Considering buying a Custom 24

[cheater]

Hi guys,
I'm looking at getting a Custom 24 and I was wondering if anyone could help me with a few questions I had. It's a big purchase and there's a few things I'm curious or unsure about! It seems this forum is very lively and people know a lot about the guitars so I think I'm at the right spot Bear with me, I'm a guitar newb. I play keyboard instruments and experimented with string instruments before, but now I'm determined to learn electric guitar. The Custom 24 might be an expensive guitar for someone only learning but out of all guitars in the shop this is the one that had the most versatile sound, felt the best in my hands, looked great, and inspired me... so I think it must be worth a bit of saving up. I also noticed it was set up really well and it was finished with a lot of attention to detail.

- what neck joint does the guitar use? There's no info to be found anywhere. It looks to be set neck, is that correct?
- what sort of truss rod does it have?
- I see some PRS guitars in the shop have a piezo in addition to two humbuckers but this one doesn't. Will I be able to upgrade it with an additional piezo when the time comes?
- This one comes with 59/09 pickups. They sound really good but I would like to experiment. Another guitar I tried (a much cheaper model from a different brand) had EMG 84/81 and I really liked that combo, but it's not for everything. Still, using the 59/09 to get the same heavy riff sound I had to take an Xotic EP Booster and then a Blackstar HT-Metal to get it within the same range. (I was playing against a Dual Rectifier). I see PRS makes the \m/ pickup and the Mark Tremonti pickup which are supposed to be pretty hot too. How can you compare the 59/09, \m/, Mark Tremonti, and the EMG 84/81 combo?
- I understand this model also comes with \m/ pickups. The one at the store is 59/09. If I wanted an \m/ model, would PRS be willing to trade the pickups? (the thing is new)
- (btw, can someone suggest a boost pedal as clear and undistorted as Xotic's but with, eh, 6-12 dB more boost? I really like the Xotic EP Booster because it doesn't add any distortion or colour at all but it just doesn't seem to go loud enough)
- are there any things I should watch out for when buying this guitar? It sounds great but what about how it'll fare in the long term?
- a lot of guitars on the PRS site have a section in the Specs site called "Artist Package". I don't understand what that is, could someone enlighten me? The pdf catalogue is kept very brief and it's unintelligible to anyone but dealers probably
- I haven't had a lot of time to try the tremolo. How does it compare to a floyd rose when it comes to how hard it is, and the bending range?
- Given that this guitar has a tremolo, how come it doesn't utilize a locking nut? I thought tremolos really needed this because otherwise you'd get tuning stability issues...:iamconfused:
- I can see myself experimenting with tunings in the future (something I really liked with keyboards). Is a Tronical robot tuner a good idea for this guitar? I'm not sure about the compatibility and also what impact it could have on the sound. I stumbled upon an interview with Paul Reed Smith and he said that the tuners have a fairly big impact on the sound, but I thought the only important thing was that they hold pitch well?


Thanks a lot!

 

[jimistephen]

Okay, you've got a lot of questions and I can answer but a few of them, but I shall answer all I can and someone can answer some others.
1. Most PRS's use a Set neck. It means it's glued in under the neck pickup.

3. The Piezo could be added later by the PTC (PRS Tech Center). But If you are really looking for a Piezo why not look for a P24 to begin with? Be cheaper in the long run and no drilling additional holes.

4. I really can't compare any of the pickups because I haven't played all of them. I would just like to add that, as a general rule, Active Pickups like the EMG 85/81 (yes it's an 85, who ever told you 84 was wrong) impart the sound of the preamp onto the guitar. Which can take a 100 Ibanez and make it sound pretty good, but can also take a 10,000 Private Stock and make it sound pretty good. Passives will generally be more expressive and pull what the sound of the "system" of the guitar (all parts as a whole) sound like. A cheap set of passives can make a cheap guitar sound good or bad, same with the Private stock.

5.The Floyd Custom 24 comes with \m/. They wont straight exchange the pickups, you have to buy them and send you guitar back to the factory and have them switch out by the PTC, which I believe will hold your warranty (not 100% on that though).

7. In the long term with this guitar, with the proper care, will last a life time with no issues.

8. You have basically four levels of guitars in the "core" range. You have the Custom 24 (or any other core guitar), you have 10 top, originally they were the top 10% of flame/quilt maple tops. There is a standard of what makes a 10 top, I just don't remember right now. Then there is an Artist Package (AP) You have more options for the guitar, couple neck woods, fret board woods, pickups, and an even better top. These are built down the same line as the rest of the core guitars, the parts are just substituted when required. Then you have Private Stock, which is a custom hand built guitar to your specs. You can have any body style, neck care, fret board radius, pickups, etc.
(This is the Artist Package for the Custom 24. http://prsguitars.com/custom24/specs.php#artistpackage Listed on the page is \m/ pickups. To get an AP you'd have to go to a dealer and order it and then wait 3-6 months to get it, like I said they're made on the same line as the regular guitars and the necks take a few weeks to make.)

