NGD PRS Custom 24 S2 with Review

Christopher Horton

New Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
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33
Location
Savannah, GA
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Now, for a review.

I have already had my honeymoon period with this axe. Its been around 7 weeks or so, been through impromptu jam sessions, band practice, home practice, stage, and recording. It has been used through a Blackstar tube amp, a Peavey Classic, and even digital stuff like The POD HD. So it's not one of those "I JUST GOT THIS AND IT FRICKIN RULEZ!!!!!" type posts. It has been put through the trials... and the shock of it being new is gone. With that being said, I have bonded very heavily with this guitar.

This is my first PRS, mostly because I could never afford a core model. But over the years I have always eyed them and wanted one. When the SE models came out, I considered buying one, but I owned mostly 7 string guitars and played metal. So I didnt see anything in that line that appealed to me, even the SE7. But tastes change, and musical muses change. Ive since sold my 7 string collection. So after i sold my 7's, I was on the hunt for something versatile, and very good quality. I had a $1500 budget. Ive played guitar for 21 years now, so I have tried Strats, Ibanez, Teles, ESP...all of them. I didnt want to go back to an "old faithful". I couldnt get excited for a high end Fender or Gibson.

I remember seeing Santana in concert before and while i was paying attention to his awesome riffs/licks, I also couldnt take my eyes off of his guitar. I went to the music store, tried a core model, an S2 and a newer SE. I knew I was buying a PRS. But which one? My friend bought an S2 Starla that same week, and after seeing his guitar, and the quality.....

I took the plunge. I bought a Maryland made PRS. Why did I choose white? I see so many PRS guitars out there that are quilted, or have a sunburst finish. I never see all white ones, except the one Dave Navarro plays. But hey, lets get down to it. The finish is gorgeous and I hope it "antiques" more as time goes by, like Olympic White guitars. Lets talk about the good:

There is not one flaw to be seen on the entire guitar. The frets were perfect, laser leveled. It even arrived in tune, Out of the box. I lowered the action just a bit, to my liking. I was surprised to find quality electronics. Good pots, capacitors...I mean, what other company has a treble bleed installed standard? The locking tuners are the best Ive ever used. makes re-stringing a breeze and you can literally divebomb the trem and remain in tune. My friend that bought a PRS Starla S2 the same week? yes..you can dive bomb that bigsby as well. The neck is "pattern thin" I believe. It is a delight to play, and doesnt cause any cramp in my hand. The bird inlays are not abalone, but are pretty nonetheless. The brass impregnated graphite nut is amazing, and I wonder why more companies dont use similar technology. The dual action truss rod means hardly ever having to adjust the neck. The tuning pegs are brass as well. It is a joy to play. So on to the small little things that bothered me:

The pickups are middle of the road. They are one of the ways that PRS cut corners on this guitar. They have been very usable both live and in the studio. But they do not have much character. I plan on replacing them with something more my style. They cover a great deal of ground though, you can play heavy metal, or country. They absolutely KILL the stock pickups that used to come in Prestige Ibanez guitars. I never understood having crappy pickups in a work of art guitar. PRS put in a lot of effort to make these sound good and articulate, while remaining outsourced and mass produced. Just not my style....you know? I will change them out soon, and Im sure i will be even more impressed with this axe.

They also cut a corner with the bridge. It's the same that comes on the SE models, and does not have the usual brass block. Once again, it's something that can be mass produced and I will take the Phase 2 tuners it comes with over a core bridge any day! So with pickup change, and a brass block...this is the perfect guitar for me. All for under $2000, even if i put in some Bare Knuckle pups.

So perfect it was, that I bought a Custom 22 SE for a back-up and changed the pickups in that one to dimarzio. It's a greenish finish with the moon inlays instead of the birds, and it has a completely flat top. With the Dimarzios in it, it screams and sings. It has a much wider neck than the S2. It sounds and plays very well, but is still lacking the feel of the S2.

In closing? It would be hard to find a guitar with this kind of detail at this price point. The only thing I think that could compete with this new PRS line would be Carvin. I have a hardcase for mine, but the gigbag it came with is very nice also, and I dont mind taking it to jam sessions in the bag. But for shows and travel? It goes in the case! Thank you for reading! I am now a PRS customer for life! I think my next S2 will be a single cut!
 
See the s2s are a great guitar. Love mine and yours is totally smokin
 
congrats! this is my S2 this photo is from sweetwater but of my actual guitar! it now has the PRS \m/ pick ups in it as I was not overly crazy about the 7s that was in it. Bridge was ok but neck was practically unusable as with most neck humbuckers imo. the \m/ s are ceramic and very articulate! clean are snappy and clear not warm and muddy. I realize some like that tone not me. If I want that I can roll off the tone knob ;) the neck pup is even great. in the middle I can get closer to an acoustic style tone than most non ceramic pups. oh and coil tapped SWEET! anyway the \m/s are extremely versatile!
 
Great review. It sounds like what I expect my experience would be. The SE vibrato is still a really nice bridge, though. Steel block and saddles. Not worse really, just different. But John Mann will get you fixed up if you desire a little more brass in your life.

I'm loving the S2 models in solid colors. It seems to suit the beveled top well.
 
Looks great! Love the white. I have the white Mira, and still love just looking at it!
 
Very nice, welcome to the obsession. Sounds like you've really gone over all of your guitars accents pretty thoroughly. It's cool to read how a player feels about an instrument over a month after playing it and use in various situations as well.
 
Very nice, welcome to the obsession. Sounds like you've really gone over all of your guitars accents pretty thoroughly. It's cool to read how a player feels about an instrument over a month after playing it and use in various situations as well.


Yeah, I didnt want to open the box, take pictures and talk about how amazing it is. You see that alot on guitar forums. Then the guy has the "amazing" guitar for sale a month later.
 
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