Questions about Tremonti SE

[temorin]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and i have a few questions about the Tremonti SE.

I've been playing a cheap Les Paul copy guitar and after years of saving up, i'm almost finally able to buy a new guitar. I was torn between LTD and PRS, but decided to go with PRS mostly because of the inlays, full fat body and the beautiful finishes. I thought i was going to get a SE 245 because it has a hard tail bridge, but i want a slim neck, and i don't really like the current finishes, so i'm thinking about the SE Tremonti Custom. However i have a few questions:

1. Are there any tuning stability issues?
2. Does the trem need to be adjusted when changing tuning? Are there any issues with the trem at all? (Never owned a guitar with a trem, heard there are issues with double bends, don't understand how they work)
3. Is trem comfortable to play with?
4. How are the pickups? Would i *really* need to change them?
5. Can the string height be set very low?
6. Are there any differences between 2017 and 2018 models?

Thank you

 

[veinbuster]

Welcome to the forum.

PRS tuning and Trem are very stable. With the trem arm off, I don’t find the trem bridge and less comfortable to play than a stop tail.

Pickups are personal, so changing is up to you, but they are good enough to play.

Action can be set pretty low.

No idea of 2017 vs 2018.

 

[temorin]

Welcome to the forum.

PRS tuning and Trem are very stable. With the trem arm off, I don’t find the trem bridge and less comfortable to play than a stop tail.

Pickups are personal, so changing is up to you, but they are good enough to play.

Action can be set pretty low.

No idea of 2017 vs 2018.

Do you need to block trem when changing strings or when changing the tuning of the guitar?

 

[Cbouty]

Do you need to block trem when changing strings or when changing the tuning of the guitar?

I drop tune on and off alot and haven’t had to do anything with my trem. Going to drop D, then other strings stay in perfect tune. The trem tips back just a touch changing strings, but no problems and returns to the same position once the strings are tuned.

Not aware of changes between the 2017 and 2018

 

[andy474x]

Do you need to block trem when changing strings or when changing the tuning of the guitar?

Yes. If you're going to change tuning a lot, and/or not use the trem, think about blocking it or getting a tremel-no. Or, think about getting a used S2 singlecut, the necks aren't necessarily as thin front to back as the Tremonti, they're just more petite in every dimension. A joy for small hands!

 

[temorin]

Yes. If you're going to change tuning a lot, and/or not use the trem, think about blocking it or getting a tremel-no. Or, think about getting a used S2 singlecut, the necks aren't necessarily as thin front to back as the Tremonti, they're just more petite in every dimension. A joy for small hands!

I won't change tunings constantly, just sometimes. And i'm not sure about how much i would use the trem, there are barely any songs i play that use trem, so blocking it might be the best idea, but then what's the point in getting a guitar with a trem.. And yeah, a used S2 might be a good idea, but there aren't any used and pretty one's in Europe unfortunately

 

[dogrocketp]

My SE Tremonti Custom is in regular rotation with USA PRS and 2 other SE's, When the guitar is set up properly, the trem is a thing of beauty, especially on the Tremonti. It can go way up in addition to down. I Love the sound of the guitar, and the thin neck plays like a dream. THe big question is.....what do you want to play on the guitar? More than anything, chase the sound you want the guitar to make. Let players on YouTube, and your ears help you make the decision. You can adapt to with or without a tremolo. I wouldn't play jazz on my Tremonti, but it handles Latin, the blues, rock and metal very well.

 

[temorin]

My SE Tremonti Custom is in regular rotation with USA PRS and 2 other SE's, When the guitar is set up properly, the trem is a thing of beauty, especially on the Tremonti. It can go way up in addition to down. I Love the sound of the guitar, and the thin neck plays like a dream. THe big question is.....what do you want to play on the guitar? More than anything, chase the sound you want the guitar to make. Let players on YouTube, and your ears help you make the decision. You can adapt to with or without a tremolo. I wouldn't play jazz on my Tremonti, but it handles Latin, the blues, rock and metal very well.

I mostly play hard rock and metal from the 80s and up. I also love Alter Bridge, but only play a few of their songs due to tuning changes. Maybe a Les Paul sound would be more up my alley, but i don't want a Gibson or an Epi, and i think i could get beautiful tones from the Tremonti SE. I have high output pickups at the moment, so that doesn't bother me at all. Just want a great playing guitar with no issues. Also want a very low action.

 

[dogrocketp]

It is all of the above.

 

[BMiller]

I have an SE Tremonti Custom and love it. I swapped out the pickups for the Tremonti set and changed tuners to the S2 style MannMade ones, but you really don't have to. It's in rotation with all of my Core models and is a fine guitar. The trem is nice and you shouldn't have to adjust it at all.

I think that you will really enjoy it.

 

[temorin]

I have an SE Tremonti Custom and love it. I swapped out the pickups for the Tremonti set and changed tuners to the S2 style MannMade ones, but you really don't have to. It's in rotation with all of my Core models and is a fine guitar. The trem is nice and you shouldn't have to adjust it at all.

I think that you will really enjoy it.

Thanks for the reply. Is there a big difference between Tremonti "S" pickups and regular US Tremonti pickups?

 

[BMiller]

That I do not know. My SE Tremonti Custom is a few years old and didn't have the "S" pickups. I believe that they were 245s stock but can't recall. I do like the Tremonti set quite a bit in this guitar.

You will probably really enjoy the "S" pickups though!

 

[temorin]

Would be great if someone would share their experience with Tremonti S pickups

 

[tyfu20]

I find that the Tremonti "S" pickups are definitely hot and extremely clear. I've lowered them a bit for my taste, and they cover a wide variety of sounds for me. I have never played the core Tremonti pickups which I'm sure are great, I just feel there is no need for a swap as the "S" fits the noises I have bouncing around my head. Good luck!

 

[temorin]

Has anyone changed the string gauge to anything other than 9's ? I've read about people having to cut out larger groves in the nut for larger strings, also having to change the string height, adjust truss rod, etc. Is this true?

 

[Ovibos]

Has anyone changed the string gauge to anything other than 9's ? I've read about people having to cut out larger groves in the nut for larger strings, also having to change the string height, adjust truss rod, etc. Is this true?

It is.

Your grooves *may* be big enough, but everything else is likely to change. You're altering tension and thickness.

 

[temorin]

It is.

Your grooves *may* be big enough, but everything else is likely to change. You're altering tension and thickness.

Well that is unfortunate. The shop from offered a free QC setup to my liking, however the setup would cost £50 extra if changing string gauge. Guess i'll have to stick to 9's. I hope they aren't too terrible on this guitar?

 

[Ovibos]

Well that is unfortunate. The shop from offered a free QC setup to my liking, however the setup would cost £50 extra if changing string gauge. Guess i'll have to stick to 9's. I hope they aren't too terrible on this guitar?

That's true of any guitar. It's a machine - alter part of it, and there are cascading effects.

 

[dogrocketp]

I always play 9's on mine.

 

[temorin]

I always play 9's on mine.

And how are they? Not too light for heavy rock/metal?