PRS 408 maple top 10

Well, mine is not a 10, but very close.
http://prsguitars.com/forum/showthread.php?5039-NGD-2013-PRS-408-MT

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I have only played an SE Custom 24, a 2012 I own.
I do like the wide/thin neck a little better than the pattern thin on my 408 though.
I still like the 408 neck, but I wish the neck was a little thinner like the SEs wide/thin.

The 408 though is so ergo to hold, and the curves on it to rest the playing arm is great.
I would have to say the 408 is the best guitar I have played and owned.

Les owns a 408 too, and I am sure he has played some of the other "core" PRS guitars like the Custom 22 and 24s.
 
Cristiano - alot of it comes down to personal preference. There are plenty of opinions you can search here about 22 vs 24 frets, but in general the neck pickup on a 22-fret guitar will give you a little more full, rounded sound for leads, whereas the neck pickup on a 24 fret guitar will emphasize mids a but more.

The 408 is a thicker body than the CU22/24. Both guitars are generally made from mahogany, and have maple caps and mahogany necks with rosewood fingerboards.

Both the Customs and 408s give you multiple single coil and humbucking options. The newer customs will give you 5 sounds (older up to 6) and the 408s up to 8. Some would characterize the single-coil tones on the 408 to be more authentic/telecaster like. Often times the Customs will blend a single coil with a humbucker in the position. Neither are "stratty."

Aside from that, there are a myriad of neck profiles, wood and pickup choices that will affect tone. So it truly is hard to compare.

Personally, I think the 408 switching system is one of the simplest and most versatile out there. Whether you prefer a blade or a toggle, you can still look down and see immediately where you are. The 408 pickups are some of the best I and many others have ever heard. I have heard folks who ALWAYS replace their pickups say that 408s are the first set of pickups they have ever heard that they would not change out.

The CU22/24 are offered with some amazing pickups - the 57/08s (which have the same wire as the 408s), 59/09s and HFS/Vintage Bass. Apples-to-apples as much as possible, if you get a chance to play both, I would say a CU24 with the 57/08s or 59/09s would be the most fair comparison to the 408.

If I could only keep one guitar, it would be my 408-equipped Signature Limited. Followed closely by my 1991 CU24,
 
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I had a 408 with a wide/fat and it was a gorgeous guitar - still my avatar, in fact! The switching is great: very straight-forward and the single coil tones really do sound the closest to "real" single coils of any split I've heard. The fact that splitting also adds extra turns of wire onto the remaining coil to boost output is just genius.

For me, I really wanted a wrap tail bridge and the oversized bridge humbucker wasn't working for me so I let mine go but I recently picked up a second hand Paul's Guitar for a great price and I just could not be happier with it:

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Gratuitous pic, sorry - couldn't resist!
 
408 and the CU22 are pretty different at the same thing if that makes sense

408 is thicker ( body ) and really cuts thru a mix also the middle position with one pickup in Hum one in single is KILLER
my CU22 is a bit lighter in weight and the split tones are cool but do have a volume drop.
Love them both can't go wrong.
A cool vid below showing 2- 408s ( Frosty is mine now :) )

Happy hunting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qmGOSWrk9E



 
One thing that I believe hasn't yet been mentioned is that the designation "10 top" simply refers to the figure in the maple cap. It has no effect on the tone, it's purely cosmetic.

As to the guitars:

The 408 is the most versatile pickup system I've ever owned. The single coil tones are wonderful and unlike most "split" humbuckers that actually do phasing tricks when the coils are split. The humbucking tones are gorgeous. But no guitar is all things to all men, so the other models are worth considering on their own merits.

The Custom series are the most wonderful traditional humbucker guitars, as far as I'm concerned. My Artist V is essentially a version of the Custom 22, and it and my 408 are neck and neck for the #1 spot for me.

So it's really a matter of making choices. If really great single coil tones are essential for you, then the 408 is a great guitar. If you prefer more traditional humbucker tones, it's hard to beat a Custom.

Choices are fun, and you'll want one of each eventually. ;)
 
Yeh, I'd second what's been said above for both the thicker body (feels better to me than the custom 22 depth) and the one-humbucker / one-split combo tones: gorgeous.

I once had an Artist Pack McCarty in dark cherry sun burst with a brazzie fretboard: that guitar was just stunning and played like a dream. Never got it sounding quite right for me, though, despite a few pickup changes so I let her go. Man, if I could have that guitar back with the 408 (or PG) pickup system ....

Only thing I would like to add is a series push/pull switch. I have that on my JP wired Les Paul and bridge-HB + neck-SC in series is a great tone.
 
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