A True, 100% Classic: The Custom 24

[Proteus]

Classics?

ES150 - first commercially successful electric guitar - 1936

Tele - first commercially successful solid body electric guitar - (nee Broadcaster / Nocaster / Esquire) - 1950

Strat - Custom Contour body, a working trem designed from scratch, three pickups, an influence on almost everything that came after - what else to say... 1954

Les Paul - a solid body ES175 that sounds magical through the right amp - basically THE sound of 70s rock.

P Bass - completely new instrument from the mind of the genius who also designed the aforementioned Tele and Strat plus (when he wasn’t dreaming up new guitars) the Fender line of amps - 1951

Almost everything else that's been commercially successful is just a mishmash or reworking of the above. (Stuff like Steinberger or Parker etc fails as a classic as it never sold in any numbers or influenced other products like the ES150 did)

I can't dispute this pantheon of icons, but by my own count, it leaves an awful lot out. In Gibson-land, the ES-175, the 335 lineage (and all subsequent semis), the 330/Casino (thin full hollows), the SG.

And Gretsch: the original Dynasonic Jet; the beloved 6120 (associated with rockabilly, but so much wider in application - Pete Townshend frinstance); the Country Gent in all its forms (from Chet to Harrison to how many Brit invaders and their American acolytes?); the Tennesseean if only for "House of the Rising Sun," but also for so much else; the Falcon.

In the Fender domain, beyond Tele-Strat-PBass, I'd argue the Jazzmaster and Jaguar are also distinct and unique specs, full classics in their own right.

And while I lose no opportunity to denigrate the twinky plinky dinky tone of Rickenbacker electrics - as perceived when they're played solo, without combo context - it's hard to deny the 330's and the 360's place. Beyond John Lennon's uncannily brilliant rhythms, there's Steppenwolf, Jefferson Airplane, Tom Petty - not to mention so many newer bands I respect (but from so far away I barely remember their names). Anyhow. That Rick tone, while it's a wimpy electric zither by itself, can be alchemically magical when properly deployed in a mix.

And I don't think any guitarist could deny the "classicness" of the 360 12-string. No bassist could deny the majesty of the 4001/4003.

And come on, how about a token Danelectro/Silvertone with its lipstick tube pickups?
_____

Also, I concur that a SuperStrat of some description should be thrown on that pile of Important Electric Firewood. The JEM is as good as any. I think we're on fair and level ground to consider the Custom 24 and the Superstrat the "new standards" of at least the 80s.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

And I don't think any guitarist could deny the "classicness" of the 360 12-string.

I just kinda did.

 

[Proteus]

Well, but of course that was speaking from within the circle of your personal preferences - not from the wider, more generous and objective domain of your pop-historical understanding.

 

[WEDGE]

Music is the best because it’s so singularly personal and no one has to defend their love or disdain for a tone, song, or band. It either makes your blood flow south or it don’t and no amount of ‘splaining is gonna change it for someone.

 

[László]

Yeah! I hate that stuff. I’m so anti-Americana it’s like, a deep rooted mental disorder I have. I blame my punk rock Gen X upbringing.

And yet my Gen Y-former punk-rocker-son has always loved The Beatles and Tom Petty; in fact, his band opened for Petty at Bottle Rock when they were still touring before COVID.

Maybe it's generational, maybe it's just your musical taste.

That's entirely personal, and (as with all of us) peculiar to you. Nothing at all wrong with that. Go your own way! Look how I've fallen into the whole orchestral music thing - that was never my usual thing. But...things change sometimes.

So many players of all the Gens (including mine) love metal. I'm kinda 'one song every once in a while is OK, but two is one too many'.

I recently abandoned a meal in a restaurant in Chicago that specialized in playing very loud metal music. It had skull decorations and metal band posters everywhere. Someone recommended it. The horrendously loud metal music drove me out, and if I could have run out holding my ears and screaming at the top of my lungs without being taken to a mental institution, I would have.

