I have the exact same year model of the SE custom 24. I would describe it as a SE that has a control configuration that resembles the McCarty Trem. You have the 3-way toggle instead of the blade switch, which is what I prefer. The body's made from 3 pieces of mahogany, 32mm in thickness, topped with a 5mm maple with flame maple veneer, rosewood fretboard on a 3 piece maple neck. The stock pickups are great, unless you have very picky ears like mine. I dig the stock ones a lot, they gave me about 80% of the tone I desire, but I wanted a tighter low-end and brighter high-end to play more metal, so I dropped in some Dimarzio D Activators. I personally don't find the coil splits on the newer models to be that satisfying. I got myself a Strat instead for single-coil tones. The trem system is just godsend. You don't normally get a stock trem that's that good. The only problem is in the nut, which is used through out the whole SE range. It's a bit pinchy on the strings, and may cause minor tuning problems, which is not very hard to cure. A little but of nut sauce will get it done most of the time. If the problem persists, take it to a qualified tech to widen the nut a tad.
All in all, these SEs are professional quality guitars sold at student-friendly prices. Paul really made the SEs live up to their names. They are designed to be quite (not exactly but quite) faithful to the originals, built with good but lower grade wood, Korean-made parts and electronics, assembled in Korea and sent back to USA for final setups, quality inspection etc. They're really big on quality. Lots of competitors out there, there's Epiphone, LTD, Schecter, all these companies making guitars at the same price point, but I would say PRS has the best quality control and there's no stereotypical "beginners guitar" and "high-end guitar" in the whole range, every single SE is a pro instrument. Ask Zach Myers and the guys from Opeth, they play their signature SEs stock, alongside their Maryland-made PRS live, because they believed the SEs hold up well against them, and that they are playing the same instruments that their fans can afford.
Lastly, welcome to the forum! Feel free to ask questions, there are lots of friendly and resourceful folks hanging around here. Have fun! Cheers, Bob. :beer:
