Old Dude buys first PRS, joins prsguitars.com

[Monahan]

Welcome to the group!
Finding a guitar that feels right is as important as its sound (IMHO),-- not to mention you found a beautiful one as well

Concerning Spam, we're a divided house here; my wife loves the stuff, but just the smell makes me leave the room. Even our dog (who BTW, eats dear poop...) turns her nose at it LOL!

Enjoy the new guitar!

 

[Moondog Wily]

Alright, post #3 and no SPAM in sight...well, no bad Spam.

Again, thank you kindly for the welcome.

Regards,

J

Those warriors look like they are guarding the SS and or the spam, could be both! Great pic!! Congrats on the Silver Sky and cheers to many more PRSi!!!

 

[Moondog Wily]

Forget about the fun and games, I'm here for the punch and pie...thanks.

 

[SoCaliJ]

Got to setup the SE today, discovered I was gonna need a little extra help to remove the strings from the block. Who knew the saddle height tool also doubles as a ball-end ejector...

Nut depth is excellent, but the strings are binding (returns sharp with trem, returns flat with big bends) even with nut-sauce. And of course, I don't have any nut files, I'll either need to drop a C-note for some StewMac files, or employ a Luthier and replace the nut altogether.

I thought about floating the bridge, but decided to leave it decked. All my other guitars with trem bridges, are all floating.

Figures, after spending some time setting up my impromptu guitar-tech facility, I was about to begin the setup when Mr. Skittles decided he wanted in on the action. Then, both cats decide to help with the de-stringing and re-stringing. Fun. After that, Mr. Skittles decides to knock all of my SE's control knobs onto the floor, then under the bed. Joy.

Anyway, I pulled the SE apart, looked at things, made measurements, took pics, tightened things, cleaned things and spent a fair amount of time working on the fret ends, along with the obligatory fret finishing. SOOOOO much better now. Now, I just gotta deal with the nut.

Here are a few pics, nothing new...

Otherwise, I do really enjoy the setup process and doing tech-stuff that I can handle.

Regards,

J

 

[dmatthews]

That's a killer lookin' guitar... nice work mate.

 

[aphantomvaper]

Nice work!! This has me thinking I need to try a SS again. Welcome to the forum.

 

[mixmkr]

Get a graphtech nut and install it yourself. It's not rocket science if you're filing on your frets. That will end your tuning problems by 95+%.

 

[mixmkr]

btw..you can get the nut pre slotted for PRS guitars and all you usually do is sand a pinch off the bottom side. I'd get the Tusq graphtech over the PRS nut too. It's really that simple. knock the old nut out with a block of wood and a LIGHT tap of a hammer...if that... presto... put the new nut in...just set it in and tighten strings to see what needs what... when you're happy... a single drop of super glue will work..even less than that..if you can get a 1/2 drop!
GO for it man!
Congrats ole man, btw. I bought my first PRS at 70 yrs old.

 

[Mind Flayer]

Got to setup the SE today, discovered I was gonna need a little extra help to remove the strings from the block. Who knew the saddle height tool also doubles as a ball-end ejector...

Nut depth is excellent, but the strings are binding (returns sharp with trem, returns flat with big bends) even with nut-sauce. And of course, I don't have any nut files, I'll either need to drop a C-note for some StewMac files, or employ a Luthier and replace the nut altogether.

I thought about floating the bridge, but decided to leave it decked. All my other guitars with trem bridges, are all floating.

Figures, after spending some time setting up my impromptu guitar-tech facility, I was about to begin the setup when Mr. Skittles decided he wanted in on the action. Then, both cats decide to help with the de-stringing and re-stringing. Fun. After that, Mr. Skittles decides to knock all of my SE's control knobs onto the floor, then under the bed. Joy.

Anyway, I pulled the SE apart, looked at things, made measurements, took pics, tightened things, cleaned things and spent a fair amount of time working on the fret ends, along with the obligatory fret finishing. SOOOOO much better now. Now, I just gotta deal with the nut.

Here are a few pics, nothing new...

Otherwise, I do really enjoy the setup process and doing tech-stuff that I can handle.

Regards,

J

You can also use the low (fat) E string as a ball end ejector. Usually I have no trouble getting the low E string out in its own, it’s the thinner strings that sometimes need a little help. So I remove the low E string, clip it so that there’s enough to stick it through the other string holes in the bridge yet still remain firm, and use that on the other strings to get the ball ends out.

 

[dogrocketp]

I still like the PRS nut better than the graphtech. I’m a lunatic about intonation. I have mine installed by a luthier.

 

[Daryl Jones]

Dayum, that's a really sweet looking axe! I have a decent set of tools but I still haven't gotten past my stomach problem (no guts) on anything even slightly serious tech work on my own. But I am definitely meditating on it....Oooooommm.
Welcome to the asylum!

 

[SoCaliJ]

Dayum, that's a really sweet looking axe! I have a decent set of tools but I still haven't gotten past my stomach problem (no guts) on anything even slightly serious tech work on my own. But I am definitely meditating on it....Oooooommm.
Welcome to the asylum!

Thank you.

I enjoy getting into the guitar, and doing the tech stuff I can handle. A guitar setup is a cathartic experience for me, and gets me closer to an instrument.

Now having the SE SS for a bit, and enjoying the bejesus out of it, I am contemplating adding SE #2. But by adding SE #2, I'll need to purge two--my only HB guitars. So, SE #2 would need to (somewhat) fill the tonal shoes of the purged.

There are things I don't like on guitars, specifically glossy necks. Now, that can be remedied with a ScotchBrite scour pad, I've done it numerous times to great effect. I'm not a fan of boards other than maple, however, I'm thinking I may need to add a rosewood boarded guitar to my rotation.

So, I got some work to do, SEs to play to figure out who's next..

Anyway, I'm kind of leaning towards a SE NF3, but that can change.


Regards,

J

 

[Daryl Jones]

Thank you.

I enjoy getting into the guitar, and doing the tech stuff I can handle. A guitar setup is a cathartic experience for me, and gets me closer to an instrument.

Now having the SE SS for a bit, and enjoying the bejesus out of it, I am contemplating adding SE #2. But by adding SE #2, I'll need to purge two--my only HB guitars. So, SE #2 would need to (somewhat) fill the tonal shoes of the purged.

There are things I don't like on guitars, specifically glossy necks. Now, that can be remedied with a ScotchBrite scour pad, I've done it numerous times to great effect. I'm not a fan of boards other than maple, however, I'm thinking I may need to add a rosewood boarded guitar to my rotation.

So, I got some work to do, SEs to play to figure out who's next..

Anyway, I'm kind of leaning towards a SE NF3, but that can change.


Regards,

J

I'm just in process of doing some menial work on my NF3: new pick guard, knobs and then new strings. but that is about as deep as I get right now. The NF3 is a different breed of cat from what I'm used to, and I was actually really thinking of a maple neck SS, but I'm diggin' the sounds of the NF3 and it plays and feels great in my hands.
Having said that, an HBII (Piezo or non) might in your wheelhouse, I've got one of those too and it's pretty dreamy. Does have a glossy neck though, but it's a really killer and versatile guitar.

 

[SoCaliJ]

Almost settled on SE #2, but I need to play it some more and see if I can bond with the wide/thin neck...


J

 

[SoCaliJ]

Okay, went to GC today to try all of their SE stock: McCartys, CE24s, CU24s, SASs, Standards, Sandblsters, RW SSs but no NF3s in sight.

Like many of us guitarists, playabilty comes first for me; it needs to both feel good and play well unplugged. Does it's playability beg me to pick this guitar up first, and not want to put it down. To a lesser extent, how well do the pickups sound to me. Pickups can be changed, but I must state that I quite like the all of these SE pickup sets. Lastly, does the guitar's look appeal to me? Still, I'd pick a not-so-atractive player, than a really good looking lesser-player.

Case in point:

SE CU24 Quilt

Gorgeous guitar, lovely ebony board but I'm just not a fan of both, set-necks and glossy necks. Furthermore, i can easily live without binding. As stated before, I have no issue satinizing a neck, with excellent results, but I would prefer to avoid it all the same. Set necks, not my thing, don't like the feel...period.

SE McCarty 594, the same. SE CU24, same thing. SE SAS, I'm not getting the vibe, and the models available had actual fret sprout. SE SS RW, I dig it, but I already own a SE SS maple, and I don't want another SSS guitar (what is wrong with me???). So, what worked for me then?

I really dug the SE CE24 Standard in gold, simple, elegant and to the point. No frills, ride the lightning fun. The wide/thin neck profile is not an issue, I can do it.

My top pick? The SE CE24.

Playability was fantastic, awesome weight and balance, sounds great both acoustically and plugged in (Fender Champ II 40--I own a Champ 40), and I dig it's look: not too plain, but not overly "blinged". Again, simple and elegant. But really, this one played fantastically. This is the one, but I don't know if I want to buy this one at GC. I'll try at GC, but buy elsewhere...I have issue with GC.

After this exhaustive sampling of SEs, I refueled at a local human refueling center:

Anyway, I'll keep you posted.


Regards,

J

 

[Greywolf]

welcome to the crew

 

[bodia]

Okay, went to GC today to try all of their SE stock: McCartys, CE24s, CU24s, SASs, Standards, Sandblsters, RW SSs but no NF3s in sight.

Like many of us guitarists, playabilty comes first for me; it needs to both feel good and play well unplugged. Does it's playability beg me to pick this guitar up first, and not want to put it down. To a lesser extent, how well do the pickups sound to me. Pickups can be changed, but I must state that I quite like the all of these SE pickup sets. Lastly, does the guitar's look appeal to me? Still, I'd pick a not-so-atractive player, than a really good looking lesser-player.

Case in point:

SE CU24 Quilt

Gorgeous guitar, lovely ebony board but I'm just not a fan of both, set-necks and glossy necks. Furthermore, i can easily live without binding. As stated before, I have no issue satinizing a neck, with excellent results, but I would prefer to avoid it all the same. Set necks, not my thing, don't like the feel...period.

SE McCarty 594, the same. SE CU24, same thing. SE SAS, I'm not getting the vibe, and the models available had actual fret sprout. SE SS RW, I dig it, but I already own a SE SS maple, and I don't want another SSS guitar (what is wrong with me???). So, what worked for me then?

I really dug the SE CE24 Standard in gold, simple, elegant and to the point. No frills, ride the lightning fun. The wide/thin neck profile is not an issue, I can do it.

My top pick? The SE CE24.

Playability was fantastic, awesome weight and balance, sounds great both acoustically and plugged in (Fender Champ II 40--I own a Champ 40), and I dig it's look: not too plain, but not overly "blinged". Again, simple and elegant. But really, this one played fantastically. This is the one, but I don't know if I want to buy this one at GC. I'll try at GC, but buy elsewhere...I have issue with GC.

After this exhaustive sampling of SEs, I refueled at a local human refueling center:

Anyway, I'll keep you posted.


Regards,

J

Time well spent!

 

[Monahan]

....

After this exhaustive sampling of SEs, I refueled at a local human refueling center:

Anyway, I'll keep you posted.


Regards,

J

Having been raised in SoCal, and now living well north of any In-N-Out, that last photo is GOLD!

Oh yeah-- SE#2... best of luck in your search! It's a great time of year to be looking at the SEs as they are on sale most everywhere. I agree with the GC try-don't-buy method, and it sounds like you've got a real good idea what direction to go. All I'll add is take your time and see if you can find one on the lighter side of scale-- those tend to be a little extra special

 

[mixmkr]

I've got some fancy lookers and my recent all white Torero, but my wife won't let me buy a pink guitar. I don't have to even ask.

 

[SoCaliJ]

I've got some fancy lookers and my recent all white Torero, but my wife won't let me buy a pink guitar. I don't have to even ask.

Yeah, this SE CU24 Violet Quilt is a lot more Pink than Violet; I believe some are this way except the showroom pics on the PRS site...

Nevertheless, I like the color on this one.


J