Conference napalm::guitar

    The PRS guitars are beautiful and *I* absolutely LOVE the 
    way they play in my hands.  The bird inlay deal is really
    classy.  When I can afford it, one will be mine.
    
    Not for everyone, but definitely for me, 
    Kev --
    

    The Les Pauls will have the best resale value. This may not mean
    much to you now, but in a few years, you may feel differant. 
    Check the want ads for prices on used Guitars. The Gibsons,
    Fenders, and Martins commands the highest prices in the used
    arena.
    
    	Another point on PRS guitars. I have heard from lot's of people
    that owned PRS's that after a while the neck scale, neck profile,
    and lack of tone controls got to be a pain in the neck and they ended
    up selling them. 
    
        Mark (I would vote for the LP Custom+ or an LP Classic+) 
    
    

    I'm with Mark.  Speaking totally for myself, I've never met a PRS I
    could really love.  They're nice, but something seems to be missing.
    I know that there are plenty of PRS owners who swear by em, no doubt
    a few in this notesfile, and if it feels like the one for you then
    go for it.  But *I* would grab one of the LPs myself.
    
    Just a thought, have you played the PRS and LP side-by-side?  I've
    found this type of test to be most revealing; the contrast points up
    things you might otherwise miss.
    
    Btw, I recently heard Eggle was bought out by or merged with another
    well known mfg; can't remember who at the moment.  Anyone know?
    
    /rick

I sold my Les Paul and bought a PRS.  As others have said, your mileage may
vary.  I don't miss the weight of the Les Paul.  I like the variation I can
get out of the PRS with the 5 position PU selector (humbuckers with single
coils), but most of all I just like the way my PRS feels in my hands.  Yeah,
I dig the birds and the nice wood and all, but the way it feels in your hands
is want really counts to me.

Jim

    
    Dosen't PRS offer different "grades" of wood, like on a scale
    from 1-8 (?).  1=lowest quality, 8=finest stuff?  I could be
    wrong, but I think I read something about this somewhere 
    recently.
    
    Kev --
         

Thanks, So far.

Can I ask how much you paid for your PRS Jim and which model you purchased.
Also would anyone have Les Paul $ prices from their local store just so I can
compare with my quotations and ensure that I don't get ripped off too much.

I'd like to try both guitars side by side but there are no stockists of both 
( as far as I know ) here in Ireland. If you're wondering why I'm asking for
dollar prices ,well ,I plan to visit the States soon and would like to pick up
the axe while I'm over there because 1/ Guitars are much cheaper in the U.S and
2/ There is a greater selection( Irish stores tend not to stock many high end
guitars because of their high cost and low turnover )

    Peter, are you coming to Boston?  EU Wurlitzer (several locations) deals
    both Gibson and PRS, you could do a side-by-side there.
    

    Mr. Music in Allston, MA (Boston) is also a Gibson dealer....not sure
    if they have PRS.

    btw, the current list price on an LP Custom Plus is $2499, so your
    quote is 30% off list.  So it's a fair price, but you can probably
    do better.  I suspect you might be able to get another $100 - $200
    off that here if you haggle, depending on where/when.  I've had good
    luck with Wurlitzer, quoting them a mail order price and getting them
    to come close to matching it.
    

    Mr. Music in Allston would be my #1 pick for Music stores in the Boston
    area, especially for vintage guitars and reissues. I've bought 3
    guitars from them in the last few years. They have the best selection
    I've found and their prices are reasonable. They were at the Boston
    Guitar Show last year with reps from the Gibson factory showing off
    several historic instruments as well as the latest reissues. If and
    when I hit the lottery, Mr Music will be my first stop!!
    
    Mark

Check out the Guitar Center in Alston (a part of Boston).  They
have dozens of Gibson and PRS guitars with very competitive 
prices.  Best of all the Guitar Center will let just about
anybody play *any* guitar they have.  

Jim

    
    
    Peter, if you've got the time, shop for used guitars in the models
    you've selected.  You should be able to find what you want, if you're
    not in too much of a hurry.  You should also be able to save some
    significant coin!  Not to mention, the hunt is a lot of fun.
    
    

Thanks for the replies so far. I'm still no wiser as to which to go for but I
tried the Gibson and PRS out at the weekend. The PRS feels great and IMO will be
the "Les Paul" in 25 years time. There's really nothing( for me ) to touch it
appart from the Gibson.

I'll try the used market but as I said , in Ireland there aren't a lot of high
end guitars floating around and even second hand they would be more expensive
than new ones in the States.

Thanks again,

Peter.

    I remembered; Blade is the company that recently merged with Eggle. 
    Gary Levinson was actually looking to buy the company, but instead some
    sort of merger happened.  The new name for these guitars is
    Blade/Eggle.
    
    /rick

    
    
    Well, Peter, the answer's obvious - fly out to LA, pick up some used
    guitars & sell 'em to your mates when you go back.  Get some sun, a
    good guitar, and have some fun in the process!
    
    

Sounds Good. I'm on my way already