Rhythmisking
New Member
Sooo... this is my first SE. I have two core guitars (Santana Signature and Singlecut satin artist) and an S2 (Vela), but I became really intrigued by the new SE Hollowbody. The all-mahogany laminate body seemed really cool, and unlike any other guitar I have (PRS or other), but also unlike anything else in the core line.
It arrived on Wednesday, but I finally got a chance today to play it for a good bit. I got this one 'used' from Dave's for what seemed stupid cheap money (< $700), but it seems entirely new including the case. Here are my impressions.
Fit and finish are perfect as far as I can see. It's gorgeous in an understated way. The fret work is super smooth, like my other PRSi. The fret edges aren't quite a 'perfect' as my others, but they aren't sharp or unfinished feeling at all. Doing fast chord melody stuff up and down the neck is effortless and smooth. Miraculous for a guitar at this price point, in my experience. The playability is excellent. Excellent.
The consensus on this model seems to be it is warm and woody, especially compared to the SE Hollowbody II. The guitar is warm, but I don't find it super woody, at least compared to actual large-bodied jazzboxes (which is maybe unfair). It has a clarity to it that I've come to associate with PRS guitars, but maybe with more warmth and less edge. I don't know how the 58/15S pickups compare with USA 58/15 ones because I've never played them, but these do sound quite good. They are articulate and smooth and tend towards warmth without being dark or muddy.
What I do notice; and I don't know whether it's the pickups, the body, or both, is that the guitar seems to respond best when played...gently. It doesn't particularly like to be hit hard. Some guitars do; my other three PRSi don't mind that at all. This one tends to loose string to string definition and clarity, particularly on complex chords, when it's hit hard. It's not entirely a bad thing, and if you play with a lot of dynamics, then occasionally hitting it hard and making it 'smear' a bit and then backing off again it totally works and adds character. But you just can't bang-bang-bang on chords or it gets muddy and thick sounding.
I should add that I play mostly very clean, jazz-type stuff.
The guitar sounds GREAT doing single line melody. This is where the 'woodiness' shows through. The pickups also sound pretty cool with drive, but quite warm. The neck is surprisingly smooth and creamy and the bridge is certainly edgier and meaner -but I wouldn't call it edgy or mean by any means except compared to the neck. It's always pretty polite, even with a lot of drive.
So that's my initial hit. I'm intrigued by it and liking it quite a bit. I don't feel like I've found it's 'soul' yet. I'm feeling like I need to spend some more quality time with it to understand it's personality. It's not a straight up 'jazz' guitar, and it's not a fusion guitar (and certainly not a 'rawk' guitar). It's a more 'gentle soul' than my other PRSi and I think I need to really listen to what it has to say rather than trying to make it into something that it's not.
I've never come across a guitar this good, for this little money.
It arrived on Wednesday, but I finally got a chance today to play it for a good bit. I got this one 'used' from Dave's for what seemed stupid cheap money (< $700), but it seems entirely new including the case. Here are my impressions.
Fit and finish are perfect as far as I can see. It's gorgeous in an understated way. The fret work is super smooth, like my other PRSi. The fret edges aren't quite a 'perfect' as my others, but they aren't sharp or unfinished feeling at all. Doing fast chord melody stuff up and down the neck is effortless and smooth. Miraculous for a guitar at this price point, in my experience. The playability is excellent. Excellent.
The consensus on this model seems to be it is warm and woody, especially compared to the SE Hollowbody II. The guitar is warm, but I don't find it super woody, at least compared to actual large-bodied jazzboxes (which is maybe unfair). It has a clarity to it that I've come to associate with PRS guitars, but maybe with more warmth and less edge. I don't know how the 58/15S pickups compare with USA 58/15 ones because I've never played them, but these do sound quite good. They are articulate and smooth and tend towards warmth without being dark or muddy.
What I do notice; and I don't know whether it's the pickups, the body, or both, is that the guitar seems to respond best when played...gently. It doesn't particularly like to be hit hard. Some guitars do; my other three PRSi don't mind that at all. This one tends to loose string to string definition and clarity, particularly on complex chords, when it's hit hard. It's not entirely a bad thing, and if you play with a lot of dynamics, then occasionally hitting it hard and making it 'smear' a bit and then backing off again it totally works and adds character. But you just can't bang-bang-bang on chords or it gets muddy and thick sounding.
I should add that I play mostly very clean, jazz-type stuff.
The guitar sounds GREAT doing single line melody. This is where the 'woodiness' shows through. The pickups also sound pretty cool with drive, but quite warm. The neck is surprisingly smooth and creamy and the bridge is certainly edgier and meaner -but I wouldn't call it edgy or mean by any means except compared to the neck. It's always pretty polite, even with a lot of drive.
So that's my initial hit. I'm intrigued by it and liking it quite a bit. I don't feel like I've found it's 'soul' yet. I'm feeling like I need to spend some more quality time with it to understand it's personality. It's not a straight up 'jazz' guitar, and it's not a fusion guitar (and certainly not a 'rawk' guitar). It's a more 'gentle soul' than my other PRSi and I think I need to really listen to what it has to say rather than trying to make it into something that it's not.
I've never come across a guitar this good, for this little money.
