Excited about my new PRS that's coming ... Until I came to the forums

While I was waiting for my SE SVN to arrive I watched the Indonesia factory tour video. It was interesting to see how similar the SE process was to the US process. I was pretty impressed when I got my SE, it was way better than I was expecting. I did change the nut to accommodate a larger string gauge but I’ve had no issue with the tuners, those two seem to be the items people replace by default.


 
What you need is perspective. When I bought my SE I looked at loads of vids on YouTube, and there were plenty from people saying they didn’t like this that or the other. One guy said he always changed out the pickups on his PRS guitars because he just didn’t like them. I was curious about why, especially after watching until the end of the video when the guy revealed that basically he couldn’t play anything but cowboy chords!

Now, that’s absolutely fine, but the phrase ‘All the gear and no idea’ does come to mind.

Enjoy your SE. I was not disappointed with mine. I should say that whilst it arrived in tune it did need a setup. The saddles were a bit off and the action was very high. I’ve had no issues with tuning stability at all though, and I’ve no intention of swapping out tuners/pickups/bridge or any of it.
 
GET TO DA CHOPPA said:
I recently, got back into playing guitar and bought myself a new PRS Custom 24 SE after doing a ton of research. I couldn't try it out because my city is still on lockdown, but overall I was super happy and couldn't wait. It is being shipped and has not arrived yet.

I then came across a whole bunch of threads on these forums where people are complaining about how "crappy" the pickups are on the SEs, and how badly the tuning stability is (especially if you use heavier than 9-42 strings). And all the threads seems to be about how you have to file the nut, add locking tuners etc etc.

I don't see this level of complains about Fender strats.

My overall impression now, is that these are great looking guitars, and feel great to play, but many, many people seems to absolutely hate how they sound, and the guitars don't stay in tune until you mode the crap out of them.

Perhaps I should have got a Mexican strat for the same price? Sounds like it would have been a lot easier since I am quite honestly incompetent when it comes to guitar tinkering.
Click to expand...


Nope .

You did the right thing. Before I had even purchased my first "Communist" (not made in America) guitar, the dudes at my local large chain store hangout said " I'd rather have an Asian made PRS, than a Mexican made Fender".

I was kinda shocked, but I took a close look at the PRS SE line... and my first take-away was "Boy, they are Cute" . They got the "pretty" thing going on with the veneers, binding and stuff.. That aside, they are quality made instruments. And are "moderately priced". Usta be $500 to say $1K, but now with the relative success of the line you can see the line starts at $580, and tops out at $1550 (ouch... but even that one is a hellava deal, for what it is.)

I now have a Mexican made Fender (a quality piece) and SE's made in Korea and Indonesia. ALL ARE GREAT.

As for the pickups. 85/15S pick ups are not crappy. BUT they are designed to work in a "budget priced " guitar.

Are they as good as a $250 dollar set of boutique pickups (I bought some, Vaughn Skow) ... NO but they represent about 40% of the cost of the guitar. 85/15S' work. And if you play with high levels of distortion ... well all cats are gray in the dark !

As for string gauge, the nut is cut for 9 gauge strings. Going bigger may require some work by somebody with a file, that knows what they are doing (Local Guitar Tech ?)

But I put (wait for it) SEVEN Gauge Rev Willys strings on my Korean made rig, with the stock 85/15's ...That makes me a "Commie", because everybody knows 14 Gauge strings are best !!!:confused: (the tension would probably snap the neck !)

But as along as I don't coil split (especially the Bridge PU) I'm not busting my butt to pay $200 to replace them.

Get your guitar set up for you. Play it awhile, and don't be swayed but the hype. YES you can "improve" almost every component on your SE, but by then,... you will have S2 money into it (like on an installment piece by piece plan)

That said... The SE Locking Tuners are a good move. Even I installed them in 2 guitars, with no muss, no fuss. No drilling, no bushing replacement. Just need a small Phillips and a 10 mm socket (and a small steel straight edge ) to do the job. There is a PRS video that shows how to do it in the PRS Tech Center.

And this from a dude that owned a guitar 20 years before he got brave enough to change strings himself ! Lockers , really make the job easier, and look waay cool. Forget all the other stuff you hear. But wait 'til they go on sale at PRS ...
 
My first SE was an ‘01 SE Santana, I liked it so much it was followed very shortly by a second early SE Santana. I will likely use the first one as a mod platform. Then came a ‘18 SE Standard 24, then a ‘14 SE Custom 22 Semi-hollow, then a ‘04 SE EG HSS, and finally a ‘05 SE EG SSS. All are stock and purchased used, within the last year. All are fine quality instruments, especially for the money, that needed little to nothing, besides maybe a little cleaning and light to medium setup. And lastly, they all feel, play, and sound excellent. Though, I confess I am not overly fond of the HSS pickups for some reason that I can’t quite identify. Regardless, as others have said, IMHO you’ve made an excellent choice. Welcome to the PRS Enablers and Support Group. Enjoy!
 
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I’ve never really ‘got’ the absolute need for locking tuners? Poke the string through the hole, wind one underneath the string that pokes through and the rest on top (or vice versa). As soon as you put any tension on the strings the poked through piece is clamped into place anyway. Easy (with a little practice).

Sure, if a guitar comes with rubbish tuners then fair enough, but the SE tuners are fine. At least mine are.
 
Uncle Bob said:
I’ve never really ‘got’ the absolute need for locking tuners? Poke the string through the hole, wind one underneath the string that pokes through and the rest on top (or vice versa). As soon as you put any tension on the strings the poked through piece is clamped into place anyway. Easy (with a little practice).

Sure, if a guitar comes with rubbish tuners then fair enough, but the SE tuners are fine. At least mine are.
Click to expand...

