Bought My Dream Guitar...It didn't go well! 

I'm starting to think that there is more enjoyment in looking for the next guitar than actually buying it😅

Single guitar person here! I've been playing for 25 years now, and over the years, I've refined my tastes in what I like and don't like in an instrument. In 2021, Richard from Indra Guitar built me a bespoke instrument and I haven't felt the GAS syndrome since. The more I look at it, the more I feel like the electric guitar is the just interface. Now that I have one that looks good and plays extremely well for my personal tastes, I don't feel like I need another one, ever. If I need to change my sound, I would more likely change my pedalboard. To make an analogy, the guitar is the mouse/keyboard, the pedals and amps are the software. I only own one mouse and keyboard, but I use multiple software according to my needs and what I'm trying achieve.

The PRS core line has developed so much since this edition. That doesn't mean you'll like a newer one any better but they are different and don't have the same issues. I have a Custom 22 with the pattern regular neck carve - best neck shape for me personally. There are so many variations out there.

Almost two years have gone by since I used everything I learned watching you to build my own guitar. I haven't seriously played another instrument since. When I do, they feel sterile and the necks are weird. Maybe my neck is weird, definitely not a standard shape, but it is by far the most comfortable neck I have ever grasped. When I carved it, I carved it to fit my hand. The only GAS I've had has been to build another with a few refinements from the original and a different body style. I still have six other guitars that sit in their cases and only get pulled out to remind me why I like the one I made so much. This was the first, and so far the only guitar I have made. Yesterday I purchased two truss rods and a few more tools. I have been itching to build again since I finished the last. I got some incredible rosewood and Paduak sp? to make fretboards, enough for three... Here we go!

I got a -91 PRS Standard 24. I just love it. It’s been in the family from new. Hundreds of gigs. Nothing has been repared, just new string now and then, and some cleaning. Not even truss rod hasn’t been adjusted. There’s never been no need. It just works, and is always in tune. And feels and sounds amazing. Going to keep it for another 30 years.

It's odd isn't it? I acquired a PRS core Mira about 6 months ago, the honestly wasn't my dream guitar in any way, and I wasn't particularly drawn to PRS before, but this guitar has become my new #1. You can never tell.

It's all about the inspiration you feel when it's in your hands. There's no feeling like being inspired by a new Guitar, you play better, for longer, and what you play has more effect on you. It's magic. I also think it's only partly about the guitar itself, often it's how your mind shapes the experience for you and if your experience isn't fully positive, you pick holes in everything and subsequently feel little to no inspiration. All you can do is move on and get something else.

When I was about 15 years old, I saw an ad in a guitar magazine showing Paul Stanley holding one of his Ibanez PS signature guitars. The cream and abalone binding around the glossy black paint, the pearl/abalone inlays, the chrome hardware, and that crazy yet beautiful Iceman body shape... I fell in love. I couldn't afford one though, so it just remained a dream. He left Ibanez for Washburn in the late 90s, and I never really thought of it much after that. Fast forward to 2015 and I walked into a local guitar shop. Hanging on the wall was my dream guitar, albeit a newer version as he had just returned to Ibanez. All those feelings came rushing back and I bought it after only playing it for a few minutes. I still have it, but, it's the guitar I play the least. I never really bonded with it, sadly. It's not a bad guitar at all, as it plays well and it's quite comfortable to play sitting down. But it's just not for me. I don't have the heart to get rid of it because I feel like I bought that for my younger self, so there it remains on the wall behind me, next to guitars that I play far more frequently. Perhaps one day I will let it go.

You’re speaking my language brother. On the acoustic scene. Been drooling over a Taylor K22ce V-Class for years. Finally pulled the trigger - spending 3x more than I ever have on a guitar in the last 25 years. Nearly cried when I opened it - so gorgeous. Spent the next few months wondering if something was wrong with ME! Sweetwater saved my life and allowed an exchange well outside the standard window.

I bought a 1998 PRS all mohogany body, standard. It's been my work horse ever since. It gave me more than I needed from the start. I've grown as a player, and my comprehension of what I like/dislike in a guitar has too. I still love my PRS but I completely understand realizing your tastes develop over time. I think that's why PRS continues to develop and refine what they do. We all do its a part of growing. That guitar is a snapshot in time of the PRS journey, which is still going. Thanks for sharing!

I am a one guitar guy. I’m the same with motorcycles. Been playing bass and guitar since I was 15, and now I’m 47. Had a precision copy, bass collection, GS1, Yamaha sg200, fender prodigy( still have it) Spector 6 string bass, and my latest one is my old beloved Gould surfrider bass that I converted into a Baritone. Had to give up bass due to a failed back operation and due to being disabled and off work, couldn’t afford a baritone for my band. (Drop A, the fender just couldn’t cope) and I’m absolutely sunned and amazed that it made an absolutely fantastic guitar. I think because the Gould was my number one bass for over 20 years, I recognise the feel. So if I were to get another instrument, it would be a backup for this. I keep looking at short scale basses to convert now though, this has given me the confidence to have another go. Epiphone eb0 might be the next victim.

So funny I ran across this video. I just put a guitar up on Reverb I bought a few days ago. It was something I had been coveting for 2 years and when it was finally in my hands I just knew I didn't love it, and I wouldn't ever love it. Perfect instrument not a flaw on it, I had just built it up in my mind that this was going to be 'the one'. I've been a 'serial guitar buyer' for the last few years and now I am also looking for just one or two guitars for life. Found one, still searching for the second. I always enjoy your videos sir. Thanks for doing what you do!

I did the same with a 2018 Paul Reed Smith Santana, played probably 25 hours on it and sold it. The guitars that I owned and made me sing were a 1966 Gibson 335 Trapeze & rectangular markers, my 1969 Fender Stratocaster Arctic White with maple neck, an 1996 Epiphone Emperor Joe Pass Signature and my baby for the moment is a Univox Matsumoku made 1959 Les Paul JR Special (Dual Dog Ears P90) that I bought for $100.00 CDN ($75.00 US). At one point, I had 18 guitars and sold 12 of those I would cherish for their legendary shapes, colors and beauty and kept those that I was one with.

