Video Sections: Part 1 - Specs and Features 1:25 Part 2 - What Does it Sound Like? 4:50 One Minute Solo 9:36 Part 3 - How Good is the Construction? 11:07 Part 4 - Final Thoughts, is it Worth Buying? 13:35 Link to the guitar: imp.i114863.net/ReNyN
I just got a PRS S2 35th Anniversary Custom 24 in Faded Blue Smokeburst and I’m so stoked. It hasn’t shown up to my house yet because it’s being handmade but in late July I’m gonna be so thrilled.
Not often can you TELL how light a guitar is from a video alone but here,in the first few minutes when Darrell holding it up with such ease u get such a good sense of that. Tried one last week and that’s also the first thing that shot out to me!
I bought one of these. It's absolutely stunning. Aside from that, it's a wonderful player and really sounds nice. It can go from jazz to country to rock. I'm very happy that I got it, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone. I''ve been playing for half a century, and it's the most versatile archtop I ever played.
Hey Dog, I just stumbled across this on another music search and was surprised to see your name in the comments. I think this was a really great demo; but Bryan did the unplugged section that Darrell didn't. This will be the third guitar I've bought without testing it first, and my second PRS bought blind. Pretty sure I'm two for two and thanks to reports like this, yours and a couple of the other guys on the forum. But I have my white uniform on and not the Custom 24 in my avatar with google. See you again in the other pages buddy. I'm down to counting days for mine to arrive. Daryl
@@daryljones3195 Great, Daryl! I played big band for 16 years, and still have an old fashioned non cutaway archtop just in case. I had for many years been the proud owner of a Guild X170 for my small band jazz work. After I got my SE, I realized that the PRS did it even better so it got sold. If you work the tone control, you can get almost any archtop sound, except the sound of a non cutaway deep body acoustic. I still have one of those. Play well, stay well - Paul
Does it sound like a real electric when you want it to? Wanting a "do everything" Guitar that I can use for leading Worship, but also playing heavy metal core type of music with. Is this Guitar versatile enough to do that? And if so does it feel lacking at all?
I'm just about to take delivery on one of these Hollowbody's and have followed all the chat with great interest. I for years have been a "USA only" will do type of guitarist & have owned many PRS USA version over my years. I do not know if people actually realise, but China is far from the cheapest production location these days and the quality of workmanship is regarded very highly (take Eastman guitars for example). I think it is about time we all gave guitars, other than USA versions, a real chance. Why can we not simply judge a guitar on its ability, quality, build features & rank it accordingly. When I bought my first high end acoustic guitar I asked my dealer to blindfold me & present various brand options. I chose my guitar in the end on its suitability for me, its feel & its sound quality. I for one am prepared to give this SE the benefit of the doubt......
Prs has arguably had the best import guitars on the market for years. I hope that you dig it. I've been a fan of Prs american and import for a long time. I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised
I have a PRS Tremonti SE. The text on the back of the headstock never bothered me, in fact, I think it's a fantastic idea! The company (World Music Instruments Co. LTD in my case) who built and assembled the guitar - while following PRS's specifications - deserves credit for producing such fantastic guitars. Larger companies like PRS throwing relatively unknown companies a bone is always a good thing. This elitism regarding country of origin is just baffling; a good guitar is a good guitar regardless of where it came from. Focus on the quality of the instrument rather than what it says on the back of the headstock.
@@cybertrophic it's not racism... It's a deserved stigma from years of very poor quality, and quality control coming from those factories... People who pay attention know Gibson is just a brand name now, and a majority of their guitars are inferior to the years of excellence which is the basis for their brand loyalty. Part of the stigma of those foreign factories is a direct result of companies like Gibson wanting their "lower tier brands" to be noticeably worse than their American made guitars. But to say it's racism is absolutely absurd. I am asian btw, and just like the guitars which used to come from China, most of the electronic components coming from their are known to fail, have bad soldering, etc. It's not racist to call out obvious flaws 你他妈的.
Little known fact - World Music Instruments makes nearly 83% of ALL guitars IN THE WORLD. PRS, Epiphone (some models), Schecter, ESP LTD and MOST knock off brands: Agile, etc. etc.etc..........They are HUGE
Much better video that I've seen with the close-ups of the build, the specifics... Touching on every component is GREAT. It's really good for somebody who's never played guitar. So good presentation.
I am such a dork. My "go to" song for an acoustic is "tears in heaven." When I saw you play that, sadly, I pumped my fist in the air and decided that moment this IS my next guitar. Thank you.
Darrell, based in part on your review and a few others, I picked one of these up last week. (one local mom and pop store had a brown burst on hand.) I could not be more pleased with this guitar. Honestly I have had two other SE models and didn't keep either. I am not a big PRS fan in general. I play rhythm in a cover band and I am constantly switching from acoustic to electric. I have tried a Godin A6 (now up for sale), and a Nashville deluxe power tele with piezo bridge, and a few other hybrids and was not happy with any of them. I ran this PRS thru my pedal board ...an acoustic Fly rig and an electric Fly rig and straight out to a good quality powered 12" speaker. The dual outs work great with my wireless buds and it's very simple twist of the wrist to go from acoustic back to electric, or to blend. This guitar sits perfectly in our band mix, whether I am on the piezo or the mags. Very very pleased. Thanks for the video.
Do you mind going into a little bit of detail about what you prefer about the PRS over the Godin? I've considered an A6 Ultra and am now considering the Piezo. Both roughly the same price here in Australia. I'd appreciate you sharing your insights if it isn't too much trouble. Thanks!
