PRS Core guitars need to be played to understand. They are perfect instruments, as a tool. They happen to look good too, but as a music making device they are so good
@@thejuggernaut5327 Apple does the same thing but when you have less than 15% of the market like Apple does on desktop and WAY less than 10 percent in corporate the virus people and even just mistakes like this one well, they arent hitting you.
I was writing a post about how PRS isn't following Rams the way that Apple does, but after revisiting "Ten Principles for Good Design By Dieter Rams" video, I've changed my mind. While not the boxes for buttons and knobs that consumer electroncs have become, PRS does hit all the points in industry appropriate ways.
@@AlanW you know you just reminded me of the principles. When I was heading Braun marketing , we used to talk about it every other day. I think what you mentioned about PRS using the principles in an industry appropriate way is spot on
Not a PRS tone wood supporter but people act like this guy is the only one who believes in it. I'd say 95 percent of the guitar business are believers and preachers of the tone wood thing.
Totally get this. I’m an Apple person - phones, laptops, ipads, I have a PRS which is my favourite guitar that I own…it probably won’t surprise you that I drive a Tesla. These companies have so many things in common - job to be done, they are the best. Culture of innovation, check. Ultimately they fit in to your life and make things easier, smoother, you can take for granted that they work. And I am a big fan of simple, clean, elegant design which applies to all of these things. Very much agree with your points here.
Yes I agree on PRS and Apple. On Tesla, I think they solved range anxiety and general appeal for electric cars in a genius way. My personal gripe is that their obsession with minimalism leads to interior design choices that don’t same sense . Multiple functions need to be on physical buttons / stalks instead of a touch screen in order to avoid distracting the driver while driving . So I don’t find them to be consumer forward for their interiors
@@ministryofguitar Have you had one yourself? The ownership experience is that they just fit into your life and make it better, it’s like a life upgrade. I don’t need to constantly remember my car key; I don’t have one, it’s my phone which I always have on me. The central screen is very big and clear, and if I can’t find a particular function I just use voice commands. In terms of innovation you have to think of it less as a car as such, more a step towards a driverless future - the whole point is to move away from driver control so they are trying to take that out of the equation. I’m no fan of Musk, much less a fan of Steve Jobs but these products stand on their own for me. I don’t think Musk is a genius at all, but he didn’t invent or design these cars. I really feel like, as a consumer, it does everything I want it to do, really well, and honestly we did so many test drives of other premium EVs and they just didn’t tick the boxes - it was like a Samsung compared to an iPhone. Or a USA Fender Strat compared to a PRS Silver Sky!
@@JojoFryrocksvery helpful. I haven’t owned one. I also realised in your statement the difference in fundamental vision could be why Tesla doesn’t appeal to me. A driverless future . That future , while inevitable and very logical given the number of accidents happen due to human error, is something the petrolhead in me dreads. Good point on the voice commands. If that works well in practice , it mitigates a lot of the touch screen concerns . Thanks for sharing
@@ministryofguitar Ah ok, well I’ve never liked or enjoyed driving so in terms of JTBD this is the best car on the market for me, takes so much of the pain out of it. That’s why it resonated, in my mind, with what you were saying.
Amazing insight !! I would have never thought of the relation of these two mega CEO's ! Your topics are always nice to hear and meditate on. Thank you (Your PRS ebony/maple fret board is Stunning !!)
In episode one of Mad Men, Don Draper commits marketing iconism by saying “It’s Toasted” about Lucky Strike. Every other brand was developed in the same way, but he made the mundane nameable. Paul does this a lot. “Are the frets in the right place?” is a favorite of his.
Thanks for your eleborated comparison. Some comment on boss behaviour. One of our national politicians once said: Everybody's darling is everybody's Depp. Depp could be translated properly with douchebag. A boss must be capable to decide against the mainstream opinion. He need to have a vision (but with realistic intermediate objectives). Aswell to set free personnel in case of rough economic challenges, though strong bonds or friendship have been established. To me the major difference is that Steve Jobs improved and developed something really new with hardware and software solution, whilst Paul Smith improved something, what was established over the decades. The decade Paul started his business could be described in the factor of state of the art guitar builts as the time of neon coloured Superstrats with Floyd Rose vibrato systems, LP, Tele, Strat have been played still, but appeared old fashioned and outdated (with the late 80ies and Guns 'N' Roses and the early 90ies and Grunge (e. g. Pearl Jam as a representative) they returned to mainstream acknoledge - and stayed and became highly required as cost intensive collectibles. Pauls famous violin shape inspired body design, the highlighting of outstandig grain appears as a remminissence to old strings (violins, cellos, contra basses) and as a liberated "offense" against the guitar fashion in the 1980ies. Funny is, that in the next decade PRS guitars were often chosen by Nu-Metal guitarists.
