Why are so many people reluctant of PRS's?

[Boogeyman]

Since i'm here with a bunch of PRS "believers" LOL, I might as well ask if any of you have noticed the same thing in people that I have. They see and or play my guitars and say they LOVE them, then they turn around and buy a gibson or fender? I am the only one of all the freinds I have that plays PRS's. I know they're expensive, but any guitar of this caliber is expensive. I bought both of mine used and saved a big chunk of change, so I dont know if price is really the factor. People i know just seem to be reluctant to even consider PRS and I dont understand it?

[Boogeyman]

...As I hit "submit" I think, "All I really want to own is PRS", so maybe thats the way others feel about their Fenders and Gibsons I guess?...You can lead a horse to water but you cant mak'em drink it

[Sekunda]

Good question... I have experienced this as well and have no explanation for it. Maybe some are scared of the stigma of owning a "quality" guitar... Hehe. Jokes aside, my friends all love my PRS guitars yet never buy one when they pick up something new as well... I guess you stick with what you know. I would pick up a Les Paul but can't find one with a neck that's comfortable to me. So I stick with these. Plus I have a PRS amp now as well... What does that say about me? Fanboy? Or quality driven?
:rock:

[SausageofPower]

Eh, some people think of PRS as more of a boutique brand. Also, the original signature artists weren't everyone's cup of tea (Santana, Schon, etc.). So, unless you've been keeping up, you've got no reason to know that PRS has been expanding. Now they cover more of the hard rock and metal genre, which should pull in more people. Also, their SE line is the best for imports. As they continue to diversify their lineup and endorsees, they should be more viable to everyday players. Not to mention, with Fender and Gibson having questionable QC...

[markie]

I'm not reluctant :biggrin:

[south89]

I'm with Markie I ain't scared as a matter of fact its all I own . Oh except for one tele. I had a friend that was playing strats but he just got his first used SE 245 and its all he is playing now :beer:

[satchmo72]

I was reluctant to look at PRS previously due to cost (I cant afford to make a mistake) There is nothing wrong with a good strat or Les Paul but you know exactly what you are getting with those. PRS on the other hand is an expensive guitar that most have not had a chance to really play. I sat down in many different shops over the course of 2 years playing a whole bunch of different stuff. The only guitar out of all of the ones I played fit both the playability I was looking for along with the sound in my head that I wanted was the PRS. I figured if Dave Weiner could play with Vai and write his own stuff using a PRS, I could definitely make it work.

[LSchefman]

I think it's because, to an astonishing degree, rock and roll stage performance is still a predictable set-piece with traditional rules laid down in the 50s and 60s. It's more predictable than an opera performance.

Band dressed in hip subculture bad-ass costume, starting with Brando-Wild-Ones influenced garb from early 1950s. Stage moves by guitar player dating back to Chuck Berry, as later embellished by Hendrix/Townsend/etc. Iconic period guitar, preferably worn-looking. I could go on, but you get the basic idea. There is a "look", there are expectations. Whether these come from the audience's desires or not, I can't say.

For people who care a lot about that kind of thing (you'd be surprised how many real-deal bands are all about it), a PRS isn't going to do, because it wasn't played in 1963. It's the wrong look. It's somewhat dressed-up. The beauty of the maple tops certainly influence the perception of the brand, since Miras and Starlas would be the right look in any dressed-down situation.

Of course, an increasing number of artists are discovering that PRSes aren't only for looks. They sound great, and more are on big stages all the time.

And from time to time, we see innovative stage performances. But mostly...Spinal Tap and more Spinal Tap... ;)

[QueenCityGuitars]

In my experiences, guitar buyers tend fall into 3 generalized categories:

1. They buy the guitar they think sounds, feels, and looks good.
2. They buy the guitar their favorite guitarist plays.
3. They buy the guitar that portrays an image they want their audience to perceive them to have.

When I play my PRS guitars, I think they sound, feel, and look so good that I don't want to put them down. That's a good guitar to me.

[QueenCityGuitars]

I forgot the last category:

4. They buy the guitar with the highest collector value/potential.

[sergiodeblanc]

I forgot the last category:

4. They buy the guitar with the highest collector value/potential.

Ding ding ding!

[themike]

I own 8 Maryland made Paul Reed Smith guitars ..... and 0 other brands. Why?

Becuase I love the product, the company, the people and their values. No lies, no gimmicks and no marketing ploy - its just how I feel.

