N (acoustic) G D!!

danktat

Award winning tattoo artist ... Amateur guitarist
Joined
Nov 5, 2018
Messages
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Location
PA, USA
New Guitar Day! Just got this thing in from Dave's Guitar Shop in Wisconsin. It is PRS SE. A40E It was listed in "very good" condition. After initial inspection, it appears to me to be closer to "excellent", or even "near mint" condition. Was actually in tune when it came out of the box after several days of shipping. Loving the nice dark Spruce top. Easy to play and sounds really sweet. They even included their own case candy from the shop itself. AND.....They even included a spare bridge saddle. Up to this point I have only owned core electrics from PRS. I was nervous to venture into the SE range. But, with the Acoustics, if I didn't want to drop the five or six thousand dollars on a Private Stock model, the SE was the only option. Let's just say initial Impressions have me more than satisfied. Score!

And just a quick question. This is from December of 2017. Does this make this the first group in this series? I thought I read that they just came out with these in 2018 as the first year of their release.

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Thanks for looking.
 
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That’s a great looking guitar! I have the same “core” preferences, but have been impressed with every SE I’ve gotten my hands on. I’m glad to hear you’re happy with it.
 
Looks like I ran into my first issue already. When I drop the low E to D (drop D tuning), there is a HUGE rattle on that string. I narrowed it down the the bridge saddle. Took the strings off, wedged a piece of clipped string at the edge of the saddle to make it less "loose" and restrung it with new strings. STILL did it. Then I pushed the string (at the saddle) over with my thumb towards the A string and the rattle is gone. I may have a small chip (from what I can see) in the saddle. There is a spare included in the case, but it doesn't appear to be bone. The color is more almond than bone white. And, it is raw. It would still need to be cut to sit right in the bridge. It isn't rattling now, but that may end up being a recurring problem, as I switch between tunings, if I can just push it and it stops. I may have to have my luthier take a look and see what he thinks.

Other than that, action is GREAT. The neck feels like an electric neck (The wide/fat feels the same as some of my wide/fat electrics that I have had). Really articulate acoustically, though the quick plug in I did on my practice amp in the shop seemed a bit muddier through the pickup than it sounds in the open air. But I didn't really tweak any amp settings.
 
Looks like I ran into my first issue already. When I drop the low E to D (drop D tuning), there is a HUGE rattle on that string. I narrowed it down the the bridge saddle. Took the strings off, wedged a piece of clipped string at the edge of the saddle to make it less "loose" and restrung it with new strings. STILL did it. Then I pushed the string (at the saddle) over with my thumb towards the A string and the rattle is gone. I may have a small chip (from what I can see) in the saddle. There is a spare included in the case, but it doesn't appear to be bone. The color is more almond than bone white. And, it is raw. It would still need to be cut to sit right in the bridge. It isn't rattling now, but that may end up being a recurring problem, as I switch between tunings, if I can just push it and it stops. I may have to have my luthier take a look and see what he thinks.

Other than that, action is GREAT. The neck feels like an electric neck (The wide/fat feels the same as some of my wide/fat electrics that I have had). Really articulate acoustically, though the quick plug in I did on my practice amp in the shop seemed a bit muddier through the pickup than it sounds in the open air. But I didn't really tweak any amp settings.
You can get the bone saddle from the accessory store.
 
Not sure if this answers your question or not. It looks to me that you have one of the first ones produced for the new 2018 model release.

https://prsguitars.com/index.php/blog/post/prs_se_acoustics_shaping_the_sound_of_a_new_lineup

Yes...that was one of the places I was looking at while awaiting her arrival for several days....lol

You can get the bone saddle from the accessory store.

Yeah, I figured as much. That little pushover seems to have done the trick for now. Went back and forth from drop D to standard a few times just to see. It seems stable right at this moment. Just caught me off guard because the thing was in tune when it came out of the box (standard). Sounded great. Then I was like "let me try some Concerning Hobbits" and as soon as I dropped that Low E a whole step, it went crazy! Like without the tension from the full on E note, it couldn't take it. But it is definitely the saddle. We'll see how long it takes for me to replace it....lol.
 
The only "issue" I've had with mine, is the neck or fretboard has a tendency to back bow when the weather gets dry, causing a dead spot on G,B and E above the 11th fret. Humidification in the case for a week takes care of that. It is something I've come to expect during the winter, so I just keep it cased from November through April.
 
The only "issue" I've had with mine, is the neck or fretboard has a tendency to back bow when the weather gets dry, causing a dead spot on G,B and E above the 11th fret. Humidification in the case for a week takes care of that. It is something I've come to expect during the winter, so I just keep it cased from November through April.
I have fretted every not one at a time. Did that right out of the box after a visual inspection. All of them rang out fine for me.
 
Congrats. I think the SE acoustics punch way above their weights. The attention to detail is phenomenal for the price.
 
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