My first PRS guitar: a CE-24

[John]

Usually, people share their latest acquisitions and I've been no exception in the past. This time, I wanted to look back on my very first PRS that I still have to this day, an '04 CE-24.

Currently, it has a C-bomb and a Coldsweat installed, and I currently have it set up as one of my more versatile guitars at the moment. I won't say it's aesthetically the fanciest PRS out there, especially with some of the incredibly insane private stock builds I've seen over the last few years. But, it's still one that I don't see myself parting with, as it's been that good to me over the years and it has so much sentimental value to me.

Anyway, it would be remiss of me to not include any material I've made with it. So, I've taken the time to include that as well.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Congratulations John, that’s a beauty!

 

[shinksma]

That is a very nice understated top, and your playing is fantastic! Lifeless To Life is great!

Watching your playing has inspired me to work on my Djenty stuff, and perhaps finally figure out sweep picking.

 

[bodia]

Dig!

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Great looking CE! They really do fill a cool spot in the lineup with bolt on maple necks.

 

[John]

That is a very nice understated top, and your playing is fantastic! Lifeless To Life is great!

Watching your playing has inspired me to work on my Djenty stuff, and perhaps finally figure out sweep picking.

Thanks a lot, I appreciate that. I'm chuffed to hear that any of my stuff became inspirational in that sense. Sweeping is totally feasible, and I believe you can get it down with just some practice. My 2 cents on that technique would be to pay attention to muting for both the picking hand and fretting hand. ie- using the fleshy pad below your thumb or the knife edge of your picking hand to mute out the unused strings, and your fretting hand to keep any relevant fingers on as long as they need to be on, to avoid excess ringing that'll muddy up those sweep runs.

 

[John]

Great looking CE! They really do fill a cool spot in the lineup with bolt on maple necks.

Thanks so much, and I'm glad you agree. I for one think they ought to expand the CE line further. While there's some things I like about the new ones, there's something missing from the old ones like mine (even my old '93 CE that I traded a few years ago) they could totally bring back and the PRS crowd will love them for it.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Bangin’!

I love my CE too! Brought it out the other night for rehearsal... 25 years later and it still delivers the goods.

 

[dmatthews]

Very nice guitar!

 

[John]

Bangin’!

I love my CE too! Brought it out the other night for rehearsal... 25 years later and it still delivers the goods.

Thanks a lot, Sergio. I feel the same way about mine, as in over a decade later since day one and it can still stand and deliver no matter what I opt to throw at it. It hasn't really ever let me down (or given up, or run around and deserted, on that note).

 

[IRG]

Very cool! I'm on the hunt for the right CE24 right now. I've got my eyes on a couple too.

 

[dogrocketp]

My prettier guitars don’t sound any better then my plainer ones. It’s all about the sound you want to hear. Yours rocks.

 

[John]

My prettier guitars don’t sound any better then my plainer ones. It’s all about the sound you want to hear. Yours rocks.

Agreed and thanks a lot. I find myself pointing that out at times as I've run into some other people who are so quick to write off a guitar based on appearances and appearances alone. I get it to a point, people like a guitar that looks nice and I can't really blame them for that. But it still has to deliver when it comes to sound, feel, reliability, etc.

 

[Andrew Paul]

Excellent CE ! Sounds great, hard rockin red mofo! Thanks for sharing the music, enjoyed it, especially Reminiscence, well done!

 

[John]

Excellent CE ! Sounds great, hard rockin red mofo! Thanks for sharing the music, enjoyed it, especially Reminiscence, well done!

Thanks for the kind words, Andrew. I appreciate that.

 

[John]

Congratulations John

Thanks a lot, I appreciate that.

 

[StillCantankerous]

Real soft (hard) spot for the original CE24s (& 22s for that matter). A true player!!!

 

[John]

Real soft spot for the original CE24s (& 22s for that matter). A true player!!!

Indeed, as much as the reissues are nice guitars, there's something about them that seems missing compared to the older CE's before 2005. Not just the aesthetics, or different carve, or even the hardware which can always be swapped.
I feel like PRS could do well by either incorporating elements of the older CE's or just bringing them back as a separate model as the bolt-on lineup is still sparse in my opinion.