New CE 24 today

[SamIV]

The CE 24 showed up today. Nice looking guitar and plays well, but my SE is not blown away by it. I did do quite a bit of fretwork on my SE, but it keeps up quite well with the CE. Have not plugged it in due to my wife having some health issues and can’t handle loud sounds. . No pics because I can’t upload pics here without a hosting site. Not saying the CE is a bad guitar, but a little underwhelmed on my new guitar day. Maybe I was expecting too much.

 

[shimmilou]

We are underwhelmed also
You haven’t played it through an amp
No pics
Bummer

 

[Uncle Bob]

The CE 24 showed up today. Nice looking guitar and plays well, but my SE is not blown away by it. I did do quite a bit of fretwork on my SE, but it keeps up quite well with the CE. Have not plugged it in due to my wife having some health issues and can’t handle loud sounds. . No pics because I can’t upload pics here without a hosting site. Not saying the CE is a bad guitar, but a little underwhelmed on my new guitar day. Maybe I was expecting too much.

I take it this was a mail order job and you didn’t play it first?

I was all set to do the same and buy a CE, but then had the chance to play one and didn’t buy it.

It’s still a very nice guitar, but four times as good as an SE CU24? Definitely not. In fact, as you’ve found, I’d say my SE is pretty much as good. The CE obviously has a proper flame maple top, however I can’t quite understand why it’s sold at that price point.

I also played a SS, which is about the same price, and it almost went home with me. That is a great guitar!

 

[Daniel Elam]

I ordered mine online and was a little underwhelmed initially as well. I became more impressed with it as time went on. The more I played it, the more I liked it. It can do many, many things. Yes it plays great, after lowering the action a bit and getting the intonation set. But don’t neglect the volume and tone knobs. There’s a lot of versatility there.

 

[Ovibos]

The core 85/15 is where they shine. Gotta plug it in.

 

[Uncle Bob]

The core 85/15 is where they shine. Gotta plug it in.

Subjective really, but having played the CE, core C24 and SS (plus a few others) back to back the CE was still the least inspiring, IMO.

It’s a real shame, but with competition from the SS, Fiore, and even the significantly cheaper SE and S2, the CE just doesn’t seem to have a reason to exist anymore.

 

[Daniel Elam]

Subjective really, but having played the CE, core C24 and SS (plus a few others) back to back the CE was still the least inspiring, IMO.

It’s a real shame, but with competition from the SS, Fiore, and even the significantly cheaper SE and S2, the CE just doesn’t seem to have a reason to exist anymore.

I completely disagree. The Silver Sky and Fiore don’t really compete with the CE as they are completely different guitars. The S2 line is comprised mostly of guitars that don’t directly compete as well. Same for SE line. You do get more for your money with the CE. On paper, it’s better than SE/S2 and having played the others, it’s better in reality than them as well. Also, it’s a bolt on 24 fret. It’s its own thing really. I’m not just trying to disagree or be a fan boy because I have one. Just being honest. I actually like my Silver Sky and CE22 slightly more than the newer CE24. I still think it’s a really good guitar at a good price.

 

[SinSir]

We're re all differnet.. I would take a CE over a SS everyday of the week. Honestly, it doesn't really matter which I or you prefer. They are all good guitars and every PRS is expensive for its tier. It is what it is.

 

[Em7]

As it ships from the factory, a post-2016 CE24 is a little underwhelming. I had John Ingram (a.k.a. Orkie) replace the stock trem with a MannMade 2040 trem as well as do one his setups (the major reason why I took the guitar to John), and the guitar came back a totally different instrument. The setup on a CE24 from the factory definitely leaves a lot to be desired. The imported trem that ships with the guitar is, well, no, just no. In my humble opinion, it does not belong on an instrument at this price point.

 

[Daniel Elam]

As it ships from the factory, a post-2016 CE24 is a little underwhelming. I had John Ingram (a.k.a. Orkie) replace the stock trem with a MannMade 2040 trem as well as do one his setups (the major reason why I took the guitar to John), and the guitar came back a totally different instrument. The setup on a CE24 from the factory definitely leaves a lot to be desired. The imported trem that ships with the guitar is, well, no, just no. In my humble opinion, it does not belong on an instrument at this price point.

I agree with this. Gonna order a trem soon. The one on my CE22 is amazing.

 

[Ovibos]

I think people who believe they can hear the difference in neck joints drive the conversation. IMHO what you hear is the maple neck, not the joint. (Paul himself said something similar at a CME appearance).

For me, the reclaimed CE24 was as close to a core I would splash for, and it’s been great. I did do the MannMade 2000NOS on it - but mostly b/c the reclaimed was such a deal new and that was basically the price diff to the regular CE24.

 

[SamIV]

I do like it. But it has not blown me away as I thought it would. My wife is still having some health issues and can’t take the volumes I want to play it. Plugged it into a tiny Roland cube just to make sure all is working. The high E string buzzes while picked open as well. I am assuming the nut is cut to low. Will give to a couple of days and see how it goes. And yes this was a mail order guitar. There are none local for me to play. The pickups do sound good in the videos I have seen. Hopefully this weekend I will get a chance to plug it into my -AC15. And the tops on my SE’s are nicer looking. I know they are just a veneer. Again, I am not implying it is a bad guitar, just thought I would be a bit more blown away.

 

[cjlloyd]

When I bought mine, I chose it because I played it alongside a core CU24 and preferred it. That being said, I agree that the stock bridge lets it down a bit. I upgraded mine too.