Now excuse me while I go open the christmas card I just got from my guitar company in the mail :)

[Harker1440]

I think it also has alot to do with posted pricing of PRS guitars online and in stores. At my local GC you walk in the front doors and some of the first guitars you see are PRS hanging on the wall the cheapest is a $1000 Torero the next one is a $3000 SC245
and past those are dozens of Fenders Gibsons Epis Squire Schecters Esp Jackson Ibanez guitars under $500, I heard one guy tell his son that if he won the powerball then he could afford one of the "High Dollar Rich peoples guitars" and he was pointing to a Ted SC Soapbar.

[rugerpc]

In my experiences, guitar buyers tend fall into 3 generalized categories:

1. They buy the guitar they think sounds, feels, and looks good.
2. They buy the guitar their favorite guitarist plays.
3. They buy the guitar that portrays an image they want their audience to perceive them to have.

When I play my PRS guitars, I think they sound, feel, and look so good that I don't want to put them down. That's a good guitar to me.


Actually, this is wrong for the greater percent of the unwashed out there. Just walk into any big retailer like a GC and watch the interaction for a little while.

Customers are actually steered to inferior guitars by the sales staff. The goal is to make a quick sale, not spend time with a customer and find out what they really want or suggest something to them that they have never considered - certainly not at the new price-point for a core PRS.

I have watched both talented and decidedly untalented customers gravitate to the usual brands without ever even glancing at the PRSi on the wall. I have seen this to the point that I believe that the average guitar player doesn't even know what they really want.

I was lucky. When I started playing, I had a friend introduce me to PRS very early on - long before I was even taking lessons.

You may think that they are, but the salesperson is not your friend. It is possible that they may appear to be your friend once you spend enough in the store, or once you are there often enough that both you and they know what you are really looking for, but until then your are merely a mobile wallet support unit, and the goal is to extract cash as quickly as possible and then move on to the next wallet.



The solution is for you and your friends to shop local and in a smaller store. Get to know the owner and his staff and let them get to know you.

[Michael B]

I was reluctant as well, had many gibsons and Jacksons and Deans. Always knew PRS guitars were sweet and started jamming with a guy from work who had a Artist custom 24 and I just loved how it played and felt and performed. Went without ever playing one and ordered my Tremonti and the love affair had begun! Having 3 Les Paul's I knew I wanted a singlecut and boy did I make a phenominal decision!!! It was like a Ferrari after the lesters...sold them and my 3 flying v's. Then I bought a Mira later and a SE 245 all upgraded with usa parts.....best guitars on the planet!!! Glad I finally played one and found everything I was looking for in a guitar!!!

[Mikegarveyblues]

Psychology...

For many their favourite players - their icons - played Strats, Tele's, SG's and Lp's, etc so that's what they gravitate towards. Do they dare to be a little different or do they go with the herd mentality?

I suspect there's a lot of folks pull PRS's apart on certain forums when in actual fact they love them.

Fender & Gibson have got decades on PRS. The 50's, 60's and 70's - perhaps the 80's where the golden age of guitar and Strats and LP's where King. People still hold onto that and PRS has been playing catch up ever since.

It's quite clear that slowly but surely people are coming around.

More and more people are trying out PRS's and liking what they hear and see and feel and... In quite a few cases... Accepting their beloved 'other brand' pales compared to the PRS they just bought.

Artist endorsements are fairly important and perhaps PRS could do with a few more big names on the roster.

Give it time. PRS are on the up and have been for a while.

[Boogie]

There's nothing wrong with being the best. I came to PRS because it is the best. And looking fantastic has nothing (<-- that's a lie!) to do with it...it's a fringe benefit. Even if they were Soapy McFuglies, I'd own 'em. It wasn't due to an artist endorsement (sorry Howie!), or the reviews in Guitar Player, it was because I went into a store and played a dozen of them, and every one was spectacular. Where else does this happen? Honestly, it only happens in a few other places (Porsche comes to mind) and aspiring to own those doesn't make you a douche. Treating others like they're subpar, does. If they prefer the other stuff, good for them.

