Decision is made

Daryl Jones

Daryl Jones

non-practicing pacifist
Joined
Nov 15, 2021
Messages
1,067
Location
Alberta Canada
I think I've whittled the next choice down to a single model now. After reading, listening, drooling and covering more sites, I think I'm focused on the SE Hollowbody II Piezo. It's a tad more than I wanted to spend, but if things go well in the next few weeks that's where I'm going. Have yet to see anything come up on the used "clean" market so I guess I'll just order one and wait for it to get here once the ports get through this recent stupidity. My closest dealer is very reputable and are excellent with customer service and care. Free setup on new and very competitive price for new machines. Downside is there's no real time to delivery right now. They don't have any PRS inventory at all right now so I'll fly blind again.
So to cut to the chase, anyone that has one of these with opinions good or bad, feel free to chime in. I haven't plunked any coin down on it or finalized the order yet so input would be great.
I bought my SE Custom on order through my closest store and that was fine. Had to slightly tweak the truss rod when I re-strung it after about a year but that was all. I'm sure I'll do more to it in time though.
 
I picked up one of these maybe six months ago and am a huge fan.

It's a beautiful instrument. I love the way it plays - warm, articulate, bridge position doesn't get ice picky. I'm very happy with the guitar. Would buy again.

That being said, while there are reasons to get the piezo version aside from the piezo (abalone birds and striped maple binding vs plastic) I will say that at home (the only place I've been playing since I got it, for obvious reasons) the piezo has little value to me. I will absolutely use it when playing out, no question, and I think it's certainly no worse than the piezo in my primary acoustic (a Breedlove) and honestly maybe even a little better ...

... but without an imaging pedal nobody's going to mistake it for mic'd acoustic. I am curious how well it's going to work at live-gig volumes (not even talking blasting bar band volumes, just, you know, a full band). I know that piezos often work better at gig volumes than they do at apartment ones, so, again, I'm not criticizing it. But I haven't found much use for it at home. (Although I may play with it with my looper some in the near future). I haven't really found a place where blending the piezo with the mags appeals to me too much, either.

Which is a long way of saying that you might be equally happy saving $400 and getting the non-piezo version. Or maybe not. I have another SE with plastic birds and they look pretty cheap compared to the abalone.

But this is a lifetime guitar for me. Even if I get to a point where buying a core 594 HB wasn't insane, this would probably be my typical take-out-to-play guitar. It's a great instrument - just be reasonable about what you expect out of the piezo.
 
Thanks for that Hotspur. I think this will likely be a once only thing for me and that's what I am basing my desire/choice on. And yeah, the abalone and finishing touches certainly ad to the visceral cues. I've come to grips with the added cost versus the non-Piezo, the $400 outlay for the rest of my life isn't hard to stomach and my conscience says she's ok with it on that basis. She kinda just rolls her eyes when I talk guitars and amps. What I really need to do now is jump on setting up my basement area, I'm getting "the look" whenever she opens the spare bedroom door these days.
 
Another SE HB II Piezo owner here. Its a fantastic guitar and for me the Piezo is another sound that's a available. Mixing mags and Piezo makes x me wonderful sounds and it s very versatile.

I only play through full range amps and don't worry about Bi-amping.

One thing to check after you receive...watch the battery level. I'm working with PTC to resolve an issue with the battery draining when nothing is connected.

You will love it regardless, as others have said. Look forward to that NGD!
 
I was wondering about battery life, but I'm sure I can work around it one way or another. And this is definitely a "when" not "if" it happens.
 
Oh, we've all done similar "oops's" on that front before. Everything has a bit of an operational learning curve, and the human factor will manifest itself on the unwary. I'm pretty good at leaving my power switch "on" on many things if I get interrupted mid stream. I got stopped in the middle of a pre-flight walkaround on my airplane some years ago. Left the oil dipstick sitting on the bench in the hangar to answer a phone call. Only found it when I went inside to close the overhead door before taxing out to the apron. Don't even want to imagine where that could have lead...
 
So my order is in, Lord knows what the time frame will be given the current state of things but it will come. Couldn't abide the pain of watching and waiting for a decent used chance buy so I phoned my guy at the store and put down my deposit. Seriously pumped on this, now all I have to do is chew my finger nails waiting for it to arrive...will surely save wear and tear on the nail clippers. I started work in the basement room on the weekend so that will help keep me busy in this crazy deepfreeze (it's almost 40 below every morning for crap sake) we're stuck in for the next few weeks. By the time the new guitar gets here I should be all set up downstairs too. Room isn't really any larger, but no piano or hide-a-bed in there to take up space.
 
Daryl Jones said:
So my order is in, Lord knows what the time frame will be given the current state of things but it will come. Couldn't abide the pain of watching and waiting for a decent used chance buy so I phoned my guy at the store and put down my deposit. Seriously pumped on this, now all I have to do is chew my finger nails waiting for it to arrive...will surely save wear and tear on the nail clippers. I started work in the basement room on the weekend so that will help keep me busy in this crazy deepfreeze (it's almost 40 below every morning for crap sake) we're stuck in for the next few weeks. By the time the new guitar gets here I should be all set up downstairs too. Room isn't really any larger, but no piano or hide-a-bed in there to take up space.
Click to expand...
Nice!
 
I think you’ll be really happy with it. I have a blue one. All of the SE Hollowbodies are way above their price point. I liked mine so much, I sold my precious mint Guild X170. They have that plywood Hollowbody sound that I’ve loved for the last 45 years. I like the plywood Hollowbodies even more than the carved tops I’ve had. You can blend the piezo in with the pickups to get some really interesting sounds.
 
dogrocketp said:
I think you’ll be really happy with it. I have a blue one. All of the SE Hollowbodies are way above their price point. I liked mine so much, I sold my precious mint Guild X170. They have that plywood Hollowbody sound that I’ve loved for the last 45 years. - I like the plywood Hollowbodies even more than the carved tops I’ve had. You can blend the piezo in with the pickups to get some really interesting sounds. -
Click to expand...

My sentiments exactly. I thought about an ES but the size and weight of them kind of bothered me (I'm not getting any younger) and the tonal versatility just struck a note (pun intended) in my head/brain/heart. Plus it's a PRS which is really why we're here right? Call it fate or whatever, it was meant to be.
 
Daryl Jones said:
I know I shouldn't drool over it for sake of driving myself crazy with anticipation but I can't help it. We never had children but I can sort of imagine what the wait was like now...
Click to expand...

That looks great. Now go look up what our boy Boscoe can do with his, and you'll really be drooling!
 
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