> Baker Vs PRS Guitars |
Baker Vs Paul Reed Smith Guitars |
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Home > All Guitars > Paul Reed Smith (PRS) GuitarsCompeting with Paul Reed SmithIn 2003 Gene Baker filed for bankruptcy, Ernie Ball was rumored to have bought the company. In actuality Ed Roman outbid Ernie Ball and purchased the name and all the rights associated with the name. Up until that time Ed Roman was a Baker dealer. Ed & Gene collaborated on designing a lighter more modern model called the Bushwacker. Today the Bushwacker is called the B1 and is manufactured by Ed Roman and is sold through a network of dealers in Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA. The evaluation in the graph below was originally done by Ed, when Gene still owned the company. The new, Ed Roman Baker B1 sells for less than one third the cost of the original model. This fact served to aggravate Gene Baker and all of his pre-existing dealers. Many of these dealers have badmouthed the new ones probably because they have been made to look overpriced by Ed Roman's new lower priced model. ComparisonThe new Baker comes with all the bells & whistles you would expect on a $3,500.00 guitar and only costs a little over $1,000.00. Gold Hardware, Seymour Duncan Pickups, Ebony Fretboard, Matching Quilted or Flamed Headstock, 24 Frets, Block Inlays, Push Pull Pots, Bound Body & Neck, Solid Mahogany Construction, Set In Neck, Grover Tuners, Beautiful Quilted and/or Flame Tops, Tun-A-Matic Bridge and a 100% solid warranty.
This Evaluation is for the original Gene Baker Instruments, They were much more expensive than the new models. The new models are about 1/3 the price and they are about 3 lbs lighter than the originals. The Comparison between PRS & the New Baker is different than this one. (The Baker Still Wins Though)
Final EvaluationGene Baker built a very nice guitar. His instruments were available through a dealer network. I used to carry Baker Guitars. The Bushwacker model is exclusively available from Ed Roman. The Bushwacker is the result of several years of design collaboration. The Bushwacker is lighter and easier to wield, It is the only Baker guitar available with 24 frets. |