S2 594 “shootout”

[Ovibos]

Not so much a shootout but a demo of all 3 with same exact amp & recording setup.

To my ears, the more body wood, the less it cuts - less treble. The more wood, more meaty. The thinline really separates in sound from the other two.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Ooo can’t wait to check that out

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Thinline is my favorite. Please PRs make it with the vintage neck!

 

[Tony M.]

I like all 4 of my S2s.
I like all 3 of my SGs.

Paul's take on an SG?

I guess there's a 594
thinline in my future.

 

[Hotspur]

So glad someone did this comparison, since I suspect this may be my next guitar and I don't know if I want the singlecut or the doubelcut.

The singlecut definitely feels like it's got more roar, a heavier, deeper sound. My PRS SE Chris Robertson has that, too, and while it's nice, it's can actually feel limiting to me sometimes - the CR is a guitar that wants to ROCK, and I often myself fighting that a little bit (not that I don't play rock, but I also do a lot of folkier stuff where the CR can feel insufficiently delicate.)

So I suspect I'll end up with a double cut.

The thinline felt really really thin to me, almost hollow, not in a good way.

 

[dogrocketp]

I heard the thin line as a killer of a certain G guitar that AC/DC plays. Wonder if you can peel paint playing through a Marshall at Arena volumes? Extra bonuses, it’ll stay in tune and you don’t have to worry about the headstock.

 

[Hotspur]

I find it interesting that I can't hear the same difference in the official PRS videos with Brian Ewald between the singlecut and the DC. Of course, we don't know if the amp settings are exactly the same in those videos.

 

[Tony M.]

I heard the thin line as a killer of a certain G guitar that AC/DC plays. Wonder if you can peel paint playing through a Marshall at Arena volumes? Extra bonuses, it’ll stay in tune and you don’t have to worry about the headstock.

"Les Paul killer"
"Princeton killer"
"Strat killer"
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.
Funny how they're all still around...

 

[Dave_W]

This was a great video. Thanks. I think I like the thinline version best.

Are these hitting stores anytime soon?

 

[dogrocketp]

"Les Paul killer"
"Princeton killer"
"Strat killer"
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.
Funny how they're all still around...

You’re right, and I don’t usually use the killer phrase. Some manufacturers think that making more is the solution. Some manufacturers think that making cheaper is the solution. In the end, I hope that better is the best solution for those of us who actually play the damn things.

 

[Birdsofprey]

"Les Paul killer"
"Princeton killer"
"Strat killer"
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.
Funny how they're all still around...

Well said

 

[Hotspur]

I want to bump this thread because it feels like it got sidetracked with a weird argument, and mostly I'm curious if anyone has any hypothesis as to why the difference in the linked video is not particularly audible in the Brian Ewald videos PRS put out?

 

[bryanewald]

I want to bump this thread because it feels like it got sidetracked with a weird argument, and mostly I'm curious if anyone has any hypothesis as to why the difference in the linked video is not particularly audible in the Brian Ewald videos PRS put out?

Question, because i'm not sure what you're asking...Are you saying you don't hear a difference between the models in the PRS videos? Or asking why they didn't do more of a strict side by side comparison style video like the one posted? A single video where you hear the exact song / riff back to back on each instrument, is certainly a great way to isolate subtle differences between instruments for sure. However, the ones that PRS produces first are meant to be individual demonstrations of each instrument, where I'm playing different little snippets as intros and outros, attempting to show off the vibe I'm getting from that guitar. Although watching back, if I listen to the same PU setting "clean demo" example on each video, there is a clear difference in character of each instrument to my ears. That said, there are countless direct comparison style videos I think would be great to do, and we've done a few in the past. My touring / session schedule is always a juggling act and with all the new stuff they keep cranking out, just getting in there for the individual demos of each guitar proves tricky enough most times.

 

[Hotspur]

Thanks so much for the response.

I went back and listened to the videos again, lining them up in separate tabs so I could compare setup to setup, and I agree there's a difference.

I'm having a harder time articulating what it is, though. I don't know how much PRS wants you doing this, but I'd love to hear your description as to what the difference is, between the single and doublecut, that you hear (I do hear the differences in the thin-line much more clearly).

