You made a good decision i just bought one and as far as tone and playability i prefer it to my pro strat and my LP traditional it just feels so good in your hands.
First and Foremost I’am a Gibson Les Paul Standard Loved , But I do respect PRS and this review was excellent totally a respectful review a intelligent man , saying the pros and cons doing the break down explaining his views standing Ovation !!! Well said .
Little Holmes thank you! Much appreciated! I would never fault anyone for being a les Paul lover. It’s almost a crime in the guitar world not to respect the ultimate work horse guitar. Les Paul’s will last forever. But I think that’s what Paul was going after when he started building guitars. Just a fantastic instrument.
I have a PRS Paul's Guitar and I love it, I play every day and enjoy every second of it. and I am life time Gibson Fender fan in the Studio and once in a great while a gig with friends. I have become a PRS lead man.
I was always a Fender and Charvel player. I just recently bought my first PRS (Tremonti SE), and it is the best guitar I've ever played. I can only imagine how good the USA made PRS guitars are. Now I want a S2 or a CE next!
I will say my S2 was made in January of 2020 and it is by far the most incredible guitar I own. I only have about 5 to judge from, but I would play my S2 over my Schecter c7 hellraiser FR any day and every day. The neck craftsmanship is absolutely next level. It's so thin, that on video it almost looks silly. You can tell it's a luxury guitar just watching someone hold it. The sound is great(I play Doom Metal) and the knobs actually create different tones unlike cheaper made stock pickups.
I actually shot out a McCarty 594 in a glorious deep passion purple (non 10 top) against my CE24 Violin Amber Sunburst. They sounded identical plugged into the same amp. The only difference might have been a slightbass bump by a decibel. Probably the pickups.
Bottom line: You can't go wrong with ANY model PRS. My advice? If you can buy the $3500 set-neck models, do it; it's an heirloom piece, and it will never let you down with its legendary tuning stability and intonation. But if you're like me and struggling every other day, grab the model you can AFFORD now and save your gig money for the big brother model.
Dude you're really well spoken and you took the time to organize all of your talking points in this video, which makes watching it worth all the while. Well done there. I only mildly disagreed with you about one point, and that's about the PRS pedigree not holding up as high as Fender/Gibson. When you said people give PRS a bad rap, I was like "Wait, what? Who gives PRS a bad rap?" Every serious musician I've ever spoken with has had the upmost respect for PRS instruments, and ranks them up there with Fender and Gibson, if not above them entirely. I've never once heard PRS get a bad rap from anybody, even for their entry-level stuff. That's just my experience, it very well could be a regional thing or just dependent on the circles you roll with. Either way, doesn't discredit you or your video by any means. Thanks again for uploading!
YEP. Last I checked PRS held up just as good as LP's. As they should. Plus strats and LP's are a dime a dozen, they're everywhere, and they're boring. Who would ever wanna play the same G or F Guitar Center Special that a kid in Iowa is playing? snoresville.
I agree with you guys I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything but great things about PRS guitars but it is true that their models won't get the same resale value as Gibson or Fender.. at least from what I've seen.
@@MrJ.31 You should look a little deeper into that topic. Most American ,made PRS models are holding their value better than American made Fender and Gibson guitars. They are simply better made and produce better tone. Ask Carlos Santana.
@@timhallas4275 Oh I absolutely agree man personally I've always preferred the sound of PRS over Gibson and Fender especially when comparing models of similar prices and I know they stay in tune longer and seem like they're better made pieces, I've just never seen them get a huge monetary trade in value like Fender and Gibson has. Again I'm just going by what I've seen and experienced. Maybe it's different when you start looking at platinum models cause I have seen some of those between the $5-6k range get a very good trade in price so I wasn't making an across the board statement, just a most of the time one. You could be right and maybe I need to do a little more homework on the matter though
I’m with you- got a CE November ‘19. Love it. The 85/15’s are amazing. I was looking to get the custom 24 as well. One day I went in a music store and they had a CE. After I played it I knew I’d changed my mind.
