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Gary Grainger PRS Sig?
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
That was my first question to them and they said it was in the works. They were very noncommital as to when though.
It just seems to me like their basses are designed by guitarists.
and bingo was his name-o
honestly... that bass does nothing what so ever for me, at least by the looks of things. If anything, it reminds me of something Peavey would be doing back in the T-40 days. 
However, I have a lot of respect for Gary Grainger and he's a truly exceptional bass player. If this bass is good enough for him, it's probably good enough for anyone. But for 11k??? Just cannot see how that's going to appeal to anyone... pro or amateur alike!
However, I have a lot of respect for Gary Grainger and he's a truly exceptional bass player. If this bass is good enough for him, it's probably good enough for anyone. But for 11k??? Just cannot see how that's going to appeal to anyone... pro or amateur alike!
honestly... that bass does nothing what so ever for me, at least by the looks of things. If anything, it reminds me of something Peavey would be doing back in the T-40 days.
However, I have a lot of respect for Gary Grainger and he's a truly exceptional bass player. If this bass is good enough for him, it's probably good enough for anyone. But for 11k??? Just cannot see how that's going to appeal to anyone... pro or amateur alike!
In all fairness to Mr. Grainger, I doubt if he decided the price for this bass. I just don't understand a compnay without much of a bass reputation charging that much for one of their models. If they sell twenty in two years, I will be shocked.
I'm sure he hasn't had anything to do with the price... if anything, based on the input in this thread, he has helped PRS finally make a bass that's worth owning.
I agree to the rest of your post, too. I find it strange... nearly amusing!
Is that a Paul "Ritter" Smith bass or what the hell is wrong with them?
I'm shure it's not worth it, maybe it was a typo error?
I'm shure it's not worth it, maybe it was a typo error?
I found that kind of strange too when I just saw it. The only mention of Gary is some NAMM pics.
IIRC the bass was supposed to sell in the $3k range. It's been in the works for a long time. I played it but didn't spend any serious time with it. Nice bass. Probably geared towards guitar collectors at this point since they don't make any other basses anymore AFAIK.
If you're familiar with Ritter and people who buy PRS private stock, you'll know that worth is determined by the buyer. Might not be you but that doesn't mean someone else won't jump. Stranger things have happened
If you're familiar with Ritter and people who buy PRS private stock, you'll know that worth is determined by the buyer. Might not be you but that doesn't mean someone else won't jump. Stranger things have happened
Having sold PRS at Mars Music and GC, I can't tell ya how true that is. The same collectors that buys 4-9k guitars would easily buy a 11k bass just to have it. Have you ever been on the PRS forum???
Fanboys comes to mind. Their obsession is borderline masturbatory.
And I can't blame them for striking whenever that iron is hot... laughing all the way to the bank at the people who argue "worth". The instruments clearly aren't aimed at them anyway so who cares?
You gotta think that with bassists avoiding their instruments at all cost over the past few decades that PRS has figured out that what they build isn't what people want / like / will pay for.
I have never in my life played an instrument that had a worse dollar to value ratio than the PRS I played in the late 90s. I tracked a session with it for a friend and I was VERY underwhelmed / kind of displeased with the tone. Sat horribly in the mix and required a bunch of unnatural sounding eq to get it to peak through at all. And for it to be a rather expensive instrument is quite amazing. To be honest, I probably wouldn't record with the bass it it was given to me for free.
Now, I haven't played the 11K bass here, but really... 11K?
I tend to like very nice instruments, so, for guitar I have a beautiful PRS Custom 22 with 10 top, birds, etc... For bass, I wouldn't even consider a PRS. For me, the shape that I really like in an electric guitar doesn't translate well to a bass (same issue I have with Gibson LP type basses). I'll stick with the NYC Sadowsky (a hell of a bargain compared to the 11K PRS 
) and others when it comes to basses.
Later
Rob
) and others when it comes to basses.Later
Rob
There are a lot of strong opinions here from people who have never payed a Grainger bass - which hasn't a single part or circuit in common with the production PRS basses.
Sure, the production PRS bass seemed to miss the mark, but until you spend some time with a Grainger (which, as mentioned, is a totally new animal), how could you render an opinion with an ounce of credibility? Just sayin'...
That being said, I'd buy two more Ken Smith BSR5EG's (which I have) before I bought another Grainger (which I also have.) And the Grainger sounds great through my SVT or my B-15 - especially in passive mode.
Sure, the production PRS bass seemed to miss the mark, but until you spend some time with a Grainger (which, as mentioned, is a totally new animal), how could you render an opinion with an ounce of credibility? Just sayin'...
That being said, I'd buy two more Ken Smith BSR5EG's (which I have) before I bought another Grainger (which I also have.) And the Grainger sounds great through my SVT or my B-15 - especially in passive mode.
There's one on eBay at the moment (no affiliation):
http://cgi.ebay.com/2006-PRS-PAUL-R...oryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/2006-PRS-PAUL-R...oryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
That would be mine.
The bass feels very much like a Ken Smith in terms of balance, neck carve, string spacing, etc. I can switch between this bass and my BSR's without thinking about it.
Obviously the PRS has a thicker body than the Smith bass - though I would say the PRS 'feels' more resonant. The single coils on the PRS also feel different to my thumb which is primarily why I stay on the ramp.
The upgraded Grainger circuit seems to have a tighter punch on the low end while eliminating the pop when pulling-up the volume put to switch to passive mode. In passive, through a vintage SVT circuit, this bass growls very nicely but slap bass really brings this one to life. I guess it makes sense considering its namesake.
The thin nitro finish is a real plus. I love a super thin matte finish - especially on the neck.
All-in-all, it is a really solid sounding bass with gobs of articulation. To such a degree, in fact, that I put nickel plated strings on it to warm it back up. That worked well.
God knows it looks amazing with the flamed out neck and dark brazilian fretboard. I'd love to keep it, but times are tough. Nuff said.
The bass feels very much like a Ken Smith in terms of balance, neck carve, string spacing, etc. I can switch between this bass and my BSR's without thinking about it.
Obviously the PRS has a thicker body than the Smith bass - though I would say the PRS 'feels' more resonant. The single coils on the PRS also feel different to my thumb which is primarily why I stay on the ramp.
The upgraded Grainger circuit seems to have a tighter punch on the low end while eliminating the pop when pulling-up the volume put to switch to passive mode. In passive, through a vintage SVT circuit, this bass growls very nicely but slap bass really brings this one to life. I guess it makes sense considering its namesake.
The thin nitro finish is a real plus. I love a super thin matte finish - especially on the neck.
All-in-all, it is a really solid sounding bass with gobs of articulation. To such a degree, in fact, that I put nickel plated strings on it to warm it back up. That worked well.
God knows it looks amazing with the flamed out neck and dark brazilian fretboard. I'd love to keep it, but times are tough. Nuff said.
It would seem the strong opinions are a combination of past PRS bass experience and the price tag.
Not that I'm questioning their pricing structure, it's just that the bass more than tripled in projected price with no major changes. Like I said, if a company can make that fly, cool... but don't expect many people not to see it as an issue.
edit: didn't know yours was for sale. never mind.
