Sounds about right. I bought an SE because I couldn't justify the price of a core model. I splashed out a lot more on an acoustic guitar because the difference in sound was much more obvious between expensive and budget.

If you can't tell the difference between them tonally - why have the more expensive at home to record with if the recorded results between the two guitars would be indistinguishable? The USA model certainly looks nicer and it may well feel nicer to play......but the £1900 difference between the two guitars is HUGE! I can't see how the majority of people could justify buying the USA model.

It doesn't need a justification. Guitars are wants, not needs. As John said, the USA variant oozed quality and attention to detail. If you want the very personal indulgence of treating yourself to that extra degree of craftsmanship and appreciate those feel in those nuances, you can spend your own money however you like. The listener barely hears a difference whether you play a USA, an SE, or an $99 Ali express chinese clone, but that doesn't mean the players own personal pleasure in the playability doesn't matter to their own performance.

@@PaulCooksStuff I'm talking as someone who has good ears. I really struggled to hear any differences between the guitars. I can certainly understand appreciating a finer instrument but in this case I think the £1900 difference for no discernible benefit musically/tonally will be a stretch too far for the vast majority of people. With the Squier/Fender ranges - I can generally hear improvements up to when you hit the lower rungs of the American Fenders. But in those cases we're talking £1000 less than the American PRS's - so far more justifiable!

@@mikenorman6697 If choices are only justifiable if there's a discernable benefit to an observer, a BIC biro produces letters as legibly as a Montblanc, and a Casio tells the time as well as a Patek Phillipe. Choices are not always simply about the functional end result - the pleasure and tactile quality of use matter (to some) too. John felt a tangible step up in quality and attention to detail in his own hand - as a blunt and honest northern bloke I doubt he's making that up. Theres your discernable benefit - to the player himself. It's not about your ears, it's about your hands feeling finessed attention to detail and playability. The players enjoyment and quality of life improvements, however small, still matter to the player even if the listener finds it indistinguishable in the audio output. If the tangible feel of a particular instrument invokes a higher regard and pride of ownership, a greater desire to pick up and play, greater inspiration to create, it's almost priceless when amortised over a lifetime of ownership. Only the individual player can make that very personal judgement of how much they value the differences. Judging it solely on discernable benefit sonically to a listener is ignoring the player and playability in the value equation. You've made a judgement the differences in feel/sound aren't worth the price to you, and that's fine, for you. I very much fish in SE waters too and if anything they make them a little too well. I suspect I'd find it hard to look beyond the SE too because it's 90% there for a much lower fraction of the USA price, but again that's a very personal decision on financial comfort and my hamfisted playing skills not being limited by the missing 10% of small quality detail. Justification can only be personal, it can never be a universal judgement on how others should be obliged to see it. I can't criticise anyone who decides the kind of quality improvements John discerned are worth it to them. If we want nicer things and are voluntarily willing to pay the (often diminishing returns) price, I can't condemn that as universally unjustifiable.

@@mikenorman6697 The thing is the sound is all in the pickups if the pickups are in the same place on the scale length (which should be the case in 2 PRS that are designed the same). This is the thing with electric guitars, the tone is via the picks picking up the magnetic change in the area they surround, not any acoustic properties. There maybe sustain differences but ironically a bolt on electric is going to sustain better (albeit slightly) than a set neck one. But players will buy with their eyes & of course that "Made in USA" tag. How many other products outside industrial ones do ppl really look at where a product is made? Certainly ppl hand over $1k for an Apple phone & it's made in China with parts sourced from other areas & none from the USA. If an Apple phone was made in the US it would still be around $1k, it is just what Apple charge. PRS could actually make all their guitars in Indonesia or China & still charge $2k-3K etc, it's what ppl will pay. The "Made in USA" tag is nothing to do with the skill of US workers 0- they are paid $20 an hour like they are at Fender & of course CNC's work the same no matter where they are located.

That quilted maple is almost delicious!

Actually, the USA guitar has a satin neck too. Very tactile 👍

Interesting... For me the single coil tones on these guitars are one of their strong points. To my ears they actually sound like proper single coils, rather than humbuckers chopped in half, which is what I get from a lot of HH guitars. Each to their own I suppose 👍

I agree. I mean the green colour maybe not the nicest but in other colours to a persons taste it would be better. None gloss that show the grain is pretty good & I even like the concept of it being a bolt on neck - makes little difference to sustain & if any it creates more sustain. Certainly the tone won't be affected. If ppl want to spend $2k or more on a PRS then that is no problem, but rest assured they won't be getting a better tone or even a better tool to make music with. There really does need tech advances to justify high prices of low tech guitars like what is offered. Carbon fibre necks, advanced electronics, advanced pickups. They really have run out of ideas & are just phoning it in & asking thousands for something made on a CNC & finished by workers on $20/hr in the US.

Shiny racing pigeons cost money you know 😁👍