NGD - SE Semi-Hollow (with some mods)

[justmund]

After playing my dads SE Semi-Hollow, I knew I had to have one, especially at the price they were going for (I still can't believe the value of these things!).

I reckon I played it for all of 10 minutes before I put it back in the case, only to pull it out again when some locking tuners arrived. I wanted to do "Stage 1" in one hit, rather than piecemeal.

 

[justmund]

TRC removal

Scoring the lacquer so it doesn't chip

Using a drift punch to tap off the nut

Loose nut

A little bit of wood came off, I think this was unavoidable

 

[justmund]

New USA nut (I had one laying around, they come in a 2 pack)

Interesting to note the USA nuts are solid, the SE ones aren't

Needs a spot of cleaning up

At this stage Audrey came to say goodnight (don't mind the rash!)

Almost clean

 

[justmund]

Thought the fretboard could so with an oil (it didn't need it, but I like to do it anyway)

A bit of excess Fret Doctor on there to let it "soak in"

A bit of superglue (hey Mike?). I'm not the neatest person when it comes to glue!

USA nut one (they're also slightly narrower front to back than the SE ones, I noticed this on my SE EG too)

TRC back on, you can hardly tell it's narrower

 

[justmund]

Unscrew all the tuner screws

Out with the old...

In with the new... (Grover 406C drop in replacement tuners for SE)

Tuners in place

Screws in, being careful not to overtighten

Do them up with a 10mm socket or tube spanner so you don't scratch anything (don't use a shifter!). A ring spanner would do as well...

Done!

 

[justmund]

Hmm what can I do here?

Take 'em out!

53/10s! (w/pixie dust)

At this stage I got "Black or White" stuck in my head...

I went with cream

Done! (for now)

 

[justmund]

Sorry for the millions of photos, I thought I'd put together a pictorial "how to".

So this is "Stage 1"... "Stage 2" will be installing USA pots and new caps (I've got the pots lying around from when I put push/pulls in my Stripped 58), I need to get some caps and open to suggestion on types... I'm thinking of doing siggy switching, and installing 2 x mini-toggles between the volume and tone pot, to coil tap the neck or bridge. I think there's enough room in there!

I also would love to put a USA bridge/posts on there, but this is supposed to be a budget build (I had already accumulated all the parts, with exception of the tuners which are pretty cheap, and the mini-toggles and caps to come, which won't break the bank either). I'll keep an eye out for a 2nd hand one but they're hens teeth in Australia!

Tone report? Well by the time I had finished last night it was too late to plug her in. Partner, baby and visiting father were all asleep. I did whack it into the HD500 and go headphones and am impressed so far. I think there's a lot of warm, open, woodiness to the tone, but time will tell when I plug her into a proper amp... I do think she is going to sound fantastic though!

Full tone report after the weekend...

 

[PRSHB2]

Awesome work!! Thanks for sharing. About 5 years ago I almost bought one of these, sans birds of course. Would have been my first PRS, but I ended up going with a Gibson ES-137 which is now long gone. Looking forward to your updates.

 

[John Beef]

Looks great! I bet it sounds great too.

IMHO, add some lampshade knobs when you swap out the pots!

 

[justmund]

Awesome work!! Thanks for sharing. About 5 years ago I almost bought one of these, sans birds of course. Would have been my first PRS, but I ended up going with a Gibson ES-137 which is now long gone. Looking forward to your updates.

It's never too late!

Looks great! I bet it sounds great too.

IMHO, add some lampshade knobs when you swap out the pots!

Ah yeah forgot to say, amber lampshades are on the list too! Great minds...

 

[moyboy]

Nice mods, thanks for posting all the pics. I'm sure there's going to be more SE mods coming because of this post.

 

[_pete_]

Nice job and beautiful guitar!
I clear lexan pickguard would look great on it. I know I saw some somewhere. I'll post a link if I find it.
I do like the black pup rings better with the black pickguard though.

I'll be doing a very similar thread on a Bernie Marsden SE in the near future (if the guitar ever gets here). The only stock parts that will be left when it's done are the body and neck

 

[Shawn@PRS]

Way to go Justin!

 

[Mike Duncan]

Very impressive! Love the Grovers. Pickups look awesome!

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Stellar job my friend, it looks sweet!!!

Interesting to note you had that slight gap at the back of the nut. I've tapped out the old SE nut and filed down the Tusq XL one to the correct height (Width is correct out the box - maybe a hair shorter) but there's a noticable gap between the back of the new nut and the black headstock. Most of it will be hidden by the TRC (Or maybe a forum TRC? ) but it's bugging me slightly so i'll have to find a way to cover it.

That's what I love about SE's... They're such a great guitar to start with that it's worth investing in some new parts to take it to the next level!

Hey _Pete_.... Looking forward to seeing what you do to your Bernie. I've made a lot of changes on mine over the past year... Just love that guitar!

 

[justmund]

Nice job and beautiful guitar!
I clear lexan pickguard would look great on it. I know I saw some somewhere. I'll post a link if I find it.
I do like the black pup rings better with the black pickguard though.

I'll be doing a very similar thread on a Bernie Marsden SE in the near future (if the guitar ever gets here). The only stock parts that will be left when it's done are the body and neck

Clear would be interesting, yes please hook me up with the link. I could probably cut one myself... hmmm... Looking forward to the BM build!

Way to go Justin!

and I quote:

Shawn@PRS - "53/10's would sound amazing in your guitar."

http://prsguitars.com/forum/showthread.php?1728-Best-pickups-for-hot-rodding-a-SE-Custom-Semi-hollow

I wonder where I got the idea from? Thanks Shawn!

Very impressive! Love the Grovers. Pickups look awesome!

Thanks Mike, I'm looking forward to Stage 2! I also have a US 3-way toggle I will chuck in (left over from a CE22 Graphtech Ghost install I did)

 

[Shawn@PRS]

I'm glad you were able to get a set of the 53/10's Justin. They sound amazing, but are no longer available for purchase

 

[justmund]

I'm glad you were able to get a set of the 53/10's Justin. They sound amazing, but are no longer available for purchase

I picked them up 2nd hand as soon as you said they were no longer being offered through the PRS Store (Nov last year), insider info

 

[vchizzle]

Nice job/upgrades! If I ever grab a SE soapie, I may do something similar.

 

[_pete_]

Clear would be interesting, yes please hook me up with the link. I could probably cut one myself... hmmm... Looking forward to the BM build!

Here's the link:
http://www.redzline.com/pickguards/paul-reed-smith/se-series-semi-hollow

Look under translucent materials and they list 'clear'. Lots of other colors and materials too.