PRS Private Stock Guitars

[Jonathan20022]

They're consistently near to and exceed 5 figure costs.

Depending on specs, they can resell anywhere from 5k - 9k with one-off examples on the lower/upper bound. Yes, you will lose significant resale on a Private Stock, wether it be 3k off of your 12k Spec PS, or 4k from your 10k Spec PS.

If I have a desire for one, and the choice is buying your used PRS PS for 9k I would instead spec out my own and pay the few thousand more to get exactly what I wanted.

But better? Definitely not, Core PRS is already a high end instrument. They do aesthetics incredibly well, and they charge a pretty penny for it so at the end of the day if you want all the appointments you'll get them. But buying a Private Stock with an expectation of a vastly superior instrument is peak diminishing returns.

 

[jco5055]

I actually played a $12k private stock today, and gotta say…it was very nice, where if I had no idea how much they go for but knew in general How much guitars go for I’d guess like in that $4-5k range, maybe even $6k. But no way $12k.

 

[Hoss632]

Are they worth the money over a core? that's really up to the individual. The one thing most haven't mentioned is that with Private stock, not only is the entire guitar 100% customizable, but you also can go to the PRS factory and meet with PRS and hand select every piece of wood used on the guitar. That's included in the process if the buyer wants to do so. I'd be like a kid in a candy store personally.

 

[Huzee]

Owned many PRS's (Wood Library, Core, S2, SE) ... sold off most of my PRS's as they are great quality but didn't have mojo/character of my Gibsons & Fenders. IMO, once you get to core, you're not getting better quality (only bling).
IMO, Paul Reed Smith has created a culture at PRS of OVER-HYPING Private Stock, Wood Library, 10 Top, Limited Editions, etc. to the point it all starts to feel like BS to sell overpriced guitars.
PRS euphoria crashes quickly when you try to resell them for anything close to what you paid. Would I own another PRS? Sure, but only if I got it used for amazingly low price.

 

[Matt08642]

I don't think people who buy private stock are concerned about the value in the used market unless maybe John Mayer hits some hard times and needs to hock his gear lmao

 

[ChrisLA]

Private Stock allows custom specs, which would allow them to be a lot "better" to the person ordering it. Multiscale, 8 strings etc is possible.
I would go for a 22 fret Custom with SS-frets, 25.5 inch scale and 12 inch radius fretboard. Probably ebony board, Honduras mahogany neck, 43mm nut. Yep, that would be A LOT better than any Core model.

 

[Andromalia]

They're 100% worth the money you don't have.

 

[Sermo Lupi]

Going to take a different tack and say that, if you have the budget, Private Stocks can be worth the money.

PRS offers a product and service with Private Stock that none of their large industry competitors offer on the same level. Or most boutique custom shops, for that matter. I'd go as far as saying that the material quality of the Private Stock guitars is unrivaled, particularly in terms of wood selection and finishes. More importantly, the fact that PRS reserve their best work for Private Stock and provide a robust made-to-measure service on top of this, justifies the sticker price within PRS' own pricing structure (which, admittedly, skews expensive even for their production models).

The conversation of "worth" is always subjective anyway. A majority of guitars are luxury goods to begin with, and this is never really questioned if a guitar is <$3k. Not coincidentally, that figure is most people's budget for a "luxury" good in general, be it a guitar, a computer, a camera or a watch. It's only when we can't afford something that we really start to scrutinize its worth.

So I'd just define Private Stock being "worth it" in terms of whether you can get the same level of quality elsewhere for cheaper. I think if you're going for an all-appointments so-called heirloom piece, PRS Private Stock is well-positioned in that market.

Unfortunately for me, even if I was in the market to drop $10k on a Private Stock, I just can't get on with PRS guitars.

 

[budda]

Owned many PRS's (Wood Library, Core, S2, SE) ... sold off most of my PRS's as they are great quality but didn't have mojo/character of my Gibsons & Fenders. IMO, once you get to core, you're not getting better quality (only bling).
IMO, Paul Reed Smith has created a culture at PRS of OVER-HYPING Private Stock, Wood Library, 10 Top, Limited Editions, etc. to the point it all starts to feel like BS to sell overpriced guitars.
PRS euphoria crashes quickly when you try to resell them for anything close to what you paid. Would I own another PRS? Sure, but only if I got it used for amazingly low price.

Trick is to buy used . I've saved probably $8k over sticker price (before tax) on my used harem of 2021.

 

[soul_lip_mike]

What is “Core?”

