PRS GAS decision need help P22 CU 22 SC trem

[Mr Paul Caruso]

My brothers,

major GAS for a new(ish) PRS and I need some input from you PRS freaks.

Does anyone know why the P22 models are available for only around $2400 new? It's a grand less than a custom 22 give or take. But why so much cheaper? Does anyone have one? I am looking at the hard tail version...

What neck profile do the CU22 singlecuts come with? Does it matter which year for this? Looking at a few used ones with a trem. I can't do a WF.

How rare is a CU22 wit a WT neck?

Thanks for your input- this GAS is killing me and if I could get 2 PRS now, life would be so much simpler!

Looking hard at...
A tremonti, the P22, CU22 and some CU24. All of which I really like. Can't do a WF neck, I could go either way on a trem ( I have a trem guitar already). The piezo intrigues me...but WHY are the P22 so "cheap" compared to other USA PRS?

Best,
Mike

 

[BALIstic]

Hi,

I can't help you, I'm new to PRS and I went for a Paul's Guitar Trem. Just a fantastic instrument. This replaced a Gibson LP that I moved on that had a piezo system. It was a great sounding and very useful feature. If I were to buy another PRS I would like a semi hollow with a piezo, if such a beast exists.

I had had a look at the 2015 catalog and in that the P22 / P24 are two of the most expensive of the core line up ?

Good luck with the search.

 

[Jmango]

Not really sure why they are so cheap new - I got mine brand new old stock. I bought it in January of this year brand new and it was a 2012 model with the 53/10's in it. It is a hard tail with pattern regular neck as well.

Unbelievable instrument in all ways! Maybe people aren't into the piezo thing, albeit it is a very defined sound and a single use option, but I look at it as icing on the cake of an otherwise spectacular guitar. Said differently, would you buy a great CU22, oh and by the way, it has this other option called a piezo as well....? Know hat I mean?

I think getting the P22 is pretty much a no brainer considering what you are getting. Jump right in my friend, the water's fine...

 

[vchizzle]

Gonna guess the P22's you see at that price are NOS that dealers are trying to move to make room for new inventory. Specific price talk on new instruments is frowned upon(actually against the rules) on this forum FYI.

The P22 has the pattern regular neck which is a hair less wide across the nut. It may be enough to make the neck comfortable for you. Wide(now called pattern) thin and fat are the same width at the nut, the thin just has less "meat" on the neck. Regular and fat(pattern) have the same depth('meat' on the neck). It's hard to guess if the pattern regular on the P22 will feel ok to you or not without trying. All necks vary(slightly) because they are hand sanded. My advice is if there's one that really appeals to you, order it from a dealer with a trial period and see if it's comfortable if you can't find one to try anywhere. I will usually road trip up to an hour or 2 to get to a store that has one if I question playability.

 

[Mr Paul Caruso]

Gonna guess the P22's you see at that price are NOS that dealers are trying to move to make room for new inventory. Specific price talk on new instruments is frowned upon(actually against the rules) on this forum FYI.

The P22 has the pattern regular neck which is a hair less wide across the nut. It may be enough to make the neck comfortable for you. Wide(now called pattern) thin and fat are the same width at the nut, the thin just has less "meat" on the neck. Regular and fat(pattern) have the same depth('meat' on the neck). It's hard to guess if the pattern regular on the P22 will feel ok to you or not without trying. All necks vary(slightly) because they are hand sanded. My advice is if there's one that really appeals to you, order it from a dealer with a trial period and see if it's comfortable if you can't find one to try anywhere. I will usually road trip up to an hour or 2 to get to a store that has one if I question playability.

yeah I wasn't looking for specific $$ amounts. it's just that is see the new ones for a few (3-4hundred) hundred more or less and both models have 10 top, but one has hybrid hardware and that 's the only diff I see besides some others with a nicer top. I do appreciate the input, especially on the nut width. that changes things bit.

 

[goat-n-gitter]

I have a 2013 P22 with 57/08 pickups and a pattern regular neck carve. Everything about it is win/win for me! The neck carve is very comfortable, but doesn't feel like a little "shredder" neck. I often just play it as electric only and don't even switch to the piezo, but when you need to cover an acoustic part, it's there and does a great job. Think of it as a hardtail CU22 with a bonus piezo (which it basically is). I like the neck so much I got the same profile on my 30th anniversary CU24 that I just bought. If you can find one for less than a comparable CU22, it's a no brainer!

