garrett
...
Ever since I saw the S2 Standards in Vintage Mahogany, I can't get that Ron Burgundy quote out of my head. I've been eying the S2 Singlecut Standard since the announcement and the time was finally right to pick one up. Went poking around and got the lightest one I could find at 7 pounds, 2 ounces. It happened to be Vintage Mahogany and I dig the color, so you know the rest.
Sweetwater Glamor Shot:
It photographs dark in all the seller pics I've seen. I think it looks better in person. It's a rich dark brown with an almost burgundy hue to it. You can still make out the grain of the mahogany pretty well.
Here are a few outdoor shots. It is tough to photograph. It reflects freakin' everything.
An attempt at the angled guitar pic. Apparently, I'm a Batman villain.
Anyway, honest review time, based on my short experience with this guitar. To be blunt, it's clear that the S2 guitars don't get the time and attention of the their Core big brothers. The finish is a bit rough on the treble side of the headstock and at the end of the horn on the cutaway. Minor stuff, but this would not fly with a Core guitar.
The pickups were adjusted horribly. The bridge pickup was so low and the spring on the bass side wasn't long enough, so it was just flopping around in the guard. Maybe Sweetwater tinkered with it, but so much for their 55-point Evaluation. It wasn't the "out of the box and off to a gig" experience Paul talks about. It took me a while to get the heights dialed in. Again, this wouldn't fly with a Core guitar.
The jury is still out on the pickups. They're a lot darker sounding than I'm used to. I thought they sounded fine in the maple topped S2 Singlecut I tried, so they may just not be the right fit for this guitar to my ears. The bridge pickup is actually pretty killer, but I'm missing clarity from the neck. To be fair, I'm largely a single coil guy and I generally prefer lower output humbuckers, so it's just a preference thing. I'll have to see how they do in a band situation before the verdict comes down.
On to the good stuff! As was my assessment of the whole S2 series, I feel like PRS focused on the key things here. I can see why they went with Pattern Regular for the neck shape. It's so comfortable; meaty enough, but not too chunky. The woods look and resonate great. It sustains forever. The scarf joint is apparent, but perfectly executed and so a non-issue to me. The tuners look and feel great, as does the bridge. I'm looking forward to a patina developing on all that unplated brass. Fretwork is immaculate and the fretboard has nicely rolled edges. The volume pots are better than expected. They don't spin as well as I'd like, but they'll do fine.
The guitar has a certain PRS swagger that the SE models can't quite achieve. I think it has a lot to do with that signature on the headstock, but also the finish. It's a league above the SE guitars I've had. Despite the couple of issues, it looks great and is definitely very thin. I already managed to chip it by the strap button. Oooops.
Overall, I'd say PRS delivers on the value proposition of a high-quality USA made guitar at a great price. However, even with a model like this that doesn't have an analog in the Core line, you're still accepting some compromises. I could've compromised a tad more and gotten really close with an SE Tremonti and a few mods (and spent less), but that would've fallen a little too short of achieving the PRS experience for me.
Despite the inherent compromises, I still feel like the S2 is my line. Over the last 20 or so years, I've watched as the Core line has gotten more and more elevated. I've always been more of a bare-bones guitarist, so I'm glad to see them offering so many models that appeal to those of us with more basic tastes. In the end, this is a good PRS and a great guitar, so I'm looking forward to racking up many hours of play time.
New BFFs:
