NGD - Special Semi-Hollow Limited Edition in Burnt Mapleleaf

Continuing my sporadic and not very thorough tone report:

Took it to band practice last night, where we played a little outside our usual set-list, in terms of both style and actual songs.

Some notes:
The Special Semi-Hollow Ltd (SSH Ltd?) can get a pretty good emulation of an acoustic guitar sound using position 1 (that's bridge position, right?), pickup tapped, going into a BodyRez pedal into a Fishman Aura into an acoustic amp. Some electric guitars can never get a good acoustic sound no matter what pedals or settings you use - this one was close enough (according to bandmates, comparing to actual unplugged acoustic guitar). I should compare to one of my piezo-equipped PRSi next time I get a chance (I'd bypass the BodyRez i that case).

This SSH Ltd is very easy to dial in certain tones that are in my head. For one of our songs I wrote the main guitar riff/rhythm pattern using my RL Vela, both pickups, with HB in single-coil mode. I found a tone "really darned close" on the SSH Ltd really quickly: position 4, HB tapped. I just went straight there - zero struggling to find the right combo. In retrospect, you'd think it should have been position 2, maybe, but 4 just sounded right.

One of my bandmates usually plays fiddle, but he also plays guitar and mandolin and banjo etc. He asked to play the SSH Ltd. Did some familiar stuff, and zeroed in on The Ventures Walk Don't Run tone very quickly (using a nice wash of reverb, of course!).

He asked me if I like my action high. I said, no, not really, why? I guess stock PRSi action is higher than he was used to. I have some guitars with lower action, set up when I was younger and thought I'd be more of a shredder than I am. I guess I've settled into the factory set up of PRS, which isn't quite as low as it can go.

Nonetheless, after about 10 minutes he said "OK, I want one!". I told him whenever he wants to go PRS shopping I can help him navigate the models and lines, and he can play any of mine to get a feel for what the various models might offer.

Heh, another convert...
 
shinksma said:
Continuing my sporadic and not very thorough tone report:

Took it to band practice last night, where we played a little outside our usual set-list, in terms of both style and actual songs.

Some notes:
The Special Semi-Hollow Ltd (SSH Ltd?) can get a pretty good emulation of an acoustic guitar sound using position 1 (that's bridge position, right?), pickup tapped, going into a BodyRez pedal into a Fishman Aura into an acoustic amp. Some electric guitars can never get a good acoustic sound no matter what pedals or settings you use - this one was close enough (according to bandmates, comparing to actual unplugged acoustic guitar). I should compare to one of my piezo-equipped PRSi next time I get a chance (I'd bypass the BodyRez i that case).

This SSH Ltd is very easy to dial in certain tones that are in my head. For one of our songs I wrote the main guitar riff/rhythm pattern using my RL Vela, both pickups, with HB in single-coil mode. I found a tone "really darned close" on the SSH Ltd really quickly: position 4, HB tapped. I just went straight there - zero struggling to find the right combo. In retrospect, you'd think it should have been position 2, maybe, but 4 just sounded right.

One of my bandmates usually plays fiddle, but he also plays guitar and mandolin and banjo etc. He asked to play the SSH Ltd. Did some familiar stuff, and zeroed in on The Ventures Walk Don't Run tone very quickly (using a nice wash of reverb, of course!).

He asked me if I like my action high. I said, no, not really, why? I guess stock PRSi action is higher than he was used to. I have some guitars with lower action, set up when I was younger and thought I'd be more of a shredder than I am. I guess I've settled into the factory set up of PRS, which isn't quite as low as it can go.

Nonetheless, after about 10 minutes he said "OK, I want one!". I told him whenever he wants to go PRS shopping I can help him navigate the models and lines, and he can play any of mine to get a feel for what the various models might offer.

Heh, another convert...
Click to expand...

Sergio could learn about enabling from you... :eek:
 
Earlier in this thread I noted:

shinksma said:
Took it to band practice last night, where we played a little outside our usual set-list, in terms of both style and actual songs.

...chop...

One of my bandmates usually plays fiddle, but he also plays guitar and mandolin and banjo etc. He asked to play the SSH Ltd. Did some familiar stuff, and zeroed in on The Ventures Walk Don't Run tone very quickly (using a nice wash of reverb, of course!).

He asked me if I like my action high. I said, no, not really, why? I guess stock PRSi action is higher than he was used to. I have some guitars with lower action, set up when I was younger and thought I'd be more of a shredder than I am. I guess I've settled into the factory set up of PRS, which isn't quite as low as it can go.

Nonetheless, after about 10 minutes he said "OK, I want one!". I told him whenever he wants to go PRS shopping I can help him navigate the models and lines, and he can play any of mine to get a feel for what the various models might offer.

Heh, another convert...
Click to expand...

So...he bought a PRS! SE CU22 in Whale Blue (that's me with the subject of this thread):

jynSQSC.jpg


He says it will be his only PRS...bwa ha ha ha ha!
 
shinksma said:
Earlier in this thread I noted:



So...he bought a PRS! SE CU22 in Whale Blue (that's me with the subject of this thread):

jynSQSC.jpg


He says it will be his only PRS...bwa ha ha ha ha!
Click to expand...

Nice job! Enablers unite!
 
Congratulations- that guitar is stunning! I don't believe I've ever seen that color- beautiful.

-Joe
 
Congrats on your guitar, it’s gorgeous!! Such an awesome color. Thanks so much for your tone reports, as there haven’t been many for this model yet. They are inching me closer and closer to taking the plunge on one of these beauties.

I was wondering about the pickups on this model. From what I can tell the 58/15 MTs are supposed to be the same as the regular 58/15s (vice 58/15 LTs), as far as its core output and tone.

Obviously the MT aspect necessitates some technical differences in that way it works in single coil mode. But the humbucker tone and power should be the same? Perhaps they are even the same pups as the 85/15 MTs found on the Cu24-08s, but just with covers?

I love the 58/15 LTs in my SC594, but I am hoping these are the original powered ones that that sit somewhere around the 57/08 and 59/09 (never was quite clear exactly where they fit in) since this model is based on a Cu22 body/neck, and not the much more massive 594 body/neck. I would want to be sure they have enough power, since (I presume?) you can’t change out MT pickups.

From the heavier types of music you’ve described, it sounds like they have plenty of output, which is great and probably answers my question.

We just have so many variants of 58/15s (and 85/15s) at this point, it would be interesting if anyone has done any comparisons or objective analysis (e.g., reading the output resistance) of these different iterations?
 
Hey @Skeeter :

These are the full power versions of the 58/15 pickups, as far as I know, just with a tapping system (proprietary I suspect) that turns them into something that sounds single-coil-ish.

I have covered 58/15 pups in my P245SH (thanks again @bodia !), and I guess they sound similar enough - the shorter scale and different bridge (trem vs adjustable wraparound w/ piezo) probably offer up enough nuances that I'd never be certain.

I guess I should do a comparison of the two guitars to see how the "regular" 58/15 pups compare to the 58/15MT versions, especially with them both in "tapped" mode.

I find the trick with heavy music is often to not use super overwound "gainy" pickups, especially with a high-gain amp like my Archon, but use "medium" gain pups and let the amp push the tubes, with some help from pedals perhaps. Because if the pups are too gainy then the amp can never breathe, and the ability to go a little subtle are what can make heavy music sound heaviest - if you are at "110%" all the time, it just sounds "loud", not heavy.
 
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