@@tomedwards81 Sorry for slow reply. I am moving across the country and have been slammed. What I can say is that while I did like the Godin (felt more comfortable in my hands), I was not entirely pleased with the acoustic sounds and frankly the HB wasn't all that great either (at least thru my amps). But both tones were "passable". The PRS covered both bases far better. Keeping in mind that tone is subjective :) I found that the PRS sounded far better than the Godin thru a double rig (two amps one HRD and one Fender Acoustic) and even thru my HRD alone the piezo sounded at least as good as the Godin. Hope this helps.
@@69lespaul that’s a very helpful reply and no worries about the delay time. Moving across a country (I’ve done it myself several times) is a challenge at the best of times, let alone during a pandemic! The reason I’m so interested in your experience is that I also play through a Flyrig. In my case the 5 V2. For acoustic I use a Trace Acoustic Transit A because I got one second hand in mint condition for very little money. It’s great but I’d like to get the Acoustic Flyrig at some point. I’m going out of their balanced outputs straight to a mixer and have been happy with the results. It’s good to know how the PRS performs in a setup similar to my own. My hesitation is that I’m a very energetic performer and I need my guitars to be tough. That’s why I play a Telecaster at the moment. I worry about how the Hollowbody would cope with being thrown around a bit....it’s hardly cheap here in Australia. Guess I’d have to be careful, but when things get going with the band I tend to get carried away 😂
Just bought the non piezo version in charcoal burst ..beautiful looking AND sounding guitar ! PRS has always been my dream guitar even though I have several Les Paul's, Strats and Teles I felt the need to have "that" sound at my disposal..In ❤ with this guitar super versatile..Best purchase I've made all year 😊
Darrell, thank you for such great and comprehensive videos! PRS should be very thankful to you as I went straight over to GC and bought this guitar after your review sealed the deal! The guitar stinks of quality, and plays like a dream! Thank you so much, I've wanted a PRS since high school, good to finally get here 20yrs later! -K.
I love my PRS SE Custom...it plays and feels so good...If you ever seen the PRS Indonesia factory tour video....they follow the same QC as the Maryland Factory. No sharp fret ends and polished frets. I strongly recommend the Trampas Green PRS SE Custom 24 made in Korea or Indonesia
*Hey Darrell..., you should do a shootout between this one and your Schecter C-1 E/A, as they are both semi-hollow guitars with two humbuckers and piezo bridges... It aught to be interesting!...* *Also..., both with this PRS and the C-1 E/A, it would be cool to see a video on using these piezo equipped guitars with acoustic guitar body impulse responses..., as can be used found on devices such as the Fishman Aura preamps or the Mooer Radar pedal..., as they really help to add the woody resonance of an actual full acoustic body...* *Great video again bro... Thanks!*
Really need an Acoustic amplifier to bring out the true character of the Piezo system. I found the Piezo a bit too "Strident" through my typical Mesa amplifier. Would have been nice if you could EQ the Piezo, but I guess that's what the Amp is for.
@@ricklewis5804 It's obviously not a freaking Taylor or Martin lol. I'd be thrilled to have such a good-sounding piezo on my go-to hollowbody. Seriously, why do people go into demos of piezo-equipped electrics expecting them to sound EXACTLY like a nice, real acoustic? You already know it's not going to; stop raining on everyone else's parade lol. The question is always how close does it get, and the only better piezo sound I've heard from an electric is the USA version of this guitar.
Sounds to me like you could conceivably get a passable acoustic tone from it. It depends on what you need. It would be interesting to hear it through a good acoustic preamp pedal and EQd to get rid of the quack. A piezo is always going to sound like a piezo, but sometimes you can sculpt it a little and get something “good enough”. It’s partly a matter of reining in your expectations! :)
I like the sound of the guitar, I really do. Personally I’d prefer a thin neck profile and a shorter scale length. It really depends on the type of music you are playing and it’s complexity nonetheless having the max amount of comfort possible is a must for me.
I thought the same until I played it for a few minutes. in the end I found the neck unbelievably comfortable and well designed. Also being someone who just bought a strat, I found the scale to be incredibly easy to play. String spacing, fret height - literally everything that went into this neck design is so detailed and carefully done. Its all personal preference at the end of the day, but I was so so impressed at how they designed this neck.
@@gabrielglenn1714 Mainly on a heavily modified Mexican strat with a Warmoth neck and an Aiersi Smallman classical. I also use a lot a Gibson ES135 Semihollow.
i have owned mine for a year now and still love it! My only gripe is I wish they put a mini three way switch to quickly select which pickups you want on. As a singer I need to be able to get to those selections easily and adjusting the volume knobs just is not simple enough to do that quickly.
Just got my HBII, Piezo in Blue Peacock, and couldn't be happier. It plays wonderfully and looks beautiful. This video helped me decide, so went to the store, played it, bought it.
I bought one of these recently as I am finding my solid body PRS custom 24 harder to play due to it's weight now I'm over 60. The hollow body is very light in comparison and the sound has a much warmer tone. Although the finish is not up to the custom standard it is still good a great guitar for the price ❤.
I feel that this level,of guitar from China is a historic achievement. It sets the bar high for other companies there. Phil said the headstock veneer is ebony and the nut bone.
I'm really impressed by the piezo tones in this guitar. Probably not going to get anyone to get anyone to sell their dread, but for a working player who needs acoustic tones on a song or two in a gig I feel like this could work.
Great review as always. I actually liked the piezo quite a lot, soloed or blended, and more so through the Mesa than the acoustic amp where the blunted transients were more obvious. The piezo would be the motivating factor for me to buy this guitar if I were in the market. I didn't so much like the humbuckers themselves -- sound sort of cold or characterless to me -- but I'm more vintage oriented, so maybe lowering them would help. Beautiful guitar for sure. For as low as $1,200 USD new and $800 used, it's a sweet deal for a modern sounding hollow body.
Well , I have to say that is one of the most beautiful guitars I have ever seen ! PRS always makes beautiful guitars , but I have never been a loyal fan of them . I bought one about 10 years ago , and sold it in less than a month at a big loss . For some reason I cannot seem to connect with them . That being said , I am just in love with this model ! Everything about it is perfect ! If I could design a custom guitar with everything I like , this would be the final product . Even without the breathtaking color and finish , it has everything I could ask for ! Of course , The color and finish is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen !
I was looking at pulling the trigger on this, SE quality good and SE cheaper price, and then ... I saw the actual price. It was listed at $2,500 AUD, I couldn't believe my eyes, an SE guitar costing that much, just *not* going to happen.
i thought the same,,,even though its such a stunning guitar,,,i recently bought an artist guitar 10th anniversary hollow body brownburst for $400 very impressed
What a gorgeous guitar and I like the close up shots, we can truly appreciate the craftsmanship. Paul Reed Smith is legendarily fastidious about guitars with his name on it leaving the factory and it seems that your new addition is a reflection of this. I really wish you didn't turn my head when it comes to guitars outside the Fender/Jackson stable.
Received delivery of mine today purchased as a result of your video. It actually makes me sound a bit competent! I play mostly jazz standards and blues and this guitar through my Roland JC40/is a killer. Thank you for your advice!
Absolutely stunning looking piece of kit. As for the tones....just WoW. The writing on the back of headstock wouldn’t bother me at all as I really do not tend to look at that part of the guitar too much. Fantastic job PRS and Darrell for the great review and demo.
I love my black gold burst version. It's very attractive, great tone, smooth on the fretboard. I like the 58-15 sound. I don't use the piezo a lot, but when I do, it does sound very acoustic-like and pleasing. I consider it one of my fav guitars. It is very competitive vs my Gibson ES335. You are right.. killer guitar!
Been wanting a blue flame guitar and you have to go and show this off. Its freaking beautiful. Some day... Also this guitar seems like having two guitars in one. Electric rocker and an electric acoustic.
I’d love to see a comparison video with the schecter that has the piezo, I believe it was the schecter C1 E/A. Always love your videos, I learn a lot and your playing is inspiring.
I wish they would have put the on/off/mix switch from the Piezo Core model. Needing to turn two knobs up/down to jump between them is not practical for playing in a live situation. How hard do you feel it would be to add that switch to the guitar?
i was surprised to see that this one was made in china. i am used to PRS making guitars in Indonesia and Korea (i have one that was made in Korea). although a lot of people may not care, a lot of others would shy away from yet another guitar being made in china
Fun fact about Far East PRS models - they're crafted both in the same plants in Indonesia & China as Epiphone and Squier are. Not alot of people know the same plants are contracted for all 3. So, the people who dog Epi and Squier about their quality but absolutely praise SE PRS always crack me up. I'm not speaking on electronics and stuff although besides pickups, alot of the electronics used are the same too. Speaking of that tho I've personally never been a fan of the pups Paul uses for the SE's. To me they usually sound really rmuddy. I'm sure he does that on purpose so people will still wanna buy their Maryland made guitars, it just sucks he doesn't sell his US pups seperately so you could buy them and swap them into one of these Far East models.
@@jeekyboi9564 I personally buy the higher priced Epiphones when I'm on a budget. Depending on what model its such a good deal. I have a 2017 Epi Lee Malia RD with Gibson USA pups ( the brige pup is custom shop and only on this guitar ) made in Indonesia and it 100% rivals the quality of my Gibson. Only paid $799 for it but it's a hell of a guitar. My other budget guitar is a 2010 Epi LP 55-77 TV Yellow reissue also with Gibson USA alnico v's and just as good. Paid $599 new back in 2010. My PRS S2 I had was absolutely junk tho. Especially for $1400. And my friends SE Mcarty 24s pups sound like you're playing underwater. I'm not a very big fan of them as well. Some of their Maryland guitars a great, some are junk. I own 4 USA guitars and honestly the Far East is catching up on craftsmanship.
@@_dmfd i know what you mean, I used to play all the prs models in my local guitar store while waiting for my lessons. Every prs I picked up and played sounded dull and the necks were sticky with terrible fret jobs. I have a couple ibanez's and jacksons that blew them out of the water. And for way less money too.
@@jeekyboi9564 my first " real " guitar I got back in 2005 was an Ibanez GIO super strat HSS and that thing was great! I agree there are way better options for less than this overpriced PRS from China. The Piezo thing 99% of the time is a gimmick anyways. You need the right DAW programs to make them sound right. Thru amps they sound 👎🏻
I've just bought a prs se hollowbody 2 online through Andertons. I chose the black gold finish, £649 including hardcase. Cheapest anywhere, cheaper than 2nd hand. Hopefully it is as glorious as I hope for, will keep posted.
I couldnt be doing with that beautiful binding on the neck. Every time I looked down I'd hear the guitar saying "what do you think you are doing, you're not good enough to play me"
Was dying to hear this strummed a little unplugged, & wish you gave all of your demos a little unplugged strumming. Great demo & very nice guitar (prefer the other color). Thanks D.B.G!
beautiful G and do love the contrast of Blue /Black Burst on it just wish it was like the stealthy darker version that is painted black even inside which make it look so much cooler to me
These will be great when they start popping up on the used market. They're about the same price as an S2, and you can get those for 750-800 all day long. I'd pay that.