9. A guitar with a properly cut nut and locking tuners will be 90% as stable as a locking trem. The John Petrucci Ernie Ball Music Man guitars don't have a locking trem, just locking nuts and they're great.

10. If you're going to be experimenting with tunings I would suggest a hard tail guitar for simplicity, either that or learn how to adjust a trem fast. If you can't do it right it'll be a nightmare getting it to stay in tune.

 

[sleary]

The M pickups are very similar to the Emg james hetfiel set that I have in my s2 . Beefed up Emg 81 /60 combo to my understanding.

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Pretty sure the term is "double action" truss rod...meaning it goes ... Uh, both ways! Sorry , early AM humor. This means it can adjust the neck in either direction, closer to strings flattening the neck out, or away from the strings, for a higher action. Hope this helps.

 

[gush]

If you are going to stray from your main tuning at all then forget about a trem. Trem needs to be set up for the tuning you intend to use to get the best performance. If you demand floyd performance then get a floyd. I've had Kahlers floyds and PRS trems. Prs trems work very well when set up properly but floyds are a tiny bit above that even with poor setups. You can get a floyd on an SE or a core model.

I got tired of the restring process on the floyd and actually quit trems for a while because of that. Now I require a trem when I'm looking for PRS guitars to buy.

Good luck and welcome.

 

[vchizzle]

- what neck joint does the guitar use? There's no info to be found anywhere. It looks to be set neck, is that correct?
Yes, set neck
- what sort of truss rod does it have?
Dual action
- I see some PRS guitars in the shop have a piezo in addition to two humbuckers but this one doesn't. Will I be able to upgrade it with an additional piezo when the time comes?
You could add a Graph Tech ghost piezo. Don't think PTC can add the PRS/Baggs system that come in their guitars because the control cavity is completely different. Personally, I'd figure out if the piezo is a need before buying the guitar. You have to save up anyway, right?
- This one comes with 59/09 pickups. They sound really good but I would like to experiment. Another guitar I tried (a much cheaper model from a different brand) had EMG 84/81 and I really liked that combo, but it's not for everything. Still, using the 59/09 to get the same heavy riff sound I had to take an Xotic EP Booster and then a Blackstar HT-Metal to get it within the same range. (I was playing against a Dual Rectifier). I see PRS makes the \m/ pickup and the Mark Tremonti pickup which are supposed to be pretty hot too. How can you compare the 59/09, \m/, Mark Tremonti, and the EMG 84/81 combo?
-I don't like active EMG because the response isn't great to me. 59/09 are great pickups, love them in my Singlecut. Assuming this would be your only guitar, you should be able to be in metal territory by having an capable of delivering that kind of gain. A dual rec should be just fine. Lot's of people boost to get into metal territory. But it's all personal taste.
-\m/ pickups are the best of both worlds if you want to get to that heavy saturated tone. They are still very clear sounding with great note definition. The best part is they clean up awesome. So if you want a less metal, more crunch tone - roll the guitar volume knob down. VERY responsive.
-Tremonti will get you there as well, to me the bridge pickup is less responsive than the \m/ and doesn't clean up as well.
- I understand this model also comes with \m/ pickups. The one at the store is 59/09. If I wanted an \m/ model, would PRS be willing to trade the pickups? (the thing is n
the only 24 that comes with \m/ is the Floyd, PRS will not trade you pickups
- (btw, can someone suggest a boost pedal as clear and undistorted as Xotic's but with, eh, 6-12 dB more boost? I really like the Xotic EP Booster because it doesn't add any distortion or colour at all but it just doesn't seem to go loud enough)
not sure 20dB is a lot, not loud enough for what? If you boost a distorted signal in front of the amp, it will not get louder, only compress and add gain. If you boost in the fx loop it will mostly affect your volume and not add gain.
- are there any things I should watch out for when buying this guitar? It sounds great but what about how it'll fare in the long term?
PRS quality is great, there's plenty of old ones functioning great. Keep in mind, parts go bad after wear and use and may need to be replaced like anything else. Structurally, the guitar will outlive you.
- a lot of guitars on the PRS site have a section in the Specs site called "Artist Package". I don't understand what that is, could someone enlighten me? The pdf catalogue is kept very brief and it's unintelligible to anyone but dealers probably
Artist package is upgraded quality of top wood, some models allow a different fretboard wood like ebony or maple...Indian rosewood is standard on most models. Inlay material is nicer. More color choices outside of the core line
- I haven't had a lot of time to try the tremolo. How does it compare to a floyd rose when it comes to how hard it is, and the bending range
I'm not a trem guy, but the Floyd allows you to dive further and pull up more. You can be much more aggressive with the bar.
- Given that this guitar has a tremolo, how come it doesn't utilize a locking nut? I thought tremolos really needed this because otherwise you'd get tuning stability issues...:iamconfused:
You rarely see locking nut on anything besides a floyd trem guitar. The PRS Floyd has the locking nut.
- I can see myself experimenting with tunings in the future (something I really liked with keyboards). Is a Tronical robot tuner a good idea for this guitar? I'm not sure about the compatibility and also what impact it could have on the sound. I stumbled upon an interview with Paul Reed Smith and he said that the tuners have a fairly big impact on the sound, but I thought the only important thing was that they hold pitch well?
Anything that touches the string will affect the tone. Everything affects everything IMO, some things more than others. Paul has dog ears. Some people may not hear differences. I'm not into the idea of putting robots on guitars, you're mounting a bunch of crap to the headstock. This will dive into a super long conversation.

