PRS Guitars is hiring sanders

[cmatthes]

Stike said it best. I have known a number of people who have (and still do) work at the PRS factory. Ceeb also is correct about the promote-from-within philosophy at PRS. There is no escaping the fact that Paul has built a fantastic brand and product in the last 25 years.

Simply put, there IS a considerable amount of top-quality luthiery going on in Stevensville - I have seen it in action plenty of times. What you're missing here is that yes, there is a certain level of "factory" work that goes on, but that stuff is pretty much the rough out and basic work. They could have a lot of those functions machined or subbed out, but some things (like sanding) do still require human touch - helps out the local economy as well.

PRS production is currently many times what the Hamer shop turns out in a year, and to meet those high production goals, they have to take a number of production efficiencies. Cheap sanding labor is one of those, just like using CNC machines. Hamer and most other companies also utilize CNC machines, so that is hardly a bad thing, btw!

At Hamer, pretty much any of the guys have the experence to swap stations or complete a guitar from the ground up. The PRS workers start at sanding and if they manage to stay with the company beyond a few months, they can actually end up doing okay and will learn a lot about the craft/industry. PRS honestly treats their people very well - better in fact, than most of the local (MD Eastern Shore) employers. Sure beats the hell out of agriculture or most of the other opportunities out that way. At $10 an hour for an entry level position, they are probably on par with many other employers in that area, and provide a good path for long-term employment if an individual has the aptitude and the desire to stick with that as a career. They're doing the most basic stuff only. It's also a situation where if you can't handle the drudgery of being the sanding guy (or sanderella), you won't last long as an employee. Everybody has to start somewhere.

I don't see the point in knocking PRS hiring entry-level workers at $10/hr, because it's not like those same $10/hr people are handling any of the finishing, fretting, inlay work, neck carving, electronics, or most of the other stuff that goes on there. The QC in Stevensville is pretty damned good too - they don't get very many returns ever, and if there is the slightest thing out of line on a guitar, ANY employee has the right to question it and send it back down the line or can have something sent to the dreaded bandsaw...even a $10 sanding dude.

Personally, I prefer the thought of the craftsmanship and artisan feel of the Hamer shop v. the factory environment, but both turn out spectacular guitars. Different strokes for different folks maybe, but I really have a hard time thinking of anything bad to say about PRS.

Wow! 30 years ago a $10/hr job could get you a brand new Z28, weekly mullet maintenance, and all the weed you'd need.

On the Eastern Shore, I think that still does the trick!!

[DEMENTED]

It isn't much at $10 an hour and from what I recall the guys in the Hamer shop aren't making much more, even the skilled guys, it's just not the type of career to become wealthy from. I don't make much on the cabinets I build either. Most people don't realise that even with all that hand work and the price that the guitars sell for the employees building them aren't the ones profitting from their sales. Around here you start at $8 pr hr and really good cabinetmakers might get up to $25 after many years. The business owner on the hand does quite well. And yeah, I don't think Frank at Hamer running the CNC to cut the bodies would like being referred to as a "pinhead" which he isn't .

[elduave]

Stike said it best. I have known a number of people who have (and still do) work at the PRS factory. Ceeb also is correct about the promote-from-within philosophy at PRS. There is no escaping the fact that Paul has built a fantastic brand and product in the last 25 years.

Simply put, there IS a considerable amount of top-quality luthiery going on in Stevensville - I have seen it in action plenty of times. What you're missing here is that yes, there is a certain level of "factory" work that goes on, but that stuff is pretty much the rough out and basic work. They could have a lot of those functions machined or subbed out, but some things (like sanding) do still require human touch - helps out the local economy as well.

PRS production is currently many times what the Hamer shop turns out in a year, and to meet those high production goals, they have to take a number of production efficiencies. Cheap sanding labor is one of those, just like using CNC machines. Hamer and most other companies also utilize CNC machines, so that is hardly a bad thing, btw!

At Hamer, pretty much any of the guys have the experence to swap stations or complete a guitar from the ground up. The PRS workers start at sanding and if they manage to stay with the company beyond a few months, they can actually end up doing okay and will learn a lot about the craft/industry. PRS honestly treats their people very well - better in fact, than most of the local (MD Eastern Shore) employers. Sure beats the hell out of agriculture or most of the other opportunities out that way. At $10 an hour for an entry level position, they are probably on par with many other employers in that area, and provide a good path for long-term employment if an individual has the aptitude and the desire to stick with that as a career. They're doing the most basic stuff only. It's also a situation where if you can't handle the drudgery of being the sanding guy (or sanderella), you won't last long as an employee. Everybody has to start somewhere.

I don't see the point in knocking PRS hiring entry-level workers at $10/hr, because it's not like those same $10/hr people are handling any of the finishing, fretting, inlay work, neck carving, electronics, or most of the other stuff that goes on there. The QC in Stevensville is pretty damned good too - they don't get very many returns ever, and if there is the slightest thing out of line on a guitar, ANY employee has the right to question it and send it back down the line or can have something sent to the dreaded bandsaw...even a $10 sanding dude.

Personally, I prefer the thought of the craftsmanship and artisan feel of the Hamer shop v. the factory environment, but both turn out spectacular guitars. Different strokes for different folks maybe, but I really have a hard time thinking of anything bad to say about PRS.

I've been waiting for this reply.

[DavidE]

I played 6 sets this weekend. I played one guitar; a PRS McCarty Trem. Freakin' awesome axe.