Robert - I'm a boomer. In one sense born into a great age - the age where rock really toke off. But o the other hand, as a self-taught guitarist who could not afford $25-35 per hour lessons I had a lousy teacher. Got a chord chart, bought some sheet music and had only one band garage band with my brother on bass and next door neighbor on drums. We were terrible but we had fun. And that is what music is to me fun. Now days with the internet, there are so many resources, learning is a bit easier. At 74, I am now covering ground that I couldn't 60 years ago. I have purchased several of your courses - they are great. I finally have a decent amount of really good guitars. But playing is harder at this age. I can't even play until about noon, when the stiffness and swelling subsides from my fingers(old age arthritis). This is a backdrop to what I want to say. I'm not good enough to seek that elusive magical tone. I'm on a quest to play 1/3 as good as you do. Thanks for all you do. I'm sure mostly you are helping a younger generation and that is wonderful.
I hear you on the age and technology thing! Didn't we all try to figure out riffs by constantly resetting the needle on the phonograph? I'm 72 and just happy to improve my guitar playing from half-a$$ed to merely mediocre!!
When in doubt - drop that low E string one whole step to a D and play low n slow. Bar bottom 3 strings with finger, thumb or coke bottle and get yer Ry Cooder on - while playing a simple D chord - yep if it ain't fun, it's done. That's my motto. I'm a punk 70 this year and multi-tracking with Garageband and Logic playing all the instruments especially guitar is what keeps me goin'. Just bought another one I don't need but it's my first gibson (Tony Iommi SG "Monkey") since my original guitars were stolen way back in the 80s.The P-90s on the SG are sick - in a good way! Rockin' out is why I don't look or act 70 today. I still video skype with the homies back in CT (I've been in L.A. for decades) that jammed with me in my driveway back in the early 70s. Talk about terrible, terribly LOUD, I have no clue how we got away with those driveway jams back then in Mystic - big shout out to my old neighbors probably dead now - apologies too ! We were very lucky to see how drab life was before Beatles changed everything on Ed in Feb '64, and then just hanged on for the Sixties ride!!! Unbelievably good times, bands, drugs, girls, fashion, attitudes and what you said.....FUN. 👀 🎸
I have 9 guitars. I make a point of rotating, playing a different one each day. There are times I want to skip one and play another one, but have found that once I pick up the "scheduled" guitar I have no problem enjoying it as much as the last one. That includes the two acoustics. One tip I heard a while back was commit to playing 5 minutes a day. It has transformed my playing to a new level, mostly because you end up playing WAY more than 5 minutes.
Exactly! I have one for each day of the week. I can play something else later but I start with that day's guitar. I may be ho-hum about the day-of-the-week guitar for about 20 seconds; then I remember why I love it.
I usually keep two guitars next to me for practice. I like to have a fender scale 25.5, and a gibson scale 24.75, this way I never lose the feel for the different scale sizes.
The PRS Single cut McCarty semi-hollow is unreal. It is the first guitar that made me think seriously about selling my whole collection. PRS is insanely good guitar, I have a Paul’s Guitar as well. They are so great.
I rotate having guitars on stands and ready to play and the more accessible become my favorites for a while. It’s so much fun to grab one I haven’t played in a while and get inspired to play it again.
PRS is my #1 go to every day. Idk, they're just the best guitars, in my opinion. I love my Charvel and Ibanez guitars, too, but there's just something so sweet about my PRS guitars that keep me coming back to them, every day. They're just so versatile and play soooooo good! PRS has their haters, but so does every other brand. It doesn't get much better than them, in my view. I worked very hard to save up to be able to afford even one, and after I got my first Custom 24, I couldn't stop haha. Sold my Les Paul's and Strats to buy more PRS guitars!🤣To each their own!
This video is PERFECTLY-timed. I was having a very similar discussion with a bandmate literally LAST NIGHT. For me, I describe it as "seasons." Right now, I am in a Jaguar/Jazzmaster season. This time last year, I was in a PRS season. The year before that was a Jaguar/Jazzmaster season. Several years ago, I would go back and forth between a Chapman season, LTD season, Chapman season, LTD season. Even when it comes to plectrums, same story. I have a Dragon's Heart season, Dunlop Flow season, Kirk Hammett Signature season, which is where I currently am. Life is all about seasons. Seasons come and go, then come back around. To everything, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven.
I don't leave more than 2 of my guitars out at a time, so some get overlooked for longer than they should, but when I get one out I haven't played for a while, it's like rediscovering it all over again. So much fun.
@@ziggystardust1798 I can play guitar, been doing so for 23 years, and I don't care much for PRS. I won't say they're terrible or anything, I just personally would never buy one
Man oh man, when you plugged in that Squier JM, it jumped outta my speakers! So much attitude and had so much great breakup in the sound.... my fav of ALL your guitars you played today! 🎸
I have an American Strat, 335, Line Six Acoustic, Martin dreadnought koa, Takamine Jumbo cut away acoustic and a fender jazz base, I have been playing since 1962 as a kid now 73 years old, I have owned many guitars & amps over the years and sold, bartered and traded in order to survive. I have the had the same problem with keeping money in my wallet, I am mainly a rhythm player. I have played blues, country, swing jazz, rock, folk, bluegrass and top 40. I have never worried about the the tone of my electric guitars or amps, I adjust everything to where I think it sounds good for the moment when playing a venue. I worried more about getting paid for the gig or getting enough tip money to eat that night. I am now retired.
With you 100% Robert. I take fits all the time, within models, brands and styles. Sometimes you just want that Tele sound. Sometimes you want the Humbucker growl or that Les Paul heft. Sometimes you just want the smoothness of a Jazzmaster. Its why they're there and why the brands make so many of them. I have tried in the past to put myself in a mindset "This month I am only playing THIS guitar." and it never works. I may walk into a guitar shop and absently or purposely pick up a different guitar and boom, the shift happens. Let me use July as an example. Started off with a Les Paul, Moved on to a Baritone, moved on to a Nighthawk(So back to Les Paul..sort of) then onto a 6 string acoustic and ended the month...with a real need for an ES335. Here we are the first day of August......now I am hankering for some Tele. This does not mean I dont love the guitars above. It just means I am hearing that Tele quack in my head. Doesn't mean, like you with the DGT, that the second I put my hands on x it wont change again. I find that when I have long stretches with a guitar its one of two things 1)The style of music I am listening to demands that kind of guitar and 2)I am working on something for live playing and I need to chose a guitar since I cannot drag EVERYTHING with me. :) I am also with you on that Jazzmaster. Its shocking how fantastic that thing is! If I am right its the 40th anniversary Desert Sand. Like you I have a Fender one and that Squire. I cannot part with either. They're just too different. But if you forced me to.....the Fender would go. That Squire is THAT much of a honey!
Man I wish I could have all those guitars, but only have one. It was a PRS SE Standard 24, but I upgraded the mediocre pickups to Fishman Classic Active Pickups. Decided not to buy another entry-level guitar and decided to go Frankin-PRS instead. 😂 Have you ever done any mods?
I love my DGT and save it for gigs! I usually play one of my Strats at home, which is a bit harder to play, so when I go to play the DGT, it feels so easy! I tend to stick to those two, because I play Flamenco and I love Nylon guitars. I think the DGT has a sound, and with the coil taps,its a Swiss army knife for me!
Don't over think it. Accept it.... and enjoy it. All of it....Your GAS dies when you die. The best guitar in the world being the one in your hands at any given time...absolutely . .....all the time for me. Great channel Robert.
It made me smile to watch how Robert's playing style changed within a few notes of picking up each guitar; starts off with a straight lick, then just drops into hybrid picking, or a biting run then bending down into a note, or 'jazz' chords with lots of reverb shimmer. 😊
I feel the same! I have a a PRS and I’ve always felt it’s a great guitar to cover a lot of different sounds that it does well. It’s an SE but I love it and they all have there own sound. Also I recently bought the AVII 61 Strat. I’m in love with this guitar!
So it's an SE. I've played em and I never really noticed anything significantly different from the American counterpart. It like saying you get a noticeably different sound from an American strat VS a Mexican. I almost bought a second hand SE It was a real beautiful semi hollow mint condition. It had a great neck and the quality of the build was excellent. And then I plugged it in and played it for a half hour. Playability was very good and it had attributes that I actually preferred compared to what I'm used to. But I took a pass and held on to the $360 that they wanted for it. Just wasn't what I wanted to hear.
I usually play loud music with lots of effects. Even for the heavier stuff, I find myself really leaning on the Tele. After 15 years of playing, the light clicked for me and I realized I could hear every single note on the Tele regardless of what I threw at it. They're so good and no joke when people say there the most versatile.