 

[cheater]

Hi guys,
Thanks for the answers. You all really know what you're talking about and it's great I got such a huge amount of help in such a short period of time! One thing has me quite worried though: is it really true that I have to send the guitar to the factory every time that I want to change the pickup? That's... fairly terrible... I'm an electronics engineer, but even without that, having to ship the guitar around the globe (and be left without it for weeks or months) -- rather than just have it done locally -- is difficult to imagine. I probably don't need any warranty on the electronics anyways, except that the pickups, switches and knobs don't break other than the latter two breaking through wear.. as with any usual guitar I can't imagine the electronics inside are really complex or irreplaceable.. other than the pickups and the hardware I can't imagine the stuff inside would be expensive to begin with, so no huge loss even if it breaks not due to fault of my own?

 

[XiXora]

You don't have to ship the guitar off but you'd lose warranty like you would with any gear you had tinkered with. The schematics are on the support site.

 

[jimistephen]

Hi guys,
Thanks for the answers. You all really know what you're talking about and it's great I got such a huge amount of help in such a short period of time! One thing has me quite worried though: is it really true that I have to send the guitar to the factory every time that I want to change the pickup? That's... fairly terrible... I'm an electronics engineer, but even without that, having to ship the guitar around the globe (and be left without it for weeks or months) -- rather than just have it done locally -- is difficult to imagine. I probably don't need any warranty on the electronics anyways, except that the pickups, switches and knobs don't break other than the latter two breaking through wear.. as with any usual guitar I can't imagine the electronics inside are really complex or irreplaceable.. other than the pickups and the hardware I can't imagine the stuff inside would be expensive to begin with, so no huge loss even if it breaks not due to fault of my own?

Like it was said, you're going to loose the warranty, which if you're ok with that then fine. But if there is a fit and finish flaw or a tuner breaks or something happens to the trem then you're on your own. The parts of a guitar are the same, whether it's a 8000 private stock or a 100 BulletStrat, it just depends on the quality of those parts and the attention to detail that make a great guitar. PRS is one of the best.

 

[cheater]

Like it was said, you're going to loose the warranty, which if you're ok with that then fine. But if there is a fit and finish flaw or a tuner breaks or something happens to the trem then you're on your own.

Wait a sec... the electrical system and the mechanical system are completely separate... why would changing the pickup void my warranty on the finish or the tuners? That doesn't seem reasonable does it? I hope someone from PRS can chime in on this..

 

[IKnowALittle]

Wait a sec... the electrical system and the mechanical system are completely separate... why would changing the pickup void my warranty on the finish or the tuners? That doesn't seem reasonable does it? I hope someone from PRS can chime in on this..

Well, they do have a Customer Service department. I would shoot them an email with your questions and concerns regarding warranty coverage.

Here is the warranty.
http://prsguitars.com/csc/warranty.html

 

[cheater]

Well, they do have a Customer Service department. I would shoot them an email with your questions and concerns regarding warranty coverage.

Here is the warranty.
http://prsguitars.com/csc/warranty.html

Hey, thanks a lot, great idea. I'll shoot off an email.

 

[cheater]

Okay, you've got a lot of questions and I can answer but a few of them, but I shall answer all I can and someone can answer some others.

Those were some great answers, thanks

3. The Piezo could be added later by the PTC (PRS Tech Center). But If you are really looking for a Piezo why not look for a P24 to begin with? Be cheaper in the long run and no drilling additional holes.