@@Frozenguy1 Craigslist or Facebook. I'm in Austin Texas, so I suppose the used market is pretty good here. But they're definitely in the 1000-1200 range on Ebay and Reverb. I just got a CE24, and an S2 with a ridiculous flame top for 1200 each just last week.
I once had a Takamine electric acoustic with close to the same colour, flamed peacock blue burst. It and my PRS EG2 were stolen, together. This SE hollowbody peizo is the perfect marriage of those two missing guitars colour and sound wise, and I want one. Wonder if I can trade my old SE SC Trem in for it...lol.
Half the time I watch your reviews just to listen to your soloing. Your solo over the backing track on this video in particular is phenomenal. Any chance you could break it down in another video?
Awesome review! What a nice guitar to feature on the channel. It is stunning and has so many tonal options. Great pick for anyone wanting the holy grail all in one PRS. Piezo! What a classy addition to the SE line. I’d love this feature in my semi hollow custom. That may have even more tonal use than splitting the coils.
Hey Darrel! You should check out Supro's new semi-hollows. Both the Conquistador and the Clermont are killer guitars and would be a good comparison to the PRS.
These guitars are great, BUT there is one major flaw. The battery compartment breaks way way way too easily. I literally have spares now and I order 3 at a time.
The first SE since the original SANTANA (back when it was the only SE) that I considered buying. I don't have anything against SEs, It's just that for a little bit more than this one new, I can get a mid 90s Cu24 and I'd rather have fewer Maryland models than more imports. If I didn't already have a P24 I'd probably get one, I still want a semi/hollow guitar to fill out my collection.
I listen to this video for the tenth time maybe. A dream of a guitar for me. And you!!!! Yeah you Darrell... Whatever your fingers touch sounds like gold.
I have been pondering for days whether to buy a PRS in that exact blue color, and you just put out this video on my birthday ... I took it as a sign and went straight to the shop to buy it 😅 Thanks Darrel 😂
Video Sections:
Part 1 - Specs and Features 1:25
Part 2 - What Does it Sound Like? 4:50
One Minute Solo 9:36
Part 3 - How Good is the Construction? 11:07
Part 4 - Final Thoughts, is it Worth Buying? 13:35
Link to the guitar: imp.i114863.net/ReNyN
I just got a PRS S2 35th Anniversary Custom 24 in Faded Blue Smokeburst and I’m so stoked. It hasn’t shown up to my house yet because it’s being handmade but in late July I’m gonna be so thrilled.
How come you seem to have all the latest guitars whenever they come out? Do you live on instant noodles?
Not often can you TELL how light a guitar is from a video alone but here,in the first few minutes when Darrell holding it up with such ease u get such a good sense of that. Tried one last week and that’s also the first thing that shot out to me!
One of the best color designs I’ve seen, what a beautiful finish !
Btw I would really appreciate feedback on my music videos in this channel, really want to grow big and I’m really trying hard !
Yeah... That's Prs ;)
The other color is “black and gold”. Looking at the website he has linked it looks really sweet too. Gorgeous guitars, as PRS always are
I disagree with you. I will still buy this guitar because everything else about it is beautiful
I bought one of these. It's absolutely stunning. Aside from that, it's a wonderful player and really sounds nice. It can go from jazz to country to rock. I'm very happy that I got it, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone. I''ve been playing for half a century, and it's the most versatile archtop I ever played.
cant wait ta get one! :)
Hey Dog, I just stumbled across this on another music search and was surprised to see your name in the comments. I think this was a really great demo; but Bryan did the unplugged section that Darrell didn't. This will be the third guitar I've bought without testing it first, and my second PRS bought blind. Pretty sure I'm two for two and thanks to reports like this, yours and a couple of the other guys on the forum. But I have my white uniform on and not the Custom 24 in my avatar with google. See you again in the other pages buddy. I'm down to counting days for mine to arrive. Daryl
@@daryljones3195 Great, Daryl! I played big band for 16 years, and still have an old fashioned non cutaway archtop just in case. I had for many years been the proud owner of a Guild X170 for my small band jazz work. After I got my SE, I realized that the PRS did it even better so it got sold. If you work the tone control, you can get almost any archtop sound, except the sound of a non cutaway deep body acoustic. I still have one of those. Play well, stay well - Paul
Can a Les Trem 2 be put on this guitar?
Does it sound like a real electric when you want it to? Wanting a "do everything" Guitar that I can use for leading Worship, but also playing heavy metal core type of music with. Is this Guitar versatile enough to do that? And if so does it feel lacking at all?
I'm just about to take delivery on one of these Hollowbody's and have followed all the chat with great interest. I for years have been a "USA only" will do type of guitarist & have owned many PRS USA version over my years. I do not know if people actually realise, but China is far from the cheapest production location these days and the quality of workmanship is regarded very highly (take Eastman guitars for example). I think it is about time we all gave guitars, other than USA versions, a real chance. Why can we not simply judge a guitar on its ability, quality, build features & rank it accordingly. When I bought my first high end acoustic guitar I asked my dealer to blindfold me & present various brand options. I chose my guitar in the end on its suitability for me, its feel & its sound quality. I for one am prepared to give this SE the benefit of the doubt......
Prs has arguably had the best import guitars on the market for years. I hope that you dig it. I've been a fan of Prs american and import for a long time. I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised
The middle position is so overlooked on 2 humbucker guitars. This is such a beautiful instrument- great demo and great playing! Thanks! 🤓🤘🏻🎸
not by me it isn't 🤘 ...love middle position on a few different dual humbucker guitars of mine
Not by me either!
Amen! Same for single coils too!
It took me about twenty years to finally appreciate those middle tones.
I have a PRS Tremonti SE. The text on the back of the headstock never bothered me, in fact, I think it's a fantastic idea! The company (World Music Instruments Co. LTD in my case) who built and assembled the guitar - while following PRS's specifications - deserves credit for producing such fantastic guitars. Larger companies like PRS throwing relatively unknown companies a bone is always a good thing. This elitism regarding country of origin is just baffling; a good guitar is a good guitar regardless of where it came from. Focus on the quality of the instrument rather than what it says on the back of the headstock.
That closet racism is all that keeps Gibson in business, as their build quality has been crap for years.
@@cybertrophic it's not racism... It's a deserved stigma from years of very poor quality, and quality control coming from those factories... People who pay attention know Gibson is just a brand name now, and a majority of their guitars are inferior to the years of excellence which is the basis for their brand loyalty. Part of the stigma of those foreign factories is a direct result of companies like Gibson wanting their "lower tier brands" to be noticeably worse than their American made guitars. But to say it's racism is absolutely absurd. I am asian btw, and just like the guitars which used to come from China, most of the electronic components coming from their are known to fail, have bad soldering, etc. It's not racist to call out obvious flaws 你他妈的.
@@cybertrophic THANK YOU! I thought I was just a hater for not liking Gibsons build
Little known fact - World Music Instruments makes nearly 83% of ALL guitars IN THE WORLD. PRS, Epiphone (some models), Schecter, ESP LTD and MOST knock off brands: Agile, etc. etc.etc..........They are HUGE
Much better video that I've seen with the close-ups of the build, the specifics... Touching on every component is GREAT.
It's really good for somebody who's never played guitar. So good presentation.
I picked up a PRS SE Custom 24 35th Anniversary Edition about a month ago. Holy smokes! It's amazing!
I have one of these. It's an absolutely killer guitar. So versatile, and plays really nicely.
can you say china....
I am such a dork. My "go to" song for an acoustic is "tears in heaven." When I saw you play that, sadly, I pumped my fist in the air and decided that moment this IS my next guitar. Thank you.
I never really wanted a PRS before this one... gonna hafta start saving my pennies!
Same here
Good thing is that it’s SE, gents, so not as long a wait as it could be.
Same here dude
Paul Casilio still a bunch of pennies!
Yes i just bought this guitar today.
Another one to add to the wishlist 😍
👍
Good Lord! That sounds incredible - acoustic, overdriven - all of it!!!
The Piezo Rips! The part through the acoustic amp got me sold on this for a fact!
Darrell, based in part on your review and a few others, I picked one of these up last week. (one local mom and pop store had a brown burst on hand.) I could not be more pleased with this guitar. Honestly I have had two other SE models and didn't keep either. I am not a big PRS fan in general. I play rhythm in a cover band and I am constantly switching from acoustic to electric. I have tried a Godin A6 (now up for sale), and a Nashville deluxe power tele with piezo bridge, and a few other hybrids and was not happy with any of them. I ran this PRS thru my pedal board ...an acoustic Fly rig and an electric Fly rig and straight out to a good quality powered 12" speaker. The dual outs work great with my wireless buds and it's very simple twist of the wrist to go from acoustic back to electric, or to blend. This guitar sits perfectly in our band mix, whether I am on the piezo or the mags. Very very pleased. Thanks for the video.
Do you mind going into a little bit of detail about what you prefer about the PRS over the Godin? I've considered an A6 Ultra and am now considering the Piezo. Both roughly the same price here in Australia. I'd appreciate you sharing your insights if it isn't too much trouble. Thanks!
@@tomedwards81 Sorry for slow reply. I am moving across the country and have been slammed. What I can say is that while I did like the Godin (felt more comfortable in my hands), I was not entirely pleased with the acoustic sounds and frankly the HB wasn't all that great either (at least thru my amps). But both tones were "passable". The PRS covered both bases far better. Keeping in mind that tone is subjective :) I found that the PRS sounded far better than the Godin thru a double rig (two amps one HRD and one Fender Acoustic) and even thru my HRD alone the piezo sounded at least as good as the Godin. Hope this helps.
@@69lespaul that’s a very helpful reply and no worries about the delay time. Moving across a country (I’ve done it myself several times) is a challenge at the best of times, let alone during a pandemic! The reason I’m so interested in your experience is that I also play through a Flyrig. In my case the 5 V2. For acoustic I use a Trace Acoustic Transit A because I got one second hand in mint condition for very little money. It’s great but I’d like to get the Acoustic Flyrig at some point. I’m going out of their balanced outputs straight to a mixer and have been happy with the results. It’s good to know how the PRS performs in a setup similar to my own. My hesitation is that I’m a very energetic performer and I need my guitars to be tough. That’s why I play a Telecaster at the moment. I worry about how the Hollowbody would cope with being thrown around a bit....it’s hardly cheap here in Australia. Guess I’d have to be careful, but when things get going with the band I tend to get carried away 😂
Just bought the non piezo version in charcoal burst ..beautiful looking AND sounding guitar ! PRS has always been my dream guitar even though I have several Les Paul's, Strats and Teles I felt the need to have "that" sound at my disposal..In ❤ with this guitar super versatile..Best purchase I've made all year 😊
Darrell, thank you for such great and comprehensive videos! PRS should be very thankful to you as I went straight over to GC and bought this guitar after your review sealed the deal! The guitar stinks of quality, and plays like a dream! Thank you so much, I've wanted a PRS since high school, good to finally get here 20yrs later! -K.
I love my PRS SE Custom...it plays and feels so good...If you ever seen the PRS Indonesia factory tour video....they follow the same QC as the Maryland Factory. No sharp fret ends and polished frets. I strongly recommend the Trampas Green PRS SE Custom 24 made in Korea or Indonesia
Nick Taylor
Indonesia, then S Korea. China, uh, no.
*Hey Darrell..., you should do a shootout between this one and your Schecter C-1 E/A, as they are both semi-hollow guitars with two humbuckers and piezo bridges... It aught to be interesting!...*
*Also..., both with this PRS and the C-1 E/A, it would be cool to see a video on using these piezo equipped guitars with acoustic guitar body impulse responses..., as can be used found on devices such as the Fishman Aura preamps or the Mooer Radar pedal..., as they really help to add the woody resonance of an actual full acoustic body...*
*Great video again bro... Thanks!*
Honestly as good as the guitar is, the acoustic amp took me by surprise, great acoustic tone from that one
Soham Sengupta
Didn’t sound very acoustic to me.
Rick Lewis need higher gauge strings to sound more acoustic
Really need an Acoustic amplifier to bring out the true character of the Piezo system. I found the Piezo a bit too "Strident" through my typical Mesa amplifier. Would have been nice if you could EQ the Piezo, but I guess that's what the Amp is for.
@@ricklewis5804 It's obviously not a freaking Taylor or Martin lol. I'd be thrilled to have such a good-sounding piezo on my go-to hollowbody.
Seriously, why do people go into demos of piezo-equipped electrics expecting them to sound EXACTLY like a nice, real acoustic? You already know it's not going to; stop raining on everyone else's parade lol. The question is always how close does it get, and the only better piezo sound I've heard from an electric is the USA version of this guitar.
Sounds to me like you could conceivably get a passable acoustic tone from it. It depends on what you need. It would be interesting to hear it through a good acoustic preamp pedal and EQd to get rid of the quack. A piezo is always going to sound like a piezo, but sometimes you can sculpt it a little and get something “good enough”. It’s partly a matter of reining in your expectations! :)
I like the sound of the guitar, I really do. Personally I’d prefer a thin neck profile and a shorter scale length. It really depends on the type of music you are playing and it’s complexity nonetheless having the max amount of comfort possible is a must for me.
I thought the same until I played it for a few minutes. in the end I found the neck unbelievably comfortable and well designed. Also being someone who just bought a strat, I found the scale to be incredibly easy to play. String spacing, fret height - literally everything that went into this neck design is so detailed and carefully done.
Its all personal preference at the end of the day, but I was so so impressed at how they designed this neck.
Isaac what do you play on?
@@gabrielglenn1714 Mainly on a heavily modified Mexican strat with a Warmoth neck and an Aiersi Smallman classical. I also use a lot a Gibson ES135 Semihollow.
i have owned mine for a year now and still love it! My only gripe is I wish they put a mini three way switch to quickly select which pickups you want on. As a singer I need to be able to get to those selections easily and adjusting the volume knobs just is not simple enough to do that quickly.
and push/pull or mini switch for coil splitting the buckers
Just got my HBII, Piezo in Blue Peacock, and couldn't be happier. It plays wonderfully and looks beautiful. This video helped me decide, so went to the store, played it, bought it.
I have 3 PRS SE's and all of them are top notch quality. This one looks beautiful that flame maple binding is unreal.
I bought one of these recently as I am finding my solid body PRS custom 24 harder to play due to it's weight now I'm over 60.
The hollow body is very light in comparison and the sound has a much warmer tone. Although the finish is not up to the custom standard it is still good a great guitar for the price ❤.
I need one like right now. Omg. It makes me want to get my Trey Anastasio on
I was NOT expecting that. Very positively surprised - especially that blend!!!
I feel that this level,of guitar from China is a historic achievement. It sets the bar high for other companies there.
Phil said the headstock veneer is ebony and the nut bone.
Particularly Epiphone's factory here I suppose, possibly also targetting Ibanez's Premium line in Indonesia
Really funny that my friend was talking to me this morning about these guitars and now here’s a video on it!
I'm really impressed by the piezo tones in this guitar. Probably not going to get anyone to get anyone to sell their dread, but for a working player who needs acoustic tones on a song or two in a gig I feel like this could work.
The range of sounds on this guitar......awesome
Recent price drop makes this one super attractive. Street price is about 1280 with the piezo.
Great video, too
Great review as always. I actually liked the piezo quite a lot, soloed or blended, and more so through the Mesa than the acoustic amp where the blunted transients were more obvious. The piezo would be the motivating factor for me to buy this guitar if I were in the market. I didn't so much like the humbuckers themselves -- sound sort of cold or characterless to me -- but I'm more vintage oriented, so maybe lowering them would help. Beautiful guitar for sure. For as low as $1,200 USD new and $800 used, it's a sweet deal for a modern sounding hollow body.
Well , I have to say that is one of the most beautiful guitars I have ever seen ! PRS always makes beautiful guitars , but I have never been a loyal fan of them . I bought one about 10 years ago , and sold it in less than a month at a big loss . For some reason I cannot seem to connect with them . That being said , I am just in love with this model ! Everything about it is perfect ! If I could design a custom guitar with everything I like , this would be the final product . Even without the breathtaking color and finish , it has everything I could ask for ! Of course , The color and finish is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen !
I bought a PRS SE recently, I can say first hand. No Regrets!
I was looking at pulling the trigger on this, SE quality good and SE cheaper price, and then ... I saw the actual price. It was listed at $2,500 AUD, I couldn't believe my eyes, an SE guitar costing that much, just *not* going to happen.
i thought the same,,,even though its such a stunning guitar,,,i recently bought an artist guitar 10th anniversary hollow body brownburst for $400 very impressed
True, for 600$ less than this price there is a CE model (set neck, but made in the US) in a similar shade of blue
SE means Super Expensive 😅
Vaughan MacEgan you could try the Harley Benton version CST-24HB - it is a lot cheaper and gets great reviews (doesn’t have piezo pickup though)
mrgari189 not even in the same league or sport...gtfo with that Harley crap
Stunning guitar! Great tones. Can hardly believe you can do that much distortion and not feedback. Super flexible with the Piezo. I want one!
What a gorgeous guitar and I like the close up shots, we can truly appreciate the craftsmanship. Paul Reed Smith is legendarily fastidious about guitars with his name on it leaving the factory and it seems that your new addition is a reflection of this. I really wish you didn't turn my head when it comes to guitars outside the Fender/Jackson stable.
I really appreciate the photo showing the hollow interior. Thanks for your effort!
Received delivery of mine today purchased as a result of your video. It actually makes me sound a bit competent! I play mostly jazz standards and blues and this guitar through my Roland JC40/is a killer. Thank you for your advice!
Absolutely stunning looking piece of kit. As for the tones....just WoW. The writing on the back of headstock wouldn’t bother me at all as I really do not tend to look at that part of the guitar too much. Fantastic job PRS and Darrell for the great review and demo.
I love my black gold burst version. It's very attractive, great tone, smooth on the fretboard. I like the 58-15 sound. I don't use the piezo a lot, but when I do, it does sound very acoustic-like and pleasing. I consider it one of my fav guitars. It is very competitive vs my Gibson ES335. You are right.. killer guitar!
Been wanting a blue flame guitar and you have to go and show this off. Its freaking beautiful. Some day... Also this guitar seems like having two guitars in one. Electric rocker and an electric acoustic.
I've never heard a better sounding guitar. Love all the tones !
Sounds versatile with the piezo in addition to the two buckers its giving you a sweet acoustic sound I wouldn't expect from a guitar like this.
Clark Babin
Didn’t sound very acoustic to me.
Nice to hear tears in heaven! 8:58
I’d love to see a comparison video with the schecter that has the piezo, I believe it was the schecter C1 E/A. Always love your videos, I learn a lot and your playing is inspiring.
Which of the two to pick up?
I wish they would have put the on/off/mix switch from the Piezo Core model. Needing to turn two knobs up/down to jump between them is not practical for playing in a live situation. How hard do you feel it would be to add that switch to the guitar?
Great tones. Full electric sounds great. And the "acoustic" tones with the piezo (along with your fingerstyle playing) sound amazing.
i was surprised to see that this one was made in china. i am used to PRS making guitars in Indonesia and Korea (i have one that was made in Korea). although a lot of people may not care, a lot of others would shy away from yet another guitar being made in china
I bet that one won't end up on a snow covered roof!
I always wonder about that skit in the intro. What the heck did he do?? Haha
@@HARwinsOUTagain It's his video on Barre Chords...
Ok, so what's the deal? Cor_Tek is listed as being a Korean company, also associated with Cort. But the guitar actually says China on it...
Excellent playing skills by the way, meaning the music was really creative...
Fun fact about Far East PRS models - they're crafted both in the same plants in Indonesia & China as Epiphone and Squier are. Not alot of people know the same plants are contracted for all 3. So, the people who dog Epi and Squier about their quality but absolutely praise SE PRS always crack me up. I'm not speaking on electronics and stuff although besides pickups, alot of the electronics used are the same too. Speaking of that tho I've personally never been a fan of the pups Paul uses for the SE's. To me they usually sound really rmuddy. I'm sure he does that on purpose so people will still wanna buy their Maryland made guitars, it just sucks he doesn't sell his US pups seperately so you could buy them and swap them into one of these Far East models.
Thats why people buy Schecters. Skip the BS crap pickups from PRS. Even Ibanez Gio models have better PU's
I hate these pickups. I'm not the biggest fan of the usa ones, but they're good. Pickup change in the non core models is mandatory.
@@jeekyboi9564 I personally buy the higher priced Epiphones when I'm on a budget. Depending on what model its such a good deal. I have a 2017 Epi Lee Malia RD with Gibson USA pups ( the brige pup is custom shop and only on this guitar ) made in Indonesia and it 100% rivals the quality of my Gibson. Only paid $799 for it but it's a hell of a guitar. My other budget guitar is a 2010 Epi LP 55-77 TV Yellow reissue also with Gibson USA alnico v's and just as good. Paid $599 new back in 2010. My PRS S2 I had was absolutely junk tho. Especially for $1400. And my friends SE Mcarty 24s pups sound like you're playing underwater. I'm not a very big fan of them as well. Some of their Maryland guitars a great, some are junk. I own 4 USA guitars and honestly the Far East is catching up on craftsmanship.
@@_dmfd i know what you mean, I used to play all the prs models in my local guitar store while waiting for my lessons. Every prs I picked up and played sounded dull and the necks were sticky with terrible fret jobs. I have a couple ibanez's and jacksons that blew them out of the water. And for way less money too.
@@jeekyboi9564 my first " real " guitar I got back in 2005 was an Ibanez GIO super strat HSS and that thing was great! I agree there are way better options for less than this overpriced PRS from China. The Piezo thing 99% of the time is a gimmick anyways. You need the right DAW programs to make them sound right. Thru amps they sound 👎🏻
I have to give you credit for once again putting up a very neat presentation!
OMG that is gorgeous. I need one.
I'm really surprised at how much I like the sound of those pickups on that guitar.
