Just bought a '97 CE22!

[Lewguitar]

My 1997 ce22 has super tight grain on the fret board. If it was darker I'd swear it was ebony.

I knew mine probably wasn't Brazilian, but it's pretty enough to be.

Would love to see a photo of yours!

 

[boardn10]

Nice guitar!
How are you liking it?

I have a 1994 CE22 that I really like, even though I mostly play my singlecut guitars these days and always have.

I like having a guitar that feels and sounds different from my singlecuts and having a trem is cool too, even though I just about have it locked down so I can really only drop pitch, do small wiggles and dives. I don't do a lot of crazy whammy bar work, but it's nice being able to have one guitar that gives me the opportunity for some trem bar work.
I change tunings and do drop D for some songs so I tend to not like having a guitar with floating trem. This isn't blocked but it is down right with I believe the maximum number of springs.

Mine is Alder with maple top, which is unique.

Mine has the Dragon pickups but I'm contemplating a change of pickups to PRS Tremonti pickups or Suhr Aldrich pickups. I'll keep the Dragons however

I used to have a cherry burst 2006 Custom 22 with Dragon II pickups, and recall preferring my CE22 as I just thought it sounded better. I also tried Dragon II pickups in my CE22 years ago and preferred the original Dragon I pickups.

Interestingly enough, I installed a Dragon II bridge pickup not long ago and didn't notice a large enough difference to keep it, so I went back to the Dragon I bridge pickup.

I still may go with the Tremonti set or Suhr Aldrich set.

Hope you are enjoying your CE22.

This is my 1994 CE22 and with friends:

https://imgur.com/a/fE5LcXB

https://imgur.com/a/0DU4aqO

 

[jamrcat]

What a find. I would've grabbed this one up in a second. I love the cherry bursts!

 

[Lewguitar]

What a find. I would've grabbed this one up in a second. I love the cherry bursts!

Thanks! I'm loving the looks of the one boardin10 just posted above too! Mine is a '97 and his is a '94. It's reassuring to see his because I was worried about the logo on the peghead of mine being original. But it looks just like his.

So they're out there. Just have to grab them quick and be ready with the credit card, because if you don't someone else will.

 

[Lewguitar]

Nice guitar!
How are you liking it?

I have a 1994 CE22 that I really like, even though I mostly play my singlecut guitars these days and always have.

I like having a guitar that feels and sounds different from my singlecuts and having a trem is cool too, even though I just about have it locked down so I can really only drop pitch, do small wiggles and dives. I don't do a lot of crazy whammy bar work, but it's nice being able to have one guitar that gives me the opportunity for some trem bar work.
I change tunings and do drop D for some songs so I tend to not like having a guitar with floating trem. This isn't blocked but it is down right with I believe the maximum number of springs.

Mine is Alder with maple top, which is unique.

Mine has the Dragon pickups but I'm contemplating a change of pickups to PRS Tremonti pickups or Suhr Aldrich pickups. I'll keep the Dragons however

I used to have a 2006 Custom 22, and recall preferring my CE22 as I just thought it sounded better. I also tried Dragon II pickups in my CE22 years ago and preferred the original Dragon I pickups.

Interestingly enough, I installed a Dragon II bridge pickup not long ago and didn't notice a large enough difference to keep it, so I went back to the Dragon I bridge pickup.

I still may go with the Tremonti set or Suhr Aldrich set.

Hope you are enjoying your CE22.

https://imgur.com/a/7RQLTZJ

Wow! That's beautiful. Sort of a Root Beer Burst. Like I was saying, I'm glad to see yours because it reassures me that mine is all original.

Except for the tuners. They look old and original on mine and they have the single screw holding the cut off wings of the D & G tuners. But they're not locking tuners and people have said they should be. Yours are.

I'm glad to have a vibrato on a humbucker guitar because I only have vibratos on my single coil guitars.

Mine is set up to dive but not to raise the pitch. I'll probably try floating it eventually.

