are very consistent and strangely, get "punished" for it because they don't have their own "unique personality." Translation; They don't make any pieces of shit and then some that are great. EXCELLENT take.
My 594 plays and sounds much better than my 59 reissue Les Paul and my sons late mode les paul standard. I saw him order a sc sunburst 594. Only problem is strings came in too high and both volume pots lasteda week. Got new pots coming in.
Matsumoku That is where the magic comes from. I have an ARIA PRO II Cardinal CS400. If I blind folded you and handed it to you, you would think it was a PRS. Gibson and Fender WISH they could come out with a playable guitar that good. The CS400 was out LONG before the PRS. No shame or hate. It just is what it is. I still have one of the first CS400s that came to the states in 1980. PRS guitars all play the same. That is why I think people say they have no mojo. However it is a good thing and speaks highly for the company. I can play on 3 Gibsons of the same model and they will all play differently. Same with Fenders. The only other company that pulls this off is Ibanez. All you have to do when you buy a PRS or an Ibanez is plug it in and play it.Almost every other brand/modern guitar I have owned needed to be setup or worked on. Not a bash....just how it is. But that is another video..... Flame on! I have owned several PRS (SE) guitars over the years. I have experience.
One of the best SE guitars PRS ever made is a 277 Semi-hollow baritone with P90 style pick-ups. It’s long been discontinued, but if you come across one, get it. It’s amazing to play with different styles from country, jazz and space-y stuff. But, it snarls and growls like the meanest junkyard dog if you want to play really heavy stuff too. It’s my go-to guitar when I’m needing some creative inspiration.
I love push/push on paper, but can't stand them in real life. The number of times these have failed to function on me, ....... never again. Push/pull is more reliable in my experience.
I had a 2009 DGT; and while it was a great guitar, it never came close to my 1995 CS Goldtop or my 2005 CS '60 LP. Every PRS I tried played well and sounded good, but I felt something was lacking.
I have owned and sold a lot of PRS axes. My first was a Maryland hand made Standard and it was great. Maybe the best guitar I ever owned. But it did not have birds, so I stupidly sold it and bought an early McCarty, THAT NO ONE COULD MAKE GO IN TUNE!!!! I hated myself for betraying that red Standard. I dumped the untunable POS and did not play a PRS 15 years years. Then I bought PRS CE after most of my guitars stolen. I liked it. Then I bought a single cut S2 Satin Standard, and then a double cut Satin Standard. Then Biden became President and everyone went broke and I sold all 3 to live on the $’s I got from the sale. I recently bought a PRS SE Standard in midnight blue, and it is the closest thing to my original PRS Standard, not kidding. I paid $503 for from SWEETWATER! With the gig bag. It was perfect out of the box. Stays in tune and pinch harmonics any time I want to. It has healed my soul for selling the original. So now I just ordered the turquoise PRS SE CE. FOR $559!!! I will let you know how that one works out. Great video, nowadays the moons do not bother me. Keep making music my man!
I think you are correct about your theory on PRS mojo…. Or lack there of. They are very consistent. But I would take it one step further. There are no “59” PRS’s, no “62 custom” PRS’s. No Jimmy Page playing a PRS. No Billy Gibbons playing a PRS. All of that will come in time but honestly, there won’t be much made in the future that will have that “Mojo” of that mystique that came along with the pioneers of Rock. Just my opinion. Nice video. I just subscribed
Nice content Andre. Bang for the buck, I'd like your thoughts of the PRS against a Classic Vibe guitar. The CV seems to my ears to have "better" pickups. Your thoughts.
I disagree with your theory. I don't think it has anything to do with quality control. It has to do with body shape of their flagship model: The Mccarty The Custom 24, Modern Eagle, 594, Holcomb, DGT, Silver Sky, all have that derpy kind of a Strat, kind of a Les Paul thing going on. They actually have some very cool models thst do their own thing: Santana, Mira, Vela But people either aren't Carlos, or don't want a cheap SE version that costs more than an off-brand. The Ibanez AZ could be seen a modern Strat. The Music Man Cutlass could be seen as a modern Strat. The G&L S-500 and Comanche ARE modern Strats. The Silver Sky IS NOT a modern Strat. It's a Mccarty with Strat pickups.
I wholeheartedly disagree with your viewpoints in the "mojo" section. In my experience, if you pick up a $5000 PRS and a $2000 PRS, they sound exactly the same. Which on the one hand is really great, and an achievement in itself, but on the other hand, what are you really paying the $3000 premium price for? Whereas if you pick up 2 or 3 Les Paul R9's (going for about $5000), they will sound different to one another. Not that one sucks, it's just, some people like their LP to be 'honky' and have that tele-ish thing, some like it very fat and round, some want a crisp sounding bridge pu and some like it on the warmer side. There's differences and preferences to choose from. Also, a $2500 LP will sound and feel like an expensive Les Paul, but they rarely sound and feel like those '59 reissues. I don't think it has anything to do with quality control. It's not like Gibson's QC sucks (granted, they did have a rough patch between 2005-2018).
own a earlier made in korea wms factory se,made in indonesia now by cortek,se custom 24,when i got it,i thought cool guitar for what i paid,played a lot for around 2 months,but wasnt vibin as much as playing other guitars,havent played it much since,should probably sell it,it was a kind of penknife guitar,sounded a bit stratty and bit les paulish ,but didnt really nail either,giving it its own tone,strange neck profile for a strat guy like me,used the se for couple of gigs,held up well,but went back to strat,despite the cranky probs you get with strats sometimes live,more mojo.only played a couple of usa prs models,and not for long,so cant comment there
4:06 … What is this “PRS sound” you speak of ? I instantly the know sound of a Tele, Strat, Rickenbacker, 335, Casino, Les Paul, SG. Even a Flying V has its own distinctive sound … But, if PRS has a sound, then I’m not aware of it (yet).
Bernie Marsden and Alex Lifeson, among others, have played and 'signatured' PRS, but both go (or went in Bernie's case RIP) back to thier specific Gibson in the end. Its that one in 1000 or so thing maybe. Great vid. I *love* my Custom 24, but right now I'm playing an Epi Explorer mostly, so go figure.
At 14:55 you explain exactly how I feel talking about guitars too 🤣 This was hyper interesting to hear you in depth take on PRS. Couldn't have been a better dude to do it. And I back your ideas fully too.
While I do like PRS guitars, their QC isn't always that good: In 2017, I bought a new SE Custom 24, made in South Korea, "QC passed" and so on. However, the guitar was impossible to get intonated correctly, almost as if the bridge was in wrong place by few millimeters. Also, there was a small but visible crack on the lacquer. I returned the defective guitar and got a better one. Later, I bought a Silver Sky SE, which had the following flaws right out of the box: - the neck was slanted(?) sideways, the high-E string slid off the fretboard really easily (managed to fix it myself) - the pickguard wasn't aligned properly (in relation to the neck pocket) - the saddles had so sharp edges/jaggies that they cut into my palm (replaced them with 3rd party saddles) - came with pre-corroded strings (well, changed them anyway) - after some time, the 5-way selector started to make noises when switching (electronics cleaner helped a bit) I wonder if I just had bad luck or something..?
PRS guitars do nothing for me. I’ve played them. They’re well made etc, but it’s a hard pass. Also, they’re too pretty. I’m a knuckle dragging blue collar guy. PRS are not marketed to my demographic. I own an ESP Eclipse (amazingly built guitar) but still play my Gibson way more.
Excellent take on the “no mojo” comments.
as an engineer, it always baffled me that people want to try guitars to find 'the one' out of a bunch of the same guitar. On my end, if one guitar sounds that much better or worse, thats a QC issue that should NEVER happen (even in the better case). In the end, even if the guitar sound is 'incredible' compared to others. You are the one that plays and actually creates the sound.
