I hope you enjoy this one! Here's also links to a couple of videos I mentioned in the video: Epiphone Slash Anaconda Burst review: ruclips.net/video/ZPQzA0TIAMU/видео.html PRS Controversy Video: ruclips.net/video/XXP_W7A7yXM/видео.html
All joking aside, for the money this is the finest guitar I have ever played that is around $1,000. Absolutely fantastic. PRS knocked it out of the park with this one. For a guitar with a wide- fat neck it plays and fits my hand very well. This axe is worth every penny
Thank you, that means a lot. I'm testing different sound set ups at the moment. Normally to get this sound quality would have taken me ages but I'm now using a more efficient set up. Really glad you liked it!
Traded my se custom 24 in on a hollowbody II Pieazo. I just couldn't get used to the wide thin neck on the 24. The wide fat on my Hollowbody is not fat, just not super thin like the 24.
Its not plywood. Plywood pertains to many thin layers of veneer glued and pressed together to build thickness. The SE neck is 3 pieces of wood with a quarter sawn center piece. This is actually a comon technique to make a much more stable neck but it is most definitely not plywood.
I can see where you're coming from and I mean no slight against the guitar or PRS - it's absolutely my go-to right now. The guitar is a joy to play. They don't mention on the website how many pieces the neck actually is (they just say 'Multi-Ply'). I think I should have mentioned in the video though that this aspect is great for protection against changing humidity and maintaining stability. Sadly I can't change it now, but if/when I do a future video on the guitar I will mention it as it definitely can be seen as positive. Bottom line, I highly highly recommend the guitar regardless of the number of wood pieces in the neck. The neck feels awesome.
@@appetiteforguitar it sure does feel awsome. I have an SE Custom 24 08. It has a clear finish over the maple neck and you can see the 3 pieces quite clearly. Its an absolutely beautiful guitar, and one of the best deals available for the money right now! PRS and Schecter have the "bang for the buck" category locked down good!
@@appetiteforguitar gibsons highest end les pauls often have 5 piece necks. Some of their 70s guitars like marauders had scarf joint necks as well. That said- great video!
@@stevenpipes1555 Agree with you on all points. I have the blue Paul’s guitar with the clear maple neck. You can see the joins but it’s fine. I love the guitar even though the neck is on the chunky side. Schecters are very good too. I got the Nick Johnstone Strat recently and have been very impressed by the tones and playability on another sub £1k guitar. I really do think it’s the case more than ever now that you pay so much more for very marginal quality improvement by going full fat USA made. If the 3 piece neck saves on the price I am very happy. It is a pity about the plastic tuning pegs though. They do feel cheap. And not easy to change as the Paul’s guitar has smaller hole size than other SE guitars as I understand. You can’t just throw in any PRS tuners into it. But tuning stability is fine. It’s just the plastic feel. Maybe they don’t want to make the SE line TOO good !
The reviewer goes on about the three piece neck. I have the amber version of this guitar and the back and neck is finished in a lovely red shade which shows the three piece neck and it's gorgeous. Some claim that a two or three piece neck offers improved stability which is a plus. I have to say that I am not a luthier so I am not making this claim but only offering the suggested wisdom of others. It's a fantastic guitar and you will pick them up second hand for less than £750.
The reviewer... yes that's me! I love this guitar. The neck is my favourite part - it feels great. The neck is 'multi-ply' as per their website and they don't specify how many pieces, so it's mostly by sharing info between us we find out how many/if they are consistent. I concur re stability... it should in theory help in that department. The amber version you have is a beauty. I would get one too, but I think my wife would get a bit upset! I may get a DGT at some point for the tremolo though... I recorded a one year update on Paul's guitar here if you are interested: ruclips.net/video/TBXLFiXNPPc/видео.html
I have one. Black Gold I think. Sings nicely unplugged as well. Wasn't sure about the thick neck at first. Love it now. Tuners work fine and the black looks nice matching the headstock. The bridge is the hidden gem and the versatility of the pups is handy. The glossy neck can easily be sanded down in in a few minutes. The shop where my brother in law purchased his(after checking out mine) did this for him gratis while we waited.
Many worry that this type of bridge with the typical 'lightning bolt' staggered saddle arrangement built-in doesn't provide good intonation. On my several Gib/Epi guitars with one-piece bridges this has been no problem with normally graduated string sets in the range of 9-10 high E to 42-46 low E, with the grub screws for scale length adjustment giving some extra range up or down on either/both sides as needed, say for 8s as our host likes. If you need more precise settings for certain strings there's a variety of aftermarket bridges made for popular guitar types with individual saddle adjustment. But don't be scared of these combined one-piece type bridge/tailpiece units. They work well and some argue there are tonal and sustain benefits- this will be a subjective thing you have to judge for yourself. But I like the idea of simple hardware with few or no moving parts. On this Paul's Guitar by PRS there are other things I'd be more critical of but again, judge for yourself and overall these are very nice guitars.
For me, with the excellent split coil sounds, this was the one. The Zach Meyers is a great guitar too though. The ZM also has a slightly shorter scale length and so might feel a bit slinkier. Both are brilliant guitars. I'd be very happy with either, it's just the Paul's guitar's tonal versitility which pushed it slightly ahead for my purposes.