The only 2 problems I have with prs guitars is the position of the pickup selector. I think its too far away for making quick switches while soloing. And apart from that also the tuning stability, especially the d and g string because of the breaking angle at the headstock. But maybe this isn't an issue on the high end ones.
I have not played a core model and will say the Silver Sky feels great and is a solid strat option but most of the PRS models to me also have some 'feel' specs that do not add up. I been doing my own setups and fret work for a while so PRS might play and sound great out of the box so I appreciate what they are just not my thing
Thanks for sharing. A couple of thoughts. 1) PRS pickup selector positions vary across model. There will probably be one that works for you 2) Core PRS's tend to have the best tuning stability of anything I have played. SEs, I have not faced any issues either (I own 12 SEs so I have some experience). I don't think the break angle is an issue. If yours has an issue, maybe just get the local guitar tech/luthier to diagnose it
Interesting comparison. Every product I have owned or used from Apple is top notch and performs well over time and this is what my PRS friends tell me as I do not own one or feel they are something that I need to own. Paul has done some great things to me the most significant is to establish excellent finish work and quality control across premium and more budget models. Today we do not have to $pend a lot of money to get a well built and set up guitar. PRS makes beautiful instruments as well I just don't like how they feel in my hands
I have the complete opposite feeling to Apple, especially after the iPhone X, it feels like every "innovation" and upgrade is not worth the money. Changing the port to USB-C is the greatest appeal in the past gens, but they were forced to do that against their will. Samsung has passed them in almost all aspects
@@rbae That speaks to my biggest issue with Apple their 'me me mine' approach. Back when the 2nd gen Ipad came out the only way to convert signal to HDMI was get a tiny short adapter for $$$ then use a separate HDMI cable and of course you have to buy the memory IN the device no aux storage options. And of course those shatter upon anything screens. But performance is top notch though I agree there are other companies that have caught up much like with PRS. Without the innovation other companies would be more content to offer the same things without pushing the envelope
PRS was smart to carve out a niche between Stratocasters and Les Pauls in their initial offerings. To wit: while Fender had either a 7.25" or 9.5" radius fretboard and Gibson had a 12" radius, PRS came in at 10" radius. Scale length - Fender 25.5" and Gibson 24.75" neck length, while PRS came in at 25." The initial PRS's featured the double cut body and tremolo system of the Stratocaster and the fancy flamed wood and humbucking pickups of the Les Paul, combining features from both guitars the folks liked. I'm guessing the initial PRS was lighter too than Les Pauls.
Paul has said he came across a Les Paul that had a 10" radius so that's why he went with that. I think that in the 50s when they were making those, it was a little wild west like. Each person making them did it a little differently and certainly they weren't all some kind of magic.
I was a fan boy of Apple in the early 2000s but then they stopped innovating after Jobs passed and I’m not impressed anymore There is nothing exciting about a new phone that’s just like the old phone, every year, and that’s pretty much all Apple does anymore. Apple Watch and MacBook, I know, but that’s more of the same I’m still a fan of GarageBand though
Great comparison! I think the main thing these two guys have is suffering from the reality distortion field. Tell a lie many times and it will become truth. Sadly, this reflects into their marketing strategy gimmicks. I also avoid Apple due to the cult factor; I am also an engineer, so I know how a smartphone works and its components, no way I am paying that markup. Android offers plenty of hardware options for me and does all I need it to do. I am not saying I will stop buying PRS guitars (most of the items in my collection are PRS), but simply "know what you buy", especially in the "tone wood" controversy. The wood is expensive not because it sounds better, it is because it is beautiful, unique and very hard to find. Great video as always, my friend 😃😃🤘🤘
Every company has markup. Apple in many ways has been R&D for much of the industry. Before the iPhone came out, the higher end phones all looked like Blackberry. After the iPhone came out and now, they're basically all iPhones.
I see your comparisons but... Apple was revolutionary and predatory in the way it absorbed people into an ecosystem to make people pay Apple more money, including obscene prices for accessories or replacement parts. Arguably Paul's premise is people will buy a pretty guitar so he built pretty guitars, but there's no pressure for you to buy proprietary PRS strings, leads, amps, to continue using your PRS guitar.
Disagree. Nobody has forced anyone to buy any product. Google and Microsoft do the same things too. Google wants you to use Chrome on a Chromebook to access their services and really don't make any guarantees for you using anything else. Ask someone in corporate IT how easy it would be to move away from Microsoft products, especially if they have on premises servers. And ask about the licensing costs, that's a whole different path to misery. Just like automobiles, you can buy 3rd party parts, but then don't go back to them if it doesn't work or have the same level of function.
First of all I enjoy your channel. Not a PRS fan personally but I respect they make a great product , just not for me. I am an Apple fan. It works for me. These products are tools. Everyone is different and has different needs. I think you should check out Alistair Hay with Emerald carbon fiber guitars. That would have been a better comparison imo. Alistair's vision and journey is quite special.
If guitars become like smart phones, then we'd better quit playing altogether. Guitars are not gadgets. You get it, don't you. (PS. Classical guitarists still play an ... 1870s "model".)
Really? I consider PRS like a Rolls Royce. Hand made and attention to detail with a matching price. Gibson is like a Cadillac, mass produced, a long history and pricey. Fender is a truck built in different configurations and models. Nothing fancy, just gets things done.
Fender are more like the Lego of the guitar world - if they're not to your tastes, they're so easy to pull apart, fit a few different parts together and make something perfect for you.
Only a couple I have heard either in person or on video bring a tone that stands out to me as amazing. To me they are sort of like Starbucks in that way yes its good but if you are really about good coffee then what you get at Starbucks is just more.. average
This is merely people who can’t handle not having something to blame their shortcomings on when a perfectly made PRS instrument is in their hands. The guitar is a tool and it is only one part of an equation that also includes pedals, the amplifier, and most notably, the player. If the player can’t figure out how to convey character using a PRS, they need to relook at themselves.
The word for me is "soul". I like PRS. I've had/have a few. Three core models, 4 or 5 SE's ... They're wonderful, beautiful, but don't speak to me like my Gibsons. And, that is fine.
@@bradconklin2878 One thing we might all agree on especially those of us greybeards is the choices for great playing guitars across many price points right now is a blessing.
Great discussion - I think the parallels are right - on. Makes me think a little bit about pedal makers in the sane way. TC Electronic, in particular, particularly prior to their purchase by Music Group / Behringer (that may just be my impression).
I swear by my Alter Ego & Flashback Triple 4! The Alter Ego, in particular, for me as I used WEM Copycat & Roland Space Echo thru the '70s and they offered a pedal that gives me the same wobbly quirkiness if I want to dial it in . . .
I believe that Paul's innovations do owe some credit to the Japanese builders of the late 70's. He did not invent the idea of a strat like les paul, only perfected it.
@@Scott__CBingo. Very interesting too how Hamer had loads of celebrity endorsements in the 80s and it didn't save them from fading into obscurity, while all prs needed was alex lifeson and carlos santana
@@jasondorsey7110 Well, really they were ahead of their time. You could order most anything from them. Look at the stuff they did for Rick Nielsen alone. In the 90s, they again ahead of their time compared to others were promoting vintage style with modern appointments. And best of all, no scraped up paint jobs. Unfortunately, Fender bought them and simply closed them down. And now, every company has like 100 endorsers.
