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Bye-Bye Fender, Hello PRS (Though It Don't Look Like It To Me)


crunchee

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Hmm. Listened to the vid. Sounds a lot like a Strat. I guess I’m just getting old.  I look at this and say “why do that when everybody and their Dutch uncle has built a copy of that iconic instrument?” Theres a billion or two in circulation so who’s going to buy one? I’m sure they’re well made, but $2000 + isn’t any sort of value for a bolt together guitar. Same goes for Suhr and FCS. I don’t get it.

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Seems like a nice guitar.    I like the idea of those quiet single coils.   I wonder if the neck radius is more F and less G.  The video suggests it is more F.  So maybe this isn't intended to be the strat for the G player.

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Putting the Strat pickup/control layout on the regular PRS shape (maybe with some rounded contours) would have made more sense. At least you wouldn't mistake it for the 30 million other Strat copies out there. And then the 3x3 headstock works.

ETA: Like they did with the SE line:

42_0.jpg

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41 minutes ago, BubbaVO said:

Seems like a nice guitar.    I like the idea of those quiet single coils.   I wonder if the neck radius is more F and less G.  The video suggests it is more F.  So maybe this isn't intended to be the strat for the G player.

Radius is 7.25" though in this video they say the action is low and you can bend without fretting out. 

 

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A buddy of mine went to the PRS factory the other day to pick out the wood for his upcoming Private Stock guitar, and to have some repairs done on a couple of his other PRS’s.  He just happened to be there, hanging out with Paul, when the Silver Sky announcement went out.  He said the response killed their web server.

I’m not a Strat guy, nor a PRS guy, so my opinion matters for naught, but I think this thing is a bit outside PRS’s box, and way to far into Fender territory.  Fail.

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11 hours ago, hamerhead said:

Putting the Strat pickup/control layout on the regular PRS shape (maybe with some rounded contours) would have made more sense. At least you wouldn't mistake it for the 30 million other Strat copies out there. And then the 3x3 headstock works.

ETA: Like they did with the SE line:

42_0.jpg

The SE line was based on the old EG line from PRS, which was awesome. It was both a strat, but unmistakably a PRS.  This new thing is just a crappy knock off.

 

 

IMG_2180_zpsuawgyskw.jpg

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I'd prefer a inline 6 headstock on a Strat.  But I currently own two PRS guitars so I'm sure I could get over the headstock.   I think he said 7.25" radius.  I've never played anything smaller than 9.5", but I'm a little critical of the 7.25" radius.  Other than that if the price was right I might buy one.  I like that silver and white model.

I really like 2001 to 2007 Fender American Standard Strat's and there is an abundance of them.  I like the neck on my 1993 Strat Plus as it's a thicker C Shape.  I mod my Strat's with one TBX tone control and one Seymour Duncan Liberator volume control.  Same control for all pickups and I move them down so I don't bump them, the down side is volume swells are out of the question with this configuration.

I guess for me it does not pay to buy a brand new Strat because by the time I'm done modifying it to my liking I've killed the value of the guitar.  He did not mention price which I'm assuming is around $2,000.  I can buy a lot of used American Standards for that kind of coin.

 

Fender's.JPG

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22 hours ago, hamerhead said:

Putting the Strat pickup/control layout on the regular PRS shape (maybe with some rounded contours) would have made more sense. At least you wouldn't mistake it for the 30 million other Strat copies out there. And then the 3x3 headstock works.

ETA: Like they did with the SE line:

42_0.jpg

Makes more sense than what they did.  Hire this man!

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Somebody posted a pic overlaying the JM on a Strat.  There are minor differences in the body in the cutout areas, and the lower horn is a tad shorter.  Subtle, but different.

The headstock change was at JM's request to accommodate his playing style.

I'm sure I'll play one at some point, but I'm not really a Strat guy, so it's not on my radar right now*.

 

(* - words usually followed by a NGD post.)

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9 hours ago, gtrdaddy said:

 I'm a bit stunned that PRS didn't incorporate a compound radius into this new JM guitar. But then, I suppose it's not Paul calling the shots, but John Mayer. In fact, I think it's safe that we can blame him for this. 

In the video Paul says they tried all different radii but John liked the 7.25" the best.  I think it was an exercise that would've had the same result if they hadn't tried other versions.  I think he just wanted someone else to build him a Strat. 

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Well, judging by what I'm hearing from dealers, there really are a ton of die hard PRS fans who really want a strat. Now they can have their PRS strat.

I'm now more curious to what this "enhanced first fret access" thing has to do with Mayer's playing style. Is he doing first fret pulloffs with his ring finger?

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26 minutes ago, tbonesullivan said:

....I'm now more curious to what this "enhanced first fret access" thing has to do with Mayer's playing style. Is he doing first fret pulloffs with his ring finger?.....

The better question is: Is there anything he CAN'T do? B)

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He's definitely got chops... I've just never heard of anyone except maybe Jerry Donahue with his behind the nut bends, that would really need more access to the peghead while playing.

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1 hour ago, tbonesullivan said:

Well, judging by what I'm hearing from dealers, there really are a ton of die hard PRS fans who really want a strat. Now they can have their PRS strat.

I'm now more curious to what this "enhanced first fret access" thing has to do with Mayer's playing style. Is he doing first fret pulloffs with his ring finger?

I'm curious about that myself.  I'm not familiar enough with his playing style to know what he's doing up in that area.  Johnny Hiland's signature PRS had a little more depth from the strings to the face of the headstock so he could do behind-the-nut bends, but the headstock was the normal shape.  John 5 does it a fair bit on a Tele, but that's a standard headstock as far as I know.

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7 hours ago, jwhitcomb3 said:

Shoddy reporting. It was a trademark case, and the headline refers to copyright.

The writer's misunderstanding about trademark vs. copyright aside, the practical implication is the same - Fender can't do anything about people using that body shape. 

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On 2/9/2018 at 6:12 PM, Ting Ho Dung said:

I don't follow John Meyer. I don't follow PRS. Ting Stamp of Disapproval. 

Same here.

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