Custom 24 35th Anniv. Or Paul's guitar signature

[Darksheendo]

Hello board,

I really need your help to choose for my first PRS, I'm really hesitating between the 2 models Custom 24 35th Anniversary and the Paul's Guitar signature. I already owned a Strat and I really like the possibility that offers these 2 models with mini toggle switch + the new pickups PRS added to their model this year.

If someone tried both model I would be curious to have his feedback about it ?

Thanks in advance for your help in my quest .

Regards,
Samuel

 

[RickP]

Welcome to the forum, Samuel! The definitive answer here will be... both!

Seriously, though, they’re both great guitars. You can’t miss either way. The best way to choose is always going to be putting your own hands on and picking the one that feels best to you.

 

[Darksheendo]

Thanks Rick, yes i will be happy whatever I choose but it's hard to finalize my choice ahah. Unfortunately I live in France and it's pretty hard to find a shop with PRS guitars in stock so i have to order them with UK or Germany.

 

[NBW]

The issue for me would be wide/fat (Paul’s) or wide/thin (CU24)? There is also stoptail v term. But for me neck shape matters.

 

[Darksheendo]

Ok, so for that i can help, I found the Stratocaster neck a little bit too thin for me. If i choose the CU24 I will probably go for Regular neck.

 

[Tahlee]

If you don’t like thin necks, you will love the wide/fat neck shape.

 

[Mozzi]

In truth, the Thin neck isn't 'ultra' thin feeling but it is a slightly thinner (a few mm's) than wide/fat.

That being said, there are more differences than trem vs hardtail or 22 vs 24 frets - the tone is different too because the neck pickup is closer to the bridge making it a bit brighter. This is because the neck on the Cu24 is slightly longer and joins the guitar at a higher fret. To keep the scale length, the bridge and bridge pickup have to be moved slightly closer to the neck pickup.

Obviously both have the same pickups and switching so it really comes down to the differences. Bare in mind that because the neck pickup is in a different position, that will have a bigger impact on 6 out of the available 8 different PU selection choices so its more than just neck carve, 22 vs 24 and trem vs hardtail.

They are quite different instruments so I would suggest deciding on what one you want to buy first. The 35th is a limited edition version for this year only - I think limited to 3,500 so you may not have a choice if you deliberate too long. Whether PRS bring the 24-08 to the SE range next year or not, I don't know. I would suggest trying them but realise that is not easy at this time so maybe order from a reputable dealer so you could swap if not entirely happy...

 

[Darksheendo]

Thanks for all these details. Do you know which one sounds warmer ?

 

[bodia]

For me, I think the Paul’s Guitar sounds “warmer”. Both great, for sure.

 

[Darksheendo]

Thank you Bodia, rahhh it's so hard to choose one I swear lol.

 

[Mozzi]

For me, I think the Paul’s Guitar sounds “warmer”. Both great, for sure.

I agree - I think a lot of that has to do with the position of the neck Pickup relative to the bridge and the hardtail too.

I think it really does depend on what you are looking for - you said you have a strat, so are you looking for something in between that and Les Paul (Cu24) or something that's more on the LP side (Pauls). What ever you go for, they are both fantastic instruments for the money and very versatile.

Maybe these will help...

 

[Darksheendo]

Yep it's exactly that, I had a Les Paul but I was not a fan of the playability (the weight is really unbalanced) so I sold it and now i'm looking for a really good warm tone with more clarity than the LP. I think your advices point me toward the Paul's model.

 

[docteurseb]

I have both the CU24-08 (really the same as the 35th anniversary from a functional standpoint) and a Paul's Guitar.

If a Strat neck feels a little too thin to you (which model though?) then there's indeed a good chance Pattern Thin will indeed feel a little thin too.
I still like it but I've been gravitating towards Pattern and Pattern Regular lately for that very reason.

Tone-wise the PRS videos of each are a great way to hear which one you like best. Make sure to watch the video for the correct model (SE vs Core).

The Paul's Guitar won't give you the opportunity to try different pickups down the road if you even want to go that path, while the CU24 definitely would.

Then there's the tremolo. Whether you need/want it is up to you though.

 

[Mozzi]

The Paul's Guitar won't give you the opportunity to try different pickups down the road if you even want to go that path, while the CU24 definitely would.

I believe, as he is looking at the SE, the pickups are the same size as a regular uncovered HB but with a unique PU ring that makes them look different. Therefore you could swap them at a later date

At around 7:14, he talks about the SE TCI pickups and these are the exact same as in the SE 35th Anniversary Cu24 and the SE Single Cut Santana. I think it would be necessary to swap out with uncovered HB's to fit the PU ring where as the Cu24, you could swap out for covered - although what impact that may have on the TCI process, I don't know - its not 'just' the Pickups (I believe there is an extra resistor in the wiring too). In anycase, the SE TCI's are regular HB sizing and the Core Pauls is narrower...

 

[docteurseb]

Makes sense if it's the SE the OP is eying, I just didn't see any mention of it (I think).

 

[Mozzi]

Makes sense if it's the SE the OP is eying, I just didn't see any mention of it (I think).

They didn't say 'SE' directly but it was the Wide/Fat vs Wide/Thin neck shape that led me to believe the OP was talking about the SE because the Core versions would be 'Pattern' neck shapes. I could be making a leap here in assuming they were talking SE but that was the reason I came to the conclusion they were not talking about the Core versions.

That would of course also make more of difference between the two models as they have very different pickups from each other and, like you said, would mean that the Paul's would be much more difficult to swap Pups - although why you would want to when that is part of its unique selling point, I don't know.

 

[Darksheendo]

Hello Guys, nop i'm looking for the core models for either the CU24 35th or Paul's Model

 

[Mozzi]

Well in that case, you are looking at a bigger difference between the two and Pattern Thin or Pattern Regular (as the Cu24 comes in both) vs Pattern neck carve. Which as you can see from the diagram below, means that at most, the difference is around 1/16th of an inch (less is you find a Pattern Regular Cu24) and the shape of the neck is incredibly similar across all 3 shapes.

And instead of sharing the same pickups - like the SE, they are vary different.

Therefore maybe these video's will help...

 

[Darksheendo]

Thanks a lot Mozzi, I will compare each position with both videos. It will help me choose the right model . I keep you posted on my choice lol

 

[Darksheendo]

Ok I compared the sound position by position and now i really can hear the difference, CU24 is brighter but really less warm than the Paul's Guitar so i think to complete my Stratocaster American tone, the Paul model will be more suited.