NGD Custom 22 Rosewood Neck

[jiff]

I bought a 1997 PRS Standard 24 last year and that guitar was the first guitar to really open my eyes to what PRS is all about. Ever since then, I've been on the lookout for a Custom, especially one with the unfinished rosewood neck and a stop-tail.

Having never played a guitar with a solid rosewood neck, I wasn't sure what to expect but I'm glad to say that it's easily the nicest feeling neck I've ever played.

It's currently got a set of Duncan Distortions in there, which sound surprisingly good. The only setting I don't dig is the split coil bridge position, which is a little too thin and treble-y for my tastes. I think I will put in the PRS Dragon I bridge pickup I have lying around, along with the Dragon II neck humbucker that comes stock with the guitar.

On a side note, does anyone know the official name for this finish? Not sure if the lighting at my place is good enough to capture the color, but it's just slightly darker than a McCarty Sunburst to make me think that it's different.

EDIT: The finish is Vintage Sunburst. Thanks to WeFixFlats for the tip to check the MODCAT.

 

[ViperDoc]

Very nice guit.

 

[juka]

Congrats! Nice one!

Solid RW neck and one-piece stop tail to me still are the epitome of PRS!

I wonder how the thinner body will affect the overall sound and feeling compared to a McRosie. Will it sound thinner or will the RW neck take over a bigger proportion of the sound?

 

[WeFixFlats]

That is one sweet Custom 22 you've got there~! The one thing I've done in the past to try to find out the 'official stain color' is to look at the "MOD_CAT" under the treble pickup in the cavity. Take that number to here: http://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/modcat-decoders.6650/

 

[You-S4-It]

she's a beaut!
If you're happy with the humbucker bridge sound, a quick and easy check is to look at your wiring on the split coil bridge pickup. You can easily swap wires to choose the slug side instead of the screw coil side. The position change could reduce your trebly-ness since it's further away from the bridge. A quick tap of the pickup with a screwdriver while split will tell you which coil is tapped/active. Of course, having additional pickup choices like the Dragon I gives you options too.

 

[toothace]

Great score! Congrats!

 

[veinbuster]

Sweet.
Enjoy.

 

[vchizzle]

Looks REALLY clean. Elegant guitar you have there!

 

[jiff]

Thanks everybody!

Congrats! Nice one!

Solid RW neck and one-piece stop tail to me still are the epitome of PRS!

I wonder how the thinner body will affect the overall sound and feeling compared to a McRosie. Will it sound thinner or will the RW neck take over a bigger proportion of the sound?

Having never played a McCarty (nor one with a rosewood neck for that matter), I can't really say. I would love to hear from people that have played both guitars though.

Overall, the guitar has a much higher low-mid presence than my Standard 24, and single notes pop out a bit more. However, my Standard 24 still somehow beats in the sustain department.

she's a beaut!
If you're happy with the humbucker bridge sound, a quick and easy check is to look at your wiring on the split coil bridge pickup. You can easily swap wires to choose the slug side instead of the screw coil side. The position change could reduce your trebly-ness since it's further away from the bridge. A quick tap of the pickup with a screwdriver while split will tell you which coil is tapped/active. Of course, having additional pickup choices like the Dragon I gives you options too.

I think I'll try that before I swap out the bridge. I was surprised with the Duncan Distortion bridge since it wasn't harsh or icepick-y at all and seems to clean up nicely with the volume knob. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Tucson Thump]

Beautiful

 

[g.wizz]

Sweeet, Congrats

 

[jiff]

That is one sweet Custom 22 you've got there~! The one thing I've done in the past to try to find out the 'official stain color' is to look at the "MOD_CAT" under the treble pickup in the cavity. Take that number to here: http://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/modcat-decoders.6650/

Thanks for the tip! I just checked it out and apparently the finish is Vintage Sunburst.

 

[Rider1260]

Crack Wood Neck and a CU22 SWEET !!!!!!
Congrats

 

[vox801]

I do so love a rosewood neck on a PRS. Congrats and enjoy!

 

[László]

Looks great! Almost like a dark cherry burst.

 

[The Viking Gangster]

sweeeeeet guitar!

 

[dmatthews]

Super freakin' sexy!!!

 

[bodia]

Nice score! Love me some rosewood!

 

[gush]

That Is A Beautiful guitar And The RW neck is killer. I played an ME with RW neck once and it was amazing.

That dragon 1 will be an interesting choice for the bridge position.