It has quite a few Core model aspects to it. Such as flush fitting back plates, bridge is a Core bridge, real Abalone bird inlay's, those two split coil switches are also featured on Core models. BTW Core will cost you 4 x more atleast. If you buy this spend 140 usd extra and install a set of Kluson Revolution Locking tuners. You'll have a cracking guitar for less than $1200.00😊
Definitely, great guitar. One of my faves for sure. I just did a one year update on it too if you're interested... you'll see I very much agree regarding the tuners!: ruclips.net/video/TBXLFiXNPPc/видео.htmlsi=reF6LgIEKDXGZ5jy
Great video. I do have to say for anyone looking at this guitar... it is a beautiful guitar, the video is great though it is a lot more stunning in real life. Also it can be found for anywhere $600 to $800 used (often mint) condition in Reverb. I bought the Fire Red and truly is a piece of art.
Thanks! Glad it was helpful. I review various guitars and gear, but I keep coming back to this guitar... and making more videos about it. I think I've done about 5 videos featuring this guitar at this point ha ha. I'm slightly addicted to it! Charcoal is nice, good choice! It truly is brilliant. If you're interested I did a one year update too: ruclips.net/video/TBXLFiXNPPc/видео.html
Thinking of getting one of these, i won't to downsize only play at home in small room. so looking for a guitar that does everything if it exists. What is your signal chain in the demo, ie what amp and pedals are you using has that can make a big difference to the end tone too. Many thanks Peter
Well, I've been experimenting a lot with different amps, big and small, as well as software. The hunt for tone never stops! On this video I used a small amp that sounds not only really great in the room, but also comes across in videos... harder than it seems! It's a Joyo DC 15 with onboard FX. Nothing else for this video. Various manufacturers sell exactly the same amp with different branding on it, including Harley Benton. I posted a little comparison video a while back on the amp vs a couple of others: ruclips.net/video/4lVjKN-noow/видео.htmlsi=fPyzKVgZcahloRVf
Thanks, much appreciated! I've not had the boomy E string issue. Scratching my head to think what it could be. It could be a bunch of things... 1) Maybe a tweak to your amp's bass setting or EQ might help? 2) Reduce the height of your pickups on the bass side. 3) Try lighter gauge strings. One of those might help... Keep rockin' 🤘🎸
My USA Silver Sky has plastic tuners - people complain about those too but I love em. Particularly if you have to tune up in a cold venue e.g. for a sound check, plastic beats cold metal.
Ya it’s a really nice material with a slight sand paper feel which I really like … I have plenty of nickel buttoned guitars and I don’t find the nickel a plus over these ,, les Paul’s are snot green plastic - have a few of those and know one ever screamed about the lp tuner buttons …
Tempted to purchase after I sell my Jackson DK2M, it’s a shame the neck is gloss tho. When gigging with a custom 24. The gloss was annoying especially when my forearm was sitting over the body
I have never bothered considering a gloss neck to be a negative, personally. I don't like gloss necks, infact...I fucking hate them so damn much lol...I can't even imagine what kind of doofy ass weirdo would prefer such a feature lmao. However, it's actually a nice opportunity for me to adjust the texture of the neck to my exact preference, by just grabbing my box of sandpaper and giving it a rub down w fine grit until it's where I want. I am also, until my first time playing and buying a prs 6 years ago, a life long Fender purist and have spent a lot of time and experimenting with sanding tele necks to be a shape and contour that ive developed for my own playing. The sanding of a neck to adjust the shape is one of the mods or adjustments that I make to guitars that, in my mind, improves the feel playability and comfort of guitars more than anything else I can think of. Only thing close is to pay Sweetwater a hefty fee to have them throw your new guitar on the Plek machine. That couple hundred dollar add on is actually worth it in a decent amount of cases. I got my friend an Epiphone 339 and had it Plekd and it ended up arriving in such a beautiful condition that it fucking blew me away. I've never played a 339, Gibson heritage anything, that came anywhere close to being as smooth and supple. But yeah, plek is a nice improvement to feel and playability but so is 5$ worth of sandpaper and some experimenting
i currently have a schecter sunvalley supershredder fr. Recently I have started to listen to a lot of strat guitarists like john mayer, yngwie, eric johnson, SRV. I want that sound but I still want something which could be great for gigs. Should I get the silver sky SE, Paul's SE, or DGT SE. I am super confused cus all of them seem very nice. I really want a silver sjy but the only problem is that the looks are not as good as the other PRS models. I am very fond of these flame maple vaneers. Please help, Thanks!
Well I can say for sure, Paul's guitar is a fantastic guitar. The humbucker and split coil sounds are second to none vs any guitar I've played. It's extremely versatile. I also have a Fender Strat for reference, and a Gibson Les Paul (my GAS is bad!). The PRS can broadly cover both sounds... but it's not just about that I find. It's about how the guitar makes you feel when playing it too. I've got them set up so they're all easy to play. The main difference for me is that the PRS has the chunkiest neck. It's also the lightest of the Les Paul and Strat I own. So for standing up, it's great. I don't own a Silver Sky or DGT, but I played both on my way to getting Paul's guitar. Both of those have slimmer necks than Paul's guitar. They also both have a tremolo... which Paul's guitar does not. And of course, the Silver Sky is single coils, so depending on what you're playing that might have an influence. Having said that, I picked Paul's guitar mainly for the feel, the sound and the versatility vs the others. I love playing with the switches and sounds you can get out of it - they all sound great and I can lose hours just mucking about and enjoying the sounds. Truly, I don't think you can make a wrong choice here... they are all awesome guitars. Personally, if you like a light guitar with a chunky neck that can do Strat and Les Paul sounds, as well as have it's own character... my suggestion is Paul's guitar as long as you don't mind not having a tremolo. But then I'm a bit biased considering it's the one I chose. That's not to say I might not eventually get the others too... as mentioned my GAS is bad. Good luck in your choice. Keep rockin'... and let me know if you have any queries about it, I'll try to help.
