Hey You - Shut Up! The New CE ROCKS!

[CantankerousCarl]

Nice score Carl! I don't want to know what you had to part with to fund these 2 bad boys/girls!

Any chance of popping the cover and telling us if it's all US electronics? (One would assume so...)

Just for Justmund, I popped open the control cavity this AM and got these shots of Amber on the inside:

I was a little put off, however, to discover the cost-cutting measures employed on the control cavity cover. Can you BELIEVE THIS?

Amber was a little upset at being awoke so rude-like so early in the AM, so she made me promise to post a beauty shot of her as well. Which, I must admit, looks much better than the pictures I took myself. Girls...

 

[vchizzle]

Carl, dual deliveries? You're killin' it! I know you cleared out some space but these 2 new ones are beautiful.

All of the sudden the old CEs seem more attractive then the new ones, that new carve is something PRS should have not touched, I mean it was one of the things that attracted customers to the CE in the first place, now they are offering an inferior topcarve at top $$ prices when used ones are going anywhere from $900 to 1,400, I really don't see any advantages of getting a new CE over an old one..... What am I missing???

Maybe you can go $#!T on the guitar in the general "Uhh... Is The CE Back For 2016?" thread. I don't take issue with people giving their opinions and critiques on a guitar, but show some respect and do it somewhere besides a NGD thread.

 

[Michael B]

That's sweet man!! Thank you for the review! Rock that baby!!

 

[toothace]

Total guitar envy Carl...you are on FIRE!!

 

[nicolasrivera]

Sorry Carl, it was not my intention to piss in your thread, but the title didnt say NGD, i got in the wrong thread.

My apologies.

 

[nicolasrivera]

A really great guitar. Which, I suppose, if you don't need, or want, then nothing

A bolt on PRS is in my wishlist as they do have a diferent tone to them, but not this ne CE unfortunetly.

I didnt expect my comment would upset some of the members, but my observations are regarding the topcarve. I really have never felt the deep carve as a inconvinience at all so when a saw the video and what they where saying i just rolled my eyes and laughed.

Im as much as a PRS fanboy as the next guy, but this re-release makes me wonder about the carve desicion as not being aimed as a better feel but more on cost savings in the line.

So nows this new carve shape fall in between an S2 and a Core line.

 

[solacematt]

I will admit I enjoyed the read, and reading it keeping in mind your avatar made it even funnier, but I agree with nicolasrivera. I may try one out if I see one in a store out of curiosity, but it really is kind of a more expensive S2 with a bolt-on neck. However holy crap you got a PS20 on the same day, are you spending time on the couch, haha.

 

[JustRob]

Enjoyed the write up Carl. I'm a little jealous that my guitar necks will be cold without any scarves.

It seems to me that PRS is doing a fine job at filling gaps in the price ranges where used was the once the only way to go. And the variety of features available can obviously pull in a someone who buys a PS, but has a particular desire for something else..

 

[vchizzle]

The thing I love about the new CE is feel of the newer maple necks is to die for. I want something with that neck on it at some point.

 

[CVS]

Two guitars in one day! You da mann! Congrats & enjoy.

 

[Faded]

I love how PRS puts out a great product and people just rail on them for it because, heaven forbid, they try to keep prices reasonable.

I bought my brand new DGT standard at Wildwood for only a few more bucks than the new CE. It had a full top carve, legit hardware, regular hard shell case...My guess is they can very well build a bolt on neck with actual CE specs as opposed to this version and still keep prices reasonable.

All that said if OP's guitar plays well and sounds good then rock on! It's a great looking instrument and after all they are just pretty tools.

 

[CantankerousCarl]

Nicholasrivera - no worries, it's just a guitar forum

Faded - without discussing price, I got a RIDICULOUS deal on thus CE24. S2-like pricing. I wouldn't have even thought about pulling the trigger, but I could not pass the deal up.

I treasure my 90s CEs! But as I age, I am playing more bluesy / classic stuff, and using less gain. I think the newer PRS pickups are much better suited than the HFS/VB. And the 85/15s sound fantastic.

Plus, the newer tuners are easier to use than the Phase 1s (although longer to sting). And I love the rotary tones, but McCarty switching is simpler to me in the heat of battle.

The original CEs had a decidedly different vibe than the CU24s of that era. I think the new CE24 is a closer cousin to the CU24, although I need to spend alot more time with her, especially with the splits, and clean.

I suspect Amber will become a grab-it-and-go-to. And I have more than enough room to throw on a MannMade NOS2000 and still come out way ahead!

My intent with this thread was to both provide information, and jab at those who judge without ears

 

[C&M Music - Lafayette]

Nice looking guitar Carl and clever write up, love it. Now what about this PS 20th ?

 

[xjbebop]

Congrats Carl. I hope (suspect?) it sounds better in person. All the videos I've seen/heard left me less than impressed...
As far as sound/tone/voicing, what would you say makes this superior to an S2 CU24??

 

[László]

Im as much as a PRS fanboy as the next guy, but this re-release makes me wonder about the carve desicion as not being aimed as a better feel but more on cost savings in the line.

Dude! You can't help yourself, can you? First you whizz all over a guy's NGD, and now you're still at it!

Look, OBVIOUSLY the carve decision was aimed at being a cost savings. That's the whole freaking POINT of the compromises made with the guitar.

I bought my brand new DGT standard at Wildwood for only a few more bucks than the new CE. It had a full top carve, legit hardware, regular hard shell case...My guess is they can very well build a bolt on neck with actual CE specs as opposed to this version and still keep prices reasonable.

Another one.

Dude, first of all, this is an NGD for Carl. He's obviously happy. We don't do critique threads to each other on NGD, it's just cold.

Second, you bought a non maple top guitar at a good price - good for you! But the "few bucks more" than new CE doesn't take into account dealer discounting, and that very same "few bucks more" can simply put a guitar out of reach for a lot of players.

PRS made good choices with this guitar, it's quite obvious. If it's not good enough for YOU, then don't freaking buy one.

 

[CantankerousCarl]

Nice looking guitar Carl and clever write up, love it. Now what about this PS 20th ?

Here you go http://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/fresh-squeezed-orange-tourmaline.16310/

Congrats Carl. I hope (suspect?) it sounds better in person. All the videos I've seen/heard left me less than impressed...
As far as sound/tone/voicing, what would you say makes this superior to an S2 CU24??

Hey XJ - I have had 5 S2s pass through my hands (some bought and sold, some returned) = a Mira, 2 CU22 Semis, a STD24 Satin, and a Vela. The one I miss the sound of is the Vela, because that guitar had the most unique voice, like it had something to say. I think the S2 STD24 Satin was the best-feeling of the lot. But none of them stuck around.

I think all of the S2s are great values, definitely steps up from the SEs. Every single S2 I had left me underwhelmed in the sustain department. And aside from the Vela, I found them, to my ears, missing some of the complex harmonics that make the core PRSes sound so interesting to me. Whether that is the electronics, sum of its parts, whatever, I don't know. And although the S2 (non-satin finish) seemed durable, the ones I had all seemed very swirly, even a tad hazy. They didn't look bad, they just didn't give the PRS "WOW" factor.

With the CE24 (and yes as I have said I need to spend much more time with Amber) I get the harmonics and the character. It sounds and feels like a core guitar to me. I A/B/C'd Amber against my 2013 CU24 (57/08s) and 2015 WLMC (58/15s), and whereas, to my ears, the S2s I had lacked a little something, the new CE24 slots right in. I know alot of this is subjective, but it always is, right?

I will also take a toggle over a blade any day for a 3-position configuration, and the CE24 has the toggle. And I have no idea of the finish is V12 or not, but it sure looks and feels a heckuva lot like the current Core finish.

Sorry for all the words. Hope that helps!

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Love it!
Really really liking these new CE's. Ultimately, the new CE was made to fit in between the S2 and Core, otherwise, it would be so close to the Core line and it would likely suffer in sales very quickly. I heard that is the reason why they stopped producing the CE in the first place, it was almost as much as the regular Core line. The new CE carves out a new price-point for PRS and is a smart thing to do for them, in my opinion.

 

[vchizzle]

The other point that everyone seems to be missing is this guitar falls into a new tier in the PRS line. Look at the website. It falls between the core and S2 tiers, which is exactly what it is. Core electronics that everyone seems to love. S2 hardware. A body/top that's somewhere in between.

Would I prefer to see essentially a core guitar with a bolt on maple neck? Sure. But that's not exactly where this guitar is aimed at market wise. As much as some might not like it, this isn't the CE of old. It's meant as a bridge between the S2 and core tiers. We need to look at the model for what it is, not what it was. This is a different era of PRS than when the CE originally came out.

 

[dmatthews]

Dear Carl,
Your new girlfriend is hawt (with or without a scarf).
Amber is a keeper!
Me so jelly.
You win.
That is all.

 

[justmund]

Thanks Carl, looks Core to me, although I'll have to check my parts drawer (not drawers) to compare...

Enjoy playing that bad girl!