Buying advice for a second PRS

Ivancy

New Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2022
Messages
12
Location
Spain
Hi, my 47th birthday is in a few days and i'm in the middle of a heavy GAS attack. As my wife seems to be supporting the idea of me buying another guitar for my birthday (surprisingly after I just expent some cash in an AXE FM3), it's the perfect chance to do it :)

I can't justify myself to buy another $2000k+ core PRS so after reading a lot and listening to hundreds of videos and reviews and trying to decide between 3 SE models for different reasons. I'd appreciate if you can give me your thoughts about it to help me decide. Here you have some background info and the options I'm considering.

I currently own a 2005 PRS McCarty 20th Anniversary with \m/ bridge pickup as my main guitar. I also own an ESP Viper with EMG81/85 pickups that honestly doesn't get a lot of playing time, I keep it mainly for nostalgia of my younger metal years as a huge fan of Hetfield but I grew tired of the EMGs over time.

I enjoy listening and playing any style as long as it uses overdriven guitars, from blues to rock to punk to clasic metal up to metalcore/djent. I also play in a band for over 25 years, with an style that could be named post grunge/alt metal or heavy rock if you like tags. Think on bands like Tool, Tremonti, Three Days Grace, Shinedown, Five Finger Death Punch etc. We had some success like 20 years ago in our country but now it's just some fun at reharsal twice per week and some local gigs. In my band with another guitarrist I play mainly rithm guitar with heavy rifting but not much solos as the other guitarrist takes care of these. He uses mainly a Gibson SG and for some songs a Fender HSS with SD JB in the bridge.

Here are the three options:

1) PRS SE Zach Myers in Blue.
As my McCarty with the hot \m/ is my heavier style guitar currently (besides the ESP), the ZM could be my option for cleans and blues or softer rock with the lower output pickups, shorter scale and being semi hollow. LP classic sound with some bite when needed but with less weight and more ergonomic that a Gibson. I owned a LP Standard many years ago and sold it when I purchased the McMcarty, felt it really unconfortable for long shows. For what I read, I'll like the ZM neck thickness and finish as well. My worry here is if it will be too similar to my McCarty and will end just playing always one of them that would make the other redundant over time. A minor concern is the shorter scale, I use heavy strings (10-52) in my current guitar with 25 scale and the shorter scale might feel too soft and require heavier ones.

2) PRS SE Custom 24-08 in Eriza Green.
As with the Zach Myers, not fully sure if it would be different enough to my McCarty. The thinner body and specially the thinner maple neck probably would make it better suited for metal, so I could swap my \m/ pickup to this guitar and put back the McMcarty trebble pickup that still own to set the McCarty again as my more vintage guitar and use the Custom 24 as my heavier one. Both would be probably used a lot both at home and even in my band for different songs. On the negative side, I prefer fixed bridges to tremolos as I downtune to drop C# with my band and tremolos are harder to properly switch tunes. I remember owning Ibanez with Floyd Roses when I was younger and it was the main reason to sell them all as to change tunning or specially when you broke a string playing live it was a mess.

3) PRS SE Silver Sky:
It would be my first strat ever. It would be a great complement to my McCarty to own both the PRS version of the Strato and LP guitars but not sure how much use I would give to it as I'm too used to humbuckers. I like the single coils in neck and middle position for cleans, blues and light rock, but not as big fan of the treble ones. As the body in the SS is not routed for HSS configuration, I could swap the bridge single coil with a SD JB Junior or a Hot Rails to have that HSS setup but... might be too hot vs the midle and neck ones and not properly compensated. Anyway this would be the most risky option and probably not ever used with my band.

Thanks for reading this long thread and for the opinions!
 
Of the options you have listed, I'd probably opt for the Silver Sky myself, as I don't understand how anyone can live without an "S-style" guitar, and the SE Silver Sky plays and sounds real nice to me... but that's me, and I'd never throw a humbucker pickup in my Strat...

I might also suggest you consider another option; the SE Hollowbody II is a hell of a guitar, capable of a lot more than you might think a Hollowbody should do... One of these would work really well with soft rock, blues, etc. imho... well worth considering...

What ever you choose in the end, you can always get one of the runners-up for your next next guitar... ;)
 
And now for something completely different: Consider auditioning a PRS Studio. They have a S2 Studio that is priced more approachable than the core model, but the pickups are still the 2-narrow fields and a bridge HB. All the YT demo's show off the versatility of the tones the three pickup guitar can get you to. Aside from a Silver Sky SSS straight up *trat guitar voice, the PRS Studio will have some very useful and unique tones including some single coil-type tones that are more Tele in nature, with the bit-more-mid-forward narrowfields than the Silver Sky. Good Hunting and Happy Birthday.
 