@@appetiteforguitar thanks so much. The main problem is that there are no stores near my locality where I can go and try these guys out. I already have a Floyd Rose guitar so tremolo is not that important. My current guitar has two active pickups and I need a guitar which can do the other times which it can not. Like my guitar can't do the straty sound. I also want a guitar that looks good so it is kinda like a show off.
Any tips on intonating & adjusting the bridge? I’ve a tuneomatic on a PRS style & it’s horrid I can’t intonate individual strings etc & very hard to get the action low
For this specific bridge in the video, just intonate the high E string and low E string. To do that tune up the strings to E as you would normally, then hold down the note at the 12th fret. Keep adjusting it until they match. The rest of the strings should then be pretty near if not perfect. If you mean a standard stoptail set up like on a Gibson, same process, but you have more individual string control and need to do each one. Regarding low action, that's a big topic. It's a combination of various factors including truss rod adjustment, bridge height, nut slots height, fret levelling etc... I did a video on basic guitar set ups which might help you get off the starting blocks: ruclips.net/video/zC05L6AbJ0U/видео.htmlsi=5DrKvUcvwV2cWq7e
@@appetiteforguitar sorry I did mean to say standard wraparound bridge, the exact one in the video, cheers man! I’ve terribly high action from the bridge as well & the bolts are already at the lowest point & can’t be further adjusted, I’ve tried everything nothing seems to work 👎 I’ll go to the link provided cheers really appreciate that! 💯
That's tough, difficult to say exactly where the problem is. Failing a bit of tinkering, it sounds like it might eventually be worth a luthier giving it a once over as it sounds like you have more than one problem going on. If your action is high, you might also be sending the strings out of tune as you need to press them harder, just another thought. I have recorded, but not yet edited another video on how I do a very quick fret level... but I wouldn't go that route unless a) you know what you're doing or b) it's a guitar you don't care about too much.
@@appetiteforguitar yeah man have brought it with me to several shops around Dublin & no one even has an in house tech 😂 It’s a self build Harley CST that mimics this guitar & I’ve had problems previously getting the neck to bridge the body of the guitar but solved that issue I’m thinking it could be something to do with that as well as the bridge not intonating as it should 👎 such a pain because the rest of the guitar is spot on
Ah, I see. I've thought about getting that kit a few times. The kit is cool, but needs the hard graft to make it really play well from what I've heard. Each PRS I've tried plays great, and the one in this video is no exception. But yeah, most kits will need the hard work and time to get them good. It can be a time sink. It depends on what you value, playing time or modding. I flip between the two extremes all the time.
It's probably ok, but difficult to say. I find this guitar mega comfy. It's one of the most comfortable guitars I have ever played. I did a quick Google and there's someone there that commented they had small hands and they love the 'pattern regular' neck. This has a 'wide fat'. PRS does a lot of different guitars with various necks so there is likely one there that will suit you. If you can, it would be useful to get to a store and try a bunch. I have relatively big hands. I let my niece play this though and she has much smaller hands and found it comfy. It's worth mentioning PRS also do a 'wide thin' neck. That's smaller than this one and is on the PRS SE CE24 for example which is a bit cheaper than this guitar. But yeah, try a bunch in person if you can.
According to PRS website all SE models are made by Cor-Tek, not a PRS owned factory. Alpha pots are about 1/4 the price of CTS. The Epiphone actually has binding. The PRS is just the maple top, beneath the flame veneer, exposed. The finish just goes over the top of the faux binding. That's why it's flawless. The neck joint is more similar to the SG than the Les Paul. How is the neck "multi ply"? Multi piece necks lengthwise can actually be more stable than a one piece neck without adversely affecting the tone. It might have a scarf joint which cuts cost but is debatable about the difference in tone. I would expect a scarf joint at this price level. Not "plywood" construction though. I'm not a fan of how that nut is cut. It might be because you've used lighter strings that they sit so "deep" in the nut. But if it doesn't affect tuning stability, it doesn't really matter. As long as it's cut to an acceptable depth. And again I wouldn't expect it to be perfect on any mass produced guitar. SE Solid-body and Semi-Hollow instruments (including the SE Silver Sky, SE Zach Myers, and SE Custom 22 Semi-Hollow) are produced by our dedicated partners in the Cor-Tek Surabaya, Indonesia factory. PRS doesn't own Cor-Tek. So it's not made in PRS factories even though they try and word it as such. I hope you don't mind the critique. I'm not knocking your review. Just adding my two cents.