Been trying to decide which PRS model to purchase. Been leaning toward the CE, but you've sold me. Plus, your Phillies gear proves that you are trustworthy! Go Phils!
Those who said he didn't give a comparison between the core and CE, you must have watched a different video. He clearly did. Perhaps you're just upset that you spent so much more money for something and aren't able to justify it. I've been playing for 33 yrs now and I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for. But this is one of those instances you don't have to nearly double the cost to get something so close. It's a great deal on a guitar of this caliber. Good job on the video. You got your point across to those of us who are able to comprehend.
Hey John, exact same experience as you. Went looking for a core range guitar, planning to pay the $$$. Tried the CE24 because it was there, and actually much preferred it to all the cores I tried. Coming from decades of Fender playing, I much prefer the snappy bite of the maple bolt-on to the heavy lo-mids of a mahogany set neck. A PRS that does great Humbucker tones, but also beautiful chimey cleans. In fact, the coil split sound of this guitar is one of the nicest clean guitar sounds I've ever heard. Fendery shimmery, but with a good deal more low umph and sustain. I also prefer the thinner body and more subtle carve. The carve and bolt-on may lower the price, but for me they also make it a more desirable guitar. I could hardly care whether it's technically a core or not. The point of a guitar is to play, and this one is one of the best players of the many guitars I've owned over 40 years. Enjoy man! :)
I bought that exact guitar in May. In June, I bought a second one in Amber burst! These are great working guitars, love the unfinished necks and the comfortable weight. I sold two DGTs in favor of these.
I've seen these types of necks referred to as a "bolt-in" joint. That is, you have the neck joining into the body with all the tight fit of a quality set-neck guitar, but then it's bolted instead of glued. I've got a late-'70s Kramer aluminum-neck bass, which uses this method of construction. It's great. You get the best of both worlds.
Thanks, man, great video! I've had a PRS Custom 24 and currently have an SE 24 (aka The Green Goddess), which I dearly love. I've had the electronics customized in it, but it has become my primary guitar I use for all my studio sessions as well as gigging. That said, I've been lusting over the CE lately and have been seriously considering buying it. Anyway, you've convinced me to just go ahead and do it. My SE will be so jealous! ;-)
I have a CE24, Custom 24 30th anniversary, and a se semi-hollow. I love the Custom 24, but the CE24 is the one I play out with most of the time, love that satin neck.
I have a 1991 CE 24 and the neck feels amazing, super thin. HFS and Vintage Bass pickups it plays amazing here is a piece a used it on. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UWNxw-qQSiM.html
I recently got the dusty wearing CE and it's ridiculously good it of course is designed for progressive METAL but surprisingly the MOJO tone tomahawk splitable pickups are incredibly versatile
That fretboard looks incredible. I didn’t even like PRS guitars. I thought they were for blues lawyers and posers. Then I picked up a hollow body 2 (SE range!!) and had my mind absolutely blown. It didn’t feel how I imagined a PRS guitar to feel. It felt and sounded like it contained the ghost of a great vintage arch top, but the guitar itself was incredibly modern. The whole instrument was so well thought out. I also think there was something about the SE version - it has a laminate top and back (which I actually prefer the sound of for a hollow body) So it’s a great guitar to get, even if you have some core models. Anyway, now I am hooked. Thinking of selling my Gibson’s and fenders grabbing a core 594 and a silver sky. It’s hard to go back now.
I picked up my custom 24 in 1996 coming from a Gibson SG and never looked back. The tonal range is sick. I spent that whole year playing different guitars through a MESA Dual Recto (same amp every time) and I kept coming back to to the PRS. It was like gravity. Back in 1996 it was generally custom ordering still (The shop WAS the custom shop). Even had my fingers measured, selected fret height, distance, pups, and I went for moon inlays (mother of pearl) over the birds. Also have a ten 4 position pick-up selector knob as opposed to the switch and the 10 position tone knob for more variety. Awesome experience and covered any tone I would want out of a fender or a gibson. The Gibby is actually going in soon for a refretting and some new custom pups to become my midi-guitar so I can play other instruments on my native.
