specialk Posted July 11, 2008 Posted July 11, 2008 Okay, PRS charges a pretty fair amount for a very good guitar. But I see they are hiring sanders for $10/hour. http://www.prsguitars.com/inside/index.htmlI'm guessing/hoping these are not entry-level jobs, so I was pretty shocked to see such low wages. I was wondering if this was the industry prevailing wage (I sure hope not!) or if PRS was unusually stingy. I sure like to think those guys up in New Hartford are earning a living wage at least.specialk
HSB0531 Posted July 11, 2008 Posted July 11, 2008 Yep, one slot above McDonalds. They said $9 with a chance to increase to $10.50.Definately entry level.Can you imagine the artistry, the knowledge, the expertise that 9/hour commands?!?!Oh yeah, PRS will get reeeal good finish sanding for $9/hr.Do they staple the tops on too, or does that command a higher wage??Well.....hope the guys in Hartford are making a good wage.They're the best, in my opinion.And they deserve it.
Steve Haynie Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 Years ago one of the people at Hamer said that it was possible for people in the guitar factories to make more money in the furniture manufacturing business. At Ernie Ball I saw a room full of people sanding guitars by hand and with specialized tools. It does not look easy, but after a short time of doing that all day those people are probably really good at what they do. It may be a job that allows them to work their way to better paying positions.
marcnorth Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 That sounds about right for entry level positions in this day and age.I remember working for a contractor for $1.90 (minimum wage) in 1974.You had to work your ass off too.
murkat Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 everyone starts as a hand sander at prs. everyone. then they go from there.....................
santellavision Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 You have to read the fine print. The job location is in Korea working on the SE models.
intelligentpony Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 PRS also has GREAT benefits. After the first year or two they cover ALL of the employees medical. That alone is worth quite a bit. Not to mention the employee guitar program.
Mindseyes Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 I wonder what the pay they'er inlay guys??? abalone outline around MOP looks like a tuff job.;
HSB0531 Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 I wonder what the pay they'er inlay guys???abalone outline around MOP looks like a tuff job.;Nah!It's peel and stick.The local grade school kids do the work on weekends.They get free box drinks and a meal too.
Armitage Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 The inlays are CNC cut and so is the fretboard... any pinhead can do it. There's very little skilled work going on at PRS, that's why they can hire at such low wages.
MCChris Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 Ya gotta start somewhere. I just lined up an interview at Playboy for a kid who used to work for me at the cafe. Entry level video editing, $8 an hour. He's all about it. Of course, he just got out of college and is still living at home, so he can deal with that salary level. Near-minimum wage jobs are for people like him, not folks with families to support.It also helps if the place of employment is perceived as cool and there's opportunity for advancement.
hamerican gigolo Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 My first job was $3.50 an hour & that was 22 years ago. $9.50 sounds about right for an entry level position.
Steve Haynie Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 Ernie Ball hired people with flexible hours, trying to be work friendly for people with kids in school. They told us that at the open house I attended. I have no idea what the pay was like.
KH Guitar Freak Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 Well, question is, how many skilled luthiers would work as a sander either???
Mike Lee Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 PRS has proven it is able to produce high quality guitars using their established manufacturing practices. And they are able to sell those guitars at a price that allows them to remain profitable. So who are we to criticize their methods or pay rates?Granted, PRS guitars aren't my thing because they stopped making left-handed guitars. I also think they are overpriced for what you get and their maple figure is often lacking even on 10-tops. But the woodworking, assembly, fretwork, and finish quality are still great. Equal to Hamer at the very least - and the neck carves are more consistent. Hamer takes a craftsman/luthier approach which is appropriate for their production rate - around a dozen guitars a week. PRS takes a higher volume manufacturing approach because they have significantly higher volumes that would make Hamer's methods cost prohibitive.And pinhead can run a CNC? Try it. It takes a lot more ability and training than many people realize, depending on the manufacturing process of course.
Armitage Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 Sorry Mike, any pinhead can run a CNC. But it takes a lot of skill to program one. Big difference. The guy who programed it might not even work for PRS.
Stike Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 Well, question is, how many skilled luthiers would work as a sander either???It's a factory where folks (for the most part) do factory work, the same task over and over and over all damn day. They get started on body sanding because it's a job where they can do the least amount of harm to the guitar ( less man hours in it at that stage) and/or themselves. One PRS old timer is a good of a friend of a relative and gave us a no bullshit tour a few months ago. He was saying that most of the time when they did hire folks with luthiery backgrounds they didn't last long, know it alls, couldn't deal with factory work, etc. He said the usual Eastern Shore yahoos were the best employees.
santellavision Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 Maybe not every PRS that comes out is amazing, but, my new Grissom model is as close to a perfect guitar as I have ever owned. It's awe inspiring and makes me play better to get the most out of it.
specialk Posted July 12, 2008 Author Posted July 12, 2008 Trust me, here in the Midwest I am no stranger to factory work, but even Henry Ford figured out that employees would do a better job if they could afford the product they were making. I guess sanders are entry-level after all. I sure do hope the higer up positions are better compensated. And I hope at Hamer, even the sanders are doing better than that. Come to think of it, I've never seen Hamer have to put want ads on their web site for workers.... specialk
Mike Lee Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 I think Stike said it best - it's a factory, not a luthier shop.Armitage - I've met more than enough pinheads who could NOT run the high volume automated CNC machines I've worked with in the past no matter how much we trained them. Same goes for complex automated assembly machinery as well. Maybe it's just the places I've worked, or the particular equipment, but it takes more than a wrench turner or button presser to keep the stuff running well.But I do agree that programming said machines takes a lot of skill.
specialk Posted July 13, 2008 Author Posted July 13, 2008 I think Stike said it best - it's a factory, not a luthier shop.Oh, jeez, thanks for spelling it out so easy that even I can figure it out, Mike!PRS is a factory.Hamer is a luthier shop.Sorry for taking everyone's time up to get this idea through my dense skull.specialk
HSB0531 Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 PRS is a factory.Hamer is a luthier shop.+1 on that.
ceeb Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 One of the cool things about PRS is (according to Paul) the only job you'll see advertised are entry level jobs. They promote from within. I think that's cool. That's his business philosophy, and if it works, cool. And it does seem to be working. Say what you want about his guitars, marketing, or whatever else, the guy is very successful, making a niche in a market dominated by Fender and Gibson, and now is one of the big three in American guitar companies.
thecajunboy Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 Wow! 30 years ago a $10/hr job could get you a brand new Z28, weekly mullet maintenance, and all the weed you'd need.
JGale Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 I like my goldtop single cut very much.Does that make me a bad person?
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