The goal of a brand should be consistency, because thats how you either get repeat customers, or word of mouth. As opposed to people being frustrated when they cant find 'the one' because all the qc is mediocre.
This is also coming from someone that has played trombone their entire life, and has seen the consistency across all these brass makers to where you can pick up any trombone with the same specs and it will sound the same (depending on the player of course).
@user-zi8hj5ne1z As an engineer, you should know about the inherent variability in the materials used when talking about a guitar (wood) and a trombone (brass). You can get the properties of different batches of brass to within extremely tight tolerances of each other, but wood is a natural material with natural variability. The density, hardness and elastic modulus of different logs of the same species of tree - even different cuts from different parts of the same log - vary to a degree that would utterly ruin the reputation of any metal alloy supplier. On top of that, the tighter you make QC, the more wasteful you become with natural resources, like when Taylor normalized brown streaks in ebony so that they wouldn't have to throw away any log or cut that wasn't pure black. And that's great. But it also means appearance is less uniform, so one buyer might like one example more than the next, and is justified in trying several of the same model until they find the one with the properties they like the most.
It's not failure of QC, it's acknowledgement of the nature of working with natural materials. Buy a carbon fiber guitar if you want man-made repeatability, and a wood one if you're ready for natural variability.
I’ve been through basically every PRS, some more than once. They’re great but I do think they sound a little “even.” I don’t currently have any in my stable for that reason.
What some people say is “no mojo” or “sterile” is really just that I think PRS guitars tend to have a really balanced frequency response compared to the more uneven frequencies you get out of a lot of fenders and gibsons.
I’ve personally found Suhrs to have a little more character to my ears. But plenty of people say Suhrs are sterile too. So it’s just personal taste I guess.
@@chiricm I don’t disagree. I’ve had a ton of PRS and I also agree they do lack “character.” I believe that’s what others perceive as mojo. Just some quirkiness and unevenness that makes certain frequencies really stand out and have their own vibe going on. I currently have no PRS(used to have like 10…and mostly USA). That being said, I ordered two SE that should be arriving next week. I did this because I realized I’m all out of 24 fret guitars lmao and I’ve got the neoclassical and metal shred bug and have been learning a lot of material that requires 24 frets. I also have several Seymour Duncans laying around that should help these PRS sound more how my ears like them to.
I think it comes from people that don't really get instruments.
A friend of mine hates fender stratocasters because he feels it is the reason Eric Clapton lost his MOJO and blames the guitar.
Rhett's subjective feelings about guitar brands with poor quality control and wild variability from one year to another, one model to another, or one guitar to another, being why certain guitars they produce have "mojo" is one of the most absurd takes i've ever heard expressed on RUclips.... and there are a lot of really dumb things said and written here. I have some great Gibson and Fender guitars, but i've played some really bad ones, including guitars that cost over 3K. Gibson QC has gotten better, but the demo shop is all the proof you need of issues that still get sent out the door on an average work day. Fender QC really tanked a few years ago because they let 300 of their most experienced Corona luthiers and craftsmen go, and also moved most signature line production to Ensenada without adding personnel or equipment to handle the capacity or increased expectations for those instruments. The average PRS SE has objectively better QC than the average MIA Gibson or Fender guitar. The S2 and Core models create even more separation from the competition. The difference between the average Indonesian or MIC PRS SE and a MIC Epiphone, or MIC Squier, is a veritable chasm. Folks can like what they like. It's any musician's prerogative to prefer a particular brand or model. That doesn't mean there aren't objective differences in the quality, fit, finish, and design, between different brands. Ultimately if "mojo" is picking up one guitar from an assembly line of bad guitars, i'll be just fine never having a guitar with mojo in my collection.
I could not agree more. Rhett's take on brands and mojo is disappointing to say the least. I would like to think that someone who makes their living by playing guitar would have a more objective opinion on their tools.
It's his opinion who cares., At the end of the day Don't listen to a youtuber. Make your own decisions
Well the guy has 10 grand Les Pauls and talks about 1 grand guitars as if they were garbage... he had a good Epiphone and seemed totally amazed that a guitar for 700 bucks could be good. The worst kind of gear snob.
And the guy used heavy strings because he thought it sounded better but then in a blind test preferred 8 gauge said he was converted and put 9 gauge on his guitars because I suppose 8 gauge just isn't manly enough or whatever even if it sounds best...
The guy talks about an R9 as if that was a proper guitar. Not some cheap 3k off the shelf 50s Les Paul Standard...
So really I think anyone sane shouldn't care what the guy has to say.
Now me personally I don't like PRS that much from the sound but to critique their QC is madness. I may not like them to play but I always spend a minute or two admiring one if I see one. They are gorgeous and really well made. So if I had too much cash I would definetly grab one and add some PAFs. Just not a fan of the very modern sounding pickups so if someone handed me a PRS with pickups I enjoy, I suspect I would love it.
Mojo is just an excuse for not being able to put your thoughts into words. PRS are too flawless but let's spend 10 grand on an R9 because that's a flawless guitar? I couldn't care less what the guy says.
I love Gibsons, I have one. Is it my favourite guitar? Nah that spot goes to my 370€ SC550+. The pickups are nicer so it sounds better and I prefer the feel of necks with binding, that my G doesn't have. And finally, I'm sorry but nitro finish is stupid. It's so fragile. My Gibson looks exactly as old as it is. Scratches from the pick, dings, huge part is loosing it's gloss from sweat... I prefer to leave it hanging on the wall and look pretty. Id it a great guitar? Absolutely. Is it somehow magically better than my well built not made in America non Gibson guitars? Nope... The nut actually wasn't cut that well and the 3 way switch keeps malfunctioning, which has not happened on any of my Epiphones, LTDs or the HB... now to be fair I got it really cheap for a Gibson, due to the nut and it being a sun bleached display model. 800 bucks for 1998 Flying V, limited edition. Would I pay the 3 grand they want for Flying Vs now? Fk now. I bought some Toneriders for my Epiphone and I strongly suspect once installed it will also sound better than the Gibson. Same age, 20 years. Gibson looks heavily used. Epi looks brand new. But oh no poly finish bad!!! That's why every single wooden item on Earth except high end guitars uses poly finish. It's objectively better. And it comes in matte and semi gloss to for you "too shiny" people. Polyurethane finished guitars will last 1000 years easily. As a woodworker using nitro finish makes me laugh. I would never... why would you? More expensive, way harder to apply, highly toxic, takes forever to cure, less durable ahh but its thin and won't impinge on the tonewood...
Snobs...
Gibsons, when they are good are GOOD because they aren't made by machines. Prs has no variation.
@@HunnysPlaylists Although they are checked by machines now, Plek or something it's called, the machine check if all the frets and everything is perfect and you can see if one needs work. Gibsons since that era are impeccable. I am lusting after an Antique Natural Flying V. 1700€, is not too bad and no one besides Epiphone or Gibson makes proper Flying Vs. They all look weird. Though Jackson and ESP make the Randy Rhoads / Alexi Laiho models, I like those but it's a different thing... but fretwork and all that on new Gibsons is fantastic. Half the people who crap on Gibson never played one. And as to the increase in price, it's still much cheaper than what Les Pauls cost originally. By inflation a Les Paul should be 5 grand. So given how pricey labour is I don't think it's that unreasonable. Now I'd rather buy 3 Epiphones and 4 Harley Bentons for the same money but I have not bought my last Gibson. Also my 98 Flying V cost about 800 bucks (plus 20 years inflation, call it 1500) it is now worth 5 grand. I'll sell it when it's worth 30k until then I have some more nitro finish to ruin with my sweaty paws.