 

[gwardealy]

something you can do with the Piezo besides use it an as acoustic sound it to mix with the magnetic pickps. Some interesting sounds there.

I have a Tremonti SE with the wide/thin neck. After playing the P22...that Tremonti neck seems to thin to me. I dont like thick necks in general. But the Pattern Regular gives more to hold onto. and it's not to thick for me. My hand doesnt get tired on it.

 

[Mr Paul Caruso]

something you can do with the Piezo besides use it an as acoustic sound it to mix with the magnetic pickps. Some interesting sounds there.

I have a Tremonti SE with the wide/thin neck. After playing the P22...that Tremonti neck seems to thin to me. I dont like thick necks in general. But the Pattern Regular gives more to hold onto. and it's not to thick for me. My hand doesnt get tired on it.

Thanks boys...keep your thoughts coming. i am GASSING so bad right now. spent the entire weekend in a class i need for work, staring at my phone on ebay, PRS site and reverb looking at different models. i am having such a hard time with this one! should i go P24? or P22?/ or some of the CU 24 look really sweet. are there any cu22 with the pattern neck or thin? i think i could swing the pattern regular, just can't do a fat one. i recently got a sweet adamas carbon fiber acoustic that I've been playing and she is getting me through this GAS! i really appreciate your guys' input.

 

[markintime]

Maybe this will help some:

Neck Profiles (edited slightly):

WIDTH OF THE FRETBOARD AT THE NUT:

• Pattern, Wide Fat - 1 11/16"
• Pattern Thin, Wide Thin - 1 11/16"
• Pattern Regular, Regular - 1 21/32"

WIDTH AT THE BODY

• Pattern, Wide Fat - 2 1/4"
• Pattern Thin, Wide Thin - 2 1/4"
• Pattern Regular, Regular - 2 1/4"

NECK DEPTH AT THE NUT

• Pattern, Wide Fat - 27/32"
• Pattern Thin, Wide Thin - 25/32"
• Pattern Regular, Regular - 27/32"

As you can see, there is only a difference of 1/32" in width at the nut, and the width at the body is the same for all profiles. So, then the depth at the nut is the other factor with the 'thin' being 2/32" or 1/16" difference. To me, 1/16" is not enough to sneeze at, and 1/32" is half as much for width at the nut, which I can actually feel at the nut and it takes some minor adjusting to in fretting open chords, but not bad. I have both a wide thin, and a pattern regular, and my hands are not big at all. They're not real small either (glove size large), but I am comfortable with both. There is only a very minor adjustment period, barely noticeable, when switching guitars. So anyway, hope this helps assuage some decision making in that area.

Your other question, which P22, P24, CU22, CU24? P22=Pattern Regular, CU22=Pattern or Pattern Thin. Then the P24 and CU24=Pattern Thin or Pattern Regular.

Since the bridge doesn't matter, it's basically your choice. You can get any of them except the P22 with a Pattern Thin.

Good luck! Whatever you decide, you're gonna love it. Hey, it's a PRS!

 

[BrianC]

I would get a "P" something.....

 

[drdoom8793]

Just out of curiosity, has there ever been something along the lines of a Piezo Singlecut? I know they have the P245 but I prefer the 25" scale to the 24.5

 

[shinksma]

Just out of curiosity, has there ever been something along the lines of a Piezo Singlecut? I know they have the P245 but I prefer the 25" scale to the 24.5

Not yet. But knowing PRS, something like that could be announced at the Summer Celebration as a limited run, or could be a model for next year.

 

[drdoom8793]

Not yet. But knowing PRS, something like that could be announced at the Summer Celebration as a limited run, or could be a model for next year.

Be still, my beating heart..

"In other news, drdoom8793 sells car to buy newly announced PRS P250"

 

[shinksma]

Thanks boys...keep your thoughts coming. i am GASSING so bad right now. spent the entire weekend in a class i need for work, staring at my phone on ebay, PRS site and reverb looking at different models. i am having such a hard time with this one! should i go P24? or P22?/ or some of the CU 24 look really sweet. are there any cu22 with the pattern neck or thin? i think i could swing the pattern regular, just can't do a fat one. i recently got a sweet adamas carbon fiber acoustic that I've been playing and she is getting me through this GAS! i really appreciate your guys' input.

markintime posted the relevant info, and also provided useful insight.

I, too, can feel the difference in Wide Fat, Wide Thin, and Pattern Regular. They all work for me, I have no problems adjusting between them, and I have somewhat small hands with relatively stubby fingers. These are generalizations, and are not truly accurate, but they may help get the point across: the Pattern Regular feels like a Strat, the Wide Fat feels like a Les Paul, and the Wide Thin feels like, I dunno, maybe an Ibanez.

