These Photos From The PRS Factory
You are looking at a CNC machine

Computer Numerically Controlled

 

All of the delicate cutting operations are done by $85,000.00 machine. All of the shaping, sanding, binding & fitting is robotically accomplished. There are no human hands, no human eyes to line up the wood perfectly so that imperfections in the wood fall into locations that won't be seen later.

There is nothing illegal about building a guitar with a machine.  I feel, it's totally unethical and immoral to charge the extremely high hand made prices. just because you made your original reputation by building handmade guitars.

Most every large company is guilty of this, I can think of very few large companies who still actually handbuild their guitars.

BC Rich USA,  Jackson Custom Shop, & maybe the PRS private stock guitars are semi hand built. These are all I can think of, off the top of my head.  I repeat, There is nothing wrong with CNC made guitars except that they are usually overpriced and under built. They generally lack a certain vibe, soul or character that can only be achieved from a hand built guitar. Not everyone can necessarily benefit from these detailed characteristics, So that's why a custom made hand built guitar isn't for everyone.  I always recommend a mid priced machine made Fender, Jackson, Dean, OLP, Hamer, or  Ibanez for a beginner or for the working musician who needs a good low cost guitar.  A custom made guitar is not for everyone. When and if, you finally decide to get a custom made instrument, you cross the threshold between good & great. Today a machine made guitar is considered a tool and a handmade one is potentially an heirloom or an investment guitar.

The worst offenders that I can think of is ESP, Lakland, Gibson & Taylor.  Many people assume that these companies are hand building.  The ESP guitars are totally machine made in Asia and priced incredibly high. The Lakland guitars offer a USA made and an Asian made model, Both are so unbelievably overpriced that It should be a crime. Gibson guitars are well known for being overpriced by everyone, I feel that their machine made guitars are overpriced so much that even if they were handmade they are still incredibly overpriced.  In the case of Taylor, they are also machine made and if you pay attention to their ridiculous image based advertising campaign you might think they were handmade.   NOT!!!!!!

PRS on the other hand has publicly stated that they are %100 machine made. (Kudos For Honesty) Up until a couple of years ago they actually used to be proud of it, They even boasted about it. Today the consumer isn't as stupid as they used to be, thanks to people who print these little exposé's on their websites. Today PRS doesn't call too much attention to it and in their last catalog they show numerous photos of craftsmen actually carving guitars. I presume those guitars are their private stock models, I know they are not the models you will see when you walk into a big box store or corporate superstore.

Tom Anderson says he builds three guitars a day, that may be %100 true. Or is this just a clever way to possibly make the consumer think they are handmade. Because Tom has CNC machinery and if he wanted to he could produce many more guitars a day.

This whole article was prompted by a customer who attempted to trade in a plain black blah looking Sadowsky NYC Bass earlier today. 
I offered the customer what I considered to be a very generous trade in, I actually offered him way too much by my standard, $2,000.00 because I had heard that these basses were pretty good.

When he told me he wanted $3,500.00 for the bass I was appalled. This instrument is made from parts & constructed almost exactly like a Fender. The customer went on to tell me that the electronics were amazing. I played the bass, I had to agree the electronics were great. However I know that once an electronic circuit is designed you can copy it exactly for less than $10.00 each. I also like the way the bass played & felt. I just could not wrap myself around the price.

I did about 15 minutes of research and I was able to determine who builds the bodies, necks, bridge, tuners & pickups.  My own production made machine made low end "Lowrider" model bass can be bought brand new for about $2,700.00 cheaper. Coincidentally the components are all exactly the same.  (With exception of his proprietary electronic circuit)

Now I'm nor claiming my bass is better, I'm not claiming anything. I'm just trying to make a point about overpricing.... (You No Longer Get What You Pay For !!! & That's A Cold Hard Fact)

We have in our inventory  at least 2 Fender Basses with Sadowsky's $250.00 electronics built in should we charge $250.00 more or should we charge $2,500.00 more  (Think about it)

Ed Roman

 More Deprogramming From Ed Roman
Please read what I have written below with an open mind 

There Are 2 Major Cliché's That Are No Longer True In The Guitar Business

1,  You Get What You Pay For!!!!

It's painfully obvious to me or to anyone who is not intellectually challenged, today many large corporations, use this tired old cliché to their financial advantage. They are constantly pricing guitars at extremely high prices, so that consumers will think they are actually handmade well built instruments.

I first learned this fact back in 1991, I was employed by Gibson Guitars. The president of Gibson, Henry Juszkiewicz made this statement to me. "The higher the price the better the guitar" "or at least that will be the customers perception". 

This may have backfired a little on him, due to the fact that this artificial perception, that a production made guitar has to be so expensive, has made it possible for custom builders like, Myself, JET, Gledura, Jaros, Benedetto, McPherson, Dingwall, & Alembic to flourish. Simply because most intelligent people, would rather have a custom guitar. Especially if they could buy it for the same price or less than a machine made production instrument.

2,  It's Just Too Good To Be True!!!!

That's another Bulls&%t Cliché, The Man & all the large corporations want to instill in your mind.  (Don't you believe that for even one second !!!!!!!!)

A tribe isn't a tribe unless it has one Chief & many Indians. 

The Chief is nothing without Indians!!

The question you must ask yourself your whole life is "Am I A Chief,  Or Am I An Indian"

The Indian will believe the old "It's too good to be true" adage and go back to smoking his peace pipe. The Chief will just go for it  There lies the inherent difference.

Some people play original music, They are known as innovators, Some people play only cover tunes, In Vegas they are known as Lounge Bands.

Now that doesn't make these people bad people, But it doesn't make them Chief's either !!!!

Hell, I like to play cover music myself, I do it for fun !!!

Ed Roman

06/17/05

Monkey See Monkey Do

The monkey will play the same guitar as all the other monkeys will !!!!