I have a PRS 277 and my take on "no mojo" is:
1. Primarily fueled by Rhett's hive mind.
2. The pickups are very distinct. I REALLY don't like them. I also don't really like Ibanez pickups. I just did a pup swap.
3. The flawless QC makes them feel precision manufactured rather than like an instrument. If you have ever picked up a relic'd or heavily used guitar, you know that there's inherently a HUGE difference in feel. If you like the weathered wood feel over the plastic manufactured feel, your brain will tell you "nope" when you pick up a PRS.
At the end of the day, only #2 is a real issue IMO, and if it's a big issue to you, just swap pickups. PRS pickups are ideal for some music, but not everyone has to like that. Sometimes the muddiness of a LP, or extra articulation of an Ibanez are desirable. Personally, I'm more a fan of SD and Schecter pickups. To each their own.
dunno who's Rhett, but to me "no mojo" of PRS just comes down to looks. they are just so bland and meh-inspiring.
every time i see a PRS i don't think "a vintage-looking guitar", "an agressive guitar", "a blinged out guitar", "a stylish guitar", "a bright guitar" or any other adjective. it's always just "a guitar".
@@swancrunch fair point, but your making a comparison and have an expectation. What I don’t care for is how proprietary they are. Good luck modifying even tuners. Damn mine has sustain for daaaayyyysss.
@@23kyd49 how are they proprietary? from the look of it, you can easily change them to like hipshot or gotoh or some shit. they use all the standart run-off-the-mill electronics (except for rotaries, but those are still easy to find in like radioshack), pickups, nuts, etc.
teuffel is proprietary, rick toone is proprietary, strandberg is proprietary (but there are tons of alternatives for their hardware if for some unknown reason you want to change it), but prs? cmon.
@@swancrunch I actually think my satin charcoal PRS looks pretty killer when I hold and play it. And I'm not a PRS fanboy or something, it just looks cool (to me).
I build electric guitars and traditional violins. My take on mojo runs like this - I think on solid bodies and even most semi-hollow bodies, you are completely right. Hitting the production spec properly makes way more difference than anything else here. In the case of acoustic instruments, individual instruments *absolutely* do have mojo. At the point where the individual pieces of wood really, really start affecting tone, then yes, individual instruments, even ones made with the utmost care will be wildly different.
As an example, If you think of a Stradivarius violin, there are several with very similar measurements, and safe to say no quality issues - but the difference in tone between these instruments is profound. The same is true on acoustic guitars. There is a video here on the tube where a world class violinist gets to compare multiple Stradivari - even if you don’t like violin it is interesting to watch.
But yeah, in guitars like you are showing here, you are absolutely right. Attention to detail and a really good design which is consistently delivered is honestly 99%, if not higher, of the battle.
Somewhat of my comment. Wood is ever changing. Makes for an imperfect instrument.
Thank you! That whole 'No Mojo' section is something I've been ranting on about for years.
It's always been baffling to me that Gibson always gets away with the whole 'looking for the one' mentality - when all guitars of the same product line should be equally good.
Especially at the premium price point they are at. If you charge several thousand dollars, you need to deliver every single time.
NOOOOOOOOOOOO. The beauty is in the differences.
If they were all grat guitars it wouldnt matter if they are different. The prs though is a beautiful commodity but i never liked playing either ther electrics or acoustics. They record beautifully though.
@wind016 I dont think prs's play that nicely but thats a matter of personal opinion. I dont like their neck profile(s).
Yes! I’m about 20 live shows into using the DGT SE. Can confirm it’s just brilliant, does everything I need and does it very very well effortlessly. And that’s live, in the heat of battle. Would recommend one to anyone, and full of inspiration and mojo when you need it in a solo.
Pretty stoked to hear this. I'm a huge Fender and Gibson guy, but I had to pull the trigger on the McCarty SE. Looking forward to getting back into the PRS arena. The DGT looks to be a killer guitar too.
If you play a guitar long enough, it gets mojo........if you don't play a fender or a gibson, it does not have mojo either. That means...for me when you buy a new guitar in a shop, you have to create the mojo during the years using it :)
Your point about PRS QC and the "magic guitar" phenomenon is absolutely on-point. Kudos to you for putting that idea out there.
This hasn't been my experience, I tried out several different DGT SE's and they were all quite different, one really dark sounding another bright, some had three piece tops others two piece, the one I own is 7.1 pounds, but one I tried was 8.3 pounds.
I think the mojo thing comes from people liking the sound of the good examples of vintage guitars and any modern change goes away from that vintage sound, obviously a guitar like an Ibanez RG isn't going after a vintage thing so no one cares. PRS markets itself in both camps both always improving (modern) as well as being vintage in looks, sounds and design cues, Paul often talks about owning vintage guitars and figuring out what makes them sound so good and finding the key and implementing it into his guitars and the reality doesn't match up to the marketing spiel, so people try out the guitars with an expectation of hearing some vintage mojo but get disappointed.
@@voxshallyou need to try that with the US line of geets.
PRS hired McCarthy bc Gibson kicked him to the curb and employs a lot of the vintage construction where it makes sense, makes upgrades where it makes sense. The modern USA pickups are excellent and very vintage sounding.
I agree they sound good, but I've had a lot of the US line on medium term loan and compared to the best vintage examples they are still a big downgrade in my opinion, I think this is most obvious in p90's but also in humbuckers and the silver sky single coils. Sometimes I prefer the modern stuff in a band mix though, but by itself I prefer the sound of the vintage guitars and find them more inspiring to write songs. @@papa_pt
Mojo is also related to the feeling that people get when they hold the instrument they saw in the hands of their idols as a kid. But if music is about doing something interesting now - using what the world is like today, then this isn’t a problem. Jimi never played a PRS but if he was alive today, he probably would have.
I never thought about that part of it. Very good point.
Maybe that's why I've never understood the prs has no MOJO comment because all of my favorite artists growing up in the late 90's and early 00s played PRS
This is a good point but today it's a 38 year old company and many of our idols have been famously playing them for a long time now. I've heard this PRS has no mojo comment for years and I think a lot of it has to do with exactly what you said. However a lot of people saying it back in the day were playing Kramer, ESP, Jackson, Charvel, BCRich, etc and those were all new brands at the time too. I got a PRS in 1988 about 3 years after they started and kept it until 2006. It was a USA made CE 24 bolt on. It was the best guitar I ever played and sounded amazing. I regret selling it every day since 2006. LOL I think it had a lot more mojo than my Ibanez RG-550 that I sold to get it.
John Mayer might help. But before John, there werent many famous PRS players. Santana. John MCoughlin. Mark Tremonti. Chad Kroeger. Not the type of people that attracts guitar players these days. If anything, having Creed and Nickelback players probably put them off, even though Mark is a beast player. Ive said it before, get rid of the birds and more people would like them. Cheaper to make too. Leave the birds for custom.
@@ToneDeth.dgt gold top has no birds , don’t mind the birds but actually don’t want more birds either so have been happy about that to be honest and it is the best SE for me to date for sure
This has been my "mojo" argument for years. Fenders range in quality from 1-10 and 90% of their guitars are 5 and lower. But, because of their QC and the way they spec their materials, pretty much every PRS is an 8. There are still 10s to be sure and they're just as rare as a 10 by Gibson or Fender but it's much harder to tell the difference with a PRS because the spread is so much smaller.
I have really appreciated your PRS Series. I’ve enjoyed AND learned a lot (and not just about PRS guitars). I’ve been watching a TON of guitar gear reviews. Your channel and a half dozen others, have led me to buy three different PRS guitars. Over 30% of guitar sales are done online. Detailed (nit-picky (not a bad thing)) reviews like yours provide a very important services to those who can’t get to a store.
