I can't believe it....

[dazco]

but after decades of writing off PRS as a fancy guitar that just doesn't do it for me at all, i now own one of the cheapest guitars i've bought that may well be my favorite ever, a Santana SE. I could go on and on about this thing, but i don't wanna bore you all too much so i'll try and keep it short as i can. The main reason i ended up with it was by sheer chance. I picked it up at GC on a fluke while looking to buy a gibson LP and i had a gut feeling about it while none of the LP's did anything for me. Went home and i couldn't stop thinking about it and researched it and found it has a 24.5" scale which was a big plus because i never felt the PRS typical 25" was right for a set neck humbucker guitar. That intrigued me even more. Even tho the neck felt too fat for me, being a thin neck guy, I took a chance figuring GC has tha 30 day refund policy. Went back, made them do a price match with a online dealer and walked out the door with $511.

Less than a week later after setting it up to my exact preference I can honestly say that even tho it's honeymoon stage, I love this guitar like no other i can remember owning ! And i've owned one he|| of a lot of em since '72 including many higher end guitars. I can't describe how perfect i feel it is, but i truly cannot find one thing about it that doesn't fit me to perfection. The chunky neck i turned out to love, something thats never happened before. The radius is perfect, frets are perfect, weight, tone, looks, vibe, you name it, it leaves nothing at all to be desired. I don't even think i want to swap pickups like i do with all other guitars. I'd hate to change the tone ! Even the cheap tuners work better than most tuners i've used. But the really stunning part is the playability. Nothing i have ever owned plays so well. It's miles ahead of the best i've owned in that regard before this. It's stupid easy and it makes me play a lot better, no easy feat due to the fact i have a fret hand issue after injuring my hand 15 years ago. It's a god send in that regard.

I am so impressed i can't really describe how i feel. When i go to work in the morning i don't wanna leave it. Sick, eh? But i watched a video of Paul talking about starting the SE line and what he wanted them to be. Basically saying he wanted to create a line that no other brand could match at the price. For me at least, he succeeded in a big way. Paul, if by chance you read this i wanna say thank you ! Your santana SE design is to this old man a guitar so perfect all i can think is why oh why couldn't i have owned this guitar back when i started ! But for today and hence fourth it has made me extremely happy, thank you. :top:

 

[DISTORT6]

The choir, you're preaching to it. :biggrin:




Congrats and HNPRSD! :top:

 

[CoreyT]

Believe it is true
The 2012 SE Santana was my introduction to PRS back in June or so of 2012.
I had just recently bought a 2012 top of the line Gibson '61 SG Reissue after taking a 30 year break from playing.
The Gibson was nice, but the SE Santana was easier to play and just as nice quality wise.
Not a super huge fan of the wide/fat neck, I preferred the slim 60s neck of the SG, but I still could not put the Santana down.

Soon afterwards I acquired a 2012 SE Custom 24, a 2012 SE Semi-Hollow for my youngest son, a 2012 SE Tremonti Custom, a 2013 408 MT, then at the beginning of this month the SE Zach Myers.
See a pattern here?
The PRS line either the SE or core are what I like.
Wide/fat, wide/thin, pattern/thin, they all play great to me.

You say you do not want to leave it when you go to work?
Take it to work if you can
http://prsguitars.com/forum/showthread.php?8980-Four-guitars-at-work

I am fortunate here at work I have a nice area where my PC is at I can play the guitar with an amp cranked up and not bother anyone before I start work.
And I have found it just makes my work day go better if I can play in the morning.

Post some pics of your guitar when you can, we love guitar shots around here.

 

[Deleted member 2284]

Welcome to the lawyer/dentist brigade!! :biggrin:

Great to hear you found a new favorite, no matter the brand.

Now when are you gonna get the next one, is the only question left to answer... ;-)

 

[CoreyT]

Now when are you gonna get the next one, is the only question left to answer... ;-)

Oh yes, these are like Lays Potato Chips.
You cannot stop at just one.

 

[dazco]

Take it to work if you can

I did !!! I just got to work a few minutes ago. I just couldn't stand it. I CAN take it, but it justs seems a bit obsessive :biggrin: I had to though.

I had just recently bought a 2012 top of the line Gibson '61 SG Reissue after taking a 30 year break from playing.
The Gibson was nice, but the SE Santana was easier to play and just as nice quality wise.

No break here, but I've been fender all the way for the last 30 years at least and about 6 months ago i bought a LP special P90. Bound slim 60's neck that i just love, tummy cut for comfort, and a great P90 grind. So for the last 6 months i hardly touched my fenders and was shocked i had become more of a gibson man than fender after all those years of strats and teles. I bought a number of gibsons and gibson style guitars in that time but couldn't bond till that P90 special. Now i get the PRS and i don't wanna play the gibson ! It's that good. It fits me better than had i asked paul to design a guitar to my personal specs. I would never have spec'd it exactly like this becauee there are things i now love that i would never have known i would. One being that neck, which at this point is a dream to me. I will probably go back to playing the gibson some of the time after the PRS honeymoon is over, or at least i hope ! If in 6 months i'm not playing it i may just end up selling all my guitars and living on the santana alone. The LP already had me contemplating selling my fenders and in fact decided to sell all but 1 at least.

The main shocker is that i have a PRS and i'm this blown away. I'd never have thought it in a million years.

 

[CantankerousCarl]

Congratulations and welcome!

