PRS Guitars are some of the most lovely guitars made today. But do they really qualify as modern guitars? Well, the first thing you notice about them is the heavily figured maple top — usually curly, flamed, or quilted maple in some very saturated burst color with a “dipped-in-glass” look. The body shape is great, and epitomizes the compromise between the Strat and Les Paul. The workmanship is top-notch, and the exotic woods available are numerous. Their introduction of limited models, then custom-shop items (called Private Stock) really created the individualized high-end guitar market.
However, if you look at the guitar construction — there is nothing that dramatically distinguishes it from past, traditional instruments. They’ve made strides in getting the CNC production right to increase production and be efficient without a drop in quality, but the actual features of the guitar don’t greatly exceed many competitors. The noticeable advantage they have is the bling factor — the “dipped-in-glass” finish, the color-saturated, highly figured tops, exotic woods, and elaborate inlays which separate it from the pack. If these were completely hand-made (no CNC) with more customization in design and were more rare (there are >5000 Private Stock guitars in the wild), then I could see some justification in the prices (which can easily exceed >$10K). But at that price level, there are many small luthiers building custom instruments which have unique, modern features beyond what’s available from PRS.
These are luxury, custom versions of traditional guitars we’ve seen in the past. They’re modern in terms of aesthetics and production techniques, but not in design or features.
However, if you really love that PRS body shape (I do!), need high bling factor, and have the pocketbook — the Private Stock may be for you. Here’s a sampling of their Private Stock. Just one glance and you may be hooked!