I too have noticed the unwarranted negativity towards PRS Guitars. I call it unwarranted because negative reviews that I’ve come across have a very distinct theme…. The reviewer does not WANT to like the PRS guitar. One reviewer left me so perplexed because with each point he was acknowledging looks, feel, appointments, playability, sound quality and even price, yet ended with with a thumbs down. When I commented that I was confused, his reply was “I just don’t like it.” I have a couple of favored brands and PRS is probably top of my list because of the thought (engineering) put into every model. The attention to detail and quality control, makes PRS my first go to If I’m looking for a specific type of guitar. For ME PRS is the “Lexus” of guitar makers. Like Lexus PRS elbowed its way into the High End market. You have lists of top luxury cars, some approaching a century of existing and one an upstart from the 80’s. Likewise, you have various lists of the top guitars, with PRS (started in 85) consistently being in the top 5 along with other famous brands that have been around forever (having enjoyed their cult following for decades. The PRS hate is emotional.
Thank you for this series! But I'm kind of glad it’s ending…. I’m running out of cash! :-). Looking forward to you next challenge.
As long as you play the guitars you buy, nothing wrong with it! Life’s too short and guitar is too fun. Thanks for supporting the series.
when i was doing my research getting into guitar this year, it seemed like people just didnt like Paul because of his ego/loud way of speaking. but to me its not a bad thing, especially because the products back up everything he says. from what i've seen, PRS has done more innovation compared to gibson and fender recently, and the QC by far outshines those for the price point.
You pay a premium, but you get quality even if its a 'low end' model.
I have also been buying cheaper import guitars and QC on some of them were horrible and they were only 100-200$ cheaper. I'd rather buy the guitar that is perfect out of the box, besides swapping strings out and doing a setup if you like specific action.
What an intelligent and comprehensive assessment of PRS guitars. While I’m primarily a Fender and Gibson guy, I never bought into the no mojo thing for PRS guitars. I have one PRS guitar and that is the original Zach Meyers signature guitar. The tone that comes out of that guitar is incredible. I will never part with it. In fact it’s my belief that one of the distinguishing characteristics of PRS guitars, besides their great build quality, is the clarity and tone of their pickups.
for a black guy its really not a bad video
?????@@Mike-pv3hg
Mine have no mojo. All My Gibson's, Yamaha's, Fender's do. I like my Prs's, but a pickup change is mandatory. They do lack personality where my other stuff oozes personality and flavors. I like my prs's , feels good, plays well (but for the neck joint), sounds like... not so much. Thank God for Dimarzio, EMG and Seymour Duncan. I would off my Prs's (two USA and one import) if I couldn't change the pickups. Prs is great if you want to fight with the sound, change magnets, tweak pu heights and then ultimately change pickups.
Gibson and Fender STILL having QC issues in 2023. My personal experience for imports has been PRS and Yamaha have the best QC.
I feel PRS guitars basically "get out of your way" - so if you have a style, you just want a guitar to get out of the way between you and your sound then they are really awesome... but I actually think my fenders and gibsons are more clunky or in your way... sometimes that's helpful for a certain style, but honestly I think PRS are just more ergonomic so they don't force you into a mojo position, they just get out of your way, less balanced, sticky necks, just slightly less curvy, etc. - . does a Strandberg have mojo, a Klein, etc. I just think the mojo thing is kind of mediocre player looking for something that helps them sound better but the PRS will more likely expose you... you'll sound like how you really sound... so it can help you find your sound, because it doesn't force you or limit tone.. that's my honest opinion. When I got my prs, I was able to explore how I was playing with more sensitivity.. but it was a transition.
The earliest example of the "mojo" misconception that I can think of is the PAF pickups.
The original Gibson PAF humbucker pickups were wound up in a machine that did not count the number of turns, so the operator had to eyeball it. This lead to each Les Paul having a slightly different character.
While this is touted by many as a source of "mojo" (mojo = uniqueness?), by modern manufacturing standards
it was simply an issue of quality control.
Plus PAFs had lower output and required turning up the amp for the same level out, that allowed greater gain character from the amp at the same relative volume.
Finally someone said it. Mojo is the feeling that you found something special. PRS QC robs you of that quest and delivers consistent excellence.
Well said.
Problem is PRS makes the most boring sounding guitars I have ever played. There is a reason you see them with bands like Nickelback but not with legendary players because lets face it, no one beats the sound of a Fender or a Gibson. They are the sound of rock. PRS play great, feel great but just do not have "it" in my opinion they sound sterile.
Boring players make boring sounds.
Owned a Prs se 7 string.
Horrible higher fret access and phat neck ( not in a good way)
Only difference in the electronics was a cap on the volume pot to recover highs the pot drops.
A famous mod actually, but other than that a mega fail from me.
I currently own a solar evertune 7 and 6 string and the thinner neck is just beautiful.
Some people talk about the “tone” from the platter neck, but in my experience it’s just harder to grasp and play.
Hey not all of us have huge hands like Paul Gilbert 😂😂
the "no mojo" and "Sterile" sound of PRS is better explained than quality control. Paul set out to make a guitar which supposedly had the best qualities of both strats and les pauls, but ended up making a bland dish which had neither of their qualities . It has neither the chime and spanky funk of a strat, nor the smooth lead and aggressive riff-rock of a les paul. it ended up somewhere inbetween which made traditional players hate it. I played a PRS for some time to give it a try and realised that it has good sustain and strong fundamentals, but no unexpected overtones or resonances on any fret ( hence no mojo). but yet, mark tremonti sounds unbelievable on a PRS, which i chalk up to his talent.
No Mojo? Only a bad carpenter blames the tools. In my experience "Mojo" comes from the player.
I agree with your take on the “No mojo” comments. I feel like people also say that to justify their overpriced Gibsons and fenders, especially when they could’ve gotten a PRS se guitar that’s guaranteed to play just as good out of the box for under $1k😂
guaranteed? Is that in writing?
I have 5 “overpriced” gibsons and fenders made in USA. My prs se custom 22 sounds better than all 5 of them. I still play the americans way more, and never take the SE on stage
Mojo. It can't be scientifically measured. But art isn't science. Play what you like because any guitar can have mojo, for any random person that might happen to play it.
My pov on the "no mojo" thing doesn't go along with the one guitar doesn't stand out in the brand, it's that PRS sound is so Hi-Fi and middle of the road trying to be so versatile in one guitar it really doesn't stand out,, I'm gonna go with bassist Joe Dart's Signature bass came out, a one knob one pick-up bass, people saying "that bass isn't versatile" Joe Dart responded by saying "you're not versatile" it's kinda something like a good stand out tone and signature tone instead of a middle of the road indistinct sounds like everything but not like anything tone would make a big difference in making the mojo happen
My first guitar search after seriously starting playing led me to buy a PRs se custom 24 08 early this year. I was watching all these videos about factories for Gibson, fender, and PRS. The PRS ones stood out. Specifically, because they gave credit to the international builders on the headstock, and they actually were showing off their foreign facilities in addition to their USA facilities.
For the price, quality control was incredible (except for a cracked/slightly burned binding that was next to the neck humbucker in a pretty hidden spot. I did get credit back from sweetwater for that, because it slipped through both PRS QC and Sweetwater). It was set up perfect out of the box. I only lowered the action, after putting in a set of 10s instead of 9s.
Beautiful blue quilted top, and the neck and body have Birds Eye and flame in it. Even with the neck/body being 3 pieces.
If you have the money and like the sound of PRS pickups, and a wide/thin neck I think it’s a great purchase. They even do all the SE demos on their youtube channel as well. The SE pickups are meant to be 'import equivalents' to the core/s2 models, and still have that signature PRS sound (i know its not for everyone, but I like that sound)
I would love to by the new quilted violet se custom 24, but they have the same pickups as my current one. All of those new models look amazing. I'll have to keep an eye out for holiday sales this year.