Maaaaan I’m so with you. Dreamt years to buy one, got a fantastic looking and playing 408, and sold few months after buying it.

What a topic! Haha! I made my first guitar 12 years ago that I designed to do more or less everything I wanted. I love that thing and it's my number one for sure. That comes with two problems: 1) It's not perfect. The neck is bought and not made so I'd actually like to have something more custom to my taste, but the current neck does feel good and thus is part of why I love that guitar. I'd like a little more output from the pickups and they look ugly, but the sound fantastic so I don't wanna change either. The oak body is absurdly heavy but again: It sounds so good I don't want to change it. 2) I still own around 50 guitars or so because I like so many different guitar styles and sounds. Steelstrings, nylonstrings, 12-strings, sitar-saddles, strange pickups, Nashville tuning, different constructions, 7-strings, etc. All flavors I do use very often and although I have my number one and I could live with only having that one, I would thoroughly miss all the others. Another problem I have is that while I'm a better builder now my first guitar is still the best playing and sounding one. I can't seem to top it (yet)! I'm still trying though...

I'm so glad you've posted this video, I was becoming really concerned with my need to buy "just one more guitar", I thought I was alone and now I know there's more of us out there, thank you so much. 😆

Hey Ben. Years ago I - like you - obsessed for quite some time over the sheer beauty of PRS. I eventually pulled the trigger and bought a PRS SE custom 24 (30th anniversary edition). Its has a beautiful figured maple top in a kind of orange burst. It's stunning. But when it arrived and began to play it... Same exact thing, I am not in love with it. It doesn't sound or feel like I had expected or hoped for. I forced myself to give it some time to see if it would grow on me.... though it never did. I even attempted to trade it in at Guitar Center once but they offered me only a fraction of what I had initially paid. So now it sits, a beautiful wall piece that rarely gets played... Part of why I got interested in making my own.

i went through this last year. my obsession with Tool, had gotten me fascinated with finally owning a Les Paul. I was looking at images on the internet, watching videos of Adam playing, and reading and watching reviews. until one day, I went to guitar center, to play a few. within one minute of sitting down with one, all of that I had buiilt up in my mind, was gone. I immediately returned to being a teenager, and the first time I tried to play a Les Paul. I never liked the ergonomics of them, the weight, the bridge so high off the body, and on and on. I will confess that the Dragon 1 has been a dream guitar, since its release. however, this was based upon experience. I was lucky enough to have played one, and that was my first exposure to PRS guitars.

Every prs that pass in my shop I feel the same, stunning craftsmanship, beautiful solutions for all the problems, the mix of materials to make all the hardware is fantastic. But I aways feel like “that’s a perfect guitar to look, but not for me to play”

It's not weird what happened to you. Sometimes the same thing happens with people (hence the advice "don't meet your idols"). In any case, come across new instruments, or build them; It's always a good thing, because it changes our perspectives. I make guitars as a hobby. I always thought that Gibson manufactured with better quality and design than Fender. I had to make a Les Paul and a Telecaster with my own hands, to realize the genius of Leo Fender to simplify shapes and processes; and in any case deliver instruments with which epic songs have been made. Thanks for the channel. Thank you for your videos and teachings. Greetings from Argentina.

Same here, I LOVE how slick PRS necks are, but that lack of soul rumor hangs around for a reason

For me, I have a fleet of guitars precisely because they are different. You approach how you play them entirely differently. I've had guitars that didn't do everything I wanted them to, but that's OK, there's another one that does.

You're right about those older tuners. They are pain. I've played many PRS's over the years. I finally found the one - a core 594 SC. It was by chance - as the store manager showed it to me and initially I did not like the color, but when I played it I knew. Only change I made was swapping out the bridge pup for a 57/08. Love this guitar!

I’ve had the same guitar since 1989, sort of. As of a few weeks ago the only original part of it is the body. I just installed a new neck with a 54mm nut, fulfilling a desire I’ve had for as long as I’ve played electric. I’m not sure I really count as “being happy with one guitar” given all the modifications I’ve done. But my desire is to have a single instrument that does what I want it to and no production model has all those things. I am very, very close to being finished with adding new neck. I think. There’s nothing in how I play and the music that I create that I can’t achieve now. There are little details to improve like a better nut but the broad strokes are finally all there. And it feels great. Seriously. For the first time in decades I’m not thinking “I really wish my guitar did this” and/or “how the hell will I play that” and so on. It makes me really, really happy to be so close to just getting on with playing after thinking about the instrument for so long. Will I someday have another desire for a thing that my guitar won’t do in its current form? Maybe. But I’m 56 and give how long I’ve been thinking about it all that seems unlikely. Anyway the details amuse the guitar nerds and annoy the purists. It started life as Tokai Strat copy. I went through a phase of making it as “versatile” as possible (installed Craig Anderton’s switching system to get all the possible pickup combinations in series and parallel for instance). But now I’ve honed my needs down and it’s much simpler. A single Seymour Duncan Coolrails in the neck position. Three way switch that engages two separate trim pots set to different values. I really only use one of those settings but I thought I’d future proof it a bit. The bridge is a Hipshot Trilogy. Each string has a lever that gives it three tunings with a quick flip. I play finger style with unusual chord voicings so it comes in handy when the stretch for a note is a bit much. I put a new route under the scratch plate and installed an acoustic stompbox driver. I do live looping and wanted some basic percussion sounds without doing the circus act of picking up and putting down instruments. I put two holes in the aluminium guard I made and installed cut down plastic water valves with spring returns. One pushes the driver diaphragm for “thumps” and the other taps a metal surround for “tacks”. The signal runs out to a trs jack. There’s a Virtual Jeff digital whammy that I took the regular arm off of and installed a bit of wood dowel pointing up. The Trilogy is too long to put the Jeff behind so you can operate it like a regular whammy bar. My solution is to move the dowel back and forth with the heel of my hand. And of course the wide neck. I started in Classical guitar and never liked how skinny electric necks are near the nut. Only 2 songs of mine have parts fretted bellow the fifth fret. This new neck is so very comfortable that I was honesty angry I hadn’t made that change sooner. Finally I moved the front strap button to a new hole I put on the neck plate and added an aluminium extension off the back the top right part of the body for the other button. I made a cardboard model to figure out how to get it to hang perfectly and later discovered that my solution puts the strap attachment points in very similar places in relation to my body as a Klein ergonomic guitar. Anyway, I have one guitar and no desire for another but clearly I’m a freak, or at least that’s how most guitarists treat me when I try to explain my instrument. 🤣