And they're so ugly and durable you can't feel bad throwing them around! 😂 My Nash '52-style Butterscotch Blackguard with Lollar pickups & fat Boatneck profile is a dream to play, and it's just a bonus that it arrived with a lightly aged full-nitro finish (no 'shark bite' relic.) This one is a true instrument for just wailing on and Bill is all about that. 🤘
I definitely go through the same thing..phases. I have about 25 guitars, and I feel guilty sometimes for not picking up certain ones….but it always comes back around
Hi Robert, thank you for another great video. I'm also a boomer and recently became 65 yo. I've never felt a need to buy a PRS guitar. Or an other expensive guitar like Martin or Taylor. I think Yamaha acoustic guitars are more in my pricerange and in an acceptable quality. As a guitarist and ownlearned guitarbuilder i have lots of brands and models of guitars to choose from. But i know what you mean, during the years while you still learn you pick up more and more of what you like to hear in a guitar. Like that special Tele-Twang you talked about. I mean, now i own 2 of these, one i built myself with a thin roasted maple neck and a Tele Deluxe Player MIM. I use both frequently, another favorite is my Gibson Les Paul with burstbuckers, oh i love those. Another guitar i often use is a Fender Stratocaster in Inca Silver with a Seymour Duncan Humbucker in the bridge, love that too. My Epiphone Wilshire with minibuckers. I love those too. And my Metalguitar The Ironbird from BC Rich, that devilish guitar may just be the noisiest guitar with 2 volumeknobs on the planet. 😊The semihollow Epi 355 for the jazzgigs. The acoustic for the acoustic gigs. I mean the list can go on like forever. So i do get your point, we're just after better and better sound, playability, set up, action, simplisity, value for the money and just how fun it is to play it. Keep up the good work man. Thanks! Peace bro! Rob Nilsson
It's a real good topic. Personally, I played strats for years, but now since I'm owning a PRS CE24 it became my go to guitar for live shows. It does everything I need. Of course, the strat has more stratness, but: The PRS sounds original...there are millions of strat players out there...and the sound repeats over and over again. So why not using something different? I'm in the PRS zone now, I know, but I totally think that it's nice to have a choice. When I'm in the mood I pick another guitar...why not using the Duesenberg for a show? Or my Blade from the 90's? In the end it's all about emotions, feelings, mood...it's music. But I fell in love with the PRS because it just sounds different (and great).
I played a PRS guitar at Guitar Center and was really impressed by how easy if felt to play. But, when it came down to buying something I bought a Telecaster.
I used to Love Les Paul’s and SGs and was not very fond of Strats but I got my first PRS a Torero(24fret,25.5in,FR) I fell in love and I got a strat to mess around with again and honestly the PRS and the Strat have been my go to guitars I never play the SG and I sold the Les Paul. I just love the way PRS plays and feel I just bought a Mark Holcomb SVN and I love it 100%
Hey Robert, my name is Tom I am 71 years old and I’ve been playing since the fifth grade and as I got older and further into my personal business which supports all of my hobbies and avocations, I’ve been able to have some pretty wonderful instruments I think my guitar closet has 15 in there now, and I play them all. I love them all, and like you, I believe they all have different voices, a different musical statements to make. I own four PRS guitars, including the SEDGT, which made me lose my appetite for spending a lot of money on a core or higher grade DGT because the $800 guitar really kicks ass. I wanna 513 at a private stock custom 24 and they’re all different and they’re all amazing. I want to JP 15 couple Stratocaster‘s Rick three 6012 and the wonderful thing about Music is that it’s different every time you pick up the guitar and all of those instruments are wonderful gifts from the creator himself who has allowed me to be their caretaker for probably just a short time in the future before they belong to somebody else. God really blessed Paul Reed Smith was an amazing perspective on our industry. I feel the same about the ball family. The other thing, of course, is amplifiers are the other half of what the guitar can do. At the end of the day I play for my ears, and I like what I hear, coming for me. And I like what I hear, coming for me you are an amazing teacher as are many on TH-cam these days. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if we had TH-cam back in the 70s. I probably would have succumb to a much faster life and not be in the pump business. On the other hand, pumps pay for guitars. I personally want to encourage you to just keep exploring and loving what goes in your hands and comes to your ears. That’s why we all play. Play loud, my brother!
I search on reverb for well-used core PRS singlecuts because 1) I don't like Les Pauls 2) A beat up PRS is one I won't feel bad about beating up more. 3) I know they're great great guitars but so expensive! Deals to be had on the beat up ones.
I have a Fender Tele, a Fender Stratocaster, a Gibson Les Paul studio, A Schellinger Custom prototype and a BC Rich Mockingbird. It all is a mood and sound that I feel like having at the moment. I do switch it up but sometimes some get played more than others but I always come back around to the neglected ones because it is a mood thing and everyone goes through phases.
Yes I am like that! I can’t have ANYTHING in my pockets when I play. Guitar is FREEDOM, things in your pocket is restraint. Yes it’s in my head but ITS IN MY HEAD! Glad to know I’m not alone.
I have 5 guitars hanging in my bedroom, mainly for different tunings so I can jump from random songs while practicing with my amp and pedals and not have pause to retune. I keep a guitar stand out in my living room for quiet practice while watching tv and rotate the guitars each week so they get played consistently and I can get use to the different bodies and necks...I noticed a long time ago that if I stuck with one for too long and then switch to another it took me a long time to adjust to the differences. This has worked a lot with that haha.
I can't play with a ring on, I don't know why, college ring, wedding ring, no rings. Also have to have the wireless transmitter on a belt not on the guitar strap.
I feel that, for me (for me) it has a design flaw. The spring cavity is too short. I play 8's and it was horrible trying to get it setup because I could not get the tension to adjust with the room that was available. I ended up buying other springs, cutting them in half and removing the spring claw and screwing in the springs right into where the claw was directly. Other guitars I have have a longer spring cavity and I have no issues with them. Rant over.
I switch between my Gibson LP Slash and my Ibanez Prestige 5120. I used to favour the LP but since I got the Ibanez back in Feb , I always gravitate towards it when it’s time to play. I’ve got a EVH 5150 striped series on laybuy atm, cannot wait to add that beast to the lineup 🔥❤️🤘🏻
I just spent a whole day at my local guitar store. I tried a little of everything, hollowbodies, semi-hollow bodies, solid bodies, single coils, P90's, single coils, HB's, expensive to cheap. They all something cool to offer. The best one that day? A used Hohner LP with P90's. $350 and it just oozed tasty tones.
It’s easy to say “man, I’m not playing that awesome guitar much” And the joy when you go back to it and say “yeah, I’m sure lucky to have this”. That’s why we need so many guitars. It never gets boring because you can switch. I recently bought my bucket list Gibson 1959 Custom Shop Guitar. I love It. But the past few days I was playing my Strat and didn’t want to put it down. It is what it is. It’s called, being fortunate.
How's the 7.25" radius on the new AVRI II Fenders? I've always been scared away from that radius, but it seems like a lot of guitars are returning to that vintage style, like the Silver Sky.
I have a PRS semi hollow 594. Every-time I pick it up I immediately go “Oh sh**”. It’s just the best guitar I’ve ever played, but I baby it too much so it doesn’t get the attention it really deserves vs the guitars that I’m less precious with.
Yeah I love my McCarty 594 SC. Guitar has a unreal neck. I'm thinking about getting one of those SE DGTs later on this month. Everyone has been raving about them.
@@easye9-21 I’ve thought one of those as well, and then trying to pickup some of the 58/15LT pickups I have in my core model and put them in their to get a version of my 594 that I don’t worry about dinging. I wish they made either the 594 or dgt in a semi hollow in the SE line. The Zac Meyers is close, but I don’t like the knob placement vs the others.
I can’t put down the 61’ American Vintage II Strat. It’s made me rethink what I need out of a guitar’s playability and also sonically. I think hopping around on your collection is a great indication that you desire to break out of habit and that you have the drive to learn something new. It will keep you young at heart as a guitarist.
I used to have this problem and now i just have one guitar DGT SE goldtop and am extremely happy and sold the rest...I am downsizing in life big time this last while..
I have a PRS, Stratocaster master built, telecaster, les Paul and an acoustic. PRS is the guitar I’d keep if I could only have one. After the first 30 seconds of you playing I knew this video would be pointless, you sound amazing!
Great video! I have 6 guitars. 1 acoustic and 5 electrics. When I’m practicing a song I’ll always find myself asking: I wonder what it would sound like with “____” guitar? Then I’ll grab a different one and find out. Love it! I’m a boomer that’s only been playing 5 years. I’ve done a deep dive and I try to play every day. All my guitars are inspiring to me. They are: PRS Starla SE PRS Silver Sky SE Gretsch Electromatic Jet BT Fender American Pro 2 Telecaster Heavily modified Squire Strat Yamaha A1R Acoustic Man, I love your videos. Keep em coming.
I own 6 PRS. Absolutely love them. I find them to be one of the most consistently well built guitars out there. I just usually change out the pickups... then I get the perfect sound and feel for what I do.
I got one of the Sandblasted Custom 24 SE’s… love the look of it, but it’s the only one of my 5 PRS guitars that I don’t like the sound of. I’m hoping it’s just the 85/15 S pickups that I don’t like.
I have a PRS Custom 24, cost me about £4,500, I part exchanged a Les Paul that I rarely played and had an intonation issue. The thing is, I have a couple of Telecaster Custom type guitars that I made myself which hang on the wall next to me, and I just grab one of them every time, even for recording with. The PRS rarely comes out, and I just don’t know why. Maybe I don’t want to wear it down too much! The main reason I use it is if I want some really accurate chording, as the intonation on the PRS is near perfect.