Honestly, my SE has the same quality as my Core. The SE has the second best top, second only to the Core. I own 6 guitars, and honestly, I prefer the sound of my SE 85/15s pickups over the 59/09 pickups in my core.
I love the PRS moon inlays. Probably my favorite inlays on any guitar under $1k.
I actually prefer them, wish they offered them on more models.
The quality of the Indonesian crafted SE guitars is a tribute to.chief operating officer Jack Higginbotham and manufacturer CorTek.
I disagree though PRS guitars are well built I have never felt one with a soul. I got close with a M594 single cut but I never got a chance to plug it in. A guitar can be well built but still not have it
I own a PRS SE custom 24 which is from a previous line up when they were still made in Korea. It has actual binding and a beautiful zebrawood top. It's the perfect guitar for me and there is just nothing wrong with it.
Especially for people like me, that don't live in a country with these huge guitar shops, PRS is just amazing, because I can order something with the specs/looks that I want and be sure that I will get a good instrument.
Prs guitars have never been interesting to me which is odd bcse I love classic style electric guitars and the specs are definitely specs I like, but for some reason they just don’t interest me.
I'd argue that the Holcomb should have tuners because metal guitarist tend to favor fresh string for their brighter tone. I'd want locking tuners if I'm changing strings on a shorter intervals.
PRS are great! They feel great, they sound great and they look great. I think their finishes are some of the best looking. My main workhorse is a Tremonti SE. I typically choose it over my Les Paul.
I’ve got the opposite outlook. They’re just too pretty for me. Give me a beat up LP any day.
Given that Paul is notorious for obsessing over tiny details, this partnership seems like a match made in heaven!
8:31 as someone who has been doing the comparison thing since the 70's, I can say your mojo theory may be a bit flawed. I've been that guy who played hundreds of Teles, Strats, Les Pauls, ES-335's, SG's, Rickenbackers, etc.. to find "the one" in each batch; but not because the others sucked (although, when you pick up that many over nearly 50 years, there's bound to be a turd in the punchbowl along the way). The reason I would land on "the one" was because it fit ME best. The way I play, the way I pick, the fact that I'm short, my love of fatter necks and flatter fretboards, my ear for tone... And when it comes to PRS SE's, I can say that the experience, the hunt if you will, is just "Yeah, I'll take that one, I like the way the grains are on the top." That's because they are alike.
Nothing wrong with that, but there's no "this guitar is mine, there are many like it, but this one is mine." That's fine and is generally what we look for in most products, but the experience is like buying a new iPhone, a Dyson vacuum, or a McD burger (anywhere in the US). They will all be the same, and that's exactly what many people want, and some people want that in a guitar. Why get surprised that the neck is slightly slimmer or has a quirky tone in the pickups or something like that? You know that if you tried on at Guitar Center, you can buy one at Sweetwater, they will be nearly identical (weights do fluctuate, even if by a few ounces), and your experience should be the same. Just as there's a thrill opening that new pedal, iPhone, or Super Soaker 5000; there's a thrill with that new PRS SE.
I love the SE and S2 lines, and I've owned cores as well, and I even have a PRS birds tattoo. That said, my main guitar for years on stage was an American Standard Strat and recently for several years, a Les Paul Standard. I played a core PRS SC and CU 22 as well as a CE24 for a while in between. I've been to the factory and done the "Experience". I've met Paul and the team. I can say, unequivocally, that they make a fine product. I look at them like a BMW motorcycle. They are incredible feats of engineering, but it's the Harley Davidson that people deck out, customize, and turn into a work of art that reflects their persona. It might leave an oil stain wherever it goes, but it truly has but one owner who blings it out for the world to see.
I appreciate your insight thank you! I purposely said theory because i don’t think I have all the answers. And what I’m saying may be true for some in some cases but not true for others. Thanks for sharing!
I would say one influential brand on Paul that doesn't get recognized is Ibanez. I heard him mention owning one in his young life. The tri-Tone switching became the 24-08. The artstar headstock ala John Scofield model and its similarity to the original Santana Model to today's PRS headstock is rather uncanny. Even the double cutaway that had a maple cap, unlike the Gibson Jr, that's all mahogany was an Ibanez and Yamaha thing in the late 70s.
SE’s are very good for the price but if you want to see why PRS guitars are special you have to check a Core line PRS. Since you have an SE DGT I strongly suggest to check a core series DGT. I think you will be amazed how different level Core DGT will be. There is much more time and skill spend on hand crafting, fretwork and all the other details. Also pickups are really boutiqe level, the fretwork is world class top notch, core DgT also has different frets than rest of all the PRS guitars including all core series and even private stocks. I am sure they wil be different than the SE. The fretboard edge is extra rounded for each fret etc. You should definitely get a Core DGT. How I know , I have four core series PRS and an S2 :).. Because experiencing the quality and playability of core series PRS I am having hard time buying other guitars now :). And I dont understand the people who say PRS do not have mojo. Which brand has then? Ibanez? Kiesel? Only Gibson and Fender right?
I agree, but the only downside is the price for the core model. Maybe someday I can save up and justify spending on one. but right now (and probably for the next 10 years) that's unrealistic.
Agreed. I've played dozens of SE SIlver Skies and, while very solid instruments, can't hold a candle to my American version. It can't match the dynamism of the pickups and the precision feel and resonance of the neck.
Imagine telling an audience “I can’t play tonight. My guitar has no MOJO.”
Better toss that excuse out and supply YOUR mojo. A guitar is a tool. Don’t be a poor craftsman.
Couldn’t agree more !
Let me guess.
"I have a minor problem with PRS guitars. There is nothing wrong with them, but I still do not feel like playing them..."
Okay, I send it before watching. Might be wrong, but I doubt it.
Super wrong.
Best explanation of the "no mojo" theory I've heard!
The QC isnt really my idea of mojo. For me its how the thing inspires you. Hard to define and very personal. I pick up a lot of brands with excellent QC and mojo. PRS guitars are just too refined to appeal to me. I would never say they are bad, they are high quality, they just dont have a character that appeals to me. Every once in a while I see one.
I love my S2 Custom 24. It's just a solid guitar. I did change the pickups on it, but otherwise there was little I needed to do to it. And I'm seriously eyeballing the new SE CE24's. (the GAS is real, haha!!)
Good point on consistency and QC. Very important for a brand to be consistent in the age of ordering guitars online sight unseen
Am I the only person who doesn't think locking tuners are necessary with vintage style tuners? I'm not saying the old style is perfect, just that on vintage fender style tuners with the split post you can lock the string in place if you use them properly without a locking mechanism. So it's a lighter tuner and performs that function...
They're just a bit more trouble to restring but they work fine. The only thing I'd say is that the modern geared ones are more precise than vintage 15-1 ratio tuners.
I owned a 2016 Custom 24 SE made in korea and it was awesome. Still, I remember during the transition from korea to indonesia, about 2019, some SE were really sub-par. I tried 4 in a store and 1 was really good, 1 just ok, 1 meh, and 1 was an absolute dog. Really, it sounded and felt horrible, I couldn't believe it was a PRS. I've never tried a SE since then, so I am glad to hear they are back again at full quality control.
I owned two PRS guitars, and while I loved their aesthetics, tones, and quality to price ratio of the SE models, but I disliked how the lower horn carve doesn't clear the last fret (and the round hollowed out area doesn't help much for upper frets access). For me, clearing the last fret is critical because it allows for the most comfortable upper frets access, without forcing you to angle your fretting hand awkwardly towards the pickups. There are some passages that simply can't be played efficiently if the lower horn carve doesn't clear the last fret. This is one of the reasons why I prefer Ibanez, as their guitars are designed with great upper frets access in mind. John Petrucci's signature Majesty models are a great example of awesome upper frets access.
Great video and great series! And yes, if a PRS is missing its “mojo”, look no further than the player. Mojo comes from the soul, not the tool. By the way, I love and appreciate the self-deprecation. It makes you very relatable. Keep up the good work!
Yep ...... Carlos Santana comes to mind. I know of a guitarist that can play every note Carlos plays, but he comes across like a machine without a soul ....
I really like the PRS guitars I own or have owned, my biggest complaint with PRS is that outside of the Holcomb you don't have a hardtail with a more modern hardtail bridge. That being said I like the Holcomb and it has specs I like (20" radius, hardtail etc).
I know it will never happen. but i would love to see a prs flying v style guitar. if I ever get rich enough to buy a private stock, i would try and twist their arm to make one XD
@@user-zi8hj5ne1z It could happen. At a big rock festival in 2018 or 19, I saw Mark Tremonti playing an Explorer shaped PRS. He only used it for one song and changed guitars. I whipped out my phone and took a picture of it. Been wondering when that guitar will come out. I think all that needs to happen to make a Flying V possible is one of Paul's big artists wanting one for their signature.
I think the MOJO things comes down to Gibson Les Paul has a sound, Fender Teles and Strats have a sound... PRS has a perfect mix of all those sounds but does sounds slightly different and I think that's what people think is the lack of MOJO, I personally love my PRS. I do agree with pretty much all of this, definitely need at least a 12" radius and solid colors.
I really enjoy the talking videos, I literally fiddle my sloppy blues licks while listening to people talking about guitar, it's the best.
The PRS played by Santana has mojo.
Carvin guitars suffered the whole lack of mojo thing back in the day. Likely a bit before your time. They were made in USA but for many folks they were made too perfectly, too machined without the hand craftsmanship vibe and that they lacked any kind of soul or particular sound. Each model, unless a wrong spec somehow got put on or one missed, was literally perfectly built. And I've owned and ordered a bunch. Kiesel seems to have gained ground in carrying on that quality in the family business with improvements as you see them more and more in the spotlight than you ever did with Carvin. International sales helped greatly, I'm sure. I can see where PRS would fall into this debate.
I found after buying 5 of these things, that the standard/custom 24's have a drastically different neck than the McCarty or 245. I actually hate the chunky necks, but those 24's are amazing.
Wonderful video! Thanks!
I have 3 Custom 24’s. I also have a Paul’s Guitar. The neck is much fatter on the PG.
Super interesting theory on the mojo thing! Never thought of that before but it's exactly what happens with vintage instruments. It's not that there was something magical about an old guitar being old, it's just that only the really good ones have survived, making it seem like ALL vintage 1962 Strat's were amazing, but I've heard from enough people that are in that world that they've played vintage Strats/LP's that are amazing, and vintage Strats/LP's that were absolutely terrible.
Something else I would add to the "mojo" thing is PRS makes a very pristine sounding guitar. There's a clarity and cleanliness to the tone that some people like and some people don't. I think in some people's mind imperfection is mojo, personality, character. I have played PRS long enough that I can tell when a guitar player is playing a PRS with his coils split, it has it's own sound, it's a thing. Whether that translates to having "mojo" is completely subjective.
A lot of it is bunk but vintage instruments are a bit different because of the way the wood sap crystalizes and becomes more stable and the pickups change as the magnets age.
I like PRS brand but the pickup can use an upgrade and covers. For some reason the pickups sound on the thin side. Maybe I need raise them or it maybe their characteristic sound. I heard recently PRS is going to start putting the S2 line pickups in the SE models. I'm still toying with the idea of swapping.
Mojo has nothing to do with QC. You can find mojo in poor qc guitars and perfect guitars. It doesn't even come at a price.
If you ask people what a LP or Tele should sound like, you'll get many different answers. And mojo is what happens when what comes from the guitar meets your personal expectations of what a great example of that guitar sounds like. Or it could change what you want.
People confuse qc for lack of variability. PRS has excellent qc but that doesn't mean that all of the guitars sound the same. It has the same variability as other companies. The difference is how it's perceived. Companies like Gibson and Fender have been recorded for 70 years. PRS doesn't have that same history. People aren't buying a PRS to get the sound of something recorded even 10 years ago.
So most people aren't running the racks for PRS because they're not seeking anything in particular. And people assume that they all sound the same but that's incorrect. And if you find one that sounds better than the others. That doesn't mean the others suck. Paul himself even says that magic guitars exist.
There are superior PRSes but far, far fewer garbage ones than Fender and Gibson churn out. That's why it feels like "magic" when you find a good Fender -- it took fifty tries to get one.
@@markuyehara7880 it has nothing to do with what's good. Some Teles are twangier than others. Some LPs are very bright. A Tele with a very powerful midrange isn't a bad guitar. A LP with a lot of low-mids isn't bad. Some people would prefer that. That doesn't mean it's garbage. Someone else might love it. It took me years to find my Tele. None of the ones that I rejected were bad. They just didn't have the thing I was looking for.
I'm not a fan of "Locking Tuners"...... pretty much on ANY guitar. Personally, I'm glad that I don't have to "pay extra" to get "lockers" when I don't like them. I do agree with you about the "mojo" factor..... PRS has the best consistency of anything else. While I do have guitars with a flatter radius, I don't think I prefer it over PRS's typical 10" radius. I do NOT like a radius under that though....a main reason that I could never find a Fender guitar that I could live with. Not interested in solid opaque colored guitars, I want to see that wood grain......but I wouldn't mind a little cheaper option in offering the moon inlay over the birds.
So I’m 60, been into guitars since I was 15….played Gibson, Fenders, Hamer, Hagstrom, Ibanez, Jackson Charvel and others….the most resonant one? I just got a real ESP George Lynch Kamikaze 1 and it’s a beast. Go try an ESP Japan Custom Shop guitar.
I just bought a Swamp Ash Special, and that guitar kicks ass. It was playable right out of the box! Out of all the budget brands I've bought, the PRS definitely has the highest quality and attention to detail.
Edit: PRS may be successful, but they'll always be #3 out of the big brand names.
Got a DGT SE and immediately put locking tuners on it. Fantastic guitar and I’m comparing it to my Artist DGT. Crazy what they did for less than a grand!
Once I heard real "mojo" from the skilled hands of a friend on his '65 Trini Lopez first, then hisTokai Strat. But not from his beloved PRS. Is that a comparison of guitars quality standards, I don't know... Is "mojo" the reason, that people often prefer old and poor guitars like Harmony and Kay?
In my Collection I have Various
Gibson's & Fenders.
I own a Collins I 35 which is to die for.
PRS have there place. I've played Modern Eagles from ME1 and purchaes a ME - V A few years back when they first came out. Its just Glorious .
I love ther Hollow Bodies and HB 594 . Maybe I'm missing something but I think there great. I have yet to find a Hollowbody to Top my Collins.
Gibson ES 335 are hard to find a really good one.
Thete one of the best guitars ever made.
Love my Tele and I have a Strat that rings like a bell.
My PRS Collection I won't part with. Some PRS like any other guitar didn't connect with.
But PRS hold there own.
Its like a Crayon Box.
Pick the Colour of Sound you like.
Wouldn't say mojo relates to QC.
QC to me is more about the guitar's craftmanship, attention to detail, correct installation of the parts and to what degree you can set it up to the most desired results. Specifically the frets (leveling, crowning, sprout, polishing), nut (how well it's cut) and bridge (if the saddles are sharp and cause string breaking, correct installation and placement) and neck pocket (any gaps, correct neck angle).
The whole "trying a few of the same guitar in order to find the one" is a totally different thing, and it's not entirely what mojo is. To me personally mojo is how the guitar makes you feel when you play it and what it makes me play. I definitely agree that they don't lake mojo but have the same amount of it, and I'll add that it's different than anything else.
