What would the closest guitar be to the Custom 24 but with a fat neck? I love the articulation of the Custom 24… it’s like it reads my mind… but a thicker neck would be cool sometimes. Would another PRS model do this? Or would I be looking at putting 85/15 pickups in a Santana/McCarty/Starla etc
Custom 24 with fat neck?
- Thread starter alex1fly
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Santana's are the only 24's from PRS right now with a fat neck. It's a shame. I am lucky enough to have a few of those and they are incredible guitars, with stoptail's too. I hear PRS won't even allow private stock custom 24s with fat necks any more.
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I was lucky enough to snag this one.
PRS Artist Series 1992, Amber
View the listing for PRS Artist Series 1992, Amber at Carter Vintage Guitar Exchange
cartervintage.com
Bowtiefanatc
Confirmed Bird Snob
A CU24 Brazilian. Comes with standard neck profile
aamefford
The (should be) Committed
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I have an S2 Studio that was part of a limited run built in either ‘20 or ‘21. It has a pattern regular neck. I have this and a Santana III. I have some mild arthritis and big hands. I find the Santana neck to be my favorite , but the pattern regular works fine. I hade an SE made in ‘20, with the wide thin. It was noticeably too thin for me.
Which of the SE or S2 models as articulate, hi-fi, and rock-leaning as the Custom 24? Seems like the rock ones generally come with thin necks... Mira, Tremonti, Holcomb... whereas the more vintage ones come with thick necks... Santana, Starla, McCarty.
Really what I'm looking for is 25" scale, thick neck, with that magical blend of articulation/cut/compression/output in the high end and round/defined/pleasing snap in the low end that the Custom 24 does so well. Nothing I have sounds better than the Custom 24 but I can't play it for too long given the thin neck.
Or would a McCarty 594 doublecut with different pickups do the trick? I have an S2 currently but the tone definitely leans more towards a low output Les Paul than the Custom 24's 80s vibe.
Really what I'm looking for is 25" scale, thick neck, with that magical blend of articulation/cut/compression/output in the high end and round/defined/pleasing snap in the low end that the Custom 24 does so well. Nothing I have sounds better than the Custom 24 but I can't play it for too long given the thin neck.
Or would a McCarty 594 doublecut with different pickups do the trick? I have an S2 currently but the tone definitely leans more towards a low output Les Paul than the Custom 24's 80s vibe.
For as much as PRS say the Custom 24 is their flagship model, there seems to have been a lot of de-emphasizing of it and other guitars like it. Options for necks and colors are disappearing, and there hasn't been a new 24-fret PRS since the core Mira 15 years ago. It's always the same thing, "the neck position doesn't sound right", "the high E sounds too shrill", "just bend up on the 22nd fret" blah blah blah, but my band has a few songs with solos that can't be played that way, or are more difficult to play that way.
It's sad. Paul offered the world a better alternative to the old Strat and Les Paul, and for a while the world was still moving forward musically instead of getting hooked on the nostalgia drug people were into it, but now it's more, "You know what, just give us that 1950s sound/feel with better upper fret access (that is, if they feel 6 strings/straight frets are enough to play their music on)." I can see a day when the Santana goes 22 frets (probably shortly after its namesake retires/passes), and maybe the Custom 24 Floyd (since it's a "metal" guitar, and only metal shredders need 24 frets, right?) remains intact, but all of the other PRS models are 22 frets.
It's sad. Paul offered the world a better alternative to the old Strat and Les Paul, and for a while the world was still moving forward musically instead of getting hooked on the nostalgia drug people were into it, but now it's more, "You know what, just give us that 1950s sound/feel with better upper fret access (that is, if they feel 6 strings/straight frets are enough to play their music on)." I can see a day when the Santana goes 22 frets (probably shortly after its namesake retires/passes), and maybe the Custom 24 Floyd (since it's a "metal" guitar, and only metal shredders need 24 frets, right?) remains intact, but all of the other PRS models are 22 frets.
Rider1260
New Member
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Paul has said many time they build more of what sells , I bet they still sell a ton of CU24s and CE24s and S2 Custom 24s and SE CU24s.
I have always wanted a CU24 with a wide fat neck but I am getting more comfortable with a Pattern Reg as time goes by also.
As for the 22 fret Santana they did make them ( DC22 ) for 2 years I finally got one this year.
I have always wanted a CU24 with a wide fat neck but I am getting more comfortable with a Pattern Reg as time goes by also.
As for the 22 fret Santana they did make them ( DC22 ) for 2 years I finally got one this year.
I just got a CE24 semi-hollow . I think a decidedly non-metal oriented option for 24-fret seekers
definitely ain't the same feel as a set neck though
My first CU24 was in 1991 and had a Regular neck, which was standard on the model at the time. Felt great.
Most of my PRS' since then have had W/F, Pattern, or Pattern Vintage necks. They feel great, too, and not all that dissimilar to the Regular or Pattern Regular (to me).
But like a few others here, I'm not as comfortable on the Pattern Thin or Wide Thin.
I snagged one of the limited run CU24 30th PS' with a Pattern Regular neck back in 2015. It still feels great. I find the Pattern Regular or Regular neck a 'happy medium' that works as well as any of the fatter carves.
At this point, if I was after a fatter neck 24 fret PRS, I'd get a Santana, but I'm not very picky about scale length. Still, to the OP, it'd be worth checking one of the Santanas out and seeing whether it's a fit.
Bogner
Redwood Original - Pure Blood
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How Does Paul Know What Sells If He Isn't Building It And Allowing The End User To Decide?
When It Comes To "Different" All Of Paul's Moves Are Catered To Pushing People To The Private Stock Department Where There Is More Money To Be Made. He Is A Marketing Genius And As A Fellow Businessman, I Can't Fault Him For That! Even The PS Route Isn't what It Once Was Option Wise...Again, Money And Time. He Is Maximizing Both.
I’m sure there’s frequent contact with dealers about what they would like to purchase. The dealers are PRS’s customers.
DISTORT6
NJ Devil
Also describes SE and S2 lines.
Bogner
Redwood Original - Pure Blood
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Maybe, Maybe Not. Just How Sure Are You?
If It Isn't Private Stock, The Dealer In The Huge Majority Of Instances Across The Board Are Buying Off The Menu Paul Gives Them To Order From. The Saying "I Build What Sells" Is A Great Heat Deflector And Neutralizer In Addition To Steering The Consumer To The Private Stock Department For Their "Unique" Wants And Needs. How Much Time Does Paul Really Spend On The Phone Or In Person With His Dealers Actually Getting The Pulse Of What The Customer Is Saying To The Dealer... Who Then Gives That "Accurate Information" To Paul So He Can Make His Guitar Building Business Decisions? How Accurate Do You Really Think That Information Is? How Much Of That Information Do You Really Think He Is Getting Overall? Not Much If He Is Going About It Like That. It Simply Doesn't Work Because The Huge Majority of Information Will Be Lost Or Watered Down And Paul Is Smarter Than That.
I Have Been In This Game For Many Years And Not A Single Dealer I Know And Deal With Truly Knows My Wants And Needs Gear Wise. Dealers Concerns Are Typically First And Foremost Margin Or Else They Won't Be Dealers For Long.
