(Annoying because PRS Guitars are so boringly reliable they don't play well with the RU-vid meta of talking crap about everything lol). First demo in the new space, what do you think? :D
Let’s kick that off then. PRS makes an undeniably great guitar. But the way Paul talks about the tone wood makes me not want to give him money. Smacking a piece of wood with a mallet is only proof that you can smack a piece of wood with a mallet. Although everyone PRS I’ve touched has been great. Even the SE line.
The "TCI" term is incredibly confusing in the way it's described, but I think I can help clear some things up. "TCI" is a process, a pickup modifier, and an actual pickup model. All pickups have inductance and capacitance - among other readings - but those two measurements do most of the heavy lifting in determining the pickup's resonance curve, which more or less determines its character. In reality, ALL pickups have a tuned capacitance and inductance, and they're tuned by modifying the wire type, turn count, magnet type, etc. By process, PRS just means that instead of using turn count for tuning a pickup, they've determined an inductance and capacitance to create a specific resonance curve, and are building the pickup to that specification. They may even have a machine that can measure inductance and capacitance as the pickup is being wound. If that's the case, it would lead to each pickup sounding very consistent. As a modifier, PRS has added "TCI" to the end of pickups that have gone through this process. Example: 58/15 TCI, 85/15 TCI, etc. This just means they've taken the core spec of that model, decided what the resonance curve should be, and started manufacturing them according to the new process. They are just the latest version of the pickup and likely don't sound that different. You could just as easily say 58/15 v2. TCI is also the model name for the pickup in the Paul's Guitar core and SE. This is simply because it was the first guitar to have used that process. They probably weren't thinking about using that naming convention for anything else... but then they did, making things confusing. That pickup should just be called "Paul's Pickup." In the SE line, the "TCI S" pickup is also in the 24/08, where as the 85/15 S is in the Custom 24 SE. I've captured the resonance curve of both pickups and while they have different specs, the curve is identical between them.
I have the SE Custom 24 35th Anniversary which is the same setup with a carved 1/2" maple top and a significant amount of bling. Those TCI 85/15 'S' pups are extremely versatile and among my faves. Plays like butter, tons of tonal options, looks fantastic, does NOT crush your wallet. I freaking love my SE's. That Cort factory does amazing work.
Have the 35th Anniversary SE as well. Absolute workhorse of a guitar. Actually went in to buy a completely different guitar, but the shop had sold it an hour or so before I got there. Decided to give the PRS a try and took it home.
After snubbing PRS forever, I tried one of these, and wow. As hard as it may be to believe, I traded a Gibson SG Tribute and an Epiphone LPS in to get one of these! No regrets!
I've been in love with PRS since the first time I saw one in a catalog. I have a core 10 top Custom 22 now and the Custom 22 SE semi-hollow now. Always happy to look at others though!
Great guitars from Core to SE, from which i have the HB II Piëzo. My Custom24, McCarty594 SC and Studio are from the S2 line and then there is the CE24 SH and the Core McCarty DC. Very nice to have vintage spec guitars, a bit of everything but yeah def a PRS addict, for me they are next level ))
For real! I’m more of a single cut TOM bridge kinda guy, but I wanted a nicer PRS, so I got a CE24. I ended up putting a Tremol-No on its because I switch tunings often enough that it was a pain in the ass with the floating bridge. I will say though, that guitar is probably the most stable guitar I own, and rarely needed to be retuned. I can’t comment on the SE’s though, as I have no experience with them.
@@kronabus199a Dunno if a Tremol-no would do it for me, usually I can't play as well with a bridge so close to the body, although a tele usually does fine for me, might be different if it's a carved top with the middle part of the body being higher than anywhere else.
@@Masterfighterx I’m with you there, but I’ve found the CE24 carved top to be pretty comfortable for palm muting and whatnot. It’s not nearly as comfy as my guitars with a TOM bridge, but I don’t notice it much after playing it for awhile. YMMV of course!
