DreamTheaterRules
I'm sailing!
- Joined
- May 4, 2023
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- 1,855
Exactly how I look at it.
PRS SE Swamp Ash Special!
- Thread starter frankencat
- Start date
Victor Vector
Born to Rip
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2023
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- 136
The SS is the last PRS model that interests me. As an old Fender player it just seems silly to buy a strat thats not a strat. I get why they did it, why not try to take some of the market share from the most popular electric ever, but just like I wouldnt go to Fender to get a Fender Les Paul same goes with the SS.
THAT being said the swamp SE for around 600 is something I would def consider....
Longneck Tenon
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2023
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- 465
My 2008 SAS was a cool guitar and had some great sounds in it but none of them were Strat-like. The middle pickup never gave me the “in between” sounds I had hoped for. It sounded more like a Telecaster than a Strat. The Silver Sky SE is my only S-type guitar right now and I need it for those sounds.
SinSir
Mad Scientist
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2020
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- 4,624
The core SAS absolutely can go strat like with a freeway, right pickups, and proper setup. Mine with the 5815LT neck and covered 5909 rivals if not out strats a few of my strats in 2 and 4. Absolutely phenomenal sounding guitar that brings a smile to my face everytime I play.
Longneck Tenon
New Member
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- Feb 19, 2023
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- 465
Well there you go. Sounds like a fair amount of work, time and money. Buying a Silver Sky was a lot easier!
SinSir
Mad Scientist
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- Sep 7, 2020
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- 4,624
Nah, easy for a tweaker like me. I'd guess the freeway would have probably got there with the McCarty pickups or some 5708. Oops.. my Core SAS ended up using the 5708 in the bridge instead of the 5909 that went into my KL33.
But yes, my Fenders just go there,.but my SAS can give me humbucker goodness and Humbicker and single coil mixed. I have a partscaster HSH I'm working on with a freeway that'll go there though when done.
JasonE
New Member
I swapped the pickups in my SAS years ago. When I did that I put a Fralin Blues Special in the middle. So mine has a legit single coil pickup in the middle. I originally put a set of Fralin Unbuckers in it at the same time. That was to give me stronger split tones to get more strat type sounds out of the 2 and 4 positions on the switch. It worked. However, I fell in love with 57/08 pickups and a set came up for sale when they were impossible to get and I was able to get them. I put those in at that time. They sound great in the guitar. I more recently added the resistors in for the splits and from what I remember, I would say the 2 and 4 tones rival what I had with the Unbuckers in it. It is stratty enough for live shows. I would have to pull a strat out to really compare it to the legit item but I am thinking it will hold up pretty well.
dogrocketp
I drank the PRS kool aid, and it was tasty!
The name on the headstock is always secondary to the quality of the instrument to me. I could never get along with the placement of the volume control on strats. The DC3 solved that. If Fender made a better SC245, I would have bought that, The Gibson Les Paul Custom I had couldn’t touch my 245. Better has very little to do with brand name, except for PRS.The SS is the last PRS model that interests me. As an old Fender player it just seems silly to buy a strat thats not a strat. I get why they did it, why not try to take some of the market share from the most popular electric ever, but just like I wouldnt go to Fender to get a Fender Les Paul same goes with the SS.
THAT being said the swamp SE for around 600 is something I would def consider....
57/08's are excellent. Sound great in my McCarty with the resistors. The neck pickup in my new SAS SE has the same 110k resistor when split but sounds a bit weak in comparison. Sounds good in full humbucker mode. I'm considering disabling the split. I like the full bridge pickup combined with the single much better than the split neck with the same, so maybe I'd like the full neck and single better, than what I hear now. Easily reversible mod.
FragileThunder
The Space Between The Notes
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2022
- Messages
- 667
Well, just spent an hour at my local dealer. After a quick run through what was in stock, the 7.1# charcoal got the sit down. I was digging it, and then the owner brought me over a used core SAS he had for comparison. With a nice offer on price. Round and round and round she goes and you know what? I liked the SE better. The neck was more comfortable and the core was almost 2# heavier. The original owner had also replaced the single coil PUP with something I didn’t care for. So I pulled the trigger. She didn’t come home as I’m having lockers put on and having it set up for 10s. The 9s were ok, but in talking with the owner, who works on all my guitars, we both agreed I will be happier going to 10s. Looking forward to pick up day next week. It will get a good workout right away, have a guys weekend with 2 friends I’ve been playing with since 1984 next week that is all about have a couple of days of sitting around playing.