I guess for me I'm confused because I had a clear preference for the sound of the doublecut in the linked video at the top of the thread, but in your videos I lean towards the single. My concern about the single would be that, like my SE Chris Robertson, it might feel a little too one-dimensional. I feel like that guitar wants to rock out - the same way a Porche isn't that happy unless you're driving fast, that guitar kind of overpowers some of the gentler stuff I play. I hear that same quality, some, in the shootout video - but not in your videos, where the singlecut doesn't feel overpowering but rather maybe warmer?

Just, you know, in these times when finding a guitar store with them in stock and trying them out in person isn't much of an option, trying to really understand the difference.

 

[dogrocketp]

The S2’s all have Asian equivalents to the less hot pickups in the USA 594 series. They are known for having “better” (re: more vintage or clean) sounds. I have an S2 with 85/15’s and one with 58/15’s. They both do the clean, rock and blues thing really really well. I don’t think they’re intended for any form of metal, although some great player may come down the road and prove me wrong. My ears hear the Singlecut as having a slightly thicker, more bass focused tone than the double cut. I can honestly tell you that each PRS model up and down the line will have a different sound from every other. That goes from SE to the top. Splitting the pickups changes the sound of every model in a very nice way. That gives many of us a reason to own as many PRS as we do, knowing that each model will sound different. Listen to as many videos as possible. In my case, I want to hear the sound of the 25” scale, so all of mine have that in common.

 

[bryanewald]

Thanks so much for the response.

I went back and listened to the videos again, lining them up in separate tabs so I could compare setup to setup, and I agree there's a difference.

I'm having a harder time articulating what it is, though. I don't know how much PRS wants you doing this, but I'd love to hear your description as to what the difference is, between the single and doublecut, that you hear (I do hear the differences in the thin-line much more clearly).

I guess for me I'm confused because I had a clear preference for the sound of the doublecut in the linked video at the top of the thread, but in your videos I lean towards the single. My concern about the single would be that, like my SE Chris Robertson, it might feel a little too one-dimensional. I feel like that guitar wants to rock out - the same way a Porche isn't that happy unless you're driving fast, that guitar kind of overpowers some of the gentler stuff I play. I hear that same quality, some, in the shootout video - but not in your videos, where the singlecut doesn't feel overpowering but rather maybe warmer?

Just, you know, in these times when finding a guitar store with them in stock and trying them out in person isn't much of an option, trying to really understand the difference.

Understood. That's a tough question to answer definitively. I'll say they has a slightly different sonic fingerprint. The single cut tends to be a touch darker but it's subtle. Id say the bigger difference, and what might be a better deciding factor is the feel. The the DC is slightly lighter (the thin line is quite a bit lighter and brighter sounding). If you're a fan of the SC body and feel, there's that. But I LOVE the easier access to the higher frets in the DC and thinline. I don't think sonically you'll have any problems the SC being one dimensional. I could use any of them as an only guitar for any tour or session. That said, my personal fav is the Thinline.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I had a surprising change of heart about these as well after watching the demos. I've always wanted a PRS Single Cut of some kind for "those" tones and when I saw Bryan's demos I was sold. Since then, I've decided the DC is probably close enough to those tones, and it LOOKS like a PRS. In the past, I was more concerned about a single cut for the look and tone. Now suddenly it seems that if they are very close tonally, I'd lean towards the one that looks more like a PRS "should."

I'd still prefer to play both before deciding. Locally though, that will probably be hard to do.

I have no idea why I suddenly changed my mind... maybe all this sheltering in place has made me go off the deep end or something.

 

[casper2246]

Thinline is my favorite. Please PRs make it with the vintage neck!

Please, please NO. I migrated to the Thinline from the Singlecut because the neck is too beefy. And what sense does it make to put a big honking Vintage plus neck on a very thin bodied guitar? I’ll tell you what- every time you strap on your dream Thinline, the neck is going to head for the floor!

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Please, please NO. I migrated to the Thinline from the Singlecut because the neck is too beefy. And what sense does it make to put a big honking Vintage plus neck on a very thin bodied guitar? I’ll tell you what- every time you strap on your dream Thinline, the neck is going to head for the floor!

I tried a Thinline a few months ago and it was fantastic. It’s ideally the next one I want to purchase. I’m hoping I can find a set of old Starla pickups for it or find something close.