SE Angelus Custom - discontinued?

shustermeister

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First Post! Very happy this forum is out here!
I'm looking to buy an SE Angelus Custom with electronics - and have a deposit on one at an unreal price. I see on the latest PRS site that only the A10 and the Standard are current models on the 2015 Price List. My PRS dealer confirmed that PRS has discontinued that model. Was there anything wrong with the Custom, such that PRS is dropping it from the lineup? I will still probably go through with the purchase, as I love the way it sounds and looks, but just want to get any information on why it was discontinued.
Thanks!!
 
Nothing wrong with my custom. My guess would be limitations on supply of wood used. Perhaps supply down on the rosewood sides/back used on custom vs. mahogany on the standard.
 
Nothing wrong with my custom. My guess would be limitations on supply of wood used. Perhaps supply down on the rosewood sides/back used on custom vs. mahogany on the standard.

+1 I'd get it quick if they aren't going to have rosewood any longer.
 
+1 I'd get it quick if they aren't going to have rosewood any longer.

Thanks for the replies, folks. I really like the look of the spruce top with the darker rosewood sides/back. Sounds nice, too. I've got it on hold. Another quick question - both of the guitars they have show 4 symmetrical dimples (like 4 corners of a square) on the back face, about 1/3 of the up from the bottom. They are hard to see unless the light hits them just right. Is that normal? I'm assuming those are some kind of holes that hold the pickup or something on the inside. I don't have a picture of it, unfortunately.
 
Thanks for the replies, folks. I really like the look of the spruce top with the darker rosewood sides/back. Sounds nice, too. I've got it on hold. Another quick question - both of the guitars they have show 4 symmetrical dimples (like 4 corners of a square) on the back face, about 1/3 of the up from the bottom. They are hard to see unless the light hits them just right. Is that normal? I'm assuming those are some kind of holes that hold the pickup or something on the inside. I don't have a picture of it, unfortunately.

Checked mine and found two dimples that I can't really account for - don't think anything I had on would have done that. So maybe what I'm seeing is similar to what you're seeing.

But I wouldn't sweat the discontinuation - not sure the reason, but I doubt it had anything to do with the quality of the guitar. I'm very pleased with mine - it stacks up very well with my Larrivee, which was double the price nearly 20 years ago.
 
So I went to the store with my brother (who has been playing about 30 years, compared to my 6 months), and we played every guitar in the $600-$1000 range, including a Taylor, a Martin, two Yamahas, a Breedlove, and a Seagull. He felt that the PRS felt and sounded better than all the others. I agreed - it just has a wonderful full sound! Came with the hard case, so I took it home with me and I couldn't be happier! To make it even better, it was a PRS week for me, as my wife told me I'd be stupid not to buy one of the PRS SE Custom 24's on Black Friday special (large online retailer). So I went from zero to 2 PRS guitars in just a few days. BIG SMILES!
 
Congrats on the new guitar!

I'm glad I opted for the Custom when I ordered. The sound is amazing with the RW back and sides. Simply great guitars for the money. Scratch that, just great guitars period.
 
Ah man, I really wanted a custom. Well I guess that explains why I never got a call back from the music store I was waiting on to get me one
 
I was curious about the discontinuation of the Custom, and I still am. I'd love to know why they stopped making it. I have a lot of guitars, but my Custom SE is the one I take most often to shows where I'm plugging in.
 
I'm guessing here, but I think it was about the rosewood back and sides. Probably getting hard to source the rosewood.
 
Re-post from my early Xmas shopping thread:

SEacoustics.png


Gifted the A10E, kept the Custom. To me the Custom has a much 'bigger' sound.

That said - either is a great buy for the money.
 
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I ordered one for me and one for my mom. Both arrived with huge buckles or dimples in the top behind the saddles. I'm guessing they had a problem with them. Too bad, they sounded great and a lot of bang for the buck compared to others in the price range.
 
I am hoping my Standard I have on order is flawless, or I will not accept it.
Dealer will let me know if there are any imperfections on it since I am also having it modded with locking tuners.
 
My new Angelus Custom SE has arrived!

I ordered my Angelus Custom SE from GC but it never arrived and as it turns out (after a month!) they didn't actually have one? Fine.

I next ordered one on amazon from Gear Hero HQ in FL and it arrived ahead of schedule! And it is a BEAUTY! Looks and sounds fantastic and has no defects.

I also own the 2000 PRS Custom 22 seen in my signature photo and what shocked me (because I read all of the reviews) is how similar these two are?

The neck carve is virtually identical, as is the string spacing and even the setup (which I tweaked to make the same).

When I did the setup, I restrung it with Martin Acoustic FX Flexible Core, silk and phosphor .011 - .047 strings. They feel much closer to the PRS 9 set I have on my Custom 22.

The guitar is light compared to my Custom 22. Also, the case is built well enough to survive a small nuclear blast (kidding).

