Well, then.

deebeeus: Peoples:  The PRS Starla is an amazing-sounding, light-weight, coil-splittable- humbucking, Bigsby-loaded awesome fun machine!  BUT, I have noticed that this model does not seem to sell (at least not here in Canada anyway…).   Pretty much every guitar store in the Greater Toronto Area that has a Starla in stock, has had it for at least 12 to 18 months!  Personally I have had one up for sale on Kijiji for a few months (I’m asking for $1250 CAD. That’s ~550 dollars off the regular retail price here - about a 30% savings, over buying a new one!  if the sales tax on the new one is factored in it’s actually a $700 savings off a new one!  And yet…and I have not gotten ANY replies yet on it!)  :( It seems to me NOBODY wants these things.  Except me of course.  I have TWO Starlas!  This probably makes me the world’s leading collector of Starlas!  ;D Ok peoples, here is a pop quiz:  I am curious to know why it seems nobody likes this guitar (except me!).  IF YOU CAN, REPLY TO THIS POST AND TELL ME YOUR OPINION OF THE STARLA, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY THEORIES ABOUT WHAT IT IS ABOUT THEM THAT MAKES NOBODY WANT ONE!!  If you are a new follower of the blog, and cannot “reply” to this post yet (I think you have to follow me for minimum 2 weeks to be able to reply to my posts) drop me something in my “ask” box!  I am not doing primary market research for PRS with this…I just REALLY want to know why they seem so unpopular when they are REALLY amazing guitars! If someone sends me any plausible reason in my “ask”, I will share it with you as well.  Thanks for any feedback you have! :D I’ll preface this buy pointing out that, as those close to me will attest, I am a giant squealing PRS fanboy. I only own one (a ‘97 McCarty that I got a once-in-a-lifetime good deal on), but I’ve had the pleasure of playing a fairly large number and I’ve consistently found them to be the best made, best sounding, and best playing major electric guitar manufacturer out there. Anything else that equals or exceeds on a regular basis comes from smaller, boutique manufacturers. I’ve only played one Starla. We had it at Woodwind and Brasswind for several months (possibly over a year) before we sent it back to our main warehouse due to lack of any interest whatsoever. It wasn’t my favorite PRS, but I really liked it. Light body, great neck, and it had a sound that seemed like a slightly smoother, fuller version of a Gretsch Duo Jet. I even compared the two models once - I liked the PRS better. :) Guitarists, even electric guitarists, tend to be a surprisingly conservative bunch. We all know the Strats and Les Pauls and Ricks and Big Angular Metal Monstrosities, but when a company does something off of their usual beaten path, players tend to turn up their noses often without before even trying the instrument. The Starla isn’t PRSs usual fare, and while it’s a great guitar, I think the fact that it is so different from what is out there tends to be a blow against it as far as popular appeal is concerned. I’ve never really understood it; everybody wants to stand out, and they all want to do it by plugging a Les Paul into a Marshall stack.

deebeeus:

Peoples:  The PRS Starla is an amazing-sounding, light-weight, coil-splittable- humbucking, Bigsby-loaded awesome fun machine!  BUT, I have noticed that this model does not seem to sell (at least not here in Canada anyway…).  

Pretty much every guitar store in the Greater Toronto Area that has a Starla in stock, has had it for at least 12 to 18 months!  Personally I have had one up for sale on Kijiji for a few months (I’m asking for $1250 CAD. That’s ~550 dollars off the regular retail price here - about a 30% savings, over buying a new one!  if the sales tax on the new one is factored in it’s actually a $700 savings off a new one!  And yet…and I have not gotten ANY replies yet on it!)  :(

It seems to me NOBODY wants these things.  Except me of course.  I have TWO Starlas!  This probably makes me the world’s leading collector of Starlas!  ;D

Ok peoples, here is a pop quiz:  I am curious to know why it seems nobody likes this guitar (except me!).  IF YOU CAN, REPLY TO THIS POST AND TELL ME YOUR OPINION OF THE STARLA, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY THEORIES ABOUT WHAT IT IS ABOUT THEM THAT MAKES NOBODY WANT ONE!!  If you are a new follower of the blog, and cannot “reply” to this post yet (I think you have to follow me for minimum 2 weeks to be able to reply to my posts) drop me something in my “ask” box!  I am not doing primary market research for PRS with this…I just REALLY want to know why they seem so unpopular when they are REALLY amazing guitars!

If someone sends me any plausible reason in my “ask”, I will share it with you as well.  Thanks for any feedback you have! :D

I’ll preface this buy pointing out that, as those close to me will attest, I am a giant squealing PRS fanboy. I only own one (a ‘97 McCarty that I got a once-in-a-lifetime good deal on), but I’ve had the pleasure of playing a fairly large number and I’ve consistently found them to be the best made, best sounding, and best playing major electric guitar manufacturer out there. Anything else that equals or exceeds on a regular basis comes from smaller, boutique manufacturers.

I’ve only played one Starla. We had it at Woodwind and Brasswind for several months (possibly over a year) before we sent it back to our main warehouse due to lack of any interest whatsoever. It wasn’t my favorite PRS, but I really liked it. Light body, great neck, and it had a sound that seemed like a slightly smoother, fuller version of a Gretsch Duo Jet. I even compared the two models once - I liked the PRS better. :)

Guitarists, even electric guitarists, tend to be a surprisingly conservative bunch. We all know the Strats and Les Pauls and Ricks and Big Angular Metal Monstrosities, but when a company does something off of their usual beaten path, players tend to turn up their noses often without before even trying the instrument. The Starla isn’t PRSs usual fare, and while it’s a great guitar, I think the fact that it is so different from what is out there tends to be a blow against it as far as popular appeal is concerned.

I’ve never really understood it; everybody wants to stand out, and they all want to do it by plugging a Les Paul into a Marshall stack.

  1. deebeeus reblogged this from onetruegeorge and added:
    I think you have hit the nail on the head! I could not have said it any better. The Starla is too “different” for the...
  2. onetruegeorge reblogged this from deebeeus and added:
    I’ll preface this buy pointing out that, as those close to me will attest, I am a giant squealing PRS fanboy. I only own...
  3. lesvoyages-delame reblogged this from deebeeus
  4. ladyrosenred reblogged this from deebeeus
  5. xristopherandrews said: The Starla doesn’t sell well b/c the tops/finishes aren’t typical PRS production. Granted the coils are splittable but they don’t have the 57/08 etc pups so most players shy away from them. They look quirky, too.
  6. polaroid-drug reblogged this from deebeeus
  7. deebeeus posted this