S2 Sub Par Parts?

VisionVox, That sunburst is beautiful! I'd buy that guitar in a heartbeat! That's the best looking S2 I've seen. Congrats on a great guitar!
 
Holding it / playing it, you can feel and sense end to end integrity (the thing has good bones).
I really wish this sort of thing was quantifiable. While I know exactly what you're talking about, and I can tell this about a guitar by picking it up and holding it for just a few seconds, I don't quite know how to express this in a way other than just a "sense" about a particular instrument. I have only had my hands on a handful of S2 instruments, but they all had "it". I've bought and sold more SE guitars than I can easily remember and count, and never got the same "it" vibe from them, except my 03 Santana SE which is very close.
 
I can tell ya my new S2 def has it.
Great looks and plays very nice.

I would not mind picking up a single cut one day since these are 25" scale.
Now if they brought back the SC250 with adjustable stoptail, then I would go for it maybe.
The SC250 S2 Semi-Hollow was the very first S2 I played a year or so back at my dealer when I was in there either dropping off a guitar, or picking one up from a setup.
I was impressed how it played.
 
VisionVox, That sunburst is beautiful! I'd buy that guitar in a heartbeat! That's the best looking S2 I've seen. Congrats on a great guitar!
Thanks! My burst S2 Semi-hollow came from Sweetwater... I saw the gorgeous figuring and that it weighed only 7lbs and jumped on it fast. The way that they document the actual individual instrument so completely (I could see that it had a one piece back, Killer top and straight grained neck) and offer a solid / fair return window makes buying online a good way to go these days. That plus the personalized service I receive from my guy there makes it fun and easy. That said my first choice is always to buy locally if I can.
 
My Vela is an excellent guitar, in every way. Plays great, sounds great, and no problems with electronics, or hardware. I love the pattern neck..it sits right in the middle of my PRS Studio, and my 408mt. It has its own thing going on sonically, but can cover any music I play, with the possible exception of heavy metal...you need the heavier bodied ones to pull that off!
With all that being said, I am totally satisfied that I will have my Vela for a very long time. Oh yeah, and at just a tick over 6 pounds, it's a joy to play at long studio rehearsals and gigs. The tones I can pull out of it are just exceptional. I'm not trying to sound like a shill, but try one...I think you might just like it. There's nothing sub-standard about it. I'm thinking about picking up another s2 semi-hollow, and give it the chance to join the stable!
 
My Vela is an excellent guitar, in every way. Plays great, sounds great, and no problems with electronics, or hardware. I love the pattern neck..it sits right in the middle of my PRS Studio, and my 408mt. It has its own thing going on sonically, but can cover any music I play, with the possible exception of heavy metal...you need the heavier bodied ones to pull that off!
With all that being said, I am totally satisfied that I will have my Vela for a very long time. Oh yeah, and at just a tick over 6 pounds, it's a joy to play at long studio rehearsals and gigs. The tones I can pull out of it are just exceptional. I'm not trying to sound like a shill, but try one...I think you might just like it. There's nothing sub-standard about it. I'm thinking about picking up another s2 semi-hollow, and give it the chance to join the stable!

I second this emotion! Love mine too
 
Really want to keep this thread going. About to do a complete electronics overhaul on my black Singlecut S2. Already have the Mojotone PW Hornet's going in. Should I grab the volume/tone pots from the PRS store? Or go another route? Also.....and a bit off topic......had to send my White Singlecut S2 back to PRS as the binding started PEELING OFF THE SIDE OF THE NECK. Crazy for sure, and PRS has defected the guitar entirely. Looks like I'm getting a new one.......Thanks guys!
 
When I had my 2012 SE Tremonti Custom upgraded, my dealer ordered the push/pull tone and the volume pots directly from PRS along with the Lampshade knobs.
Very high quality, same as the pots on my 408.

That is a bummer on the binding, would be nice to hear how it happened.
It is great it is being replaced too.
 
When I had my 2012 SE Tremonti Custom upgraded, my dealer ordered the push/pull tone and the volume pots directly from PRS along with the Lampshade knobs.
Very high quality, same as the pots on my 408.

That is a bummer on the binding, would be nice to hear how it happened.
It is great it is being replaced too.

Man.......it was sad. The guitar was brand new (purchased from an authorized dealer), and it sat unplayed in my climate and humidity controlled room with all of my other guitars. I went to pick it up to prep before a show, and I noticed it SMELLED weird.o_O I ignored it, played the show with my main guitar and having the white S2 as the backup. 2 more weeks go by and I go to play the guitar and the clear coat is physically peeling all down the sides of the neck. PRS said it was an issue with the wood or lacquer......no further comment other than they were defecting it and giving it the band saw! I'm thinking there was some sort of chemical reaction with the paint/lacquer causing the weird smell and subsequent clear coat peel. Gonna get a Scarlett Red one this time around and give it the same electronics and pick up overhaul as my black S2. Sorry to hi jack the thread, and cheers! Oh yeah...... GO HEELS.:D
 
When I had my 2012 SE Tremonti Custom upgraded, my dealer ordered the push/pull tone and the volume pots directly from PRS along with the Lampshade knobs.
Very high quality, same as the pots on my 408.

