+John P the same for me, and I always thought the 24 fret bird was just F'd up because of the tiny space there. but seeing the detail of the owl is amazing!
Yeah, I always thought they looked different but figured that's because they look like they were flying across the neck. I'd never noticed the owl though.
Noel E I love My Green 10 top. For DECADES I was going to GET THE Blue . I got it used and PERFECT in green ... I couldn't refuse it at 1000.00 Private Sale .. Basically STOLE IT 😎 I am excited EVERY day I see and play it . that's hard to do after 35 years of playing .. THE PRS is Absolutely Priceless To Me
Buying my first Custom 24 was one of the greatest moments of my life. I own a Custom 24, S2 24, and an S2 Singlecut (with a Mark Holcomb Signature model on order). Of all the Schecters, Fenders, Gibsons, Ibanez, Jacksons, ESP/LTD's I've owned, PRS are my favorite and my go-to for both standard and heavy tunings. I often wish I had never bought an American Custom 24, because it's so hard to go back to playing something like a C1-Hellraiser with EMG's without thinking, "why the fuck do I still play this inferior piece of wood?"
I could afford to by myself an “SE” series PRS, it is absolutely amazing,grew up around Fenders, ( father in law played in a band,a duo and at times solo), later on in life I took up play bass and recently guitar, after hearing a PRS I wanted one, but $ ,especially with teenagers, so then I discovered the SE series, love it great quality control ensures the PRS quality isn’t diminished,love it 👍
Thanks for doing the Custom 24! I've got two SEs and my wife got me an 08 Core for my birthday earlier this month - simply amazing guitars (to me). I knew four of the six, so I learned something about my core guitar and thoroughly enjoyed the video. Thanks again!
#7 - The original "Sweet Switch" in the Custom 24's invoked a circuit that gave the sonic effect of the capacitance from a very long cable run. Highs are muted and midrange becomes more prominent in the sound. It was done at Carlos Santana's request for his guitars and made it into initial production runs.
Thanks for running through the specs as they compare to Gibson and Fender. I own an SE 245, which if I went by, would have never known how the real PRS dimensions are significant. Can't wait to try a 22 or 24!
I wanted to say thank you for this video! After watching this I bought my first PRS guitar today It's simply amazing ! I've always been a fender / Gibson guy. Simply beautiful super high quality guitar! Thanks so much for your videos ! Love your vidoes ! Lots of love from Canada !
Great video mate! So glad I ended up with a CU24 instead of the CU22 I was looking at when I bought my PRS. Especially now that I have an owl on the 24th fret ! :)
1-5: Because they’re my favorite guitars to use live🤘 When I upgraded my original Core Custom 24 to a 24-08 it allowed me to use the guitar for any gig out there. I’ve made a few videos on it and it’s seen over 100 shows and rehearsals.
Great Vid Philip. You may have wanted to mention the " 10 " that some of the guitars have on the reverse of the headstock mentioning they are " Top 10" in figured Maple top but..... PRS has sooo many things to talk about...Thumbs up!
I have an older version Core Series with the 5-way knob. Took a while to get used to, but I'm dealing with it. Main thing i didn't know was the super glue under the frets. Details that make PRS the quality instrument they are. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for talking about the birds, especially the owl. My wife loves birds and specifically the owls... I think I might be able to get an "owl" guitar now!!!
Five things you may not know about... me! (1) I can't afford Gibson. (2) I can't afford Fender. (3) I can't afford PRS. (4) I can afford Epiphone. (5) I lied, I can't really afford Epiphone.
The bridge screw info was nice as well. Good job. One quibble. PRS doesn't use the same break angle that Gibson uses that causes the neck to break. They use a less severe angle.
Took a leap of faith in 2007 and grabbed a custom 22. Been playing since 1965 and knew nothing about PRS. So glad I hung onto it today. It’s my fav guitar. By far.
I had a red custom 22 with dragon pickups and thick neck that sounded really fat and gibson like. I really dug that guitar but being a typical guitarist wound up selling it on impulse chasing after the "perfect tone" and realized too late that I was already there.
