How to get a cu24 with Brent mason electrics?

[ozboy]

Hi

i have a custom 24 with 53/09 pickups. I luv the feel or playability of his guitar. I also have a 308 and about half the time I play it because it the tone is fantastic to my ears, particularly for single notes. However I don't like the neck on it so much and I like 24 frets. Nor do I really want to swap guitars. I'd prefer to have just one.

So what I think I want is a fast 24 fret neck with the narrow field humbuckers and genuine open coil pickup that I believe the bent mason guitar has.

Is is it possible to get this from prs and if so how?

 

[John Beef]

The PTC would do this for you, but it wouldn't be cheap and your guitar will likely need to refinished with a solid color.

 

[Egads]

Yes, it's probably possible, but it will end up costing much more than a new Brent Mason, with the full refinish, etc. If having all in one guitar is worth it, go for it! I'd love to see it.

 

[Michael_DK]

But the Brent Mason is pattern neck, 25.25" scale length, korina body, 22 frets, different tremolo (no "steel components" like the 305). And only the middle pickup is a 305, so there's a difference there too.

If you really like the tone of the 305, I don't think either a "customized custom" or a Brent Mason will give you the same - probably.


Also, what's up with the "I'd prefer to have just one"???? I don't think I've ever seen those words put together in the same sentence on this forum before!! :laugh:

 

[jfine]

They have been known to do Private Stock Brent Masons. Brian's Guitars has a pic on their website of a flame top that's earmarked for a Brent Mason, price a hair over $9K. Too rich for my wallet, but that thing's gonna be nice...
Bear in mind that your CU 24 has a 25" scale, and a Brent Mason neck pickup is going to sound different on that guitar than it does on a 25-1/4"-scale Brent Mason. That quarter-inch does make a difference, as does the bolt-on neck on the Brent Mason (and the 305), not to mention the different pickup placement because of the 24-fret neck on your Custom. For what it's going to cost to have your CU 24 modded, you'd be better off to get a Brent Mason. I've got one--the regular model, not a Private Stock--and it's a great guitar. I was a 24-3/4"-scale kind of guy once, but after decades of playing Teles and Strats, I find that my SG feels kind of loose by comparison--and the scale on the Brent is a hair shorter than a Strat or a Tele anyway. You can get used to anything--just give it a little time. I like the differences between all of my guitars--it would be a boring world if they were all the same.
If you want something that's even more Tele-like, you might try to find a DC3. They've just been discontinued (darn it!), but somebody's bound to have one somewhere.

 

[ozboy]

Thanks for the comments folks. Much appreciated. Made me realise again that despite 30 + years of playing mostly acoustic guitar I don't know much about electric guitar tone. But sure having fun playing lots and finding this stuff out.
Questions:
a. bolt on v set necks. What difference does it make? My guess is that set neck will have a fatter tone? But what about sustain and volume of each?
b. How does scale length impact tone?

 

[jfine]

All other things being equal (which they never are!), a set-neck will be a little more "solid"-sounding, for lack of a better term, and a bolt-on has a little more "air" and maybe a little less sustain, although that's not always true. It's not just the pickups that make a Les Paul sound different from a Strat--the construction is different, the scale length is different, and all those factors can add up. Generally, a shorter scale will make the strings feel looser, and, conversely, a longer scale has more tension (with the same string gauge). This also translates to more attack and snap at the beginning of the note, and a bolt-on neck brings this out a bit more. A set-neck with humbuckers has a rounder attack than a bolt-on with single-coils, and that rounder attack is still there even if you put single-coils on the shorter-scale guitar, as the pickups can only reproduce what the strings are doing--remember, an electric guitar is an acoustic guitar before you plug it in.
PRS's 25" scale on their set-necks was chosen because it seems to be a good halfway point between the 24-3/4" scale (Les Pauls, PRS SC245's, Martin 000's) and the 25-1/2" scale (Fender Strats and Teles, Martin OM's)--and the Brent Mason's 25-1/4" scale is right in between the Custom 22's 25" and the Strat's 25-1/2", and they all feel (and sound) slightly different.

 

[maxtuna26]

On ozboy's questions:

a. bolt-ons have more snap to their tone and generally sounds brighter, which is a tone more typically associated with Fenders. Set-necks will give a warmer tone and like others have said, they sound more "solid", which is simply how Gibsons sound like. I find that sustain isn't really affected by bolt-on/set-neck but rather the process of putting the neck and body together. There are some bolt-ons that sustain forever and there are also some set-necks that don't resonate well at all. It depends on the makers and their work quality. Also there are many more factors that come into play that will affect the sustain, such as pickup height, string gauge, over all set-up of neck, nut and bridge, type of bridge (stoptail/vibrato) and body construction (solid/hollow) etc.

b. Not exactly a spot-on comparison, but if you A/B compared a Strat and a Mustang, you'd find that they sound different. In terms of PRS guitars, there are the 24.5", 25" and 25.25" scale lengths, and acoustically, they all sound a tiny bit different. Generally shorter scales give a warmer sound and longer scales give a brighter sound, which applies to acoustics as well, if you go around comparing specs and pick out guitars to play and compare. But of course, in application, there are, again, too many variables that come into play (pickups, wood, etc.) so it doesn't really matter tonally. What matters is how it feels in your hands. The 24.5" scale could be easier to play for some people, but could be too cramped up for sausage-fingered players in the higher registers. The 25.25" scale would have more space in the higher frets, but stretchy chords will be a problem in the lower frets for people with small hands in the first few frets.

Going back to the first question in the OP, the Brent Mason model has only 22 frets, and it's not possible to swap the neck for a 24-fretter because of the pickup positions and the bridge position. Unless you're willing to give up the last 2 frets for the Brent Mason, you'll have to go for Private Stocks. Is there any particular reason you needed the 24 frets?

:beer: Cheers!

 

[ozboy]

Thanks guys. All very helpful info. No I don't need 24 frets except that I like playing up the neck. I now realise that probably cost me some with extra stretch down low I do like the neck of the cu24. It's fast and easier to play than the 305 neck.

I'll go back to learning some new licks and fixing up my rhythm while I think about it some more. Again thanks for the info. Got to luv the forums.