That is a bummer on the binding, would be nice to hear how it happened.
It is great it is being replaced too.
ALSO......do you think it's worth the investment for the pots? What would you say it does tonally? Thanks again
 
CoreyT...your concerns are legit. $400 in upgrades? Wow!
I have a NOS 2015 S2 Standard 24 I picked up recently on eBay. In humbucker mode bridge pickup reads 13K ohms on my Fluke meter. Middle switch position is 5K ohms and neck position is 13K ohms. Guitar is noisy in humbucker mode and acts like it has a ground or wiring problem.

Does anyone have a similar guitar to compare readings with?
 
I have a NOS 2015 S2 Standard 24 I picked up recently on eBay. In humbucker mode bridge pickup reads 13K ohms on my Fluke meter. Middle switch position is 5K ohms and neck position is 13K ohms. Guitar is noisy in humbucker mode and acts like it has a ground or wiring problem.

Does anyone have a similar guitar to compare readings with?
Error. Bridge reads 8K. Noisy whenever your hand leaves the strings or touches any of pickup height adjustment screws. The tone is bad too. Must be a wiring defect?
 
Observation: The S2 line is going on 4 years old. If there were problems with substandard parts or manufacture, we'd know about it by now through a long series of b!tch!n' and moanin' threads, not just on the usual PRS hate forums, but here too.

The obvious conclusion is that the S2 line delivers at it's price point.
 
Observation: The S2 line is going on 4 years old. If there were problems with substandard parts or manufacture, we'd know about it by now through a long series of b!tch!n' and moanin' threads, not just on the usual PRS hate forums, but here too.

The obvious conclusion is that the S2 line delivers at it's price point.

For sure. I have had to make ZERO changes to any of my S2s - they are great as they come. I never understood the need to instantly change the parts. The guitars sound and play great as is.....
 
If your goal is to make the guitar a core guitar in everything but body, then a general overhaul is in order. You will end up with core parts everywhere, but an S2 carve and construction.

I personally think that it would be better to only replace the parts that aren't working for you, if any.

If you aren't having tone, quality or playability problems with any parts, why change them?
I took the pick guard out of my 2015 S2 Standard 24 and it has G&B Co Ltd Korean made pups. I had to solder a bad ground wire and it still sounds like crap--almost as if the tone knob were turned completely down. PRS spent weeks selecting pick ups according to the S2 factory video. I'm going to rewire them with just volume, tone and coil tap without resistors and other nonsense .

I don't have anything against Korean pick ups--the ones in my Agile 3100 le s pau l were superior to these because they were wired properly .

If rewire doesn't fix tone issue the these pups will go .

I think Seth Lover spent more than a few weeks developing Gibson pups .:)
 
I took the pick guard out of my 2015 S2 Standard 24 and it has G&B Co Ltd Korean made pups. I had to solder a bad ground wire and it still sounds like crap--almost as if the tone knob were turned completely down. PRS spent weeks selecting pick ups according to the S2 factory video. I'm going to rewire them with just volume, tone and coil tap without resistors and other nonsense .

I don't have anything against Korean pick ups--the ones in my Agile 3100 le s pau l were superior to these because they were wired properly .

If rewire doesn't fix tone issue the these pups will go .

I think Seth Lover spent more than a few weeks developing Gibson pups .:)

That's odd... is it a new guitar or was it previously owned? Maybe a bad tone pot or cap? Especially if it had been soldered and overheated by a previous owner, if there was one.

I've found that sometimes PRS guitars sound a lot "darker" than other brands, especially budget line stuff (making assumptions about Agile, don't really know much about them). The truth is they resonate a lot more in the bass, it's not that the treble isn't in there, it's just got a fuller spectrum sound going with it. Maybe I've mentioned this to you in another thread. The S2 Satins are especially resonant. I have an Epi LP with P90's that just sounds bright and thin as can be next to my PRS guitars... maybe you're coming from the other end of the spectrum?

Unrelated update: My 3 way blade on my S2 semi hollow did fall apart on me. Not bashing, just being fair. Actually bummed me out, because I got the USA 3 way and don't like the feel of the action as much as the S2 switch on my Satin 22. I know PRS would've sent me the part had I asked, but I already had an order of stuff coming from John Mann.
 
I took the pick guard out of my 2015 S2 Standard 24 and it has G&B Co Ltd Korean made pups. I had to solder a bad ground wire and it still sounds like crap--almost as if the tone knob were turned completely down. PRS spent weeks selecting pick ups according to the S2 factory video. I'm going to rewire them with just volume, tone and coil tap without resistors and other nonsense .

I don't have anything against Korean pick ups--the ones in my Agile 3100 le s pau l were superior to these because they were wired properly .

If rewire doesn't fix tone issue the these pups will go .

I think Seth Lover spent more than a few weeks developing Gibson pups .:)

We approach things differently. When I have a problem with something new, I take it back to the seller to have them make good on my purchase. Stuff happens. A marginal part or solder joint will pass inspection only to fail a while later. That doesn't warrant the condemnation of the entire line of products - especially given the observation I make in post #55 above.

I'm going to rewire them with just volume, tone and coil tap without resistors and other nonsense .

I don't have anything against Korean pick ups--the ones in my Agile 3100 le s pau l were superior to these because they were wired properly .

This section is especially disconcerting. Are you saying that PRS doesn't know how to wire its guitars properly?
 
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