prs for sale but the description must be wrong

[sgt mukuzi]

In a guitar shop here in the auck we are lucky enough to have a young guy selling his prs, he says it has an ebony fret board... huh
He also says the guitar is a custom order with a "mirror image" maple top.
He wants about 2999 for it,
The guitar is a prs bolt on model CE (classic electric) with no ten top or private stock identification on the back of the head stock.

Is this guy just flat out lying? The guitar looks like a standard CE model from the late 90`s
I did challenge him on the ebony fretboard thing; he said it was in fact ebony.
My understanding is prs don’t do ebony FB's. He says it’s a custom order.
I know prs do private stock models and the waiting list is probably about two years by now, whets this guy on about? The custom order huh what are you on about???? chatting to this guy takes me back to the old days in Melbourne during the 80`s when a guy, Mr. Gallien, would basically make shit up just to sell a guitar, but this guy is way to young to be so old school. What’s the deal? Did prs make a custom order classic electric with an ebony neck? Buyer beware

[MetalAcoustic]

In a guitar shop here in the auck we are lucky enough to have a young guy selling his prs, he says it has an ebony fret board... huh
He also says the guitar is a custom order with a "mirror image" maple top.
He wants about 2999 for it,
The guitar is a prs bolt on model CE (classic electric) with no ten top or private stock identification on the back of the head stock.

Is this guy just flat out lying? The guitar looks like a standard CE model from the late 90`s
I did challenge him on the ebony fretboard thing; he said it was in fact ebony.
My understanding is prs don’t do ebony FB's. He says it’s a custom order.
I know prs do private stock models and the waiting list is probably about two years by now, whets this guy on about? The custom order huh what are you on about???? chatting to this guy takes me back to the old days in Melbourne during the 80`s when a guy, Mr. Gallien, would basically make shit up just to sell a guitar, but this guy is way to young to be so old school. What’s the deal? Did prs make a custom order classic electric with an ebony neck? Buyer beware

ask him for the serial number and shoot PRS an email for verification. PRS is very helpful that way.

[sgt mukuzi]

after i heaped my opinion on him he ran away

[robnobcorncob]

PRS did experiment with some different woods back in the day, lacewood tops and such for a brief time in the early 90s but it would have been limited to the customs and standards. The Bolt-on CE series wouldn't have received the ebony fingerboard treatment (which would be rare enough itself on a custom or standard outside of the private stock scheme) and Ebony on a maple bolt on neck? weird..

PRS Do make one-offs that are custom/standards/CE but the chances of them putting Ebony on a CE is just too small.

If anyone wants any extra info I can go and dig it up from The Prs Book.

[MetalAcoustic]

why does PRS make it sound like ebony is really exclusive wood compared to rosewood anyway?

[angry_young_poet]

in the 80's/early 90's you can get PRS to make you whatever you want.

i had a CE24 that had bird inlays.

sarge, it could be a late 80's.. you know how PRS used the last digit of the year as the first digit of the serial #. but ebony.. hmmm..

i.e
guitars made in 99 serial = 9 7(CE model) XXXXX or 9 XXXXX (for set necks)
guitars made in 89 serial = 9 7 XXXX (fewer #'s) or 9 XXXX

if it's a PRS with the stoptail piece and TOM bridge.. send him my way

[robnobcorncob]

why does PRS make it sound like ebony is really exclusive wood compared to rosewood anyway?

It's not, and I assume they don't. It's just not a wood that they ever used on their regular production models but a lot of other makers use it. Les Paul customs all have ebony fingerboards, as do high end Ibanez (ever played an old Benson?). Paul Reed Smith himself is a tone nut. He probably just prefers rosewood (and they have more of a hard time hunting down brazillian rosewood and honduras mahogany if I remember corrently? Ash will correct me on this I'm sure. I know that PRS is having a very tough time currently getting instrument grade wood in decent numbers. They've just stopped making the 'Artist Package' an available option on all guitars.)

here's a private stock with ebony board:

[robnobcorncob]

in the 80's/early 90's you could get PRS to make you whatever you want.

i had a CE24 that had bird inlays.

Those CEs with birds are quite cool, not as rare as you'd think but still not 'common'. Was that your red one that Ash refinished AYP ?

They could make you anything yes, still can. Under the private stock scheme. The options now are just much less due to some designs they won't reproduce for private stock and not having the same selection of woods, and the prices are higher

PRS Was still fully 'custom' until the early 80s, they moved to their factory in 1985 and started mass production and fully custom one-off guitars have become a thing of the past.

T-o-m PRS are sweet! definitely something to keep an eye out for.

[angry_young_poet]

yeah CE with birds not as rare, but uncommon. i believe they had a run of CE's with birds between 97/98 but it had the ugly long neck heel and Dragon II's. yechhh

my old one was a special build in 94 (according to the doco i got with it - lost the tag tho!) and the neck pocket inscription.

it's the one that Ash refinished in Black Cherry. Tulip owns it now.

[MetalAcoustic]

here's a private stock with ebony board:

very flash!

thats the signature tiger eye finish isnt it?

[sgt mukuzi]

it may be real then, oh tho 3k is way too much for a bolt neck prs, the guy asked me to check ebay as that is what they are going for, ha i paid 1600 for my old custom 22 with birds and flam top, bloody hell that thing was arse and the ce`s on ebay gor for less than 1200 usd so i dont get what this guy was on.

at the end of th eday its only a guitar


if Fuzzybro made a guitar it would be worth 5K

[ash]

I'd say it was unlikely to be ebony. Chumps with no idea of the difference between dark rosewood and ebony are far more common than PRS guitars with ebony fretboards.

I'm not sure of the real reason for the absence of ebony on PRS guitars, but Mr Smith's preference for rosewood, particularly Brazilian would be high on the list. Also that ebony is a pain in the butt to work with and may not be available in the volumes and standards he requires. Crappy ebony is easy to get, but good quartersawn black legal ebony is not. It could also be that it just doesn't sound that good on a guitar with a big fat maple top and tiny neck joint.

[MetalAcoustic]

I'd say it was unlikely to be ebony. Chumps with no idea of the difference between dark rosewood and ebony are far more common than PRS guitars with ebony fretboards.

I'm not sure of the real reason for the absence of ebony on PRS guitars, but Mr Smith's preference for rosewood, particularly Brazilian would be high on the list. Also that ebony is a pain in the butt to work with and may not be available in the volumes and standards he requires. Crappy ebony is easy to get, but good quartersawn black legal ebony is not. It could also be that it just doesn't sound that good on a guitar with a big fat maple top and tiny neck joint.

i personally question all Braz Rosewoods. the legit ones are stumpwoods, and the pretty ones are most likely chopped downillegally. I dont buy into reclaimed Braz, as furniture makers would have "past participle of get" the best ones already anyway. what do you reckon, ash... are my assumptions misled?

[ash]

Yeah, Brazilian rosewood is suspect as these days. PRS are apparently in some poo at the moment with regard to this. No idea of details though. I know of a very prestigious American luthier who has had death threats for stating publically that Brazilian rosewood is a no-go area. That hints at the nature of its import into the USA. Crooked as. Stump wood is apparently no more kosher than any other, documentaion wise. I hear tales of the same paperwork bringing different logs across the borders time and time again.

Reclaimed wood is also uncertain. There is some being reclaimed from the bottom of rivers and harbours as with many species in places around the world, but as a CITES listed material it still has to be certified. Reclaimed from the walls and floors of fancy old banks and hotel lobbies throughout Europe and the USA is a different story. No border crossing, no certification. Lots of fretboards on expensive guitars floating around the States spend the last 80 years as interior decorating. Lots of furniture being torn apart to turn into necks and fretboards, backs and sides. Lots of crappy '70s Japanese acoustic guitars being ripped apart for their materials. Lots of logs and planks that were imported decades ago still sitting undicovered in storage, garages etc. Much of that is legal-tegel, but pretty hard to prove one way or the other. I'm of the opinion that the hype creates demand and demand creates supply, so the sooner the Brazilian Rosewood rush fades away, the better the living stock will be.

Incidentally, the main reason Brazilian Rosewood is endangered (other than burning).... your womenfolk and their perfumes. Most trees were/are munched and pressed for pretty smelling oil to go in cosmetics.

[angry_young_poet]

women = root of all evil.

this just proves it

thanks ash.. that's exactly the sort of ammunition i've been waiting for.