[solacematt]

I want to also add ignorance to this as well. My all-time favorite band is Smashing Pumpkins, and their frontman, who is known for playing mainly strats and even has a Fender signature model. Though I'm sure his guitar is great, it doesn't feel right for me, nor does it sound right or play comfortably for me like a PRS does. A few weeks ago there was a gear discussion on the bands official board that sprang up in response to an interview the singer and co-guitarist did. PRS somehow came into mention and one person actually mentioned how they don't like the guitars because bands they don't like/think suck play them, such as quite a few mainstream bands. I of course defended PRS because 1. I thought the posters points were ignorant, and 2. because I honestly feel that the CU24 with the 5-way Rotary knob is the most versatile guitar I've ever played.
A few weeks I was at band practice and showed my drummer the CU24 and introduced the rotary knob to him. He was flipping out. A few days later he was raving about it to the bandmates in the other band he plays in. How this guitar not only has it's own sound, but it can sound like an LP, a strat, a tele, just by turning this knob. I used to love Gibson guitars, but their quality control is horrible and they weigh way too much. PRS guitars are just so comfortable right out of the box. How can one argue with a quality instrument like that?
By the way, I would totally love to see this happen, haha

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/spguitar/39030046.jpg

[Mike Duncan]

I live in the anti-prog rock world of punk and alternative...NONE of my bands dig on the PRS. I can't figure out why! The tone, price, playability far exceeds what some other companies, who I won't name, are cranking out.

[Twinfan]

What does tone and playability have to do with punk??? :laugh:

Seriously though, is it more about image in those scenes, and PRS just doesn't fit?

[DRM_777]

I think a big factor is the price point for an American PRS which is often way above even some professional players budget and are also higher than say a US Les Paul Standard or US Strat Stanard

There is then an assumption that the SE's are just cheap budget versions in the same way that Epiphones are the cheapo Gibsons and Squire are the cheapo Fenders. However I would imagine everyone here knows just is not true at all.

I used to be a big ESP and Ibanez fan and have owned both brands of guitar but have always returned to owning a PRS (for good this time, no selling on and regretting afterwards) but when I compare the likes of ESP and Ibanez (both of whom make lovely guitars) to PRS, PRS just exude an element of class and quality that the others will never have in my opinion.

Some guitarists, especially in the metal/punk world simply don't believe that PRS are "metal" enough and want silly looking pointy sticks which in general, look fugly!!! To me at least.....

It's awesome to see super talented metal players like Emil Werstler and Dave Young embracing PRS full on.

[Rodicus]

I agree that price point is a big factor, especially for a beginner. Most parents will not buy their child an expensive guitar to learn on. I believe they solved that problem back in the early 2000's with the Santana SE and the Tremonti SE. I started playing guitar in the early ninties and wanted a PRS because Daniel Johns from Silverchair had one. I didn't know what the brand was, I just loved the shape of the guitar. Times are a changing, kids are idolizing PRS now!! My parents got me an Ibanez because it was cheap and looked cool. So when I started college the Tremonti se just came out and I had a newly acquired student loan. Got my PRS. After playing that guitar for 8 years I bought my first US model then another! I think PRS has done a great job at creating a gateway drug in the SE line. Especially with all the models available now. Parents can afford to buy their child a PRS to learn on. More and more kids who are playing these se's are going to step it up when they can afford it too!

[rschleicher]

As someone who was shopping for my first "quality guitar" a little over a year ago, and who was only moderately aware of PRS guitars prior to that, I can describe my own thought process. First, I was looking for a versatile guitar, with my primary interests being mostly in the classic rock and blues vein. Basically, I'm not going to own that many guitars, so I wanted one that I'd be very happy with, for a variety of situations.

I started out thinking primarily Fender or Gibson, and with a budget range that (in my mind) maxed out at $2k. In general, I knew I liked vintage, PAF-like humbucker tones, but I did want the ability to split coils and get tones that were at least vaguely Strat like. I love the sound and look of Les Pauls, but really didn't like the feel. Conversely, I love the feel and playability of Strats, but they don't really excite me that much. Tele's have a cool vibe, but just seemed too single-purpose to me, and they're not that comfortable, either. The other Gibson I've liked in terms of tone is the ES-335 family, but I wasn't sure about the lack of coil-splitting. I was OK with buying a new guitar, for the right price, but started scouring eBay. Somewhat accidentally, I started noticing various PRS models, and the idea of a Strat-like shape, with LP-like materials and construction, humbuckers, but with single-coil settings, etc., started to grow on me. Then I started to get caught up in the craftsmanship aspect, and the reverence for the brand that just emanates from PRS owners.