The saving grace was that the food was also pretty bad, so it was a double-zinger. My kids also hated the food and the music. I wasn't alone.

I decided the least aggravating bet was to politely pay the bill, leave with the food uneaten, and take everyone to a different restaurant.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

And yet my Gen Y-former punk-rocker-son has always loved The Beatles and Tom Petty; in fact, his band opened for Petty at Bottle Rock when they were still touring before COVID.

Maybe it's generational, maybe it's just your musical taste.

That's entirely personal, and (as with all of us) peculiar to you. Nothing at all wrong with that. Go your own way! Look how I've fallen into the whole orchestral music thing - that was never my usual thing. But...things change sometimes.

So many players of all the Gens (including mine) love metal. I'm kinda 'one song every once in a while is OK, but two is one too many'.

I recently abandoned a meal in a restaurant in Chicago that specialized in playing very loud metal music. It had skull decorations and metal band posters everywhere. Someone recommended it. The horrendously loud metal music drove me out, and if I could have run out holding my ears and screaming at the top of my lungs without being taken to a mental institution, I would have.

The saving grace was that the food was also pretty bad, so it was a double-zinger. My kids also hated the food and the music. I wasn't alone.

I decided the least aggravating bet was to politely pay the bill, leave with the food uneaten, and take everyone to a different restaurant.

Kuma’s Corner? It can get brutal in there depending on what’s playing.

 

[László]

Kuma’s Corner? It can get brutal in there depending on what’s playing.

Yeah. It was pretty brutal. We asked if they could turn it down, and the manager came over and said, "We do not turn the metal down. Next time do a little research on where you're making a reservation!"

Nice person, huh? When the food turned out to be truly bad, we paid the bill and left. I was not alone in this, my kids were pissed off, too.

A must-miss restaurant. A sane person would have gotten angry and told the manager to shove it, but I wanted to have a nice, non-stress weekend with my kids. So we simply paid and bailed.

If the food had been good we'd have put up with the music. It wasn't. It was disgusting.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Yeah. It was pretty brutal. We asked if they could turn it down, and the manager came over and said, "We do not turn the metal down. Next time do a little research on where you're making a reservation!"

Nice person, huh? When the food turned out to be truly bad, we paid the bill and left. A must-miss restaurant.

Lol! I mean, I think it’s kinda badass that they refuse to turn it down, keeps the kooks away but…

Ya never know what “metal” you’re gonna hear there. I had fantasies of munching on a veggie burger while listening to Slayer and Iron Maiden but got a black bean burger and and f@ckin Pestilence (no need to google them).

The aioli that comes with the fried zucchini is about the only thing I enjoyed there. Well… that and this one waitress that had me questioning if I really needed conversion therapy.

 

[László]

Lol! I mean, I think it’s kinda badass that they refuse to turn it down, keeps the kooks away but…

Ya never know what “metal” you’re gonna hear there. I had fantasies of munching on a veggie burger while listening to Slayer and Iron Maiden but got a black bean burger and and f@ckin Pestilence (no need to google them).

The aioli that comes with the fried zucchini is about the only thing I enjoyed there. Well… that and this one waitress that had me questioning if I really needed conversion therapy.

Everyone else had burgers that were raw and tasted pretty awful. The fries were soggy. I had mac and cheese with some kind of a topping (mushrooms?) that was nauseating. Tasted like someone had opened a can of mushrooms and put it on some Kraft mac and cheese, and said, oh this is done.

I didn't try the fried zucchini. Maybe that would have been better.

So partly it was the music and the loudness. But the food had no redeeming value whatsoever. So we left.

If you're really into metal, and don't care if the food is worth eating, go there. If you give a rat's ass about the food, give it a pass. I try not to patronize A-holes with bad food..

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Everyone else had burgers that were raw and tasted pretty awful. The fries were soggy. I had mac and cheese with some kind of a topping (mushrooms?) that was nauseating. Tasted like someone had opened a can of mushrooms and put it on some Kraft mac and cheese, and said, oh this is done.

