sergiodeblanc
New Member
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- Apr 26, 2012
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I mean, does it though?
Cyber criminal or Revolutionary has a more elevated brand perception.
SE DGT Appalling Fretwork
- Thread starter Mikegarveyblues
- Start date
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- dgt quality control
Cyber criminal or Revolutionary has a more elevated brand perception.
alantig
Zombie Four, DFZ
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- Apr 28, 2012
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- 15,051
Does it? I mean, Revolutionary, sure - fame, possible fortune. Yes, you run the risk of death, but it can be a martyr's death, and that does carry a bit of cache, even if you don't get to experience the glory of it.
But cyber criminal, not so much. You're much more likely to run the risk of infamy and jail time, and despite what we've learned from the Blues Brothers, you're not likely to run into Joe Walsh in prison.
MarcWink
New Member
If it's any consolation to the OP, this tracks with what I experienced with my SE Silver Sky Maple. The fretwork is AWFUL.
SamIV
New Member
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- Dec 7, 2015
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- 304
Sorry you received such a disappointing guitar. I was all excited to play one as well months ago. Found a gold top at a local shop and was highly dissatisfied as well with the fret work. It clicked all that I was looking for, but my SE Korea models blew it away. Most others experiences were different from all I read. Maybe we both met up with a couple not so great ones. Ended up getting something else from another manufacturer. My guitars are still mainly PRS but though.
Mikegarveyblues
Cream Crackered
I’m a dyed in the wool Strat fan so I was expecting to love the Silver Sky when I played it. I know it’s it’s own guitar in many respects and not a straight up Strat copy but I still expected to feel right at home.
Hated it! I put it down to a bad setup but that maple neck felt seriously off. Unusually flat and wide feeling, which it shouldn’t being an 8.5” (?) radius.
I do want to try another though. Sounded great in a number of videos I’ve watched.
Mikegarveyblues
Cream Crackered
Yep. I want to love the DGT. On paper it fills a nice space between my Bernie and Strats.
But you’re right. A lot of people seem to be happy with their SE DGT’s. Just ordinary people and not just the influencers so I’m hoping my luck will turn.
If not, I’ll satisfy my Tele itch I’ve had for a while and then look towards the S2 line, especially now they’ve upgraded them.
SinSir
Mad Scientist
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- Sep 7, 2020
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Things are so inconsistent these days.. I was almost in shock when I went into a shop yesterday and for the most part the se's had good fretwork. That's such an unPRS feeling. Shock, for good fret work? There were other QC and setup issues though. Another unPRS experience.They had several older MIK models too. The "feel" between the old and new was pretty noticeable. I'm sadly out on the direction the se line has gone on too many levels. Wake me up when they sort it out.
Good news is the s2 line has totally gone home run hitter. Can we please get a s2 DGT?
Good news is the s2 line has totally gone home run hitter. Can we please get a s2 DGT?
Mikegarveyblues
Cream Crackered
S2 DGT with some additional colour choices. I’m in!
Dirty_Boogie
Still got the ol' tagger on it
I loved the WMI/Korean SE’s. I hate to generalize, but something about the Indonesian SE’s just isn’t right - there’s just a cheaper feeling/look about them. I noticed it immediately when they were released around 2018 - I had just bought a Korean CU22 SE, and it was head-and-shoulders above the Indo versions. On the other hand, I have two Chinese-made SE’s (a Hollowbody II and an Angelus) and they’re both wonderful guitars.
SinSir
Mad Scientist
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Agree 100% I kept thinking the same on the look and feel, definitely entry level guitar esque.. hate to say it, but some of them really did feel similar to the squier mini strat I picked up a long time ago. Feels awful to think, and even worse to say, but it's the truth. I've always been a big fan of se. Never had that feeling with my MIK's or my MIC Hb2.
Mikegarveyblues
Cream Crackered
Well, good news!
The replacement arrived today. Much, much better! Not perfect, but I’m more than satisfied.
NGD thread later…
The replacement arrived today. Much, much better! Not perfect, but I’m more than satisfied.
NGD thread later…
d^rren
New Member
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One subtle change I noticed that screamed "built to a price point" was that they stopped doing recessed trem and control cavity covers on the SE line. And as far as I'm aware, the S2 line has always had non-recessed covers. It's a little detail, but it always makes me think of them as "cheap."
Dirty_Boogie
Still got the ol' tagger on it
My MIK SE CU22 had a recessed control plate, but not the trem cover, which I thought was strange.
Scooterjohn
New Member
Almost looks like a knock off.
Mikegarveyblues
Cream Crackered
Yeah, it wasn’t great.
Unfortunately, it was a genuine SE DGT from a reputable dealer here in the UK not some shady eBay deal.
However, the replacement (from the same store) is fantastic!
Take Two - NGD - SE DGT McCarty Burst Goodness
The replacement for the SE DGT I had to return arrived today and thankfully it’s a winner!!! The store I bought it from promised to give it some extra TLC on the fretwork and they didn’t disappoint. Frets are silky smooth and the fret ends are much, much smoother feeling than the butchery seen...
forums.prsguitars.com
deathworlder
; )
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2023
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- 431
How confident are you, it was new to you?Yeah, it wasn’t great.
Unfortunately, it was a genuine SE DGT from a reputable dealer here in the UK not some shady eBay deal.
However, the replacement (from the same store) is fantastic!