This is the only SE I would consider, beautiful! That piezo sounds good too, and I have never been a piezo fan.
My Tears went to Heaven with the Piezos
I thought this PRS HB Piezo SE were made in Korea/Indonesia. Then why is it that the back headstock have print made in China?
My favorite guitar so far!!!
Truly a very nice versatile guitar. Really impressed with the additional piezo pickup.
PRS always have some of the best of this modern age. Really sets a huge standard for how they should be. Awesome showcase man!
Those blended tones were amazing.
I've just bought a prs se hollowbody 2 online through Andertons. I chose the black gold finish, £649 including hardcase. Cheapest anywhere, cheaper than 2nd hand. Hopefully it is as glorious as I hope for, will keep posted.
And?
Wow what a guitar. I was particularly intrigued and impressed by the piezoelectric. Just a sound I really dig. 🙏🏻 thanks
I think i can hear a lot of Joe from 7:22 to 7:36 .. really really cool stuff
Very helpful needed insight to the f hole after hearing Gillian Welsh and Dave Rawling
I couldnt be doing with that beautiful binding on the neck. Every time I looked down I'd hear the guitar saying "what do you think you are doing, you're not good enough to play me"
....but I’ve ordered one anyway...
Was dying to hear this strummed a little unplugged, & wish you gave all of your demos a little unplugged strumming. Great demo & very nice guitar (prefer the other color). Thanks D.B.G!
There's not really any point in doing that...
Just ordered one that has coil splits and locking tuners, equipped at the PRS factory! That neck pickup sounds unbelievable.
I havd have a feeling Myles Kennedy would use this PRS as a go-to for all his needs at least it would mame since for him to add that to his rig!
Idk, he’s really been playing the heck out of his tele! Or heck, even Mark could use something like this with all his parts!
Or he would just use the core model that prs would send him
beautiful G and do love the contrast of Blue /Black Burst on it
just wish it was like the stealthy darker version that is painted black even inside which make it look so much cooler to me
I close my eyes, only for a moment and that moment's gone!
Tit.
Line6 Helix allows you to run parallel the piezo thru acoustic modeling and magnetics thru tube modeling.
It sounds good. The shade of blue they used and the flamed maple binding look great.
Waiting for this model in a natural wood color, with a matte/satin finish.
You got sandpaper, right?
Yeah PRS uses way too much gloss
@@srcastic8764 Yes let me go and sand my brand new $1500 guitar. The neck should be satin from the factory.
These will be great when they start popping up on the used market. They're about the same price as an S2, and you can get those for 750-800 all day long. I'd pay that.
Where do you find uses S2's for 750-800? They're in the 1500's mostly here.
@@Frozenguy1 Craigslist or Facebook. I'm in Austin Texas, so I suppose the used market is pretty good here. But they're definitely in the 1000-1200 range on Ebay and Reverb. I just got a CE24, and an S2 with a ridiculous flame top for 1200 each just last week.
Sounded fantastic through the acoustic amp!
I once had a Takamine electric acoustic with close to the same colour, flamed peacock blue burst. It and my PRS EG2 were stolen, together. This SE hollowbody peizo is the perfect marriage of those two missing guitars colour and sound wise, and I want one. Wonder if I can trade my old SE SC Trem in for it...lol.
Halfway through, your video sold me one of these. Thanks. Lol i made it to the piezo part and then started shopping.
Half the time I watch your reviews just to listen to your soloing. Your solo over the backing track on this video in particular is phenomenal. Any chance you could break it down in another video?
Nice review and a bit of relief that you liked it as I bough t one awhile back when I saw they were starting to be back ordered. Thanks!
I have no choice but to agree with everything you said about this guitar. I really like that piezo.
OK, Darrell, kudos for being the first guitar dude I've seen on RUclips who pronounces, "piezo," correctly.
Awesome review! What a nice guitar to feature on the channel. It is stunning and has so many tonal options. Great pick for anyone wanting the holy grail all in one PRS.
Piezo! What a classy addition to the SE line. I’d love this feature in my semi hollow custom. That may have even more tonal use than splitting the coils.
You should do a full demo and review of the Shecter hellraiser with the sustainiac pick-ups
Hey Darrel! You should check out Supro's new semi-hollows. Both the Conquistador and the Clermont are killer guitars and would be a good comparison to the PRS.
This is the 11th guitar that I added to wishlist today.
Sonic review starts at 7:04. Do you have a full length version of playing Dust In The Wind ?? Thanks.
These guitars are great, BUT there is one major flaw. The battery compartment breaks way way way too easily. I literally have spares now and I order 3 at a time.
LOVE my PRS SE Custom 24! Thanks for doing these kinds of videos Darrell. Awesome work man!
The first SE since the original SANTANA (back when it was the only SE) that I considered buying.
I don't have anything against SEs, It's just that for a little bit more than this one new, I can get a mid 90s Cu24 and I'd rather have fewer Maryland models than more imports.
If I didn't already have a P24 I'd probably get one, I still want a semi/hollow guitar to fill out my collection.
I listen to this video for the tenth time maybe. A dream of a guitar for me. And you!!!! Yeah you Darrell... Whatever your fingers touch sounds like gold.
One of the most beautiful guitars I’ve seen
I have been pondering for days whether to buy a PRS in that exact blue color, and you just put out this video on my birthday ... I took it as a sign and went straight to the shop to buy it 😅
Thanks Darrel 😂
Just love your videos Darrell...we need more happy optimistic stuff like you do! Stay well mate (from Brisbane, Australia)
Thanks Darrell, as always, you absolutely Rock!
Gotta have it! Beautiful looking and sounding guitar!