Until she’s in hand and I do a proper NGD post, a couple of gratuitous pics
Until she’s in hand and I do a proper NGD post, a couple of gratuitous pics
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That's a looker! Generally I thought that the charcoal was the least attractive color but so much depends on the grain. I didn't think there were any that light! Sweet!Well, just spent an hour at my local dealer. After a quick run through what was in stock, the 7.1# charcoal got the sit down. I was digging it, and then the owner brought me over a used core SAS he had for comparison. With a nice offer on price. Round and round and round she goes and you know what? I liked the SE better. The neck was more comfortable and the core was almost 2# heavier. The original owner had also replaced the single coil PUP with something I didn’t care for. So I pulled the trigger. She didn’t come home as I’m having lockers put on and having it set up for 10s. The 9s were ok, but in talking with the owner, who works on all my guitars, we both agreed I will be happier going to 10s. Looking forward to pick up day next week. It will get a good workout right away, have a guys weekend with 2 friends I’ve been playing with since 1984 next week that is all about have a couple of days of sitting around playing.
Until she’s in hand and I do a proper NGD post, a couple of gratuitous pics
FragileThunder
The Space Between The Notes
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2022
- Messages
- 667
It’s even “lighter” in person. I really dig the finish, there’s a lot of natural highlights to it that make the grain really pop. I’ll get better pics next week
This neck profile baffles me. Feels wider (shoulder wise) than what I’m use to from a PRS. Almost feels like a later 60ish strat. It’s noticeably different to me than the CE (MIA version) and the 594 thinline. Both of those wide thin profiles feel the same. This does not, and I doubt it’s the lack of rolled fingerboard causing it. Anybody else feel the same? I actually like it better. I wish my MIA CE felt this nice!
tyfu20
Fast Man....let me tell you my story
I agree, mine feels deeper than my current CE 24 and others I've owned in the past. I do like it as well.
Has anyone rewired their SE Swamp Ash Special yet? I like the humbucker tones. But with the tone pot pulled up, other than bridge HB + middle SC (which sounds nicely Fenderish and surfy), I find the other 2 stock coil combinations just bizarre.PRS released the wiring diagram. Certainly opens its way up for easy modding. I’ll certainly give the stock pickups a long try. I foresee myself mainly using this guitar with tone knob pulled up.
I'm reading about the Free-Way switch in this thread. But for now, I'm thinking of wiring the tone push-pull to select bridge north coil, [nothing] in the middle position, and neck north coil. With a push-pull, or dual concentric, volume pot to blend in the middle SC pup anywhere – and to solo it in that pot-up middle position. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Seems like an HSH guitar should enable soloing at least 1 coil...this would let me solo or combine all 3.
Interesting ideas. I was thinking of disabling the coil split in the neck position so I'd have the full neck and single with the push/pull in the up position, but haven't done it yet.
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
If a 2 piece body has a glue joint in the neck pocket, Eric Johnson feels the guitar has less chance of being magical.
If it's a 3 piece the glue joint probably won't be in the neck pocket.
Wouldn’t that be most PRS with maple tops?
No.
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
Here's a shot of my '95 CE22. You can see that the maple neck is screwed to the mahogany body and not to the maple top. The maple top on PRS guitars and Les Pauls isn't very thick and isn't under the neck.
These Swamp Ash Specials don't have a maple top tho. They're solid Ash aren't they? Like a Strat or a Tele.
Anyway, Eric plays Strats and thinks ideally a Strat rings more to his liking if there isn't a glue joint in the neck pocket.
Book matched and fancy two piece Strat bodies are joined right down the middle.
It would be fun to compare a SE Swamp Ash Special with a two piece vs a three piece body and see...
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