SE Mike Mushok Baritone vs SE 277 Baritone

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CJA76

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Nov 20, 2012
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I'm trying to decide between getting a MM baritone used vs. buying a new 277. Has anyone played both guitars and can give a comparison? I will probably wait for the 2016 Experience event and buy it there.
 
I totally detested the silver-burst finish on the only MM I'd seen. It looked cheap. I know there was another burst option. Sorry to the guys who own them. Just my opinion. I do however like the new 277 finishes.

Sorry I couldn't help with the op's question.
 
shupe13 said:
I totally detested the silver-burst finish on the only MM I'd seen. It looked cheap. I know there was another burst option. Sorry to the guys who own them. Just my opinion. I do however like the new 277 finishes.

Sorry I couldn't help with the op's question.
Click to expand...

There was another burst also there was a vintage cherry color.
 
Gotta be honest. I hated the silverburst finish, but that's all there was when I bought mine in 2009... only to have them release different finishes just a few months later.

Then, a few years later, I was ready to move to something different, and literally waited years for PRS to either update the MM or come out with something else. They discontinued the MM first, then 2015 winter NAMM passed and nothing! So I pulled the trigger on building one from parts with a conversion neck from USACG... only to have them announce the 277s a few months later.

Don't seem to be having much luck.
 
The huge PRS dealer here in Austin doesn't have one in stock at this time. But it wouldn't make a difference anyway since I replaced the pickups in my Vintage Cherry MM some time ago. But if I were looking, but I'm not, for another Baritone, I'd get one from another maker who's headquartered in Detroit, who introduced theirs just last year after I bought the MM, several months earlier. They've got one model with a Wilkinson tremolo. But that's just me...
 
WeFixFlats said:
The huge PRS dealer here in Austin doesn't have one in stock at this time. But it wouldn't make a difference anyway since I replaced the pickups in my Vintage Cherry MM some time ago. But if I were looking, but I'm not, for another Baritone, I'd get one from another maker who's headquartered in Detroit, who introduced theirs just last year after I bought the MM, several months earlier. They've got one model with a Wilkinson tremolo. But that's just me...
Click to expand...

If I get the MM I think I would upgrade the pickups as well, what did you get?
 
It was first released in silverburst and then there was a vintage sunburst and a vintage cherry. There were two other colors that were UK only as well
 
Here are the differences I'm aware of:

1) flat top vs beveled, as mentioned
2) MM solid mahogany body vs 277 mahogany with maple top
3) MM maple neck with ebony fretboard vs 277 maple with rosewood
4) no fretboard inlays vs. birds

The flat top on the MM I found uncomfortable vs the carved top on my Core Custom 22. I found the tone to be on the bright side as well, no matter which pickups I used. So, the beveled top and rosewood fretboard are improvements, IMHO. I would love to try the semi-hollow. Phoenix dealers suck though.
 
I think the MM was a 27 inch scale and of course the 277 is 27.7 inch scale.

As far as colors, there was also a custom run of spalted maple tops that were all natural color.
 
I find that there's something almost 3-dimensional about the sound of semi-hollow baritones. I've noticed it with Eastwood, as well as PRS.

I never bonded with the Mushock. Ditto with the solid 277

Placed my order for the soapbar 277, just waiting for it to arrive. I chose the vintage burst over the trains black (not huge on the orange tint, but want to see the mahogany on the back...).
 
From the not so great sound samples on YouTube, the Soapbars had that old Danelectro tone, like what Steve Cropper used to use on Albert kings records. I`d be all in for the Soapy. Unfortunately I have a baritone from another builder that I bought when there were no SE baritones.
 
Gah. Ordering error, a tobacco sunburst solid-body 277 arrived, instead of the vintage sunburst semi-hollow.

Store apologized, has decided to keep the solid in stock anyway. They got right on the phone to order a soapy for me.

Meanwhile, it wasn't a total loss. I got to check out the other version through a Deluxe Reverb. My mini-review:

Pro:
  • The neck is similar to the wide-fat carve on my 2009 McCarty, as is the overall layout.
  • Decent sustain, nice setup.
  • Nice finish and materials. Fingerboard had a nice sheen, top veneer was nicely bookmatched with a pleasant flame pattern. Nice flecking on the scraped binding.
  • Excellent note clarity at the low end, no "woof" on the neck pickup.
  • Coil split was very quiet.
  • Body shaping was more comfortable than the old flat-top Mushok.
  • Lighter than my McCarty.
Con:
  • Clean tones were a little dark for my taste in humbucking mode.
  • Bridge pickup lacks bite.
  • Mids not as prominent as I would like.
  • Split coil setting was lower in output, but doesn't add any spank.
  • Balance was a little butt-heavy.
  • It didn't speak very quickly, I found I had to whack on it to get the response I was looking for. I suspect that this is a consequence of multiple factors- the thick finish, the extra weight and the hotter, smoother pickups.
Today served to confirm my decision to go for the semi-hollow. Not that there's anything wrong with the solid-body, but a lighter, more resonant version with soapbars is more what I'm looking for.
 
Last edited:
steve_rolfeca said:
Gah. Ordering error, a tobacco sunburst solid-body 277 arrived, instead of the vintage sunburst semi-hollow.

Store apologized, has decided to keep the solid in stock anyway. They got right on the phone to order a soapy for me.

Meanwhile, it wasn't a total loss. I got to check out the other version through a Deluxe Reverb. My mini-review:

Pro:
  • The neck is similar to the wide-fat carve on my 2009 McCarty, as is the overall layout.
  • Decent sustain, nice setup.
  • Nice finish and materials. Fingerboard had a nice sheen, top veneer was nicely bookmatched with a pleasant flame pattern. Nice flecking on the scraped binding.
  • Excellent note clarity at the low end, no "woof" on the neck pickup.
  • Coil split was very quiet.
  • Body shaping was more comfortable than the old flat-top Mushok.
  • Lighter than my McCarty.
Con:
  • Clean tones were a little dark for my taste in humbucking mode.
  • Bridge pickup lacks bite.
  • Mids not as prominent as I would like.
  • Split coil setting was lower in output, but doesn't add any spank.
  • Balance was a little butt-heavy.
  • It didn't speak very quickly, I found I had to whack on it to get the response I was looking for. I suspect that this is a consequence of multiple factors- the thick finish, the extra weight and the hotter, smoother pickups.
Today served to confirm my decision to go for the semi-hollow. Not that there's anything wrong with the solid-body, but a lighter, more resonant version with soapbars is more what I'm looking for.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the review, and sorry to hear that there was a mix-up. Hopefully you can get your guitar asap! It sounds like the semi-hollow will solve the bulk of your cons list. Best of luck!
 
I give up.

277 Semi-Hollow soapbar arrived today.

Beautiful woodwork, very nice veneer on the top with a crisp, clear flame pattern under the vintage burst. The mahogany back looked great through the orange-tint finish. Nice and light. Acoustically, it was more lively and resonant than the solid-body version.

But the neck is NOT a wide/fat carve like the solid body, or like my USA McCarty. The width is similar, but it's much shallower than a McCarty, or the other SE's with wide/fat necks.

Someone else would probably love it for the fast, slender feel, but I do not get on well with pencil necks.

That was an important factor in my purchase decision, so this one is going back.
 
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