No worries, really appreciate that you've watched the review and taken the time to comment, thanks. Re CTS vs alpha pots, yep agreed. These alpha pots are not top of the line, but they function fine. I was actually surprised that on my new Epiphone LP Studio, they do have CTS pots, so props to Epi for that. Re the binding, that's an interesting one. Without seeing them actually prove they're physically doing it in the factory, as a rough measure, I believe true binding can be felt when you brush your finger over it. My Epi LP Traditional from 2014 does seem to have true binding by that measure... there's a very distinct ridge. The PRS is very smooth. The neck join is a chunky thing whether it's more LP or SG-like, I actually like it. Not fussed about a cut away necessarily. I should have been clearer re Cort. I did say it was made by Cort, but I should have been clearer it's a partnership where they only make PRS guitars. I appreciate it's not the same as Epiphone literally having their own factory in China. Re 'Multi-ply' - that's what they quote it as on the website. They don't explicitly say how many pieces, but maybe I was a bit harsh with saying 'plywood'... I know that structurally it can be good against warping in weather changes, for example, and it's the balancing argument I could have said in the moment. Again, if I ever mention this in another video, I will mention the positives of the construction too, as it could be advantageous in a lot of ways. The nut is a chunky one and deep, yes. I've been looking at a few other PRS's since and it seems to be fairly common. It works fine, so no issues with it. The action I can get on the guitar is excellent, and the tuning stability is perfect. I hope it's clear from the review, but just in case - I rate this guitar very highly overall. It is a really fabulous piece of kit. Yes, it does have a few cost cutting measures in place to bring it below a Core or S2, but the feel and sound if it makes it a winner, for me at least. It's one I play a lot. The cost cutting measures are justified if it means more people can access these instruments without much compromise on the overall experience. If you like this kind of thing, a subscribe goes a long way to helping the channel :). Keep rockin'!
Why is it, that those Chinese made Guitars always have these way too long cables zip-tied together inside the electronics cavity? Is it so much more expensive to cut them to length?
My Slash Les Paul was made in China, I need to remind myself what it looks like inside. This Indonesian made PRS is tidy enough. I guess the extra cable is useful for moving things around when modding etc if nothing else.
SE guitars are built by a third party, the factory is not owned by PRS and does not exclusively make PRS guitars, unlike Gibson's overseas factories which are wholly owned and managed by Gibson.
They partner up with an Indonesian factory managed by Cort, from what I can understand they do exclusively only make PRS guitars there. It was once the case that they made a whole range of brands alongside PRS, but they moved to just doing PRS in this specific factory. Check out their video: ruclips.net/video/LuEYe5HMyAM/видео.htmlsi=e3kqLXaRJDHxfakw
Just to confirm that the SE Cort factory is exclusive PRS only guitars built there to increase built quality. There was a factory tour a couple of years ago, and the SE's are all quality checked in Maryland USA factory before being shipped to dealers last i heard. The SE's are probably the best overseas built guitar when you compare to what else is available in Indonesia and China in that price range.
I knew that, and if you understand what I said it is unchanged, all they did was move out the other brands being made and exclusively only build PRS in one corner of a very vast facility, a minor change@@daveg4236
the 85/15S are the worst pickups ...and the "coil" split is a joke. plus the action has to be higher or it will buzz. Try playing fast runs on lower strings above the 12th. horrible.
The carve on the lower horn looks like a tacked on afterthought from my perspective, it sounded as much like a strat as a trumpet and the tuning keys are shoddy looking for sure, the bridge is overkill too, if the wheel can't be beaten (conventional design) why get miffed and try to re-invent it? ...the Gibson aimed tone isn't believable likewise, it's a fun attempt that's overpriced for it's actual ability in all truth.
I hope you enjoy this one! Here's also links to a couple of videos I mentioned in the video:
Epiphone Slash Anaconda Burst review:
ruclips.net/video/ZPQzA0TIAMU/видео.html
PRS Controversy Video:
ruclips.net/video/XXP_W7A7yXM/видео.html
It's my main instrument for over a year and I love this guitar more every day.
Glad you're enjoying it. It's a great guitar.
All joking aside, for the money this is the finest guitar I have ever played that is around $1,000. Absolutely fantastic. PRS knocked it out of the park with this one. For a guitar with a wide- fat neck it plays and fits my hand very well. This axe is worth every penny
Very true. Amazing guitar! You might enjoy the 1 year update I did on it too: ruclips.net/video/TBXLFiXNPPc/видео.htmlsi=on8ppWaqssebdEo3
I’m sitting here waiting for a PRS SE Paul’s to be delivered by USPS. Can’t wait to plug into my new Spark 40 amp.
Thank you for the video!
Have fun!
Thank you!
I bought a PRS 24-08 se custom last May of 2023. I s2 locking tuners and top knobs and I really love it
Great to hear!
I have a SE Pauls Guitar - Love it - Its my main gigging axe
Nice, it's a great guitar
Multi-ply necks are actually stronger and less apt to bending and warpage than single-piece necks, with zero loss in tone.
Agreed! When I make another video on PRS I'll make that clear. It's a guitar that actually pretty hard to find any faults in. I play it all the time.
Wow gorgeous guitar! been tempted by the new SE custom 24 quilt tops myself
Thanks! The SE Custom 24 is really nice too! Really enjoying the PRS.
@@appetiteforguitar Great video also sounded amazing!
Thank you, that means a lot. I'm testing different sound set ups at the moment. Normally to get this sound quality would have taken me ages but I'm now using a more efficient set up. Really glad you liked it!
PRS are killing it . . .Must admit
These SE's out of Indonesia are amazing. I bought a used Standard which has these same pickups, for a ridiculous $450. It plays and sounds beautiful.
Nice one, yes the pups in this guitar are awesome. They're really versatile and give a lovely rich tone. Keep rockin'
Traded my se custom 24 in on a hollowbody II Pieazo. I just couldn't get used to the wide thin neck on the 24. The wide fat on my Hollowbody is not fat, just not super thin like the 24.
Its not plywood. Plywood pertains to many thin layers of veneer glued and pressed together to build thickness. The SE neck is 3 pieces of wood with a quarter sawn center piece. This is actually a comon technique to make a much more stable neck but it is most definitely not plywood.
I can see where you're coming from and I mean no slight against the guitar or PRS - it's absolutely my go-to right now. The guitar is a joy to play. They don't mention on the website how many pieces the neck actually is (they just say 'Multi-Ply'). I think I should have mentioned in the video though that this aspect is great for protection against changing humidity and maintaining stability. Sadly I can't change it now, but if/when I do a future video on the guitar I will mention it as it definitely can be seen as positive. Bottom line, I highly highly recommend the guitar regardless of the number of wood pieces in the neck. The neck feels awesome.
@@appetiteforguitar it sure does feel awsome. I have an SE Custom 24 08. It has a clear finish over the maple neck and you can see the 3 pieces quite clearly. Its an absolutely beautiful guitar, and one of the best deals available for the money right now! PRS and Schecter have the "bang for the buck" category locked down good!
@@appetiteforguitar gibsons highest end les pauls often have 5 piece necks. Some of their 70s guitars like marauders had scarf joint necks as well. That said- great video!
In my experience, 4 SE with the same 3 pieces neck. I think si an election more than a solution.
@@stevenpipes1555 Agree with you on all points. I have the blue Paul’s guitar with the clear maple neck. You can see the joins but it’s fine. I love the guitar even though the neck is on the chunky side. Schecters are very good too. I got the Nick Johnstone Strat recently and have been very impressed by the tones and playability on another sub £1k guitar. I really do think it’s the case more than ever now that you pay so much more for very marginal quality improvement by going full fat USA made. If the 3 piece neck saves on the price I am very happy. It is a pity about the plastic tuning pegs though. They do feel cheap. And not easy to change as the Paul’s guitar has smaller hole size than other SE guitars as I understand. You can’t just throw in any PRS tuners into it. But tuning stability is fine. It’s just the plastic feel. Maybe they don’t want to make the SE line TOO good !
The reviewer goes on about the three piece neck. I have the amber version of this guitar and the back and neck is finished in a lovely red shade which shows the three piece neck and it's gorgeous. Some claim that a two or three piece neck offers improved stability which is a plus. I have to say that I am not a luthier so I am not making this claim but only offering the suggested wisdom of others. It's a fantastic guitar and you will pick them up second hand for less than £750.
The reviewer... yes that's me! I love this guitar. The neck is my favourite part - it feels great. The neck is 'multi-ply' as per their website and they don't specify how many pieces, so it's mostly by sharing info between us we find out how many/if they are consistent. I concur re stability... it should in theory help in that department. The amber version you have is a beauty. I would get one too, but I think my wife would get a bit upset! I may get a DGT at some point for the tremolo though... I recorded a one year update on Paul's guitar here if you are interested: ruclips.net/video/TBXLFiXNPPc/видео.html
I have one. Black Gold I think. Sings nicely unplugged as well. Wasn't sure about the thick neck at first. Love it now. Tuners work fine and the black looks nice matching the headstock. The bridge is the hidden gem and the versatility of the pups is handy. The glossy neck can easily be sanded down in in a few minutes. The shop where my brother in law purchased his(after checking out mine) did this for him gratis while we waited.
Many worry that this type of bridge with the typical 'lightning bolt' staggered saddle arrangement built-in doesn't provide good intonation. On my several Gib/Epi guitars with one-piece bridges this has been no problem with normally graduated string sets in the range of 9-10 high E to 42-46 low E, with the grub screws for scale length adjustment giving some extra range up or down on either/both sides as needed, say for 8s as our host likes. If you need more precise settings for certain strings there's a variety of aftermarket bridges made for popular guitar types with individual saddle adjustment. But don't be scared of these combined one-piece type bridge/tailpiece units. They work well and some argue there are tonal and sustain benefits- this will be a subjective thing you have to judge for yourself. But I like the idea of simple hardware with few or no moving parts. On this Paul's Guitar by PRS there are other things I'd be more critical of but again, judge for yourself and overall these are very nice guitars.
Well said. I was sceptical myself at first, but it works brilliantly on this PRS. 👍
@appetiteforguitar Thank you for the personal reply! That green flame top on your PRS is wicked good looking btw. Cheers.
I’m deciding between this and the Zack Myers SE. Do you think this is worth the extra few hundred bucks?
For me, with the excellent split coil sounds, this was the one. The Zach Meyers is a great guitar too though. The ZM also has a slightly shorter scale length and so might feel a bit slinkier. Both are brilliant guitars. I'd be very happy with either, it's just the Paul's guitar's tonal versitility which pushed it slightly ahead for my purposes.
Hi DusterBuglas, I have the same problem now, I am between both Zach Myers and Paul's guitar.