Ive played many prs over a 20 year period. Custom 22’s, custom 24’s, high end private stocks, McCarty, single cuts, double cuts, many types of exotic woods etc etc. None fit the bill. And then, I discovered the DGT and it was an instant connection. Everything I thought a prs should be, the DGT is IMO of course. It’s truly the best guitar I’ve ever played hands down. I play it constantly. The most addicting, most playable guitar I’ve ever owned. Absolutely magic every time I pick it up. To find a prince, you must kiss many frogs. Buying 1 and taking your chances that this is it and that all guitars “prs” are all things aside created equal is a bit naive. I’m so grateful that I found in prs what countless others have and what has made prs one of the best guitars ever created.

I totally get it. I bought a core 594 single cut after wanting it for ages. I got it and it was beautiful. Fit and finish, impeccable. I just couldn't fall in love with it. I bough an ESP eii and it's a forever guitar.

The way the intro led into your montage intro had me worried from the start. "This WAS my dream guitar....burn it."

I'm happy with one (electric) guitar. I've reached guitar monogamy. I played in bands, wrote music for people, recorded a bit. And I did find use for a total of three guitars back then. Had three basses as well. Now... I just play at home for pleasure and I'm happy with one. I have a telecaster made from Warmoth parts. Standard Tele bridge and Neck pickups and a strat pick up in the middle (Nashville style) and threw a freeway 10-way switch in for fun. I've always loved single coil sounds. The funny switch can give me three humbucker type tones for when I do fancy going that way. None of them are "genuine" classic humbucker tones but they get me close enough to have fun with. I thought I did lust after another guitar, a Music Man Stingray RS. One actually came up second hand at a crazy good price and I didn't spring for it. I missed out on an original 70s model back in the 90s when I had no money... it was the one that got away. And even when the modern one came up... I could let it go. Classical musicians... they are drilled from day one that it's all about the music. This is the way it ought to be IMHO. The reverence given to guitars is a distraction. Remember Clapton probably only picked up a Les Paul back when he did as they were cheap at the time and were mostly out of favour. I am buying prize draw tickets on the dailyguitardraw.. because... we often holiday in Dorset and I want to go somewhere other than pub, museum or beach on time that we're down there... I suppose if I end up with another guitar I'll enjoy it. But I do not lust for one. I have a Tele that I assembled to my specification. Any other guitar would be a compromise.

I just wish I could afford to fix the first electric guitar I ever bought with my own money. I was 17 and picked up a brand new 1991 Epiphone Les Paul. It was your basic $300 model ($664 USD today) and nothing special but to me I loved how much it reminded me of Randy Rhoads & Zakk Wylde's main guitars. I had it all the way until 2007 when the headstock broke. I haven't been able to get it repaired since. All I have left of it is the body, really. I know I could get another guitar, maybe one a bit cheaper but my dream is to get it repaired and play it again. It holds a lot of memories for me.

I felt this pain last year. ESP Custom Eclipse was sold in under a year from purchase. What an amazing guitar it was, but I just couldn't get comfortable with the feel of playing it. I sold it for very-very low price to a young ripper that wouldn't have been able to afford such a guitar for a long time. His smile and holding back of tears made said pain immediately vanish.

Funnily enough I have my dream guitar, the one for me! It's a PRS hollowbody 2 and I am rapidly wearing it out; in fact I expect I'll be bringing it to you to to sort out the trenches in the frets! You my too fall in love with it, who knows!

I’m about in the same boat. I’m a bass player, and for 20 years I wanted a Fender American Deluxe Precision V. I finally found one at a price I could afford, and at first I was over the moon. Over time, though, the honeymoon phase ended and I started to see how it doesn’t quite seem right for me. I’ve tried different types of strings, tried it for different types of music, and while it is a very nice instrument, it’s not quite what I had built it up in my head to be. I think I’m about to sell it, but they’re not in production anymore and I’m worried about the regret setting in if I do let it go.

I totally understand, the concepts of building up something in your mind. And if not meeting your expectations when you finally get it. Which is probably why I’m not completed my concept guitar. Sincerely, your fellow luthier.

My wife bought me a Suhr MK1 in amber with a carved top, it's literally the nicest carve I've ever seen, as soon as I held the guitar it felt like I'd owned it for years, since that point I've hardly played any of my other guitars. When you know you know. Great channel.

The One guitar for me was my first electric. A Squier Stagemaster, it just feels good instantly. Like a glove. Doesn't stop me from getting more though. Found a London City comet that I fell in love with, that has almost the same effect. Finding one guitar that you like doesn't mean you can't keep collecting them and finding more guitars that really vibe with you.

It is for this exact reason that I am afraid to finally play my dream PRS. A PRS Tremonti. Every time I go to the guitar store it is always a story of "literally sold our last one yesterday" or "a guy just bought our last one 30 minutes ago". It's like owning a unicorn, the fantasy is more than the reality. I will get one at some point, but damn are they expensive!

Had 3 prs guitars.. on my 4th an sc58. Want to love them but always end up back at my telecaster. Totally agree with you.. different guitars speak to different people. Awesome video.

Ultimately it comes down to the individual instrument. I had a PRS custom 24 about 10 years ago that I similarly disliked - it was less than the sum of its parts. I wrote off PRS as a brand, as it was my first experience of owning one, and I was disappointed after thinking they are the GOAT brand. Fast forward to last year, and I happened to play a pre owned custom 24 in a local shop, fell in love, bought it, and now even my main strat is a PRS Silver Sky!

