NGD -GONE WRONG! LOL

[slang05]

OK, so a few weeks ago I'm looking for a guitar, cruising every used site I can find. From all my looking I fall in love with a 25th Anniversary Swamp Ash Special w/Narrowfields. I've had Singlecuts, Customs, McCartys and was looking for something different. So I watch all the video reviews I can find and I love the tone. Perfect. I think to myself "Self, that's a kick ass guitar that would go great with your 513". So, I start calling guitar centers that have used ones (I'm on a budget of $1500) and find one at the Hallandale FL GC that will ship it, tax and everything for the $1500 I was budgeted by my financial CEO (wife). Buy it last Friday, gets here Wednesday. First off, the case was scuffed to no end..No problem, just a case. I take the guitar out of the case, dirty as crap with a few major dings on it. No problem, I can clean it. So I clean it, string it and plug it in. WOW! Plays like a dream come true..a few little tweaks..perfect..but the tone was a bit off. Now I was expecting it to be a bit thin, kinda tele meets strat, but it just didn't work for me. So I tweak and tweak and think I have it pretty good. So I do a little recording, and there was just something about the bridge pickup on overdrive. Now granted, I was expecting it to be kinda this way, but there was just a nasty high end overtone to it I couldn't shake. So I plug in my 513, switch it to single coil mode, record the same thing.. Sounds perfect! So long story short, I messed with the SAS for 2 days and could not get my tone. I tried every trick in the book (book as in my brain and google) but to no avail. I cannot tell you how bummed I was to return it to GC today. The guitar was so pretty with its Sapphire Blue Smokeburst and the neck, omg, I love PRS maple necks..it played so good, but I knew I would never be happy with it. I knew when I ordered it, that this could happen and was one of the reasons I choose Guitar Center so I could return it if I didn't like it. If I could afford several guitars, I would've kept it. Even though the "rock" tone i was needing wasn't quite there, there were several very cool tonal options especially with the neck pickup. Very Cool. But since the CEO is limiting me to 2 guitars (we're house shopping) I couldn't keep it. I think I just need a Custom 22 with coil taps! So back to my search for a little brother to my 513!

 

[Dancing Frog]

I would try an SA Studio instead of an SASNF if you don't like the treble. The 1957/2008 Humbucker in the treble is much fuller under overdrive.

If you are looking for a Custom 22, I would look at the P22 or a Cu22 Soapbar. The versatility of P22 is great. The Cu22 Soapbar is something really different. Much more rock machine than you would expect. Everybody should have at least one guitar with P90's.

 

[slang05]

I would kill for a SA Studio or just a studio, but my budget is $1500 so a Custom 22 is more likely

 

[Dancing Frog]

Well, you could always get a early Swamp Ash Special. They are pretty cheap. Send it to the PTC and have them install 5708's. Replace the Duncan Vintage rails with a Fralin blues. Maybe, replace the neck 5708 with a Fralin P-92. You'd be about 90% the way to a Studio.

 

[John Beef]

The only thing older SAS models don't have that a 25th Anny SAS would have, other than the pickups, is the Regular neck carve. I believe they were all wide fat until the 25th Anny models came out. Also, for many years they came with McCarty style switching, until about 2006 or so. 2006 ish-09 they came with the blade switch.

Also, I think you'll be closer to the tone of a SAS with a CE rather than a Custom (plus your CEO will very much approve of the budget). IMHO the tone of the instrument has more to do with the neck than the body. There was a guy at The Gear Page several years ago who had two Suhr strat copies. The electronics were identical. One was an alder body with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard, the other was ash with a maple neck and maple fretboard. They obviously sounded a bit different from each other. Then he swapped the necks and the tone of the guitar followed the neck, not the body. The alder body with the maple neck and maple fretboard sounded almost identical to the ash body with the maple neck and fretboard. So, if you get a CE with a maple neck and bolt-in construction like a SAS, it'll likely sound quite a bit more like a SAS than any Custom ever would.

Also, I recently bought an older used SE Tremonti from GC, had it shipped from CO to AZ, and didn't bond with it. GC was great about taking it back. They get a lot of bad press but I was very satisfied with my experience.

 

[dbonanno]

If you liked everything else about the guitar, I'm confused as to why you didn't just swap out the pickup. :dontknow:

*EDIT*
Never mind