So far, the only thing I miss is information about the Angelus electronics? I've found nothing about it, anywhere? It's not that it is rocket science but I'd appreciate some technical information and instruction about it? Paul mentions that the sliders are not EQ but does this mean that they are curve or square wave adjustments? It matters for recording. There is a bypass button but it isn't clear what is being bypassed. So, for the present, I'm playing it acoustically and recording it using a pencil CAD CM217 Condenser Mic. If anyone has info about the Angelus electronics that they'd like to share, it would be much appreciated.

The acoustic sound from the guitar is fantastic! Unusually even toned across the entire range of the guitar and it is very touch responsive with a wonderful dynamic range and sustain. I think the rosewood is a big part of all of this? It actually sounds like my 1950's Spanish nylon string guitar which is also made with rosewood back and sides. I think the rosewood is what makes it project so well? It's all alchemy but it does exceed my expectations for an $859 acoustic guitar? Had I played it blindfolded I'd have pegged it at more like three to four grand?

My one complaint is the finish on the neck. Whatever it is, my left hand sticks to it just enough to make it annoying. I plan to take some 1200 grit sandpaper to it and see if I can rough it up to a 'satin' finish? But this is minor and perhaps I am too particular?

I really disagree with pretty much every negative comment I've read about this guitar. It's a real shame that they've discontinued it? I'm glad that I was able to get one, for myself!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/32802430@N08/16735295861
 
Difference in color on the spruce top of your angelus se custom

I have noticed on a few se angelus customs that the spruce top does not match in color. Can anyone tell me if they have the same problem. I have seen at least 4 with the same issue. Is this a common thing.
I ordered my Angelus Custom SE from GC but it never arrived and as it turns out (after a month!) they didn't actually have one? Fine.

I next ordered one on amazon from Gear Hero HQ in FL and it arrived ahead of schedule! And it is a BEAUTY! Looks and sounds fantastic and has no defects.

I also own the 2000 PRS Custom 22 seen in my signature photo and what shocked me (because I read all of the reviews) is how similar these two are?

The neck carve is virtually identical, as is the string spacing and even the setup (which I tweaked to make the same).

When I did the setup, I restrung it with Martin Acoustic FX Flexible Core, silk and phosphor .011 - .047 strings. They feel much closer to the PRS 9 set I have on my Custom 22.

The guitar is light compared to my Custom 22. Also, the case is built well enough to survive a small nuclear blast (kidding).

So far, the only thing I miss is information about the Angelus electronics? I've found nothing about it, anywhere? It's not that it is rocket science but I'd appreciate some technical information and instruction about it? Paul mentions that the sliders are not EQ but does this mean that they are curve or square wave adjustments? It matters for recording. There is a bypass button but it isn't clear what is being bypassed. So, for the present, I'm playing it acoustically and recording it using a pencil CAD CM217 Condenser Mic. If anyone has info about the Angelus electronics that they'd like to share, it would be much appreciated.

The acoustic sound from the guitar is fantastic! Unusually even toned across the entire range of the guitar and it is very touch responsive with a wonderful dynamic range and sustain. I think the rosewood is a big part of all of this? It actually sounds like my 1950's Spanish nylon string guitar which is also made with rosewood back and sides. I think the rosewood is what makes it project so well? It's all alchemy but it does exceed my expectations for an $859 acoustic guitar? Had I played it blindfolded I'd have pegged it at more like three to four grand?

My one complaint is the finish on the neck. Whatever it is, my left hand sticks to it just enough to make it annoying. I plan to take some 1200 grit sandpaper to it and see if I can rough it up to a 'satin' finish? But this is minor and perhaps I am too particular?

I really disagree with pretty much every negative comment I've read about this guitar. It's a real shame that they've discontinued it? I'm glad that I was able to get one, for myself!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/32802430@N08/16735295861
 
Having read your question, I more closely examined my top. My iPhone photo of the guitar doesn't do it justice.

In photos, a huge problem is the highly reflective, mirror like high gloss finish on the entire guitar. It reflects everything! What appears as darker blotches is actually reflections of things in the room.

And if you get very close, the finer cross grains (difficult to even see in photos but very much visible and fingerprint like) on my new (made in 2012) Angelus SE match exactly so I know it was book matched/cut from the same piece of wood.

The color is also close enough to call it, 'even'. Here's a better iPhone photo but it still shows reflections as darker areas that aren't on the guitar ...

https://flic.kr/p/qzzjVJ

Perhaps the variation you are seeing has more to do with the wood itself? Sitka Spruce has an unusually tight grain pattern. I also own a 1973 Guild Madeira (Japanese built for Guild with woods supplied by Guild). I find it fascinating how similar their two tops are in appearance. Not only the horizontal but also the vertical grain structure makes them appear 'less even' and this changes a lot when viewed (or photographed) from different angles. But the sound that they both produce is amazing (although there is no contest when comparing the Madeira's Maple back and sides to the Angelus's Rosewood back and sides and modified bracing system).

I have noticed on a few se angelus customs that the spruce top does not match in color. Can anyone tell me if they have the same problem. I have seen at least 4 with the same issue. Is this a common thing.
 
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