After a couple months of looking around, scouring eBay, playing different models at GC, etc., I pretty much narrowed down to a PRS Custom (I would have been OK with either a 24 or a 22, and had a preference for a trem.), a couple of other somewhat related PRS models (e.g. Studio - I was basically thinking double-cut body styles), OR (and I realize that this seems completely unrelated!) a Gibson ES-339 or ES-336 (essentially a ES-335 semi-hollow with a body that is scaled down to be about halfway between an LP and a 335). Sure, these aren't even close. But that's how my mind worked. I wanted a PRS more, but the Gibsons would have been a bit cheaper, and also appealed to me.

Then I saw the guitar I ended up getting on eBay, and snagged it for a really good deal (considering that it was less than a year-old, and in legitimate mint condition). There's just something about PRSi that appeals to me. Part mystique, part quality and craftsmanship, part tone, part playability, and with a dash of being just a little bit less prevalent than a Les Paul or a Strat.

[Herr Squid]

Some of the reasons I think it happens:
- They're perceived as really expensive, "doctors and lawyers" guitars
- They don't say Fender or Gibson on the headstock
- They never had a unique, compelling sound of their own

Let me say more on that last point. I think it matters more than people believe.

I know people who will spend a lot of money on gear who would say that PRS were built really well, but just never really dug the sound or feel. I think once the vintage guitar craze started, they really never got their pickups dialed in to customers' tastes until the 57/08s. Before that, you saw even PRS devotees planning to change out the pickups on their brand new Customs, McCarty's, and Singlecuts. Alex Lifeson is one of my favorite players and honestly, he sounds better playing Gibson than he does PRS the times I've seen him live.

I took my Modern Eagle to a tone party several years ago, and started hearing comments like "that's the first PRS that really spoke to me." I think now they've got their guitars sounding really really good and people are catching on who didn't before.

[solacematt]

What does tone and playability have to do with punk??? :laugh:

Seriously though, is it more about image in those scenes, and PRS just doesn't fit?

Yes, with those scenes it's totally about image. With indie rock it's deemed cool to use some no name pawn shop guitar and amp over something decent. I'm friends with the singer/guitarist in a band my band has played a lot with and he's told me quite a few times, I'd love to play a PRS like yours but I would take so much crap for it because it's not considered acceptable in the type of music I play. I told him to have fun with that castrated sounding Fender :p

[AP515]

In 06 I didn't know what a PRS was. I was an Average Player (I'm still an average player), and I was traveling with an extra day to kill in Phx so I spent part of it at a GC looking for a Les Paul. I couldn't find one that would stay in tune or that didn't have quality issues and all the time there was this amazing Emerald Green Cu24AP on the wall behind the register where no one could get it. I finally asked them to take it off the wall and let me try it. That was all it took. Sure it was more money than I expected to pay, but it was more guitar than I was getting in the other offerings.

It was only after I purchased it and started searching what I had found that I learned some folks wouldn't think they were the most amazing guitars on the planet. I thought all the negative talk was silly. Just play one and we can stop all the blah blah blah. I still think that, but they have to play it without preconceived notions about what it is or what it should be.

[DRM_777]

I agree that price point is a big factor, especially for a beginner. Most parents will not buy their child an expensive guitar to learn on. I believe they solved that problem back in the early 2000's with the Santana SE and the Tremonti SE.

I would agree, although the cost of SE's seems to be rising these days and I don't really consider them to be a budget guitar any more, they have definitely shifted into the mid range price wise.

I've only every recommended a PRS to one of my students because he really liked my Cu24 SE and he came to me with a budget in mind to buy a new guitar and that was able to get him a new 2011 Cu24 SE for a couple of hundred quid off.

If a parent comes to me for advice on purchasing or upgrading a beginner guitar, I generally recommend good old Yamaha Pacifica's....

[Mikegarveyblues]

I would agree, although the cost of SE's seems to be rising these days and I don't really consider them to be a budget guitar any more, they have definitely shifted into the mid range price wise.

I've only every recommended a PRS to one of my students because he really liked my Cu24 SE and he came to me with a budget in mind to buy a new guitar and that was able to get him a new 2011 Cu24 SE for a couple of hundred quid off.

If a parent comes to me for advice on purchasing or upgrading a beginner guitar, I generally recommend good old Yamaha Pacifica's....

The Pacificas are very good guitars for the money. Had a few over the years and still have one. Before they came out budget guitars meant plywood and questonable construction, etc. They set a new bar for quality at a low price. They've been overtaken by the other manufacturers since but it was the guitar to have if you wanted something good for tuppence. I'd still recommend a £200 Pacifica over a similar priced Squier or Epi.

