2013 PRS Custom 24 Flamed Maple Color and Pickup Help

[petrucciXsfogli]

Hello there PRS Community,

I'm new to PRS and to the forum, so welcome to me. I, soon, will be a proud owner of a 2013 PRS Custom 24 Flamed (Non 10 Top) - ordered new from an authorized USA PRS dealer, but I still have some decisions to make asap: I'm not sure what Color and which Pickups:

Color/Finish (My Top 2):
1. Orange Tiger vs. Jade
2. Could you also recommend what you think are some of the best colors offered on C24 non 10 Top seen first hand and not in pictures? I also kinda like Faded Blue Burst, Autumn Sky, & Faded Abalone.

Basically, I've never seen an actual C24 flamed maple color/finish in person; only from pictures on the internet/YouTube and they don't do them justice visually is what they say.

PUs/Tone:

1. 57/08 vs. HFS/VB

And more importantly the pickups and tone: Which PU is better: 57/08 or HFS/VB (offered in 2013) tone wise overall? I tend to be a high gain player (not sure if that's good or bad ) and I know the HFS has higher output (basically a 57/08 with more wounding), but I want to make sure that the tone is great, there's separation in the string notes, not muddy, and it's versatile.

My playing/genre and tone preferences are:

Rock/Shred, Progressive Metal and Blues Rock: M. Sfogli, M. Friedman, G. Govan, J. Petrucci, J. Bonamassa, M. Tremonti, J. Derrico (to name a few)

Let me explain: I'm from the Philippines and I've never tried/seen a US PRS Custom 24 before, and no chance of seeing & testing them here in my area due to availability issues. I'm just a huge PRS fan, fell in love with it, and went for it since it's been one of my dream guitars for the longest time.

This is my first PRS (and first ever decent guitar for that matter, and I worked so hard saving for this), so I would like everything to be perfect.

Thanks for your time and help.

 

[ravana]

Charcoal Burst is my personal favorite color. Though, it's going to be a while before I'll be getting one :-(

 

[justmund]

Hi there and welcome!

To be honest, ordering a non-10 unseen is a gamble, there's no guarantee what the top will look like and you may not like how it works with your colour choice.

Also for your style of music, I would recommend 59/09s over the 57/08s or VB/HFS. They're all great pickups and you will get note separation on all of them, the 59/09s are more suited to articulate, higher gain work, and are very musical.

The other thing to consider is what neck shape you want (pattern thin or pattern reg).

My recommendation is look around for a 2012 model CU24, there should be several non-10s in stock, that way you get to choose the top and get 59/09s (not available in 2013 unless you go Artist Package)

http://www.prsguitars.com/2012/custom24/

Good luck and make sure you post some photos when you get her!

 

[jfb]

Welcome to the forums. I'd go HFS/VB given your tastes but I have 57/08's in my main PRS for high gain tones and love them.

As far as color is concerned they are both really nice colors. I might try the green.

 

[Whitecat]

For me it's always a combination of colour and figure and what look good together. Sometimes you see great figuring on tops that may not be in a colour that would be your "first choice" but the whole package just looks great.

Tip: if you find one for sale you think you might want that's already in stock (ie, you're not placing an order with the factory), ask for photos from multiple angles. PRS tops often have a lot of "depth" and will look quite a bit different from an angle than from straight on. This won't always be the case, it depends on the maple, but I've got a couple that look VERY different depending on where you're looking at it from. Spots that might look "dead" from face on might actually have quite a bit of flame when you're at 45 degrees.

There are some absolutely sublime tops out there that aren't '10' ... good luck in your quest.

 

[petrucciXsfogli]

Hey everyone thanks for all your responses and help!

Just want you to know that I've pulled the trigger and got the 2013 C24 Flamed in Orange Tiger (Non 10 Top), Pattern Thin neck with 57/08s!

The hardest part for me (lol) was choosing the color (I’m a sucker for PRS tops! Who isn’t?) and the better pickups overall since I have no experience with US PRS (balance & versatility vs. more modern/high output (I think most inexperienced players tend to like high-output/hi-gain sounding guitars because it makes playing easier when on crunch). Your poll answers/opinions/insights as experienced PRS players/owners helped me seal the deal with the looks and sound I'm looking for.

I can't wait to spend time and bond with her; I’ll show her here when I get the chance, and maybe do a demo once I’m very knowledgeable and comfortable with it – Disclaimer: I’m no guitar expert, and so far I only have a Yamaha THR0 amp to go with it (working hard saving for a good amp), and I’m just getting into the world of PRS, but I would like to contribute to the PRS resource & community to hopefully help others (just like me) with their quest on guitars.

Thanks ravana, justmund, jfb & Whitecat and to all who took time! Keep 'em comments coming for more information that can be helpful to people who are just getting into the world of PRS.

Cheers!