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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Al Di Meola Prism
What do you think? |
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May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | That's a very nice looking guitar. Just need to be careful what you wear when playing it. Mauve would be a safe bet. Man, some builders just know how to make stuff look really classy. PRS is one of them. Dave |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Surprised that with his history with Kaman he didn't have Hamer build whatever he needed/wanted. |
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Location: Michigan | Rainbow effect on the guitar ??? I dont like it,
Keep that on tee shirts thats cool .GWB |
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Posts: 5567
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Don't like the color...nice guitar...ymmv |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Oh great... a tie-dye guitar! 
:rolleyes: |
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Posts: 6995
Location: Jet City | The finish isn't something that I would go goo goo over, but it does look nicely done.
As for PRS guitars, I've played them, they're nice enough, but they've just never spoken to me personally.
Alex Lifeson had been using them since the 90s and just recently went back to his old Gibsons for this last record and tour. LPs and 335s and a Howard Roberts I believe. He's been using the old Tele some too. He said no matter what, all his PRS guitars sounded the same. New, old, it didn't matter. He felt like there was no individual "personality" with the PRS.
So he went back to the stuff that got him where he is, and go figure, they put out their best effort in 20 years with Snakes and Arrows.
Oh, he went back to Ovations too!
I'd rather hear and see Al with that Les Paul he played when I saw him on the "Kiss My Axe" tour. |
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Location: south east Michigan | I like the prism color effect.
Different and well executed. |
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Posts: 3969
| even my 2-year-old knows the correct color order of the visible spectrum - something this guitar's designer apparently doesn't :rolleyes: |
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Location: South of most, North of few | It's all in the marketing Serge...marketing. |
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Location: Chicago | Cheesy, really cheesy. |
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Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | I was surprised to see this considering how "classy" his signature Custom Legend is.
That P.R.S. is fugly! |
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Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | +1 on Miles' comment. Hamer certainly could have produced the same guitar and reinforced the Kaman connection. I like bling, but I'm not real sure about this particular color combo. If I needed another solid electric, I would look to Hamer or maybe build another custom VXT. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | When it comes to acoustic steel strings he's an ovation man. When it comes to solid body electrics he's a PRS dude.
Interesting comment about Lifson regarding ovations and tele's. It is so true that they have personality, and from model to model, you find they are different. |
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Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | Lifeson tends to be a little fickle when it comes to his guitars (acoustics anyway). He was playing Epiphone's "MasterBuilt" acoustics last year, then he switched to Garisons, then by the end of the '08 tour, he was playing Martins. Go figya ... |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | He's always played PRS once he switched away from Gibsons.
Nice guitar but I don't like the color blend.
Probably has a skinny neck.......... |
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Posts: 972
Location: PDX | I could live with it if it was just the yellow -- maybe. Never did like the bird fret markers on PRS guitars.
_____
gh1 |
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Posts: 194
Location: Las Vegas, NV | Originally posted by g8r:
even my 2-year-old knows the correct color order of the visible spectrum - something this guitar's designer apparently doesn't :rolleyes: If you start at red and go toward the neck (ROY), then continue at the bottom back toward the neck (GBIV), it's in correct order.
I wonder if they tried it in correct order, and it made the guitar look worse... |
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Location: Las Vegas, NV | Oops. Double post... |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I guess there are two sides to looking at consistency. |
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Posts: 2487
| There are so many great guitars now. Back when I remember looking at a guitar with a flame maple top it was only some exotic custom guitar that was custom built one at a time and super pricey. Now we have guitars that are made really well with flame maple and other various exotic woods and all kinds of colors and extras. Hamer, Dean, PRS, even Gibson and some of the other older names in guitars are following suit. I own a Dean and I can say it is very well built.
I do think I want one more electric for my gig's and it is going to be one of the newer electric-acoustic hybrids. When I am ready I will check with Al first and see what he's got.