I have a ruby red CE and love it. I took it to a club so the guitarist there could try it out, and I just sit out in the audience getting the full effect. It sounded fabulous...a perfect full balanced sound with the rest of the band.
I saw this video and instantly bought 1. Arrived 1 day later, and damn it's a nice instrument👏 got the cherry burst limited edition one as that is the only thing they had in store, and god damn is it beautifull😍
My problem now after receiving my CE 24 last year is, that I want a Custom 24 and a Mccarty one day in my life. These intruments from Prs are just phenomenal. Have fun with yours! Greetings
Yeah, I bought a used 95' CE-24 back in like 98' or 99' I think. It's the 1st PRS that I ever held in my hand and played. I bought it, and it's still my main guitar to this day.
I have 3 core series and I tell you what... The tone of these guitars has more bite & snap in the best way. The split coil tones are gorgeous and way clearer vs. The 2 of my Cores that have it. Iove this CE model so much, I bought a 2nd. They ARE my main gigging guitar. I usually bring one of these and another type (either HSS, Les Paul, etc), but could very easily do an entire gig on this single guitar. Another bonus is this guitar stays in tune WAY better than any of the dozen or so $4k+ Les Paul's I've owned & 15+ Fender Strats
Essentially yeah, minus some of the hardware and the top. I wish they would list it in their catalog as such. I was kinda surprised to see that they created a new category of "bolt-on" that consists of the 2 variety of CE and the Silver Sky that lives outside the core range.
It's 100% a core model man. It's minus some hardware and top from the Customs, but not from core overall. What you have is a core model through and through!
I have a PRS McCarty 594 Ten Top that impresses me every time I play it. The variety of tones that I can get from that instrument are amazing. You can definitely tell that guitar was built with care and attention to detail.
I am eight minutes in, and this dude hasn’t made one comparison between the ce and the custom 24... cursor drifting in the direction of the next video...
Yeah despite many of the comments pointing to the contrary, I really don’t see any kind of an argument here as to why the CE 24 is supposedly “better”. All I’m seeing is “ I saved some money”.
I love videos like this. The point of this style of video is a player's perspective without a sound demo or trying to shred or show off. I prefer to hear about feel and playability from someone that has experience. Everything you say about this I also said about my PRS C24 SE. If I had the cash I would buy a CE before I went to the core line. Expensive enough to get all the features but not so expensive I don't want to play it or gig out with it.
Hey, thanks so much man! That's the kind of reviews I like watching too. There are tons of talented musicians out there that can really shred, but for sound tests my biggest concern was always, "Well I don't have that amp, or don't play that style of music" but if the guitar feels right, the sound can always be found. Never knock the SE, they are an absolutely fantastic product for the money. Many of the parts between the SE and S2 range are similar the only major difference is country of origin.
Loved your video, John. Two years ago, when the CE 24's were re-released, I bought a vintage sunburst one from Sweetwater. Loved it. First PRS that I owned. Now I know why people rant and rave about PRS so much. In my opinion, they put other guitar brands to shame, even more expensive guitars. In fact, I loved my PRS CE 24 so much, I financed a PRS USA Model Mark Tremonti, a little less than a year ago from Sweetwater. Beautiful guitar, that plays amazing, with amazing tone. I was very happy that it had a pattern thin neck like my CE 24. Sweetwater gave me a deal, selling it to me for $3350, when it usually sold for $3550...probably because I bought so much equipment from them the year before. I, too, am a hobbyist, guitar collector, and average player. I will put my USA PRS Mark Tremonti up against Any Les Paul Custom. PRS Quality Control is 100 times better, than the current Gibson Quality Control, these days. When somebody spends that much money on a guitar, they should Never have to worry about getting a lemon. Gibson has fucked themselves with overpricing, and terrible quality control. When the company was still in Michigan, they made great guitars, with great quality control....ever since they moved to Nashville, there has been problems, which are becoming more and more common. I don't even see how Gibson can Justify charging so much for a Les Paul Custom, when PRS single cut models play so much better, have better quality components, and their Quality Control blows everybody else away. Looking one day, of possibly picking up another PRS...I'm highly addicted to them now.....most likely a DWCE 24, with a Floyd Rose, or a Custom 24, with a Floyd Rose. PRS, might be one of the more expensive brands of guitars, but Nobody matches their quality, and you get what you pay for. If you've never dealt with Sweetwater, I recommend you try them out. With 4 year finance plans, you can pretty much afford to get any guitar you want, and their Customer Service has always impressed the hell out of me. Great video.