I hadn't tried a P24. They only have a P22 here which I'll try. I notice the pickups on the P24 are different than the Custom 24. Can someone comment on the difference? I really liked the pickups on the Custom 24 and am really warming up to the idea of using those, with possibly swapping in some high output active pickups every now and then to play around (it's a quick job after all), or perhaps adding one of those EMG preamps, switchable.

Thanks!

 

[tabl10s]

Okay, you've got a lot of questions and I can answer but a few of them, but I shall answer all I can and someone can answer some others.
1. Most PRS's use a Set neck. It means it's glued in under the neck pickup.

3. The Piezo could be added later by the PTC (PRS Tech Center). But If you are really looking for a Piezo why not look for a P24 to begin with? Be cheaper in the long run and no drilling additional holes.

4. I really can't compare any of the pickups because I haven't played all of them. I would just like to add that, as a general rule, Active Pickups like the EMG 85/81 (yes it's an 85, who ever told you 84 was wrong) impart the sound of the preamp onto the guitar. Which can take a 100 Ibanez and make it sound pretty good, but can also take a 10,000 Private Stock and make it sound pretty good. Passives will generally be more expressive and pull what the sound of the "system" of the guitar (all parts as a whole) sound like. A cheap set of passives can make a cheap guitar sound good or bad, same with the Private stock.

5.The Floyd Custom 24 comes with \m/. They wont straight exchange the pickups, you have to buy them and send you guitar back to the factory and have them switch out by the PTC, which I believe will hold your warranty (not 100% on that though).

7. In the long term with this guitar, with the proper care, will last a life time with no issues.

8. You have basically four levels of guitars in the "core" range. You have the Custom 24 (or any other core guitar), you have 10 top, originally they were the top 10% of flame/quilt maple tops. There is a standard of what makes a 10 top, I just don't remember right now. Then there is an Artist Package (AP) You have more options for the guitar, couple neck woods, fret board woods, pickups, and an even better top. These are built down the same line as the rest of the core guitars, the parts are just substituted when required. Then you have Private Stock, which is a custom hand built guitar to your specs. You can have any body style, neck care, fret board radius, pickups, etc.
(This is the Artist Package for the Custom 24. http://prsguitars.com/custom24/specs.php#artistpackage Listed on the page is \m/ pickups. To get an AP you'd have to go to a dealer and order it and then wait 3-6 months to get it, like I said they're made on the same line as the regular guitars and the necks take a few weeks to make.)

9. A guitar with a properly cut nut and locking tuners will be 90% as stable as a locking trem. The John Petrucci Ernie Ball Music Man guitars don't have a locking trem, just locking nuts and they're great.

10. If you're going to be experimenting with tunings I would suggest a hard tail guitar for simplicity, either that or learn how to adjust a trem fast. If you can't do it right it'll be a nightmare getting it to stay in tune.

You forgot to mention that Private Stocks can be purchased without a custom order.

 

[László]

Contrary to your belief, the Xotic EP boost does color the sound and add a little subtle distortion. I've had two in my studio. It's a nice booster, but it's not uncolored. In fact, it was designed to mimic the distortion of the front end of an old Echoplex. I find that it also cuts the bass a little and crunches up mostly the treble, this in any DIP switch setting, though it's a matter of degree.

Also, it has 20 db of boost, which is a crapload of boost, and if you need more, you're using the wrong amp. Get yourself a high gain amp.

 

[jimistephen]

You forgot to mention that Private Stocks can be purchased without a custom order.

Yes, sorry. Doesn't a dealer need to have one on hand though and it's a matter of a select run and what the factory thinks would work together well?

 

[cheater]

Contrary to your belief, the Xotic EP boost does color the sound and add a little subtle distortion. I've had two in my studio. It's a nice booster, but it's not uncolored. In fact, it was designed to mimic the distortion of the front end of an old Echoplex. I find that it also cuts the bass a little and crunches up mostly the treble, this in any DIP switch setting, though it's a matter of degree.

Thanks for clarifying. Can you suggest other boosters that have a similar sound, but more gain? Or ones with even less distortion or coloration?

Also, it has 20 db of boost, which is a crapload of boost, and if you need more, you're using the wrong amp. Get yourself a high gain amp.

It's not about that... The Mesa Dual Rectifier has a lot of gain to offer. However I'm trying to overdrive the gain stage before the one controlled by its gain knob. That's why people use high gain pickups, as I understand. So I'm trying to take a normal gain pickup and boost it a lot, and put that into the head. If you drive the head very hot the distortion will be very different from what you get when you give the amp a small signal and use the gain knob. I'm talking about channels 2 and 3 here. The gain knob is very tube-fizzy whereas driving the input a lot more gives a more middly distortion and gives a lot more sustain. It sounds better to my ears.