AkiraSpectrum
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2015
- Messages
- 188
It's been about 10 years since I've been interested in 7-strings but have never pulled the trigger on one, until now. This is officially my first PRS!
Background:
I have been in love with the lower register since I was first interested in playing guitar. However, I have always opted for grabbing 6-strings and down-tuning because it was always easier to get a 6-string I liked than go on the hunt for a 7, simply for the fact that 7-strings aren't as common and are less likely to be in music stores. Originally, I took the plunge on a used 6-string baritone in order to get down into the B standard, Drop A, Drop A# range with an ESP/LTD Viper Baritone 300. Great guitar, but the 27" scale was too uncomfortable for me. I eventually sold the guitar and picked up an Ibanez RGA121 H CDO (25.5") for these tunings, running a 13-59 gauge set. Overall I have been happy with this instrument to get me into the lower registers but always missed losing that higher string.
Present:
Lately, I've been loving going into local music stores to play their PRS guitars (mostly S2's, some used Cores, and a few SE's). After realizing that I couldn't justify the money on an American PRS I went scouring Kijiji for used SE's because the SE's I have played, especially those made in the last 3 years have been fantastic. I saw a PRS 2012 SE Custom 24 in Whale Blue for a good deal and almost grabbed it, however, I wasn't overly keen on another 6-string guitar (I already have 4, all spanning different tunings) that I would just put in standard. Due to my being in grad school I don't really have much time to play my guitars and having two guitars in standard just seemed like a waste at this point in my life. Then, I find a PRS SE Custom 24 7-String from 2013 on Kijiji for a decent price....
Purchase:
After talking down the seller from $575 to $450 I grabbed this fantastic instrument! In Canada these guitars go for $869-$999 new, and this instrument is in excellent shape and didn't appear to have an excessive amount of play time on it.
Construction:
The build quality of the instrument is top notch and is what you'd expect from guitars coming out of Korea (on par with my LTD EC-1000). Frets are done well with no sharp ends.
Playability:
-Definitely the nicest playing 7-string I've played. One of the reasons I never grabbed a 7-string was because a 25.5" scale with an extra string just made it too difficult for me and my small hands to feel comfortable playing chords near the nut, especially now that the 26.5"+ scales are becoming the norm. The most comfortable 7 string I've played up until recently had been the LTD H-1007 but the 25" scale length of the PRS is just so comfortable to play all over the fretboard; no straining needed, yet doesn't feel crammed either.
-The neck profile is like the ESP/LTD Thin U had a baby with Schecter's Thin C, extremely comfortable!
-The 25" scale isn't near the problem I thought it might be. The seller said they put on a 10-46 + 60 (although they admit the 60 could be a 62) and I had no excessive floppiness from B standard to Drop A, even Drop G# was quite usable.
Sound:
This is the only downside of the instrument. Overall, when it comes to 6-string playing on this instrument the sound is fantastic, very warm, not harsh, yet still has some power to it. The issue come about when adding the 7th string to the mix. I'm guessing that the combination between the pickups (which have a fair deal amount of low end and low midrange) combine with the 25" scale produces this deep low mid grunt and sludgy tone. Depending on your style of music this may be less an issue than it is for me, seeing as how I like playing high gain and using a lot of power chords. For those playing Prog/Djent styles this will likely be less of an issue.
-After spending some time adjusting the pickup height and turning up the presence and treble a lot on my amp sims I was able to dial back some of the low mid grunt, although it is still noticeable. Overall, it isn't a deal breaker for an instrument that excels in all other departments. Although I'm in no hurry, maybe down the road I will throw in some tighter pickups to try and counteract the excessive low end.
Conclusion:
The PRS SE Custom 24 7 string has been the most impressive 7 string I've played in its price range. The 25" scale and neck carve are very comfortable and make playing a breeze, although the 25" scale coupled with the stock pickups will give you a muddy low end in high gain situations (but a pickup swap or spending time playing with settings on your amp and OD pedal can help to mitigate this issue). I definitely recommend giving this instrument a fair shot to anyone looking for a 7-string that deviates slightly from the norm. This guitar has been granted permanent residency in my stable
Pics:
Didn't get a chance to clean the guitar so it is a little dusty....