I think people who believe they can hear the difference in neck joints drive the conversation. IMHO what you hear is the maple neck, not the joint. (Paul himself said something similar at a CME appearance).

Agree 100%. I think of it like this: hypothetically, if you were to take a guitar with a set mahogany neck, which of these two would change the sound the most?
1) replacing the mahogany neck with a set maple neck, or
2) keeping the mahogany neck but putting four screws in at the joint.

Seems fairly obvious to me that it’s the wood and not the joint that makes the difference.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I completely disagree. The Silver Sky and Fiore don’t really compete with the CE as they are completely different guitars. The S2 line is comprised mostly of guitars that don’t directly compete as well. Same for SE line. You do get more for your money with the CE. On paper, it’s better than SE/S2 and having played the others, it’s better in reality than them as well. Also, it’s a bolt on 24 fret. It’s its own thing really. I’m not just trying to disagree or be a fan boy because I have one. Just being honest. I actually like my Silver Sky and CE22 slightly more than the newer CE24. I still think it’s a really good guitar at a good price.

Be happy with what you’ve got, absolutely. That’s really the kind of ‘The End’ point of all of this, and I’m very happy for you that you like it.

But I also disagree. The SS and Fiore do compete with the CE partly BECAUSE they are different! They’re fresh and new by comparison, they are also bolt-on, and they are in the same price bracket. How can they not be a viable alternative?

If you want a double cut HH style guitar with a flamey top you’ve got all kinds of options in the PRS family and, unfortunately for the CE, the SE and the S2 play and sound just as good. They share much of the same hardware after all.

To put it another way, if you want a HSS or SSS ‘S’ type PRS guitar you have to buy either a Fiore or a Silver Sky and pay the price. But this isn’t the case with the CE.

I’m not hating on this guitar. Far from it. Until a couple of years ago I’d bought way more bolt-on neck guitars than set neck, and based on the spec in the brochure I nearly ordered one, however the brochure also shows how it has almost become Paul’s ginger step-child. Where’s the love? It’s like PRS themselves don’t expect many people will buy them now?

 

[Uncle Bob]

I think people who believe they can hear the difference in neck joints drive the conversation. IMHO what you hear is the maple neck, not the joint. (Paul himself said something similar at a CME appearance).

For me, the reclaimed CE24 was as close to a core I would splash for, and it’s been great. I did do the MannMade 2000NOS on it - but mostly b/c the reclaimed was such a deal new and that was basically the price diff to the regular CE24.

I loved the look of the reclaimed, and I would have bought one without a doubt. I was hugely disappointed to find out they were a limited run from a few years previous and had all been sold.

Re: the bolt-on comment, it’s kind of a given that a bolt-on neck is going to be maple. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bolt-on mahogany neck myself?

Plus let’s not forget that the SE C24 neck is also maple... just as the CE.

 

[Em7]

In my humble opinion, an SE is not a real PRS guitar. It is a Cort-built contract guitar made to PRS specs. Cort is the same company that built my first guitar back in the mid-seventies when I was just a teenager with no money. It was a Cortez Les Paul copy. No one considered the guitar to be in the same class as Gibson or Fender, and that says a lot because the seventies were the low water mark for Gibson and Fender (I am sure that Paul and Orkie fixed problems with a lot of those dogs).

With that said, as a native Marylander, any guitar sporting the PRS brand name that is not made in Maryland is not a real PRS. PRS is more than its guitars. It is company with a heart and soul and that heart and soul is located in Maryland. PRS is its people, Marylanders who get up everyday and do what they do to make PRS successful. I am glad that PRS management was wise enough to realize that they needed a Maryland-made line with a lower price point and made it happen. I just wish that they had spared the CE24 from the move. The CE24 has been seen as a poor man's CU24 since PRS started to offer nice tops on the model, but the CE24 is a different instrument with a different tonal response. It belongs in the core line, as a no compromise guitar, not a budget friendly line.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Not this again...

So a MIM strat is not a real Fender? The world knows why SE guitars are built overseas, it’s cost, not expertise. The notion that geography makes any difference at all is really dumb.

 

[Ovibos]

In my humble opinion, an SE is not a real PRS guitar. It is a Cort-built contract guitar made to PRS specs.

Disagree. It’s from a dedicated factory that only does PRS (at least the Indonesian ones) where they have been trained by PRS to work to their standards.

Cort is the same company that built my first guitar back in the mid-seventies when I was just a teenager with no money.

…because only USA companies can have improved in quality over the last 50 years…?

With that said, as a native Marylander, any guitar sporting the PRS brand name that is not made in Maryland, it is not a real PRS.

That’s a weird shot at all the Marylanders doing setup and inspection on the SEs…

Not this again...

So a MIM strat is not a real Fender? The world knows why SE guitars are built overseas, it’s cost, not expertise. The notion that geography makes any difference at all is really dumb.

Testify.

 

[bodia]

I loved the look of the reclaimed, and I would have bought one without a doubt. I was hugely disappointed to find out they were a limited run from a few years previous and had all been sold.

Re: the bolt-on comment, it’s kind of a given that a bolt-on neck is going to be maple. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bolt-on mahogany neck myself?

Plus let’s not forget that the SE C24 neck is also maple... just as the CE.

How about a bolt on Rosewood neck?

https://reverb.com/item/40826119-er...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=40826119

 

[jak3af3r]

How about a bolt on Rosewood neck?

https://reverb.com/item/40826119-er...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=40826119

I built a tele with a rosewood neck as an experiment.

Edit: now I think about it, I have a friend with a mahogany/rosewood tele neck too that's a bolt-on.