NGD SE Angelus Custom

shinksma

What? I get a title?
Joined
Mar 20, 2014
Messages
5,308
Yes, another SE Angelus Custom NGD thread!

Last week I realized my window of opportunity for getting one of these "new" (or essentially new - this was an open box) was closing rapidly. I really wanted to try the Solid Rosewood back and ply sides, and I really like ebony fretboards, so I grabbed one of the few remaining I could find online.

It sounds great, and I can't wait to compare it to my other non-PRS acoustics at home. And to plug it in and see how good the piezo pickup is.

Sorry for the lousy pics, but I just have my cellphone with me right now...

IMG_20150330_103624_703_1024_zpsu2cecvgv.jpg


IMG_20150330_103709_920_1024_zps59yh8c07.jpg


I had no idea the rosewood back would look so nice and grainy!

More pics when I get a chance to use a real camera.
 
One more thing...

I will be playing a couple of festivals in the upcoming months, where I will play up to two or three 30-min sets on various stages / locales throughout the day, perhaps over both days on the weekend, and lugging around the hardshell case is not a viable choice.

I just bought a gig bag for my other "working" acoustic, but it was not exactly the most expensive one available - I went for "lightweight" over "awesome protection", because was appropriate for the guitar. But I wouldn't mind something a bit more protective, without going all the way to the weight of a Mono soft case (they aren't all that light, around 7 lbs) - those seem to be too much to wear on my back all day long, which is likely what will happen.

Any suggestions? For those about to say that I should just find somewhere safe to store the guitar in the hardshell case between sets: not really a good option, since impromptu jams or invitations to join other artists' sets will likely pop up, so I want the guitar with me at all times as I wander about.
 
I played it for a bit last night, in between house chores. Compared it to my old guitar (a Norman B-15 :)o), with aftermarket undersaddle piezo - a nice guitar for the dollar), and obviously sounds better in every regard. (I do need new strings on the Norman, though... :D)

Also tested out the electronics, to make sure nothing wrong there. The battery it came with is still fresh. One curious thing - I tried to use a TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve - i.e. "stereo") 1/4" plug to XLR to plug into my little acoustic practice amp, but it appears the guitar prefers TS (Tip Sleeve - i.e. mono) 1/4" jacks - I guess the contact in the jack is not in a standard location, and is contacting the Ring portion of the plug, and all I get is hissy noise that pops as I engage the tuner, etc. Anyway, all is good with a "normal" 1/4" guitar plug/cable.

I know this has been asked before, and I don't recall seeing an successful response: is there a detailed description of the controls for the electronics? It is a little intuitive, but I'd like to know a bit more about the notch filter and midrange curve thingy.
 
Wow! What a beauty! Enjoy! After almost 2 years still lovin' mine. I don't think anyone has ever been able to find a detailed description of the controls for the electronics. I've read somewhere that a notch filter has something to do with feedback control. Experiment and have fun! Maybe someone else on the forum can add something.
 
Les has a nice description of how a notch filter works, why it is used for acoustics guitars, and other good stuff, here:

http://prsguitars.com/forum/showthread.php?2694-SE-Angelus-Pre-Amp&highlight=notch

I understand the general theory and practice, I just wanted to know the specifics of this particular implementation, if available: notch width and depth (e.g. 100hz wide at 6db down, 12 dB bottom), available freq range of notch filter, actual freq response curve of the mid-contour, etc. I'm a bit of a geek that way.

I wonder whether this has sated my PRS GAS for a while, or is it just feeding it...
 
Last edited:
I have been poking about the interwebz, and noticed the Takamine TK-40 preamp has exactly all the same functions as the PRS SE Angelus preamps - no more, no less. Only really big difference is the battery compartment is a separate installation for PRS, whereas it is integrated in the TK-40.

Takamine no longer use/sell this preamp, they have other models now available according to their website.

So I suspect PRS is using a variation of that preamp, which is very possible since I seem to recall reading that the SE Angelus guitars (plural of Angelus: Angeluses or Angeli?) are allegedly made in the same Korean factory as Takamines. Of course, I can't find any useful technical info on the TK-40 either. Growf.
 
suhweet.jpg


Congrats, and welcome to Club SE Angelus - Custom Membership!

As far as lugging it around, piece of cake - a couple of casters, a 1' x 3' slab of plywood, couple bolts - BOOM! SE Angelus Scooter.
 
So I took my new guitar to its first gig last night - I usually play a Hollowbody w/ piezo through an acoustic-simulator pedal to get a good acoustic-like sound, but naturally a real acoustic is gonna get it without processing (as far as a piezo-like sound into a PA).

Anyway, everyone agreed it has wonderful tone. It was nice being able to swap around between the Angelus, Hollowbody, and Baritone. Next time we play that particular spot I might bring out my CU24 instead of the Hollowbody, because I know I can have time between songs for swapping. Some of the other places we play we have a higher expectation of constant music, so I swap guitars less (thus the Hollowbody - I can use that all night long, if need be).

