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PRS vs. Baker guitars. A no contest?

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baker guitars
20K views 31 replies 24 participants last post by  jaxadam 
#1 · (Edited)
I was wandering your opinions on the matter. I've heard one of guitar buddies talking about Ed Roman's baker series. He goes to Vegas about once a year (on business) and stops by Romans store. I've also heard tons of different stories...Here's what my bud said

Roman is an ex- PRS employee (quit mid 80s). He quit because of PRS' new found quantity production mindset as opposed to quality production mindset. Therefore he started is own line (Baker) to mimic the pre 80's 'quality' PRS'. (So I was told)

I'm just going on what I was told. But i'm assuming this is correct.

Now, obviously I believe both my buddy and I will still take prs over baker any day, but I was wandering if it really is a no contest?

With that mumbo jumbo said...

Anyone heard or played a baker and whats your opinion on the two?
 
#4 ·
Ed Roman bought the rights to Baker guitars when Gene Baker went out of business a few years back. He quickly moved the production to China. If you can find a pre-Ed Roman Baker then yes, better than PRS. Ed Romans Baker guitars are made in China and worthless, there were many people who got screwed into buying them at at first because they didn't know what happened.

The guitars you are looking for made by Gene Baker are now called B3 guitars, you can find them at www.finetunedinstruments.com.
 
#12 ·
Yeah, PRS guitars are pretty sweet. Maybe not for everyone, but they are well made instruments. And I SERIOUSLY doubt Ed Roman ever worked for PRS; he owned a music store in Connecticut in the 80's, the same one he closed and moved to Vegas when the whole East Coast knew him too well for him to stay in business ;)
 
#16 ·
Ed Roman is a well know joke in the online guitar community. Maybe not quite as much as Devries but close.

This Thread doesn't explain much but it does so a bit of Ed's douche canoeness.

And I hate PRS guitars. Can't stand a single model they make (although many of those tops are sweet) but they are well built and epic sounding guitars. The Addition of the SE line even made some affordable guitars.
 
#18 ·
the thing about PRS is the necks. Ive tried a lot of prs guitars and the one that really shined for me was one which was the 25th Anniversary Swamp Ash Special. The unfinished neck on it was beautiful. the Finished necks tend to have that sticky nitro feel. and the ones that are unfinished and set it, still feel a tad chunky.

It was just so different to any other guitar and the finish was pretty enough to make you stare at it, but not so pretty that you were afraid to take it out your house....

Still, i'd take a USA or a j-custom ibanez over a PRS Any day
 
#21 ·
Good lord, so much mis-information!!!

First off, Ed Roman was never an employee of PRS. Ed was an owner of a music shop called East Coast Music Mall in Connecticut back in the 80s. They were one of PRS's first dealers. However, Ed Roman was caught modding guitars and selling them as factory guitars (such as buying Standards and putting maple tops on them and selling them as 10-top Customs); rumors of out-and-out counterfit guitars (most specifically EBMM EVH guitars), etc. He wound up buying unsold parts when BC Rich went bankrupt the first time and finished them but sold them as made by Bernie Rico. PRS dropped East Coast as a dealer until they severed ties with Ed and he moved to Vegas. East Coast finally went out of business about a year ago. Ed has had a vendetta against PRS since then; case in point was that "Heel from Hell" stuff he may still have on his website - Ed put up a photo of a PRS Custom 22 (which has always had a very large neck heel) up next to an old photo of a Custom 24. Snake oil at it's finest - yes, PRS did lenthen the heel of a Custom 24 but only by about 3/16" of an inch; not to the visual difference shown by Ed's photo. I'm not necessarily a PRS fanboy (I play a Collings 290 but admit to having interest in PRS's new SC58 model), but let's set the record straight. Another example of Ed was knocking Terry McInturff for not building him a 24-fret guitar; McInturff told him no so Ed went from McInturffs being the best thing since sliced bread to a "I can't recommend them at all".

Gene Baker made some great guitars; I never have had the pleasure of playing an original Baker. Baker, like many smaller builders, hooked up with Ed as a dealer. He even went so far as to build a few (maybe 10-20) 24-fret versions of the original Baker B1 with a thinner body (basically Roman had Baker build him Baker's version of a PRS Custom). When Baker when bankrupt Roman bought the name and started making these guitars in Korea or China. If you see a 24-fret Baker the odds are it is an import; only 10-20 "real" 24-fret Bakers were made. Gene's current company, B3, is now part of Premier Builders Guild (PBG).

PBG is an ownership/marketing support company for several smaller builders - Baker, Saul Koll, Roger Giffen, Johan Gustavsson, Jason Schroeder, and Dennis Fano. Baker's B3 shop is building specific models for Koll, Giffen, Gustavsonn and Schroeder, and they are milling the bodies and necks for a new Fano model (Alt-de-Fano I believe) but Fano is finishing and assembling them at his shop. Koll, Giffen, Gustavsson, and Schroeder are still building one-offs at their personal shops but they are having a "production" model built by B3 through PBG. I have played a recent PBG B3 and it was very nice; I did prefer the PBG Koll however (I'm not a fan of the Buzz Feiten tuning and also preferred the Koll neck carve to the Baker neck carve).
 
#28 ·
So ... I have a question: Has anybody here actually played an Ed Roman Baker? Because it sounds to me like a bunch of people are slamming something they've never actually held in their hands.
I picked two of the Bushwhacker guitars (Tune-o-matic bridge, real [not photo] flamed top, Duncan black/back pickups, gold Grover tuners) for a few hundred bucks on clearance at Skip's in Sacramento this week, based on the way they played. Didn't bother doing any research ... didn't care to once I plugged into a Dark Terror 1/4 stack and started playing. Both guitars were of identical setup and finish, both sounded and fretted near identical - very fast. I don't really give a **** who Ed Roman is, or that these were CnC'd by Koreans ... side by side with my '61 reissue SG and my '60's neck Les Paul standard, these were the superior players, worth well more than the $350 and $450 prices I paid for them (the cheaper one was used ... oh, and there was no "rusted hardware," like some other internet warrior reviewer I came across claimed). I'd really like to hear from somebody who actually owned one of these guitars who found them to be "junk." Inexpensive, mass-produced, made in Korea - I'll give you that. But I've played USA Gibsons that were absolute QC **** compared to these guitars (I weeded out about 5 LPs before I found one with an even finish and level frets).
 
#29 ·
I too have an Ed Roman Baker Bushwacker, and I absolutely LOVE IT! I also own: Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, Paul Reed Smith CE24(old model), Paul Reed Smith Mira, Fender Strat, Carvin DC240, Washburn KC-90V, etc.... I have been playing professionally for 30 years, and have owned 39 electrics in total, so I think I can speak with some authority here. The Baker I own is a beautifully built and finished guitar, and the Seymour Duncan Blackbacks are screamers!! With coil tapping, and the Ebony fretboard, it is extremely articulate, and very versatile.
I do wish it had dual volumes, but all in all, it is a pleasure to play. Very fast comfortable neck, light and well balanced!
Haters gonna hate....... But Players, will love the Baker!
 
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