I have a PRS Custom 24 in Charcoal Burst with a Floyd Rose - I love it. It was set-up to perfection by World Guitars but I have noticed that it needs some TLC when the weather changes as the neck needs adjusting to overcome fret buzz. Once you get the truss rod adjusted all is perfect again - a 5 minute job. I also have an American Standard Strat in Candy Red and a Gibson 'Les Paul' Slash Appetite for Destruction. They are all lovely guitars but the PRS is my favourite by far. The feeling is awesome, the weight is just right, the neck is smooth, the 5 way selector switch enables it to sound like a LP or a Strat or plenty in between, the tone is awesome and it looks beautiful. The extra 2 frets come in handy pretty regularly too. It's my "go to" guitar every time. If you are considering one - play a few and shop around - play some other types too then you'll really appreciate the difference. I probably wouldn't recommend one as a first guitar due to the price - it would be a bit like buying a 911 as your first car. Instead go for an SE (Student Edition) - they are great value for the price - take a look at the Anderton's comparison video on here for an overview of the differences. Learn to play it then trade-up. If you aren't too experienced then get the guy in the shop to play it for you and listen to the difference - it can go from sweet and clean to jazz to funk to rock to heavy and sound great at every junction. Right, well mines hanging on the wall looking lovingly at me as I type this so I'm going to go grab it and play.
Hey Philip. I wanted to say kudos and thank you. You never let me down dude. Ive been playing 30+ yrs and id like to think I have good knowledge of guitars. But now when I’m looking to: 1. Purchase/sell/trade a guitar 2 .Get “CORRECT” specs and info.. 3. Try to come up with a good-brief-thorough post for selling etc? There you are. Because there is so much incorrect info out there. So, in the words of Cosmo Kramer, “Giddeeyup!” And since we’re talking Prs’s, I have had them for yrs. And yes, Prs frets never fail! I’ve asked techs from the big vendors to Boutique shops where Joe Walsh just walked out of. I always ask what guitars give them the least problems when unboxed, New or used from Frets, Setup etc. The answer is always Prs and sometimes Fender. And I learned that Crazy glue is the secret ingredient from heavy repairs to fixing scratches and dents in lacquer. So this explains the glued Prs frets from factory. Ive glued frets in a bind. But now when I Refret? Yep! Thanks Philip. Keep on doing what you do.
I was with the same opinion until I said,fuck it and I got one. Best choice in my life. The tone is insane . The playability is something that I love. Makes you go faster and the resonance even without plugin to nothing is something unique. I always say. Fender.gibson and then prs . All different tones that most brands copy them
Cool video. One thing about PRS guitars that I like, is the amount of time spent on shaping the neck. I saw a factory tour video and how they built their necks blew me away. Lots of thin shaping followed by days or weeks of storage time for the wood to stabilize and shift a bit. Then more thin shaping and storage, and so on, and so. That psychotic attention to detail is crazy to watch.
The gluing info was cool. I know many others super glue their frets, but I belive most just drop the glue in the slot and then press the fret. Regardless, gluing the frets definitely is a very good preventative measure. I think that's a big reason PRS guitars hold up so well.
I have had a PRS Santana III for a handful of years now. Plus another 15 or more acoustics and electrics. I even have many vintage guitars, including a 58 Tele natural ash in fantastic condition. Still, this PRS is great. I almost traded it for a Limited Edition Fender Strat that was all black, black face with white knobs. sure what editions specifically, but it was and is amazing. So I played the PRS this past weekend, all weekend. Called the dude with the Strat and said, "I cannot part with my PRS!" I realized that this guitar does play like a Gibson and like a Fender, and actually better in my view. Nice video. Have a great day!
I'm 64, and my 2011 PRS Santana anniversary model is my favorite guitar of all time! I have a lovely little owl too, as well as a reliably kick-ass guitar.
If you look closely, this year PRS is featuring John Mayer's face actually ON the peregrine falcon. Check out the 2020's on Sweetwater. Shift command + will zoom you in on a Mac
I knew most of these things before I bought my '91 Custom 24 in January, 1992; I did a lot of research before I finally made up my mind, and I talked to a lot of very knowledgeable and helpful guitar techs and salespeople. I was at the point where I needed a truly "professional-grade" guitar, and I was giving serious thought to buying a Les Paul Standard, but then I saw a Santana video and was absolutely BOWLED OVER by the stunningly beautiful yellow guitar he was playing! From that moment, I was completely sold on the idea of getting a PRS Custom 24, and within a couple of weeks, she was all mine! I chose Vintage Yellow because it looked a lot like the one Carlos Santana played in the video, and I've never regretted buying her for a single second. She's the sweetest guitar in the world, as far as I'm concerned. (The same goes for everyone who's ever played her, too!) I'd love to see you do a video about my #2 guitar; she's a 1993 Godin Artisan ST-1 "Ultimate," and while she's definitely #2 to my #1 Custom 24, she's also my "go-to guitar" for most things these days, mainly because of her oh-so-sweet ebony fingerboard and the fastest neck profile I've ever played!