I didn't try the fried zucchini. Maybe that would have been better.

So partly it was the music and the loudness. But the food had no redeeming value whatsoever. So we left.

Oof! Sounds like they’ve really gone downhill. There used to be lines around the block for that spot.

 

[László]

Oof! Sounds like they’ve really gone downhill. There used to be lines around the block for that spot.

So my daughter said. She said she'd been there a while back and it was good. But she was also disgusted.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

So my daughter said. She said she'd been there a while back and it was good. But she was also disgusted.

Damn shame. You go to the one in Schaumburg? Or Chicago?

Either way… I don’t need to ever really go back.

 

[Permanent Waves]

I've played CE24s for 20 years before finally being able to find an affordable Custom 24 and get to play it long enough to really make up my mind. Although I will say that the Custom 24 is a notch above, it led me to develop an even greater appreciation for the CE24, a different beast but an amazing instrument at a much lower price point. Ironically, and this may be habit more than anything else, but I'll still pick the CE24 on stage. Ultimately, for me it's more about the design of the guitar itself than its construction.

The fact that within a few short years, the Custom 24 has been able to impose itself in the Top 3 Guitars along with classic Strats and LPs that predated it by decades is a testament to the strength of the design and the quality of the workmanship. It's amazing how quickly it gained widespread popularity and acceptance with staunch traditionalists such are guitar players. It's been widely adopted by so many artists, the guitar is definitely an American classic and here to stay and grow as an iconic instrument.

 

[Collywobbles]

Ehhh… I’m not sayin’ you gotta listen to any of it, I’m not recommending them or anything.

It’s just that different music means something to different people. Like, my life would actually be greatly improved if you took every song recorded with a Rickenbacker electric guitar out of existence.

Black Swans and all that - just 'cos you've not encountered one, doesn't mean they don't exist. (Some in Hyde Park, London btw). So yeah, you're right - just 'cos I've not encountered much stuff recorded with Customs doesn't mean there isn't much.

I also think saying Customs are not classic on a PRS forum is a bit silly - even if (hypothetically) I were to think it - as it violates Thumper's Rule, which is the single best thing I've learnt from all my time on the Forum (thanks Mr 11-Top). Lesson learnt...

 

[Collywobbles]

I can't dispute this pantheon of icons, but by my own count, it leaves an awful lot out. In Gibson-land, the ES-175, the 335 lineage (and all subsequent semis), the 330/Casino (thin full hollows), the SG.

And Gretsch: the original Dynasonic Jet; the beloved 6120 (associated with rockabilly, but so much wider in application - Pete Townshend frinstance); the Country Gent in all its forms (from Chet to Harrison to how many Brit invaders and their American acolytes?); the Tennesseean if only for "House of the Rising Sun," but also for so much else; the Falcon.

In the Fender domain, beyond Tele-Strat-PBass, I'd argue the Jazzmaster and Jaguar are also distinct and unique specs, full classics in their own right.

And while I lose no opportunity to denigrate the twinky plinky dinky tone of Rickenbacker electrics - as perceived when they're played solo, without combo context - it's hard to deny the 330's and the 360's place. Beyond John Lennon's uncannily brilliant rhythms, there's Steppenwolf, Jefferson Airplane, Tom Petty - not to mention so many newer bands I respect (but from so far away I barely remember their names). Anyhow. That Rick tone, while it's a wimpy electric zither by itself, can be alchemically magical when properly deployed in a mix.

And I don't think any guitarist could deny the "classicness" of the 360 12-string. No bassist could deny the majesty of the 4001/4003.

And come on, how about a token Danelectro/Silvertone with its lipstick tube pickups?
_____

Also, I concur that a SuperStrat of some description should be thrown on that pile of Important Electric Firewood. The JEM is as good as any. I think we're on fair and level ground to consider the Custom 24 and the Superstrat the "new standards" of at least the 80s.

I have now realised my errors, and will revert back to just posting Thumper-approved positiveness However, as you asked who doesn't love a Gretsch - Jimmie Webster is a kinda hero as his ideas were (at times) so bonkers. But because you asked I see them as amplified big box jazz guitars from the 40s - so effectively just the same as the ES150. Ditto the ES175 - although the 175 probably deserves kudos (and a place) as the longest running electric guitar in continuous production. Solid Gretches - essentially LP copies with pine knots, cactus and G-brands (thanks Mr Webster). Ricks - yes, I agree (although I don't think they sell by the boat load) - Eight Miles High alone gets them a place. Jazz and Jag - probably not stood the test of time, although they sold by the boat load when new. Plus, King of Surf Dick Dale said the only true surf guitar ws a Strat, and he'd know. That said Tom Verlaine played a Jazz, and as a gen X- ex-punk (TM Sergio) I will make an exception for them because of that. And OK yes to Danelectro/Silver Tone - who doesn't love a plywood and hardboard guitar if the price is right.

I think we're on fair and level ground to consider the Custom 24 and the Superstrat the "new standards" of at least the 80s.

Agree

 

[Solteroblues]

Oh, I never get up that high on the neck. BUT --

The hand position on the PRS 24 fret neck works really well for everything below the 12th fret, too. The whole guitar fits like a glove. Neck, body, controls, tone. I feel 100% comfortable playing it. So having a few extra frets doesn't bother me.

I know they're there, but I can admire them from a distance.

I couldn't agree more with this statement. I never get above 21-22, but the feeling of being able to get up there so easily is what I like the best, and the entire guitar is just so comfortable to play.

I've owned quite a few PRSi over the years, I'd love to have back half of them. Almost every main model from the Core line, too. CU22, CU24, 408, 594, Paul's, Artist V, Studio, and others that I've probably forgotten about. The CU24 is what I keep coming back to. I just hate that they stopped make the pattern regular neck profile on the CU24, so I'm stuck looking for older models... and I have a PS order started just the way I want it.

To me it's the ultimate guitar. Lightweight, comfortable, modern yet classic, sounds good, looks good, I like the thin body and all of the contours, and the faux binding is my favorite aesthetic feature.

 

[László]

I couldn't agree more with this statement. I never get above 21-22, but the feeling of being able to get up there so easily is what I like the best, and the entire guitar is just so comfortable to play.

I've owned quite a few PRSi over the years, I'd love to have back half of them. Almost every main model from the Core line, too. CU22, CU24, 408, 594, Paul's, Artist V, Studio, and others that I've probably forgotten about. The CU24 is what I keep coming back to. I just hate that they stopped make the pattern regular neck profile on the CU24, so I'm stuck looking for older models... and I have a PS order started just the way I want it.

To me it's the ultimate guitar. Lightweight, comfortable, modern yet classic, sounds good, looks good, I like the thin body and all of the contours, and the faux binding is my favorite aesthetic feature.

Having had both the faux binding and wrap bindings ad infinitum over the years (I've had an embarrassing amount of PRS' I no longer own), I'm agnostic; three of my guitars have it, two are in finishes that wrap. I like both. My PS acoustic has an actual maple binding. I like that, too!

But yes, the CU24 put PRS on the map, and it's an absolutely brilliant design. I completely agree with you!

 

[László]

Damn shame. You go to the one in Schaumburg? Or Chicago?

Either way… I don’t need to ever really go back.

Lake Forest, I believe.

 

[21Hemispheres12]

Having had both the faux binding and wrap bindings ad infinitum over the years (I've had an embarrassing amount of PRS' I no longer own), I'm agnostic; three of my guitars have it, two are in finishes that wrap. I like both. My PS acoustic has an actual maple binding. I like that, too!

But yes, the CU24 put PRS on the map, and it's an absolutely brilliant design. I completely agree with you!

Here’s another binding variation I’ve seen on occasion, color matched to the top. This was my very first Custom 24.

 

[László]

Here’s another binding variation I’ve seen on occasion, color matched to the top. This was my very first Custom 24.

The pic is unfortunately not showing up for me. I'd love to see it!