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Paul Reed Smith Al Di Meola Prism?

vintage58

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Apr 13, 2003
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Just curious if anyone here owns or has tried one (or perhaps I should say, anyone else :))—as well as what your thoughts on it were.

What I find sad about these guitars is that a lot of people don't seem to be able to get past the "Prism" finish./.color scheme. Indeed, pretty much all of the previous online discussions that I've read about this model of guitar have, in one way or another, ultimately degenerated into nursery school–level jokefests about how gay-looking the guitar is. So before the obligatory "Richard Simmons Signature Model"-type comments begin to surface in this thread.... please, spare me. I mean, I don't know that I've ever heard of anyone suggesting that owners of red Stratocasters are communists, so I don't altogether get the logic of why a rainbow-colored guitar "has" to indicate gay.

OK, enough of that. I now own two of these guitars, and I have to say, they are absolutely stellar instruments. They come with PRS's recent 57/08 pickups and feature coil-splitting via a push-pull pot. Some of them also have some extremely spectacular-looking maple tops. The first one I got is a one-piece flame top—apparently a "10" top, according to PRS paperwork—and is very likely the single best-playing and best-sounding "new" (as opposed to vintage) guitar that I've yet owned. I also own a two-piece quilt top model. The flame top is able to produce Telecaster-type sounds better than any other glued-in-neck guitar that I've played to date. And both cover most Les Paul tonal ground, too. Or, at least, Les Paul reissue tonal ground, lol.

Anyway, I just wanted to hear from anyone else who actually bought one of these guitars. I'm beginning to think that there are fewer than fifty PRS Prisms out there worldwide, and hardly anyone ever seems to discuss these guitars or post pictures of theirs.
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vintage58

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I don't own any PRS guitars but would like to see pics of yours. Cheers.
Well, the below two Prisms are the first and only Paul Reed Smith guitars that I've ever owned.... and until this model debuted in 2008, I have to say—I was never interested in PRS guitars at all. But I do like these. The neck shape is great, too. Hope ya dig 'em:
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Texas Blues

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Not my choice of colors but if you dig it, thats all that matters. Some nice streaking on the fretboard of the first pic. Cool.
 

roadrunner

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I guess I'm more into traditional looking finishes. Can't say I like the rainbow treatment.

I was never a PRS fan until the Grissom model came out... the DGT is KILLER instrument.:3zone
 

j45

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Jun 14, 2002
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At least it's something different for a change. I think it's a cool idea and I like it. My personal opinion of PRS was not very high after buying a Custom 22 and a McCarty. Later on a fellow who wanted to buy a guitar from me didn't quite have enough money and talked me into taking his PRS "tortoise shell" Custom 22 on trade for the balance. I figured I'd just blow it out on Ebay and almost didn't even open the case. I had my burst at the time and a ton of great vintage guitars. The day I took it out of the case to take pictures to sell it I ended up plugging it in and couldn't put it down. It was very alive and had an awesome voice, just a really good guitar. I wouldn't have thought it possible after the other two I had...
 

vintage58

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At least it's something different for a change. I think it's a cool idea and I like it. My personal opinion of PRS was not very high
My thoughts exactly. I had never been (and still really am not) a PRS "fan," it is hard for me to warm up to the brand in general because there is practically no association whatsoever between it and music that I like. I think guitar designs on a visual level are somewhat like clothes in that they can evoke particular eras or decades. And that's a big part of the reason why I've never really liked PRS—basically, I associate the whole brand (with a few exceptions) with bands and/or guitar players and/or music and/or time periods that I generally detest.

Anyway, I totally agree on the "at least it's something different for a change" point, in fact that played heavily into drawing me to the Prism in the first place, i.e., it strikes me as a somewhat original idea, visually. They are also an easy model of guitar to spend hours gazing at different examples of, too (as many here might do when they leaf through the pages of The Beauty of the 'Burst), since no two Prisms are alike, each one is totally unique. On that subject (and as with Les Paul reissues), there are admittedly many truly hideous-looking Prisms out there. But every once in a while, a spectacular-looking one surfaces, and the two depicted above "did" it for me, I guess. :)

I think the real cornerstone of this model, though, is the combination of the 1957/2008 pickups and the coil-splitting feature. The 1957/2008's are great—very PAF-like, in terms of being a well balanced combination of warmth, mellowness, and bite. When I first got the one-piece flametop shown above, I played the guitar extensively through a tweed Harvard at low volumes, and with the coil-splitting engaged, it really got some very convincing (and "alive") Tele sounds, I was astounded by how well the guitar did those. But without the coil-splitting engaged, it pops firmly back into Les Paul reissue territory. Tone-wise, the quilt top doesn't excite me quite as much as the flametop does, but it is still a fine guitar (and certainly visually stunning).

The new PRS model that everyone talks about these days seems to be the DGT, but in my opinion the Prism is really the one to check out and/or get.
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vintage58

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They look Gay
I disagree. Rainbow color schemes existed long before they came to be associated with gay people. If anything, the first already existing cultural entity that I'd associate the Prism finish with would probably be tie-dye, so I would maybe think "hippie" before "gay."

Anyway, to say these guitars look gay does not strike me as especially different from saying that cowboy hats look gay because of the movie Brokeback Mountain. And by that logic, every last red-blooded, pickup truck–driving, working-class multimillionaire country singer on the CMT network would instantly qualify as a flaming fag.

Let me put it this way: from where I sit, Al Di Meola playing a Prism comes off as a hundred times more heterosexual than Keith Urban playing a vintage Les Paul Junior, or Brad Paisley playing a Telecaster. Now, those guys are gay!
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access

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My question with this model is simply how does it differ from a normal PRS Mccarty Trem with the new pickups and a fancy paintjob?

Is it simply the neck shape? or something more substantial like a chambered body, different scale length etc?

I like PRS guitars, the quality is flawless, they stay in tune better than any gibson Ive ever played and every part on it (Including the screws) are well thought out, distinctive and higher quality. The only thing Ive ever had an issue with is the sharp edge on the guitar fatigues my arm after a few sets of playing. That and because of the fragmentation of their customer base the resale is less than stellar.
 

vintage58

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Apr 13, 2003
Messages
3,958
My question with this model is simply how does it differ from a normal PRS Mccarty Trem with the new pickups and a fancy paintjob?

Is it simply the neck shape? or something more substantial like a chambered body, different scale length etc?

I like PRS guitars, the quality is flawless, they stay in tune better than any gibson Ive ever played and every part on it (Including the screws) are well thought out, distinctive and higher quality. The only thing Ive ever had an issue with is the sharp edge on the guitar fatigues my arm after a few sets of playing. That and because of the fragmentation of their customer base the resale is less than stellar.
The main tone and playability differences are the pickups (which, IMO, is a huge difference in this particular instance—the 1957/2008's really are fantastic!), the coil-splitting feature, the neck shape, and the fretwire. The woods used on the Prism I think are also different from a McCarty—according to the PRS Web site, the Prism's neck is Peruvian mahogany and the fingerboard is black Mexican rosewood. As for the fretwire, it is somewhat tall (which I have to say, I didn't initially go for, but I now like it), and I think it differs from that found on a McCarty. The Prism also features low-mass locking tuners.

Resale value I think is pretty much currently terrible for all new guitars (not just PRS), but of course that's a whole 'nuther Oprah.

My take on the Prism versus a McCarty is that the McCarty is basically PRS's version of a Les Paul (at least their double-cutaway version thereof), but the Prism covers all of that tonal ground, and also can easily venture into Tele and Strat territory. It is a really cool design. The neck shape is very "medium" in most respects, in that it is not too wide, not too thick, and not too thin. It is somewhat of a round profile, and is very comfortable to play. All in all, I think the Prism is a cool model, it makes a great and sturdy single "all-around" guitar. I guess the finish is an added bonus for those who like it, but it is certainly not the only thing that sets this guitar apart from other PRS models.
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access

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I do like those new pickups, I played Them in a modern eagle and was impressed.
 

stevechilders

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I played one at the local GC a while back & thought it was a very well made guitar. Out of the prs line-up I like the McCarty Model best.

I think most people associate them with some of the newer bands or primarily with Carlos Santana or course... but some of the old dogs have used them as well... Ed King, Ted Nugent, Howard Leese, Dickey Betts, Warren Haynes to name a few..

I think most of the Allmans "where it all begins" cd was recorded with Prs guitars...
 

Guitardave 1977

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Jun 28, 2021
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I have owned a Prism for 5 years now and love its playability and tone. Only high end Les Paul's stand up to the playability and sound in my opinion
 

Jollyb

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Jan 3, 2021
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I guess I'm more into traditional looking finishes. Can't say I like the rainbow treatment.

I was never a PRS fan until the Grissom model came out... the DGT is KILLER instrument.:3zone
I d love a DGT in the AL D prism finish. That would be a sick guitar.
 
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