You're not wrong, but once I got used to just sticking it through and locking it down, non-locking tuners annoyed me :). Maybe I'm lazy, but I love the lockers!
 
CrimesAgainstMusic said:
Nope .

You did the right thing. Before I had even purchased my first "Communist" (not made in America) guitar, the dudes at my local large chain store hangout said " I'd rather have an Asian made PRS, than a Mexican made Fender".

I was kinda shocked, but I took a close look at the PRS SE line... and my first take-away was "Boy, they are Cute" . They got the "pretty" thing going on with the veneers, binding and stuff.. That aside, they are quality made instruments. And are "moderately priced". Usta be $500 to say $1K, but now with the relative success of the line you can see the line starts at $580, and tops out at $1550 (ouch... but even that one is a hellava deal, for what it is.)

I now have a Mexican made Fender (a quality piece) and SE's made in Korea and Indonesia. ALL ARE GREAT.

As for the pickups. 85/15S pick ups are not crappy. BUT they are designed to work in a "budget priced " guitar.

Are they as good as a $250 dollar set of boutique pickups (I bought some, Vaughn Skow) ... NO but they represent about 40% of the cost of the guitar. 85/15S' work. And if you play with high levels of distortion ... well all cats are gray in the dark !

As for string gauge, the nut is cut for 9 gauge strings. Going bigger may require some work by somebody with a file, that knows what they are doing (Local Guitar Tech ?)

But I put (wait for it) SEVEN Gauge Rev Willys strings on my Korean made rig, with the stock 85/15's ...That makes me a "Commie", because everybody knows 14 Gauge strings are best !!!:confused: (the tension would probably snap the neck !)

But as along as I don't coil split (especially the Bridge PU) I'm not busting my butt to pay $200 to replace them.

Get your guitar set up for you. Play it awhile, and don't be swayed but the hype. YES you can "improve" almost every component on your SE, but by then,... you will have S2 money into it (like on an installment piece by piece plan)

That said... The SE Locking Tuners are a good move. Even I installed them in 2 guitars, with no muss, no fuss. No drilling, no bushing replacement. Just need a small Phillips and a 10 mm socket (and a small steel straight edge ) to do the job. There is a PRS video that shows how to do it in the PRS Tech Center.

And this from a dude that owned a guitar 20 years before he got brave enough to change strings himself ! Lockers , really make the job easier, and look waay cool. Forget all the other stuff you hear. But wait 'til they go on sale at PRS ...
Click to expand...

Well, as I posted in another thread, I was not very happy with my SE. High e string kept slipping off, a few of the fretbars were lifting up a bit with a gap underneath, and the e high string seems closer to the edge of the neck than usual. Or at least closer than im used to. Action was high. I found it very uncomfortable to play. It's currently getting fixed, so I'll how i like it afterwards. So far not very impressed. But visually, it's amazing, and I like how light it is. It sounds "ok". Like not bad, not good, just like if I grabbed some random guitar from a pawn shop, I'd expect it to sound about like this lol. I'm more concerned about playability right now though, and so far it fails miserably. I am not right it off just yet. I will give it a fair shot.
 
H'mmm Sounds like your guitar did not receive any "TLC" prior to shipment/delivery. All my SE's came from the "tasty-water" guys in Indiana, who claim to do a "55 Point Check". There must be something to that, as my 3 have been immaculate in finish, and set up so no strings bind in the nut, and action is as low as possible, without buzzing ... No fret issues, just perfect. And the durn thing travels 100's of miles before reaching me ...

If fret wires are high or leaving the fretboard, that is unfortunate, but a warranty issue that your dealer should address with PRS Get with them ...
 
As others have said, live with the pickups for several weeks. Try raising them and lowering them. Above all, don’t expect amp settings that work for a Lester or Leo to bring out the best in your PRS. You may be surprised. The other issues? We have no idea how many climates and humidities that guitar has seen in this weird winter.
 
CrimesAgainstMusic said:
H'mmm Sounds like your guitar did not receive any "TLC" prior to shipment/delivery. All my SE's came from the "tasty-water" guys in Indiana, who claim to do a "55 Point Check". There must be something to that, as my 3 have been immaculate in finish, and set up so no strings bind in the nut, and action is as low as possible, without buzzing ... No fret issues, just perfect. And the durn thing travels 100's of miles before reaching me ...

If fret wires are high or leaving the fretboard, that is unfortunate, but a warranty issue that your dealer should address with PRS Get with them ...
Click to expand...

I felt like I should post an update, since I was complaining before. Well, I got my guitar back. Fixed fret bar issue. It was probably the weather. Got full setup, and lowerd action. Changed strings to 10s. String no longer slips off or gets stuck. The high e string is still a bit closer to edge of fretboard than I'm used to, but it's no longer an issue and doesn't slip off, and there is no longer anywhere for it to get stuck.

It plays much better now, and feels comfortable. Now, I can focus my efforts on dialing in the sound.

Also, I don't know if it' my imagination, or my mood is different or something, but it seems to sound a bit better now as well.
 
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GET TO DA CHOPPA said:
I felt like I should post an update, since I was complaining before. Well, I got my guitar back. Fixed fret bar issue. It was probably the weather. Got full setup, and lowerd action. Changed strings to 10s. String no longer slips off or gets stuck. The high e string is still a bit closer to edge of fretboard than I'm used to, but it's no longer an issue and doesn't slip off, and there is no longer anywhere for it to get stuck.

It plays much better now, and feels comfortable. Now, I can focus my efforts on dialing in the sound.

Also, I don't know if it' my imagination, or my mood is different or something, but it seems to sound a bit better now as well.
Click to expand...
Good to hear.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it sounded better after getting everything in order.
 
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