I'd look at a used s2...the used s2 has allowed me to own incredible prs guitars for sometimes less than new SE prices...and I own an SE but the s2s are smoother playing without a doubt imo...if youre playing a core the s2 will play as well...I do love the se not knocking them at all but the s2 is ny favorite line in the prs arsenal....
 
I trust you are looking at new guitars. I would always see if there is a deal to be had on a used core guitar and if so go that route if it was something of interest. That aside, I would consider the hollow body or Zack Myers out of what you listed.
 
Of the options suggested, I would go for the SE-Custom 24-8 as the Custom to me is the quintessential PRS. If you care to spend a bit more, I would look at the S2 Standard 24.
 
I might also suggest you consider another option; the SE Hollowbody II is a hell of a guitar, capable of a lot more than you might think a Hollowbody should do... One of these would work really well with soft rock, blues, etc. imho... well worth considering...
Exactly what I was thinking. I have yet to find a style that the Hollowbody *can't* handle, at least to my ears
 
Thanks for the answers guys, any help is really appreciated.

I just saw this in a 2nd hand website and already contacted the owner for more pics. It's an SE Cu24 Zebrawood Limited edition from 2019 with Grover and Seymor Duncan Parallel Axis and 59.

Looks really nice with that exotic wood, not the typical PRS and the Grover are probably better than the stock tunners. About the Pickups... I know and like the 59 in the neck, but never heard before about the Parallel Axis and to be honest I don't like it's dual poles but it might sound good but in any case, it's not the PRS sound anymore so not sure about it.

Cost would be around $650 vs the 850€ of the new Zach Myers, 850€ for the Silver Sky or the 1000€ of the new CU 24/08 (Prices in Spain)

Just another one to make the decission more difficult...

 
Last edited:
Thanks for the answers guys, any help is really appreciated.

I just saw this in a 2nd hand website and already contacted the owner for more pics. It's an SE Cu24 Zebrawood Limited edition from 2019 with Grover and Seymor Duncan Parallel Axis and 59.

Looks really nice with that exotic wood, not the typical PRS and the Grover are probably better than the stock tunners. About the Pickups... I know and like the 59 in the neck, but never heard before about the Parallel Axis and to be honest I don't like it's dual poles but it might sound good but in any case, it's not the PRS sound anymore so not sure about it.

Cost would be around $650 vs the 850€ of the new Zach Myers, 850€ for the Silver Sky or the 1000€ of the new CU 24/08 (Prices in Spain)

always liked the reclaimed, that top looks like a 60s chris craft motorboat.
 
And now for something completely different: Consider auditioning a PRS Studio. They have a S2 Studio that is priced more approachable than the core model, but the pickups are still the 2-narrow fields and a bridge HB. All the YT demo's show off the versatility of the tones the three pickup guitar can get you to. Aside from a Silver Sky SSS straight up *trat guitar voice, the PRS Studio will have some very useful and unique tones including some single coil-type tones that are more Tele in nature, with the bit-more-mid-forward narrowfields than the Silver Sky. Good Hunting and Happy Birthday.
The S2 Studio has Type D single coils not narrowfields. Regardless still a good and versatile guitar that's a solid suggestion.
 
The S2 Studio has Type D single coils not narrowfields. Regardless still a good and versatile guitar that's a solid suggestion.
Thanks for the clarification, I don't follow the Studio difference as closely as I perhaps should - I've heard both of them and thought they do sound very close, but most importantly they get into more "truer" single coil tones than most all of the other PRSi with the exception of the Silver Sky of course.
 
Thanks for the clarification, I don't follow the Studio difference as closely as I perhaps should - I've heard both of them and thought they do sound very close, but most importantly they get into more "truer" single coil tones than most all of the other PRSi with the exception of the Silver Sky of course.
Yeah, that’s true… but only to a degree. I own an S2 Studio and a recent American Pro II Strat (yummy roasted pine body!), and honestly, they really don’t sound anything alike except for, yes, both having largely single coil tonal approaches. To my brain and ears, they’re two quite different tonal directions, with the Studio, um… possibly sounding overall more P90 or Gretsch-like—if I had to draw a closer comparison. AFAICT, folks tend to see three pickups and a 5-way switch and think “Strat”. Nope. My old EG (in my avatar)… now that sounds way more like a Strat. Cheers!
 
Back
Top