Do Not agree. You are completely entitled to your opinion of course. I'm a bit older I believe. I've been in IT for 30 years. I've seen Apple grow into the monster it is. I watched Jobs get fired, then hired again, and then take everyone else's ideas, claim it was his and market it with a new name and call it "Innovation" then brain wash the entire world about how "great" he is. Sound familiar? Elon Musk maybe? The claim of it just works is as truthful as happy wife, happy life. Why?, decaded of fighting with them that is why.. Their walled garden is their only reason for the somewhat stable OS's. They just do not have the complication of supporting a variety of hardware. They really haven't invented much at all. Apple is a massive Marketing success, and Marketing is their secret like many American companies i.e. Tesla. But while I've seen this PRS comparison before, I simply don't agree with it. PRS's CEO Paul is where you can make some comparisons I guess with his passion for every minute detail sounding like snake oil. But obsessing about those details is a LONG LONG ways from Jobs just copying other companies, flat out buying out other companies, and claiming Apple invented whatever it was or going after that little company for patent reasons after Apple stole their ideas. PRS is nothing like this. PRS is not an unethical company and this is where I have a massive issue with the comparison. I have seen Apple from the inside, worked with some of the top IT engineers in the industry, and we all have the same issues with Apple. Folks, I can go on forever, but Apple is the Devil of IT. I wouldn't compare any guitar company to Apple . Apple puts out the same product every refresh, makes up foolish names for the "innovative" ideas that they just took from someone else. The Iphone was just an Ipod. The iPod was copied from other smaller companies. The iPad was just a larger iPod. Their laptops, probably their best product, really haven't changed much either. If anything they've gone backwards. Their M1 chip is the closest thing to "innovation they have ever done, I'll give them that one. PRS is a fine instrument. Improved over the years with Paul's obsession for details. Their staff incredibly talented. Just look at that PS in this video, who else makes thsi stuff? I'm not one to go down some of his rabbit holes, and yes it does border on snake oil at times like his recent change of tuner heads. But PRS is the real deal. The have innovated. The are undeniable comparisons to Gibson and Fender, and I think the years they chased that tone aren't their best years. From 2007 and on I feel PRS has come into its own, is its own thing, and is in fact having an impact on the entire industry. Listen, I can go on and on, but if you want to say "it just works" about Apple, I want to scream and throw something at my TV with the decades of examples from Phones, laptops, desktops, everything Apple that doesn't "just work". But PRS....well, it just works and is one of my if not my favorite guitar Brand and I have high end stuff from most brands.
I completely agree on PRSs business practices being much ethical. I was very impressed on how they didn’t fire anyone during the beginning of the pandemic .
IF PRS is like Apple I am no longer wondering why I never gravitated to any PRS I have played or held. That and I am a P90 guy and rarely see a P90 PRS. Also never a fan of the superstrat style body either, no matter the maker. More of a ES335 style guy, own 5 instruments in that style, including the original in cherry red. The fancy finishes don't really attract me either. Paying for bling is not my thing. Just give me my Martin OM or D35. Play all day and no plug....... I got burned by Apple years ago on a device they sold called the Newton. A total piece of garbage, way overpriced and underfeatured. I have despised Apple since that time. No Apple fanboy here. I use a Korean made Kyocera DuraPro, currently on second one in 2 model generations. Bulky with big battery, tough as rocks and waterproof. That Newton experience was in the mid-90s and I have never owned any Apple product since. Never will. One and done.
I think based on what you describe, try to get your hands the PRS Singlecut Satin P90. It was a core model that they built in the 2000s. Satin nitro finish, plain mahogany finish (no bling), tone for days. I have the trem version and its an incredibly nice guitar. I'll try and feature it on the channel one of these days
@@ministryofguitar I have had a P90S Revstar Standard. I love it, considering the MIJ version. Saw one of the single cut PRS you described and tried it, OK but no magic. But the Revstar just melts into my hands and disappears as I play. Not many guitars do that so well for me.
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PRS Core guitars need to be played to understand. They are perfect instruments, as a tool. They happen to look good too, but as a music making device they are so good
I fully agree. Most of the hate usually comes from 1) Folks who haven't tried it 2) Folks steeped head deep in tradition
yeah, I can see that in a comparison of PRS with the Steve Jobs old days at apple, maybe, but today's apple is definitely Gibson.
You make a good point I think Apple has much better quality control but yeah I get it
I’m feeling a little more Microsoft from Gibson. Release the product and leave QC to the market 😅
Apple does it too, but with way more arrogance, like apple maps back around 2010's.
@@thejuggernaut5327 Apple does the same thing but when you have less than 15% of the market like Apple does on desktop and WAY less than 10 percent in corporate the virus people and even just mistakes like this one well, they arent hitting you.
So epis are SE versons of apple 😂😂
When something is hyped, just wait six or so months and reconsider. If it is good, it is good. If it isn't, the used market is flooded.
It’s funny I saw this and instantly agreed because they are so similar in the way they used to innovate
I was writing a post about how PRS isn't following Rams the way that Apple does, but after revisiting "Ten Principles for Good Design By Dieter Rams" video, I've changed my mind. While not the boxes for buttons and knobs that consumer electroncs have become, PRS does hit all the points in industry appropriate ways.
@@AlanW you know you just reminded me of the principles. When I was heading Braun marketing , we used to talk about it every other day. I think what you mentioned about PRS using the principles in an industry appropriate way is spot on
@@ministryofguitar Thanks! Now I want to make a video called "The 10 ways PRS follows Dieter Rams Principles of Good Design" 😆
Not a PRS tone wood supporter but people act like this guy is the only one who believes in it.
