Little Worried about Paul's Guitar SE

[AZGiant]

When I first heard this was coming out, I was pretty jazzed as it looked like a lot of guitar for the money, and a used street price could hit like 750. However, all the reviews of the Indonesia new stuff has me a little concerned. Has anyone played a Paul's SE? Curious if the same issues are there or if it is just a "luck of the draw" type deal.

 

[shimmilou]

Wow. Rinse, repeat, ad nauseum.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Isn’t the SE Paul’s Guitar made in Korea like the rest of the better SE’s? Then worries should be near non existent

 

[Eddie kim]

Your thinking too hard. Get the guitar. If you like it, then keep it. If you don’t, then return it. Simple.

 

[AZGiant]

Wow. Rinse, repeat, ad nauseum.

shimilou Just asking a simple question and no need to be so judgemental. have a great day.

 

[AZGiant]

Isn’t the SE Paul’s Guitar made in Korea like the rest of the better SE’s? Then worries should be near non existent

Not sure Bowtie, his quality is usually rock solid but for some reason I thought I read they moved production to Indonesia, which is why the concern. I am sure PRS will address, but have only come across one person who has played one and just curious.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Not sure Bowtie, his quality is usually rock solid but for some reason I thought I read they moved production to Indonesia, which is why the concern. I am sure PRS will address, but have only come across one person who has played one and just curious.

I’m 90% sure on the SE standards are made in Indonesia. I haven’t found a photo of the back of the headstock which will tell you instantly.

 

[Mozzi]

All the reviews I have seen and the vast majority of people that have bought a PRS SE Paul's have been very happy with their guitar. I see a lot of people who feel the PRS SE Paul's is the best SE on the market. To be completely fair, the only issues I have heard have been generally very petty - a recessed backplate that has a tiny gap - not enough to see into the cavity, the birds not being perfectly centred in the frets but still sitting in the fret they should be and some mark under the finish that, unless you zoom right in with the camera, you wouldn't see. Not one issue that affects the playability, the tones and the functionality - it still holds tune and doesn't have intonation issues either.

By all accounts, the SE's moving to Indonesia is a positive move for PRS. The guitars are being made in their own department by the same staff. The department do not make any other guitars - just PRS SE models. I know they are not PRS staff as such but they are effectively being paid by PRS (through CorTek) to build PRS guitars. They have had PRS staff instructing them and they are built in a slightly different order - the fretboard going on after the body and neck have been glued for example. There is a video from PRS doing a factory tour which I advise everyone who is concerned, to watch.

There are a number of guitars built in Indonesia for numerous companies - not just PRS. The Korean WMI were not exempt from an occasional minor issue too so if you have ANY concerns, you are the final QC checker. By that, I mean you have the final say on whether the SE guitar meets the standards you expect or not. If you don't want the hassle of potentially having to send a guitar back for whatever reason - petty or not, go to the store and check it over yourself before you buy! I cannot think of ANY store that would not give you a week or two to check the guitar and decide whether or not it meets your standard if you cannot get to a store in person.

The advantage of going to a store yourself is that if one doesn't pass your QC, another one may. You are not relying on the store to check the guitar and ensure its 'fit' to send to a customer. You are not relying on the store QC who bought the guitars from a distributor to do their own QC before taking the stock. You get to decide whether the guitar you get your hands on, the guitar you can hear in a store etc meets the standards you yourself expect or not before you decide to part money.

At the end of the day, you are the final QC on any guitar. If it doesn't meet what you expect, then you either look at other models or alternative brands if you feel that you can't get what you want at the quality you want for the money you are prepared to pay. If you are concerned about the quality and intent on buying online, you are putting your faith in the stores QC check to ensure the guitar they send you is up to standard but even after this, you still have the opportunity to do your own QC and decide whether to keep, to replace or get a refund.

 

[bodia]

shimilou Just asking a simple question and no need to be so judgemental. have a great day.

Maybe he had a bad day? There are a couple of other threads on this topic, and a couple of glowing Paul's SE reviews on here somewhere. If you're concerned, just make sure you get one from a place with a good return policy. If there should be a warranty issue, you can be sure PRS will take care of it.

 

[shimmilou]

shimilou Just asking a simple question and no need to be so judgemental. have a great day.

It’s just that you’re fueling the negative exaggeration that’s been going on here, you should’ve checked the other threads first, where you can see that there is much ado about nothing. I have an SE Paul’s that is fantastic, perfect in every way. We have seen exactly one SE Paul’s where the birds weren’t centered correctly between frets, and a whole lotta mumbo-jumbo about Indonesia, and negative speculation, a few cosmetic issues, but nothing of real substance. One thread, titled “mixed reviews”, was in reality only one review, so the OP seemed to have an agenda, which is not cool. So, the same few guitars with issues keep getting posted over and over, and brought up again and again, making it seem worse than the actual reality.

 

[Fireroadeddy]

I have a SE Paul’s and it is everything it is advertised to be.

 

[shimmilou]

Who was it that has the blue one, with the cool fretboard that looks like an evening sky with birds flying into it?

 

[matt3310]

Mine is perfect! Plays and sounds awesome!

 

[andy474x]

I’ve played a few and they’re all top notch. By far the most resonant SE model I’ve played, by a wide margin. Not as hard rock sounding as the other SE’s, has a different ring to it, more vintage perhaps? Great guitar.

 

[Tonart]

The SE PG gives me nothing but GAS!

 

[merciful-evans]

I share the concern for MII instruments, but Indonesian guitar production is in the ascendant and if they have not yet improved significantly, I feel certain they will before much longer. Korea are/were remarkable for building high quality down to a price. Its a tough act to follow, but there's no reason why Indonesia cant do it. Investment there suggests confidence anyway.

 

[elvis]

It’s just that you’re fueling the negative exaggeration that’s been going on here, you should’ve checked the other threads first, where you can see that there is much ado about nothing. I have an SE Paul’s that is fantastic, perfect in every way. We have seen exactly one SE Paul’s where the birds weren’t centered correctly between frets, and a whole lotta mumbo-jumbo about Indonesia, and negative speculation, a few cosmetic issues, but nothing of real substance. One thread, titled “mixed reviews”, was in reality only one review, so the OP seemed to have an agenda, which is not cool. So, the same few guitars with issues keep getting posted over and over, and brought up again and again, making it seem worse than the actual reality.

This is the crux as I see it. Also, nobody in any forum anywhere uses the search function.

Typically we are more supportive and forgiving of such things, but I think that some collective resentment can build and result in some letting of steam.

Shall we move on? There are certainly more guitars to buy...

 

[Alessandro]

In all fairness to the OP here PRS putting new out the video showing their SE process in Indonesia kinda seemed like a PR move to try and quell the rumours of bad quality coming out of reviews of their indo made guitars and not only specifically the Paul’s model. I doubt they would have made that video if there wasn’t as much talk about quality from the SE indo made guitars. Also I agree it’s nothing to be “worried” about as they aren’t putting a gun to your head to buy their product so I agree with the idea of play one and if you like it, get it. I’m sure there are amazing guitars coming out of that factory and I’ve even seen a few used ones coming up on Kijiji in Canada.

 

[fender1punk]

My only concern is which one of my stable will have to be let go in order to make room. Seriously looking forward to when i can nab one for myself.

 

[dogrocketp]

The SE PG gives me nothing but GAS!

You know they have pills for that sort of thing..................................................