DGT Core vs SE ergonomics

[Way Gorked]

I had a 2012 DGT back in the day. It was perhaps the best sounding guitar I had ever played, but something about the ergonomics always felt a bit off. I vaguely recall always struggling to play it seated without a strap. Something about the scale length or nut width always felt a bit wrong in ways that made the experience just frustrating enough to keep it the case most of the time. Eventually I came to accept that it was designed for a body other than mine, sold it, and regretted it ever since.

Lately I have been perseverating on a DGT semi hollow. I could see that being my desert island guitar. The tone of that thing haunts me, but I don’t want to drop $6K to wind up with another case queen.

I just landed a DGT SE to see if I could make it work this time. I was pleasantly surprised at how great this thing plays and sounds. That said, there are two things that bug me about it. Despite being pretty light it keeps falling off my leg when playing it seated. I assume that wouldn’t be an issue with a less butt-heavy semi hollow. The neck also feels somewhat farther away than I remembered from my core model. The SE is pretty much a flat top with no neck angle compared with the body. Do the core model and the semi hollow have the neck angled back from the body carve?

 

[ruger9]

Well, of course nut width and neck profile are a highly personal thing.

But the butt-heavy/falling off the lap thing is my major complaint about the DGT. Doesn't matter standing of course, but I do my playing at home seated, and it's extremely frustrating to continually use muscles to keep the damn thing on my lap instead of just playing it! And no I don't want to use a strap white seated, and shouldn't have to.

 

[Way Gorked]

FWIW I loved the neck profile of my 2012, and I love the SE neck other than the poly finish. The nut width of the SE is fine as well, although I measured it at 1-11/16”. I’m starting to think that my issues with the nut feeling too narrow may have had more to do with me needing to grab it harder to keep the guitar from falling off my leg than the dimension itself.

I don’t have that problem with any of my strats, teles, JMs, LP or 335. Is this something inherent to the PRS body shape and position of the lower horn? I know the obvious answer is go play some and find out, but that’s not possible where I live. My only prior PRS experience was with my old SE semi hollow, which was fine but not butt heavy.

 

[ruger9]

Is this something inherent to the PRS body shape and position of the lower horn?

And the weight... DGTs are not light. People have complained about this issue with Les Pauls over the years as well.

 

[Jason Penn]

the trem models and stoptail models of prs guitars have a different neck angle. i haven't played the se guitars, but i'm assuming they would be the same way

 

[Way Gorked]

And the weight... DGTs are not light. People have complained about this issue with Les Pauls over the years as well.

And yet my Les Paul seems to sit perfectly when I’m playing it seated. It’s gotta be something related to the position of the lower horn.

I admit this is a pretty trivial issue, but if I’m dropping $6K I want to know it will work out. I just played the SE again, the neck is fine. It balances when I have it sitting on my leg with the neck pointing down a bit, or with the neck rotated away from me. Neither of these are ideal. If the neck angle on the core bends back a couple of degrees it would be fine.

All that said, the SE is a pretty great guitar that plays and sounds much better than it should for the $599 I gave Dave’s Guitar Shop. The pots are a bit sketchy and the nut isn’t cut that well, but everything else is pretty stellar. It sounds better than my strat with Thornbuckers, and pretty close to my 335 with Throbak DT 102s.

 

[ruger9]

And yet my Les Paul seems to sit perfectly when I’m playing it seated. It’s gotta be something related to the position of the lower horn.

Interesting. I've been GASsing for one of the new Warren Haynes P90 Les Pauls, but won't pull the trigger because of the balance issue... that I assume it has.... maybe it doesn't, but I'm not going to buy one just to find out. And good luck (to me) in finding one locally to play, very doubtful.

And I don't think it's a trivial issue at all. It's a comfort issue which is all-important, just as neck profile is. I like my guitars having a "bit of fight" in them, but I want that fight to be on the fretboard, not in constantly trying to keep it balanced on my leg.

 

[Birdsofprey]

Disclosure I haven’t ever owned a DGT however I’ve had a few neck heavy guitars and if I just have to keep them I use a suede strap as it tends to stay in place this while standing. I don’t see an issue with it seated as it basically would do the same thing. Just a thought.

 

[dogrocketp]

I’ve been forced to play with straps for the last 50+ years. It's not such a big deal for me. I do play with the guitar up high for better right arm ergonomics. I don’t ever play in the rock n’ roll guitar position, it makes my wrists tired. If the guitar weighs more than 8.5 pounds, it’s too heavy by the end of the second set. I always you suggest you find the position that is best for your hands first, strap or no strap. The inconvenience is outweighed by the possible long term damage to your hands.

 

[Glide-bpm]

I broke my left arm in half my junior year in high school (both bones).
The doc said the knot on my forearm at the break was calcium deposits. 6 months to a year later he offered to re-break my arm again because he put it back together slightly crooked.

Standing or sitting, I have to use a strap to get the neck up at least 45 degrees to be able to play chords in the lower registers (particularly a Bb barre chord).

After a 4 hour gig, my arm is sort of sore from bending those f@¢€ed up bones together against each other.

So I never sit and play with the guitar on one of my legs because I can't without a strap. I just lean back a hair sitting so the guitar hangs against me and I can jack that headstock up high and proud like......

 

[Stephen J.]

I don’t remember having issues with the ergonomics of my guitars until I got so fat. At 240 pounds, my gut pushes the guitar away from me and to the right. The headstock ends up pointing away from me. That and the increased risk of an early death should be incentives to drop some weight.

 

[Glide-bpm]

I don’t remember having issues with the ergonomics of my guitars until I got so fat. At 240 pounds, my gut pushes the guitar away from me and to the right. The headstock ends up pointing away from me. That and the increased risk of an early death should be incentives to drop some weight.

Yeah, I've got the gut as well ...
Effing lithium!...

 

[László]

Everyone has a different anatomy.

Seems to me that there isn't a product on the market that works perfectly for everyone. It's obviously not a common problem, and it isn't like PRS is going to somehow 'fix' a problem that's limited to very few players.

Hell, they can't satisfy demand for the Core guitars as it is, there's a backlog of orders.

Try before you buy, and if it's not a fit for any reason, do not buy it. What could be frickin' simpler?

This is not rocket science.

 

[ruger9]

Everyone has a different anatomy.

Seems to me that there isn't a product on the market that works perfectly for everyone. It's obviously not a common problem, and it isn't like PRS is going to somehow 'fix' a problem that's limited to very few players.

Hell, they can't satisfy demand for the Core guitars as it is, there's a backlog of orders.

Try before you buy, and if it's not a fit for any reason, do not buy it. What could be frickin' simpler?

This is not rocket science.

Agree, but I had nowhere to try a core DGT before I purchased. Also, I didn't realize the "imbalance issue" until I had owned it for awhile. One day I just said "what the hell?? I'm getting tired of repositioning this thing all the time while I'm playing!" (only sitting, it balances fine standing)

 

[László]

Agree, but I had nowhere to try a core DGT before I purchased.

It's possible to try one out even via web purchase. Several shops (including the one I deal with) will grant customers a short approval period to make sure the instrument suits their needs.

But I get what you're saying.

I guess the solution is to put an instrument through its paces right away, and make a quick decision about whether to keep it. It is hard, though, to do that during the honeymoon period.

Also, I didn't realize the "imbalance issue" until I had owned it for awhile. One day I just said "what the hell?? I'm getting tired of repositioning this thing all the time while I'm playing!" (only sitting, it balances fine standing)

I agree, sometimes you have to live with an instrument for a bit.

One solution involves using a suede strap that resists sliding around on clothing. For me, having to do that wouldn't be a deal-breaker, but we're all different.

 

[Way Gorked]

I’m starting to think this guitar isn’t for me, as much as I’m enjoying it. Between the shallow carve and the lack of neck angle I’m either reaching for the neck or having the body dig into my forearm. It’s not bad, but just enough for me to keep thinking about it and not concentrating on playing. Not an issue with my strats, JM or offset tele because of the forearm carve, not an issue with my Gibsons due to the neck angle.

This definitely has me thinking that a core DGT may be exactly what I need, assuming there is even a couple of degrees of neck angle. Would someone mind posting a pic of a true side view of theirs that shows the neck angle?

 

[ruger9]

I’m starting to think this guitar isn’t for me, as much as I’m enjoying it. Between the shallow carve and the lack of neck angle I’m either reaching for the neck or having the body dig into my forearm. It’s not bad, but just enough for me to keep thinking about it and not concentrating on playing. Not an issue with my strats, JM or offset tele because of the forearm carve, not an issue with my Gibsons due to the neck angle.

This definitely has me thinking that a core DGT may be exactly what I need, assuming there is even a couple of degrees of neck angle. Would someone mind posting a pic of a true side view of theirs that shows the neck angle?

There's no neck angle. That's one reason I prefer it over Les Pauls. Grissom wanted it that way. Putting the top carve aside, it feels like a tele or strat on the picking hand. No neck angle.