All are all stunning! But which one?

[Zazoo]

Hello to the PRS community!


This is my first post on the forum, and as many new comers i would like to know more about these wonderful guitars named PRS.
My background as a guitarist.... Well.... hummmmm.....how to say I am a beginner ( since 3 months) and I admit that since I started I have fun like crazy on my acoustic guitar .

I would like in the near future (like in 2 months) buy a electric guitar, and my choice fell on the PRS SE line !
On the forum I researched a topic that would describe the style of each guitar of the SE line but I have not found anything like that.

I would like to have your opinion not technically (hardware etc ...) but more about style and the terme of utilisation of eache guitar in the SE line . What differentiates an SE 245 or a Soapbare , or a Tremonti in terms of sound ? What style are they the best ? What is the most versatile ?

I know what I am asking look a bit crazy, but i was searhcing this kind of topic and it could intersting for lot of people who hesitating between few models.

For my part I hesitate enormously between two models : The Santana SE model and the Tremonti Custom , how would you describe these two instruments?

Looking forward to reading your comments.

 

[Duffy]

I agree that a guitar in the "SE" line would be a good guitar for you.

Most guitars have "humbucker" pickups, in the SE line. These are very quiet when you turn up the volume of your amp and are not playing - the "buck" the hum, or buzz, or hiss - whatever word you understand best; it's noiseless.

Some guitars have P90 pickups; the ones you called "soapbars". These are not humbuckers. They do not eliminate any noise. Therefore they can be very noisy when you turn your amp way up with a lot of gain. I personally think of these P90 guitars as "specialty" guitars, in my experience. I only have two of them. They sound great for "certain" things that I like to play or for when I want a certain sound; such as a very growling, screaming sound.

A regular guitar with humbuckers might be really fun for you, and quiet when not playing.

I recently purchased a new Santana SE in Santana yellow. It is an awesome guitar and one of my favorites. It sounds great thru my very good amps. The build quality is really great and it is super beautiful. It is worth more than I paid for it in my opinion.

Bear in mind that a very good amp is equally as important as a very good guitar. A rule of thumb is to spend an equal amount of money on your new amp as you do on your new guitar. So, 700US dollars would get you a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III, a Peavey Classic 30, a Peavey Delta Blues, a Blackstar Club 40, or a Marshall DSL40C combo. All of these are combination amps with the speakers built right in and are good, reliable amps. Any amp can have problems though, just like any complicated electronic item.

Don't buy an inexpensive amp would be my recommendation. You will be wasting money because later you will want a real nice amp. You may want an amp that has at least "two channels", clean and overdrive; low, mid, and high equalizer knobs; adjustable reverb; a master volume knob to keep the volume down but have the "gain" or overdrive turned up so you can get those great guitar sustain sounds at very low volumes. You do not need "amp modeling" or built in "effects". An amp, in my opinion, that does one or two things very well, is way better than an amp that does a multitude of things far less than well and is also, by the way, completely computerized, very hard to work on, and often has problems breaking down that are hard or impossible to fix.

Old style, tried and true amp designs will probably always be able to be repaired and tend to be very reliable - there are no secrets and any good amp man can fix them. I would advise getting an all tube amp for a better overall sound to begin with, in my opinion. Why waste money on something inferior? Buy something very decent to begin with.

Others may direct you toward these cheap "modeling" amps with all kinds of effects built in; but I would advise getting a simple two channel amp with two main sounds that will not be loaded up with bells and whistles that will only be distracting to you. Make "sure" the amp has "two distinct separate selectable channels", not just a "boost" button. These will be the "clean" channel (more like an acoustic guitar in sound), and the "overdrive" channel that sounds more full and rocked up with lots of adjustable sustain and growl.

Get something with a real good "main" sound and not a lot of mediocre fluff, pretending to be the real thing. That is my opinion. Get any additional "extra" effects, etc., as you need them as individual units, that always seem to be better and more adjustable than the built in one on those computerized amps. What amp do you think Santana used? Or any other big name guitar players? They used Fender and Marshall tube amps, also Vox tube amps and today there are other options available. Avoid cheap toys.

That is just my advice. The Santana SE would be a super great choice if that is what you decide. Far better in quality than the guitars that most guitar players started on. Get an equally good traditional circuit amp that has a history of dependability instead of one of these new style unproven and often problematic new "modeling" amps.

Also, you are in control. Don't let the salesman tell you "the way it is". They just want to sell stuff, move old stuff, make the biggest profit, etc. Get what you want and don't let the salesmen point you in the direction of cheap junk or overly expensive amps costing over a thousand US dollars. Keep your amp cost about equal to your guitar cost and you should be doing great. Also, ask the salesman to give you a price discount because "you are going to buy it today with cash". You can always walk out and come back later if they don't want to give you a break. Try to verify the price of the amp on a big internet music supply site like MF or someplace like that. Although PRS does not evidently make "SE" amps anymore, you may well be able to find a "PRS SE" amp online. One of these may be more costly but would be a super nice amp.

Good luck. Let us know what you decide.

 

[László]

Duffy makes some good suggestions, and I'm going to make a few that might be a little different, but are directed toward the same end: finding the right gear.

My approach is a little different - we all have our own way of finding equipment. I've found over the years that there are salespeople who realize that a good long term customer is a better thing to have than a quick sale. I try to find this kind of salesperson because I'm going to be loyal to that person when I shop. And I want someone who really knows the product in depth. In fact, I want that salesperson to make a buck for working with me patiently, so while I do want a good price, I don't drive a stake through anyone's heart. I try to get a win-win going.

A good example of a great salesperson is Jack Gretz, who I found when he was working at another PRS dealer, and who now owns his own store. Jack has not only given me valuable advice, but he's steered me clear of a few mistakes. I consider him a friend. He knows the product line better than I do (not easy, since I tend to do my homework!). I've been buying guitars from Jack for 14 years, because he's the type of person who puts the customer's needs first.

If you find someone good at sales work, then you have a good thing going, and can actually trust and weigh what that person's advice is.

Second, it may take you some time to find a guitar that suits you. No worries, most of us have had a lot of guitars, and you don't need a lawyer and a divorce court if you change your mind about a guitar! Go right ahead and make yourself happy for now, and if it doesn't work out, not a big deal.

Third, if you haven't played a lot of amps, go play a bunch to narrow down the kinds of tones you like. If you can't do that, a second choice might be to get yourself a modeling plugin for your computer, they're cheap as heck, and you can experiment with the amp models to figure out what kinds of things you might be interested in, and thus narrow down your choices. Amp models aren't perfect, of course, but they're generally in the ballpark of what the real things sound like, and can be a good starting point for educating your ear.

In fact, I'd hold off buying the amp until you have a feel for what you're doing on the instrument.

 

[strat123]

1st I will say that duffy gives very wise advice inho. I've been playing guitars for a long time and in my experience, I have found advice such as duffy's to be very sound. In fact, all of the advice given so far has been good. I will add my 2 cents. I have an PRS SE Santana. It's a great guitar. I think you will be hard pressed to find a better guitar at that price. I also have an PRS SE Custom 24, and both guitars are of a professional quality. I don' think you can go wrong with any of the PRS SE guitars, but that's just my opinion. I wish you well in your musical journey.

 

[Woollymonster]

“Forget all about that macho stuff and learn how to play guitar"

An SE 245 would be a good start if you have your heart set on a PRS. But honestly, any decent electric will do for every beginner. Of course the imports are always going to be cheaper. Most people don’t want to go out and spend 2k, 3k, 4k and up on their first electric.

And yes, get a decent amp. Something with very low power that you can practice with and not make everyone around you hate you for the next two years. Preferably something you can plug headphones into.

Most of all, learn to play. Study music and practice with all your effort ever day. It’s not easy, and its not quick. Do not get discouraged. Music is the end. Gear is merely a means to the end. You will buy, sell, and trade much gear in the future. Just don’t be like the dog with a bone looking into a pool of water that sees his own reflection. When he grabs for the “bigger” bone in the reflection, he loses his real bone.

Enjoy the journey!

 

[Duffy]

I totally agree with Schef on the idea of getting to know a really good salesman. I actually have two great salesmen where I live, at two different places, that have really helped me out. When I bought my first decent electric guitar I bought it from one of them, and it turned out to be the first guitar that he recommended to me, and I still have that guitar and will not sell it or give it away. If you develop a good interaction with these guys they will be able to give you really good advice and help you select upgrade parts, etc. Plus they will work with you to give you the best prices that they can offer. Sometimes this takes some time to get to know which salesmen are which and who you like to deal with.

You may not have any experience dealing with any of your local salesmen. You might not have even visited some of the smaller music stores. Personally I avoid Guitar Centers because they generally do not have salesmen that you can really develop a good interaction with. A lot of times they are not knowledgeable and are not able to negotiate on price. The smaller stores usually can negotiate on price and really want your business. Try to find a music store that the working musicians in your area go to to rent and buy equipment, even have their equipment repaired there. These places will not be Guitar Centers, but professional musical supply houses.