Take Two - NGD - SE DGT McCarty Burst Goodness
The replacement for the SE DGT I had to return arrived today and thankfully it’s a winner!!! The store I bought it from promised to give it some extra TLC on the fretwork and they didn’t disappoint. Frets are silky smooth and the fret ends are much, much smoother feeling than the butchery seen...
To me it looks like someone tried to hotdog the fret ends with a Dremel.
Smolder
New Member
Every production line has outliers no matter how six sigma they get. Most reviews and input I’ve read has been great. Surely you can spend $1.7, 3, or 6k… but for what, $800 these rock. I’ve not had to touch the frets on mine in over a year.
Mikegarveyblues
Cream Crackered
Always possible it was a return but I’m much more inclined to believe it came that way from the factory and it didn’t get the QC check and tech setup that PRS Europe and the store claim. That is what annoyed me. How did that get missed!?!?
Smolder is correct in his comment above. I got a bad one. People made mistakes and it fell through the net. Sh1t happens!
They promised to put it right and they did. And I’m sure PRS make sure to toughen up the QC process if it seems to be slipping.
It hasn’t gone back on sale online, I know that.
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frankencat
Guitarded
I go over new PRS guitars for customers all the time and I have never seen anything like that coming from the factory. That is second hand hackery for sure. I would send that back and find another dealer who cares about what they are doing.Hey folks, long time no see!
Was hoping to post a happy NGD after joining what seems to be many happy members of the SE DGT club. Unfortunately - at least for now - that isn't the case. Some of you may wish to close your eyes...
I've been intrigued by this model since first release. It sounded like the perfect guitar to fill a niche between my SE Bernie and my Strats. Humbuckers, trem, fat neck, big frets, usable coil split, etc... Plus David is a great player with a long history with PRS. I knew if he put his name to it then it would be a great guitar.
Unfortunately I need to travel several hundred miles to find one in stock (Non goldtop), so I put my faith in an reputable online dealer that photographs, weighs and does set ups on every guitar. Bought from them in the past and they've never let me down until now.
Everything looked good when I first got it out of the box but as soon as I started to play I knew something was wrong. Bending strings felt like I was dragging the strings across sandpaper and the edges of the fretboard / frets felt rough. In 30 years of playing I have only felt one guitar that was close and that was my sons £100 starter guitar. That guitar has bad fret sprout and rough frets but nothing that can't be fixed. This guitar would need major work to make it playable. An expense and hassle I'm not prepared to take on given the prices SE's now go for.
The frets are pretty rough. Ordinarily solvable with some polishing, but a couple have nicks in them. They would need to be re-levelled and dressed. But worse is the butchery to the fret ends. You can see where they have tried to file the ends but have left deep marks n the wood. The bass side isn't great but the treble side is shocking. Not only that but the filing has made the edges sharper rather than smooth. Some frets are level with the edge, others are half a mill from the edge. Some are not flush with the fretboard. Not a single well dressed fret.
But what makes me more angry than the fret butchery is that this guitar has passed through three set of QC / Set up and these issues have been ignored. The factory, PRS Guitars Europe and finally the store. How is this deemed even remotely acceptable at this - or indeed any price!?
I played a couple of SE McCarty 594's recently and a gold top SE DGT (should have bought it) and they were stunning in every regard although the maple Silver Sky I tried was a bit poor but I think that just needed a good setup. I know when Cor Tek Indonesia bring their A game to the table they are more than capable of building stunning guitars that punch above their weight but the QC seems to be severely lacking both at the factory and at the European tech centre. This guitar should never have made it to the store, let alone me!
DGT SE (3)
by MikeGBlues, on Flickr
There's little nicks in the frets (hard to photo) deeper than all the scratches which possible be polished out.
DGT SE (1) by MikeGBlues, on Flickr
DGT SE (8) by MikeGBlues, on Flickr
DGT SE (5) by MikeGBlues, on Flickr
DGT SE (6) by MikeGBlues, on Flickr
DGT SE (11) by MikeGBlues, on Flickr
DGT SE (13) by MikeGBlues, on Flickr
For comparison, here is a sub £150 Indonesian built Yamaha acoustic:
Yamaha Fret by MikeGBlues, on Flickr
And a £200 Chinese built Washburn acoustic:
Washburn Fret by MikeGBlues, on Flickr
If these guitars can be built with good quality fretwork for less than a quarter of the price of the SE, then what is going wrong with this part of the manufacturing process on the SE line at Cor Tek Indonesia?
Anyways, sorry for the rant. Just bummed to get this lemon!
I'll give the store a chance to put it right and hopefully I can post something a lot more positive!
And hopefully Jack might see this and other complaints and lean on Cor Tek to up their game and be more consistent with their QC!!!
Mikegarveyblues
Cream Crackered
Well folks, it sickens me to say this…
This guitar is back on sale online.
This is despite PEACH GUITARS explicitly telling me it would be returned to PRS Guitars Europe! It’s not listed as a return or B Stock.
Now wondering if the guitar I have was also a return for some reason and they’re just some dodgy ones at a discount. Can’t see anything obviously seriously wrong with my exchange guitar but what a disgrace a company would do this.
Damn, this has left a bad taste in my mouth!
This guitar is back on sale online.
This is despite PEACH GUITARS explicitly telling me it would be returned to PRS Guitars Europe! It’s not listed as a return or B Stock.
Now wondering if the guitar I have was also a return for some reason and they’re just some dodgy ones at a discount. Can’t see anything obviously seriously wrong with my exchange guitar but what a disgrace a company would do this.
Damn, this has left a bad taste in my mouth!
