Do you prefer SE or Core series?

nigelr

New Member
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Apr 24, 2016
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Hi Guys,

This is my first post so please don't flame me. I live in Switzerland but come from the UK and have been playing for 35 years or so.

I have a mix of 1 US CU22 and 3 CU24 models and I prefer a wide fat neck (haven't tried pattern). Over the last few years I picked up some SE Models from a dealer who went bust, including SE Santana and SE Bernie Marsden plus some SE SC.

A month or two ago I started playing the SE Santana and Bernie Marsden and these guitars are awesome. I'm at the point where I prefer them (24.5 scale) over the US Core. I was thinking of flipping a CU24 and picking up a US SC245 but its 4-5 times the cost of the SE guitars that I love. I don't think I can justify it.

I'm thinking that if they are good enough then just keep the SE and flip the US models.

Of course the finish etc on the US models is better but the SE are also stunning.

Does anybody else here actually prefer the feel of the SE over the core range?
 
Don't worry about flamage. We're nice guys - well most of us! ;)

If you have 3 Customs and don't like the W/T necks, flip all of them to fund the SC245. As far as the cost being higher than the SE's which serve you just fine, it's really not about the money. We would all agree that the SE's are great guitars and you can play them and be completely happy. It's about whether or not you want (not need) the core. The higher priced core's are not "worth" 8 new SE's if what you are judging them as, is a playable, giggable instrument. Dollars Vs. playability, the SE wins every time. But if what you are after are superior woods/hardware, tone, quality, and the top craftsmanship with the best attention to detail, the core wins every time.

Paul says he isn't trying to just build guitars for the different market segments. He is trying to produce the best possible guitar he can at a predefined price point. So an SE will have a great looking top. A top that can rival a core 10 top. But in order to stay in the market segment, he has to use a thinner maple cap with a veneer. The SE can have good tuning stability, but he has to use Asian sourced tuners... Etc. The end result is a fine SE line that is the best you can get at that price point, and they are very usable for anything you want to do. BUT, if you are willing to invest more money to get into the best levels of the market, you get what the top of the market has to offer.

Some look at it as diminishing returns...ok, I don't have a problem with that point of view, but the other point of view is the cost of quality. Some super high end violinists spend $3K on a bow. For them that improvement, in whatever is important to a violinist, is worth it. They know they can get a perfectly serviceable bow for much less, but the small improvements for them are worth the added cost. It's all in what you want from your instrument.
 
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Flames? We love 'em on guitars!

I have two SE's, a Tremonti SE and an SE Custom semi. My Tremonti was bought to experiment with, chopping cutting and soldering etc. and was my stable favourite until I bought the semi that's now my go to, it just feels right. I prefer it to the other two big names I own and my 2001 Singlecut without a doubt.
 
I kinda fall into this... Only kinda. I say it this way because I actually like the feel of my core models better then the 1 SE I have left, BUT, that lone SE has been with me the longest. My SE I've had time to tweak to perfection, slammed trem bridge, super low action, perfect neck relief, etc, IMO my SE just fits me better than my cores, my SE was also cheap enough I'm a little more careless with it, and don't care.

Now, I'm not going around swinging the guitar around, throwing it in traffic, and beating it to hell, but while spending all that time tweaking, there were a couple slips with the screwdriver or ruler that caused a couple dings. On my Core modes I probably would have cried a bit, but don't really care with the SE. Because of those previous slips though is why I haven't set up my core models the same way though. Eventually I'll get over it and just do it, but until then, I'll generally grab my SE before a core.
 
I was in a shop with all levels of the PRS line recently (SE, S2, Core), and I was more excited about the S2's than the Core. When it comes to instruments, one that satisfies your needs and feels good to your hands is a good one, no matter the price!

I do have one or two Core models on my bucket list, but I've also got no problems with the SE's and S2's I use (and I use them quite a bit).
 
Thanks for the replies so far guys, I appreciate you taking the time.
 
The good news is that there are no fatalities or injuries whatever you decide to do!

If it's me, I sell the Core models and get a new one in the preferred scale length.
 
I had a core model a strippe 58 which I really didn't care for , it looked beautiful but something about just didn't jive with me. So I traded for a les Paul and ended up selling the Les Paul too. The tremonti se I bought so far I love it , it plays great sounds great and looks awesome.
I'm thinking maybe I didn't like the shorter scale of the stripped 58 . So right now I am looking for a sc250 I think I may like that if I like the tremonti.

But like the guitar repair guy near who's been in the business forever always says and says it with great emotion everytime " most guitar players chose a guitar with their eyes not their ears "
I really like the se line and it works for you than enjoy it . If it makes you want to play it's done its job . I know I hadn't played in months till I bought the tremonti I'm glad
I drove the hour to check it out and apprarently there were a lot of calls on it before I got there .
Enjoy the hell out of your guitar
 
If it's me, I'd move the cores for one that I REALLY like. No problem with the love towards the SE. I have one SE (Bernie) and several cores. The Bernie gets a lot of playing time, more than a couple of my cores, and much more than my JPX and Strat. Such a great guitar.
 
