By Erik Robel


For PRS devotees, a myriad of people would say that a PRS Artist Package guitar is just about the same as a standard PRS guitar sound and tone wise. But the inequality between a Paul Reed Smith Artist Package guitar and a standard PRS guitar is very huge, visually speaking. When you talk about artist package, it indicates that the guitar is first-class and costs more given that it's typically fully clad with better top and additional rosewood in the neck. It also includes the gold hardware as a substitute to the familiar chrome hardware found in a standard PRS guitar. The headstock of a PRS Artist Package guitar is much more elaborate and the bird inlays are much more vibrant. In quintessence, when you avail of the Artist Package upgrade, all the materials that are used to build the guitar will be of better quality compared to the ordinary PRS guitars.

To better appreciate what a PRS Artist Package guitar is, let's inspect one and scrutinize its features and design. The Custom 24 20th Anniversary Artist Package is an amazing guitar. The features of this Vintage Natural Artist package comprise of gold hardware, a tremolo with locking tuners, a wide but thin neck, and detailed bird inlays on a quilted maple top. It also has a five way rotary switch and includes a leather case. These are all the extra features done in an artist package guitar. The setup is faultless and the matching of the two top pieces is excellent. It is a testimony to the superior craftsmanship of PRS, the action; fit and finish are all wonderful. The sound superiority of this guitar is also outstanding. It has a ample assortment of tones you can achieve. It has some stratocaster hint when set in single coil settings, but there is a rather unique sound to it. The humbucker has an immense sparkling growl unlike some of the LP guitars which are a bit dirtier. The good thing on the subject of this guitar is the assortment of sound it can create and it has an excellent light feel to it. This guitar is best for playing blues, rock or jazz.

The custom 22 Artist package is one more Paul Reed Smith Artist package guitar that is worth scrutinizing. The 2005 custom 22 artist package model was also designed for the 20th Anniversary Artist package line. It utilizes Brazilian rosewood for the headstocks and fretboards. It also has the basic gold hardware and has the legendary Dragon 2 pickups which make a very good and sharp clean tone. It has the customary artist package embellishments like the locking tuners, intricate flying bird inlays and the signature leather case. The action of the guitar is placed a bit high for a number of peoples' taste but it's not anything that can't be attuned well by a good guitar technician. Aside from that, the fit and finish of the guitar is ideal. The sound superiority of this guitar is somewhat unlike the custom 24 artist packages. This guitar makes a fatter and juicier sound that would be more ideal for louder music genres. This is perhaps because of the Dragon 2 pickups that are installed. It might not have that much range tone wise but it does create a very good sound perfect for metal and modern rock music. All things considered, this guitar is a brilliant investment, it's not just pleasant to the eyes, but it does produce a very good sound.

Although it is quite obvious now that the main difference in an ordinary PRS guitar and a PRS artist package guitar is purely on the cosmetic side and has nothing to do with the sound and tone side of the guitar, many owners of artist package guitars will say otherwise. Some owners say that the tone and feel of artist package guitars are very different compared to the ordinary PRS guitars. Some say the artist guitars are lighter and have a very thin and wide neck. Some say they sound better since PRS claimed that the artist models had more resonant woods but now they no longer make that claim. They say that artist package is purely for appearance purposes only. Although the difference between an ordinary PRS guitar and an artist package guitar is purely cosmetic, it isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can also be a reason for guitar players to sound better. The AP guitars can be breathtakingly spectacular to look at and that would be a good reason for the owner to feel good about his playing, thus allowing him or her to play better, knowing that his or her guitar is looking good. This is usually called the "Feel Good Factor" in guitar playing. Think of it this way, it's like the way you walk around when you know how good you're dressed. It is the confidence you get when you know that you're wearing something good, it's the same with playing guitars. This is probably the reason why most people who can afford it, avail of the artist package up charge.

The majority of people who own Paul Reed Smith Artist Package guitars typically end up being very satisfied with the guitar they bought. It appears as if they don't even mind the added charge they paid for to get that guitar. The majority say that sure you have to give some money in order to get a pretty good looking axe, one that is praiseworthy. Most guitar aficionados say that the paua bird inlays of the artist guitars is what separates it from other guitars. The most frequent comment that guitar fans can say about an AP guitar is that it sounds as good as it appears. You won't be dissatisfied because the guitar isn't just about looks, it's also about exquisiteness. PRS spent innumerable hours to design pickups that would accommodate to most guitarists' approach and flavor and these pickups are what are being utilized in the AP guitar line, most notable is the Dragon 2, HFS bridge pickup and the Vintage Bass neck pickups. Various people also say that just by seeing the Artist Package leather case improvement is already worth the money they spent.

In a nutshell, although the Artist Package guitars of PRS only differ with the regular PRS guitars in terms of aesthetics, it still is a very huge enhancement to overlook. Nearly all people would typically go for the AP upgrade if they can pay for it, given that; I guess attractiveness does matter when talking about guitars. You can on no account have enough intricate designs in a guitar provided that the guitar also sounds as good as it looks. That is the entire reason why the AP upgrade of PRS is very preferred. It has the ideal balance of beauty and tone excellence. You can never say that your guitar is too plain and ordinary, once you own a PRS artist guitar. An AP guitar will deliver what it's made for which is beauty and sound accuracy. These guitars are really a bang for your buck.




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