I love these guitars as well. Even the SE guitars. I've owned almost every other brand. I haven't owned a Ernie Ball guitar and I'm sure they're great. But it's a good feeling being content with ones insturment. I own other guitars simply because they either have a feature or a tone palete PRS just doesn't have. But Paul's getting there with guitars like the John Meyer strat copy which I wouldn't own. I think it could have been something really special and fresh instead of a PRS Strat no matter how well it's made. I guess those things happen when you let a artist help design a guitar. Attach a healthy price tag and it becomes a joke.
I by chance bought a used SE Sananta 1st year on CL (with those weird slash inlays). I loved it so much I sold my Jem, Gibson LP and a couple Epis and now have 4 more PRS guitars. Whenever I see them on CL and there's something unique, I snatch it up. Except for a soap bar 2 I missed out on.. Still watching!
Number 7 - The 24 and the 22 fret guitars are the same scale length. As a result, the neck pickup on the 24 fret model is closer to the bridge pickup, giving it a slightly brighter tone than the 22 fret model, especially when you play with the coil taps. When Fender went from a 21 fret guitar to a 22 fret guitar, they took the opposite approach. The fretboard is one fret longer than the actual neck. Not sure which one is better.
Just got my 26 year old son his first PRS. We have almost 30 guitars floating around the house, 8 of those being custom built ... really nice guitars. I will say, I'm jealous of the PRS I just got him. The action and tone and overall playability is just as nice as any one of my custom made guitars I have. Just a sick, solid axe. !!!
All new to me. Always a great channel of info. I have come to love PRS. Have SE 245, and now Paul's SE, along with other brands over the years as I am 67.
I purchased the PRS S2 24 Custom on Saturday, Guitar Center didn't have one in stock so had to order me one; I'll get that on Thursday. So the pointers you gave me will help me to know my guitar a little better. Knowledge is power! Thanks Phillip!
Like him or loathe him, this guy knows his stuff and puts it across in an easy-to-understand straightforward way. One thing I'd like to add: whatever the guitar might be - Fender, Gibson, PRS, Ibañez, if it's not set up properly or has an unfortunate build defect or grubby strings or dirty fretboard - it is gonna play and sound SHIT. It always pays to check out 2 or 3 versions of the same guitar in different shops or places before purchasing. (Although seasoned players who have gone thru a load of gear can usually tell straight away if the guitar is up to scratch).
Cool video... Here's something interesting: "Starting from the nut the birds are: Peregrine falcon Marsh hawk Ruby throated hummingbird Common tern Coopers hawk Kite Sparrow landing Storm petrel Hawk landing Screech owl on a branch (24-fret models only)" Taken from the PRS site (FAQ)...
CheddarKungPao schooled me on the owl inlay while we walked the factory floor. It's such a simple but useful feature. When I was a kid, I remember someone making a big deal about finding the star on a tootsie roll pop wrapper. It is reminiscent of that secret insider knowledge.
That's six things I didn't know about two of my favourite guitars. They play nice, they feel right, love the tone and I'm a Gibson guy by tradition. Thanks for a very interesting video :)
at 3:30 (#5) you say "Paul Reed Smith" guitars use bird inlays instead of dots. Well Custom 24s do have birds, however there are older PRS guitars with dots as well (Moon Inlay). I own a 1995 McCarty with Moon inlay while there were McCartys produced with bird inlay at the same time. Other than this... excellent video my friend.
Phillip McKnight actually moon inlays are generally on the cheaper models from PRS, just like he released lately with the Satin version of the Vela, etc...
A student of mine has a beautiful Custom 24 and I have fallen head over heels for these guitars. They have such a beautiful attack, with great harmonic overtones. I'm pining for one now, though it'll be a while with twin 6 year olds. Until then my HSS Strat and my FSR '62 Reissue Tele will have to suffice.
Cool facts about a very cool guitar....Thanks for the interesting video :) I have a vintage yellow PRS Artist made between 86 and 88..:) I sent very detailed photos of all the dating points I could find to date this guitar and even the folks at PRS could not be sure what year it was made... certainly falls into the prototype I feel...I have been gigging with her for around twenty years and there are stories I could tell !! lol, like, I left her by accident in a car park at a mall after a late night gig... when I was home and in bed it dawned on me I had left a valuable PRS in it's case in a car park at a mall!!! I did not even change my pajamas I FLEW down to the mall and there, standing proudly and on her own was the guitar!!!... I also had an attempted robbery on this same guitar in South Africa when I was waiting to go on stage, and the PRS was in her case up near a table with some other gear next to the stage... It was getting late, I had not been called up to play and I got ticked off and decided to leave, well the band leader saw me come up to the stage, he turned around to hide his face from me and I looked for my guitar in her case and both were gone!!! I frantically searched around the area to see where she was, and to my great surprise , saw her case was open, and she was still (thank God) in the case but was right next to the large tent's side where she would soon be "lifted " from her case and snuck under the tent side...I had just foiled a robbery and I finally put two and two together and realized, that this had been a set up from the beginning!! The band leader was a serious guitar and amp collector and he adored my PRS, made no bones about it and wanted it!!!.... The one problem I have with this guitar, and it has been distracting me for years in the intonation on the high E string... A new string will be ok for the first couple of hours of playing but will started sounding flat at the higher registers even though she tunes perfectly with a tuner on open strings..I have moved the saddle as forward as I can even to the point og filing flat the trem screw so the saddle can ride onto it... but w]then I run out of saddle bolt lol and can go no further.., but apart from that she delivers all the goods one could ask from a guitar... thanks for wading through my anecdotes ..
