Dropped off my Gibson '61 Reissue SG, and looked at more SEs

[CoreyT]

Dropped of my SG at A Sharp Music where I bought my SE Santana a month back.
They are putting on Planet Wave Autotrim tuners, EB Cobalts, and tuneup the whole guitar since Guitar Center does not do this.
I really like this local music shop as they do great work, and make sure your guitar is setup correctly before leaving.

Todd, I told Skip that you said hello, and I met John too.
Jay the tech is off today, he will be in tomorrow to start surgery on my SG

While I was there I looked at three Les Paul styles.

The Tremonti

245 in Tobacco like the URL here, wish they had the red tortoise one in

And the Single Cut

The 245 was heavy like my old Gibson '73 Les Paul Deluxe, while the Tremonti was very light.
I liked those two better than the Single Cut.

Between the 245 and the Tremonti, which is a better one for classic rock?
Kind of leaning towards the Tremonti since it is a little thinner and lighter in weight.
Both were very nice though, and it is weird seeing no bridge to set the intonation like I have on my SG.

I see they have other Les Paul styles too, but I did not get a chance to check out any others while I was there.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Tremonti and the 245.... Both very good guitars! No Bernies?

Both will do classic rock well i'm sure but having played the 245 and owning the Bernie i'd have to say the 245 may be the better choice. Nice classic rock tones from the SE 245 pups.

The wraptails on the SE have two screws at the back so you can set the intonation. No issues with mine.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Just thought... You've got the same pups in the Santana as in the 245... Maybe the Tremonti will offre you something a little different.

 

[howard52]

hi i own a 245 tortoise, and a bernie, the 245 is the best guitar in this line, the finish is a dark brown heavy flame nothing like the photo in prs website..i owned a tremonti not very impressed with it.. my 245 has a thick heavy neck and a dark rosewood board on it..much nicer than the bernie..just wish the bernie had the same knob layout as the 245..the upgrade on the new 245/bernie has come a long way,,cant say the same for the tremonti..the only weakness was the nut and pickups, changed mine to gibson burstbuckers..and orange caps.. you we get much more bang for ur buck with the 245 over the tremonti imo..

 

[CantankerousCarl]

Also my 2c...I have both an SE Santana and an SE245, and I cannot believe how different these two guitars sound, especially in the neck positions. I almost don't believe that they are the same pups, although I have read numerous places that they are. Both are great sounding guitars...I was worried when I first picked up the 245 (had the Santana first) that they would be "redundant" but they are not. The 245 is just plain thick and round sounding, and should complement your existing guitarsenal well.

 

[CoreyT]

Thanks guy's.
I am also looking at the new 2012 SE Custom 24.
Looks like it may have the same pups as the Santana and 245 also.
http://prsguitars.com/secustom24/

Never played a 24 fret one before, and my local dealer is getting some in late August or in early September.
Not sure why Sweetwater has had them for a month now, as he is a pretty big PRS dealer too.

When he gets them in, he will call me to come on down and test one out.
I hear some have difficulty getting adjusted to a 24 fret model since the pups are in a different location???

I do like the looks and sound of this one though.

 

[bretwomack]

I have a Tremonti SE, and after getting the made in Maryland Tremonti, I wish the SE had a thicker body. And I know the SE 245 has a thicker body. I would get the 245 or a Bernie. If you're thinking 24 frets though, I really don't think you'd ever be disappointed with the new 2012 SE custom 24.

-Bret

 

[CantankerousCarl]

Played a 2012 SE CST24 this week...took a darn long time for them to come in. Had a hard time not pulling the trigger. I liked the tobacco burst alot more in person than I did in the photos. Mind you I was not in my basement and could not A/B directly, but the neck felt SCARY close to my STD24, alot more so than the 2010 SE CST24 I recently sold. Played through the same amp I have at home (BS Club40) and the single coil sounds were really, good - bridge tapped seemed to be more usable than my Mira...again, could not A/B directly. Action was way too high for my taste out of the box, have found that the SE setups vary wildly (my SE245 was perfect though).

With that neck feel, and the carve, and the natural binding...kinda forgot I wasn't playing a Maryland model. Definitely the nicest SE I have ever played, could not find one defect or imperfection in fit, finish or workmanship.

Pickups are not the same, can only tell you that the pups on my old SE CST24 were definitely hotter, with less difference between the neck and bridge than the Santana or 245. Not sure if they redesigned them for 2012 now that they split.

RE: 22v24, I am not a great player, I do enjoy switching back and forth between the WF22s and WT24s - my first PRS was a 1992 CST24, so that's what I "grew up" with and for me, a well set-up WT24 neck just kinda disappears. I don't think Corey you will have much of a problem switching back and forth.

 

[andy474x]

Another thing about the 24 fret models is the heel is a lot shorter, add to that the extra frets and you have easier access to another 4-5 frets compared to the 245. I have small hands, so that's been a real nice feature on the SE24. I really wish PRS would bring back the solid body SECU22, but with a short heel and stoptail... But alas, I think I'm dreaming. Anyways, the neck pickup on a 24 fret is closer to the bridge, so it's just a tad brighter and snappier, but not too much. Works great for rock, but if you really want the maximum warmth for blues leads and such, 22 is the way to go.

 

[CoreyT]

Thanks guy's.
I hope he gets the tobacco colored one in, and I can not wait to test one out.
If I get it, I will have them install locking tuners there.

Hard choice on that.
Do I go with the Planet Waves Autotrim tuners I have on both my Santana and SG which required new holes to be drilled and old ones plugged which show, or go with the Grover 406 which drop right in and use the same screw holes.

I must admit I really like the string cutting feature of the Autotrim ones, and they feel nice when tuning.

 

[andy474x]

The 406's are nice too, but I don't think you can go wrong either way.