It has quite a few Core model aspects to it. Such as flush fitting back plates, bridge is a Core bridge, real Abalone bird inlay's, those two split coil switches are also featured on Core models. BTW Core will cost you 4 x more atleast. If you buy this spend 140 usd extra and install a set of Kluson Revolution Locking tuners. You'll have a cracking guitar for less than $1200.00😊
Definitely, great guitar. One of my faves for sure. I just did a one year update on it too if you're interested... you'll see I very much agree regarding the tuners!: ruclips.net/video/TBXLFiXNPPc/видео.htmlsi=reF6LgIEKDXGZ5jy
Great video. I do have to say for anyone looking at this guitar... it is a beautiful guitar, the video is great though it is a lot more stunning in real life. Also it can be found for anywhere $600 to $800 used (often mint) condition in Reverb. I bought the Fire Red and truly is a piece of art.
Thanks, much appreciated! You're right, it's a beauty in person.
Great review. Beautiful playing and thank you for not overplaying and showing off. Huge turnoff for me.
Much appreciated, glad you enjoyed it!
This was a pleasure to watch and VERY helpful! Buying one in charcoal.... LOL Cheers!
Thanks! Glad it was helpful. I review various guitars and gear, but I keep coming back to this guitar... and making more videos about it. I think I've done about 5 videos featuring this guitar at this point ha ha. I'm slightly addicted to it! Charcoal is nice, good choice! It truly is brilliant. If you're interested I did a one year update too: ruclips.net/video/TBXLFiXNPPc/видео.html
Thinking of getting one of these, i won't to downsize only play at home in small room. so looking for a guitar that does everything if it exists.
What is your signal chain in the demo, ie what amp and pedals are you using has that can make a big difference to the end tone too. Many thanks Peter
Well, I've been experimenting a lot with different amps, big and small, as well as software. The hunt for tone never stops! On this video I used a small amp that sounds not only really great in the room, but also comes across in videos... harder than it seems! It's a Joyo DC 15 with onboard FX. Nothing else for this video. Various manufacturers sell exactly the same amp with different branding on it, including Harley Benton. I posted a little comparison video a while back on the amp vs a couple of others: ruclips.net/video/4lVjKN-noow/видео.htmlsi=fPyzKVgZcahloRVf
Nice. Your voice is easily heard, and appreciate it. I have one.
Awesome, thank you!
Hey love the review did you have an issue with the low E being a bit boomy , seems to be my issue with my lovely se
Thanks, much appreciated! I've not had the boomy E string issue. Scratching my head to think what it could be. It could be a bunch of things... 1) Maybe a tweak to your amp's bass setting or EQ might help? 2) Reduce the height of your pickups on the bass side. 3) Try lighter gauge strings. One of those might help... Keep rockin' 🤘🎸
@@appetiteforguitar thanks for the feedback what's the EQ like on your clean neck channel
EQ set to 12 o'clock for me. You could try it all the way down and gradually increase to see what suits.
My USA Silver Sky has plastic tuners - people complain about those too but I love em. Particularly if you have to tune up in a cold venue e.g. for a sound check, plastic beats cold metal.
Ya it’s a really nice material with a slight sand paper feel which I really like … I have plenty of nickel buttoned guitars and I don’t find the nickel a plus over these ,, les Paul’s are snot green plastic - have a few of those and know one ever screamed about the lp tuner buttons …
Tempted to purchase after I sell my Jackson DK2M, it’s a shame the neck is gloss tho. When gigging with a custom 24. The gloss was annoying especially when my forearm was sitting over the body
I have never bothered considering a gloss neck to be a negative, personally. I don't like gloss necks, infact...I fucking hate them so damn much lol...I can't even imagine what kind of doofy ass weirdo would prefer such a feature lmao. However, it's actually a nice opportunity for me to adjust the texture of the neck to my exact preference, by just grabbing my box of sandpaper and giving it a rub down w fine grit until it's where I want. I am also, until my first time playing and buying a prs 6 years ago, a life long Fender purist and have spent a lot of time and experimenting with sanding tele necks to be a shape and contour that ive developed for my own playing. The sanding of a neck to adjust the shape is one of the mods or adjustments that I make to guitars that, in my mind, improves the feel playability and comfort of guitars more than anything else I can think of. Only thing close is to pay Sweetwater a hefty fee to have them throw your new guitar on the Plek machine. That couple hundred dollar add on is actually worth it in a decent amount of cases. I got my friend an Epiphone 339 and had it Plekd and it ended up arriving in such a beautiful condition that it fucking blew me away. I've never played a 339, Gibson heritage anything, that came anywhere close to being as smooth and supple. But yeah, plek is a nice improvement to feel and playability but so is 5$ worth of sandpaper and some experimenting
What year was this one released? Sweetwater has a huge sale on this model now but the color is different.
I'm not sure of the exact year. I think PRS quite regularly update colors so there might be variations.
Beautiful!
Thank you! Cheers!
i currently have a schecter sunvalley supershredder fr. Recently I have started to listen to a lot of strat guitarists like john mayer, yngwie, eric johnson, SRV. I want that sound but I still want something which could be great for gigs. Should I get the silver sky SE, Paul's SE, or DGT SE.
I am super confused cus all of them seem very nice.
I really want a silver sjy but the only problem is that the looks are not as good as the other PRS models. I am very fond of these flame maple vaneers.
Please help,
Thanks!