Background:
I have been in love with the lower register since I was first interested in playing guitar. However, I have always opted for grabbing 6-strings and down-tuning because it was always easier to get a 6-string I liked than go on the hunt for a 7, simply for the fact that 7-strings aren't as common and are less likely to be in music stores. Originally, I took the plunge on a used 6-string baritone in order to get down into the B standard, Drop A, Drop A# range with an ESP/LTD Viper Baritone 300. Great guitar, but the 27" scale was too uncomfortable for me. I eventually sold the guitar and picked up an Ibanez RGA121 H CDO (25.5") for these tunings, running a 13-59 gauge set. Overall I have been happy with this instrument to get me into the lower registers but always missed losing that higher string.
Present:
Lately, I've been loving going into local music stores to play their PRS guitars (mostly S2's, some used Cores, and a few SE's). After realizing that I couldn't justify the money on an American PRS I went scouring Kijiji for used SE's because the SE's I have played, especially those made in the last 3 years have been fantastic. I saw a PRS 2012 SE Custom 24 in Whale Blue for a good deal and almost grabbed it, however, I wasn't overly keen on another 6-string guitar (I already have 4, all spanning different tunings) that I would just put in standard. Due to my being in grad school I don't really have much time to play my guitars and having two guitars in standard just seemed like a waste at this point in my life. Then, I find a PRS SE Custom 24 7-String from 2013 on Kijiji for a decent price....
Purchase:
After talking down the seller from $575 to $450 I grabbed this fantastic instrument! In Canada these guitars go for $869-$999 new, and this instrument is in excellent shape and didn't appear to have an excessive amount of play time on it.
Construction:
The build quality of the instrument is top notch and is what you'd expect from guitars coming out of Korea (on par with my LTD EC-1000). Frets are done well with no sharp ends.
Playability:
-Definitely the nicest playing 7-string I've played. One of the reasons I never grabbed a 7-string was because a 25.5" scale with an extra string just made it too difficult for me and my small hands to feel comfortable playing chords near the nut, especially now that the 26.5"+ scales are becoming the norm. The most comfortable 7 string I've played up until recently had been the LTD H-1007 but the 25" scale length of the PRS is just so comfortable to play all over the fretboard; no straining needed, yet doesn't feel crammed either.
-The neck profile is like the ESP/LTD Thin U had a baby with Schecter's Thin C, extremely comfortable!
-The 25" scale isn't near the problem I thought it might be. The seller said they put on a 10-46 + 60 (although they admit the 60 could be a 62) and I had no excessive floppiness from B standard to Drop A, even Drop G# was quite usable.
Sound:
This is the only downside of the instrument. Overall, when it comes to 6-string playing on this instrument the sound is fantastic, very warm, not harsh, yet still has some power to it. The issue come about when adding the 7th string to the mix. I'm guessing that the combination between the pickups (which have a fair deal amount of low end and low midrange) combine with the 25" scale produces this deep low mid grunt and sludgy tone. Depending on your style of music this may be less an issue than it is for me, seeing as how I like playing high gain and using a lot of power chords. For those playing Prog/Djent styles this will likely be less of an issue.
-After spending some time adjusting the pickup height and turning up the presence and treble a lot on my amp sims I was able to dial back some of the low mid grunt, although it is still noticeable. Overall, it isn't a deal breaker for an instrument that excels in all other departments. Although I'm in no hurry, maybe down the road I will throw in some tighter pickups to try and counteract the excessive low end.
Conclusion:
The PRS SE Custom 24 7 string has been the most impressive 7 string I've played in its price range. The 25" scale and neck carve are very comfortable and make playing a breeze, although the 25" scale coupled with the stock pickups will give you a muddy low end in high gain situations (but a pickup swap or spending time playing with settings on your amp and OD pedal can help to mitigate this issue). I definitely recommend giving this instrument a fair shot to anyone looking for a 7-string that deviates slightly from the norm. This guitar has been granted permanent residency in my stable
Pics:
Didn't get a chance to clean the guitar so it is a little dusty....
Last edited:
