Sunday, September 18, 2011

PRS Artist Package - Getting More Value For Every Single Penny

By Erik Robel


For PRS enthusiasts, many would say that a PRS Artist Package guitar is pretty much the same as an ordinary PRS guitar sound and tone wise. But the difference between a Paul Reed Smith Artist Package guitar and an ordinary PRS guitar is very huge, cosmetic wise. When you say artist package, it means that you pay extra to have a PRS guitar dressed up with better top and extra rosewood in the neck. It would also mean that it would include the gold hardware instead of the basic chrome hardware in an ordinary PRS guitar. The headstock of a PRS Artist Package guitar is much more elaborate and the bird inlays are much more colorful. Basically when you avail of the Artist Package upcharge, all the materials that are used in the guitar will be of higher quality compared to the ordinary PRS guitars.

To better appreciate what a PRS Artist Package guitar is, let's inspect one and scrutinize its features and design. The Custom 24 20th Anniversary Artist Package is an amazing guitar. The features of this Vintage Natural Artist package comprise of gold hardware, a tremolo with locking tuners, a wide but thin neck, and detailed bird inlays on a quilted maple top. It also has a five way rotary switch and includes a leather case. These are all the extra features done in an artist package guitar. The setup is faultless and the matching of the two top pieces is excellent. It is a testimony to the superior craftsmanship of PRS, the action; fit and finish are all wonderful. The sound superiority of this guitar is also outstanding. It has a ample assortment of tones you can achieve. It has some stratocaster hint when set in single coil settings, but there is a rather unique sound to it. The humbucker has an immense sparkling growl unlike some of the LP guitars which are a bit dirtier. The good thing on the subject of this guitar is the assortment of sound it can create and it has an excellent light feel to it. This guitar is best for playing blues, rock or jazz.

The custom 22 Artist package is a different Paul Reed Smith Artist package guitar that is worth analyzing. The 2005 custom 22 artist package model was also crafted for the 20th Anniversary Artist package line. It uses Brazilian rosewood for the headstocks and fretboards. It also has the basic gold hardware and has the well-known Dragon 2 pickups which produce a really nice and sharp clean tone. It has the usual artist package add-ons like the locking tuners, elaborate flying bird inlays and the signature leather case. The action of the guitar is set a bit high for some peoples' liking but it's not anything that can't be adjusted well by a good guitar technician. Aside from that, the fit and finish of the guitar is idyllic. The sound dominance of this guitar is to some extent unlike the custom 24 artist packages. This guitar makes a fatter and thicker sound that is more ideal for louder music genres. This is maybe because of the Dragon 2 pickups that are set up. It might not have that much range sound wise but it does produce a very good sound ideal for metal and modern rock music. All in all, this guitar is a smart investment, it's not just nice to look at, but it does produce a fantastic sound.

Even though it is fairly apparent now that the major disparity in a regular PRS guitar and a PRS artist package guitar is just on the aesthetic side and has nothing to do with the sound aspect of the guitar, numerous owners of artist package guitars will say the opposite. A number of owners say that the tone and feel of artist package guitars are exceptionally poles apart compared to the common PRS guitars. Some claim that the artist guitars are lighter and have a very thin but wide neck. Some also say that they sound better given that PRS claimed that the artist models had more reverberating woods but now they no longer make that statement. They said that the artist package is merely for exterior purposes only. Though the distinction between a normal PRS guitar and an artist package guitar is just aesthetic, it isn't essentially a terrible thing. Actually, it can also be a motivation for guitar players to play better. The AP guitars can be incredibly spectacular to watch and that would be a good motivation for the owner to feel good about his guitar playing, thus making him or her play better knowing that his or her guitar looks good. This is generally called the "Feel Good Factor" in guitar playing. Visualize it this way; it's like the way you stride around when you know how good you're clothed. It is the self-assurance you get when you recognize that you're wearing something of high-quality, it's identical with playing guitars. This is perhaps the reason why nearly everyone who can pay for it, avail of the artist package upgrade.

The greater part of people who have Paul Reed Smith Artist Package guitars usually end up being very pleased with the guitar they bought. It appears as if they don't even care about the extra charge they paid for to acquire that guitar. The majority say that sure you have to shell out money in order to get a very good looking axe, one that is worthy. Most guitar fanatics say that the paua bird inlays of the artist guitars is what distinguishes it from other guitars. The most common observation that guitar enthusiasts can say in relation to an AP guitar is that it sounds equal to how it looks. You won't be disappointed for the reason that the guitar isn't just about looks, it's also about beauty. PRS spent countless hours to design pickups that would put up with most guitarists' approach and taste and these pickups are what are being used in the AP guitar line. The most famous is the Dragon 2, HFS bridge pickup and the Vintage Bass neck pickups. A variety of people also say that just by seeing the Artist Package leather case upgrading is already worth the price they paid for.

In conclusion, although the Artist Package guitars of PRS only vary with the ordinary PRS guitars in terms of cosmetics, it still is a very big enhancement to ignore. Most people would usually go for the AP upgrade if they can afford it, since; I guess beauty does matter when talking about guitars. You can never have enough elaborate designs in a guitar provided that the guitar also sounds as good as it looks. That is the whole reason why the AP upgrade of PRS is very sought after. It has the perfect balance of beauty and tone perfection. You can never say that your guitar is too bland and common, once you own a PRS artist guitar. An AP guitar will deliver what it's built for which is beauty and sound precision. You are truly getting more than what you've paid for.




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