Yup, my Sweetwater Sales Engineer hooked me up too. Sold me the CE 24 Semi Hollow $1800 brand new and let me still pick out the top pattern I wanted. Sweetwater has always been good to me. My got to place I go even if I can get a different color or something elsewhere. Not just for the discounts but having that relationship and knowing they have your back.
Man....I’m kinda in the same boat. I bought a SE Custom 24. Loved it. I bought a S2 Custom 24. Loved it. I just came back from a local music store intending to buy a Core Custom 24. They didn’t have any but they did have a CE. I was a little disappointed but I tried it anyway. Yep. I loved it. I didn’t buy it. So now I’m stuck. Do I keep going up the line incrementally (SE, S2, CE, etc.) or do I go ahead and jump to the Core? Decisions, decisions!
I just ordered a CE 24 in satin black because I know if I got a fancy flame top I would be afraid to play it and I wanted a players guitar that sounded and played as good as a core PRS. Plus if it gets worn with some dent's and dings it will just add character to the satin black finish. Awesome video, thanks for sharing.
Each guitar is different. My first PRS was a 1994 CE24. Bought it for $1800 in 1994. Owned it (and gigged HARD with it) for 18 years. Sold it in 2012 for $1200. It needed new frets & the original case was trashed. I had bought a 2008 Mira (a core Mira before the S2 factory). Loved it. And wanted another one. So I put the CE24 on eBay with a buy it now of $1200 because there was another 2008 Mira on eBay for $1200. My CE24 sold in less than 45 minutes. I recently had regrets getting rid of that guitar and started looking for a 94 model, knowing they'd likely be a little beat up as it's a 30 year old guitar. They are going anywhere from $2400 to $3200 on Reverb. The newer CE24 models aren't cheap either now. Also in that $2500 range. So i instead bought an SE-CE24 for $700. It's not nearly as nice as my 94 model. But if I was still gigging? it would certainly be good enough to gig with. I instantly swapped out the tuners for the PRS SE locking tuners. But I guess technically, the 94 model is now a "vintage" PRS guitar. And the 94-96 CE24 (and CE22's) were a little different neck hub. Was smaller and gave you a little better access to the upper frets. I still have my first 2008 Mira, 2 years ago I bought a 2017 Vela semi-hollow. Really nice guitar. And then as I said bought the SE-CE24 and also one of the new SE Swamp Ash Specials. Also a REALLY nice guitar. They are all a bit different, which is great for recording. So while I would LOVE to have a really nice core model. But I have about $4500 into these 4 guitars & bang for the buck? I'd rather have 4 very different and versatile guitars, than one really nice one.
Great video! These are amazing guitars. You get the rolled necks, you get the great pickups, you get a very nice top and you get a similar body shape. What you do not get is the very carved top. Not a big deal. Haters knock the three piece neck but it is fine. The one knock is that the tops are amazing but not 10 top quality. duh, they are not 10 tops
Beautiful guitar man. I can’t get away from PRS no matter how hard I try, and I’ve owned Kiesel, Mayones, and Aristides. I just got the DWCE24 Floyd and it’s given back in dividends every time I play it! Can’t put my finger on it, and I’m not saying PRS is superior in any way to other brands, but there’s something there that clicks with me and PRS personally. Cheers!