SE's are definately mid-priced to me. I tend to look at 'budget as being £300 or less'. It's a crowded world in the mid price category but SE's are without doubt one of the best if not thee best guitars you can buy in that price range. Serious workhorse guitars.

If I had children and they wanted to learn guitar there's no way i'd buy them an SE to start with. Nor would I buy them something that's poor quality.

However, if they started to show potential and looked like they really where going to put the effort in then i'd move them on to a more serious instrument such as an SE.

(Different story if you're looking at used prices I guess.)

[sleary]

I think a lot has to with keeping an open mind. Gibson and Fender give cash incentives to dealers. Both companies have been around for years and they are a very common name. I've owned three Gibsons ,a studio, SG and a Traditional. Honestly, I feel Prs are much better when it comes to quality and.Qc.

My dealer here has all the name brands. They sit here forever. I bought my se24 from them after ordering it in. Now they have brought the other Prs's in, can't keep them in stock now. The salesman I deal with who has been a long time Gibson player has fallen in love with a se Torino lol. I'm working these people in to changing their minds. Not hard at all either, put a prs in front of them and watch closely....I should ask Prs.for commission lol

[JMintzer]

I think with the prolific increase of Country players using PRSi, you'll see that trend start to wane...


Jamie

[andy474x]

I think PRS is still breaking into the market in a sense - yes, the company has been around for 25+ years now, but Fender and Gibson had a big head start, and when we look back at most of the classic sounds (and looks, sadly) of the past, it's a lot of Fender and Gibson. That's one reason I think people are reluctant, they want a certain sound and/or look, and they just aren't familiar with PRS. Heck, I didn't know anything about PRS the first time I saw one of their guitars being played (but you can see how that worked out for me).
I'll also agree with price - people see USA made Fenders and Gibsons going for under a grand, and assume that for how expensive a PRS is, they can't possibly be getting their money's worth when they can get another brand so much cheaper. Then they make the mistake of not actually trying a PRS, and walking out of a store with a Gibson. I won't go near a sub-grand Gibson with a ten foot pole, the necks are like 2x4's with frets, and the action is horrible. I think people buy them for the name and assume it must be good, not knowing how much better it could be. Plain and simple, it's not that cheap to make a high quality guitar in the USA.
And of course, the SE's get thrown in with the other imports. But I'll say this, I've tried plenty of Epi's, Schecter's, ESP/LTD's, Squier's, etc. and they JUST DON'T COMPARE. The Epi's have wobbly knobs, poorly set inlays, and bad setups, dead spots, etc. ESP/LTD's are supposedly made in the same factory as SE's from what I've heard, I'd like to know how that works. I've never heard one that had a good sound even unplugged, they sound like they have rubber bands for strings, so dead. Similar stories for the other brands.

[solacematt]

A bit off here but, when did PRS start referring to SE's as 'Student Editions.' A friend of mine said when the first Santana SE came out the SE stood for 'Special Edition.'

[DirtyMoonsRJT]

See for me as far as I see with the exception of Some of the ridiculousness that transpires on TGP PRS guitars arrived a long time go..To Jamie's point about country....any time there is an awards show or a special I see more and more PRS being showcased...pretty big across other genre's...hard rock, metal...etc.. Come to think of it many music specials on TV no matter what genre seem to be showcasing PRS. Locally at least as far as the other musicians are concerned they are completely accepted.

The amps on the other hand not as much....I got into it on TGP about this a few days go. I just don't understand why people critique without having any direct experience with a particular piece of gear or instrument....try the tool as it was intended...then give an informed opinion.

[andy474x]

A bit off here but, when did PRS start referring to SE's as 'Student Editions.' A friend of mine said when the first Santana SE came out the SE stood for 'Special Edition.'

According to PRSh, the "SE" always stood for student edition, it goes back to when Carlos Santana urged him to make a guitar that students could afford. There's an interview floating around on YT where Paul talks about it. But you're right, the company hasn't ever made it abundantly clear what SE stands for.



The amps on the other hand not as much....I got into it on TGP about this a few days go. I just don't understand why people critique without having any direct experience with a particular piece of gear or instrument....try the tool as it was intended...then give an informed opinion.

