Have SE Santana, and want to buy a strat type, what do you recomend me?

[lagoausente]

Hello, I have a cheap Peavey strat type that I bought lot of yearse ago, not very good guitar but was nice to learn. Last year I bought a SE Santana. I love the guitar, with a simple Pod II can get a quite decent "Santana Sound", and even with using clean amps on the Pod, the guitar has a very nice warm sound.
Even I´m satisfied with it, I think that his guitar is not very versatile, it has it´s own sound, nice but Santana sound.
I´m considering to buy a strat type guitar. I have seen that Custom 24 2012, I thought it had coild tap, but seems I was wrong. But PRS have other models, so I should like to know your suggestions considering I already have the Santana SE.
I also have thought about getting a second hand Fender Strat, I also should like to know your opinions.
Thanks in advance.

 

[CoreyT]

2012 SE Custom 24 does indeed have coil tap by pulling up on the tone knob as I have one.
2012 model
http://www.prsguitars.com/2012/secustom24/

2013 model
http://www.prsguitars.com/secustom24/

The Custom 24 you were looking at, did it have a toggle switch or a blade?
Blade switches were put on for the 2012 model year as well as coil tapping.

Welcome to the forum.
The SEs are a very good line, I have three of them, and now a USA built 408 I picked up last Friday..

 

[lagoausente]

2012 SE Custom 24 does indeed have coil tap by pulling up on the tone knob as I have one.
2012 model
http://www.prsguitars.com/2012/secustom24/

2013 model
http://www.prsguitars.com/secustom24/

The Custom 24 you were looking at, did it have a toggle switch or a blade?
Blaside switches were put on for the 2012 model year as well as coil tapping.

Welcome to the forum.
The SEs are a very good line, I have three of them, and now a USA built 408 I picked up last Friday..

Thanks a lot for replying. The video I saw was the 2012 one, the official that is on the 2012 link you provided. For what I understand, 2012 model has push/pull switch+3 toggle position , while 2013 one has 5 toggle switch. Seems that 2012 has 6 posibilities, I´m wright? 3x2 ? And 2013 model has 5 toggle that seems more practical while playing. What is preferable? I see 2012 sock models little cheaper on Thomann..,
I also have found a second hand PRS SE EG near where I live. It sells for half the price it costs a new Se Custom 24. I guess is less versatile, but what about it´s quality, doesn´t it worth? How should compare to Custom 24 one? If it´s sounds good but on the strato type, so I could combine the Santana SE and the SE EG (humbucker/single coil) for less price, Custom 24 seems more all-purpose guitar. My doubt is it´s worth also for it´s sound compared to the EG or only to more versatile.
Thanks in advance.

 

[RichardJ]

My CE22 comes close, with the 5 way rotary switch it has two useful parallel single coil options. However.... my first love has always been the Strat and much as I try I simply cannot find another guitar that sounds like one. Even split humbuckers are missing 'something' and having the angled pickup by the bridge is part of the sound.
IMHO, find a good Strat with decent quality pickups and see how it feels and sounds, it's the only way to be sure.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

If a 305 is not in the budget, give the SE EG with s/s/s pups a try.

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=261219030241&index=21&nav=SEARCH&nid=52913178831

 

[lagoausente]

I have found a second hand SE EG for half the price of a new Custom 24. Seems a good choice, I also have a Seymour Duncan hot rails on my cheap Peavey, I guess if could be an upgrade maybe for the neck pickup?
Overall quality and sound could be a better pair with my Se Santana then the Custom 24? There is no much info about the EG model out there.
The guy sells it for 350 euro, Custom 24 costs around 670 (2012 stock ones) to 730 euro actual model.. what do you think?
Thanks a lot.

 

[lagoausente]

I´m still on the doubt, cant edit the tittle of the thread so I´m really not sure if "must be a strat" or not. The EG seems affordable second hand, the SE Custom 24 may be more versatile? May be worth the extra money?
For what I have read on other threads, the EG also is not a Strat, its a PRS with 3 single coil, similar to strat but with it´s own sound, warmer. If I should buy a Custom 24 should I buy near the same thing as Santana SE? Or could be a good pair with it?
I will have to decide soon to tell the guy if buy the EG or not, so I should like to know some more opinions in general, what advantages/disvantages of each one, if it´s worth the custom 24 or if not, what should I expecto from the EG.., I´m too confused.
Thanks in advance.

 

[jimfisher]

I have an SE EG and it sure meets all my Strat needs:

- WF neck profile
- 3 single coils and a 5-way switch
- Stoptail bridge
- Stays in tune and intonates perfectly

Jim

 

[lagoausente]

I know they are two different animals. Customs 24/Eg, PRS sound/strato, do you think if I buy the EG I should still want also the Custom 24?
SE EG+SE Custom 24+Se Santana?
or, maybe with the new custom 24+Santana should be enought for most purposes?
I really love PRS sound, but I guess if still will miss the "thin sound" of a strato for some things or if could get all from the Custom 24.., what do you think about?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Desperado]

I have a Mexican strat, one of their higher end models (classic player 50s) and its a great guitar. It was designed by the Fender custom shop and has US pickups and a few other upgrades which come as standard.