I’ve owned 2 PRS guitars: a 1985 Standard (22 frets, all mahogany body, solid foam green), which I still own, and a 2001 McCarty w/Indian rosewood neck, which I sold about 5 years ago. I bought both as brand new. The Standard is from the 1st year of production, built in the original small factory, mostly hand made (before heavy use of CNC machines). It was probably from the first run of guitars they built after receiving lots of dealer orders at the very first NAMM show for PRS. Despite issues with the locking tuners and no tone control (only the sweet switch) it plays great and sounds very good. It feels like a well-crafted guitar. The McCarty however was a real disappointment. Notes thinned out and had little sustain past the 12th fret. It refused to intonate properly, even with a replacement stoptail bridge with adjustable saddles. Notes had a hard, brittle attack and pickup swaps didn’t help. The longer neck heal was uncomfortable. I didn’t like the 10” fretboard radius ( I much prefer 12”). Eventually I admitted to myself this McCarty was a failure and didn’t live up to the hype as a pro level musical instrument. It was decidedly UN-musical and I’ve never regretted selling it.

My cello is an old German church cello, about 150 years old. There is a hole on the back of the scroll so people could hang it around their necks, and then walk and play at the same time, because they needed to process around the church. This damages the value of the cello, but it is still significantly valuable. You could offer me a cello worth 5 times more in exchange and I doubt I’d take it. That instrument is in my soul, forever. I’ve now built 4 guitars. The last one, finally, I didn’t refer to any of your (or anyone elses) videos, I just thought it through and did it all. I need one more guitar, a pure single coil model, and then I’m done. However, I am detouring via making a violin before that. I sourced some beautiful englemann spruce and a stunning maple back and sides that has consumed me. I am letting the spruce overwinter here and it is on in spring. Anyhow, long story short. I love the guitars I’ve made. I think two, or maybe three of them are legitimately, properly good. I much prefer them to other guitars I know or own. They aren’t saleable. My finishing skills are a weak point, but I mean from a players perspective. But none of them hold a candle to the relationship I have with my cello. I don’t know why this is. Maybe I am aware of the faults in my guitars. But I am also aware of faults in my cello. The ‘action’ and therefore string tension is too high, I would argue, significantly. The pegs need replacing and that is not entirely straightforward as I think the peg holes are not ideal - and who wants to recut peg holes on an antique cello with an already ‘compromised’ scroll? I don’t trust the glue and have had to get a buzz repaired recently where the top was starting to detach. But I have a relationship with that specific instrument. I put the most expensive strings on it and it sings, far more than it is meant to at it’s value. I learnt how to force it around a tricky wolf note tendency. I trust the instrument utterly. Whatever I have reasonably needed it to do, it has done.

My whole reason getting into building guitars was the wish to play as many different guitars as possible to find my dream guitar. After having built a few I realized that there won't be a single dream guitar for me. The journey of birthing them however turned out was the actual dream I followed without realizing at first :-) let there be sawdust Thank you Bun and team for being great guides along my journey

Ive owned two custom 24, and were great however watching Crimson videos led to constructing a workshop and building a ‘Es295’. There is nothing finer than a guitar you built yourself for you!

'If you know how many guitars you own, it's not enough'! I've written a list of 19, but I think I may have missed a couple! GAS indeed!

I’ve got 5 PRS guitars, and honestly love every single one. I do understand though that it’s all subjective. This was very well done, Ben. You pointed out what you liked, and were honest with your critiques without ever presenting these critiques as objective facts.

I've got a blood red 1993-ish Carvin X220 which I got as a teenager, second-hand, after playing a Squier Strat for a while. I have never forgotten getting it home and just playing everything I knew on it, for about 3 hours. It was a transformative instrument, it just made me play so much better than I thought I could. I've still got it 28 years later. I never even thought about selling it even through 15 years of alcoholism, even when I really needed the money. It's mine, dammit. And it's a mental shape, it's uncomfortable to play on the knee and it has to have a washer on the strap nut to stop it falling on the floor, it's heavy as hell and it's a pig to string because it's got an old skool Floyd Rose on it. But it's metal as f*** and I love it. Guess I was just lucky to find it and fall in love with it early on. I still cheat on it sometimes with an LP, though. I just don't think there's anything else out there, no matter how customised, that could replace it for me.

The Guitars I love are the ones I have put myself into. For context I am a run a repair shop. My first fav guitar is an ibanez SA series, I got it when i was 15 and was never afraid to tinker until it was mine, it's been thrashed and I love it. My partscaster telecaster is another favourite, a vintage harmony that I X braced is possibly my desert island guitar, and my strat which I resprayed and refretted with stainless steel. I never 'loved' those guitars before working on them, but afterwards, now they're inseperable to me.

I'm so sorry to hear that you don't love that PRS! But I totally understand. Sometimes you just build a guitar up in your mind so much that when you get it, it can't possibly live up to the expectation. I'm a giant PRS fan. I own an SE Custom 24 from 2020 and it's an unbelievably amazing guitar. Now, I have swapped out many of the imported parts for the Maryland-made components, and added a couple of my own modifications, but right away, it was perfect for me. I still dream of getting one of the Core Custom 24s, but I absolutely love my SE. The modifications I've made to my SE Custom 24 are as follows: PRS locking tuners Maryland-made PRS 85/15 pickups PRS 5-way super switch Mann Made USA PRS tremolo assembly (John Mann was the designer and manufacturer of the original PRS tremolo system) Fender coated tremolo springs Push/push tone potentiometer (In my opinion, the push/push pots are infinitely better than the push/pull pots. Especially if your control knobs are particularly slick) Orange Drop Capacitors Dunlop Strap Locks I also had the frets Plek'd. The fretwork was amazing to start, but I was very curious about the Plek'd system and it lives up to the hype in my opinion. I've been thinking about sanding off the finish on the neck, but I haven't convinced myself that I need to do that yet.

You've made some fascinating points in this video Ben! The one thing that I might add, is that PRS have evolved past almost all of the things you criticised in this video. That Crimson Scion is stunning! A fair comparison would have been a PRS wood library, not a 1997 Standard!

Perfectly understandable if it's not for you. PRS have fantastic build quality, they're great guitars, but they have a style, they feel and sound a certain way and that's not what everyone wants. For me, when I first picked up my S2 Custom 24 it was perfection. I wasn't sure if I would like it, it had a rounder radius than most guitars I own, a very different neck profile, a different scale length to what I'm used to, but for me all of those things came together to add up to a great playing guitar. It's reliable, it has the best trem I've ever used, the best volume/tone pots, and the pickups and tuners are as good as anything I've ever used. Even so, I could completely understand someone else disliking it. Different strokes for different folks. Think it's worth saying that's a much older PRS though, and a lot of the features you complained about have changed subsequently for exactly the reasons you pointed out. PRS actually moves on where a lot of guitar companies don't, which is admirable.

I think this is an exercise in object relations. I've been through all sorts of feelings after buying my SG and eventually after 3 years (after putting on some open pick up covers and changing the knobs) I've come to know and appreciate it. It's not perfect, but then nothing is.

I’ve had about 30 guitars over the past 15 or so years, but for the past 10 one of those has remained constant whilst a few others have rotated out. It’s a Lindo LDG-7x with upgraded hardware and a Seymour Duncan Nazgul sentient set. It does everything I need for a gigging and recording guitar. Versatile tone, stable tuning, intonation and action that fits me well. It doesn’t have all the frills I’ve had on some of the others, with Floyd roses, locking tuners, graphite nuts, but it’s a workhorse guitar that feels great to play and I keep going back to over any of my others.

Had the same experience, wanted a Custom 24 for many years, finally bought one, and it just never became “my” guitar. It was beautiful, it was incredible made and it sounded good, but had the same experience as you, just not for me (I also hated the locking tuners 😂). So, I sold it and got a Fender Telemaster and absolutely love it.

This comment speaks to the idea on one guitar vs multiple guitars. As an acoustic player the load limit in our touring car is one guitar (I have to leave room for my partner's Celtic harp and a box of fiddles and flutes) I play 12-string guitars, one tuned down two semitones and the other tuned down five semitones. For a long time I contemplated building a 14-string to cover the whole range. I did, and it does what I hoped it would (mostly) Is it my perfect guitar. No, I'm already thinking about the next one. (I do have nine other acoustic guitars in the studio. They don't leave home very often)

after owning several bass guitars over the years and even fully customized myself an old squier bass to my taste, I figured it out that my end goal was quite simple - I like certain shapes, certain sounds, a certain feel in use and all of these spread over 3 variants: 4 strings, 5 strings and 6 strings today, 15 years later from that moment and about 8 years of not playing a bass guitar at all, my goal is 2/3 complete :) the 4 strings bass was the 1st made, initially as a custom shop order for a warwick corvette $$ model (precision+humbucker pickups), which later was modified at a luthier that I know (and like his work) to replace the fretboard with a fretless ebony piece and added perl iron cross inlays - with thomastik flat wounds and drop C tuning, I still like this guitar the same as when the fretless conversion was completed the 5 string bass was easier to do, its also a warwick corvette $$, but with with 2 humbucker pickups, I kept this one fretted and only modified the electronics a bit - with the same thomastik flat wounds in standard tuning, it's a joy to play almost any type of music the 6 strings bass will be the future project and last one - I'm certain it will be a musicman bongo, 2 humbuckers and fretless ebony fretboard ... maybe with some small changes at a luthier if I don't like or are not available all the details that I care about as the factory options

Bought my son a Pacifica when he was young. He never got into it so I took it over and love it. Have no desire to purchase another. Was gifted one, couldn't even tell you model, has split coil... But that Pacifica just fits me perfectly. Would purchase a acoustasonic solely for convenience for church and not having to switch from acoustic to electric.

I have an esp ltd f10 that ive had around 12 year, i routed the body for a floyd bridge, upgraded the pickups and i love it, the other six guitars were sold as they just never got played

In my guitar journey I started by playing a friend and family acoustic, got the bug for the strung instrument and got to try a friends electric before I was purchasing. First personally owned instrument was a red and white Fender Squire Strat with Frontman 15G package (I plan to cut the power head off the cab and make a mini stack head out of it, will include some pedal circuits and controls on the face for built in effects and a loop in the back). Got good fast, was upgraded to a Burgundy metal flake Cort X6 with floyd rose floating trem and a Kustom DFX-30 amp. Learned a lot about how they're made and whats important and got into classical to understand fundamentals and history, enter the Beaver Creek single cut nylon. Shortly afterwards I enjoyed the shorter scale length and grabbed myself the "most capable" do everything guitar, A Epiphone Nightfall arch top les paul with EMG hz passive pickups, floating floyd rose double locking system, coil taps, its heavy, thick, and perfect. Paired that with the Behringer GMX212 amp and I haven't had a need to go bigger. Then I got the impulse for a round back acoustic Ovation, and I got one, and its got electronics and side mounted tuner/eq interface and its great, the sound is amazing, but its a bit of a finger biter, I could probably adjust the action slightly but back then I wouldn't. I gave it a headstock rash one adventurous night and have fear of hurting it further so it stays home safe. Stepped into a pawn shop and got a discount on a chip and scratch older Jackson Dinky with the same EMG hz pickups in it as my Ephiphone Nightfall and solid tail string thru body but you can see in the finish's reflection the wings of the body glued onto a neck thru piece with the smoothest heel area. Its almost a soloist, almost. I fixed the chip and scratch finish, the wiring, and it had foil in the output socket, its great and is the flattest fastest shredding machine I have. My friend got himself a (with the U ) Gibsun from China and it was short scale 7/8 size but 22 frets and it would bend strings forever and was gentle on the fingers. With the want for a travel acoustic for campfire and nephews, I found the Enya Nova Go and grabbed the electronic-less version and am SUPER impressed with how nice it plays. It did require a setup for bridge height but the shorter scale and 0 fret makes the tension and action so low that it feels easier to fret and play than my Epiphone Nightfall electric guitar. I still have all of them. I'm still on the first set of strings for the Enya but it will go everywhere without fear, Have had years on the Epiphone and its my baby and its dirty, would switch off to the Jackson for alternative tuning and that double stop with bend root note stability, played more metal on a classical than anyone should, bust out the Ovation whenever the power goes out or previously camping/outdoor hangouts, and have resigned the Cort, Beaver Creek, and Squire to the rack for the up and coming fam if they show interest. I had always wanted a floating bridge headless travel guitar tho. A one piece stick with string clamped neckstock plate, all the tension and tuning done at the bridge, no keys or tools required would be nice (knurled thumb screws, bridge spring tension adjustment wheel, cam locking string anchors, truss rod wheel beside bridge pickup behind fretboard), 2 pickups (possibly blind behind the very small Top, limited option to make it look good), and a small rod attached body outer (knee/arm/strap button/double neck 12 or bass) if wanted. Kind of like a wingless Hohner G2. Hardware was always the issue with that idea. Nobody had it, and if they did sell something that would work, it would be waiting lists and nearly $1000.

I just wish I could find that one guitar that I can just love and bond with as a musical instrument. All the guitars I've ever had have been working spanners.

I get this completely. I absolutely craved a fender jaguar which I bought a Japanese re-issue with my first job. I couldn’t get on with the thin sound of it and was so disappointed. I also bought a lovely vintage 335 which I realised I was too scared to really enjoy playing, but I was so pleased to discover that the one guitar I’ve listed after all my life, the gretsch white falcon turned out to be the most amazing guitar that was more Versatile than I could have imagined.

I have been playing the same 1970 Les Paul for 35 years live. I've bought and sold others, restored others and sold them etc. no matter what if I'm playing rock music I always end up back with my Les Paul, I tried to retire it from live performances, but I can't it just feels right. If I'm playing traditional country stuff I exclusively use my Gretsch Historic Series G3520, I have a G3523 which s the same guitar but with a natural finish and I never use it. I owned a Martin and sold it. Nothing compares to that particular Gretsch. I own lots of guitars, including a 95 American Strat, I just never use them because the Les Paul and the Gretsch just feel and sound absolutely perfect.

Great vid. Hated my first PRS, didn't play another for years. Now I own several - love them all. Still, my Strat is #1 just for comfort. The guitar I lusted after as a kid was a Les Paul. Now I find them clunky and uncomfortable to play sitting down. There is no one guitar to rule them all. You don't need to be a guitar monogomist!

What I found is, that... the journey is often more enjoyable than the "destination" Right now my setup is very "streamlines" as it were, I play metal, and I use my Ibanez RGD 7 string with Fishmans, into my Line 6 Helix into my Engl Steve Morse amp, into a Mesa 2x12, I have all the tones I need, and more than all the effects I could ever need, still the other day I thought about building a pedalboard because I miss collecting pedals a little bit 😂 That idea just got shut down in my head because in order to do the multiple effects and midi channel switching that I do with my Helix, would set me back way too much money 😂 But I do miss it. And still on my Helix, I swap effects from time to time to try different stuff haha

My assortment of go to guitars was honed in the 70s. Part time session man. Everything from car jingles to holiday music and so on. I've been really lucky as all my instruments or pawn shop refugees. A L.P...strat..tele and a es335. Are they modded? Sure. I made them play and sound to my specs. If you want a guitar that feels like your favorite pair of old faded blue jeans you gotta tweak it to your style

Ben, with you all the way. THREE TIMES I've walked into a Gibson franchise. Money in my pocket, and a head full of Jimmy Page and Peter Green. But every time, I pick up a Gibson electric, the magic dies. I look at Fenders: Teles and strats. Bolt-on necks and string-trees. I hate the idea. Where's the craftmanship? But damn! they feel so right! As Danny Gatton once told a scornful Les Paul, "It just fits my hand, man"

I can relate to the video. I was floored/enamored by those first PRS ads in the '80s. Love everything about the factory tours and custom paint, etc. Then I played it and was simply not inspired. Never did buy one.

I know exactly what you mean. I own a 7-string PRS and it's incredible beautiful, sounds amazing and heavy as it should. After several years of wishing to own one i do since round about 2 years, but since the first time of taking it in my hand, it does not fit to me though i am used to 7 strings in general. But i would not give it away after all, it is simply too beautiful and well crafted.

When I bought a semi-hollow body guitar, I went through probably 10-15 guitars of the same make and model until I found the one that "talked" to me. It's not just the design, maker or other objective thing. If a guitar speaks to you and you feel that it's something special, then it is YOUR guitar. But, every style guitar has a place in a person's personal collection. I have my favorites, but when I'm in the mood for something different, I pull out one of the Line 6 Variax guitars I have and play with the workbench to design what I feel at that time.

As a teenager growing up in the 80s, I dreamed of owning a prs. Skip forward to 2003, my wife came into some money and offered to buy me any guitar. I chose a prs ce22. After spending weeks on the phone to various dealers (Internet was In its infancy back then) I found my dream guitar. It cost £1500.00. I'll never forget the disappointment of playing that guitar for the first time. I don't know what I was expecting, but it just felt like any guitar I'd ever held in my hands. I hated the rotary switch so changed that immediately for a push pull set up. After a couple of years the locking tuners packed up. Prs wanted so much money to replace the shaftt in the tuners, I fitted a set of sperzal tuners to save money. I've since replaced the dragon 2 pickups for bare knuckle mules. I did grow to love the guitar, and it's been by my side for 20 years. But I love my washburn bt1o just as much, it's been with me for longer and cost a 3rd of the price. It is what it is, if it works for you it works. No matter the cost. I'm so relieved that an expert such as yourself has the same weakness for design and beauty over feel and playability as I did all those years ago. I must say though, after 20 years my prs is still with me, many, many guitars have come and gone. Possibly, because it was a gift from my wife?

Similar reaction to a PRS SE Custom Quilt 24, I traded it for a SE Hollowbody II and absolutely love it. Fatter neck, knobs in a better position, Ebony board, 22 frets and 58/15 pups give it a much improved tone, top notch quality. Only drawback is no trem. Its super comfortable and inspiring.

I have a custom 24, bought it last year as I had wanted one for 20 years. I love it, it feels like it’s mine.

Once you have build guitars and put your heart and soul into it, no off-the-shelf guitar will evoke the same emotions than the "homemade" build.

The "One" instrument is the Tele! (Love the video Ben.) (Beautiful sunburst finish on that guitar, compliments to the finish guy.)

I've managed to find this in my Fender 70s Hot Rod Jazz bass - it's the only one I reach for and the only bass related GAS I get is towards a short scale Mustang bass - purely because I'm a massive Mustang fan. However guitar wise I couldn't whittle myself down to one really nice guitar. I still have my dream 69-74 Fender Red Competition Mustang in my head, but I couldn't just stick with one because as you touched upon, I need different things for different scenarios. I have come across guitars that really work for me though, and I'm happy with what I have currently (just happen to have an MIJ Competition Mustang that scratches THAT itch).

It's funny, after my first, I went on a journey acquiring many different shapes, to find, "my guitar". I recreantly discovered that my original guitar shape is the one for me. It only took me 14 years to figure that out.

I ended up with a Peavey Predator as my first guitar when I was 13 (I'm 45 now) and it took a long time for me to appreciate it as a unique instrument. At the time, it felt 'not quite like a strat' and I lusted over 'real' strats, and teles, les pauls, etc. But now that I've played a few other guitars, I feel like I can appreciate it more. It sounds somewhat unique, its bigger, its kind of scrappy. Its a forever guitar. Funny how the limitations you have to accept when you are younger become a part of you, and later in life you wouldn't trade them for anything.

Same. Got a PRS as a present. Played it in a band for years because it was my best guitar but I never loved it. My true love is a partscaster that took 20 years to finalize.

I’ve recently delved into the magical/grotesk world of ’the relic’ which automatically leads to the unavoidable debate. Long story short, I have come to the realization that it is ALL about inspiration and that is a very personal thing. Price has very little to do with it, if it inspires you and you can afford it (or usually just not) you buy it or build it. Musicians, pros and newbies alike, need inspiration to make music. The way a guitar looks, feels, sounds (even it’s history) can inspire. I feel alright that my current project is going to end up being a faded surf green heavy relic with a flamed roasted maple neck 😊.

I had the same outcome many times over the last few years. Charvels, Jacksons, etc. Now one I was not disappointed and exactly as I remember was the Les Paul Custom Lite from 89. Still a wonderful guitar and perfect the way I remembered it. A couple big surprises to me were Fernandes Japan guitars. The FGZ in particular with the licensed trem is possibly the most comfortable guitar I have played.

I have had 20 or so PRS guitars over the years. All of them custom 24. I get one, it's beautiful but just playing it. No life, no soul and off it goes eventually. Then after a while I just see one that is so beautiful and I need it. Then I can't stand playing it. There are 2 PRS I have and have had that I love and play and will keep. The Limited Edition Artust V. This guitar is a custom 24 in everyday but the pickups. This guitar has such a soul and life. Then I have a PRS custom 24 with a floyd rose. Again beautiful and love how it plays but hated how it sounded. So I put in Suhr DSV pickups. Not a normal pickup but one of my favorites. Slightly hotter PAF sound but very clear and slotted on each string. This brought the guitar to life.

I've owned a fender squire, black and white, (first guitar), an Epiphone Les Paul light sunburst with two push pulls, a reissue fender Jagstang ( Kurt Cobain style guitar) seafoam blue, An American Telecaster black, chrome with raw maple neck, and then the Ed Roman Baker B1 (Not confused with the original Baker guitars) with a smoked grey burlwood top in a coffin case lined in dark purple diamond stitching. The last was the one I want to get back, and regret getting rid of, as it's rare and hard to find, and just fell in love with, and at home with, even the custom coffin case. I traded all my guitars as well. Which was fun talking and jamming with other guitar players. Not the most extensive list, but it's interesting to experiment and see what different guitars feel and sound like and the moods they can put you in. So, no not one guitar for life. But maybe there is a one guitar you know you'll never part with, if not a few. That Baker B1 with the coffin case was that for me. But I will always love to play and own other guitars.

I had a PRS custom 24…. Oddly, I found that I preferred playing my $75 squire bullet strat 😮

Multi-owner here - for several reasons. One: multiple tunings for different music I'm learning - E std, DropD, Eflat std and a couple in some open/alternate tunings - some of which needed string sets different to 9-42/10-56. (I'm seeing if I need something for lower chugs at the moment below DropC) Two: some need to be through the amp, a couple sound good unplugged - for late night noodling. Three: different pickups - different songs/genres just didn't sound "right" on certain guitars but great on others. I too, like to think I have wide musical tastes. Four: Weight. Some days I want the boat anchor, other days the back complains and I grab the semi-hollow (A PRS Zach Myers I really like) or a basswood guitar. Core thing though - I NEED to love something about each of them or that they are around for a certain job. There is one guitar that I was kinda "meh" about until I put it in alternate tuning and it just came alive - something worth exploring if you're unsure about a guitar you have. If there is a miracle and there is "The One" that can do it all for me - then I may reconsider. (I'm really hoping that never happens though 😜)

I bought (second hand) a PRS SE Singlecut Korina several years ago, and it too has the half moon dots, A great and comfortable guitar. The only guitar I play more often than it is the one I built at Crimson about 5 years ago - it is my blood, sweat and tears - and one of my most important achievements. Every serious guitar player should try to build a guitar - it raises our appreciation of the instrument to a higher level.

"it just did not speak to me" - Exactly the same for me. Saw the book, wanted one, bought a Custom 24 with TenTop and what was I playing in the end? A Tele. Still love everything from PRS from a technical viewpoint and designwise.

After owning "more than one" PRS ... a few things that my help you in your continued search: the 22 fret models will sound more like LPs while the 24 fret models will be more like SGs (I have observed too many chase 'two free frets!' and then complain they don't get LP tones). Some PRS have skinnier bodies which can throw off the feel (remember Paul tries to be goldilocks just right between Gibson and Fender) where SC vs DC body styles adjusts the weight too. The sterile/bland/not-bonding guitar tone claims can be corrected! Pickup height/tip adjustments (often that is all they need), but there are caps and pots swapping, before the last mod of pickup swapping. The SE models are quite a good value especially the later MIK models found on the used market. The S2 Vela model is a fun Tele/Gretsch/offset mashup. By far though, my biggest fix for any LP guitar including PRS is rotating the bridge pickup 180deg so the screw poles face the neck side, lower the pickup and raise the screw poles 3/16ths inch for a beastly P90 tone -- an easy reversible mod to try out. If you still have that guitar for a few days, I'd suggest testing that.