That's how the vibrato on my SE Silver Sky guitars is set up and they return to pitch really well. I'm kind of a Jeff Beck nut so a floating vibrato is a must!

https://imgur.com/ro2zoZv

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Those tuners are aftermarket. It would've had PRS branded wings.

Good score, though.

Strange ‘cos the tuner bodies have the Schaller S and what looks like “made in W Germany”.

Also @Lewguitar is it the light, or are the tuner bodies a different colour chrome from the tuner shaft? (No jokes intended you filthy lot).

Congratulations, a stunning guitar.

 

[Lewguitar]

Strange ‘cos the tuner bodies have the Schaller S and what looks like “made in W Germany”.

Also @Lewguitar is it the light, or are the tuner bodies a different colour chrome from the tuner shaft? (No jokes intended you filthy lot).

Congratulations, a stunning guitar.

Yes they are Schallers and do say Made in W. Germany. The bodies look darker but they're not.

I'm tempted to think they're original and maybe just what PRS had on hand or something because of the way they're mounted with the cut off wings held on by one screw for the G & D tuners.

That's exactly how they're mounted on my '95 CU22 although those ARE locking tuners and mine are not on the CE22.

But guys here who seem to know a lot more than me are telling me they're replacements.

Sergio told me in a message that some guys replaced the locking tuners with these back in the day just because they didn't like the locking tuners!

I don't know what to think. The tuners look as old as the rest of the guitar.

Aren't the locking tuners with PRS on them also Schallers, with an insert that says PRS?

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Yes they are Schallers and do say Made in W. Germany. The bodies look darker but they're not.

I'm tempted to think they're original and maybe just what PRS had on hand or something because of the way they're mounted with the cut off wings held on by one screw for the G & D tuners.

That's exactly how they're mounted on my '95 CU22 although those ARE locking tuners and mine are not on the CE22.

But guys here who seem to know a lot more than me are telling me they're replacements.

Sergio told me in a message that some guys replaced the locking tuners with these back in the day just because they didn't like the locking tuners!

I don't know what to think. The tuners look as old as the rest of the guitar.

Aren't the locking tuners with PRS on them also Schallers, with an insert that says PRS?

Sergio and other guys here are better placed to answer that

 

[Lewguitar]

Sergio and other guys here are better placed to answer that

I have to agree. I don't have an expert's knowledge of all the minutiae of PRS!

 

[dmatthews]

Fabulous, congrats!

 

[jamrcat]

Thanks! I'm loving the looks of the one boardin10 just posted above too! Mine is a '93 and his is a '94. It's reassuring to see his because I was worried about the logo on the peghead of mine being original. But it looks just like his.

So they're out there. Just have to grab them quick and be ready with the credit card, because if you don't someone else will.

As you see in my logo I have a 24. Not sure if I like the config as much as I would a 22. It is a semi-hollow with a piezo I added, so it would be a big jump to have to convert a 22! I've been looking at P22's but the price has kept me away so far!

 

[davesultra]

Nice score! The tuning machines are not original (but you already know that). Those are older Schaller M6 tuners from before the fall of “The Wall”, identifiable by the W. Germany stamp. I have a set of the “Post-Wall” Schaller tuners which are the same minus the “W” on the Germany. They’re the exact same size as the Winged tuners, as they share the same casings. I took the G & D tuners and ground down the ears so I could retrofit them on my Custom 22 from 97’ should the original Winged tuners begin to slip. Mines a wraptail so the locking wing tuners aren’t really all that beneficial.

 

[Lewguitar]

Nice score! The tuning machines are not original (but you already know that). Those are older Schaller M6 tuners from before the fall of “The Wall”, identifiable by the W. Germany stamp. I have a set of the “Post-Wall” Schaller tuners which are the same minus the “W” on the Germany. They’re the exact same size as the Winged tuners, as they share the same casings. I took the G & D tuners and ground down the ears so I could retrofit them on my Custom 22 from 97’ should the original Winged tuners begin to slip. Mines a wraptail so the locking wing tuners aren’t really all that beneficial.

