PRS Neck Construction

Robert Herndon said:
I really like the bolt-on neck, TBTH, on a Strat anyways....I been sketching it out..split parallelogram inlay looks wicked. The fly in the ointment is using the TOM/Stopbar Gibson bridge with a zero angle neck...
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That's easily dealt with. Just rout out a tidy recess for them to live in.
 
gball said:
Go play one. I bet you don't even notice the heel. They are somehow perfectly ergonomic even if they don't look it.
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Sounds great.

But, does PRS explain a purpose for the larger heel? I mean, it's good to know it doesn't impede playing, but given the scrutiny PRS gives to just about every detail of their design and build, I would be inclined to think they have some reason for the large heel.

I could theorize on my own as to some reasons, but I'm just curious about their rationale for it.
 
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smitty_p said:
Sounds great.

But, does PRS explain a purpose for the larger heel? I mean, it's good to know it doesn't impede playing, but given the scrutiny PRS gives to just about every detail of their design and build, I would be inclined to think they have some reason for the large heel.

I could theorize on my own as to some reasons, but I'm just curious about their rationale for it.
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Lot's of talk about it on the PRS forum. I think the factory guy confirmed that it is strictly for stability, not some sort of fix for things that were breaking. I can attest to the fact that the guitars never waver: they don't go out of tune, they don't seem to ever need truss rod adjustments, they never feel different from day to day, and I'm sure that heel is no accident and must contribute to all that. The Singlecut that I owned for a while was the single most stable instrument I have ever had. If I could have found a way to make it sound more like a Les Paul it would still be with me today as it was just beautifully made and played like butter.
 
gball said:
Lot's of talk about it on the PRS forum. I think the factory guy confirmed that it is strictly for stability, not some sort of fix for things that were breaking. I can attest to the fact that the guitars never waver: they don't go out of tune, they don't seem to ever need truss rod adjustments, they never feel different from day to day, and I'm sure that heel is no accident and must contribute to all that. The Singlecut that I owned for a while was the single most stable instrument I have ever had. If I could have found a way to make it sound more like a Les Paul it would still be with me today as it was just beautifully made and played like butter.
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I would agree the heel is likely for stability...but I can honestly say, I've never had a stability issue....intonation issues, yes, but not tuning stability. It's funny in a way - My 1987 MIK Squire - Never ever goes out of tune. Super thin maple neck with a rosewood board. My 2016 Gibson SG never goes out of tune, even after being transported...Hmmmm

On my Von Herndon Doubleneck, with tongue and groove neck joints, I can plug in my Korg Pitchblack Tuner, strike a note, and lift it out of the case by the neck and they pitch doesn't go out of range....
 
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Robert Herndon said:
I would agree the heel is likely for stability...but it's funny in a way - My 1987 MIK Squire - Never ever goes out of tune. Super thin maple neck with a rosewood board. My 2016 Gibson SG never goes out of tune, even after being transported...
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None of my Gibsons go out of tune while I am playing or even for relatively short periods or during transport. When I say the PRS' don't go out, i mean, like, you can literally leave the thing in the case for two months, with huge changes in weather, and come back and it will be perfectly in tune and feel exactly the same as then you left it. I've never experienced that level of stability with any other guitar. No kidding, I wish I could get a PRS to sound the way I want because I would love to have a bunch, I have just never been able to get one to do it. My Mira comes close, but if I grab my SG after playing it I'm like, yeah, that's what I was actually going for.
 
gball said:
None of my Gibsons go out of tune while I am playing or even for relatively short periods or during transport. When I say the PRS' don't go out, i mean, like, you can literally leave the thing in the case for two months, with huge changes in weather, and come back and it will be perfectly in tune and feel exactly the same as then you left it. I've never experienced that level of stability with any other guitar. No kidding, I wish I could get a PRS to sound the way I want because I would love to have a bunch, I have just never been able to get one to do it. My Mira comes close, but if I grab my SG after playing it I'm like, yeah, that's what I was actually going for.
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TBTH, what you describe above(still in tune after weeks in the case, temp changes) is the ONLY reason I kept my Gibson SG when it was giving me so much trouble.

I am really trying to find love and reverence that you guys have for PRS. I was at practice last night and played a USA made PRS Artist Series - and you will hate me for this - but it didn't feel any better than one of my student's Jackson USA Soloists. Yes, it had a better finish, but I didn't feel or hear anything that made me go "WOW" over the PRS.

I'm lost on this topic...
 
Robert Herndon said:
TBTH, what you describe above(still in tune after weeks in the case, temp changes) is the ONLY reason I kept my Gibson SG when it was giving me so much trouble.

I am really trying to find love and reverence that you guys have for PRS. I was at practice last night and played a USA made PRS Artist Series - and you will hate me for this - but it didn't feel any better than one of my student's Jackson USA Soloists. Yes, it had a better finish, but I didn't feel or hear anything that made me go "WOW" over the PRS.

I'm lost on this topic...
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Well, TBH I don't hear it either. I've owned three and played lots, but have never been able to get along with the sound of them, that's why I am down to one that is likely going away soon - they just seem very sterile and generic in the tone department (to me). But, they are probably the consistently best-made guitars I have come across, which is what I do like about them. So well made that if I could manage to get a sound out of one that worked for me I would be all over it.
 
gball said:
Well, TBH I don't hear it either. I've owned three and played lots, but have never been able to get along with the sound of them, that's why I am down to one that is likely going away soon - they just seem very sterile and generic in the tone department (to me). But, they are probably the consistently best-made guitars I have come across, which is what I do like about them. So well made that if I could manage to get a sound out of one that worked for me I would be all over it.
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You know....TBH, I never really heard a pickup that I liked until I went with these Thro-Bak SLE-101's...

"Sterile" is a good description of my Schecter C1 Hellraiser...

I agree they are well made these PRS guitars...
 
My problem with pickups is that my reference is mid/late '70's T-Tops. That's the sound in my head. Original ones are expensive and hard to find, and I haven't found an aftermarket pickup yet that quite captures the harmonic balance that the real ones have.
 
gball said:
My problem with pickups is that my reference is mid/late '70's T-Tops. That's the sound in my head. Original ones are expensive and hard to find, and I haven't found an aftermarket pickup yet that quite captures the harmonic balance that the real ones have.
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You are screwed. Nothing will compare to that, IMHO.
 
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