I'm not trying to put you off another SE, I love mine, but a strat type guitar will only get you close to a strat sound. A real strat will get you the actual strat sound.

For a little more than it costs for a top end Mexican you can get an American Special strat which are great too, though I preferred the one I have when I demoed them in the shop.

The SE Custom 24 is no strat, even in coil tapped mode. The SE EG is much closer, so if you are set on another PRS then the EG will be the better guitar to get you that single coil strat like tone.

I spent years trying out and owning many strat like guitars and searching for the strat sound, basically because I think strats look boring. In the end I just bought a real strat and have been happy ever since.

My SE Singlecut is still the axe that gets the most use however. My strat and Tele are great for what they do, but when I really want to rock out, my SE is the guitar I reach for.

 

[lagoausente]

I have a Mexican strat, one of their higher end models (classic player 50s) and its a great guitar. It was designed by the Fender custom shop and has US pickups and a few other upgrades which come as standard.

I'm not trying to put you off another SE, I love mine, but a strat type guitar will only get you close to a strat sound. A real strat will get you the actual strat sound.

For a little more than it costs for a top end Mexican you can get an American Special strat which are great too, though I preferred the one I have when I demoed them in the shop.

The SE Custom 24 is no strat, even in coil tapped mode. The SE EG is much closer, so if you are set on another PRS then the EG will be the better guitar to get you that single coil strat like tone.

I spent years trying owning many strat like guitars and searching for the strat sound, basically because I think strats look boring. In the end I just bought a real strat and have been happy ever since.

My SE Singlecut is still the axe that gets the most use however. My strat and Tele are great for what they do, but when I really want to rock out, my SE is the guitar I reach for.

Thanks a lot, useful info.
I´m using a Pod 2.0, but I´m planning to buy a hd pod pro soon. I don´t use amps, just play at home and record with this simulators, that for what they cost, do their job quite well.
You have reason when mention that spending on a strat type may leave me just on half satisfied,
I know Custom 24 is not strat, but I thought about it because the pull/push switch, I thought even it´s not a strat, splitting humbuckers could do the job with the Pod for clean sounds, but I´m not sure of that.
You mentioned also that most of time you use the SE Singlecut. I´m not sure I want to spend for example 700 on a true strat to play through a Pod, I´m not sure if that could make sense?
I love play SE Santana, even it´s sound is far diferent, if for example load a "Sultans of Swing" amp on the pod, it sounds good, not same sound as a strat but not fat really.
I like the Santana color, but I miss more versatile options. For example, if want to record a clean accompaniment with chords and or arpeggios the Santana sound is fat for this.
So, thinking on a "thin sound" I thought about a strat type guitar. But don´t think I´ll make solos with a strato, I think I should prefer to make a solo with the Santana even with no drive at all, so I want the clean, thin sound as background, rhythmic and accompaniment, 95% will not be protagonist.
So I have doubts if for this purpose I should need a really american strat, I think should be a waste of money.
For this purpose, I think should be enough the EG (maybe I´m wrong) or even the actual custom 24 with push pull. This last one costs more, but seems more versatile. My guess (still) is about Custom 24+Santana pair. I think Custom 24 with single coil could do the job for clean background chords and accompaniment with some trick on the pod, but what about humbuckers? Should complement the Santana, or they here should they cover same fields and uses? The Santana has it´s own sound, and need another guitar to cover more spectrum. Custom 24 in theory seems to cover and complement the middle range between pure strats and Santana.
On the other hand, SE EG maybe could do the job perfectly for what I need, but I guess if will fit on the songs with the Santana, or if still will miss something between the two?
Sorry for asking another time same things. I think I have added more info about the use I´ll give to the guitar so maybe you can give me a better diagnostic.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Desperado]

Ok so if you are looking for a single coil like sound to cut through some of your rhythm playing, then I think a coil tapped SE Custom 24 could give you that. I also think it could do the work your Santana currently does.

You clearly like your Santana a lot but you might find yourself reaching for it less and less. The CU 24 might well have the versatility you need to do everything. It's a lovely guitar. Your best option is to go and try both a strat and a CU 24 and see what works for you.

 

[lagoausente]

Mmm, Im thinking, should be dificult to mod the Santana with a push/pull?

 

[Desperado]

Depends whether your current pups can be split. If not then you would need new pups and a push/pull switch and some know-how (or a good guitar tech). I bet it would be cheaper than buying a new guitar.

If you love your Santana as much as it sounds, then it could be a very worthwhile exercise.

 

[lagoausente]

Well, good exercise but maybe too experimental, dont want to damage this nice guitar, maybe if anyone have done it before would try it, but seems no usual.
I think Custom 24 has also diferent pickups so result may be different.
Its a difficult decision. The EG the guy sells is S/S/H/ like this one, http://www.musictrade24.com/webshop...que-White-Tremolo-inkl--Original-Gig-Bag.html

Customs 24 2012 is tentative also as multi-purpose guitar.
Still dont know what to do.

 

[Desperado]

Just take it to a guitar tech, it's likely you can get it all do e for a couple of hundred Euros, depending on which pickups you go for.

 

[Sage]

It's unlikely that the pickups in your SE Santana can be coil-split, so modding it would require replacing them, which would change the sound -- probably not what you want if you like the sound of that guitar.

Hans's suggestion (the SE EG with single-coil pickups) is the best one if you really want a PRS-made strat style guitar at a low price. However, bear in mind:
1. It's a 25-inch scale guitar, not 25.5 like a Strat. This will feel closer to your SE Santana, though not exactly like it.
2. It's a mahogany body and neck instead of alder body and maple neck, which are the usual tonewoods for a Strat. Mahogany has a more pronounced midrange whereas alder is a bit more even across the tonal spectrum.

The only guitar PRS makes that has the same dimensions and tonewood as a Strat is the 305, but that's an expensive axe compared to your SE Santana. There's also the DC3, which will get you very close, but it's still a little short in the scale length (25.25-inch) and the bridge pickup isn't slanted for some reason. And my Custom 24 is very, very good at getting that Strat quack with split coils. So the SE Custom 24 with the coil tap might be worth your while.

If you're not worried about getting that exact strat feel and sound, and you want to stick with PRS, then any of these options are excellent approximations, and I'd go with Hans's suggestion. The SE EG will be cheap and well-built.

Otherwise, you can do what I did and pick up a Squier Classic Vibe strat for cheap and replace the tremolo block with a steel one from GuitarFetish.com. I rarely use mine, though, because my Custom 24 usually does what I need.

 

[dogrocketp]

I would get the SE EG. First of all it should have the routed body, similar to a strat. The scale length is closer to a strat, so the pickup spacing will be more like a strat in sound. I believe that PRS guitars are more inherently in tune than any other brand, and I'm an endorser for a product that makes F & G guitars play more in tune. I'm an old guy who has more guitars than fingers, and I think that an EG with a good Boss multiband equalizer would get you anything you wanted. I also like the neck shapes of PRS, and have only found 1 strat that was as comfortable, and that's a custom put together for my by a former PRS employee. It's also easy to change pickups if you don't like the stock ones. I would change the volume and tone pots first, if it comes to that. As others have said, modifying an SE is a breeze and can get you something really special.

 

[lagoausente]

First of all, thanks for you opinions, very instructive.
I also thought that modifiy the Santana was not a good idea for the reasons you mentioned, it´s nice because it´s sound just like it is.
Regarding the EG/Custom 24 is not an easy decision. The videos I could saw about EG was not very good recordings, but in general I have the feeling that this guitar is quite "cold" or "metallic" sound compared to the Custom 24 with split coils or even compared with true strats. I still have a cheap Peavey with a Seymour Duncan hot rails pickup on the neck, it doesn´t stay in tune much time really, so I thought to replace it. But Custom 24 seriusly makes me consider it instead of the EG.
You Sage say that you rare use your strato, and most of work do with the Custom 24.
Another thing to consider is that the EG is maybe not so easy to resell if I´m not totally satisfied. I agree that is cheap considering it´s quality, the one the guy sells is for 350 euro, and is the S/S/H/, so I´m not sure if it´s better or worse then the S/S/S model.
I miss some better videos about the EG, I´m not very convinced about it, sure it´s well-built but I guess maybe should be a better choice to spend those 350+save another 350 and buy a new Custom 24, and maybe the Peavy could do the job when I´ll need a more strat sound than the Custom 24 one. In the end is all about money, I should buy both EG and Custom 24 to cover all the range. I´m not totally sure but I think that with EG+Santana will still miss something intermediate. In the other hand many of you suggested a true strat guitar instead the SE EG one.
I´ll try to search more videos about the EG, to see what I can found.
Thanks to all for help. Nice forum.

 

[Sage]

You Sage say that you rare use your strato, and most of work do with the Custom 24.

Absolutely. But let me give you some context for that: I mostly play hard rock music (like Rush, or the new Slash album). So I use the Custom 24 because I like the sound of a full humbucking bridge pickup going into an overdriven amplifier. This is my main tone. I don't use single-coil sounds a lot.

Also, my Custom 24 is a USA-made version, not the SE, so the pickup selector switch is a little different; instead of a 3-way switch and a push-pull to split the coils, my guitar has a 5-way switch. My guitar won't do a single-coil bridge pickup by itself, or a single-coil neck pickup by itself. The SE Custom 24 will do that, but I have no idea if those sounds are any good compared to a genuine Stratocaster. My guitar only does both pickups together in single-coil mode. This is designed to sound like a Strat's bridge and middle pickups together, usually known as the "Strat quack" sound. The Custom 24 replicates this sound very well in my opinion.

The SE Custom 24 is still in production so you should be able to find one in a music store. I highly recommend you try one out and see if you like the single coil sounds before you buy. If you're happy with it, then go with the Custom 24.

The only reason I recommended the EG was because you already have a dual-humbucker guitar. But if you're like me and you mostly use humbuckers and only need single-coils once in a while, then yes, the Custom 24 is a great choice.