Finding my first PRS

[h00jraq]

Hello Everyone,

I'm a happy (mostly) owner of Yamaha Pacifica 21 VFM with SD Trembucker in Bridge cuz default humbucker sux. It was the great guitar for a beginner and I really like it but it has some cons which can't be fixed and sometime I can't get right tone from it(flageolets sound very bad....). So I've started looking for the second guitar.

I play mostly rock and metal (but I'm not Chugging ).

After a long time, I've decided to try with the PRS SE line because some friends said to me it is worth my money and quality is really good.

I went to music shop today and tried PRS SE Custom 35th Anniversary and (by mistake) PRS SE 245 Standard from 2017 I believe.

Results are:
Love neck of 35th Anniversary and l Love the inlays but the sound was only ok. I have quite small hand even for adult and I felt very comfortable. Maybe because my Yamaha have very similar neck.

Love sound of 245 Standard but I hate the neck...

It looks like Music Shop also has SE Custom 24 version from 2020 so it will have the same neck as 35th Anniversary version but I'm afraid it will sound similar to the 35th version which I'm not the greatest fan.
It is just Bridge Pickup with Distortion sounded much heavier on 245 Standard than on 35th Anniversary.

If I could get one with wide thin neck and 245 pickups...
Maybe 35th pickups don't like Katana amps? I was playing on Katana 100 on 50W mode.
I guest the best option is to spend another 2h in the store... Any tips ?

 

[veinbuster]

Yes, spend another 2 hours in the store.
You will find a PRS that you like the feel and sound of. We all do.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Black Plaid]

The custom 24, if not the 35th anniversary will have different pickups, so you should definitely try it out.

If you can think about moving up the line a bit, the S2 McCarty 594 Thinline might be something that you like.

 

[dcm_guitar]

Just remember the search is more than half the fun!!

While PRS are very consistent (I mean VERY consistent), there will be differences between guitars of the same model and spec. It's the nature of using wood. Play as many as you can get your hands on and find the one that just feels right.

Once you've played enough to know what your really prefer within the PRS line (and have a sense for the variances within a specific model) you CAN order without playing. It's best to get a broad sample of guitars in your hands first. Then, start ordering without playing. FWIW, I only do the "order without playing" with PRS core models because their consistency is just so good.

Just play multiple examples, let your hands and ears be your guide. Don't buy the guitar just because "it's here now." Buy it because you MUST have it. The ones you buy because they're available right now and sound pretty good are the ones you end up selling or trading later. This isn't a bad thing at all, but it is the nature of buying a guitar because you wanted one and it was convenient.

 

[dogrocketp]

What amp do you use at home? Make sure the amp you're trying the guitar through sounds very similar to what you own. This alone could tilt you in the wrong direction. Also, know that you will probably need to rest the tone of the amp for each guitar. There is no universal setting for all guitars.

 

[dogrocketp]

Is the amp you're using at the music store similar to the one you have at home? Also work with different tone settings for each guitar, there is no such thing as a universal tone setting for every guitar. Tweak, tweak, tweak as you play.

 

[h00jraq]

Well, at home I'm playing with Bias FX/TH-U and my Vox Adio Air GT + Boss Waza-Air and at least those headphones should sound similar to Katana MK II 100 but they don't .
I do not think I will get any big amp soon. Maybe I will try to get Yamaha THR II and better studio monitors because right now I'm using Edifier speakers which are not really designed to play guitar through them.
Having this in mind, I have a plan to go again to test all of them on Wednesday.