NGD 2-18-2016 S2 Custom 22 Semi-Hollow

[prsrocker1988]

I just played mine out this weekend. They don't do everything, but what the do well... they do WELL. Always get compliments on it.

I always like to have a hollowbody guitar in my arsenal live and in the studio if I can. You can't make a solidbody sound like that. Be it my S2 Singlecut SH or my old Gibson ES-125TC archtop from the late 60s. It's not an extremely versatile guitar but for that smoky blues rock thang it can't be beat. I use mine A LOT for RnB/blues/rock stuff.

 

[CoreyT]

Sweet! I still have GAS for a Mira semi hollow. Like the black, very classy. Really glad the ZM is back in action to your liking. When you said 2 years, I figured a set up would be all you needed. That's a long time.

Thanks!
Funny thing is my 2012 SE Custom 24 is older than the ZM, never been back to the shop for its free second setup, and it is still playing like the day it left the shop.
Curious why the ZM got out of whack, but the CU24 did not.
But yes, the ZM is now a joy to play, even better than the day I picked it up.

Congrats. The semi hollow S2s have something special to them I think. Very good guitars.

Thanks!
The S2 guitars IMO are a great deal, I can find no flaw in it.

I just played mine out this weekend. They don't do everything, but what the do well... they do WELL. Always get compliments on it.

Cool, glad you are liking yours.

Killer addition to an already bada$$ harem enjoy rocking it.
I think I must start saving to get me a new PRS for the official TRC

Thanks!
I was playing both the ZM yesterday and the new one, and I notice the #7 pickups in the S2 are hotter sounding than the 245 pickups in the ZM.
I am really digging this guitar.

And yes, I hope they can do another run on the forum TRC.
I am getting tired of swapping them back and forth between guitars

 

[vchizzle]

Well unless you have 100% stable and unchanging conditions(temp, humidity, etc), wood is gonna move. All guitars being different, they are going to change differently. That's the appeal of the graphite rod vs. truss rod. The graphite doesn't change and isn't susceptible to movement, so it stays put and you never need an adjustment of the neck. With the truss rod, you have the channel that the rod sits in and is rotated. So there's space in there that doesn't exist with the graphite bar. That's my theory at least. At any rate, I'd consider it lucky not to have to make any adjustment for 2+ years. And unusual.

 

[CoreyT]

Wonder if it is also due to SEs wood not being as dry, and also my Gibson SGs neck?
I know most of my SEs and the Gibson will change tuning the next day after being perfectly in tune, and they all have Planet Waves/D'Addario Autotrim locking tuners on them.

Even the ZM went sharp twice over the weekend.
My home flucuated from 70° in the early morning, to 75° in the afternoon when the sun was out.
But...neither my 408 or the new S2 required to be re-tuned.
Got out all of my guitars Friday afternoon when I got home from work, and when I cased them all Sunday afternoon, the two USA models needed no fine tuning as they were perfect.
Could this be due to drier wood too?

 

[rugerpc]

I think I remember Paul saying that the SE woods were dried in a similar fashion to the US offerings. Paul is a stickler for moisture content and control. I would expect he would hold World Guitars to his standard....

 

[Alan Manning]

she's a Beauty. Congrats mate!!.

 

[CoreyT]

Hopefully Bill they are using dry wood, but I have noticed with all of the SEs they change tune often.

Thanks Alan!

On a side note, my dealer knows I am going for the all black look, and he called me a bit ago with news from the tech that does my setups.
He suggested these Seymour Duncan 59s for the neck and bridge.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/59-neck
http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/59-bridge

They look great, but...are they going to be much better than the chrome covered S2 #7s treble and bass?
My 7s sound great, and the set of Seymours will be around $150 or so plus installation.
They are three way compatible, and also with the push/pull tone pot on the S2.

And he also had in dark Grover tuner buttons that may have fit my S2, and they are not plastic.
I am not sure of the material of the Stew-Mac ones.

 

[rugerpc]

Hopefully Bill they are using dry wood, but I have noticed with all of the SEs they change tune often.

My new 277 is holding its tuning quite well, as does the old Santana SE that was in the pics with it in the other thread. Pretty much both ends of the SE manufacturing lifespan.

 

[CoreyT]

My new 277 is holding its tuning quite well, as does the old Santana SE that was in the pics with it in the other thread. Pretty much both ends of the SE manufacturing lifespan.

Might be the temperature swing in my place, not sure.
Plus some guitars get a little sun tan during the day if my drapes are open, but not full sun on them.
If it gets to sunny in my place, I will angle the blinds.

 

[Kazz]

My SE Custom 24 and Starla both occasionally go out when the heat and humidity change a lot, and the SE seems to go further and more often (although that could have something to do with the trem and/or thinner neck).

The main source of tuning problems with my SE though was having someone file the nut for thicker strings. Ever since that was done, I have more difficulty keeping it stable.

I'll probably get a new nut soon to address that problem if I can figure out what the best one would be. Maybe a Core PRS, but I hear the width doesn't quite match...not sure if it'll matter or not.

 

[CoreyT]

To black out my guitar even more, I changed out the stock S2 tuner buttons for some that I got from Stew-Mac, and they are Ebony large Schaller Replacement Knobs.
Very easy to change out, and I used my Grundorf GMT003B Portable Guitar Maintenance Table.
I use this table whenever I change out the truss rod covers, or the tuner knobs like I did on my PRS 408 a few years ago,

One thing I noticed is when I loosened the screw or tightened it up on the knob the pitch of the string changed.
I do not remember this happening when I did my 408, I think the pitch did not change, but I could be wrong.

The new tuner buttons are the same shape and size as the original S2 tuner buttons.
I do have the screws screwed in most of the way, and this makes it now a bit harder to adjust the tuners , so I may slack off a bit on the screw, but I really do not mind it being a little stiffer.

I also used my Stew-Mac Guitar Tech Screwdriver Set.
This is a great compact toolkit for working on the guitars, and I do not have to grab perhaps a greasy tool that I have used on my FJ Cruiser when working on it.

I like the blackout look better, and my next mod to this guitar might be some Seymour Duncan 59 pickups in all black.
Bridge
Neck

Links

Schaller Replacement Knobs
Guitar Tech Screwdriver Set
Grundorf GMT003B Portable Guitar Maintenance Table

The guitar also lost some weight, 1.5 oz to be exact.
The stock chrome tuner buttons weigh in at 2 ounces, and the replacements weigh in at 1/2 ounce.

A few pictures from today.

New buttons, 1/2 ounce.

Chrome on the left, ebony on the right.

All ebony buttons on.

Old buttons at 2.0 ounces.

Full shot with new buttons installed.

Yep, 1.5 ounces weight lost from last Saturdays weigh in when it was stock.
If I get new pickups installed later, not sure if the new ones will weigh less or more than the stock PRS S2 #7 pickups.