The new SEs sound pretty awesome! I have an older WMI/Korean made SE and it's great. What you mentioned about the hardware is true. Imo these are great guitars because the money really does go into build quality. The hardware can always be upgraded later if desired. I've done so many part swaps on my Bernie Marsden SE (graphtec bridge and nut, gotoh locking tuners, different pickups) but the build quality/fretboard has always been great!
Awesome video. I didn't recognize you without your glasses for a moment. I just got a brand new PRS SE Custom 24-08 in Faded Blue Burst from Sweetwater this week. I hate that it's $70 more, but I was fortunate enough to get a really good deal on it. Loving the guitar, and I'm already modding it to what I want it to be.
I just got the regular standard 24 in that color on an amazingly good deal at AMS. I'm yet to find the B-stock flaw or any others. I'm sold on PRS completely.
I wanted one but was told I would have to wait until November-january of 2022-2023. I was able to get a 2408 custom. It's cool but I prefer the straightforward look of the standard.
I just bought a spotless tobacco burst SE Standard 24-08 from a pawn shop for $350. I love it! Sounds great and plays beautifully. It joins a Syracuse orange 2012 CE-22 that I purchased from a friend last year for $800. I like the SE better. Thanks for the review.
Hunter.. doing an exit solo? I think I speak for everyone when I say I wish you'd solo more (Been a fan since your esp vs gibson single cut comparison video, seeing your new set up makes me real happy and I would love to see what your reaction would be back then to your current set up)
how i understand it what Paul is trying to say to Hunter: if you look at a high pass filter, the capacitor comes first to filter out the lower frequencies, and in a low-pass filter it's the other way round. So it could be that they've been experimenting with the number of windings on the pickups, and the capacitor in the controlcavity to create another (or more balanced as Paul says it) band-pass filter. correct me if I'm wrong btw :)
So I had this very weird dream where Hunter showed off his Top 10 guitars of all time and one was a mod-project banjo with perloid top, telecaster pickup in the neck and some chunky humbucker in the bridge and I fear we now need this one to happen
You're gonna get smoke from the Marylanders if you keep dissing Paul like that 😂 Jokes aside, I'm still hoping to get that custom PRS someday, even though it'll be like $6k. Also still haven't heard back about the other custom, send help
Got the 24-08 Custom couple of months ago, it's my favorite guitar, second being my USA Pro Strat, and last the Harley Benton Max signature guitar with reverse head stock and telsa pickups, for dive bombing. 24-08 for so many tone choices. For blues nothing beats the USA Strat Pro. Glad to hear the Standard is so good, the Custom is worth the extra pay IMHO.
Hey I have that exact guitar! I bought it right when they came out. Mine has a fluence modern in the bridge and some Graphtech ratio tuners. Not a fan of the tremolo, think I’m going to try and block it off somehow and just have it like a hardtail.
I ordered this model on purpose especially for those mini toggles, and the reason is cause when playing live, the need to switch fast from neck humbucker pickup to neck coil split, is difficult with push pull. It's much easier and faster to switch with the mini toggles.
SE models are amazing! They are absolutely the best guitars in their price range. Superb quality. I recently got a new SE 245 standard in tobacco burst and I love it! It's a dream to play and sounds like a monster!
That was awesome, what's the bit you had around the headstock during the full mix at the start? You're video on the SE Custom 2408 contributed to me ordering one (in Eriza Verde) about a week ago. Just waiting for it to arrive 🤘
@@ianbruce9960 Sweet, I think I'll stare at it for quite a while, the colour is amazing. What are some of the others you've got? I've got a nice variety - Epiphone Les Paul and SG, a Strat, an Ibanez RG and a LTD MH series.