I just got a 2001 CE 22 and LOVE it!! so to those that think they can't afford a PRS.. check out the CE line.. they are every bit as sweet as the custom line.. just with a bolt-on neck.
Grate comments players! Dig the 5 (or 6!) TYMNK vids Phil, always informative. I'm a Suhr guitar fan and own a 2014 Suhr Modern, lefthand . These units are expensive, but still run a couple grand less than a PRS, which exceeds the cost of what I am willing to pay for a single guitar. I consider my Suhr and PRS guitars works of art. If you have never played a high end custom guitar, they are everything you love about guitars X 10! Yes, you get what you pay for in this world. Anyway, how about a 5er on a Suhr. A longer look would be cool! You Rule Phil, keep rocking.
Yes, I did know some of those facts but not all, thanks for the video. I have a mystery PRS vintage yellow, ten top, 24 frets bird inlays exactly like the green one, tremolo bridge etc I bought it used around 94, from the cousin of our then front guy vocalist. I bought it (from Maui) sight unseen, and it has been my best friend for all these years, and I could tell you some stories about her too :).... The odd thing about this guitar is three rotary knobs, namely a volume, a tone and a 5 way rotary selector. but it also has a sweet switch (toggle) that gives me a little tone variation which is a really cool feature. I sent several photos of this guitar showing the headstock and the pick up cavities, and a copy of what I could make out from the headstock number...I sent all this info to PRS and specifically to Paul's brother who researched it and could not come up with a satisfactory year it was built or anything about this guitar..other than it was a custom vintage yellow possibly 1989, 9 50 22 is the number on the headstock...I wonder if you could throw any light on this Mr McKnight? I could send photos if needed..
PRS makes some of the best guitars on the planet! You should have also added the part about the "10" mark on the back of the headstock of the 10 top models!
I've learned so much from your videos, your videos have made it easier too understand my own fender strat.. lol I can't play a note but, I understand how and why some of the components are made and used on my American strat.. love the videos, your doing a great job
Keith at 5 Watt World did a short but comprehensive history of the PRS Custom 24 recently and it’s top notch not to mention that he’s got other short 10-20 min. Histories that cover all kinds of influential and historical gear like the Gibson LP the Fender Strat. Even the Ibanez TubeScreamer and so much more he doesn’t have nearly as many Subs. As he deserves especially given the production quality of the videos the level of detail and how just out right interesting his videos are!!!
Thank you Phillip, for this video I have been looking at purchasing a PRS in the next few months and your video is very helpful. The fact that you are a big fan of PRS makes that discussion even easier!! SincerelyRon
Love the videos. i learned that PRS has a 10 inch radius where Gibson had a 12 and Fender has a 7.5 inch. i bought an old Fender Stagecaster that was beaten and bruised, refinished it and had it custom painted for Xmas. Now I know the neck radius I want. Thanks. Love the channel. 😊😊
I like the design of the bridge and screws, but what might help in setup and possibly tone is to use an old strat trick of removing the two middle screws.
One of Paul's big innovations was the 5-way switching system that combines full hum-bucking and split coil, plus in and out of phase combinations, to get some tones that are quite unique and easy to access. This was fist done with the infamous rotary switch, and later the 5-way blade.
Bought my first PRS Core and worth every penny. Mine is an '09 with the rotary 5-way switch, which I'm getting used to. Found the upgraded 85/15 pickups and put on there. Just an unbelievable guitar. The Quality is amazing. They didn't cut any corners anywhere on the guitar. I paid $2300 and didn't blink an eye... I'm a seasoned player, so I splurged!
The only thing in your list that I didn't know was the superglued frets. I own a PRS and one of the best things I like (from your list) is the headstock string angle... I used to own a Gibson Les Paul and I got so irritated that the G string was constantly going out of tune. Paul got that right. Thanks,
Recently got a charcoal burst custom 22 based on the review of your latest one and the korean-usa comparison. Definitely the most informative guitar channel out there right now, keep it up :)