Personally, since I just bought one because I decided it was the exact combo of features I wanted, I would get a P24 - you get all the benefits of a CU24, with the added bonus of a piezo, for about the same price (street).

On the other hand, if I wasn't heck-bent on getting a trem or 24 frets, a stop-tail P22 would be a sweet deal if you can get it for the bargain prices to which you have alluded.

EDIT: Oh yeah, one more thing: I thought I was heck-bent on a wide-thin neck for my P24, but the one I bought had a pattern regular neck, which I thought was going to be a compromise, but in fact is very comfortable, perhaps better in the end.

 

[Mr Paul Caruso]

Ya know, i am hoping for the same results as you Shink. I had a very hard time deciding, so many factors/options...and unfortunately i can only get one (for now anyways). I went to my GC and they had an S2 with the pattern neck, which I played quite a bit and liked. I have a G&L Rampage that has a really (REALLY) wide & thin neck- it is a very nice guitar btw. But i pulled the trigger yesterday- 2012 P22 hard tail. It's gonna be a long weekend, she won't be here till monday (it's only thursday). The GAS was almost to much to bear. Trem? non-trem? 24/22? WT/pattern? uugghhhh. i saw a SAWEET scarlett red P22 with an EI RW neck...my gawd she was sweet. but had just been sold. wait till you boys see the one i got though...
i appreciate all the insight, you guys helped me make up my mind. i knew ya'll would come through.:beer:

 

[markintime]

Well, here is an update that snuck up on me. I was in a thread with eveyprs discussing neck profiles on the new SE CU24 30th Anniversary, which is supposed to be a wide/thin. He mentioned that he contacted PRS and they told him:

We have made the neck carve on the 30th anniversary Custom 24 SE a bit bigger. This was done in effort to closer resemble the Pattern Thin neck carve on our core Custom 24. Thanks for playing PRS.

He said he measured his and that it was about 1mm thicker all around than the older SE CU24.

So I guess the info I posted above had not been updated? But if it is indeed current, then I am in a quandary and confused. I do know that my 30th does feel better to me than did my 2 year older CU24, just seems a bit closer to the feel of my Paul's Guitar. Now it's got me thinking about trying to make the neck feel like a satin finish, but that's discussed in the SE Mod thread that I need to re-read.

 

[shinksma]

Ya know, i am hoping for the same results as you Shink. I had a very hard time deciding, so many factors/options...and unfortunately i can only get one (for now anyways). I went to my GC and they had an S2 with the pattern neck, which I played quite a bit and liked. I have a G&L Rampage that has a really (REALLY) wide & thin neck- it is a very nice guitar btw. But i pulled the trigger yesterday- 2012 P22 hard tail. It's gonna be a long weekend, she won't be here till monday (it's only thursday). The GAS was almost to much to bear. Trem? non-trem? 24/22? WT/pattern? uugghhhh. i saw a SAWEET scarlett red P22 with an EI RW neck...my gawd she was sweet. but had just been sold. wait till you boys see the one i got though...
i appreciate all the insight, you guys helped me make up my mind. i knew ya'll would come through.:beer:

Cool! We all look forward to seeing pics in a NGD thread! And cheers indeed! :beer:

 

[vchizzle]

yeah I wasn't looking for specific $$ amounts. it's just that is see the new ones for a few (3-4hundred) hundred more or less and both models have 10 top, but one has hybrid hardware and that 's the only diff I see besides some others with a nicer top. I do appreciate the input, especially on the nut width. that changes things bit.

No prob. What I meant was, that you're not supposed to post prices here. In particular, discounted items or a "deal" you might get. I don't think saying I can get something for a "few hundred less" than this is an issue, It's the mention of "I can get a P22 for X amount of dollars that they don't want to see.

 

[ColonelForbin]

markintime posted the relevant info, and also provided useful insight.

I, too, can feel the difference in Wide Fat, Wide Thin, and Pattern Regular: the Pattern Regular feels like a Strat, the Wide Fat feels like a Les Paul, and the Wide Thin feels like an Ibanez.

The one I bought had a pattern regular neck, which I thought was going to be a compromise, but in fact is very comfortable, perhaps better in the end.

+1 to the Pattern Regular.. I went to a local store before deciding, and played several. Get your hands on 'em, looking at the dimensions is too subtle! It's a 'feel' thing, tactile sense.