I have been having dreams lately about one of these

JohnHurley

Rock and Roll
I am 2 1/2 years away from retiring and think maybe I need one of these as motivation to keep me fired up as a retirement goal.

I love my converted dragon but this one is the one i keep looking at.

PRS Dragon 35th anniversary.

50C52ACE-2582-42BC-92DA-3D5D8DACBA9C.jpeg
 

JPsuff

Blackstar Artist
Not to throw a wet blanket on anything, but
why not just get a genuine "Paul's Guitar"
(not an SE)?

According to what I have read, the Dragon has the same pickups, the same bridge and push-pull pots instead of switches.

The Paul's Guitar goes for about $4k.

The difference of course is the dragon fretboard and the grade of the cap wood which, to me, isn't worth an additional $18k.

Don't get me wrong, I love PRS guitars but I think the upper level models are more about cosmetics than tone and even if I had the dough for one, I couldn't see spending it on things that have nothing to do with how it sounds.

Anyway, that's my two cents worth.

Carry on! :Beer:
 

david moon

Attempting the Blues
I'm looking at the bridge. It looks like there are not individual saddles for each string. That seems kind of odd.
 

JohnHurley

Rock and Roll
I'm looking at the bridge. It looks like there are not individual saddles for each string. That seems kind of odd.

Yeah it seems a bit different but works for PRS and me i guess. The SE Pauls guitar plus the regular line of PRS guitars that use it have a brass part under each string. Heres a closeup pic of my SE Pauls one ( excuse the dust its been in basement getting played last 2 weeks ).

E7B00DD1-C9FE-46C1-A4B5-F723EABD7E66.jpeg
 

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
I read somewhere (can't find the article now, just looked) about how they calculated the shape of the solid bridge to a fare-thee-well and if you intonate on the two outermost strings with the adjustable set screws you're golden.

Still, for folks who don't trust it, Mann makes a drop-in replacement that loses none of the sustain and gives you individual saddles.

http://www.mannmadeusa.com/news/by-popular-demand-we-have-upgraded-our-new-stoptail-bridge/

EDIT: the order link on that page is dead. I did a deeper search and looks like all versions except the satin finish are "sold out." Here's the order page for the satin (or maybe you can find them from third party vendors with a little digging):

https://www.johnmannsguitarvault.co...ble-Stoptail-Bridge---PRS-Satin-x47917909.htm
 
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david moon

Attempting the Blues
I found similar explanations with some searching. Looks like it is "compensated" for intonation. And the set screws can adjust the "tilt" relative to the posts. I would also assume the bridge matches the radius of the fretboard.

So maybe it is "good enough" and quite a bit cheaper than a tune-o-matic bridge plus tailpiece.
 

aleclee

Tribe of One
So maybe it is "good enough" and quite a bit cheaper than a tune-o-matic bridge plus tailpiece.
It's more than "good enough" unless you use odd string gauges. For any typical set, it'll be at least as in-tune as a ToM bridge that was dialed in by most humans.

Paul went with the solid bridge because he wanted to avoid losing vibration among the moving parts of a ToM. He's kinda obsessive about that sort of thing, which was why he even long favored an anodized tailpiece over a plated one. :)
 

JohnHurley

Rock and Roll
My wife and son have cars and I if had this baby I wouldn't go out much :sneaky:

For almost ten years i was driving 36 k miles a year commuting back and forth for work.

Now i am working at home all the time.

So really this is gas money and wear and tear savings for like 3 years. Hmmm ...
 

aleclee

Tribe of One
Yeah i have never heard of intonation problems on a PRS regardless of model or trem or not etc
Good friend of mine checked his stoptail's intonation with a strobe tuner. Spot on.

Results wouldn't be as good for less-typical sets (008's, 012's, light top/heavy bottom) but that's why PRS sells adjustable tailpieces.
 

david moon

Attempting the Blues
My comment:
So maybe it is "good enough" and quite a bit cheaper than a tune-o-matic bridge plus tailpiece.

  • was not a negative judgement. If it works well it's good. Just sayin. Fender style bridges offer string height and intonation adjustment on each string.
 
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