I'd say 95 percent of the guitar business are believers and preachers of the tone wood thing.
Great comparison, you are spot on. I toured the Stevensville factory in the 90’s and will never forget it. Paul is a pioneer for sure.
Your content and perspectives are interesting! Fan from Canada
Thank you
Totally get this. I’m an Apple person - phones, laptops, ipads, I have a PRS which is my favourite guitar that I own…it probably won’t surprise you that I drive a Tesla. These companies have so many things in common - job to be done, they are the best. Culture of innovation, check. Ultimately they fit in to your life and make things easier, smoother, you can take for granted that they work. And I am a big fan of simple, clean, elegant design which applies to all of these things. Very much agree with your points here.
Yes I agree on PRS and Apple. On Tesla, I think they solved range anxiety and general appeal for electric cars in a genius way. My personal gripe is that their obsession with minimalism leads to interior design choices that don’t same sense . Multiple functions need to be on physical buttons / stalks instead of a touch screen in order to avoid distracting the driver while driving . So I don’t find them to be consumer forward for their interiors
@@ministryofguitar Have you had one yourself? The ownership experience is that they just fit into your life and make it better, it’s like a life upgrade. I don’t need to constantly remember my car key; I don’t have one, it’s my phone which I always have on me. The central screen is very big and clear, and if I can’t find a particular function I just use voice commands. In terms of innovation you have to think of it less as a car as such, more a step towards a driverless future - the whole point is to move away from driver control so they are trying to take that out of the equation. I’m no fan of Musk, much less a fan of Steve Jobs but these products stand on their own for me. I don’t think Musk is a genius at all, but he didn’t invent or design these cars. I really feel like, as a consumer, it does everything I want it to do, really well, and honestly we did so many test drives of other premium EVs and they just didn’t tick the boxes - it was like a Samsung compared to an iPhone. Or a USA Fender Strat compared to a PRS Silver Sky!
@@JojoFryrocksvery helpful. I haven’t owned one. I also realised in your statement the difference in fundamental vision could be why Tesla doesn’t appeal to me. A driverless future . That future , while inevitable and very logical given the number of accidents happen due to human error, is something the petrolhead in me dreads. Good point on the voice commands. If that works well in practice , it mitigates a lot of the touch screen concerns . Thanks for sharing
@@ministryofguitar Ah ok, well I’ve never liked or enjoyed driving so in terms of JTBD this is the best car on the market for me, takes so much of the pain out of it. That’s why it resonated, in my mind, with what you were saying.
Amazing insight !! I would have never thought of the relation of these two mega CEO's !
Your topics are always nice to hear and meditate on. Thank you (Your PRS ebony/maple fret board is Stunning !!)
In episode one of Mad Men, Don Draper commits marketing iconism by saying “It’s Toasted” about Lucky Strike. Every other brand was developed in the same way, but he made the mundane nameable. Paul does this a lot. “Are the frets in the right place?” is a favorite of his.
That is a very iconic scene. I cite it all the time
Thanks for your eleborated comparison.
Some comment on boss behaviour. One of our national politicians once said: Everybody's darling is everybody's Depp. Depp could be translated properly with douchebag.
A boss must be capable to decide against the mainstream opinion. He need to have a vision (but with realistic intermediate objectives). Aswell to set free personnel in case of rough economic challenges, though strong bonds or friendship have been established.
To me the major difference is that Steve Jobs improved and developed something really new with hardware and software solution, whilst Paul Smith improved something, what was established over the decades.
The decade Paul started his business could be described in the factor of state of the art guitar builts as the time of neon coloured Superstrats with Floyd Rose vibrato systems, LP, Tele, Strat have been played still, but appeared old fashioned and outdated (with the late 80ies and Guns 'N' Roses and the early 90ies and Grunge (e. g. Pearl Jam as a representative) they returned to mainstream acknoledge - and stayed and became highly required as cost intensive collectibles.
Pauls famous violin shape inspired body design, the highlighting of outstandig grain appears as a remminissence to old strings (violins, cellos, contra basses) and as a liberated "offense" against the guitar fashion in the 1980ies. Funny is, that in the next decade PRS guitars were often chosen by Nu-Metal guitarists.
The only 2 problems I have with prs guitars is the position of the pickup selector. I think its too far away for making quick switches while soloing. And apart from that also the tuning stability, especially the d and g string because of the breaking angle at the headstock. But maybe this isn't an issue on the high end ones.
I have not played a core model and will say the Silver Sky feels great and is a solid strat option but most of the PRS models to me also have some 'feel' specs that do not add up. I been doing my own setups and fret work for a while so PRS might play and sound great out of the box so I appreciate what they are just not my thing
Thanks for sharing. A couple of thoughts. 1) PRS pickup selector positions vary across model. There will probably be one that works for you 2) Core PRS's tend to have the best tuning stability of anything I have played. SEs, I have not faced any issues either (I own 12 SEs so I have some experience). I don't think the break angle is an issue. If yours has an issue, maybe just get the local guitar tech/luthier to diagnose it
Most likely just those slots aren't exactly right.
Because of the break angle of the G? Are you sure you are playing a PRS or a Gibson? Lol
Very interesting! #WeMakePRS
Ha! I guess I should have expected JTBD to be mentioned from this channel at some point, we used the same thing at Twitter. 😆
Interesting comparison. Every product I have owned or used from Apple is top notch and performs well over time and this is what my PRS friends tell me as I do not own one or feel they are something that I need to own. Paul has done some great things to me the most significant is to establish excellent finish work and quality control across premium and more budget models. Today we do not have to $pend a lot of money to get a well built and set up guitar. PRS makes beautiful instruments as well I just don't like how they feel in my hands
Fully agree. Other than the part about not liking how PRSs' feel in my hands. I love them
I have the complete opposite feeling to Apple, especially after the iPhone X, it feels like every "innovation" and upgrade is not worth the money. Changing the port to USB-C is the greatest appeal in the past gens, but they were forced to do that against their will. Samsung has passed them in almost all aspects
@@rbae That speaks to my biggest issue with Apple their 'me me mine' approach. Back when the 2nd gen Ipad came out the only way to convert signal to HDMI was get a tiny short adapter for $$$ then use a separate HDMI cable and of course you have to buy the memory IN the device no aux storage options. And of course those shatter upon anything screens. But performance is top notch though I agree there are other companies that have caught up much like with PRS. Without the innovation other companies would be more content to offer the same things without pushing the envelope
PRS was smart to carve out a niche between Stratocasters and Les Pauls in their initial offerings. To wit: while Fender had either a 7.25" or 9.5" radius fretboard and Gibson had a 12" radius, PRS came in at 10" radius. Scale length - Fender 25.5" and Gibson 24.75" neck length, while PRS came in at 25." The initial PRS's featured the double cut body and tremolo system of the Stratocaster and the fancy flamed wood and humbucking pickups of the Les Paul, combining features from both guitars the folks liked. I'm guessing the initial PRS was lighter too than Les Pauls.
Paul has said he came across a Les Paul that had a 10" radius so that's why he went with that. I think that in the 50s when they were making those, it was a little wild west like. Each person making them did it a little differently and certainly they weren't all some kind of magic.
I think if I could only have one electric guitar, I'd buy a PRS for its versatility. However, I have four 🙂
I was a fan boy of Apple in the early 2000s but then they stopped innovating after Jobs passed and I’m not impressed anymore
There is nothing exciting about a new phone that’s just like the old phone, every year, and that’s pretty much all Apple does anymore. Apple Watch and MacBook, I know, but that’s more of the same
I’m still a fan of GarageBand though
PRS: All the Bells and Whistles but NO MOJO. It's like Blondes but without the brains
Great comparison! I think the main thing these two guys have is suffering from the reality distortion field. Tell a lie many times and it will become truth. Sadly, this reflects into their marketing strategy gimmicks. I also avoid Apple due to the cult factor; I am also an engineer, so I know how a smartphone works and its components, no way I am paying that markup. Android offers plenty of hardware options for me and does all I need it to do. I am not saying I will stop buying PRS guitars (most of the items in my collection are PRS), but simply "know what you buy", especially in the "tone wood" controversy. The wood is expensive not because it sounds better, it is because it is beautiful, unique and very hard to find. Great video as always, my friend 😃😃🤘🤘
Every company has markup. Apple in many ways has been R&D for much of the industry. Before the iPhone came out, the higher end phones all looked like Blackberry. After the iPhone came out and now, they're basically all iPhones.
If you can only have 1 guitar for the rest of your life, which guitar would it be?
Very hard to choose ... Strat/Les Paul style guitar with floyd etc..
Martin OM. No question.
No 'lectricity needed. Play anywhere.
My Strat but tears would rain down on the finish as I mourned the loss of my Tele😢
I see your comparisons but... Apple was revolutionary and predatory in the way it absorbed people into an ecosystem to make people pay Apple more money, including obscene prices for accessories or replacement parts.
Arguably Paul's premise is people will buy a pretty guitar so he built pretty guitars, but there's no pressure for you to buy proprietary PRS strings, leads, amps, to continue using your PRS guitar.
Wonderful point. I agree and I am so glad this is not a strategy too many companies could pursue. Predatory is the right word
Disagree. Nobody has forced anyone to buy any product. Google and Microsoft do the same things too. Google wants you to use Chrome on a Chromebook to access their services and really don't make any guarantees for you using anything else. Ask someone in corporate IT how easy it would be to move away from Microsoft products, especially if they have on premises servers. And ask about the licensing costs, that's a whole different path to misery.
Just like automobiles, you can buy 3rd party parts, but then don't go back to them if it doesn't work or have the same level of function.
First of all I enjoy your channel. Not a PRS fan personally but I respect they make a great product , just not for me. I am an Apple fan. It works for me. These products are tools. Everyone is different and has different needs. I think you should check out Alistair Hay with Emerald carbon fiber guitars. That would have been a better comparison imo. Alistair's vision and journey is quite special.
Thanks for the recommendation
If guitars become like smart phones, then we'd better quit playing altogether. Guitars are not gadgets. You get it, don't you. (PS. Classical guitarists still play an ... 1870s "model".)
Really? I consider PRS like a Rolls Royce. Hand made and attention to detail with a matching price. Gibson is like a Cadillac, mass produced, a long history and pricey. Fender is a truck built in different configurations and models. Nothing fancy, just gets things done.
Interesting take and with what some of the core models cost pretty accurate.
Fender are more like the Lego of the guitar world - if they're not to your tastes, they're so easy to pull apart, fit a few different parts together and make something perfect for you.
I definitely think of PRS Private Stock as Rolls Royce. PRS Core is like Alpina for me
on the internet ive heard people say PRS have no character. i think they are flawless and thats enough character for me
Only a couple I have heard either in person or on video bring a tone that stands out to me as amazing. To me they are sort of like Starbucks in that way yes its good but if you are really about good coffee then what you get at Starbucks is just more.. average
This is merely people who can’t handle not having something to blame their shortcomings on when a perfectly made PRS instrument is in their hands. The guitar is a tool and it is only one part of an equation that also includes pedals, the amplifier, and most notably, the player. If the player can’t figure out how to convey character using a PRS, they need to relook at themselves.
The word for me is "soul". I like PRS. I've had/have a few. Three core models, 4 or 5 SE's ... They're wonderful, beautiful, but don't speak to me like my Gibsons. And, that is fine.
@@bradconklin2878 One thing we might all agree on especially those of us greybeards is the choices for great playing guitars across many price points right now is a blessing.
@@HeavyBells SO TRUE! Tone is in the fingers, after all!! I guarantee I can make ANY guitar sound like a $200 guitar 🤪
Great discussion - I think the parallels are right - on. Makes me think a little bit about pedal makers in the sane way. TC Electronic, in particular, particularly prior to their purchase by Music Group / Behringer (that may just be my impression).
I swear by my Alter Ego & Flashback Triple 4! The Alter Ego, in particular, for me as I used WEM Copycat & Roland Space Echo thru the '70s and they offered a pedal that gives me the same wobbly quirkiness if I want to dial it in . . .
I believe that Paul's innovations do owe some credit to the Japanese builders of the late 70's. He did not invent the idea of a strat like les paul, only perfected it.
Though I haven't heard him say it, it seems to me that Paul had a decent amount of influence from what Hamer was doing.
@@Scott__CBingo. Very interesting too how Hamer had loads of celebrity endorsements in the 80s and it didn't save them from fading into obscurity, while all prs needed was alex lifeson and carlos santana
@@jasondorsey7110 Well, really they were ahead of their time. You could order most anything from them. Look at the stuff they did for Rick Nielsen alone. In the 90s, they again ahead of their time compared to others were promoting vintage style with modern appointments. And best of all, no scraped up paint jobs. Unfortunately, Fender bought them and simply closed them down.
And now, every company has like 100 endorsers.
