PRS SE Models - Do They Have the Same “Essence” As Core Models?

Dirty_Boogie said:
Stoopid Eediot!

Seriously though, this thread is kind of ridiculous. At the risk of getting bogged down in the semantics of this conversation, since the OP mentioned “essence” (not whether the SE line is a PRS guitar or not - it is - it says so on the headstock), I’ll relate it to a food analogy… Vanilla Essence, versus Imitation Vanilla Essence (the stuff that costs about a quarter of the “real” vanilla essence.) We all love a delicious cookie where vanilla essence is part of the recipe. Bet none of us could tell the difference in the finished product if real or imitation vanilla was used - we just love the cookie (and will eat a few more.) One baker might think “I’d never use the imitation stuff”, but none of us care - we still want more of those cookies!

Relating this to my own experiences… Over the years I’ve owned 2 SEs, bought a few Cores, and then a couple more SEs. The bottom line… I make music that I enjoy, regardless of which guitar I’m playing at the time. Ok, dumb analogy, but hopefully you get my point.
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This is a good analogy to me. We all need to quit being paranoid about what is or isn’t whatever the hell that doesn’t matter. As Frank Zappa said, it’s time to “Shut up and play yer guitar!”
 
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Veetwin said:
From what I read and see in other places, many, many people believe that no PRS guitar has any essence, so we may be all playing lifeless overpriced and overrated guitars.

And many on here want to add to that perceived point of view. This forum should be about helping players with their gear, or people wanting to buy one. It actually makes me think I will not be buying any more PRS guitars ( as amazing as they are) We will have to see with that, however I initially thought that this forum was a little different with decent people looking out for each other and wanting to share their passion. Every morning lately while checking my phone I have all these posts with people posting that SE guitars are not real, etc etc. Life is too short to be dealing with elitist BS.
You know what, I bought 2 SE PRS guitars from my PRS dealer here in Australia. . I registered them on the PRS website with the good people of PRS USA. I also received a welcome pack from the PRS distributor for buying one of there finely crafted products, comprising of a PRS strap, tuner, guitar lead, strings and picks.
Please tell me if I am mistaken, and I have been scammed and actually sold products that are not made by PRS however some far off make shift factory down a dark alley that makes knock off products, and then puts a sticker on the headstock.

I think it is highly likely the SE line is absolutely essential to the business model of staying in business and being profitable. I would venture to say that without the SE line you might not have a USA PRS factory, or at the very least not in the form that it is now.

No one cares whether you paid an enormous amount of money for your guitars ( In guitar terms) - We have all bought expensive products and then tried to justify that we have done a wise thing, by taking a superior attitude to less expensive products that do the same thing.

A core PRS is $6,000+ in Australia. Not a lot of money I know, however much more than some other guitars. As I said I may buy some, however am feeling less likely too the longer, and more I learn about the brand.

Guitars remind me of boat owners, there is always someone with a bigger, better and more expensive one than yours.

Great guitars.............................................................Some really helpful decent people on here with some sound logical thinking. A few others, not so much.

Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic 2024, and enjoy your instruments.
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Don't let the opinions of a few fool you into thinking they're the opinions of all.

The SEs are good guitars. Are they the equal of the core line? I don't think so, but in my mind, we're talking two levels of good, not good vs. bad. I have several SE guitars, and they're all good, quality instruments. They may not be as good as the cores, but if you consider the cores to be 10s, the SEs are consistently 7s-8s, IMO. As to the differences and the value of such, there are a couple possibilities. You may not be able to notice the differences (not "you" personally, "you" in general). Or you notice them but don't think the cost difference is justified. Or you prefer the way the SE plays or sounds. All valid opinions. To me, it's like a fine wine or an upper-tier car. I don't know that I would notice the difference between a $50 bottle of wine and a $500 bottle. I do think that it's likely it wouldn't be important enough to me to pay the difference.

I often think back to the year the SE acoustics were introduced. I loved the sound of the Tony McManus model, but I couldn't convince myself that it was worth it for me to spend the money on one. I'm not sure that a top-level acoustic makes sense for me (still want one, though). Ricky Skaggs did a demo of the SE vs. one of the mainline acoustics (not sure if they were all PS then or not). After playing them both back to back, he said something like, "Look, is there a difference between them? Yes, absolutely. Is it a 10x the price difference? Can't say that it is."

Where I tend to have an issue with these comparisons is when people demean the people who buy the higher-end lines as people who are paying for the status and that there's not an actual quality difference between the two. In another discussion forum some years ago, I kind of got into it with a guy who had that attitude - "if you pay for a core PRS, you're an idiot" kind of thing. He'd bought an SE that he was very happy with, and said, "This guitar is every bit as good as a core PRS for 1/3 of the price. You'd have to be nuts to pay for a core when this is available. All I did was change the pickups, the tuners, the electronics, swap out the nut, and file the frets and dress them." Yeah, "all I did". As if those parts and the effort to do the work were worthless. I mean, if you have those parts laying around, or don't mind putting the money into them, and you have the skills and time to do the work, fine. We all like different things. But don't act like all you did was put a different color strap on the guitar - you made significant changes.

We all like what we like. And we need to put more value in our own opinions and our own happiness than in the validation of others. What is a magical guitar for one person may well be another person's boat anchor. We like what we like. And in the end, the only validation needed to determine if an SE is legitimately a PRS is from PRS Guitars - if they say it is, it is.
 
I’m feeling a lot of the vibe from this thread is that if you prefer the core models you’re seen as only a collector and not a player.

Stop with this **** now … the snarky comments about dentists and lawyers! Really, that was so like 20 years ago complaints. At least come up with something original.

The SE models do not have the same essence as a core model. You can tell as soon as you pick one up. Doesn’t mean it’s bad, they are just different and there’s plenty of love to go around to love all models.
 
I've had PRS guitars in my rack since Feb. of '95, when I bought my first one. A '95 Custom22. Still have it. This was well before anything existed other than "Core" (a term PRS didn't come up with) guitars were around. I came from the Gibson camp by the way. I'm retired now, but was never one of the oft-named professions of PRS owners. I managed in grocery stores for 25 years, and then restaurants for 19 years. Decent salaries, but not six figures.

Jump to the present. I own several "Core" models, AND several SE models. Every single one gets gigged-I don't buy a guitar that I don't plan to gig. Having said that, I take 2 guitars to every gig, 1 of them being a P22 because I need to blend in acoustic tones several times during a show. That means everybody else is on a rotational basis. I also own several non-PRS guitars, and they get their chances too.

When the first SE Santana was introduced, I got 1. To answer the OP's thread title, I will have to say that it's "essence" was below what I had experienced with "Core" models. It was a decent guitar, and for sure it was less money. It didn't feel as "substantial" to me. I can take that '95 CU22 and bang the heck out of it at a gig. It will stay in tune, the neck is rock solid, and it just feels top notch. Same with all the other "Core" PRSi that I have. When the Tremonti SE came out, I got 1 one them. I liked it well enough, it played good, sounded good, and felt like a toy to me (Could have been because it was extra light?). I stayed away from the SE's for a while after that.

I've gotten back into the SE game in the last few years, starting with a used Bernie Marsden. This guitar is heavy like a Les Paul. I did upgrade the wiring, pots, switch, and pickups (Aldrich), and added locking tuners. It's sounds and plays as good or better than the 20+ Les Pauls I have owned in the past! Same goes for my Zach Myers, Silver Sky, DGT, and SAS. They have upped the SE game big time since the first ones. These are all keepers!

Everything is relative. Play on.
 
So if I put core parts in my SE, does that make it good enough to be a core, or just slightly better than a S2, which is just a Made in America body with Made in Asia parts.? In this case it would be a Made in Asia body with Made in America parts.

Where does this "essence" come from? Is it a magical quality that comes from the tree? Is it the result of craftsmen dripping sweat and whatnot onto the guitar whole making it.

In short, what difference does it make?
 
DougGuitar said:
What if the SE's were made in Hawaii-half way between Asia and North America. What arguments then my children? :p
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They'd be pretty rare. Island time doesn't jibe with mass production.:p

I don't really care one way or the other about SEs. I do get a kick out of what happens when people try to define a PRS guitar, though. Is it the name? Is it the shape? Where it's built? If the materials get sourced from the same places as Squier, Epis, and Harley Bentons? If the guy making them was making something else two weeks ago, and will be doing the same tomorrow? If it (supposedly) gets a thorough QC check in Maryland?

I dunno. I do know that if SEs were where PRS began and ended, I'd probably have a bunch of EBMM guitars instead.

For those who get out more than I do, do EBMM forums have debates about whether Sterlings are "real" MM guitars? Or is this all just unique to PRS thing, due to PRS not having a down-market brand?
 
RC Mike said:
They'd be pretty rare. Island time doesn't jibe with mass production.:p

I don't really care one way or the other about SEs. I do get a kick out of what happens when people try to define a PRS guitar, though. Is it the name? Is it the shape? Where it's built? If the materials get sourced from the same places as Squier, Epis, and Harley Bentons? If the guy making them was making something else two weeks ago, and will be doing the same tomorrow? If it (supposedly) gets a thorough QC check in Maryland?

I dunno. I do know that if SEs were where PRS began and ended, I'd probably have a bunch of EBMM guitars instead.

For those who get out more than I do, do EBMM forums have debates about whether Sterlings are "real" MM guitars? Or is this all just unique to PRS thing, due to PRS not having a down-market brand?
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My head hurts-and I didn't even go out on Saturday night! o_O
 
"If anyone think this is bad.. check out some of the FB groups nauseating discussions on this. Painful and pitiful"


Probably what I was referring to. To clarify my position on this topic, I do get the made in America thing. For example I have 3 American made cars in my shed. My wife drives one as her daily driver. Here in Australia we try NOT to buy anything made in China.

The Cort factory is not in China and makes some very fine guitars. The factory within the Cort compound the makes the PRS guitars do not make any other brand, it is a full on PRS factory.

If you are also buying the core models because they are USA made ( as well as being better ) , I totally get that and support it for you folks living there. We buy Australian made products for the same reason.
If the SE line was made in that other country, they would still be in the store. That, is a different discussion however, nothing to do with essence.
 
Wow I was making a joke. Some of you got it and played along.
I think its you hard CORE fellas that are perpetuating this. Its really not that important. So you have a core, so do I. I just didnt pay more than 900 bux for mine.
 
revtime said:
Wow I was making a joke. Some of you got it and played along.
I think its you hard CORE fellas that are perpetuating this. Its really not that important. So you have a core, so do I. I just didnt pay more than 900 bux for mine.
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I don't agree it's core folks. Honestly, this was never, if rarely an issue until recently. Most of us play them all. Not sure why there needs to be camps?

We've definitely found some triggers. Our pocket books.. and watch out if you say a se isn't a PRS and a core isn't for players. Play 'em or don't, but enjoy what you got and be happy for what others have or have not. Play on!
 
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