PRS has some big prices now by the way I did consider one a while back. |
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Location: Jet City | Originally posted by John B:
Lifeson tends to be a little fickle when it comes to his guitars (acoustics anyway). He was playing Epiphone's "MasterBuilt" acoustics last year, then he switched to Garisons, then by the end of the '08 tour, he was playing Martins. Go figya ... Well he is playing an Ovation classical on tour for "The Trees", but I'm not sure how long he'll be on the Garrison band wagon. I thought they were bought out by Gibson or someone. Aren't they now defunct? As for the Epiphones, I saw them on the 2nd or 3rd show last year, and he was using Garrisons then too. Those Epi's are quite nice for the price. I didn't know he was using them. |
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Posts: 29
Location: Kennesaw, GA | The chat on this posting is interesting. It has me thinking, when does a line of guitars really develop their voice? PRS is still somewhat new, and I can't help but think about how their line will sound when they are truly vintage? I think I just want my own PRS's to get better. I think they have some of the best finishes on the market, but, I understand how people have their taste. As info, Paul Smith is a very cool guy. I was able to interview him for a grad school project, and he had excellent insight on not just the quality control process, but life itself. Very, very cool. |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by Damon67:
Alex Lifeson said no matter what, all his PRS guitars sounded the same. New, old, it didn't matter. He felt like there was no individual "personality" with the PRS.
I wonder if that is a testament to the consistency of build quality and QC on PRS guitars.
Rickenbacker is another company that comes to mind. When you buy one you know how it is going to sound and play.
I think the reason that there is so much variance in sound with the Gibsons and Fenders is because they made some great ones but tons of shitty ones because of inconsistent manufacturing and QC. |
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Location: Jet City | I totally agree with you... OK 99%. I think they make good ones and shit ones, and on occasion some better than good ones too.
I also agree on the QC thing. It's the reason McDonalds and Starbucks do so well. You know exactly what you're gonna get. Might not be the best burger or cup-o-joe, but it tastes like what you were expecting. Guess there's something to be said for that. |
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Location: SoCal | I'm sorry, but it's ugly..... |
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February 2004
Posts: 2487
| The Classic guitar makers will always be the Classic guitar makers. The Rickenbacker's, Gibson's, Fender's, Gretch's will always be the big names because of their place in history and in the minds of all musicians. Hell most people still consider Ovation a new comer and I suppose considering guitar history they really are. So it is good to see that some of these newer guitar manufacturers are able to gain respect, or at least solid sales, because they build great guitars and they are built here in the USA. Hamer, Dean,PRS
Now................I'd like to know if any of these great company's tried to make an acoustic guitar that is radically different and challenges the minds of the traditionalists, just how they would have been viewed. I think they would have taken a beating if they tried to enter the guitar market through the acousitc guitar market. Solid bodies are more readilly accepted for some reason. Names like Alembic and others have established this acceptance with musicians through the years for custom hard bodies.
For some reason the acoustic market seems to me to be a much harder market to build and market a production instrument and gain acceptence much less sell a few guitars. Wonder why the traditional acoustic guitarists are so threatened by anyone who builds a good product?
Might make a good topic? Then again......... |
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Posts: 1634
Location: Chehalis, Washington | Originally posted by Damon67:
I also agree on the QC thing. It's the reason McDonalds and Starbucks do so well. You know exactly what you're gonna get. Might not be the best burger or cup-o-joe, but it tastes like what you were expecting. Guess there's something to be said for that. Absolutely. I've been in food-service and marketing for about 15 years now, and the absolute rock-bottom criteria for success is value and consistency. If people believe they're getting what they are paying for, and it is ALWAYS what they expect, they'll never be unhappy. Change and inconsistency screws up clientele like nothing else.
Interesting finish on an otherwise impressive guitar, IMO. I haven't played much with the PRS, but my brother's a Santana fanatic and he sure can make them sing.
Come to think of it, one of my favorite bands (Casting Crowns) uses all PRS electrics, and they have a great sound. |
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January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | On another note: I have realized that the guitar "designed" by Al Di Meola and sold by Ovation as the 1769 ADII is NOT what Al actually uses, literally and in terms of specs. Roman Miroshnichenko tells the story of how his pal a wizard luthier refurbished an old black Legend (it is AWESOME). When Al played it he offered him big bucks for it. In the bargaining (Roman refused to sell) Al revealed that he thought the new line of Ovation is sh*t--this includes his own model. I am disappointed, to say the least.
Good news for all us 1769 AD II oweners: it is possible to modify the axe to one's satisfaction. For one: put an OP STUDIO or some other preamp in it (Baggs, Fishman... if it will fit) |
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Location: south east Michigan | As a proud AD-II owner, that kinda bums me out.
But not too much. Truth be told, when I bought the guitar, I had no idea who Al DiMeola was. |
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Location: Chicago | Don't be too bummed, Brad. The heart of the problem is the OP PRO. Jeff retrofitted a OP STUDIO (Budny sent one free) and it is FANTASTIC. The trick is to get a good response from the high notes and to have the rich bass represented by the pickup. In terms of beauty and acoustic silkiness the AD 1769 is SUPERIOR. |
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Di Meola's new guitar