SE 245 or SE SANTANA or SE Custom 22 ?

[vinny]

Hi Folks,

I am a beginner trying to figure out which SE would be a good fit. (This is my first post on your forum.)

My only experience with a guitar has been with a Squier Affinity Strat that I recently returned after 30 days ( the tone sounded too thin and bright and overall just too twangy ).

Do any of the above referenced SE have a fatter and more mellow tone with lots of sustain?

Also, can you guys advise which SE would be better suited for short fingers? My pinky is only 2 & 1/4" and my middle finger is only 3".

Thanks !

 

[toothace]

Welcome to the Asylum! Any of those SE models you've mentioned should sound better than what you were playing...I'd say the 245(shorter scale length) might suit your hands a little better.

 

[vinny]

Welcome to the Asylum! Any of those SE models you've mentioned should sound better than what you were playing...I'd say the 245(shorter scale length) might suit your hands a little better.

Thanks toothace.
For a beginner, is a tremolo bridge or stoptail bridge a better choice?

 

[toothace]

Tremolo or stop tail is totally dependent on your playing style...I have both

 

[JoeDirt]

I also have small hands. PRS guitars are generally shorter scale anyway. I would also pay attention to the neck profile. With small hands you may also like a thinner neck. I was down to the SE Standard 245 or SE Standard 24. The 245 has the shorter scale, but has a thicker neck. The Standard 24 has the thin neck and felt more comfortable to me even though the scale was longer. Let us know what you wind up doing.

 

[vinny]

I also have small hands. PRS guitars are generally shorter scale anyway. I would also pay attention to the neck profile. With small hands you may also like a thinner neck. I was down to the SE Standard 245 or SE Standard 24. The 245 has the shorter scale, but has a thicker neck. The Standard 24 has the thin neck and felt more comfortable to me even though the scale was longer. Let us know what you wind up doing.

Thank you Joe. The GC near me has an SE Custom 24 and Custom 22. I'm hoping they get a 245 so I can try that.

 

[vinny]

Having two less frets, the neck pickup on the Custom 22 is further away from the bridge pickup than on the Custom 24. Just curious how that affects tone and sustain.

 

[dogrocketp]

I can get a better jazz/dark sound on my 22 fret guitars. I don`t think the sustain is really that different on the model, more on the individual guitar. That being said, I do think my custom 24 has the best sustain of my SE`s.

 

[grausch]

Hi Folks,

I am a beginner trying to figure out which SE would be a good fit. (This is my first post on your forum.)

My only experience with a guitar has been with a Squier Affinity Strat that I recently returned after 30 days ( the tone sounded too thin and bright and overall just too twangy ).

Do any of the above referenced SE have a fatter and more mellow tone with lots of sustain?

Also, can you guys advise which SE would be better suited for short fingers? My pinky is only 2 & 1/4" and my middle finger is only 3".

Thanks !

After reading your post, I was quite curious about my finger lengths. In any case, my middle finger is just under 3" and my pinky just under 2". Other two fingers are just over 2.5". I have pretty slim fingers as well.

With that in mind, I play the following guitars:
SE Bernie Marsden - Wide Fat 24.5" scale. I have 2, one with Ernie Ball 8s and one with Elixir Nanoweb 9s.
Standard 24 - Pattern (not quite as wide and somewhat thinner than the Bernie) 25" scale
Gibson SG - 60s thin profile (about the same width as the Standard 24, but quite a bit thinner than the Bernie) 24.75" scale

The most comfortable neck to play is actually the Bernie. It is the biggest of the bunch, but perfect for playing chords and most of the time you can work around extreme stretches. I can manage all of the stretches for the rhythm sections of "Diary of a Madman" on all of my guitars, although the blokes on YouTube definitely have an easier time than I have. If I play the full A5 chord (the 5 string version), then the guitars with the lightest strings are best. Any time I have longer stretches for chords, then I prefer the lighter strings.

When it comes to power chords and the basic lead work I do, the neck or the scale length does not matter too much. I am no shredder though and can only play basic solos, but that is more due to lack of skill rather than short fingers. When playing chords, there are differences and there I prefer the Wide Fat profile. Reason I got the Bernie was that I was cramping up trying to play "Taking Care of Business" on my SG. The cramping was due to an injured thumb and bad wrist angle, but the SG's neck exacerbated the issue.

So, if you can play them in-store, play a couple and see how they feel when you strum some basic chords. Whichever one feels good then will probably be able to handle all of your needs until you decide to spring for the next upgrade.

 

[vinny]

I can get a better jazz/dark sound on my 22 fret guitars. I don`t think the sustain is really that different on the model, more on the individual guitar. That being said, I do think my custom 24 has the best sustain of my SE`s.

Interesting dogrocket ... Is jazz normally played at the neck or bridge position?

 

[vinny]

After reading your post, I was quite curious about my finger lengths. In any case, my middle finger is just under 3" and my pinky just under 2". Other two fingers are just over 2.5". I have pretty slim fingers as well.

With that in mind, I play the following guitars:
SE Bernie Marsden - Wide Fat 24.5" scale. I have 2, one with Ernie Ball 8s and one with Elixir Nanoweb 9s.
Standard 24 - Pattern (not quite as wide and somewhat thinner than the Bernie) 25" scale
Gibson SG - 60s thin profile (about the same width as the Standard 24, but quite a bit thinner than the Bernie) 24.75" scale

The most comfortable neck to play is actually the Bernie. It is the biggest of the bunch, but perfect for playing chords and most of the time you can work around extreme stretches. I can manage all of the stretches for the rhythm sections of "Diary of a Madman" on all of my guitars, although the blokes on YouTube definitely have an easier time than I have. If I play the full A5 chord (the 5 string version), then the guitars with the lightest strings are best. Any time I have longer stretches for chords, then I prefer the lighter strings.

When it comes to power chords and the basic lead work I do, the neck or the scale length does not matter too much. I am no shredder though and can only play basic solos, but that is more due to lack of skill rather than short fingers. When playing chords, there are differences and there I prefer the Wide Fat profile. Reason I got the Bernie was that I was cramping up trying to play "Taking Care of Business" on my SG. The cramping was due to an injured thumb and bad wrist angle, but the SG's neck exacerbated the issue.

So, if you can play them in-store, play a couple and see how they feel when you strum some basic chords. Whichever one feels good then will probably be able to handle all of your needs until you decide to spring for the next upgrade.

Thanks grausch.
Went o GC this w/e. They tried to convince me the Epiphone Les Paul Standard was a better guitar. Getting confused now.

 

[grausch]

Thanks grausch.
Went o GC this w/e. They tried to convince me the Epiphone Les Paul Standard was a better guitar. Getting confused now.

You could always get an Epiphone as well as a PRS.

I wouldn't call the Epiphone Les Paul Standard better than a SE, but depending on your view (and the prices of the guitars), it could be better value for money. Which guitar did you enjoy playing most? Which one sounded best to you once plugged in? Which one makes you feel most like a rock god? These questions are all subjective and I hope you see why it is so difficult for others to provide you with sound advice.

I could happily live with all of the guitars you mentioned in this thread, although I would suggest the Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro rather than the regular Standard.

 

[andy474x]

Thanks grausch.
Went o GC this w/e. They tried to convince me the Epiphone Les Paul Standard was a better guitar. Getting confused now.

That was likely a salesperson trying to get a sale while they had you in the store. Which guitar feels, sounds best to you, only YOU can decide. But, on the more objective points like build quality, an SE is usually going to be the better choice. Don't get me wrong, there are decent epiphones IF you look for one, and know what you're looking for. But the SE's are much more consistent with the build quality, components, and setup.

If you want a fat tone with lots of sustain, and you dig the LP shape and feel, get the SE245. The stoptail design sustains longer and sounds thicker, IMO. The 22 and 24 are good, but they have maple necks and trems like the Strat, and while not as thin sounding as a Strat, aren't as thick as the 245.

 

[bodia]

Thanks grausch.
Went o GC this w/e. They tried to convince me the Epiphone Les Paul Standard was a better guitar. Getting confused now.

The GC closest to my house used to be pretty cool. Cool guys working there, lots of choice in guitar brands, etc, etc. Now, it's a shell of its former self. They only carry mid level and beginner instruments, the staff turns over constantly. It's a shame, really. I went in there back in 2012 (it was still marginally cool then) looking for a low end Les Paul or Epi. I played 15 different guitars that were all kind of meh. They had a PRS Bernie Marsden hanging there and I thought, "not what I'm looking for, but I'll check it out." Spent less than 10 minutes playing it unplugged and bought it. It was head and shoulders above anything else I tried that day.

Bottom line, buy the one that speaks to you, even if you don't know the language. You're looking for something that will inspire you to play. Don't listen to anyone else, listen to your heart.

 

[Lee B.]

The SE245 and SE Santana models are 24.5" scale, the SE CU 22 is 25". The 25" will sound a little snappier, especially with a maple neck like the SE CU 24 has. The 24.5" scale will have a slinkier feel with easier bends, especially with the 9s the SEs come stock with. All have a nice roundish 10" radius on the fretboard. They all have the wide fat shape if I'm not mistaken. The Santana pups might be voiced a bit warmer and sweeter than the SE 245 pups. I would say try 'em out side by side and trust your hands and ear.

There are a lot of good things about having a big box music store like GC nearby, but the way their business model preys on new players is shameful. GC will push Gibson/Epi/Fender/Squier all day long, and it has more to do with the leverage Fender and Gibson have upon GC's bottom line than the quality or suitability of any particular instrument. If you want to check out Epis at a GC, I strongly recommend that you bring your teacher or an experienced guitarist with you to vet the instrument you buy against serious defects.

 

[dogrocketp]

Interesting dogrocket ... Is jazz normally played at the neck or bridge position?

Yes. 2 of my three gigging archtops have a neck pickup only. Wes Montgomery only used single pickup guitars.

 

[vinny]

Thanks so much for all the advice. I really like this forum. Hopefully I will be able to contribute in some measure .