The people that own both really make a point to tell ya ... a bit pretentious, so I see the connection.
If I ever was to by a PRS nothing would discourage me more than comparing it to Apple 🤣
Luckily my aim is not to promote PRS :)
@@ministryofguitarI love PRS. What’s not to love ?
@@juanvaldez5422They either speak to you or they don't...I get that they're fine guitars, but they don't speak to me the way a fullerton fender does
Fender = Apple
PRS = Vertu
Do Not agree. You are completely entitled to your opinion of course. I'm a bit older I believe. I've been in IT for 30 years. I've seen Apple grow into the monster it is. I watched Jobs get fired, then hired again, and then take everyone else's ideas, claim it was his and market it with a new name and call it "Innovation" then brain wash the entire world about how "great" he is. Sound familiar? Elon Musk maybe? The claim of it just works is as truthful as happy wife, happy life. Why?, decaded of fighting with them that is why.. Their walled garden is their only reason for the somewhat stable OS's. They just do not have the complication of supporting a variety of hardware. They really haven't invented much at all. Apple is a massive Marketing success, and Marketing is their secret like many American companies i.e. Tesla. But while I've seen this PRS comparison before, I simply don't agree with it. PRS's CEO Paul is where you can make some comparisons I guess with his passion for every minute detail sounding like snake oil. But obsessing about those details is a LONG LONG ways from Jobs just copying other companies, flat out buying out other companies, and claiming Apple invented whatever it was or going after that little company for patent reasons after Apple stole their ideas. PRS is nothing like this. PRS is not an unethical company and this is where I have a massive issue with the comparison. I have seen Apple from the inside, worked with some of the top IT engineers in the industry, and we all have the same issues with Apple. Folks, I can go on forever, but Apple is the Devil of IT. I wouldn't compare any guitar company to Apple . Apple puts out the same product every refresh, makes up foolish names for the "innovative" ideas that they just took from someone else. The Iphone was just an Ipod. The iPod was copied from other smaller companies. The iPad was just a larger iPod. Their laptops, probably their best product, really haven't changed much either. If anything they've gone backwards. Their M1 chip is the closest thing to "innovation they have ever done, I'll give them that one.
PRS is a fine instrument. Improved over the years with Paul's obsession for details. Their staff incredibly talented. Just look at that PS in this video, who else makes thsi stuff? I'm not one to go down some of his rabbit holes, and yes it does border on snake oil at times like his recent change of tuner heads. But PRS is the real deal. The have innovated. The are undeniable comparisons to Gibson and Fender, and I think the years they chased that tone aren't their best years. From 2007 and on I feel PRS has come into its own, is its own thing, and is in fact having an impact on the entire industry. Listen, I can go on and on, but if you want to say "it just works" about Apple, I want to scream and throw something at my TV with the decades of examples from Phones, laptops, desktops, everything Apple that doesn't "just work". But PRS....well, it just works and is one of my if not my favorite guitar Brand and I have high end stuff from most brands.
I completely agree on PRSs business practices being much ethical. I was very impressed on how they didn’t fire anyone during the beginning of the pandemic .
They’re really not. That spot is reserved for Gibson.
IF PRS is like Apple I am no longer wondering why I never gravitated to any PRS I have played or held. That and I am a P90 guy and rarely see a P90 PRS. Also never a fan of the superstrat style body either, no matter the maker. More of a ES335 style guy, own 5 instruments in that style, including the original in cherry red. The fancy finishes don't really attract me either. Paying for bling is not my thing. Just give me my Martin OM or D35. Play all day and no plug.......
I got burned by Apple years ago on a device they sold called the Newton. A total piece of garbage, way overpriced and underfeatured. I have despised Apple since that time. No Apple fanboy here. I use a Korean made Kyocera DuraPro, currently on second one in 2 model generations. Bulky with big battery, tough as rocks and waterproof. That Newton experience was in the mid-90s and I have never owned any Apple product since. Never will. One and done.
I think based on what you describe, try to get your hands the PRS Singlecut Satin P90. It was a core model that they built in the 2000s. Satin nitro finish, plain mahogany finish (no bling), tone for days. I have the trem version and its an incredibly nice guitar. I'll try and feature it on the channel one of these days
@@ministryofguitar I have had a P90S Revstar Standard. I love it, considering the MIJ version. Saw one of the single cut PRS you described and tried it, OK but no magic. But the Revstar just melts into my hands and disappears as I play. Not many guitars do that so well for me.