Birds position

[headsup]

Hi !
I've just bought a semi hollow prs se.
I already have a 25th anniversary prs se.
I have noticed a difference between the birds position.
On the newer guitar, some birds fly higher, closer to the bass strings (frets 5/7/9)
Have you ever notice that?
If so, when did the change appear?
Thx.
Best,
Jeremy

 

[Birdsofprey]

Wow good catch, I like the high flying birds though I suspect that wasn't intentional. Just the same makes it one of a kind and yours. Nice guitar(s)!

 

[RallyFanatic]

I never noticed it before but my 2019 CE does in fact have ‘higher flying’ birds in the same spots. Now I wish I had an older one to compare...

 

[Mozzi]

The higher birds do look intentional. It means that the actual body of the birds is centred and fall perfectly between the 3rd and 4th string. As the birds are not perfectly symmetrical though, that does mean the birds don't appear to be 'centred' and higher on the fretboard. The lower image does show the birds 'centred' but because the wing is longer above the body, that makes the body of the birds lower to centre the birds in the fret.

I guess it depends on preference - I think I prefer the birds to be centred - even if that means the body of the bird isn't centred but ask me again in 5mins and I could have changed my mind as I keep looking at it and changing my mind. The 7th and 9th fret bird designs do make it most obvious because of the design of the birds - very little (if any) wing below the body so the bottom of the fret looks much more empty.

That's always going to be a 'decision' with shapes like these - do you centre the whole inlay, or centre the bird bodies? Both have their merits and centring on the 'body' does mean that the 'longest' (horizontally) and bulk of the inlay is centred but can make the inlays look less 'even' in the fret....

 

[shinksma]

All of my PRSi have "higher birds", most obvious especially with the fifth fret bird being so asymmetrical wing-wise, but centered body-wise.

The oldest PRSi I have with brds is a 2002 CU24. (I have a 1990-ish CE, but it has dots.)

I wonder why the 25th Anniv SE would have had a different layout from everything else I have seen?

 

[Black Plaid]

All my PRSi with classic birds are positioned much like your new SE. All the way back to the '91 I have where it was obviously routed by hand.

I'm guessing your SE came from a run where someone had "fixed" the template by centering them based on measurements instead of the aesthetic Paul prefers.

 

[LEscanilla]

I wonder why the 25th Anniv SE would have had a different layout from everything else I have seen?

All of mine have the higher birds too except for the 20th Anniversary CU 24.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bniji2y6fi9vf2d/IMG_3095.jpg?dl=0

 

[shinksma]

All of mine have the higher birds too except for the 20th Anniversary CU 24.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bniji2y6fi9vf2d/IMG_3095.jpg?dl=0

Well, yeah, but that's a completely different bird layout and pattern.

The OP appears to have a 25th anniv SE that for no apparent reason, has image-centered birds as the only tweak to the standard pattern.

 

[shinksma]

I found another 25th anniv SE on Reverb that appears to have similarly "center justified" birds:

https://reverb.com/item/25342385-prs-25th-anniversary-se-custom-24-2010

Maybe someone at the factory "fixed" the offsets in the CNC program without knowing they were intended?

 

[shinksma]

Sorry for the seemingly stream of consciousness posting, but found another 2010, this Santana:
https://reverb.com/item/33095318-2010-prs-se-santana-with-gig-bag

 

[headsup]

Thanks for your knowledge and your inputs. Maybe the SE 25th birds pattern is going to be a new option for the custom orders

 

[Eddie kim]

My 2018 s2 cu24 has the higher bird as well.

 

[93studiolite]

My 2016 S2 Custom 24 has the higher birds also.