It's the whole jack of all trades mojo that PRS has, that if you're looking for it then PRS is the guitar for you and if not then don't even consider one. I'd never consider a Mccarthy if I'm looking for a Les Paul, I'd never consider a Custom 24, a DGT or their derivatives if I'm looking for a Suhr kinda Superstrat, I'd never consider a Hollowbody 2 if I'm looking for a 335, I'd never consider a Mira or a Santana if I'm looking for an SG, I wouldn't even consider a Silver Sky if I'm looking for a Strat. But if I'm looking for the thing PRS does I'll never look elsewhere :)
Mojo comes from the Player. Its that simple! Whether they feel an attachment to the Instrument (based on looks, feel, history, Famous Artists/songs associated etc etc) and if you aren't 'open' to an Instrument, already 'dislike', have some bias etc - its preventing you from playing with any 'feeling'. I find most 'tone' demos (regardless of Brand) to be quite Sterile as they play the same 'lick' as similarly and emotionless as possible to 'hear' the difference between Pup positions and clean/dirty too.
Santana never sounded Sterile or had no 'Mojo' playing his PRS, and so many artists always seem to play with emotion....
For me Mojo is not QC of guitars, rather aesthetics that guitar will bring out and PRS doesn't really look exciting, it isn't really vintage and not really modern stuck somewhere in 90s with weird Flame and Quilted tops. Personally I grew up seeing a lot of PRS guitars in nu-metal music, so I don't hate the look of Custom 24. However, their line is not really bringing out any genre inspiration like BC Rich or 8-string Ibanez for metal or some old Teisco guitars for indie. At the end of the day if some kid comes in to buy guitar in store, if it's not visually exciting he will not even try it. That said they should do a black SE Standard for suuuure.
PRS just started a 20% of most sale on SEs (not the DGT though) after this video posted. Includes Sweetwater so use Dr Fludd's link to save if you're getting one. And nice video series on the SE line too, Andre.
Great video. I agree with you 100%. I own many guitars and so far the PRS has become my favorite. They are reliable, always sound great and when you know the QC is good you can play it without worrying about it. Keep up the great work.
God damn it, I can't. I can't get a Taylor, I can't get a PRS. I don't have it in me. Maybe my mojo-sensor is more developed than my ears? Maybe I'll get a McCarty on the day I buy a Lexus.
Andre, regarding your "No Mojo" point. I respectfully disagree. Yesterday I played two of the new Swamp Ash guitars back to back, one had a very flat no relief action, the other had a bit higher action around the 12th fret. More importantly, one of them had a much louder (probably 6dB) neck pickup, with completely different tonal character . The other guitar had a much darker tone overall (for all pickups), especially noticeable in the neck position. There was also a slight weight difference. I agree with you that PRS guitars are much closer than any other major manufacture between guitars. I notice this trend especially out of the guitars being built in Indonesia , to include epiphone and fender.
PRS are beautiful guitars. I own 3 and almost never play them. I have a hollowbody 2 piezo, custom 22, and a silver sky all of which are core models. When I plug them into any of my amps, the sound is very uninspiring. I immediately want to plug in any number of other guitars which are much less expensive but which sound so much better. It has nothing to do with Rhett Shull or Tim Pierce or quality control. It has everything to do with the sound - period.
I have a PRS American CE. I got it because it was less than the core, but it had a lot of the same parts. Now to find out that there's an SE CE, All I want to do was buy one and compare. The heel joint is the biggest difference. From what I see it's not quite the same. But knowing that it's PRS. There's always good quality with everything they do just about. That swamp ash special is really calling my name. I've always had a great experience with any PRS.
The S2 line is great bang for the buck if you're looking for an American-made instrument.
The Mojo thing is being misinterprated, It's not about finding a special guitar and that they are all "special" My view is, and I've had 3.. 2k+ PRS's They are voiced very flat and transparent sounding, a good starting point for a session guitarist that needs to cover a lot of different vibes, It can sound like many other guitars in a way but a PRS never lands in either direction. It's never going to have the soul of a Les paul or a Jazzmaster it just sounds in between and very flat. I can pickup my Jaguar for example and unplugged strum a few chords and the emotion and tone that comes out is wonderfull, If I do that on my PRS it's just mostly string noise with very little shaped voice.
Definitely a very good review. Thank you!
You are pronouncing SE, as SC so for a bit I was looking for and SC. Lol!🤣
I would like to see this lad breakdown Tom Anderson (to me the best playing guitar) and i own, PRS, mayones, Suhr, Gibson, aristides, etc. ............Or I would like to see him breakdown aristides, if he hasn't already.....great video!
The PRS-SE made in Korea by WMIC are very good. I can't tell about those made by Cort in Indonesia.
Bought a Single Cut Korina 2nd hand for €250 in order to give a try to the limba wood and considered to re-sell it for the same price after a few weeks, well, still havent... I thought that the PUs were good but lacked character, funny fact, there was a set of Gibson C57/57+ home...
"Mojo" comes from pickups in most of the cases...
PRS guitars are definitely well built and consistent. I've never really enjoyed playing one. I can't imagine I'm the only person who has this problem. Otherwise they wouldn't have such a small share of the market compared to the other big brands. Gibson(34%), Fender(30%), Ibanez(12%), Yamaha(7%) and even Epiphone(4%), all have a larger share of the US market than PRS as of 2023.
Gibson is bleeding sales though and PRS has simply been crushing it.
Not true! PRS is third behind Fender 30.75% Gibson 18.97% and PRS 9.62 followed by Ibanez 8.25. Look up PRS market share.
Thank you for the review!
I just received my Gold Top DGT SE today!
Liked and Subbed!
A) I don't NEED locking tuners, because of the way I restring them - it's irrelevant(?)
B) "PRS guitars have no mojo" - I've owned a few, and sold all but one. As I see it, "mojo" is generated by quirks, foibles, ODDITIES THAT MUST BE WORKED AROUND. My Custom 24 IS perfect in that there's nothing wrong, but it just... doesn't do anything that surprises me. So I kinda think personality equates to minor FLAWS that force us to interact? Kinda stoopud, I know, but...my two faves are a Warmoth and a USA Custom-wooded one. I did ALL the work on both, real Lawrence pickups, the so-called "tele-shaped" one has ELABORATE switching that'll let me do all sorts of things - at least half of whch I don't need. Boy do they got mojo... Hahaha. They're both perfect, and they're both really weird.
C) Dammit, darn, oh BOOGER. Can we stop pretending that people ARE going to dutifully trot off to music stores because "you really need to try them?" THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENS. We really, really need a poll, or quickie research project - SO MANY people buy 'em off Ebay, or Sweetwater, Musician's Fiend, or Reverb. We buy them TO try them and simply hope we did it well enough not to lose too badly when we sell them back out there. 85% is my guess? Mebbe 92.5%? Really, really REALLY! For Real. That's how all the companies stay in business, right?
I own a PRS Custom 24, and honestly I didn't love the rotary switch or the pickups. I replaced all the wiring with a Freeway switch, and a set of Bare Knuckle Mules! I love having a custom 6 way Freeway Switch. The Mules take the PRS to another level!
Amen on the mojo subject.
I took a PRS SE Korina Singlecut w/moons,added PRS locking tuners,PRS wraparound adjustable bridge w/Brass studs. Schaller S-locks strap locks and put in Seymour Duncan Green Magic pickups (so it’s a PRS Greeny) and made it no tone,2 volumes so I can control the out of phase middle by having a neck volume.
Was getting bored and then he said the thing about "no mojo" and Rhett Shull. That makes a TON of sense. PRS guitars are very consistent and strangely, get "punished" for it because they don't have their own "unique personality."
