Need help with navigating the PRS guitar landscape

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romanianreaper

romanianreaper

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So I was looking at guitars, as most of us do at nauseum as guitarists, and I realized with all of the guitars I've had over the years, I've never owned or even played a PRS. As I started digging thru reviews of the different models, etc. I started getting an idea of the range moneywise that I might want to spend, etc. so wanted to get some insight, opinions, etc.

I'm looking at a USA made but don't want to get these super expensive ones. Right around $1500 - $2000 is the area I'm looking but wondering about single-cut versus double-cut and also was really curious about the pickups. I know they are really versatile with the coil tap but wondering more about the bridge pickup and capability to play hard rock and metal. I'm not looking for something to play Slipknot. Just wondering kind of what the pickups are comparable to.

Any help would be appreciated!
 
CE bolt on.
Great guitars.
See if a big box store would deal to get it under $2000.00

Also used can work. Get you into a McCarty for under $1800.00
 
I was in the same boat, never had any other style except super strats. I decided to buy a CE24 and fell in in love. Then I got another CE24 on trade and just last week I bought a McCarty 594 single cut, my first EVER LP style guitar.

On the CE24's, I did not like the 85/15 pickups. I don't play light break-up or mid-gain stuff, only heavy gain. I thought they were weak, however, I found that you could easily bump up the EQ or drive on your pedals and compensate. I swapped out for a pair of Suhr Aldridge in one guitar and Seymour Duncan Custom5/59 in the other. Love both.

On the 594, they come with 58/15 LT pickups, which are even lighter gain. The Neck pickup is perfect though, sounds fantastic, will keep it. I am going to try a something different in the bridge, but I've been playing it everyday and really like it. My first pedal is an EQ, so I just bumped up the overall level by about 2 and it works great.

There's almost always one or more on Craigslist, maybe try a used one there. They hold the value so you should be able to get your money back if you don't like it.

Basically S2, CE and Core models are made in the USA. The S2 a little more straight forward body style to hold down costs. The CE and S2 has some Korean parts.
SE is made in Korea.

Some good comparisons that I found useful here:


 
I should add that I pulled the 85/15 pickups out of my CE24's and sold them on Reverb for $300 per set. They go high on Reverb because you can't buy the pickups separately, they only come with the guitar. So I got back $600 off the cost of the one I bought.
 
Can never go wrong with a McCarty. A lot of it depends on what you like neck wise. You won't find a fat neck a fixed bridge on a custom 24. You can on a Custom 22. A 245 Single Cut is a nice ride as well. If you can get along with a thinner neck the tremonti guitar is a great player. All of their guitars are nice, can't go wrong IMO.
 
Plenty of used Singlecuts out there and the S2 line is really nice. For something a little heavier sounding look for a used Tremonti, honestly they are just great guitars..
 
If I understand correctly, the 22 models are usually a little more mellow between the stock pickups and position of the neck pickup. The 24-fret models are a little more modern. The bolt-on tone is a bit different than the set-neck guitars because of the bolted-on maple neck vs. the glued-in mahogany as well.

Personally, I've got an old CE-22, an S2 Standard 22, and an HBII. The S2 is really cool for a no-frills rock guitar, but I've debated swapping the pickups in it to make it sound different. I've got the original Dragon pickups in the CE, but have also debated going with something a little more versatile in that one as well. Overall, I love PRS guitars but I think I'm starting to lean to the fact that a pickup swap could help a lot of the models (although I've heard really good things about certain sets of pickups so I think it's pretty model dependent).
 
For pickup options (this goes for anybody looking for new pickups), I can't recommend the PRS metal (\m/) enough. For a high-output ceramic pickup, it's one of the most versatile of its type I've ever tried. I don't normally gravitate to ceramic pickups, but this one is definitely mislabeled and definitely not just for metal. I have an uncovered set in a PRS CU24 and cover everything from Nile Rogers funk to Paisley Tele twang to classic metal (VH, Priest, Maiden, AIC, etc., which is as far as I typically go on the metal side of things), all with the guitar volume. Given its clarity and tightness, I'd say it can easily handle the more modern stuff too.
 
I bought a new CE24 a few months ago. I'm ok with the stock pickups. I want it to sound different than my other guitars. I think I like the split coil sounds better than my Strats. It's a very tight and percussive guitar....very forward and direct sounding. You have to be careful with the bridge too.....6 knife edges instead of 2.
 
I bought one of the HB II SE's for 1100 bucks a couple of months ago, and I couldn't be happier with it...well I could do without the damned birds...

USA models are way too expensive for me...this chink one fits just right for what I want from it
 
Kevin11":38mjr2cq said:
For pickup options (this goes for anybody looking for new pickups), I can't recommend the PRS metal (\m/) enough. For a high-output ceramic pickup, it's one of the most versatile of its type I've ever tried. I don't normally gravitate to ceramic pickups, but this one is definitely mislabeled and definitely not just for metal. I have an uncovered set in a PRS CU24 and cover everything from Nile Rogers funk to Paisley Tele twang to classic metal (VH, Priest, Maiden, AIC, etc., which is as far as I typically go on the metal side of things), all with the guitar volume. Given its clarity and tightness, I'd say it can easily handle the more modern stuff too.
Click to expand...

I’ve been on the verge on buying a bridge \m/ pickup a few times, seems killer. Thanks for that
 
I am not a PRS guy. They just aren't me. I had a CE22 and that's where the deal is. But I sold it a few weeks later for a few bucks more than I paid. PRS just isn't me.
 
59/09 pickups are great for heavier tones. M pickups as well but your not going to find those. See if you can find a
ANY 59/09 equipped PRS model. They’re all good. Try and find a stripped 58 (regardless of the pickups). It’s a single cut and you can find some in the under $2k range as well as the original single cut models.
 
I have just one PRS and its awesome (2015 USA Holcomb). But I end up playing my daily beaters more cause I'm scared im going to ding it or worse lol. I really want a nice single cut or SC245. I bought my daughter an SE single cut for like $300 and honestly it feels good to. Also the regular single cuts are 25.5 scale like a Fender and the SC245's (the ones with a LP style bridge) are 24.5 like a Gibby :thumbsup: I kind of like the 25.5 scale.
 
errrrrl":278ohhm6 said:
I have just one PRS and its awesome (2015 USA Holcomb). But I end up playing my daily beaters more cause I'm scared im going to ding it or worse lol. I really want a nice single cut or SC245. I bought my daughter an SE single cut for like $300 and honestly it feels good to. Also the regular single cuts are 25.5 scale like a Fender and the SC245's (the ones with a LP style bridge) are 24.5 like a Gibby :thumbsup: I kind of like the 25.5 scale.
Click to expand...

I believe most all PRS guitars are 25 inches standard except a few models are smaller (SC at 24.5 and 594 at 24.594 for example). But I think the only 25.5 scale length is the strat?

https://www.prsguitars.com/index.php/support/article/neck_profiles
 
btw, I'm asking about the 25.5 inch scale because I'd be interested in that if they make them.
 
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