NGD: My first CU24

[bl5150]

First post driven by some excitement at a recent purchase..........interested in all your thoughts good/bad on how I've done with this one.

I've always wanted a Custom 24 but couldn't gel with the pickups on the SE or the carve on the S2 (look) /core (forearm feel). I came to the conclusion that the CE24 with the shallower carve and smooth/satin neck suited me better and was very close to buying a CE24 satin blackout but then decided I really want a set neck , preferably roasted maple (as seen on a lovely Wood Library). Fussy pants eh?

So I've patiently waited for the set neck with satin/smooth-ish finish , shallow violin carve , maple neck with US pickups etc....etc.....and preferably a lovely top.

Well here she is..........a Korean roasted SE with one of the nicest tops/veneers I've seen with locking tuners, upgraded knobs/switch/electrics , 57/08 pickups with 5 way switch/split. The neck isn't satin but not high gloss either.

Sure I wouldn't mind recessed knobs and a core headstock and so on but all things considered this is the best all round PRS for me and it cost 3 figures It'll make a nice singlecut/doublecut duo with my Knaggs Kenai Tier 3 that didn't cost 3 figures

 

[Zoot Allures]

Wow, that’s a beautiful veneer and neck. 57/08 pickups? Oh, yeah! Congrats…..

 

[dmatthews]

Awesome!
Congrats, she's a winner, and welcome!

 

[Greywolf]

very nicw ,57/08's rock

 

[Moondog Wily]

That is very tasty! Congrats and enjoy!!

 

[rcsrich]

Gorgeous!

 

[Teddy4]

Awesome congratulations

 

[PRSAK]

Hell yeah! Black birds and maple neck. love it!

 

[Birdsofprey]

Korean SE PRS = Great value and excellent quality! Nice score….as far as the neck goes you can use Scotch Brite to break the gloss and you’ll have that satin feel.

 

[NazgulUK]

Score!

 

[direwolf08]

Wow, what a top! And core pickups? Great score, play the bejesus out of that one

 

[Jimi D]

Sweet! I always love a maple board... Congrats and welcome!

 

[GSVBagpuss]

That’s a lovely axe

 

[d^rren]

That's an incredible veneer and beautiful colour! Congrats!

Being a Korean SE, that's not the shallow violin carve. The shallow violin carve didn't come out until I think 2022 or 2023, and they were fully Indonesian by that point.

I had a close look at some new SE models this week and the shallow violin carve did not impress me at all. I much prefer the rounded "bevel" top of the earlier models, and specifically sought out one of these when I got my Tremonti SE last year. The "shallow violin carve" of the SE models is even more shallow than on the new USA CE models... it's barely carved at all. You can only really see it from certain angles.

 

[bodia]

That's a great find! Way to be patient and wait for the right one

 

[d^rren]

For the life of me, I will not understand what's taken PRS so long to start offering more guitars with maple fretboards.

 

[Markcarl]

Simply stunning! Congratulations!

 

[bl5150]

Thanks all for the kind welcome and thoughts. I gotta say that after having her a few days (and a lifetime of playing) I think I've found the neck profile that suits my hands the best (PRS wide-thin , which I'm assuming is pretty much the same as Pattern Thin). I do have an SE Hollowbody Piezo but I'm not as much a fan of the Wide Fat , but it's good for the style I'd be using it for.

I grew up on a Ibanez JEM Floral and as I age I think my hands are appreciating a thicker neck. To me the thin PRS is thick Of my 15 or so guitars the four that I currently feel most comfy on are the :

-PRS SE (above)
- Ibanez TQM1 (thicker than the usual Ibanez but very close to the SE)
- Knaggs Kenai (thicker again)
- a custom made guitar that's like an Ibanez neck through but with a neck like the Kenai

All of them are in the 21-22.5mm range at the 1st fret- C shape with decent shoulders.......bordering on D in some cases. So I've spent a bit of time this week with the calipers and comparing my other guitars measurements and feel. But this PRS has been a revelation in terms of really settling on the right carve and there's going to the some Charvel/ESP types getting moved along and maybe another PRS incoming soon.