I'm with you. I've owned three PRS models and sold them all. Nice guitars but I could not bind with them. It really has to do with the scale length and the pickups. Most traditional PRS Core models come with a 25" scale length, Maple top and humbuckers with no distinct sound. It's like a cross between a Fender and a Gibson with no distinct sound of their own. Later McCarty models and the Silver Sky are different as they try to emulate Gibson and Fender directly. I own many Gibson's and Fender Guitars and I can get the individual sounds of a Les Paul, ES-335, SG and an LP DC Junior with a P90. I also own a Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazzmaster and a modified custom Super Strat, that I pretty much assembled from premium components myself. I can get any sound I want or need with these guitars. I even owned a Gretsch 6120 with TV Jones Pickups and a beautiful Rickenbacker George Harrison 12 string guitar. I sold both of these because they fetched top dollar, and I could not justify keeping them! Until PRS comes out with a unique sounding guitar that I can't get out of my arsenal, I'm sticking with what I have!
I had the same thing going on with my Music Man LIII guitars. I had three Luke‘s that I sold. And why? They were absolutely perfect guitars but the were just to perfect for me and they didn’t inspire me. So I went back to a Strat and a Les Paul, guitars with all their flaws etc. and I could not be happier.
Once i got a marshall stack, phaser, metal muff, and crybaby wah, and my prs se it was my dream set up so it has been hard to move away from it. My only complaint about the prs is that it gets out of tune very easily and often during playing. The only other guitar i have is an ibanez which to me i would never go from prs to that lol. I do want a strat though. I feel once i have a strat i will be good for a while. PRS SE, FEnder Strat, and an epiphone les paul should complete my collection.
Guitarists usually dont want to play the Best guitar, they want to play the guitar with the mojo with the vibe and due to history all those guitars are Gibson or Fender or Rickenbacker etc. But for a person like me who likes perfect things and attention to detail I absolutely agree that PRS and especially the DGT is one of the best guiatars ever. Perfection.
I agree... I am a tone chaser. Whatever sound I seek, calls for that guitars voice. Bright twang is the 78 Tele. Dark and heavy is the hellraiser. 80's mid scooped bar dives is the J Custom. 70's rock and jazz rhythms is the H150.
PRS does a great job. I've only got one, a 2012 Bernie Marsden that's been completely modded, and it plays and sounds incredible. I think of it like an LP with a little more definition. I don't play it all the time, but it's definitely in the most played rotation. I love the sound of deep soul-full humbuckers that can turn to rage at any given moment.
@@blackheartsnite I don’t know for sure but if I was a betting man. I would think so. Robert said he went through and sold like 6 guitars for his firebird. He never really said which ones but I think that would have been one.
I have had several nice PRS guitars. I had a very limited Wood Library from Brians, basically a private stock. It was the most beautiful guitar i have owned, but i just didn't click with it and sold it. I also had a really nice CE one off from Brians that I ended up selling too. They look great and well built, but i just didn't like the necks or pickups. I currently have a 60's standard Les Paul from Wildwood and really like it. Switched out pickups to Seymour Slash pups and looking forward to a Tele or maybe Lari Basilio's Ibanez :)
I have a PRS C 24SE Whale Blue. It has never worked well. The 3 way switch only likes the bridge position. The push/pull doesn't work, and even after I sent it to PRS for repair (which took 2 years for them to respond) it still has the same issues. I paid $1000 for it, but my Harley Benton CST-24 T copy of a PRS Custom 24SE has no issues.
I have 56 guitars…but my 3 PRS guitars are among my most played instruments… my “go to” guitars if you will. They are just so versatile and easy to play…. I have one with a Floyd, it never gets out of tune… my band covers the Stones,… so yeah I play a Tele…in open G… but it’s the PRS that I like for my work horse guitars!
Between my Fender American Pro Deluxe II Tele, my Squier Classic Vibe Tele (lipstick pickup), and Kramer Special, Squier and Kramer get the most workout. As much as I love the Fender Pro Deluxe, there is something magical about the Squier…so easy to play, and the versatility is unreal…I can achieve every tone that suits me, from Country to Metal, and everything in between. The Kramer is just genuinely fun to play, and appeals to my 80’s hair/hard rock instincts. Great video, as always, Robert!
The DGT and the CE24 are easily my two favourite guitars you've had. Not because they're PRS though. But because I could feel the joy you had playing them when you were really feeling them. And they sound(ed) fukcing amazing as well.. less "like everyone else online", like most 95% LP + Fender options out there on the Interwebs
It’s not a case of good or bad…it’s the fact that all guitars are “different” and thats what is so great about our hobby/passion…play the guitar that “calls” you at that moment 👍
Exactly! I try to tell my wife that every time she says " why do you need another guitar"? It's at the point now where I just tell her she won't understand! PS I tell her the same thing about my cigars 🤣
I haven’t played my 335 or LP for a couple of months now, I’m all Tele’s and Strats at present. I couldn’t agree more with what your’e saying! So, I’ve watched this video, then went and played my 335…. Man it’s so good! The mellow tone hasn’t been what I’ve been craving, but you need ALL tones at your desposal. The next time someone asks “how many guitars do you need?” I recommend you answer with: “If an electrician came to do some work at your house and they only turned up with one screwdriver, how confident would you feel about the work they are about to carry out?” Guitars (amps and pedals), are tools for creating tone. Let’s celebrate this fact and not apologise for it…
I bounce back and forth between my strat ,tele, 335,sg and lespaul . Some times months between . Depends the music in into at the time or what the bands playing at the time
I've always been a humbucker kind of guy. However, in my last band we were doing songs that needed a brighter sound so I started playing single coil guitars. And I'm hooked. Not that I don't dig the humbuckers but been finding the strats and teles comfortable. However, my Yamaha SG is still my go to instrument. Whenever I pick it up, I'm reminded what an amazing instrument it is. Also totally dig my PRS. It's just so comfortable to play and sounds great.
PRS is a bit like Taylor. They’re not this, or not that; they are what they are. Taylor splits the difference between Gibson and Martin, while PRS sort of resides between Fender and Gibson, though they lean more toward Gibson due to the pickups.. Taylors are super playable, one of their greatest strengths, and they do have their own sound, a reflection of Bob Taylor’s design ideas. PRS guitars also have their own sound and are super playable. Their build quality is fantastic, making them much less affordable for the general guitar playing public. Of course, Gibsons are ridiculously overpriced (more so than PRS) and the quality control can be somewhat lacking, though it’s better since they dumped the last CEO. One area where PRS shines is consistency of build quality. There are so many factors that go into guitar preferences. It’s like ice cream: some like chocolate, some like vanilla, some might like chocolates chip cookie dough (looking at you, Ben and Jerry) and so it goes. Even day-to-day it can change. But, that’s just me …
I'm not sure the Frnder Jazzmaster will ever get fret sprout because the neck is encased in a sort of polyurethane finish that moisture cannot escape from. No escapeage, no shrinkage. Now, Bill Nash guitar necks, on the other hand… He WANTS the maple to dry out a bit and on his website he advises filing the ends when the neck has settled. I was fortunate to buy a five-year-old example, all done.
I rotate through mine fairly evenly with slight preferences to my Les Paul, Cordoba stage, and Martin dreadnaught. I like everything that I’ve got. Different bodies, pickups, brands and tones. I fall back in love with each whenever I pick it up again so I’m not going to sell any (except maybe my Taylor GS mini that was an add on deal to the T5z I’ve got). I don’t have much overlap in my current collection so I’m much more inclined to hold my collection for the future and see how long I can keep them.
Have the PRS Special semi hollow same color as your DGT, and then recently got the SE DGT. I play the SE a lot more that the special, which I have no idea why. And the special kind of put my Les Paul Standard 50s with P90s in the closet lol. It’s a toss up between my PRSs and my road worn vintera strat I added bareknuckle 63 pickups. Crazy how our brains work as guitar players. Manufacturing these days is so good that it’s literally just “what flavor do I want today?” Not necessarily if one guitar is better than the other
Ive had an SE 24 for 15 years. Upgraded pups, tuners, brass trem block and it plays and sounds great. It was great stock but I put Fralin Unbuckers in it to give me a fatter sound when coil tapped. This vid was great and has me ready to go down the P90 route. Ive always wanted a tele and hear its the most versatile but single coil picks up are loud and hum. I feel like you can get a closer to humbucker feel w P90s
I prominently play Teles. I have an early 90s Mexican one I got from my parents in high school. I also own a 52 AVRI Hot Rod with a mini hum in the neck which is my main. I would love a DGT or even a Strat to give me more flavors for recording but cannot justify the price for guitars I might just use occasionally.
I own a few Ibanez RG's and a Goya, neck though beauty that is pure perfection. I like them all. One day at a yard sale, I saw this old Dean strati caster sitting up against the wall in the garage and asked about it. The guitar was a proper mess, no case, it looked like someone had dumped a coke on it and the bridge was destroyed. The guy WOULD NOT take less than 50 bucks for it. After looking it over and doing the mental math, I decided to take it home. After ordering new hardware, giving the entire guitar a bath, polish, replacing all the missing parts and updating some of the worn out parts I gave it a go. The neck was SO different, the Dean has a VERY sturdy neck, sort of fat even at the nut (it's one of the reason I took it, neck was straight) and it rubbed me the wrong way. It's a big change from the Wizard 2 neck on the Ibanez but something happened as I kept playing it, I got used to the feel of it and I noticed that I played certain thing BETTER on the Dean. Now, this old beat up guitar is my favorite. It cost the least but I love it the most. Strange.