Push pulls don't ever get smacked - not unless your playstyle is 'constantly' smacking your Tone Control and then you probably will knock it. It doesn't 'pop up' a great distance. The main drawback with Push/Pull is that they can be a bit of a pain to pull up - especially with sweaty hands when gigging - especially if you also get to carried away and pull the knob off if it becomes a bit loose. Its also not that easy to see quickly if your up and splitting or down and in full HB mode so of the 3 'main' choices (Push/Pull, Push/Push or mini-toggles) its not the 'best' for hot, sweaty and performing artists. Push/Push is better because you don't need to grip to pull up - but still not easy to tell at a quick glance if its up or down. The best in my opinion is the mini-toggles - doesn't matter if you Sweaty, in a dark room gigging, you can easily switch and can easily see or feel if the mini-toggle is up or down so I think its the best solution overall - just requires space in the cavity and more holes in the top - potentially not as 'aesthetically' pleasing and for some 'off-putting' to see multiple switches...
The mini-toggles were originally used for the first PRS 408 style model in PS which then became a Core model. Before that, Splits/Taps were often just offered as 1 of the '5' options on a 5-way or you could only 'split/tap' both simultaneously via a single push/pull. The mini-toggles also enabled them to develop the 509 and Pauls guitar and now you can get the '408' switching on an SE Standard... The TCI process came out of the development for the JM635 Silver Sky Pick-ups. After that, they decided to apply that process and 'redesigned' the Pauls Guitar Pickups - which were originally just the 408 neck Pups. As they were 'new' Pups, not the 408 Pups anymore, they were named after the TCI Process so are Called TCI pick-ups. They have since gone on to apply the TCI process across all their US made guitars/Pups. When they came to make the Pauls SE guitar, they made an 'S' version of the 'TCI' pups and so you have the TCI 'S' Pups, just like you have 85/15 'S', 58/15 'S' - its 'just' the name. Carlos Santana also had a Gold Top SC SE released with the TCI 'S' Pups because he liked the sound - but don't offer any Split options. Those TCI 'S' Pups have gotten a lot of Positive reviews and so when they did the 35th Anniversary Cu24 SE, they used the TCI 'S' too but in this case, TCI is referring to the 'name' - they are not 85/15 'S' but the 'same' Pups used in the Pauls SE, Santana SC SE etc If you look at the Core models, you will see that Pauls Guitar has TCI pick-ups where as a Custom 24-08 has 85/15 TCI pickups... Hope that helps - I don't actually know if they are 'tuned' at SE level or just the name of them developed to sound as close to the Core TCI pups found in Pauls Guitar as they can. I'd be thinking that they don't do the same TCI process at all in SE/S2 lines but that the TCI 'S' Pups are just 'called' TCI because they are the import version of the 'TCI' pups found in the Core Pauls - much the Same as 85/15 'S' are the import version of 85/15's Hope that helps!
You forgot to mention the Treble Bleed , it works really well when your using the Volume Pot to back off the gain , the Treble stays there as you back the volume down and it doesn't get muddy , I love it as I like to play old skool sometimes no Pedals just Guitar straight into an Amp using Overdrive Channel and using the Guitars Volume to back of the Overdrive .
Good video bro. I have a PRS Tremonti SE Standard single cut in black as my first entry into the PRS world. It’s one of my fave guitars and the QC of it is stunning. So much so that tbh I’ll be buying more of them. In your model in this video I’d probably go for the blue colour but if I found a natural one with decent wood grain then yeah why not !! Greetings from NZ 😎🎸🤘
I love the look and operation of the mini-toggles switches. And I don't like push pull knobs for splitting coils. Period end of story🙃. Thanks for the review.
The one thing that I'm a little nervous about getting a PRS is the trem system. I don't like trems so I avoid them like the plague. I almost went and grabbed a PRS SE custom 24 in faded blue burst but because of the whole trem issue within my mind,I opted for a much safer Epiphone Les Paul Standard,which is weird for me since I prefer Les Paul Customs,thank you Matt Heafy. But there's a part of me that feels like I'm missing out on not getting a PRS. Guess I'm feeling a bit of buyer's remorse,I don't know...
FWIW it's possible to get them with stop-bars or one-piece wrap-arounds. I had a PRS soap-bar with a wrap-around, and it was dope. I traded it for a Tele, and while I don't regret the Tele, I do miss the PRS.
I’ve owned quite a few PRSs, and honestly, their trems are probably the most stable trems I’ve ever experienced. My CE24 with the normal 6 point trem holds tune better than some of my fixed bridge guitars.
@@brettstokes4038 that's good to know. On top of considering a custom 24 se,I also considered getting a Mark Tremonti PRS SE Custom and tuning it to drop C#.
I have a Tabacco Sunburst SE Standard 24 with an Evertune bridge that I bought direct from Evertune. LOVE IT!!! Great bang for the buck guitar and I still have coil splitting with the push/pull tone knob. I prefer the aesthetic of that setup versus the 24-08 mini toggles. The only upgrades I'm considering are SE locking tuners and BKP Silo pickups.
I won’t call myself a PRS junkie, I mean I only have 4. I don’t need anymore. I can stop at anytime. But if someone has a SE one, I would take. I don’t need it or anything. Lol
I have the slightly older SE Standard with the push/pull tone control for splitting. Cheaper than both my player series tele and strat, and the onky one of the three that didn't need any fret levelling. Love it to bits, and it fills that traditional LP slot in the armoury.
I bought a PRS Custom SE 24 so there's no coil split, which is fine for me but it did come with body, neck and head binding so it looks and plays brilliant. Apparently the head binding is quite rare, so I was told after I purchased it. The maple top is also strange as it appears more like oil drops than any sort of stripe or quilt. Very interesting guitar!
Greta Van Fleet? Wow. Color me surprised. I am nearly a Boomer but I do always appreciate your thoughts as they are typically on the money especially when you are in that 700 - 1000 usd price range. I had a Custom 24 w Floyd SE that I never really bonded with. I will say it was a GREAT guitar but it just never did it for me. PRS is one of those things that you can appreciate it more when you actually have one. It's an interesting guitar but I prefer the Tremonti in the back. I just prefer single cuts. All that said, no doubt the quality is top notch.
@@agufish I bet it does. New studio came out great BTW. I pre-ordered the new LTD MH1000 midnight Ocean. Maybe you can get ahold of your friends at ESP and demo one? That would be awesome.
Wow, first the SE Silver Sky and now that Standard. Feels like PRS is not afraid of cannibalizing their own market and I love it and they most likely too, because having a S2 on your wish list is much less money for them instead of me having a cheaper model in my guitar stand.
I picked up this very model a few months ago and I absolutely love it! You’re spot on about the split coil tone. Best I’ve heard! I was wondering if in your research you found out what kind of magnets they used for the pickups. I can’t find any info on that anywhere. I was just curious because the pickups sound SO good!
PRS has almost always been the Studio guitarists guitar because it is reliable.......................and they look damn good. The money all goes into wood and craftsmanship with SEs, the hardware tends to take a backseat, but is easily upgradable these days, My 2021 Zach Meyers SE I just finished with all Core level parts and electronics, and tbh still not bad on the wallet for what you get.
TCI is a method they used to design the pickups rather than some tech used to manufacture them. Construction-wise it's still a normal humbucker with bar magnets and copper wire wrapped around metal pole pieces.
I have seen and felt no difference between the SE Standard and SE Custom 24 fretboards. The frets on both are well rounded. I prefer the Standard, simply for the binding and all mahogany body. Awesome playing, btw
I got my standard 24-08 a couple months ago. I wanted to simplify my rig. Got tired of dragging two guitars, heavy pedalboard, and cab around. The PRS has now replaced my telecaster and Les Paul, for the most part. Replaced my board with a Pod Go, and got a PA speaker. I know it's not exactly the same, but does the job well enough. Ps. Replace/ upgrade the knobs. $20 on Amazon.
I got my PRS SE 277 back in January and since I've got it, all my other guitars have been collecting dust. I actually decided to sell all of them, apart from my Aria baritone.
I like switches which switch and knobs which turn, that said, the position of the switches could be better, perhaps more inline between both knobs? Maybe use the space and add a phase switch too or other wizardry like Yamaha did with the Revstar?