As with Corey above, the 2011 SE Santana was my "re-introduction" to PRS, and guitardom in general, after a damn near 15-year hiatus.

 

[László]

Welcome!

I came to PRS while on a search for another Gibson in the early 90s. I really love these guitars.

 

[NomadMike]

It fits me better than had i asked paul to design a guitar to my personal specs. I would never have spec'd it exactly like this becauee there are things i now love that i would never have known i would. One being that neck, which at this point is a dream to me.
...
The main shocker is that i have a PRS and i'm this blown away. I'd never have thought it in a million years.

Same here, I was a LP guy for years but now have to force myself to play it. My darn PRS S2 is so comfortable to play that I've blown through at least 2 hours each of the last several evenings practicing without noticing. A few side benefits of this is I'm watching less TV and even lost two pounds by playing instead of snacking. Thanks PRS, my Abs of Steel will be as stellar as my chops if I keep this up.

 

[NomadMike]

I came to PRS while on a search for another Gibson in the early 90s. I really love these guitars.

I'm seeing a pattern here.

 

[dazco]

Same here, I was a LP guy for years but now have to force myself to play it. My darn PRS S2 is so comfortable to play that I've blown through at least 2 hours each of the last several evenings practicing without noticing. A few side benefits of this is I'm watching less TV and even lost two pounds by playing instead of snacking. Thanks PRS, my Abs of Steel will be as stellar as my chops if I keep this up.

Same here. I can't put it down, and it's helping my playing. As i think i mentioned above, i had a issue years back that all but completely destroyed my fretting hand's abilities. Since then it has physically come back somewhat, but during those years because of the injury i subconciously developed a mental block of sorts that has caused me to have a death grip that is now more of my problem than the injury itself. No amount of practice has helped, but the PRS os helping due to it's ease of play. I hope that in time my subconscious will relax this death grip and i can return in part to my former player. It already seems to be happening but to what extent remains to be seen. Did i mention I LOVE THIS GUITAR?!!!! :biggrin:

Oh, and another detail that shows the quality that goes into these....steel block ! I have never seen a trem equipped guitar at this price level with a steel block.

 

[dazco]

Oh...and the birds. I forgot to mention that. I HATED those ! That was one of several reasons i had no desire to own a PRS. Granted, a small one that may seem foolish but i hated them. This is hard for me to even understand, but now i love em. I would have paid extra for dots whn i first picked this up. Now i'd be bummed if they were replaced with dots. I'd pay extra for birds. I'm absolutely puzzled by that. :iamconfused:

 

[AP515]

I'm seeing a pattern here.

Add another. In 06 I went to GC to find a LP. Came out with my first PRS. Didn't know what they were before that, and really didn't even know what model it was. I only knew I wasn't leaving without it. It turned out to be a Cu24 AP. I still smile when I play it, which is often.

 

[John Beef]

I'm seeing a pattern here.

I came from the F side of things, playing mostly parts guitars for a decade prior. I went out looking for a set neck humbucker guitar in 2006. I was thinking SG. Couldn't find an SG that sounded good. Played a lot of guitars, and my Black Custom 22 slayed them all. My guitar is still slaying all others I have tried. Just the other day I set up my rig and strummed an E Major chord, it just about took my breath away. I don't know why I keep looking, except GAS is a cruel mistress.

 

[Egads]

Congrats and welcome.

I came from the Fender camp, then played my first CE24. While I've had several Fenders and Gibbies since then, I currently had a Tele and a Chet Atkins SST. My PRS easily replace/improve upon any Strat or LP I've had.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I showed up in 93 from the ESP "shredder" camp... The CE is still the greatest super-strat that ever was.

Congrats!

 

[dazco]

I can't even find words to describe how i feel about this thing. I've had the same feeling about a few guitars in the past, but never to tis degree. But there seems to be *relatively* few PRS fans actually, and I can't 4 the life of me understand why. I guess like me till now, many see PRS as a overly fancy guitar with bird inlays and a odd scale length or some other such thing that doesn't go along with traditional thinking. Maybe of PRS never did the birds thing and used the gibson scale things would be different?

On a side note, i read in a review that PRS has been using the 24.5" scale more and more. Maybe people are responding to it in a big way? I know it's a big part of what i love about the way this santana plays and even sounds to probably a lesser extent. It's also part of why i went back that next day and picked it up after researching it.

 

[dazco]

Oh god....I just had one of those moments where a thought hits you that you know you will be helpless to put to rest. What if i sold that LP special P90 i love so much and get a SE soapbar !!!! LOL!!! I'm doomed !!!!!

 

[NomadMike]

I can't even find words to describe how i feel about this thing. I've had the same feeling about a few guitars in the past, but never to tis degree. But there seems to be *relatively* few PRS fans actually, and I can't 4 the life of me understand why. I guess like me till now, many see PRS as a overly fancy guitar with bird inlays and a odd scale length or some other such thing that doesn't go along with traditional thinking. Maybe of PRS never did the birds thing and used the gibson scale things would be different?

That was me, which is why I'm rejoicing and forever talking up the S2 line, though I really love the 25 scale length now.

 

[gball]

I'm seeing a pattern here.

Yup. I've mentioned it before but it bears repeating: I ended up with my Mira as a result of searching for a good SG Standard to buy and finding issues with every one that I picked up. By contrast, every S2 I have run across has been perfect.