First PRS advice

$800 seems a bit high considering the condition and age. I paid $300 for a 30th Anniversary Custom 24 that had absolutely no damage a few years ago.
 
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$800 seems a bit high considering the condition and age. I paid $300 for a 30th Anniversary Custom 24 that had absolutely no damage a few years ago.

$800 was for the OP (or I think he mentioned that was the price new), the asking on mine is $300 and we are currently at $275
 
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I'm looking to get my first PRS and am trying to decided if I should go with a new SE24 Standard or a used SE24 Custom.

If you can swing it, I would go for used real PRS. I know that it will not make me popular, but as a native Marylander, I do not consider SEs to be real PRS guitars. They are the PRS equivalent of “Duncan Designed” pickups. SEs are decent guitars, but they are World Musical Instruments and Cort guitars. If a PRS-branded guitar was not built in Maryland, then it is a PINO (PRS in name only). That’s why I cringe when someone mentions that they purchased their first PRS and it is an SE. No, he/she purchased his/her first SE. I wish that PRS would have taken a similar approach with the SEs as Fender did with the Squier brand. There are huge differences in quality between made in Maryland guitars and the imports, not to mention that the figure in Maryland guitars with curly maple tops spans the full thickness of the top whereas the imports have a thin figured veneer over a plain maple cap.
 
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Huigens in Hengelo :)
Any general advice for me?
I find it odd that a salesperson knows nothing about his product. 13 years old is not much info. Price seems fair. They pop up frequently on a well known dutch trade side. It just comes down to your preference. The newer SE's look more like the core version. The PU's are a little better. If you're gonna use the trem be prepared voor a nut swap to the core version and maybe some locking tuners. Be sure to check the site from Dijkmans Breda and Kees Dee Apeldoorn. And the german high volume dealer Thomann. Just to have something to compare with.
Good luck:cool:
 
Went ahead and picked it up (it's a 2006 SE Custom 22). Ideally it would have had the bird inlay, but at $275 I couldn't pass it up.

Heck, at that price even if I find something better, I can give it to my younger grandson who just started playing last year (provided he keeps at it).

PRS SE Custom 22.jpg
 
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Went ahead and picked it up (it's a 2006 SE Custom 22). Ideally it would have had the bird inlay, but at $275 I couldn't pass it up.

Heck, at that price even if I find something better, I can give it to my younger grandson who just started playing last year (provided he keeps at it).

PRS SE Custom 22.jpg
Congrats! Very nice
 
Went ahead and picked it up (it's a 2006 SE Custom 22). Ideally it would have had the bird inlay, but at $275 I couldn't pass it up.

Heck, at that price even if I find something better, I can give it to my younger grandson who just started playing last year (provided he keeps at it).

PRS SE Custom 22.jpg
So when are you buying the next PRS? They are like lays chips. Can’t only have one. Congrats.
 
Went ahead and picked it up (it's a 2006 SE Custom 22). Ideally it would have had the bird inlay, but at $275 I couldn't pass it up.

Heck, at that price even if I find something better, I can give it to my younger grandson who just started playing last year (provided he keeps at it).

PRS SE Custom 22.jpg

Congrats! That is probably the best $275 you will ever spend.
 
If you can swing it, I would go for used real PRS. I know that it will not make me popular, but as a native Marylander, I do not consider SEs to be real PRS guitars. They are the PRS equivalent of “Duncan Designed” pickups. SEs are decent guitars, but they are World Musical Instruments and Cort guitars. If a PRS-branded guitar was not built in Maryland, then it is a PINO (PRS in name only). That’s why I cringe when someone mentions that they purchased their first PRS and it is an SE. No, he/she purchased his/her first SE. I wish that PRS would have taken a similar approach with the SEs as Fender did with the Squier brand. There are huge differences in quality between made in Maryland guitars and the imports, not to mention that the figure in Maryland guitars with curly maple tops spans the full thickness of the top whereas the imports have a thin figured veneer over a plain maple cap.

So nice of you to come on the thread and be an elitist jerk. Maybe you should call Paul and let him know that you think his SE line are not "real" PRS guitars.
 
So nice of you to come on the thread and be an elitist jerk. Maybe you should call Paul and let him know that you think his SE line are not "real" PRS guitars.

You can call me what you want, but no one can deny that SEs are not real PRS guitars anymore than anyone can deny that a Squier is not a real Fender. SEs are entry-level instruments that are manufactured under license by other companies. The “SE” in “PRS SE” stands for “Student Edition.” The SE line was created at the request of Carlos Santana as a way to bring young guitarists into the PRS family. SEs are a start, not a destination. The intent was to build brand loyalty and up-sell into the Maryland-made line, which has worked very well. The success of the SE line is in large due to the cost of everything in Europe and Great Britain, in large part due to ridiculous value-added tax policy.
 
Went ahead and picked it up (it's a 2006 SE Custom 22). Ideally it would have had the bird inlay, but at $275 I couldn't pass it up.

Heck, at that price even if I find something better, I can give it to my younger grandson who just started playing last year (provided he keeps at it).

PRS SE Custom 22.jpg

13 years ago the SE's didn't have birds. It's all right, your next one will. The price you paid is an excellent one. You did very well, now go play the string off it!
 
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13 years ago the SE's didn't have birds. It's all right, your next one will. The price you paid is an excellent one. You did very well, now go play the string off it!

In my humble opinion, The introduction of birds into the SE line is the directly due to cost of Maryland-made PRS guitars in Great Britain and Europe. Maryland-made PRS guitars may be expensive in the U.S., but that pales in comparison to what they pay across the pond due to the consumption tax known as the value-added tax. That tax adds at least 20% to the cost of any PRS guitar. I know that Americans have been griping about having to pay state sales tax on out of state sales since the South Dakota v. Wayfair SCOTUS decision in 2018 (the reason why you now have to pay sales tax on eBay purchase, regardless as to if the seller is in your state), but no sales tax in the U.S. approaches the value-added tax. Maryland-made PRS guitars are priced based on American taxation, which makes them uncompetitive across the pond. PRS has to pay for healthcare for its employees and the person across the pond who purchases a PRS guitar. That is an unfair competitive advantage because that healthcare cost is not priced into products produced on the other side of the pond. That is why the VAT exists.
 
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If you can swing it, I would go for used real PRS. I know that it will not make me popular, but as a native Marylander, I do not consider SEs to be real PRS guitars. They are the PRS equivalent of “Duncan Designed” pickups. SEs are decent guitars, but they are World Musical Instruments and Cort guitars. If a PRS-branded guitar was not built in Maryland, then it is a PINO (PRS in name only). That’s why I cringe when someone mentions that they purchased their first PRS and it is an SE. No, he/she purchased his/her first SE. I wish that PRS would have taken a similar approach with the SEs as Fender did with the Squier brand. There are huge differences in quality between made in Maryland guitars and the imports, not to mention that the figure in Maryland guitars with curly maple tops spans the full thickness of the top whereas the imports have a thin figured veneer over a plain maple cap.
I have SE, S2, and core. They’re all very good guitars and sound different, which is why I have them. No need to cork sniff, everybody has a different situation. Get what floats your boat.......
 
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