Well I can say for sure, Paul's guitar is a fantastic guitar. The humbucker and split coil sounds are second to none vs any guitar I've played. It's extremely versatile. I also have a Fender Strat for reference, and a Gibson Les Paul (my GAS is bad!). The PRS can broadly cover both sounds... but it's not just about that I find. It's about how the guitar makes you feel when playing it too. I've got them set up so they're all easy to play. The main difference for me is that the PRS has the chunkiest neck. It's also the lightest of the Les Paul and Strat I own. So for standing up, it's great. I don't own a Silver Sky or DGT, but I played both on my way to getting Paul's guitar. Both of those have slimmer necks than Paul's guitar. They also both have a tremolo... which Paul's guitar does not. And of course, the Silver Sky is single coils, so depending on what you're playing that might have an influence. Having said that, I picked Paul's guitar mainly for the feel, the sound and the versatility vs the others. I love playing with the switches and sounds you can get out of it - they all sound great and I can lose hours just mucking about and enjoying the sounds. Truly, I don't think you can make a wrong choice here... they are all awesome guitars. Personally, if you like a light guitar with a chunky neck that can do Strat and Les Paul sounds, as well as have it's own character... my suggestion is Paul's guitar as long as you don't mind not having a tremolo. But then I'm a bit biased considering it's the one I chose. That's not to say I might not eventually get the others too... as mentioned my GAS is bad. Good luck in your choice. Keep rockin'... and let me know if you have any queries about it, I'll try to help.
@@appetiteforguitar thanks so much. The main problem is that there are no stores near my locality where I can go and try these guys out. I already have a Floyd Rose guitar so tremolo is not that important.
My current guitar has two active pickups and I need a guitar which can do the other times which it can not. Like my guitar can't do the straty sound.
I also want a guitar that looks good so it is kinda like a show off.
Ah... Paul's guitar definitely has the looks!
Any tips on intonating & adjusting the bridge? I’ve a tuneomatic on a PRS style & it’s horrid I can’t intonate individual strings etc & very hard to get the action low
For this specific bridge in the video, just intonate the high E string and low E string. To do that tune up the strings to E as you would normally, then hold down the note at the 12th fret. Keep adjusting it until they match. The rest of the strings should then be pretty near if not perfect. If you mean a standard stoptail set up like on a Gibson, same process, but you have more individual string control and need to do each one. Regarding low action, that's a big topic. It's a combination of various factors including truss rod adjustment, bridge height, nut slots height, fret levelling etc... I did a video on basic guitar set ups which might help you get off the starting blocks: ruclips.net/video/zC05L6AbJ0U/видео.htmlsi=5DrKvUcvwV2cWq7e
@@appetiteforguitar sorry I did mean to say standard wraparound bridge, the exact one in the video, cheers man! I’ve terribly high action from the bridge as well & the bolts are already at the lowest point & can’t be further adjusted, I’ve tried everything nothing seems to work 👎 I’ll go to the link provided cheers really appreciate that! 💯
That's tough, difficult to say exactly where the problem is. Failing a bit of tinkering, it sounds like it might eventually be worth a luthier giving it a once over as it sounds like you have more than one problem going on. If your action is high, you might also be sending the strings out of tune as you need to press them harder, just another thought. I have recorded, but not yet edited another video on how I do a very quick fret level... but I wouldn't go that route unless a) you know what you're doing or b) it's a guitar you don't care about too much.
@@appetiteforguitar yeah man have brought it with me to several shops around Dublin & no one even has an in house tech 😂 It’s a self build Harley CST that mimics this guitar & I’ve had problems previously getting the neck to bridge the body of the guitar but solved that issue I’m thinking it could be something to do with that as well as the bridge not intonating as it should 👎 such a pain because the rest of the guitar is spot on
Ah, I see. I've thought about getting that kit a few times. The kit is cool, but needs the hard graft to make it really play well from what I've heard. Each PRS I've tried plays great, and the one in this video is no exception. But yeah, most kits will need the hard work and time to get them good. It can be a time sink. It depends on what you value, playing time or modding. I flip between the two extremes all the time.
Beautiful Guitar
Multiply neck should be much better for a neck A ply should keep the neck from shrinking in the dry weather and should keep it from twisting.
Great point. Even more reason to go for this guitar... it's definitely my go-to right now. It's a very well built instrument.
How is the neck for smaller hands?
It's probably ok, but difficult to say. I find this guitar mega comfy. It's one of the most comfortable guitars I have ever played. I did a quick Google and there's someone there that commented they had small hands and they love the 'pattern regular' neck. This has a 'wide fat'. PRS does a lot of different guitars with various necks so there is likely one there that will suit you. If you can, it would be useful to get to a store and try a bunch. I have relatively big hands. I let my niece play this though and she has much smaller hands and found it comfy. It's worth mentioning PRS also do a 'wide thin' neck. That's smaller than this one and is on the PRS SE CE24 for example which is a bit cheaper than this guitar. But yeah, try a bunch in person if you can.
@ thanks. I have a PRS Custom 24 with a wide thin neck that is comfortable. Just thought the Paul’s guitar looked a level above.
I got very small hands and have no problem playing it. Finding it even more comfortable than my Les Paul with a much slimmer neck.
I have one. Great guitar. No matter the price.
