PRS SE Custom 24 Quality Control

And like I have said before, perhaps the Dealer you buy it from has a lot to do with what your receive out of the box...
Like my man above. 4 PRS , , 1 from Indo, 1 from Korea, 1 from China and 1 from Maryland... All impeccable out of the box quality All from Sweetwater ...

Recently other brands from Indo and China, again from Sweetwater ... all perfect out of the box. So I'm sure PRS's in house inspection of SE has much to do with my experience, but 6 guitars, 3 different brands, all from Sweetwater all good to go. And No ... I'm not the guy that just bought them !!! (I do like the little bags of candy though) ;)
 
I'm hesitant to get into the SE vs S2 talks. If you ask me that rarely goes anywhere. The points are typically the same, albiet sometimes they are better put, but nothing new can be added that a search can't yield.

QC is generally very good with PRS. During the pandemic it seems to have been down here and there for various reasons and as said some of it doesn't fall on QC or PRS. I agree it matters as much or more where or who you bought your guitar from than anything. I've learned this lesson before and sometimes I don't follow my own advice. Typically for that "deal" it ends up on my bench. Luckily I can do the work myself, but if I couldn't, often that deal wouldn't be a deal at all.

I wouldn't worry one way or another if it's Plek'd. I wouldn't turn it down but wouldn't pay extra for it either. Grab the PRS that appeals to you in budget from a seller you trust and enjoy! You'll soon get another.. They are that good!

My first PRS I bought was a NOS SE. I was so impressed with it the next day I called the guy to thank him.
 
There's an interesting YouTube video from a guy who has QC control issues with the PRS SE 35th anniversay. Then gets a replacement and that one also has flaws!

Makes me wonder if all that bragging about very good quality control is a bit too possitive. I also wonder if the import guitars in Europe get the same quality control like the ones that are sent to the US?

I can't post a link because I'm a new member but the video is easy to find if hou search for PRS quality control.

In 2020 I would not buy a prs se that i couldnt fully test. I have a Indonesian made se cu24 that is great. I had 2 zack myers (the new ones) both had wiring issues, cold solder joints, bridge not grounded, One had the bridge pins installed leaning forward. Both sounded pretty terrible compared to my Korean made se245. The Mark Tremonti se hanging on the wall at guitar center the bridge route was not centered under the bridge. I picked up a Korean made one and its great.
You can pick up a Korean made instrument and save money and prob be better off.
 
In 2020 I would not buy a prs se that i couldnt fully test. I have a Indonesian made se cu24 that is great. I had 2 zack myers (the new ones) both had wiring issues, cold solder joints, bridge not grounded, One had the bridge pins installed leaning forward. Both sounded pretty terrible compared to my Korean made se245. The Mark Tremonti se hanging on the wall at guitar center the bridge route was not centered under the bridge. I picked up a Korean made one and its great.
You can pick up a Korean made instrument and save money and prob be better off.

Depends on where you buy too. At this point I trust Sweetwater. Theres stuff beyond their control, sure, but Ive bought four guitars from them and everything has been solid. I do want to give props to World Music who used to make SEs before the switch to PT Cort was done. They make great stuff and I own a few of their axes. For the prices, they are incredible value.
 
Depends on where you buy too. At this point I trust Sweetwater. Theres stuff beyond their control, sure, but Ive bought four guitars from them and everything has been solid. I do want to give props to World Music who used to make SEs before the switch to PT Cort was done. They make great stuff and I own a few of their axes. For the prices, they are incredible value.
Agreed, Sweetwater would be an exception. All my dealings with them have been excellent. The same cant be said for Guitar Center/ Musicians Friend. I got my fender player from MF and it was almost unplayable, my sons came from sweetwater and it was great.
 
Agreed, Sweetwater would be an exception. All my dealings with them have been excellent. The same cant be said for Guitar Center/ Musicians Friend. I got my fender player from MF and it was almost unplayable, my sons came from sweetwater and it was great.
Last thing I bought from guitar center was a Super Signa Drive.... and it didnt work on arrival. I get scared of their used listings. Some of those photos look like they were taken in a NY subway bathroom.
 
@Mike Burch are you saying that the Koreans have better QC than the ones in Indonesia? I thought the latest quality control was done by PRS themselves, like they show in the video on their YouTube channel about PRS SE quality control. Although the video is about import guitars that go to the US. They don't mention Europe, but most people assume there's also a PRS main office in Europe.

 
@Mike Burch Although the video is about import guitars that go to the US. They don't mention Europe, but most people assume there's also a PRS main office in Europe.


PRS guitars that are to be distributed to the European market go through the same inspection/quality control as the guitars that make a stop in Maryland at the PRS tech center based in the UK. At the moment the exact location eludes me, I've posted about it here in another thread some time ago. If I remember I'll post the exact location here again.

I purchased a 35th Anniversary SE in spring 2020 from the official PRS importer here in Greece. Everything was perfect except for the nut which gave me tuning issues on the G string. I swapped it for a graphite nut. This guitar's now plays like a dream.
 
Last edited:
Depends on where you buy too. At this point I trust Sweetwater. Theres stuff beyond their control, sure, but Ive bought four guitars from them and everything has been solid. I do want to give props to World Music who used to make SEs before the switch to PT Cort was done. They make great stuff and I own a few of their axes. For the prices, they are incredible value.
Indeed, WMI make great guitars, generally speaking. I rate my SE C24 very highly.
 
PRS guitars that are to be distributed to the European market go through the same inspection/quality control as the guitars that make a stop in Maryland at the PRS tech center based in the UK. At the moment the exact location eludes me, I've posted about it here in another thread some time ago. If I remember I'll post the exact location here again.

I purchased a 35th Anniversary SE in spring 2020 from the official PRS importer here in Greece. Everything was perfect except for the nut which gave me tuning issues on the G string. I swapped it for a graphite nut. This guitar's now plays like a dream.

From memory, I believe it’s somewhere in Cambridgeshire.
 
@Mike Burch are you saying that the Koreans have better QC than the ones in Indonesia? I thought the latest quality control was done by PRS themselves, like they show in the video on their YouTube channel about PRS SE quality control. Although the video is about import guitars that go to the US. They don't mention Europe, but most people assume there's also a PRS main office in Europe.

This is from my personal experience only, anything hitting the market in the last year or so needs to be carefully checked out. I bought a new zack myer, it had cold solder joints, the wiring was truly terrible and the bridge wasnt grounded. They ordered me a replacement, and the bridge pins where leaning towards the nut and the bridge wasnt grounded. They have a new mark tremonti haning on the wall at guitar center and the trem isnt centered in the body route it is centered on the neck. I own a pre Covid se24 standard made in Indonesia and its great, I also own a Korean 245 and tremonti both are fantastic instruments. My son owns a Holcomb purchased just prior to the pandemic and its perfect. In almost every aspect supply chains are at there limits and sometimes it shows.
 
Back
Top