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I Strongly Recommend Gary Jacob's Guitars

Gary Jacobs Guitars Information

Jacob's Guitars are one of the best guitars I have ever played!

I started carrying Gary's Guitars in early 1999, I have sold about 100 of them so far. The quality, playability and tone of these guitars has gotten better with each one I've received. The latest batch was easily comparable to the finest guitars in the world.

What makes this guitar exceptionally cool?

The smooth neck through the body style neck joint (see below) for one. This guitar also comes in a 22 or 24 fret version, and offers a flamed maple neck. The neck comes in 1 piece, 3 piece and 5 piece (optional), Tone/Pros bridge system and 2 excellent quality Seymour Duncan Black Back ™ pickups. Tremolo models are available with the Pearlcaster ball bearing tremolo.

The competing PRS model costs much more.

The PRS Guitar is not available with a Tone/Pros Tune-o-matic bridge. You can't even get a normal tune-o-matic like Gibson ,You can't get an ebony fingerboard or even a bound neck. PRS doesn't offer neck through body.

See below for the real comparison.

Ed Roman

Blueburst to Natural

Ebony fretboard, gold hardware, full size crown inlays, bound neck and Tune-O-Matic bridge. The Avanti uses Seymour Duncan Black/Back Pickups @ no extra charge. It also come s with a 5 piece flamed laminated neck and a beautiful quilted top. All Gary's Guitars come with direct mount pickups in the body at no extra charge. Gary is also one of the few companies who supply TonePros ™ bridges at no extra charge.

All of Gary's guitars come with a hand signed headstock. You can order Rosewood or Ebony fingerboards. You have a choice of Maple or Mahogany neck.

COMPARISON

OK, lets forget about price for a minute.

After all quality lives on long after price is forgotten. Lets just theorize that Gary's guitar was exactly the same price as a PRS. Lets talk about about why it's smarter to buy a Jacobs:

Jacobs Guitars are completely handmade numbered and hand signed entirely by Gary Jacobs himself. PRS hasn't signed his guitars for almost 10 years and PRS guitars are totally, fully, entirely machine made. Even the sanding operations are robotically controlled.
The Jacobs neck joint is a far better design. You have probably heard me rave about PRS's old neck joint being superior to their new neck joint. Well the Jacobs neck joint is superior even to the original early PRS models. Plus Jacob's are available in a 5 piece laminated neck (this is one of the main reasons I like Gary Jacob's guitars).
Jacobs Guitars can be ordered with a set in neck or neck/thru/body. PRS guitars come only as set in or bolt in.
Jacobs offers the traditional 2 piece Gibson style Tuna-matic bridge by Tone/Pros, at no extra charge. PRS has built less than 300 guitars with that option and the option brings the value up well over $5,000.00. As far as I can tell PRS hasn't offered it since 1991.
Jacob's Guitars utilize an inlaid logo and matching headstock for no extra charge. PRS only offers this on their most expensive models. Gary also uses real Abalone and PRS uses man made Abalaminate.
Jacobs Guitars are available for a nominal cost with ebony fingerboards and bound necks. PRS absolutely does not offer these options even on some of their $8,000.00 and up guitars.
Jacob's necks are laminated 3 or 5 piece with opposing grain for superior strength and stability. PRS uses a quarter sawn single piece. Both methods are good, but Gary's will be stronger and it definitely costs more to do. Of course Jacob's offers all different neck options see below.
Jacob's offers 6 tremolo systems including the Pearlcaster Ball Bearing Tremolo. PRS offers only one, and it's a knife edge model. For a moderate, very fair additional cost, Gary Jacobs offers several specialized models that PRS does not offer at all.
Jacob's guitars are also available with a unique new tremolo system that allows conversion to hardtail.
Jacob's offers any option including custom inlays, left handed and 24 frets on all models. PRS only offers these amenities on several selected models.
PRS guitars are extremely right on and made to computer grade accuracy. The fit and finish is spectacular. Jacob's handmade guitars rival PRS tolerances and computer grade accuracy. Each guitar is voiced by Gary himself.

Aren't PRS Guitars Handmade? NO

I prefer to think that the term handmade should only apply to a situation where there are a very small number of hands under the direct supervision of one master luthier. Handmade is always better.

The use of some power tools does not detract as long as one or two men guide the entire process, from initial guitar design, through wood selection, carving, fretting, finishing, final assembly and setup.

These guitars must each be treated individually as unique work. Mass produced guitars suffer from the natural variances involved in the marriage of the different woods used.

Handmade guitars produced under the close scrutiny of one master luthier, can easily overcome these variances through careful selection and tuning of all the parts. This process effectively creates a unique quality and a vast improvement on the product especially where tone is a major concern.

Be careful when you buy a supposedly hand made guitar! Most of the time they really are not handmade at all. In the case of Gary Jacobs I will personally guarantee that all his guitars are handmade.

Gary takes about 4 to 5 months to build a guitar. Let us order one for you!

Ed Roman

Allen Lanier
Blue Oyster Cult

Jacob's Guitar

Buck Dharma was in the store recently picking out several new guitars. He had played a Jacobs once before at a show in White Plains N.Y. & he asked me to bring it to the gig along with 2 other guitars.

BOC was playing one of the big Casinos in Vegas and it was a sold out show so no tickets were available. Buck was cool enough to supply us with 15 backstage passes to the show that night. Needless to say my whole crew went to the show.

When we got there Allen Lanier who mostly does keyboards picked up the Jacobs and simply would not put it down. I don't think Allen even went near his keyboards the whole show. Eric Bloom who usually plays 2nd guitar played most of the keyboard parts. It was a different show than I had ever seen. I have seen BOC at least 25 times. And I hope to see them at least another 25 times.

See The Abstract Avanti

Many PRS owners don't want to hear these facts.

In fact, they flame me regularly on their forum page for pointing out these facts. They never seem to challenge that they are indeed facts, they just flame me personally for mentioning them.

I would like to hear from readers who feel that I am being too one sided. Please don't hesitate to contact me regarding facts, pro or con, in regard to my statements.

While I admit to being very opinionated, I have a very fair nature and I will listen to anyone who wants to challenge my statements.

Any points that I may have left out pro or con will be added upon my readers pointing them out.

Gary Jacobs is not a threat to PRS. After all, he can only make about as many guitars a month as PRS can make in 15 minutes.