According to PRS website all SE models are made by Cor-Tek, not a PRS owned factory. Alpha pots are about 1/4 the price of CTS. The Epiphone actually has binding. The PRS is just the maple top, beneath the flame veneer, exposed. The finish just goes over the top of the faux binding. That's why it's flawless.
The neck joint is more similar to the SG than the Les Paul.
How is the neck "multi ply"? Multi piece necks lengthwise can actually be more stable than a one piece neck without adversely affecting the tone. It might have a scarf joint which cuts cost but is debatable about the difference in tone. I would expect a scarf joint at this price level. Not "plywood" construction though.
I'm not a fan of how that nut is cut. It might be because you've used lighter strings that they sit so "deep" in the nut. But if it doesn't affect tuning stability, it doesn't really matter. As long as it's cut to an acceptable depth. And again I wouldn't expect it to be perfect on any mass produced guitar.
SE Solid-body and Semi-Hollow instruments (including the SE Silver Sky, SE Zach Myers, and SE Custom 22 Semi-Hollow) are produced by our dedicated partners in the Cor-Tek Surabaya, Indonesia factory. PRS doesn't own Cor-Tek. So it's not made in PRS factories even though they try and word it as such.
I hope you don't mind the critique. I'm not knocking your review. Just adding my two cents.
No worries, really appreciate that you've watched the review and taken the time to comment, thanks.
Re CTS vs alpha pots, yep agreed. These alpha pots are not top of the line, but they function fine. I was actually surprised that on my new Epiphone LP Studio, they do have CTS pots, so props to Epi for that. Re the binding, that's an interesting one. Without seeing them actually prove they're physically doing it in the factory, as a rough measure, I believe true binding can be felt when you brush your finger over it. My Epi LP Traditional from 2014 does seem to have true binding by that measure... there's a very distinct ridge. The PRS is very smooth.
The neck join is a chunky thing whether it's more LP or SG-like, I actually like it. Not fussed about a cut away necessarily.
I should have been clearer re Cort. I did say it was made by Cort, but I should have been clearer it's a partnership where they only make PRS guitars. I appreciate it's not the same as Epiphone literally having their own factory in China.
Re 'Multi-ply' - that's what they quote it as on the website. They don't explicitly say how many pieces, but maybe I was a bit harsh with saying 'plywood'... I know that structurally it can be good against warping in weather changes, for example, and it's the balancing argument I could have said in the moment. Again, if I ever mention this in another video, I will mention the positives of the construction too, as it could be advantageous in a lot of ways.
The nut is a chunky one and deep, yes. I've been looking at a few other PRS's since and it seems to be fairly common. It works fine, so no issues with it. The action I can get on the guitar is excellent, and the tuning stability is perfect.
I hope it's clear from the review, but just in case - I rate this guitar very highly overall. It is a really fabulous piece of kit. Yes, it does have a few cost cutting measures in place to bring it below a Core or S2, but the feel and sound if it makes it a winner, for me at least. It's one I play a lot. The cost cutting measures are justified if it means more people can access these instruments without much compromise on the overall experience.
If you like this kind of thing, a subscribe goes a long way to helping the channel :). Keep rockin'!
@@appetiteforguitar Subbed. Cheers!
Why is it, that those Chinese made Guitars always have these way too long cables zip-tied together inside the electronics cavity? Is it so much more expensive to cut them to length?
My Slash Les Paul was made in China, I need to remind myself what it looks like inside. This Indonesian made PRS is tidy enough. I guess the extra cable is useful for moving things around when modding etc if nothing else.
@@appetiteforguitarthe long cable makes it faster for them to wire up the guitar
SE guitars are built by a third party, the factory is not owned by PRS and does not exclusively make PRS guitars, unlike Gibson's overseas factories which are wholly owned and managed by Gibson.
They partner up with an Indonesian factory managed by Cort, from what I can understand they do exclusively only make PRS guitars there. It was once the case that they made a whole range of brands alongside PRS, but they moved to just doing PRS in this specific factory. Check out their video: ruclips.net/video/LuEYe5HMyAM/видео.htmlsi=e3kqLXaRJDHxfakw
excellent reply, thankyou@@appetiteforguitar
Research helps before you try to blast
Just to confirm that the SE Cort factory is exclusive PRS only guitars built there to increase built quality. There was a factory tour a couple of years ago, and the SE's are all quality checked in Maryland USA factory before being shipped to dealers last i heard. The SE's are probably the best overseas built guitar when you compare to what else is available in Indonesia and China in that price range.
I knew that, and if you understand what I said it is unchanged, all they did was move out the other brands being made and exclusively only build PRS in one corner of a very vast facility, a minor change@@daveg4236
the 85/15S are the worst pickups ...and the "coil" split is a joke. plus the action has to be higher or it will buzz. Try playing fast runs on lower strings above the 12th. horrible.
Ah that's a shame. I love this guitar and how it sounds/plays... but it sounds like you had a bad experience. Keep rockin'
The carve on the lower horn looks like a tacked on afterthought from my perspective, it sounded as much like a strat as a trumpet and the tuning keys are shoddy looking for sure, the bridge is overkill too, if the wheel can't be beaten (conventional design) why get miffed and try to re-invent it? ...the Gibson aimed tone isn't believable likewise, it's a fun attempt that's overpriced for it's actual ability in all truth.
Respect the opinion... PRS will always be divisive.
Have you played it?