JTroska
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2015
- Messages
- 59
S2s are hard to find by me. But I found a brick and mortar store 50 minutes from me that had some and I went in for a test drive.
There seems to be a divided opinion about this line. Some feel S2s aren't much better than the SE line to justify the higher cost. Others feel they're a steal considering how close they come to the core line. I already own an SE Semi Hollow Custom Soapbar and a Core SC250. After trying the S2s, my feeling is VISUALLY, they're more on par with SEs, but FEEL-wise, they come closer to the Core line. So it comes down to what a player values most in a PRS. If a PRS means lush 3D curly tops to you, you're probably going to walk away from an S2 unimpressed. If you love PRS for how they perform and can live without the cosmetic bling, you'll probably like the S2s.
I will say this... If you're particular about flamed tops, DO NOT buy an S2 site-unseen. This store had six S2 models and the quality of the tops ranged A LOT. One was quite attractive in an elegant understated way. When I say "understated", I mean compared to the 3D hologram-like tops of the Core line. This particular S2 was still on a par with far more expensive Gibsons in the store. Other S2 specimens were quite bare in the flame department, and others were quite uneven and--I'll be honest--kind of ugly.
Color ranged a lot, too. 5 of the 6 were Blue Crab Smokeburst. 1 was a Cherryburst. The Blue Crab Smokebursts were slightly different from each other. One was almost a grayish light green; one seemed closer to teal. Maybe my words are making the colors sound more different than they really were. But if you're particular about color, you should go look at the exact model you're buying.
I tried the S2 Singlecut Semi Hollow first. I was immediately impressed by the unplugged sound of this guitar. Louder and more vibrant than I had expected from the smallish chamber. Probably not the deep round sound one might desire for jazz. But I'm doing pop rock and this guitar was sooo nice for that. I can't really comment on the pickups because I wasn't playing it through my own amp so it wasn't a controlled subject. I didn't hear any problems. The unplugged vibrance and openness makes me wonder if it'll feedback at higher band volumes, though. I liked that the volume pots were stiffer than on my Core guitar and seemed less likely to get bumped/rubbed out of position.
I also tried the S2 Singlecut Standard (solid body) just to compare the difference between the semi hollow and solid models. Definitely a pronounced difference between the two. Those F holes aren't just cosmetic. But I didn't spend much time on the solid body as I already have an SC250.
Also tried an S2 Custom 22 Semi Hollow. Pretty much the same deal as the Singlecut Semi Hollow. Maybe the Singlecut Semi Hollow sounded just a teeny touch better unplugged but that could've come down the the age of the strings on it. I'd say the choice would come down to the body shape and bridge one prefers.
I don't know... That Singlecut Semi Hollow spoke to me. I'll sleep on it. I may just go back and take it home with me.
There seems to be a divided opinion about this line. Some feel S2s aren't much better than the SE line to justify the higher cost. Others feel they're a steal considering how close they come to the core line. I already own an SE Semi Hollow Custom Soapbar and a Core SC250. After trying the S2s, my feeling is VISUALLY, they're more on par with SEs, but FEEL-wise, they come closer to the Core line. So it comes down to what a player values most in a PRS. If a PRS means lush 3D curly tops to you, you're probably going to walk away from an S2 unimpressed. If you love PRS for how they perform and can live without the cosmetic bling, you'll probably like the S2s.
I will say this... If you're particular about flamed tops, DO NOT buy an S2 site-unseen. This store had six S2 models and the quality of the tops ranged A LOT. One was quite attractive in an elegant understated way. When I say "understated", I mean compared to the 3D hologram-like tops of the Core line. This particular S2 was still on a par with far more expensive Gibsons in the store. Other S2 specimens were quite bare in the flame department, and others were quite uneven and--I'll be honest--kind of ugly.
Color ranged a lot, too. 5 of the 6 were Blue Crab Smokeburst. 1 was a Cherryburst. The Blue Crab Smokebursts were slightly different from each other. One was almost a grayish light green; one seemed closer to teal. Maybe my words are making the colors sound more different than they really were. But if you're particular about color, you should go look at the exact model you're buying.
I tried the S2 Singlecut Semi Hollow first. I was immediately impressed by the unplugged sound of this guitar. Louder and more vibrant than I had expected from the smallish chamber. Probably not the deep round sound one might desire for jazz. But I'm doing pop rock and this guitar was sooo nice for that. I can't really comment on the pickups because I wasn't playing it through my own amp so it wasn't a controlled subject. I didn't hear any problems. The unplugged vibrance and openness makes me wonder if it'll feedback at higher band volumes, though. I liked that the volume pots were stiffer than on my Core guitar and seemed less likely to get bumped/rubbed out of position.
I also tried the S2 Singlecut Standard (solid body) just to compare the difference between the semi hollow and solid models. Definitely a pronounced difference between the two. Those F holes aren't just cosmetic. But I didn't spend much time on the solid body as I already have an SC250.
Also tried an S2 Custom 22 Semi Hollow. Pretty much the same deal as the Singlecut Semi Hollow. Maybe the Singlecut Semi Hollow sounded just a teeny touch better unplugged but that could've come down the the age of the strings on it. I'd say the choice would come down to the body shape and bridge one prefers.
I don't know... That Singlecut Semi Hollow spoke to me. I'll sleep on it. I may just go back and take it home with me.