Yeah, I think you nailed it. I have 27 in Guitar‘s, Gibson, Fender, PRS, EVH, everything, and I just kind of rotate around. I mean I have an original 57 strat. That is my go to favorite. My wife bought it for me so that’s my go to, but I do go through times when, you just got to switch out. It does give you a different perspective. It gives you a different feel, you know I’m an old-school 62-year-old guitar player and you know I play a lot of classic rock, blues, and play a lot of new stuff and sometimes you just know you gotta get the right guitar to get that right groove. BTW I love your lessons, I learned from an old blues player named Curly Barefoot Miller, and mostly self taught. Your classes are making me a more technical player. I am trying to start writing some songs, just for fun, and I am gaining so much more knowledge that I am breaking old patterns. I don’t know if I sound better but, I know I am playing better!
I get it. PRS sounds too perfect, no personality. My go tos are my Les Paul '58 reissue, Jason Isbell Tele (MIM, btw), and '90 Explorer-all have very different voices, and that's what it's all about, IMO.
The PRS is ‘clinically’ clean even with a distorted setting! Sometimes it just has to be dirty….😁 With multiple guitars, it’s only natural that you have these phases….better in every way than being uninspired and not playing anything!🎸🤘🎸
Since I got my first PRS ,a SECU24, in 2017 my other guitars mostly just sit, and more PRS guitars have shown up on my wall. I like all the guitars I own, but SECU24, CE24-08 semi-hollow, or my 2017 Core Custom 24 are the ones I reach for the most. Something about the way they sound and the way they play just puts a smile on my face and makes me want to play them more. Still happy to have my LP , EC-1000, and a few nice Floyd equipment guitars from the 80s. They all offer a different feel and bring out different aspects of my playing. If I could only have one guitar, it would probably be my Custom 24. Wide range of tones, and it plays so good. The CE24-08 would be a close second. Lighter weight and the 24-08 switching is pretty cool.
I bought a Gold Top DGT when they first came out. I didn't completely love the sound so I sent it to my tech and got him to put a Suhr SSV+ in the bridge and a SSV in the neck. When my tech handed it to me play he had a massive smile on his face so we plugged it in and THEN I was blown away. Everyone that's played/heard absolutely loves the damn thing. I will never sell it... P.S. The Tele sounds KILLLER...
I only keep five guitars to choose from and they've all changed over the years except one. And that one I've played as my primary workhorse for over 20 years. It's versatile enough to give me the different tones I've chased during my phases. Humbucker, split coil, piezo, synth, it's all there. Plus, the neck feel is what I like. Even when I switch to another for a time, I find myself reaching back to it. It's a custom 1997 Godin LGX-SA, and it inspires me to play.
I have many guitars. I started a Strat and Tele season about 16 years ago. Now, when I play any guitar with Humbuckers, it doesn’t have the “bite” and presence that the Yele has. Plus, I like playing that scale of guitar and I also want an instrument that fights me back a little bit. Great video and totally understand where you’re coming from!
Great video, I can relate to this a lot. I have a PRS custom 24 , American Strat, Mexican Strat, Schecter, Ibanez, Epiphone. All middle of the line or high-end guitars worth a lot of money but recently I've been finding myself playing my very first guitar a Squier Stratocaster, the pick ups and some of the hardware has surface rust on it but I didn't play it for years and now it just seems like it has a sound that I've really been after really dark grungy sound compared to everything else. Funny how it works sometimes with having expensive guitars but playing the cheapest one most!
I bought a PRS USA 🇺🇸 McCarty because everyone was telling me how great they were and once you get used to it, you can’t go back to a Gibson or Fender. Didn’t happen. I never bonded with the PRS. I find it feels like plastic. There is nothing about that guitar I like. I went back to my Custom Shop Fenders and Gibsons. Give me a Les Paul, Strat or Tele any day.
I've gone many months...of not touching my 30th Anniversary C24...so I've decided to sell it. I owned a MusicMan Luke that I traded for it...and not a day goes by that i dont regret it. I also bought a MusicMan Axis last year and it made me realize how good the Luke really was. Truly a jack of all trades guitar the Luke is, so I've decided the PRS has to go. EBMM guitars are a somewhat quirky choice, but a choice that really appeals to me. BTW, I picked up an American Professional II Tele last year and modified it with a new harness and circuit to turn it into a Broadcaster circuit with the blend knob. Great. Guitar. Cheers Robert, good stuff.
I have a Custom shop strat that I love playing . I played it for two year straight like every day. before that was my first guitar which was an epiphone LTD II from a started kit that I played every day for like 5 years. in 2018 I bought A Telecaster Custom that I have been playin for the most part but needs some TLDR on it. And I bought it brand new. I have been thinkin on getting a Epiphone Riviera. I love the sound of mini Humbuckers and that guitar might just be my new main for a while.
I played a Tele only for 4 years. Then I bought a 50’s Les Paul standard and a PRS 24 custom. I gravitate towards the Les Paul all the time. Especially after your tuning tips.
Totally relate. I go through the same phases with my guitars. Play one or two for a month or so then grab a different one off the wall, and realize how good it is. It’s like NGD without buying a new guitar lol. Just went through a Tele phase, and I’m back to playing a Carvin that I’m really liking.
I have whittled 10 down to 3 starts like objects each has its own voice....so i rotate through them depending on what I feel like playing....Ironically i reach for the HSS Player ( has handwound pickups in it.) first even over my Clapton Strat.....Top Tip : All my Guitars are white .....so when a new one is added management dosent notice. :)
100%, I completely agree. We often get bored, and to keep the fire going, we search for different things. Gives us a good reason to have a fleet of guitars which is always evolving - keeps things interesting.
"I should probably like actually get to work and do some stuff" precedes the 'end of recording shuffle' more times than I can comprehend (considering the unknown number similarly situated individuals)
Definitely go through phases! Few months ago a vintage Gretsch, 75 Tele Custom and 95 EC Blackie Strat were getting love! Now 01 R8 Lemonburst and 14 Rich Robinson Es for 2 months now non stop! Have a great 08 PRS core Mira! Phenomenal tones! Single coil sounds like a vintage Tele but…..too hi -fi maybe or too many other guitars I bond with! If only guitar in squad …I’d be happy with it but competition in squad too great and a bit of a traditionalist I guess!! Great video Robert! Thanks for sharing !
Of the popular guitars, I've played a Telecaster, Strat, SG, Les Paul, and SE Custom 24. My SE Custom 24 blows all of them out of the water. It's just so easy to play and it's setup perfectly. From the fretboard to the nut to the saddles to the bridge, everything is perfect on a base model PRS that kills the expensive big brothers. Don't get me wrong, I love the other guitars, but the PRS is on another level direct from the factory. I even have a PLEK'ed Floyd Rose Ibanez S670QM that doesn't play as well.
Robert - I'm a boomer. In one sense born into a great age - the age where rock really toke off. But o the other hand, as a self-taught guitarist who could not afford $25-35 per hour lessons I had a lousy teacher. Got a chord chart, bought some sheet music and had only one band garage band with my brother on bass and next door neighbor on drums. We were terrible but we had fun. And that is what music is to me fun. Now days with the internet, there are so many resources, learning is a bit easier. At 74, I am now covering ground that I couldn't 60 years ago. I have purchased several of your courses - they are great. I finally have a decent amount of really good guitars. But playing is harder at this age. I can't even play until about noon, when the stiffness and swelling subsides from my fingers(old age arthritis). This is a backdrop to what I want to say. I'm not good enough to seek that elusive magical tone. I'm on a quest to play 1/3 as good as you do. Thanks for all you do. I'm sure mostly you are helping a younger generation and that is wonderful.
What a beautiful sentiment. Rock on Raymond!
I hear you on the age and technology thing! Didn't we all try to figure out riffs by constantly resetting the needle on the phonograph? I'm 72 and just happy to improve my guitar playing from half-a$$ed to merely mediocre!!
When in doubt - drop that low E string one whole step to a D and play low n slow. Bar bottom 3 strings with finger, thumb or coke bottle and get yer Ry Cooder on - while playing a simple D chord - yep if it ain't fun, it's done. That's my motto. I'm a punk 70 this year and multi-tracking with Garageband and Logic playing all the instruments especially guitar is what keeps me goin'. Just bought another one I don't need but it's my first gibson (Tony Iommi SG "Monkey") since my original guitars were stolen way back in the 80s.The P-90s on the SG are sick - in a good way! Rockin' out is why I don't look or act 70 today. I still video skype with the homies back in CT (I've been in L.A. for decades) that jammed with me in my driveway back in the early 70s. Talk about terrible, terribly LOUD, I have no clue how we got away with those driveway jams back then in Mystic - big shout out to my old neighbors probably dead now - apologies too ! We were very lucky to see how drab life was before Beatles changed everything on Ed in Feb '64, and then just hanged on for the Sixties ride!!! Unbelievably good times, bands, drugs, girls, fashion, attitudes and what you said.....FUN. 👀 🎸
At 59 my left hand index finger is doing the arthritic nonsense too. I’m contemplating having to learn slide 👀😜🤣
I feel with you. Had to have an operation to deal with a triggerfinger, ouch. At 56.
I have 9 guitars. I make a point of rotating, playing a different one each day. There are times I want to skip one and play another one, but have found that once I pick up the "scheduled" guitar I have no problem enjoying it as much as the last one. That includes the two acoustics. One tip I heard a while back was commit to playing 5 minutes a day. It has transformed my playing to a new level, mostly because you end up playing WAY more than 5 minutes.
Exactly! I have one for each day of the week. I can play something else later but I start with that day's guitar. I may be ho-hum about the day-of-the-week guitar for about 20 seconds; then I remember why I love it.
Me too
I usually keep two guitars next to me for practice. I like to have a fender scale 25.5, and a gibson scale 24.75, this way I never lose the feel for the different scale sizes.
I rotate thru my guitars alphabetically and change every Sunday.
I say “let me just play with this jam track for like 10 minutes” then I play for over 3 hours.
If you get a Hollowbody PRS, you might play it more because it’s a completely different monster
I have the Hollowbody II SE Piezo, and it's gnarly! And with that description, I think I just dated myself. Lol!
I got a Neal schon NS-14 semi hollow body and it’s gutsy as fk tone is huge on it and sounds great unplugged too
It’s got fantastic acoustics
The PRS Single cut McCarty semi-hollow is unreal. It is the first guitar that made me think seriously about selling my whole collection. PRS is insanely good guitar, I have a Paul’s Guitar as well. They are so great.
I rotate having guitars on stands and ready to play and the more accessible become my favorites for a while. It’s so much fun to grab one I haven’t played in a while and get inspired to play it again.
this...
I do the same thing with my basses, it keeps me on my toes so I don't end up playing only 34" or only 30" scale length or whatnot
YES
PRS is my #1 go to every day. Idk, they're just the best guitars, in my opinion. I love my Charvel and Ibanez guitars, too, but there's just something so sweet about my PRS guitars that keep me coming back to them, every day. They're just so versatile and play soooooo good! PRS has their haters, but so does every other brand. It doesn't get much better than them, in my view. I worked very hard to save up to be able to afford even one, and after I got my first Custom 24, I couldn't stop haha. Sold my Les Paul's and Strats to buy more PRS guitars!🤣To each their own!
This video is PERFECTLY-timed. I was having a very similar discussion with a bandmate literally LAST NIGHT. For me, I describe it as "seasons." Right now, I am in a Jaguar/Jazzmaster season. This time last year, I was in a PRS season. The year before that was a Jaguar/Jazzmaster season.
Several years ago, I would go back and forth between a Chapman season, LTD season, Chapman season, LTD season.
Even when it comes to plectrums, same story. I have a Dragon's Heart season, Dunlop Flow season, Kirk Hammett Signature season, which is where I currently am.
Life is all about seasons. Seasons come and go, then come back around. To everything, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven.
I don't leave more than 2 of my guitars out at a time, so some get overlooked for longer than they should, but when I get one out I haven't played for a while, it's like rediscovering it all over again. So much fun.
Sounds bloody good to me! I don't understand the claim that PRS's don't have character...I've got two and they definitively have a distinctive tone.
It's loads of folk complaining who can't actually play the instrument
@@ziggystardust1798 I can play guitar, been doing so for 23 years, and I don't care much for PRS. I won't say they're terrible or anything, I just personally would never buy one
They have great pickups so, yes. However, they're incredibly expensive.
@@nobnobnobnobtrue, core models aren't cheap. But PRS does have affordable models
@codythedoggo7671 not worth the bucks though
Man oh man, when you plugged in that Squier JM, it jumped outta my speakers! So much attitude and had so much great breakup in the sound.... my fav of ALL your guitars
you played today!
🎸
Oh yeah man, that's a really cool guitar and with a killer tone as well. 😁
That’s the 40th anniversary, the Mascis doesn’t have a maple fingerboard
I have an American Strat, 335, Line Six Acoustic, Martin dreadnought koa, Takamine Jumbo cut away acoustic and a fender jazz base, I have been playing since 1962 as a kid now 73 years old, I have owned many guitars & amps over the years and sold, bartered and traded in order to survive. I have the had the same problem with keeping money in my wallet, I am mainly a rhythm player. I have played blues, country, swing jazz, rock, folk, bluegrass and top 40. I have never worried about the the tone of my electric guitars or amps, I adjust everything to where I think it sounds good for the moment when playing a venue. I worried more about getting paid for the gig or getting enough tip money to eat that night. I am now retired.
With you 100% Robert. I take fits all the time, within models, brands and styles. Sometimes you just want that Tele sound. Sometimes you want the Humbucker growl or that Les Paul heft. Sometimes you just want the smoothness of a Jazzmaster. Its why they're there and why the brands make so many of them.
I have tried in the past to put myself in a mindset "This month I am only playing THIS guitar." and it never works. I may walk into a guitar shop and absently or purposely pick up a different guitar and boom, the shift happens. Let me use July as an example. Started off with a Les Paul, Moved on to a Baritone, moved on to a Nighthawk(So back to Les Paul..sort of) then onto a 6 string acoustic and ended the month...with a real need for an ES335.
Here we are the first day of August......now I am hankering for some Tele. This does not mean I dont love the guitars above. It just means I am hearing that Tele quack in my head. Doesn't mean, like you with the DGT, that the second I put my hands on x it wont change again. I find that when I have long stretches with a guitar its one of two things 1)The style of music I am listening to demands that kind of guitar and 2)I am working on something for live playing and I need to chose a guitar since I cannot drag EVERYTHING with me. :)
I am also with you on that Jazzmaster. Its shocking how fantastic that thing is! If I am right its the 40th anniversary Desert Sand. Like you I have a Fender one and that Squire. I cannot part with either. They're just too different. But if you forced me to.....the Fender would go. That Squire is THAT much of a honey!
Man I wish I could have all those guitars, but only have one. It was a PRS SE Standard 24, but I upgraded the mediocre pickups to Fishman Classic Active Pickups. Decided not to buy another entry-level guitar and decided to go Frankin-PRS instead. 😂 Have you ever done any mods?
Really?… you’d take the squier over a pro ii kazzmaster?…
I love my DGT and save it for gigs! I usually play one of my Strats at home, which is a bit harder to play, so when I go to play the DGT, it feels so easy! I tend to stick to those two, because I play Flamenco and I love Nylon guitars. I think the DGT has a sound, and with the coil taps,its a Swiss army knife for me!
Don't over think it. Accept it.... and enjoy it. All of it....Your GAS dies when you die. The best guitar in the world being the one in your hands at any given time...absolutely . .....all the time for me. Great channel Robert.
It made me smile to watch how Robert's playing style changed within a few notes of picking up each guitar; starts off with a straight lick, then just drops into hybrid picking, or a biting run then bending down into a note, or 'jazz' chords with lots of reverb shimmer. 😊
I feel the same! I have a a PRS and I’ve always felt it’s a great guitar to cover a lot of different sounds that it does well. It’s an SE but I love it and they all have there own sound. Also I recently bought the AVII 61 Strat. I’m in love with this guitar!
So it's an SE.
I've played em and I never really noticed anything significantly different from the American counterpart.
It like saying you get a noticeably different sound from an American strat VS a Mexican.
I almost bought a second hand SE
It was a real beautiful semi hollow mint condition. It had a great neck and the quality of the build was excellent. And then I plugged it in and played it for a half hour.
Playability was very good and it had attributes that I actually preferred compared to what I'm used to. But I took a pass and held on to the $360 that they wanted for it.
Just wasn't what I wanted to hear.
I usually play loud music with lots of effects. Even for the heavier stuff, I find myself really leaning on the Tele. After 15 years of playing, the light clicked for me and I realized I could hear every single note on the Tele regardless of what I threw at it. They're so good and no joke when people say there the most versatile.
And they're so ugly and durable you can't feel bad throwing them around! 😂
My Nash '52-style Butterscotch Blackguard with Lollar pickups & fat Boatneck profile is a dream to play, and it's just a bonus that it arrived with a lightly aged full-nitro finish (no 'shark bite' relic.) This one is a true instrument for just wailing on and Bill is all about that. 🤘
Man i can relate.
You described my home made tele wit a boat neck i bought from Warmoth.
And thats exactly how i feel about mine.@j_freed
Thats exactly what I appreciate about my tele.
It's probably the best guitar I own.
Stable, versatile, and just straight up what I want to hear.
I definitely go through the same thing..phases. I have about 25 guitars, and I feel guilty sometimes for not picking up certain ones….but it always comes back around
Hey robert, can I ask you what audio interface you use on your home studio? Greetings and love 🙏
Hi there I use an 18i20
Hi Robert, thank you for another great video. I'm also a boomer and recently became 65 yo. I've never felt a need to buy a PRS guitar. Or an other expensive guitar like Martin or Taylor. I think Yamaha acoustic guitars are more in my pricerange and in an acceptable quality. As a guitarist and ownlearned guitarbuilder i have lots of brands and models of guitars to choose from. But i know what you mean, during the years while you still learn you pick up more and more of what you like to hear in a guitar. Like that special Tele-Twang you talked about. I mean, now i own 2 of these, one i built myself with a thin roasted maple neck and a Tele Deluxe Player MIM. I use both frequently, another favorite is my Gibson Les Paul with burstbuckers, oh i love those. Another guitar i often use is a Fender Stratocaster in Inca Silver with a Seymour Duncan Humbucker in the bridge, love that too. My Epiphone Wilshire with minibuckers. I love those too. And my Metalguitar The Ironbird from BC Rich, that devilish guitar may just be the noisiest guitar with 2 volumeknobs on the planet. 😊The semihollow Epi 355 for the jazzgigs. The acoustic for the acoustic gigs. I mean the list can go on like forever. So i do get your point, we're just after better and better sound, playability, set up, action, simplisity, value for the money and just how fun it is to play it. Keep up the good work man. Thanks! Peace bro! Rob Nilsson
It's a real good topic. Personally, I played strats for years, but now since I'm owning a PRS CE24 it became my go to guitar for live shows. It does everything I need. Of course, the strat has more stratness, but: The PRS sounds original...there are millions of strat players out there...and the sound repeats over and over again. So why not using something different? I'm in the PRS zone now, I know, but I totally think that it's nice to have a choice. When I'm in the mood I pick another guitar...why not using the Duesenberg for a show? Or my Blade from the 90's? In the end it's all about emotions, feelings, mood...it's music. But I fell in love with the PRS because it just sounds different (and great).
I played a PRS guitar at Guitar Center and was really impressed by how easy if felt to play.
But, when it came down to buying something I bought a Telecaster.
I used to Love Les Paul’s and SGs and was not very fond of Strats but I got my first PRS a Torero(24fret,25.5in,FR) I fell in love and I got a strat to mess around with again and honestly the PRS and the Strat have been my go to guitars I never play the SG and I sold the Les Paul. I just love the way PRS plays and feel I just bought a Mark Holcomb SVN and I love it 100%
Hey Robert, my name is Tom I am 71 years old and I’ve been playing since the fifth grade and as I got older and further into my personal business which supports all of my hobbies and avocations, I’ve been able to have some pretty wonderful instruments I think my guitar closet has 15 in there now, and I play them all. I love them all, and like you, I believe they all have different voices, a different musical statements to make. I own four PRS guitars, including the SEDGT, which made me lose my appetite for spending a lot of money on a core or higher grade DGT because the $800 guitar really kicks ass. I wanna 513 at a private stock custom 24 and they’re all different and they’re all amazing. I want to JP 15 couple Stratocaster‘s Rick three 6012 and the wonderful thing about Music is that it’s different every time you pick up the guitar and all of those instruments are wonderful gifts from the creator himself who has allowed me to be their caretaker for probably just a short time in the future before they belong to somebody else. God really blessed Paul Reed Smith was an amazing perspective on our industry. I feel the same about the ball family. The other thing, of course, is amplifiers are the other half of what the guitar can do. At the end of the day I play for my ears, and I like what I hear, coming for me. And I like what I hear, coming for me you are an amazing teacher as are many on TH-cam these days. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if we had TH-cam back in the 70s.
I probably would have succumb to a much faster life and not be in the pump business. On the other hand, pumps pay for guitars.
I personally want to encourage you to just keep exploring and loving what goes in your hands and comes to your ears. That’s why we all play.
Play loud, my brother!
I search on reverb for well-used core PRS singlecuts because
1) I don't like Les Pauls
2) A beat up PRS is one I won't feel bad about beating up more.
3) I know they're great great guitars but so expensive! Deals to be had on the beat up ones.
I have a Fender Tele, a Fender Stratocaster, a Gibson Les Paul studio, A Schellinger Custom prototype and a BC Rich Mockingbird. It all is a mood and sound that I feel like having at the moment. I do switch it up but sometimes some get played more than others but I always come back around to the neglected ones because it is a mood thing and everyone goes through phases.
Yes I am like that! I can’t have ANYTHING in my pockets when I play. Guitar is FREEDOM, things in your pocket is restraint. Yes it’s in my head but ITS IN MY HEAD! Glad to know I’m not alone.
I phase - solid, semi-hollow, hollow, Strat, LP, Ricky, PRS, Gretsch - looking for tones, sounds and just what speaks to me in the moment.
I go between my Esquire and Les Paul all the time. It's almost a mood/ sound thing for me. Keep up the great work Robert!!!!
yesssssss
I have 5 guitars hanging in my bedroom, mainly for different tunings so I can jump from random songs while practicing with my amp and pedals and not have pause to retune. I keep a guitar stand out in my living room for quiet practice while watching tv and rotate the guitars each week so they get played consistently and I can get use to the different bodies and necks...I noticed a long time ago that if I stuck with one for too long and then switch to another it took me a long time to adjust to the differences. This has worked a lot with that haha.
I can't play with a ring on, I don't know why, college ring, wedding ring, no rings. Also have to have the wireless transmitter on a belt not on the guitar strap.
I agree about the ring thing.
I feel that, for me (for me) it has a design flaw. The spring cavity is too short. I play 8's and it was horrible trying to get it setup because I could not get the tension to adjust with the room that was available. I ended up buying other springs, cutting them in half and removing the spring claw and screwing in the springs right into where the claw was directly. Other guitars I have have a longer spring cavity and I have no issues with them. Rant over.
I switch between my Gibson LP Slash and my Ibanez Prestige 5120. I used to favour the LP but since I got the Ibanez back in Feb , I always gravitate towards it when it’s time to play. I’ve got a EVH 5150 striped series on laybuy atm, cannot wait to add that beast to the lineup 🔥❤️🤘🏻
I just spent a whole day at my local guitar store. I tried a little of everything, hollowbodies, semi-hollow bodies, solid bodies, single coils, P90's, single coils, HB's, expensive to cheap.
They all something cool to offer. The best one that day? A used Hohner LP with P90's. $350 and it just oozed tasty tones.
It’s easy to say “man, I’m not playing that awesome guitar much” And the joy when you go back to it and say “yeah, I’m sure lucky to have this”.
That’s why we need so many guitars. It never gets boring because you can switch.
I recently bought my bucket list Gibson 1959 Custom Shop Guitar. I love It. But the past few days I was playing my Strat and didn’t want to put it down. It is what it is. It’s called, being fortunate.
How's the 7.25" radius on the new AVRI II Fenders? I've always been scared away from that radius, but it seems like a lot of guitars are returning to that vintage style, like the Silver Sky.
I have a PRS semi hollow 594. Every-time I pick it up I immediately go “Oh sh**”. It’s just the best guitar I’ve ever played, but I baby it too much so it doesn’t get the attention it really deserves vs the guitars that I’m less precious with.
I have one too. It’s very good.
Yeah I love my McCarty 594 SC. Guitar has a unreal neck. I'm thinking about getting one of those SE DGTs later on this month. Everyone has been raving about them.
@@easye9-21 I’ve thought one of those as well, and then trying to pickup some of the 58/15LT pickups I have in my core model and put them in their to get a version of my 594 that I don’t worry about dinging. I wish they made either the 594 or dgt in a semi hollow in the SE line. The Zac Meyers is close, but I don’t like the knob placement vs the others.
Funny, I was excited to hear the Tele you like so much but as soon as you plugged it in it seemed like the PRS sounded way better
I can’t put down the 61’ American Vintage II Strat. It’s made me rethink what I need out of a guitar’s playability and also sonically. I think hopping around on your collection is a great indication that you desire to break out of habit and that you have the drive to learn something new. It will keep you young at heart as a guitarist.
I used to have this problem and now i just have one guitar DGT SE goldtop and am extremely happy and sold the rest...I am downsizing in life big time this last while..
I have a PRS, Stratocaster master built, telecaster, les Paul and an acoustic. PRS is the guitar I’d keep if I could only have one. After the first 30 seconds of you playing I knew this video would be pointless, you sound amazing!
One thing I learned about my PRS is it has more midrange bite than my other geetars. Really pronounced mids
Absolutely agree. So pronounced they need to be tamed in a lot of cases IMO.
Great video! I have 6 guitars. 1 acoustic and 5 electrics. When I’m practicing a song I’ll always find myself asking: I wonder what it would sound like with “____” guitar? Then I’ll grab a different one and find out. Love it! I’m a boomer that’s only been playing 5 years. I’ve done a deep dive and I try to play every day. All my guitars are inspiring to me. They are:
PRS Starla SE
PRS Silver Sky SE
Gretsch Electromatic Jet BT
Fender American Pro 2 Telecaster
Heavily modified Squire Strat
Yamaha A1R Acoustic
Man, I love your videos. Keep em coming.
I own 6 PRS. Absolutely love them. I find them to be one of the most consistently well built guitars out there. I just usually change out the pickups... then I get the perfect sound and feel for what I do.
I got one of the Sandblasted Custom 24 SE’s… love the look of it, but it’s the only one of my 5 PRS guitars that I don’t like the sound of. I’m hoping it’s just the 85/15 S pickups that I don’t like.
I have a PRS Custom 24, cost me about £4,500, I part exchanged a Les Paul that I rarely played and had an intonation issue. The thing is, I have a couple of Telecaster Custom type guitars that I made myself which hang on the wall next to me, and I just grab one of them every time, even for recording with. The PRS rarely comes out, and I just don’t know why. Maybe I don’t want to wear it down too much! The main reason I use it is if I want some really accurate chording, as the intonation on the PRS is near perfect.
I'm with you. I've owned three PRS models and sold them all. Nice guitars but I could not bind with them. It really has to do with the scale length and the pickups. Most traditional PRS Core models come with a 25" scale length, Maple top and humbuckers with no distinct sound. It's like a cross between a Fender and a Gibson with no distinct sound of their own. Later McCarty models and the Silver Sky are different as they try to emulate Gibson and Fender directly. I own many Gibson's and Fender Guitars and I can get the individual sounds of a Les Paul, ES-335, SG and an LP DC Junior with a P90. I also own a Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazzmaster and a modified custom Super Strat, that I pretty much assembled from premium components myself. I can get any sound I want or need with these guitars. I even owned a Gretsch 6120 with TV Jones Pickups and a beautiful Rickenbacker George Harrison 12 string guitar. I sold both of these because they fetched top dollar, and I could not justify keeping them! Until PRS comes out with a unique sounding guitar that I can't get out of my arsenal, I'm sticking with what I have!
I had the same thing going on with my Music Man LIII guitars. I had three Luke‘s that I sold.
And why?
They were absolutely perfect guitars but the were just to perfect for me and they didn’t inspire me.
So I went back to a Strat and a Les Paul, guitars with all their flaws etc. and I could not be happier.
Totally agree. I had a DGT for 4 years and I sold it. Nice guitar, but I just did not bond with it.
Once i got a marshall stack, phaser, metal muff, and crybaby wah, and my prs se it was my dream set up so it has been hard to move away from it. My only complaint about the prs is that it gets out of tune very easily and often during playing. The only other guitar i have is an ibanez which to me i would never go from prs to that lol. I do want a strat though. I feel once i have a strat i will be good for a while. PRS SE, FEnder Strat, and an epiphone les paul should complete my collection.
Guitarists usually dont want to play the Best guitar, they want to play the guitar with the mojo with the vibe and due to history all those guitars are Gibson or Fender or Rickenbacker etc. But for a person like me who likes perfect things and attention to detail I absolutely agree that PRS and especially the DGT is one of the best guiatars ever. Perfection.
I agree... I am a tone chaser. Whatever sound I seek, calls for that guitars voice. Bright twang is the 78 Tele. Dark and heavy is the hellraiser. 80's mid scooped bar dives is the J Custom. 70's rock and jazz rhythms is the H150.
PRS does a great job. I've only got one, a 2012 Bernie Marsden that's been completely modded, and it plays and sounds incredible. I think of it like an LP with a little more definition. I don't play it all the time, but it's definitely in the most played rotation. I love the sound of deep soul-full humbuckers that can turn to rage at any given moment.
If you live in Nashville, gotta jam on the Tele!
Sounds killer!
I wanna see the Crackle Charvel 😩
That’s gone bro
Noooooooooooo!
@@gorlagOv damn for real? What a shame
@@blackheartsnite I don’t know for sure but if I was a betting man. I would think so. Robert said he went through and sold like 6 guitars for his firebird. He never really said which ones but I think that would have been one.
@@gorlagOv seems like a logical conclusion. That was a beautiful guitar, but if he got a legit Firebird then I can understand. They are very nice
I have had several nice PRS guitars. I had a very limited Wood Library from Brians, basically a private stock. It was the most beautiful guitar i have owned, but i just didn't click with it and sold it. I also had a really nice CE one off from Brians that I ended up selling too. They look great and well built, but i just didn't like the necks or pickups.
I currently have a 60's standard Les Paul from Wildwood and really like it. Switched out pickups to Seymour Slash pups and looking forward to a Tele or maybe Lari Basilio's Ibanez :)
PRS have never done it for me. I like the finishes, I like the versatility. For some reason I never felt that I needed one, already have a Les Paul.
I have a PRS C 24SE Whale Blue. It has never worked well. The 3 way switch only likes the bridge position. The push/pull doesn't work, and even after I sent it to PRS for repair (which took 2 years for them to respond) it still has the same issues. I paid $1000 for it, but my Harley Benton CST-24 T copy of a PRS Custom 24SE has no issues.
I have 56 guitars…but my 3 PRS guitars are among my most played instruments… my “go to” guitars if you will. They are just so versatile and easy to play…. I have one with a Floyd, it never gets out of tune… my band covers the Stones,… so yeah I play a Tele…in open G… but it’s the PRS that I like for my work horse guitars!
Are you a lawyer/dentist?
Great tones, especially with the DGT! What amp and effects here for that?
The PRS is good when you’re feeling like a lawyer or doctor and want that sweet adult contemporary sound.
Contemporary?
You mean like Jazz?
Between my Fender American Pro Deluxe II Tele, my Squier Classic Vibe Tele (lipstick pickup), and Kramer Special, Squier and Kramer get the most workout. As much as I love the Fender Pro Deluxe, there is something magical about the Squier…so easy to play, and the versatility is unreal…I can achieve every tone that suits me, from Country to Metal, and everything in between. The Kramer is just genuinely fun to play, and appeals to my 80’s hair/hard rock instincts. Great video, as always, Robert!
The DGT and the CE24 are easily my two favourite guitars you've had. Not because they're PRS though. But because I could feel the joy you had playing them when you were really feeling them. And they sound(ed) fukcing amazing as well.. less "like everyone else online", like most 95% LP + Fender options out there on the Interwebs
Yeah, the PRs ce 24 custom is my favorite electric in my collection, but been playing my Taylor 114 grand auditorium. Thanks for your videos
It’s not a case of good or bad…it’s the fact that all guitars are “different” and thats what is so great about our hobby/passion…play the guitar that “calls” you at that moment 👍
Exactly! I try to tell my wife that every time she says " why do you need another guitar"? It's at the point now where I just tell her she won't understand! PS I tell her the same thing about my cigars 🤣
My budget keeps me from getting the guitar that "calls out to me." Which would be, the Malmsteen Stratocaster! 🤣
I bought my grail LP years ago, the 'only guitar I would ever need'. These days I've been playing an Ibanez RG and a Mexi Strat most of the time....
My only electric is a Dustie Waring CE24 Floyd and it's my most favorite guitar of my whole life 🥰🥰🥰
I haven’t played my 335 or LP for a couple of months now, I’m all Tele’s and Strats at present. I couldn’t agree more with what your’e saying! So, I’ve watched this video, then went and played my 335…. Man it’s so good! The mellow tone hasn’t been what I’ve been craving, but you need ALL tones at your desposal.
The next time someone asks “how many guitars do you need?” I recommend you answer with: “If an electrician came to do some work at your house and they only turned up with one screwdriver, how confident would you feel about the work they are about to carry out?”
Guitars (amps and pedals), are tools for creating tone. Let’s celebrate this fact and not apologise for it…
I bounce back and forth between my strat ,tele, 335,sg and lespaul . Some times months between . Depends the music in into at the time or what the bands playing at the time
I've always been a humbucker kind of guy. However, in my last band we were doing songs that needed a brighter sound so I started playing single coil guitars. And I'm hooked. Not that I don't dig the humbuckers but been finding the strats and teles comfortable. However, my Yamaha SG is still my go to instrument. Whenever I pick it up, I'm reminded what an amazing instrument it is. Also totally dig my PRS. It's just so comfortable to play and sounds great.
PRS is a bit like Taylor. They’re not this, or not that; they are what they are. Taylor splits the difference between Gibson and Martin, while PRS sort of resides between Fender and Gibson, though they lean more toward Gibson due to the pickups.. Taylors are super playable, one of their greatest strengths, and they do have their own sound, a reflection of Bob Taylor’s design ideas. PRS guitars also have their own sound and are super playable. Their build quality is fantastic, making them much less affordable for the general guitar playing public. Of course, Gibsons are ridiculously overpriced (more so than PRS) and the quality control can be somewhat lacking, though it’s better since they dumped the last CEO. One area where PRS shines is consistency of build quality. There are so many factors that go into guitar preferences. It’s like ice cream: some like chocolate, some like vanilla, some might like chocolates chip cookie dough (looking at you, Ben and Jerry) and so it goes. Even day-to-day it can change. But, that’s just me …
I'm not sure the Frnder Jazzmaster will ever get fret sprout because the neck is encased in a sort of polyurethane finish that moisture cannot escape from.
No escapeage, no shrinkage.
Now, Bill Nash guitar necks, on the other hand… He WANTS the maple to dry out a bit and on his website he advises filing the ends when the neck has settled. I was fortunate to buy a five-year-old example, all done.
What amp /sim are you using in this video??
Great video!
I rotate through mine fairly evenly with slight preferences to my Les Paul, Cordoba stage, and Martin dreadnaught.
I like everything that I’ve got. Different bodies, pickups, brands and tones. I fall back in love with each whenever I pick it up again so I’m not going to sell any (except maybe my Taylor GS mini that was an add on deal to the T5z I’ve got).
I don’t have much overlap in my current collection so I’m much more inclined to hold my collection for the future and see how long I can keep them.