I feel the same, in fact I think I read the thread you're referring to. A lot of people at TGP (and lots of other places) are knocking the PRS amps, and they've only listened to YT clips and are acting like they know. Or they've played one just to reinforce their preconceived notions, but didn't really give it a fair workout. In an effort to be polite to the others at the shop, they keep the volume at 1 or 2. I'll admit, many of the complaints I've heard about PRS amp tones are true - until you get past "polite" on the volume knob. PRS is making amps to emulate Hendrix tones, using custom transformers for certain power tubes - no one is going for Jimi's famous bedroom tone, c'mon. I play the SE 30, and just like people say, the gain sounds pretty buzzy - until about 12:00 on the volume dial, then it opens way up and RIPS. And probably a few people even on this forum are reading this and thinking the same about my amp that TGP'ers think about all PRS amps "here we go, some guy with an SE amp that thinks its worth a hoot" - if you haven't cranked one up, you don't know. Those things will mess you up (in a good way).

Something funny happened to me recently - I went on vacation for a few days, but my band's practice space is at my place. I leave them a key when I'm out of town so they can jam. Our other guitarist has said from the get go that he thinks PRS guitars are ugly and lame. He's a bit of a hipster type that loves strange/vintage guitars, he usually plays my heavily modded strat through my Tweaker 40 at practice if he doesn't have his own gear there (which is frequently, but NBD to me). Yet when I get home, the recording gear is set up and there's a mic in front of my SE30. And my Akesson sitting next to it. So I asked him today at practice, "hey, did you use my PRS amp to record the other day?" And he replied "Yeah... and your guitar too..." And that's when I knew he couldn't deny it anymore. Boom.

Not that I can blame him, I have a hard time playing my Tweaker anymore either. Lots of people knock the SE amps, and the Tweaker is one of the most loved sub-$1K amps around, but when I play them side by side I keep coming back to the PRS. Maybe I'll sell it to him when I get a Blistertone, or an MDT... Anyways, back to the original point. I have no problem with people who really sit down with a PRS amp and work with it, and flat out don't like it - that's fair. But I think deep down a lot of players are scared, they already see that PRS guitars are better than whatever they play, and they don't want to feel that way about their amps too.

[DRM_777]

I think it's a fairly safe to say from the responses on this page that those who are reluctant of PRS are either just plain ignorant and have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to PRS, or, they are hipsters who are obviously waaaaay too cool and ahead of the curve to play PRS.....

I have no doubt that there are small number of folks out there who do have a clue and have more than likely tried PRS but it turns out it really just wasnt for them, and that's fair enough and I imagine these are the kinds of players who end up using the likes of Framus and Sadowsky, you know, very much the high end of the spectrum very much like the PRS Private Stock. (I'd love me one of those Sadowsky T models).

[Boogie]

...A lot of people...are knocking the PRS amps, and they've only listened to YT clips and are acting like they know. Or they've played one just to reinforce their preconceived notions, but didn't really give it a fair workout.

Sadly, this is a pretty accurate view of most of the negative forum chatter out there. Most players are used to setting master volume amps like most Boogie players do...master at 2. Very few Boogies get their real strength - the power stage - exercised. With this in mind, I decided to revisit the HXDA and 25th anniversary amps with a different perspective.

The first time I auditioned these PRS amps I walked away disappointed. There's a modern vibe that I spent years dialing out of my Boogie and with the 2x12 pine cab with V30s, I couldn't get past that mid presence scoop. But I spent the whole time with the master/attenuator at about 50% (in all fairness, I was in a tiny practice room and the volume was debilitating!) and not where these amps shine (75%-100%). Returning to these amps a couple of months later, having really done my homework, the experience was totally different. And after standing directly in front of David Grissom and having him demo the same amps, that was it. Ultimately, you have to step back from your perch (regardless of how many years of experience you have) and listen to those that built the gear. Having a truly knowledgable sales person also helps A LOT.

[Boogeyman]

Wow, some very good replies! I've considered most of the above mentioned but not all. At least now I know I'm not the only one who is puzzled by the reluctance of others.

[butterfly]

Don't forget there is a lot pf posturing in on line forums, with people saying things they think would be perceived as cool or accepted. Also, remember in the 90s/00s nu-metal community, PRS ruled. Just like lots of Nashville/country guys play PRS today. In fact, in many popular bands, the guitar player has at least one PRS in the arsenal. And while a PRS may sound like, or even "better" than a vintage Les Paul, it will never be a vintage LP. And that's okay. I love my Les Pauls too. But I don't pay any attention to people who say they would not play a PRS because its a "rich guys" guitar. That's just small mindedness.