As was noted, do your homework and play as many amps as you can with a guitar as close to the one you plan to buy as possible. Don't be afraid to turn up the amps a little. You are the customer and you can play an amp very quietly at a store and then take it home and play it at the regular volume and find out that you are not happy with the sound. Turning it up for a short time while checking it out is a good idea, but don't do it for long or the manager will definitely be on your case - but, it is a music store, so they have to be tolerant. You are spending good money.

I still recommend staying away from those modeling type amps with lots of effects. I think that for a beginner that there are just too many optional sounds available that can be distracting and can actually impede your learning progress. When the time comes you can buy a cheap multi-effects pedal and connect it between your guitar cable and another cable going to the amp input. These will give you all the modeling and effects that you might want to check out, and some of these pedals can be confusing. There is time to get additional effects farther down the road. I recommend putting good money into a real good regular two channel amp with built in reverb and a master volume knob. This way you have a nice core item and can add a multi-effects pedal later to check out what pedals, etc., you might want to buy in the future. This is just my opinion.

If you are going to buy a real nice guitar, I would advise getting and equally real nice amp; not a toy.

The bottom line is, however, that it is "your" decision what you get, and you have to get what "you" want, whatever you decide that may be. Listen to advice and take it into consideration because some of the people that you will be dealing with will know a lot about what they are talking about. You will have to make the final decision and you will know which amp is right for you when you find it. It is something like looking for a new puppy - when you find it, you know it is the "one".

We may have developed some of these purchasing practices over time and it may seem hard at first for you to make your way around all these salesmen and the overwhelming amount of new information that you are trying to absorb in order to make the best decision for "you".

Remember, "you" have the power in controlling the deal. You can walk away from any deal any time, before you lay that money down. Don't be afraid to walk away from a deal that your heart just isn't into. You are in control.

Again, best wishes in buying a new guitar and amp.

 

[maxtuna26]

You have to go out and try them out. It doesn't matter which model, if you got yourself a guitar that looks great but doesn't glue to your hands, it's not going to do you any good. Go for the one with your preferred style, be it a SE Custom 24, or SE 245, or even the SE Torero (I would still advise beginners to stay away from Floyd Rose bridges though, unless you like making trips to your trusted tech). Play it extensively, if possible, and then finally make your choice.

First thing to look at, is how it looks. Ask yourself whether you like a LP shape, or the PRS doublecut shape. Do you like the colour of the finish?Assess the weight. Make sure you get one that you're most comfortable with. Some people might tell you "heavier = more tone", but actually it doesn't matter. Just make sure you can deal with the weight if you're going with a heavy one, otherwise, pick a lighter one. Resonance is not always affected by weight, some guitars can be lightweight but still resonate like an acoustic. Then proceed to try them out, feel the neck sizes and make sure you pick the one that you feel most comfortable with. Some people dig the Wide Thin but some people get cramps playing it due to the thin-ness of it. Some people love the Wide Fat while others feel that it's huge and cumbersome.

There are not much quality concerns here, since we're talking about PRSes. Just pick 'em up and give it a test ride. Then make your choice.

But first, here are a few models for you to consider.

SE Tremonti Stoptail - cheapest in the range, thinner body may result in lighter weight than most singlecuts.

SE Tim Mahoney - the only doublecut with a stoptail in the range, but comes in Baby Blue only.

SE 245 - the SE range's LP contender. Heavy guitar with a very sweet fat tone. One of the best sounding SEs out there.

SE Clint Lowery - if you like the more "Private Stock" look and love playing hard rock/metal. It looks menacing.

SE Zach Myers - One of the new SEs for this year and is the only semi-hollow in the range now. It made a pretty big buzz on the forum. Literally everyone loves it. Only comes in Trampas Green though (apart from special run).

SE Bernie Marsden - SE 245 with 3 knob config. One of the forum favourites too. Only comes in a yellow-orange-ish Vintage Sunburst.

SE Dave Navarro - Basically an SE Custom 24 in Jet White and gold hardware but comes in marginally cheaper.

SE Custom 24 - The most iconic PRS guitar, in an SE package. Has the famous PRS-designed vibrato bridge but made to SE specs. Highest-priced among all my suggestions.

Hope you get your hands on one soon! Let the hunt begin. :beer: