Possible single piece neck on an SE Hollowbody II Piezo?

[getjams]

Hello! I am new to both PRS and this forum. I picked up a couple 2022 SE models late last year, the SE Paul's Guitar and SE Hollowbody II Piezo. The Paul's Guitar back/neck finish is jet black so you can't see any of the seams for the multiple pieces on the body or neck but the HBII Piezo has a slightly opaque finish. I have taken the brightest LED flashlight I have and inspected the mahogony neck as close as humanly possible and either it's the best sanding job ever done or I swear it has a one piece mahogany neck. I have looked at it multiple times and I can't see any sign of a scarf joint or added heel on the neck. The wood grains are just too lined up and smooth and consistent, and one would think you should be able to see the scarf joint especially, even if just faintly.

Is it possible some of these SE HBIIs make it out of China with a one piece neck? The specs on the PRS site say multi-ply for the neck construction. I can try and get some good pictures but it's hard with the flashlight and having to be that close up.

 

[Birdsofprey]

LED lights won’t work, every time I went to check out a vintage set neck guitar especially the G brand I would bring a black light. It’s like the xray machine of lights. Any seam will show as a darker line. I believe you can buy one at any hardware store. Set it in one of those clamshell clip on lamps. I’m sure it’s at least three piece.

 

[getjams]

LED lights won’t work, every time I went to check out a vintage set neck guitar especially the G brand I would bring a black light. It’s like the xray machine of lights. Any seam will show as a darker line. I believe you can buy one at any hardware store. Set it in one of those clamshell clip on lamps. I’m sure it’s at least three piece.

Great advice I'll get one tomorrow.

 

[getjams]

LED lights won’t work, every time I went to check out a vintage set neck guitar especially the G brand I would bring a black light. It’s like the xray machine of lights. Any seam will show as a darker line. I believe you can buy one at any hardware store. Set it in one of those clamshell clip on lamps. I’m sure it’s at least three piece.

I got a blacklight via the Amazon Deals sale that arrived this morning and confirmed what my pervious visual inspection indicated. There are no visible even faint scarf joint lines or cap lines down at the base of the neck. I went over the neck very closely and multiple passes with the light from multiple angles. Strongly appears to be a single piece, which is pretty sweet for an SE! Having added the US made 58/15 LT TCI pups to it and locking tuners, it's stretching towards a core more than an SE.

The blacklight did reveal a couple interesting spots where the stain along the edges of the headstock and down at the base didn't quite have perfectly clean lines but it's completely invisible to the naked eye.

 

[vchizzle]

It would really surprise me if really 1 piece. I only say this because their manufacturing process is set up for multi piece necks. To me, it would almost equate to them having to do a custom shop neck if it were 1 piece. I don’t think they’re set up to do that sort of thing. I could be way off base and wrong but that’s the first thing that popped in my head.

 

[getjams]

It would really surprise me if really 1 piece. I only say this because their manufacturing process is set up for multi piece necks. To me, it would almost equate to them having to do a custom shop neck if it were 1 piece. I don’t think they’re set up to do that sort of thing. I could be way off base and wrong but that’s the first thing that popped in my head.

I'd be really surprised, too but man, I have gone over this neck with many different lights now and under regular LED lights, you can follow the wood grain and it's as consistent as could be, no grain breaks in the area where a scarf joint would be or down at the heel. And it's got a nice grain so it's not that hard to follow the grain lines. I've heard even sometimes they add little pieces for the wings on the headstock but after also adding in the blacklight test, I see nothing but consistent solid wood throughout the whole neck.

I might take it in to my local guitar repair guy to get a 2nd set of eyes on it cuz I will be damned if I can see any even slight sign of a joint line anywhere. And I know what to look for.

 

[SinSir]

It would really surprise me if really 1 piece. I only say this because their manufacturing process is set up for multi piece necks.

The Hb2 is made in an entirely different factory in China.

 

[SinSir]

I've heard even sometimes they add little pieces for the wings on the headstock but after also adding in the blacklight test, I see nothing but consistent solid wood throughout the whole neck.

I'm sure the wings are added, even cores do this. Think about the wood waste to cut a 1 piece neck including the wings. I'm perfectly fine they do this for that reason alone.

 

[tdroid]

It depends on whether or not their acoustics use single pieces of wood or several. They likely make all the necks the same way.

This thread make me take a close look at my SEHB2P, and it looks like my neck is made out of 3 pieces.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Welcome and congrats on your PRS guitars.

 

[vchizzle]

The Hb2 is made in an entirely different factory in China.

Do they make 1 piece necks(besides wings)?

 

[SinSir]

Do they make 1 piece necks(besides wings)?

I don't know.. only the wings are added for sure. I double checked my se Hb2. The top and back are 5 ply laminated maple, but I don't think the mahogany sides are and unsure about the mahogany neck.