Hey You - Shut Up! The New CE ROCKS!

[CantankerousCarl]

Ok, so there were alot of opinions expressed about the new CE24 - including my own.

For the sake of science, for the benefit of all of you, and because I had some scratch left over after selling off half of my collection, AND because I have a burning lack of impulse control, I bought one on Wednesday. She arrived today (same day as my PS20th), and I have named her "Amber." Because she is. Amber.

Here is a shot of Amber on the couch, when she was asking me why some folks didn't think she was as pretty and curvy as a "real CE." She certainly looks nice, don't she?

When we were down in the basement, Amber asked me whether I had noticed any problems with how she sounded, or how long her notes rang, because she had "inferior hardware." I told her, "no honey." In fact, I let her know that she rang out just as long as one of her new friends, a 3-year old Custom 24 with 57/08s.

While Amber was resting, I did manage to get a close-up of her oft-maligned scarf joint. Rather cozy, don't you think?

Ok, so now that I am done being clever, regardless of whether it was working out for me or not, I shall sum things up. The new CE is the real deal. At one point I had 5 CEs, some alder, some hog. This CE can hang with them, and my CU24, and anything else for that matter.

The neck feels amazing - exactly like the NF3/DC3/BM "finish in the wood" treatment. The finish on the body is definitely NOT the S2 finish - feels and looks pretty darn V12ey to me, there's no S2 haze or swirlies. The carve, while subtler, looks great, and the body actually digs less into your forearm than the standard "Core" carve. The pots and switch, by feel and operation, are definitely Core. And it's got 85/15s, which sound amazing. And a birdie hang tag.

Yes it's an SE trem. The tuners are the S2s which I love. The birds are the S2 faux ivory, which is what it is. And it's the S2 bag.
I got Amber for S2 money. I'll probably slap a MannMade bridge on her because I'm a snob, but seriously, this girl ROCKS.

 

[László]

You are the man! The 20th PS and one of these on the same day?

I kneel before you and pay you homage.

Sounds like a superb guitar!

 

[prsrocker1988]

Very nice!

 

[justmund]

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...)

 

[g.wizz]

Congrats she's quite the looker Sir Carl, enjoy fondling her and if possible a little comparison with the CU24
because I didn't hear a big difference when Chapman did the demo, so i'd like your take on that.

OH and I'm waiting for the 20th NGD post

 

[VHTStark]

Amber is a beauty buddy and knowing your background with CE's should allay any misgivings or worries any of us had about the new CE. I would still LOVE an alder body CE with a maple board (one of the best electrics I have ever played is an old CE like that) but for how these look and the price point they hit, I am definitely giving one an honest try when I can.

 

[Alan Manning]

Well Well you have done very nice lately()).Any thought's on buying a lottery tkt)

 

[Iceman101]

a scarf joint in Bonnie Pink. Way to go......

congrats

 

[guitarman001]

Looks really amazing. The best bit is the satin maple neck and the 85/15s. I have two cores with satin necks and they rock. I do wonder if 85/15s are less prized than 59/09 as they put them in a non-core model.

Would love to feel the carve, if it's less sore on the arm than a core then it's a benefit. Fake birds? Not a major issue. Big thing for me would be the trem. If it's an SE trem then that's defo not as good as a core, but it'd cost less to buy a new one than to buy a core!

How do S2 tuners differ from core phase 2/3?

No point in me buying one as it's essentially the same as my cores but they definitely look great. The satin necks will win a lot of people over.

 

[Michael_DK]

Amber is a beauty buddy and knowing your background with CE's should allay any misgivings or worries any of us had about the new CE.

Are you crazy? This place is infested with guitarists, the discussions will never stop!

("The polymer grade they used on the volume knobs of the old models really gave them so much more open high end")

:-D

 

[Michael_DK]

Also, congrats on the new member of the family!

@guitarman001 : I think the 85/15s and 58/15 will completely replace the 57/08s and the 59/09s

 

[bodia]

Good on you! Loved the clever write up! May this go a long way to silencing the naysayers

 

[guitarman001]

Didn't somebody here say the 57/08s were being reserved for private stock models or something?

Oh yes, I also loved the very clever write-up!

 

[nicolasrivera]

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???

 

[andy474x]

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???

Well, if you're PRS hearing all the chatter about how much people love CE's, you know you're missing a hell of a lot of sales! They were announced Tuesday and 3 or 4 forum members have already bought them, Sweetwater sold out their 3 or 4, probably lots of other dealers as well... I would say that's a pretty strong first 4 days for PRS.

Way to bash Carl's NGD though. 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. You would think these were dipped in the herpes virus the way some people talk about them. How long before someone here inhales a piece of cork and dies? Seriously? I'm about to buy one and love it just for the principle of it. Sorry to be prickly Nicolas, but if you feel that way no one is stopping you from buying a used CE.

Congrats on the CE Carl! I think that's a beauty!

 

[László]

I really don't see any advantages of getting a new CE over an old one..... What am I missing???

The point.

Some people want a new guitar with a warranty, some people want the newer pickups. Etc.

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Well put, all.
These things are awesome...if my ESP would just let me know if a 22 fretter with a nice fat neck is in the works!

 

[TFC]

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???

I agree that the old carve looks better than the new one. However, like Carl said, the old carve does tend to dig into your forearm. I'll take his word on the new carve being better in that regard. From all the videos and reviews I've looked at, the other potential advantages of the new over the old are the smoother neck (thanks for that info Carl - I had not read that elsewhere and I love the feel of my NF3 neck), "better" pickups (better is subjective, but I think the newer pickups will be preferred by more people than the HFS/VB), 3-way toggle and coil tap instead of rotary (again, personal taste etc), nicer tops, birds (if you like the fake birds), and you can get one in mint condition and in some previously unavailable colors.

All that said, I'm with you in the sense that the new ones, to me and IMO, are not worth getting over an old one. But that's me and I may be in the minority. And I hope for PRS's sake I am.

Regarding the trem and tuners, I'm still not sure how they differ from the core. Some solid info on that would be appreciated if anyone has it.

I'll be interested to see how popular these become and then how much they go for on the used market. Given the choice between a stock new CE vs. a stock old CE, both used at the same price, I may want to get the new one. Time will tell.

Thanks for the review, Carl.

 

[markintime]

The point.

Some people want a new guitar with a warranty, some people want the newer pickups. Etc.

^^^^ This! And after reading and listening to all the videos, I can't help but wonder how they keep coming up with all these WINNERS? I swear, if they show one of these in Black Gold Burst and a stop tail, I am a lost man. It's already hard enough restraining my wallet hand as it is.

Btw, can't see anything wrong with the new carve. Obviously a matter of personal taste. Much like the bevel carve on S2 models, which, once I got used to after a period of adjustment, I went and bought 2!

 

[CantankerousCarl]

What am I missing???

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