Good information. Thank you! So the tuners on my '97 are from 1990 or before?

Didn't occur to me before you mentioned it, but my '95 CU22 is also a wrap tail but has the locking tuners that my CE22 lacks.

Maybe I should swap them. Put the tuners from the CE on the CU and vice versa. Because my CE 22 does have a vibrato that I plan to use and the locking tuners would help keep it in tune.

The holes for the mounting screws would be in the same place so I wouldn't have to make any new holes in the back of either peghead. I might do that!

 

[boardn10]

Lewguitar, my original locking tuners with the little wings were not my favorite. Eventually, they stopped working and so I replaced them with Planet Waves locking tuners that cut the strings as you wind. I love them.

 

[Lewguitar]

Removed the strings, unscrewed the pickup mountings rings and checked the pickups last night. They are original DRAGONS!

The rings are both old and a little cracked though. I'm going to build them up on the back side with some glue I guess to hold them together.

Anyone had this issue? I have, on my '95 CU22. Glued the rings back together with gap filling thick super glue.

It worked but is there some better method to repair them?

 

[Lewguitar]

Lewguitar, my original locking tuners with the little wings were not my favorite. Eventually, they stopped working and so I replaced them with Planet Waves locking tuners that cut the strings as you wind. I love them.

If I were to replace the tuners I would only use tuners that had the mounting screws in exactly the right place. Don't want any empty screw holes showing on this guitar.

I might swap these tuners with the Phase 1 tuners on my '95 CU22 since that guitar doesn't really need locking tuners.

Or I may start looking for a nice working set of Phase 1 tuners online.

Thanks!

 

[Moondog Wily]

Sounds like a steal of a deal! Congrats on a great score, she's a beauty!!

 

[Lewguitar]

Sounds like a steal of a deal! Congrats on a great score, she's a beauty!!

Thank you! I'm very pleased now that I know I have the original Dragon pickups. I always thought they were, but seeing is believing.

I might change the tuners to Phase 1's...I might not.

But I'm not going to do anything invasive to this ax. It's a classic!

Even the hard rectangular PRS case is super nice.

 

[garrett]

Yes they are Schallers and do say Made in W. Germany. The bodies look darker but they're not.

I'm tempted to think they're original and maybe just what PRS had on hand or something because of the way they're mounted with the cut off wings held on by one screw for the G & D tuners.

That's exactly how they're mounted on my '95 CU22 although those ARE locking tuners and mine are not on the CE22.

But guys here who seem to know a lot more than me are telling me they're replacements.

Sergio told me in a message that some guys replaced the locking tuners with these back in the day just because they didn't like the locking tuners!

I don't know what to think. The tuners look as old as the rest of the guitar.

Aren't the locking tuners with PRS on them also Schallers, with an insert that says PRS?

As already pointed out, yep the tuners are older than the guitar and not original. It's easy to file down the tabs on regular Schaller tuners for the D/G. A lot of people have done it: good folks replacing worn out keys and maniacs who don't like the wings.

PRS used Schaller for the Phase I locking tuners until the mid-late 90's when they switched to Gotoh. Still considered "Phase I" tuners, they had smaller bodies and the screw tabs were rotated 90 degrees, so no more sharing a screw for D/G. Other than those first couple years of production in the 80's they had PRS branded backs on them.

 

[Lewguitar]

As already pointed out, yep the tuners are older than the guitar and not original. It's easy to file down the tabs on regular Schaller tuners for the D/G. A lot of people have done it: good folks replacing worn out keys and maniacs who don't like the wings.

PRS used Schaller for the Phase I locking tuners until the mid-late 90's when they switched to Gotoh. Still considered "Phase I" tuners, they had smaller bodies and the screw tabs were rotated 90 degrees, so no more sharing a screw for D/G. Other than those first couple years of production in the 80's they had PRS branded backs on them.

I did some find some used, clean Phase 1's on Reverb but they were $300!