I did exactly the same as you. Went to buy a custom 24 already having a core custom 22 and S2 custom 24. Seen the CE in blue and had to have it. Only negative to me was the inlays. Still my "feels like home guitar"
Extremely happy with my CE. This is coming from someone who owned a Core, Custom 24 10 top. The one thing I always said while I owned the core model was. All I need now is a fender strat. With the CE I get way closer to that straty sound Then the core model. These pickups on the CE are badass which I like more cosmetically better than the silver metal covered pickups on the core model. I also highly recommend playing a CE before a core model. The money you save is money towards another amp or better stomp box effects. Or another CE. 🤘😎🤘
Totally agree. This guitar is a lighter core guitar. I upgraded all my hardware with genuine flame maple rings, knobs with abalone bird inlay, tuning pegs and switch tips. Bought a nice hard case for it too. The neck is better than the core models.
B Floyd they are definitely flat pickup rings. The only thing I might worry about in switching them for non prs branded ones is that the stock pickups run corner to corner. They don’t have the rounded bobbins like standard pickups do so you might have to mod them a little. Prs makes a couple colors but not chrome as far as I’m aware.
I have a 97 CE22 hardtail and I love it. It was the last year that had the Dragon 1 pickups in it, they switched to Dragon IIs in 98. I've got a JB/59 combo in mine at the moment though. Back then the CE was the "affordable" PRS model at $1500, there were no SE models or anything. I think all they had were the Custom, Standard, CE and McCarty. Great guitar man, you'll love it.
My CE is my number one guitar. I’m just a living room hack. I can play everything on it. Primarily metal. I may add I own the blue fade smokeburst(?). It gets so many compliments sitting in my living room, and I just nod in agreement. It looks and plays so brilliantly.
Got the whale blue one about six months ago and I absolutely love it. I enjoyed watching your video just to remind myself how nice of a guitar it actually is. I’ve owned many Gibsons, Fenders and a Custom 24. They are all great guitars but you just can’t beat the CE24 for value and versatility. Nice job on the video!
This is exactly what i looked for when buying my prs, and i 100% agree with this video, the only thing is that if you can buy a core prs used you probably should, i almost bougth that CE until i found a 2003 SC for about 1200 USD, so if you cant buy them used buy a CE any day of the week
I own this same CE and a Custom 22 core. The core has more girth in the tone mainly because of the thicker body However, the CE is extremely comfortable. I replaced the pick up rings, tuners and toggle to black. These are a beast.
Great video! Super informative. I've got a core custom 22 from '96 and a singlecut from 2002 and now I think my next is going to be a CE24..... Need to shake things up with a bolt-on.
I just bought a CE24 Swamp Ash Special. I’m a Gibson player and I wanted something different. I could have bought a Custom 24 and they are $7,000 here. I paid $2,500 for it and it’s the best guitar I’ve played in 45 years of playing.
Played a CE24 and loved it. Next day I bought the full fat custom 24. I never thought it was a mistake. I had trouble jelling with the pickups because I struggled to get metal tones but now I can do it....just requires a different preset making approach. Bought a Charvel which sounds better overall but has a horrible neck shape. Last month I’ve been playing the PRS exclusively and have finally really gotten into it. I’m now thinking of buying an SE 22 so I can have different tunings and more than likely change the pickups because who wants to do that in a £3000 Guitar. Mine is a fade whale blue with a distinctive....I guess you would call it “defect” in the top. When natural light catches it it look absolutely stunning. Not so much with the light bulbs.
Awesome vid. I have a whale blue CE 24 and it's honestly my prized possession. I think it's the best PRS anyone can get. The biggest "difference" between this and the "core models" is that it's a bolt on neck which I literally prefer anyway. I actually can't stand set-necks for a couple reasons. There are also a couple very minor differences such as a different nut and whatnot but it's basically a core level guitar in my opinion there's really no crazy difference. All of the "important things" are the same as the core. Tuners, pick-ups etc. It's been a workhorse for me since I bought it in 2017.
As formal owner of '94 CE-24 and current owner of '96 Cu-22 I agree. To me hard tail Cu-22 is better choice, but it is a kind of one trick pony. Ont other hand Ce-24 is multitool of guitars and I love the new shellower carve, way more comfortable than violin carve for sure!