Translation; They don't make any pieces of shit and then some that are great. EXCELLENT take.
A PRS without the gas station folding knife finish is not a PRS, period.
My 594 plays and sounds much better than my 59 reissue Les Paul and my sons late mode les paul standard. I saw him order a sc sunburst 594. Only problem is strings came in too high and both volume pots lasteda week. Got new pots coming in.
Matsumoku That is where the magic comes from. I have an ARIA PRO II Cardinal CS400. If I blind folded you and handed it to you, you would think it was a PRS. Gibson and Fender WISH they could come out with a playable guitar that good. The CS400 was out LONG before the PRS. No shame or hate. It just is what it is. I still have one of the first CS400s that came to the states in 1980.
PRS guitars all play the same. That is why I think people say they have no mojo. However it is a good thing and speaks highly for the company. I can play on 3 Gibsons of the same model and they will all play differently. Same with Fenders. The only other company that pulls this off is Ibanez. All you have to do when you buy a PRS or an Ibanez is plug it in and play it.Almost every other brand/modern guitar I have owned needed to be setup or worked on. Not a bash....just how it is. But that is another video.....
Flame on! I have owned several PRS (SE) guitars over the years. I have experience.
One of the best SE guitars PRS ever made is a 277 Semi-hollow baritone with P90 style pick-ups. It’s long been discontinued, but if you come across one, get it. It’s amazing to play with different styles from country, jazz and space-y stuff. But, it snarls and growls like the meanest junkyard dog if you want to play really heavy stuff too. It’s my go-to guitar when I’m needing some creative inspiration.
I love push/push on paper, but can't stand them in real life. The number of times these have failed to function on me, ....... never again. Push/pull is more reliable in my experience.
I had a 2009 DGT; and while it was a great guitar, it never came close to my 1995 CS Goldtop or my 2005 CS '60 LP. Every PRS I tried played well and sounded good, but I felt something was lacking.
Bought a SE DGT. Change pickups to seymour duncan slash.....and 1 have a proper guitar for a great value.
I have owned and sold a lot of PRS axes. My first was a Maryland hand made Standard and it was great. Maybe the best guitar I ever owned. But it did not have birds, so I stupidly sold it and bought an early McCarty, THAT NO ONE COULD MAKE GO IN TUNE!!!! I hated myself for betraying that red Standard. I dumped the untunable POS and did not play a PRS 15 years years. Then I bought PRS CE after most of my guitars stolen. I liked it. Then I bought a single cut S2 Satin Standard, and then a double cut Satin Standard. Then Biden became President and everyone went broke and I sold all 3 to live on the $’s I got from the sale. I recently bought a PRS SE Standard in midnight blue, and it is the closest thing to my original PRS Standard, not kidding. I paid $503 for from SWEETWATER! With the gig bag. It was perfect out of the box. Stays in tune and pinch harmonics any time I want to. It has healed my soul for selling the original. So now I just ordered the turquoise PRS SE CE. FOR $559!!! I will let you know how that one works out. Great video, nowadays the moons do not bother me. Keep making music my man!
I think you are correct about your theory on PRS mojo…. Or lack there of. They are very consistent. But I would take it one step further. There are no “59” PRS’s, no “62 custom” PRS’s. No Jimmy Page playing a PRS. No Billy Gibbons playing a PRS. All of that will come in time but honestly, there won’t be much made in the future that will have that “Mojo” of that mystique that came along with the pioneers of Rock. Just my opinion. Nice video. I just subscribed
Nice content Andre. Bang for the buck, I'd like your thoughts of the PRS against a Classic Vibe guitar. The CV seems to my ears to have "better" pickups. Your thoughts.
I disagree with your theory.
I don't think it has anything to do with quality control.
It has to do with body shape of their flagship model: The Mccarty
The Custom 24, Modern Eagle, 594, Holcomb, DGT, Silver Sky, all have that derpy kind of a Strat, kind of a Les Paul thing going on.
They actually have some very cool models thst do their own thing: Santana, Mira, Vela
But people either aren't Carlos, or don't want a cheap SE version that costs more than an off-brand.
The Ibanez AZ could be seen a modern Strat. The Music Man Cutlass could be seen as a modern Strat. The G&L S-500 and Comanche ARE modern Strats.
The Silver Sky IS NOT a modern Strat. It's a Mccarty with Strat pickups.
I wholeheartedly disagree with your viewpoints in the "mojo" section. In my experience, if you pick up a $5000 PRS and a $2000 PRS, they sound exactly the same. Which on the one hand is really great, and an achievement in itself, but on the other hand, what are you really paying the $3000 premium price for?
Whereas if you pick up 2 or 3 Les Paul R9's (going for about $5000), they will sound different to one another. Not that one sucks, it's just, some people like their LP to be 'honky' and have that tele-ish thing, some like it very fat and round, some want a crisp sounding bridge pu and some like it on the warmer side. There's differences and preferences to choose from. Also, a $2500 LP will sound and feel like an expensive Les Paul, but they rarely sound and feel like those '59 reissues.
I don't think it has anything to do with quality control. It's not like Gibson's QC sucks (granted, they did have a rough patch between 2005-2018).
Probably the best description of the fallacy of "mojo" I've ever heard.
own a earlier made in korea wms factory se,made in indonesia now by cortek,se custom 24,when i got it,i thought cool guitar for what i paid,played a lot for around 2 months,but wasnt vibin as much as playing other guitars,havent played it much since,should probably sell it,it was a kind of penknife guitar,sounded a bit stratty and bit les paulish ,but didnt really nail either,giving it its own tone,strange neck profile for a strat guy like me,used the se for couple of gigs,held up well,but went back to strat,despite the cranky probs you get with strats sometimes live,more mojo.only played a couple of usa prs models,and not for long,so cant comment there
4:06 … What is this “PRS sound” you speak of ?
I instantly the know sound of a Tele, Strat, Rickenbacker, 335, Casino, Les Paul, SG. Even a Flying V has its own distinctive sound …
But, if PRS has a sound, then I’m not aware of it (yet).
Bernie Marsden and Alex Lifeson, among others, have played and 'signatured' PRS, but both go (or went in Bernie's case RIP) back to thier specific Gibson in the end. Its that one in 1000 or so thing maybe. Great vid. I *love* my Custom 24, but right now I'm playing an Epi Explorer mostly, so go figure.
At 14:55 you explain exactly how I feel talking about guitars too 🤣 This was hyper interesting to hear you in depth take on PRS. Couldn't have been a better dude to do it. And I back your ideas fully too.
While I do like PRS guitars, their QC isn't always that good:
In 2017, I bought a new SE Custom 24, made in South Korea, "QC passed" and so on. However, the guitar was impossible to get intonated correctly, almost as if the bridge was in wrong place by few millimeters. Also, there was a small but visible crack on the lacquer. I returned the defective guitar and got a better one.
Later, I bought a Silver Sky SE, which had the following flaws right out of the box:
- the neck was slanted(?) sideways, the high-E string slid off the fretboard really easily (managed to fix it myself)
- the pickguard wasn't aligned properly (in relation to the neck pocket)
- the saddles had so sharp edges/jaggies that they cut into my palm (replaced them with 3rd party saddles)
- came with pre-corroded strings (well, changed them anyway)
- after some time, the 5-way selector started to make noises when switching (electronics cleaner helped a bit)
I wonder if I just had bad luck or something..?
PRS guitars do nothing for me. I’ve played them. They’re well made etc, but it’s a hard pass. Also, they’re too pretty. I’m a knuckle dragging blue collar guy. PRS are not marketed to my demographic. I own an ESP Eclipse (amazingly built guitar) but still play my Gibson way more.
I put locking tuners on my 2019 SE Custom 24. PRS make O.E.M SE locking tuners for sale.