S2 Satin vs older USA Satin

[grausch]

Hello,

With the several S2 Standards now available in satin finishes, does anyone know how they compare to the older satin finishes that used to be available on the older USA Standards? Reason I am asking is that I was so impressed with the satin finish on my USA PRS a couple of months ago that I promptly picked up a SG with a satin finish.

Needless to say, they were worlds apart - I loved the resonance of the SG, but ultimately sold it as the PRS just felt that much better. The typical PRS attention to detail was applied to the satin finish while with the SG it seems to be used as a cost-reduction method. Granted, we are talking about two very different price points here.

Therefore, where in the spectrum do the S2 satins sit and would the finish gloss up as nicely as my Standard did (reference here - http://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/ngd-20th-anniversary-standard-24.20794/)? The SG may have glossed up with frequent use, but probably not in my lifetime.

 

[grausch]

Hadn't received a response to this, but had the chance to play the S2 Singlecut Satin Standard recently. The satin finish feels exactly the same as on my 20th Satin Standard - therefore these finishes are pretty much up to the typical PRS quality. Quite frankly, except for the fretboard inlays, I would have a hard time seeing any differences in quality between the S2 Satins and the 20th.

Of course having played one of these was a big mistake! I hope it gets sold before I go back to buy it, but I would probably burst out crying if it sells before I buy it...

 

[Russ73]

I have a Satin S2 Standard 22 and its my favorite PRS I own hands down, I have a Core and a Mira as well but the satin feels and resonates so nicely and feels solid under my fingers...great guitar and for under a grand new not bad....

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Didn’t even see this when posted and couldn’t have answered from experience. However, I can say now, you know what you need. So GET IT!

 

[JimmyDee]

I had posted (in another thread), that I prefer the satin finish on the necks.
That's one of the reasons I bought a CE over a CU.

I had also tried an S2... and the finish on the CE vs. S2 was similar.
I couldn't tell a difference.

 

[grausch]

With a heavy heart, I have to inform those anxiously waiting on another NGD, that the guitar sold before I had a chance to return to pick it up. After playing the guitar on Saturday, I was about to return to buy it, but my youngest had a mishap that needed medical attention. Luckily nothing serious...

In any event, the guitar was listed at the store the day before I went to play it, and it sold in a week. I could only return a week later as work commitments kept me pretty busy. Some lucky fellow literally bought it the day before I would have.

However, there is a silver lining to the story - I have been spending more time with the Sig Ltd. and am getting some really great tones out of it. Guess, the best thing in this situation was a quick rebound.

 

[grausch]

I have now had the opportunity to spend some serious time with a S2 Satin and my Standard 24 side-by-side. Since I did not own the Standard 24 from new, and the finish was already glossed over when I bought it, my comments can't be 100% verified.

The older Standard 24 definitely has a smoother satin finish. There are probably only 1 or 2 tiny spots where I can feel the grain in the wood. It could be that PRS used wood filler on the older satins, or that my guitar was polished with something like Virtuoso polish. I doubt that it got like that through playing as there are some spots that are still satin and they feel the same.

With the S2 satin, I can feel a lot more of the grain. There is definitely no wood filler. However, when just playing and not analysing the differences in finish, I notice almost no difference. The guitars felt almost identical and I literally needed to inspect and feel them up side-by-side before I was able to notice the differences.

Both are extremely acoustically resonant and both have the same type of great satin feel. My comment on the finish being absolutely great still stands, with the caveat that the older satin finishes are slightly smoother. I can happily play either of them and have no complaints about either of the finishes.

Edit: I can also feel some scratchiness on the S2 when I wipe it down with a microfiber cloth. The older core is perfectly smooth in that regards.

 

[Screamingdaisy]

I have nothing to add, just pointing out that S2 Satins are USA Satins.

 

[grausch]

You're right of course. I was struggling to find the correct wording - have amended the thread title accordingly.

I still liked the newer S2 satin finish enough that I now own one of them. Thread with pics here - http://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/a-christmas-surprise.28364/