Have the PRS Special semi hollow same color as your DGT, and then recently got the SE DGT. I play the SE a lot more that the special, which I have no idea why. And the special kind of put my Les Paul Standard 50s with P90s in the closet lol. It’s a toss up between my PRSs and my road worn vintera strat I added bareknuckle 63 pickups. Crazy how our brains work as guitar players. Manufacturing these days is so good that it’s literally just “what flavor do I want today?” Not necessarily if one guitar is better than the other
Ive had an SE 24 for 15 years. Upgraded pups, tuners, brass trem block and it plays and sounds great. It was great stock but I put Fralin Unbuckers in it to give me a fatter sound when coil tapped. This vid was great and has me ready to go down the P90 route. Ive always wanted a tele and hear its the most versatile but single coil picks up are loud and hum. I feel like you can get a closer to humbucker feel w P90s
P90s also hum unless you are in the middle position, they they are like a giant humbucker
I prominently play Teles. I have an early 90s Mexican one I got from my parents in high school. I also own a 52 AVRI Hot Rod with a mini hum in the neck which is my main. I would love a DGT or even a Strat to give me more flavors for recording but cannot justify the price for guitars I might just use occasionally.
I own a few Ibanez RG's and a Goya, neck though beauty that is pure perfection. I like them all. One day at a yard sale, I saw this old Dean strati caster sitting up against the wall in the garage and asked about it. The guitar was a proper mess, no case, it looked like someone had dumped a coke on it and the bridge was destroyed. The guy WOULD NOT take less than 50 bucks for it. After looking it over and doing the mental math, I decided to take it home.
After ordering new hardware, giving the entire guitar a bath, polish, replacing all the missing parts and updating some of the worn out parts I gave it a go. The neck was SO different, the Dean has a VERY sturdy neck, sort of fat even at the nut (it's one of the reason I took it, neck was straight) and it rubbed me the wrong way. It's a big change from the Wizard 2 neck on the Ibanez but something happened as I kept playing it, I got used to the feel of it and I noticed that I played certain thing BETTER on the Dean.
Now, this old beat up guitar is my favorite. It cost the least but I love it the most. Strange.
I agree with the empty pockets, and no belt buckle as well. I detest buckle rash.
Can you tell us about your signal chain? Amps? Effectors? Sounds great!
Yeah, I think you nailed it. I have 27 in Guitar‘s, Gibson, Fender, PRS, EVH, everything, and I just kind of rotate around. I mean I have an original 57 strat. That is my go to favorite. My wife bought it for me so that’s my go to, but I do go through times when, you just got to switch out. It does give you a different perspective. It gives you a different feel, you know I’m an old-school 62-year-old guitar player and you know I play a lot of classic rock, blues, and play a lot of new stuff and sometimes you just know you gotta get the right guitar to get that right groove. BTW I love your lessons, I learned from an old blues player named Curly Barefoot Miller, and mostly self taught. Your classes are making me a more technical player. I am trying to start writing some songs, just for fun, and I am gaining so much more knowledge that I am breaking old patterns. I don’t know if I sound better but, I know I am playing better!
I get it. PRS sounds too perfect, no personality. My go tos are my Les Paul '58 reissue, Jason Isbell Tele (MIM, btw), and '90 Explorer-all have very different voices, and that's what it's all about, IMO.
The PRS is ‘clinically’ clean even with a distorted setting! Sometimes it just has to be dirty….😁 With multiple guitars, it’s only natural that you have these phases….better in every way than being uninspired and not playing anything!🎸🤘🎸
Since I got my first PRS ,a SECU24, in 2017 my other guitars mostly just sit, and more PRS guitars have shown up on my wall. I like all the guitars I own, but SECU24, CE24-08 semi-hollow, or my 2017 Core Custom 24 are the ones I reach for the most. Something about the way they sound and the way they play just puts a smile on my face and makes me want to play them more. Still happy to have my LP , EC-1000, and a few nice Floyd equipment guitars from the 80s. They all offer a different feel and bring out different aspects of my playing. If I could only have one guitar, it would probably be my Custom 24. Wide range of tones, and it plays so good. The CE24-08 would be a close second. Lighter weight and the 24-08 switching is pretty cool.
I bought a Gold Top DGT when they first came out. I didn't completely love the sound so I sent it to my tech and got him to put a Suhr SSV+ in the bridge and a SSV in the neck. When my tech handed it to me play he had a massive smile on his face so we plugged it in and THEN I was blown away. Everyone that's played/heard absolutely loves the damn thing. I will never sell it...
P.S. The Tele sounds KILLLER...
I only keep five guitars to choose from and they've all changed over the years except one. And that one I've played as my primary workhorse for over 20 years. It's versatile enough to give me the different tones I've chased during my phases. Humbucker, split coil, piezo, synth, it's all there. Plus, the neck feel is what I like. Even when I switch to another for a time, I find myself reaching back to it. It's a custom 1997 Godin LGX-SA, and it inspires me to play.
I have many guitars. I started a Strat and Tele season about 16 years ago. Now, when I play any guitar with Humbuckers, it doesn’t have the “bite” and presence that the Yele has. Plus, I like playing that scale of guitar and I also want an instrument that fights me back a little bit. Great video and totally understand where you’re coming from!
I have fender american pro2 and prs dgt core. I prefer prs dgt probably because it looks pretty and expensive but also sounds like gibson and comfy.
Great video, I can relate to this a lot.
I have a PRS custom 24 , American Strat, Mexican Strat, Schecter, Ibanez, Epiphone. All middle of the line or high-end guitars worth a lot of money but recently I've been finding myself playing my very first guitar a Squier Stratocaster, the pick ups and some of the hardware has surface rust on it but I didn't play it for years and now it just seems like it has a sound that I've really been after really dark grungy sound compared to everything else. Funny how it works sometimes with having expensive guitars but playing the cheapest one most!
I bought a PRS USA 🇺🇸 McCarty because everyone was telling me how great they were and once you get used to it, you can’t go back to a Gibson or Fender. Didn’t happen. I never bonded with the PRS. I find it feels like plastic. There is nothing about that guitar I like. I went back to my Custom Shop Fenders and Gibsons. Give me a Les Paul, Strat or Tele any day.
I've gone many months...of not touching my 30th Anniversary C24...so I've decided to sell it. I owned a MusicMan Luke that I traded for it...and not a day goes by that i dont regret it. I also bought a MusicMan Axis last year and it made me realize how good the Luke really was. Truly a jack of all trades guitar the Luke is, so I've decided the PRS has to go. EBMM guitars are a somewhat quirky choice, but a choice that really appeals to me. BTW, I picked up an American Professional II Tele last year and modified it with a new harness and circuit to turn it into a Broadcaster circuit with the blend knob. Great. Guitar. Cheers Robert, good stuff.
All you have to do is put a pickup in the PRS you like.
I have a Custom shop strat that I love playing . I played it for two year straight like every day. before that was my first guitar which was an epiphone LTD II from a started kit that I played every day for like 5 years. in 2018 I bought A Telecaster Custom that I have been playin for the most part but needs some TLDR on it. And I bought it brand new. I have been thinkin on getting a Epiphone Riviera. I love the sound of mini Humbuckers and that guitar might just be my new main for a while.
I played a Tele only for 4 years. Then I bought a 50’s Les Paul standard and a PRS 24 custom. I gravitate towards the Les Paul all the time. Especially after your tuning tips.
I like that you acknowledged the "pocket-problem" in guitar playing :D
Totally relate. I go through the same phases with my guitars. Play one or two for a month or so then grab a different one off the wall, and realize how good it is. It’s like NGD without buying a new guitar lol. Just went through a Tele phase, and I’m back to playing a Carvin that I’m really liking.
I have whittled 10 down to 3 starts like objects each has its own voice....so i rotate through them depending on what I feel like playing....Ironically i reach for the HSS Player ( has handwound pickups in it.) first even over my Clapton Strat.....Top Tip : All my Guitars are white .....so when a new one is added management dosent notice. :)
100%, I completely agree. We often get bored, and to keep the fire going, we search for different things. Gives us a good reason to have a fleet of guitars which is always evolving - keeps things interesting.
Robert - Great video! Can you please repeat what Tele that is? It's not a '63 Closet Classic? Thanks
"I should probably like actually get to work and do some stuff" precedes the 'end of recording shuffle' more times than I can comprehend (considering the unknown number similarly situated individuals)
Definitely go through phases! Few months ago a vintage Gretsch, 75 Tele Custom and 95 EC Blackie Strat were getting love! Now 01 R8 Lemonburst and 14 Rich Robinson Es for 2 months now non stop! Have a great 08 PRS core Mira! Phenomenal tones! Single coil sounds like a vintage Tele but…..too hi -fi maybe or too many other guitars I bond with! If only guitar in squad …I’d be happy with it but competition in squad too great and a bit of a traditionalist I guess!! Great video Robert! Thanks for sharing !
I'm with you! I've been on a mostly P90 kick for the last while with some splashes of Tele bridge. There is a pleasant rawness.
Of the popular guitars, I've played a Telecaster, Strat, SG, Les Paul, and SE Custom 24. My SE Custom 24 blows all of them out of the water. It's just so easy to play and it's setup perfectly. From the fretboard to the nut to the saddles to the bridge, everything is perfect on a base model PRS that kills the expensive big brothers. Don't get me wrong, I love the other guitars, but the PRS is on another level direct from the factory. I even have a PLEK'ed Floyd Rose Ibanez S670QM that doesn't play as well.
'93 Strat, Sire H7V, Les Paul Standard 60's. Every tone I need. Single coils, P90's and humbuckers. The holy trinity.
that gold pickguard with maple neck and fretboard, on the Squier Jazzmaster, makes it a 40th Anniversary Vintage Edition.