The guitar got a lot of compliments ("ooh, pretty birds!" - my HB and MM don't have them), and someone asked if I was sponsored by PRS because all three instruments are PRSi. Sigh, no, not gonna happen, I don't think...

I look forward to a couple of weekend festivals coming up, where the Angelus Custom will be the only guitar I play, and one of them won't even be plugged in.

Oh, and by the way, I had asked earlier about a soft gig bag - I ended up getting a Seagull gig bag (from Godin, the folks who make Seagull and Norman acoustic guitars and Godin electric guitars). It is very well padded, as I expected based on the gig bag for my Godin Freeway Classic strat-style guitar - which is similar in quality to the SE PRS electric gig bags - and it fits the Angelus nice and snug, with a good neck brace. It's a bit heavier than the super-lightweight one I got, but much better protection from random dings.
 
So, another minor update - the guitar got played again last night and tonight, at gigs. Tonight it got played by both of the other guitarists in the band when the "other" guitar (a Breedlove) broke a D string (they trade off guitar for other instruments). Held it's own quite well, although the Angelus wasn't as loud as the Breedlove (or maybe they just played it more gingerly because it wasn't theirs) - but we play through as PA, so it doesn't matter after a tweak to volume.

It has played very nicely for me, lots of acoustic solos, and does a nice distorted sound through an SD-1 and Tube Amp Simulator into the PA. Not a CU24 with Dragon I pickups (not that I've ever played Dragon I pickups, but I've heard things...), but very acceptable.

On a side note, had a chance tonight to pick up a 1940s Gibson ES-300 for a very low price, but the low price was perhaps appropriate - it needs a lot of work. Everything needs work, and it played like a $20 guitar left out in the rain for a month and then put away wet for thirty years. The Angelus was such a dream in comparison, obviously.
 
shinsksma.
I see you mentioned you found a Seagull Gig Bag for your SE Angeleus Custom. Which one? I see there is the Folk Guitar bag and Dreadnaught gig bag.
Thanks for your help!
 
shinsksma.
I see you mentioned you found a Seagull Gig Bag for your SE Angeleus Custom. Which one? I see there is the Folk Guitar bag and Dreadnaught gig bag.
Thanks for your help!

The Dreadnaught is what I bought. The folk bag is too small. Got it from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G7F7L8/

I happened to buy it from the third-party reseller Music123 (which is owned by the same company that owns Musician's Friend and Guitar Center, not some fly-by-nighter), but Amazon sells it directly too.
 
I ordered that Gigbag from Amazon. Thanks again for the info!
My Custom showed up today. I love it! Plays and sounds like heaven!
Cheers
 
Glad I could help. I used the gigbag yesterday at a festival (Ormond Beach Celtic Festival), where I walked around pretty well all day with the guitar either on my back or being played. It was quite warm (89 deg F high, apparently!) and sunny most of the time. It was comfortable enough, and didn't wear me out too much. Although it rained a bit as we packed up and put stuff in cars, the bag didn't get enough rain on it to test out any level of waterproofness. :eek:
 
That case worked great!!! Thanks again.
I bought a second PRS Angelus Custom. This one doesn't have the pickups in it. Sounds different from my electric version but both sound great! My question to you is:
What is the heaviest string set that you would put on these babies? Do you think .013 - .056 is it? Mind you I'm playing tuning mainly in DADGAD. Just curious what you think these guitars can handle. Thanks in advance for your thoughts on the matter. Also. I wasn't sure where to post as I'm new to to forums. Any advise there would be helpful also. Thanks.
Ok... Maybe one more question... How do you post pictures on here? I wanted to show you both of my Customs...
Thanks again for all your help. :beer:
 
That case worked great!!! Thanks again.
I bought a second PRS Angelus Custom. This one doesn't have the pickups in it. Sounds different from my electric version but both sound great! My question to you is:
What is the heaviest string set that you would put on these babies? Do you think .013 - .056 is it? Mind you I'm playing tuning mainly in DADGAD. Just curious what you think these guitars can handle. Thanks in advance for your thoughts on the matter. Also. I wasn't sure where to post as I'm new to to forums. Any advise there would be helpful also. Thanks.
Ok... Maybe one more question... How do you post pictures on here? I wanted to show you both of my Customs...
Thanks again for all your help. :beer:

Interesting that your "non-electric" Angelus Custom sounds different from the one with the piezo. I wonder if it is primarily the saddle (no piezo) or the unadulterated shoulder where the controls go?

I think 13-56s would be fine, especially in DAGAD - you might need to tweak the truss rod a touch, but be slow about it, little bit at a time (after loosening the strings!), re-tune, let it rest a bit, then recheck.

Posting here is good, but if you can get some pics posted, another "NGD" or just "I have a question" thread is always welcome.

To post pics, you need to host them on a server, like Photobucket, Flickr, or some other publicly-viewable location - we can't upload pics directly to threads (despite the FAQ saying so). See this thread for details:

http://prsguitars.com/forum/showthread.php?932-how-to-post-pics
 
Back
Top