Anyone have new CE24 vs old CE24?

ElrytNamrogo said:
My wife likes to play this scenario with me, but I always respond that I'm most likely going to be walking out with some major burn damage because I'm finding a way to grab all of them.
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The answer I have for my wife is: "If I'm walking out with one, you're walking out with the other three.."
 
I have played both but only played the old CE once at Guitar Center.

I was going to GC with the intention of buying the Old CE24. I loved the deep carved top and recessed knobs. But I ended up choosing the new CE instead for several reason. I loved the pattern thin neck and satin finish so much better and I liked the pickups better playing at low volume in the store lol. (it was probably the fact that I knew they were the 'exclusive' new US made pickups so my brain made me thing they were better) Lastly the maple top for the 2016 CE24 I bought was much nicer looking than the older CE I tried out. The finish was nicer looking (love Trampas Green) but the figuring was also much nicer.

The older CE played okay but probably could have used a fret dress and setup while the brand new CE was flawless and wouldn't need anything for a while. The new CE has thinner maple cap and therefore has a more shallow top carve. It's nothing like an S2 top though. The S2 has a beveled top which looks and feels much different. The guitar just felt "US core" to me as soon as I picked it up. The thinner cap make the guitar light and almost SG thin and its so super comfortable to play for long stints. The neck is super smooth and fast and was much easier and more fun to play. I've had more time with it obviously now and the pickups have lived up to the hype for me. Its the best guitar i've ever owed or played. (I don't own a full on core PRS yet.)

With that said, if I had played a different old CE with a good setup, my decision might have gone another way. Also I've seen some newer CE's with much less beautiful tops. So at the end of the day. Please get your hands on them before you make a final decision.
 
Watched some videos just to educate myself. To summarize what I’ve read here and watched elsewhere, the new CE24 has:

- different pickups (85/15 vs Dragon I or II)
- a thinner cap/body
- shallower top carve, no recess at control pots
- scarf joint neck
- a satin neck finish
- bird inlays
- import/SE/S2 hardware
- raised rear route covers (not flush)
- 3 way toggle switch only
- gig bag included (no HSC)

So pros and cons.
 
Johnny Rigs said:
Watched some videos just to educate myself. To summarize what I’ve read here and watched elsewhere, the new CE24 has:

- different pickups (85/15 vs Dragon I or II)
- a thinner cap/body
- shallower top carve, no recess at control pots
- scarf joint neck
- a satin neck finish
- bird inlays
- import/SE/S2 hardware
- raised rear route covers (not flush)
- 3 way toggle switch only
- gig bag included (no HSC)

So pros and cons.
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That looks accurate.
 
I've played 1 old (used) CE and 3 or so new CE's in music stores in the last few years. I much prefer the old CE's body carve but other than that the new CE's look nicer aesthetically in my opinion (although some of the tops are very lackluster in terms of figuring).

In terms of feel I much preferred the old CE (felt like a Core) as it had just that PRS Core mojo, while the new CE's that I've played had no mojo whatsoever (maybe it was just me being a dud those days or something rather than the guitar, I don't know...). Honestly I didn't enjoy playing the new CE's all that much, and I had more fun playing the SE's and S2 Satin's just next to the CE's.

Don't get me wrong, the new CE's were made very well, but something about them made them seem like much cheaper guitars overall (except for the Dustie Waring CE which felt more high-end and had a lot more mojo than the regular CE's).
 
from my experience, the old ones win hands down if you can find one that hasn't been abused or played into the ground.

You can find them with dead-on quartersawn necks, they have the full carve, all US parts, hard case, brass blocks etc. The necks are the best bit though.
 
I have an 06 CE 24, but I’m not willing to say Old is better than new. I think the trick is to find one that just feels right when you play it. It doesn’t matter how old or new. Does the guitar inspire you? Does the sound get your blood going? We’re all different in that regard. And PRS = good. More than one PRS = better.
 
AkiraSpectrum said:
I've played 1 old (used) CE and 3 or so new CE's in music stores in the last few years. I much prefer the old CE's body carve but other than that the new CE's look nicer aesthetically in my opinion (although some of the tops are very lackluster in terms of figuring).

In terms of feel I much preferred the old CE (felt like a Core) as it had just that PRS Core mojo, while the new CE's that I've played had no mojo whatsoever (maybe it was just me being a dud those days or something rather than the guitar, I don't know...). Honestly I didn't enjoy playing the new CE's all that much, and I had more fun playing the SE's and S2 Satin's just next to the CE's.

Don't get me wrong, the new CE's were made very well, but something about them made them seem like much cheaper guitars overall (except for the Dustie Waring CE which felt more high-end and had a lot more mojo than the regular CE's).
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Well certainly people like different things. I had my mind made up to buy an older used CE24 at Guitar Center which they had in stock OR a new whale blue S2. I had sold my SE Santana because I wasn't crazy about the neck (didn't like the scale length or the shape of the back and sticky poly finish). Also I didn't love the pickups and look of the guitar. (it was black w cream pickup rings.) I thought a brand new S2 would be a good upgrade and at that price point, on par with my Strat. The S2 had nice locking tuners but outside of the scale length, the neck felt just like my SE. The finish on this particular one was not all that exciting and pickups were good but I just wasn't excited about it so I dismissed it in favor of the used CE (don't recall the year).

But as I stated before, I liked the older CE but it perhaps wasn't the best example of these older CE's. It had an okay finish (grey black) but not the best figuring and probably needed a setup. But after I picked up the new CE I immediately knew I was going to buy it and blow my budget. My experience was opposite of yours. It felt like a high end guitar when compared to the S2's and SE's as well as the older CE. I guess it depends on the person, what you are used to, and what you expect from a guitar - as well as the quality and setup of the guitar in question.
 
I think they both are great guitars. I was definitely considering a new CE24 but found a fantastic deal on an older all mahogany one. I say go towards whichever one you are naturally pulled to. There's something to be said about intuition when it comes to guitars.
 
The old CEs have their obvious perks, especially if you're a Core PRS purist, but the newer CEs definitely have some things that are better than what you get with the older ones. First, the carve is slightly more shallow, but imo, a bit more comfortable than the Core violin carve. Second, the 85/15 pickups (along with the other xx/15 pickups) are probably the best pickups PRS has ever made. These, of course, are all up to personal preference, but I do urge you to not count out the new ones.
 
drdoom8793 said:
The old CEs have their obvious perks, especially if you're a Core PRS purist, but the newer CEs definitely have some things that are better than what you get with the older ones. First, the carve is slightly more shallow, but imo, a bit more comfortable than the Core violin carve. Second, the 85/15 pickups (along with the other xx/15 pickups) are probably the best pickups PRS has ever made. These, of course, are all up to personal preference, but I do urge you to not count out the new ones.
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I'd be curious to know if anyone has put 85/15 pickups in the older gen CEs.
 
I have an emerald ce24 that came with HFS/VB. Don't care for HFS so I dropped a set of square 5708s in it. Swapped the bridge for a 5909 a few months ago.

The 5909 doesn't sound as good as the 5909s in my McCarty and cu24. Maybe I'll try 8515, 5310 or T reissue in bridge position since I have those in my parts drawer.

No matter what I do all my prs guitars are great.
 
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