"business forever always says and says it with great emotion everytime " most guitar players chose a guitar with their eyes not their ears "

I agree with that but you also select a guitar with your hands. Inexpensive guitars are great and very usable, but the feel of the rolled edges on my S2's neck reminds me why I prefer it over the SE's that I've tried (which took me awhile to figure out) With that said I'd have no problem gigging a Bernie or a Santana.
 
I have a Stripped 58 an SE Bernie An SE Santana & a SE Soapbar II . The 58 is amazing but the Bernie & Santana get played a lot too . I do a lot of recording and the Soapbar is for P90 type things . Yes the 58 is pretty , but I love them all !
 
I definitely prefer the 24/7, Vela, and baritones in the SE line as opposed to the same models in the core versions. :p
 
"business forever always says and says it with great emotion everytime " most guitar players chose a guitar with their eyes not their ears "

I agree with that but you also select a guitar with your hands. Inexpensive guitars are great and very usable, but the feel of the rolled edges on my S2's neck reminds me why I prefer it over the SE's that I've tried (which took me awhile to figure out) With that said I'd have no problem gigging a Bernie or a Santana.
yes hands also.
 
you also select a guitar with your hands.

This is more key than most may think, If you look at the logic it makes perfect sense.
-If you buy a guitar that sounds great but doesn't feel like butter in your hands are you going to play it a lot? Sounds like something to be flipped later on.
-If you buy a guitar that feels like a dream in your hands you're gonna play it a lot, and even if it doesn't have the pickups tone you like, they can be changed.

As for SE vs core? The SE series is the best instrument in that price range of *ANY* manufacturer, but compared to core they don't stack up to me. The tone, playability, and workmanship isn't even close.
 
whenever this ? comes up. it usually turns in to a pissing match or somebody thinks the core people are being snobby, or someone's feelings get hurt. to me, I love my core models. I"ve had about 9 core models so far. my budde had a tremonti se. I just couldn't bond with it at all. after having a few core models himself, after a while , he couldn't bond with it either and sold it. I tried the s2 models at the 2013 exp, and they weren't bad, but for the price of a new s2, I could basically buy a used core on some models. I agree with other people when they say for that price range the se's are one of the best. I've tried a hundred se's out in GC over the years, they just have a different feel to them, to me, and a different build quality. not a knock on them, but, "it is what it is". hell, I sold a Korean epiphone 335 dot a few years ago that I would kill to get back. I bought it new and had it for years, and it played better, to me, than any Gibson 335 I ever tried out. I know where it is, but I cant get the guy to sell it back because HE loves it now also. I bought a dearmond m-77 that was closed out at $239 new at sam ash years ago. it was also a fantastic guitar I wish I had back. so it's not a "price", or "status" thing to me when it comes to prs's, it's just a feel and build quality thing!
 
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Part of it for me personally is being snobby and this is why I'm fighting against it. Truth is my core CU22 is a great guitar and I love it, but my fingers prefer the SE Bernie and Santana- maybe because of the shorter scale. I started playing guitar in the early 80s and instruments that I could afford were not good. My first real guitar after I got a job was a 79 hardtail strat and it was a dog.

If the PRS SE guitars were around back then it would have been heaven as for me they are better than the fender and gibson that I owned at the time.

Somebody once said that good enough is all you need and whilst I appreciate all the love for the core series and even the s2 (although they have their haters), I think the SE are better than good enough for me.

The local dealer wants the equivalent of around $xxxx for a core SC245 which has been on the wall for more than a few years. I guess it will stay there bit longer.

I'm gonna take the SE Santana to band practice tonight and see what the guys think of the sound.
 
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Does anybody else here actually prefer the feel of the SE over the core range?
After playing a core PRS for more than a few minutes, the inside of my forearm reminds me of one specific area where most SE guitars kick the sh!t out of most Maryland-made guitars; the sharp edge of the body. Some guitars are worse than others. Pretty happy that my NF3 doesn't have that problem.
 
After playing a core PRS for more than a few minutes, the inside of my forearm reminds me of one specific area where most SE guitars kick the sh!t out of most Maryland-made guitars; the sharp edge of the body. Some guitars are worse than others. Pretty happy that my NF3 doesn't have that problem.

I think the latest version of the SE Santana has the same body carve of the core model, although it is 2 frets shorter and the vol/tone and pickup selector switch has been moved. I can't compare to a core SC, but the SE Bernie is more comfortable than a gibson les paul. I think the belly cut and slight forearm bevel is a big plus, not sure if the core models have this.
 
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