I had a 90's CE24 and I don't think it was anywhere near my 2013 and on PRS' They got better with all the tweaks Paul kept making. Love my little PRS collection. They showed me the light after owning many Gibson's. FYI a standard is all mahogany, you have a custom (maple top).

I had a Custom 22 with the half-moon inlays. It had been my dream guitar for a long time. The only thing that killed it for me was that rotary pickup selector. I just couldn't get on with it and didn't want to change it because the guitar was 100% original and I didn't want to change that. So I ended up selling it. My current main player is a Korean-made SE Custom 24, and I love everything about it.

The main thing I look for when buying new guitars is the shape/comfort of the neck, and I'll change everything that I don't like. Obviously I want the body shape and finish to be to my liking as well, but as long as it looks good and feels nice to play then the rest is easily changeable. I rarely sell guitars either, so by modifying them they always end up being to my liking. For example, when I bought my Flying V the first thing I did was swap the Influence pickups for EMGs. I also swapped the switch and volume knob positions as I wanted switch>volume>tone not volume>switch>tone. I finally I moved the strap button to better balance the guitar when standing, I tend to always put Grover machine heads on most guitars I buy also, unless they come as standard. Having spent 10 years working in guitar shops, I've played and setup many many guitars, and personally most guitars that come out of the factory are never usually to my liking. It's a personal thing so I just make them my own. Plus it is fun to do!

Excellent video. Fascinating Difficult to articulate but I know exactly what you’re getting at!

I was like you but with the BC Rick Mockingbird. I have loved them since the late 70's when I first saw one in a magazine ad. Then one of the local guitar shops got several in. Of course they were "do not touch" top shelf instruments at that time. Thru the 80's they came out with a more production level build and i finally got to play one. Like you said it was like meeting your hero and learning they were mere mortals. Anyway over the decades when ever I was in a music store I had to grab one for a few minutes and mess around a bit while I had the opportunity. Having that intimate knowledge of what they felt like and how they sounded I was pretty familiar with them. Long story short (not) I was traveling for work and happened to go into a Guitar Center in Texas of all places. The instant I picked up the one I now own I knew it was "the one" the neck felt cool to the touch like it chilled like wine. As i slid my hand up to the headstock while getting it off the wall I noticed no feeling at all of the frets. along the side.with the binding and fretwork better done for a production model than normal. It was noticeably heavier then most I had ever played. that seemed to come into play when I plugged it in It sounded more warm (we know that was more pickup and amp but at that time ...) It did however sustain much better than many guitars I played that day. By the time I had to go to work that evening I had purchased the guitar and made arrangements to have it shiped from that store to the one closest to my home for no extra cost. that way it was waiting for me when I rotated home for me time off. between new locations. It got some much needed love after I learned how to do frets during GGBO 21 and it plays better than it ever has. I even managed to add a Floyd rose FRX to it and set that up properly. (except for getting that tiny locking ball to keep up with weather changes on its own)

I just bought my PRS Tremonti 10 top. It was and is my dream guitar it fits me so well and sounds so amazing. But completely understand things not fitting for each person individual. The phase III locking tuners are amazing.

I am a simple man of simple pleasures. Most of my instruments were built by me to my specs (thanks, Ben) but I wanted one guitar that was made by a big name. So I searched for a Gretsch locally and found one that I love.

You are the 1st PRS owner I've ever heard say it wasn't their favorite! Some may slightly prefer a Les Paul or a strat, but nobody ever said they didn't like the PRS!

I love mine! Variety of tones. Once I bought a cheap Epiphone Les Paul … upgraded the pickups to the same Seymour Duncans as my Ibanezes and … it sounded just like the Ibanez! You’ve just got to love things for what they really are.

When I gigged, I used a Strat with a Hot Rails in the bridge position, and hotter single coils in the middle and neck positions. Very versatile, only had one guitar back then.

I've played a handful of PRS guitars over the last ten years or so. I liked some of them just fine. But they always felt a little sterile, if that's the word I want to use. I got my hands on a core level Paul's Guitar in 2017, and it was the best thing I've ever played in my life. But I don't know if the next one down the line would have appealed in the same way.

99% of the time I use the same guitar. I also have a "Strat", a fretless "Strat", matching 6 & 12 string electro-acoustic Washburns, a Floyd Rose type metal guitar, an acoustic and a classical... and of course the GGBO 2022 entry. Still tweaking the GGBO........plan on making that my main one. The guitar I use was a cheap Korean Les Paul neck and a solid body (mainly my father) and I built. It has 3 humbuckers with ALL of the switching combinations (1084) possible in a STEREO guitar. 99% of the time I use the same pickup setting. My (stereo) Rack gives me all the flexiblilty I need. I love the feel, even though it badly needs a re-fret.

The magic statement is "FEEL ". A guitar is a personal thing and has to feel right to yourself to induce loving playing it no matter your skill level. I'm a capable guitarist , not a good one in my book and have several. My oldest ( about 50yrs old now ) is a cheap ( at the time ) Avon acoustic that I won't part with that has put a few Martins to shame and is a joy to play on. I bought a PRS copy a while back ( Harley Benton ) , nothing wrong with it but didn't feel nice to play on , same with a Vintage 335 I was looking at getting. What dawned on me with electric guitars is that I'm happier and more comfortable with a Fender type neck. I have 3 Aria STD's one of which I stripped back to it's natural ash body and tweaked a little , this is my every day player and possibly the best guitar I've ever played on and I've had some of the big name guitars in the past. My advice to anyone who can play reasonably well on buying a guitar is to hit stores and try as many as possible , somewhere there will be one that feels right to you and that will be the one. I've had expensive guitars that were crap and cheap ones that were amazing , you never know , a top brand doesn't guarantee anything other than bragging rights. Like buying a bed , try before you buy , it needs to be comfortable to you.

Actually the guitars I put together myself are my favorites. I guess something to do with putting a bit of yourself into the process.

Totally feel you on this one, Brother. However, with time I found mine. It just turned out to be three, not counting the two electric/acoustics,lol. 🙏🎸