 

[jco5055]

What is “Core?”

Just the "regular" models that aren't Wood Library/Artist/10 Top etc, but also aren't S2 or Se range. So the equivalent of like Jackson USA/ESP Japan tier for them, but not going custom/special editions etc.

 

[budda]

What is “Core?”

The standard USA line.

Just the "regular" models that aren't Wood Library/Artist/10 Top etc, but also aren't S2 or Se range. So the equivalent of like Jackson USA/ESP Japan tier for them, but not going custom/special editions etc.

10-top is core. Artist and WL are basically a spec change for an upcharge (woods, inlays, fancier case, finishes). Private stock is the top.

 

[Captain Butterscotch]

I think the way to think about PS builds isn’t dissimilar from the way people think about watches. I can get a watch from a truck stop that’ll tell time as well as a high end watch but the high end watch is gonna be made by some Swiss master using platinum and a super intricate mechanism. PS isn’t the place to go if you want a slightly different Custom 24, IMO. It’s the place you go if you want a top using wood from The Tree, a violin carved back made of solid ebony, and birds using mammoth ivory outlined with platinum and stuff. Some of these types of options I’ve seen on the floor, btw.

They feel great and they play very well. If you’re looking for a night and day difference between a Core model and a Private Stock then I expect you’ll be disappointed.

 

[budda]

And that's why Im not selling my not-quite-off-the-rack group for 1 used PS

 

[Forkface]

theyre probably not worth all that cash if you compare them to cores/wood libraries etc.

that said, i still want one. lol

 

[Horizongeetar93]

They are 10k pieces of art if you look at it that way. Sure, you can play it, but would you really take an expensive piece of art out of its frame to play a sweaty bar gig? Probably not unless you're a masochist (totally fine if you are). From what i've gathered, they hold the same quality of wood libraries but PS's are made as one offs instead of the shop orders of WL's of which they make many guitars of the same spec albeit different finish colors produced in batches for each shop for half the retail price of a PS.

 

[Warmart]

They do have their best luthiers working solely on PS. Still not worth it to me, at least until I'm swimming in cash.

 

[mbardu]

They are 10k pieces of art if you look at it that way. Sure, you can play it, but would you really take an expensive piece of art out of its frame to play a sweaty bar gig? Probably not unless you're a masochist (totally fine if you are). From what i've gathered, they hold the same quality of wood libraries but PS's are made as one offs instead of the shop orders of WL's of which they make many guitars of the same spec albeit different finish colors produced in batches for each shop for half the retail price of a PS.

It's not quite the same as wood library. Wood library is going to be an order from a shop with non-standard wood combinations, in small batches.
But the guitars could be standard tops, artist tops, 10-tops etc.

Not that I think it changes anything fundamental in terms of playability or sound or value ( )- but PS, you are going to be able to specifically pick from the top of the pile from the best pieces they have.

 

[xzacx]

It's not quite the same as wood library. Wood library is going to be an order from a shop with non-standard wood combinations, in small batches.
But the guitars could be standard tops, artist tops, 10-tops etc.

Not that I think it changes anything fundamental in terms of playability or sound or value ( )- but PS, you are going to be able to specifically pick from the top of the pile from the best pieces they have.

Agreed, and to add to this, on top of just wood selection too, you can also change things like scale length, radius, number of strings, inlays/inlay materials, etc. Those are the areas where PS might be worth it, as opposed to "just" having a nicer top on an otherwise standard model. If you only want a fancy top or different wood options, a Wood Library with an artist package could be a much more economical option.

 

[mbardu]

Agreed, and to add to this, on top of just wood selection too, you can also change things like scale length, radius, number of strings, inlays/inlay materials, etc. Those are the areas where PS might be worth it, as opposed to "just" having a nicer top on an otherwise standard model. If you only want a fancy top or different wood options, a Wood Library with an artist package could be a much more economical option.

Oh yeah for sure. And then at that point it's a different game altogether
Sure, you can request mermaid inlays on a 7 string multiscale with custom controls.
But then you're no longer in the "maybe 8k$ guitar if you're lucky through your dealer", but start by doubling that instead

Edit: I'll add "special asymmetric Kiesel bevel" to the extravagant list above because apparently that's a thing somehow: https://reverb.com/item/36888390-pr...m-24-multi-scale-7-string-2020-charcoal-burst . Like, show yourself ... who in here ordered that? I know it's one of you guys.
Just kidding...I know we're broke here