SE Hollowbody I vs II

[alejoriverac]

Hi!
Can someone pinpoint the differences between the I and the II models?? Thanks!
The II looks fantastic but I might grab a I at a great price so I wonder what I might be missing vs the II

 

[ElrytNamrogo]

As far as I know, there's just the Hollowbody Standard and the Hollowbody II in the SE line.

Build-wise, the Standard will be mahogany top, back and sides. The Hollowbody II will be a maple top and back with mahogany sides. Both will have mahogany necks and ebony boards.

The Hollowbody II will come with the piezo pickup system across the board. The Standard has the option of with or without the piezo pickup system.

 

[Abe]

The Hollowbody II will come with the piezo pickup system across the board. The Standard has the option of with or without the piezo pickup system.

There are the SE HB II's without Piezo as well.

 

[ElrytNamrogo]

There are the SE HB II's without Piezo as well.

Yeah, I thought there were. Looks like they may be phasing that model out, though, because it's not listed on the Product Page on PRS's website.

But yeah, there should be Hollowbody II non-piezos out there, as well.

 

[dogrocketp]

I had a Hollowbody 1. All mahogany, phenomenal for jazz and scratching the 335 itch. Then, dammit, they had to make the ll in blue with a piezo. That meant 1 less guitar in the pit when playing musicals. I sold the l and got the ll, which is a great guitar. It has more top end than the l. Possibly due to the maple plywood top. I have shown remarkable restraint in not buying another l. It’s an underrated model IMHO. If they make it in blue, I’m in trouble.

 

[Abe]

I like my HB2 on my rig as it puts out some nice tones, especially overdriven. I can maybe imagine some clearer pop to the pups for the crispest clean. I have however not gotten the chance to try it in some better amps etc as I'm just working with floor pedals into the emulator type stuff on Native Instruments' Guitar Rig 7, and if everything in that PC program were the best I wouldn't have the physical versions of some of it on the floor as pedals.

Love the guitar. Very impressive for the $.

 

[tdroid]

The main difference, as others have said is that the I is made entirely of Mahogany while the II has a figured maple top and bottom (mahogany sides). Otherwise, you get the same pickups, same tuners, same neck, etc. They're essentially the same guitar.

With the I, you're mostly missing out on a brighter (unplugged) sound and a prettier top/back.

 

[Eseffinga]

How does the SE piezo compare to the Core?

 

[ElrytNamrogo]

How does the SE piezo compare to the Core?

From what I can tell, it's mostly functional differences.

Both the SE and the Core line will have dual outputs on the side of the guitar, so the player can split the piezo and magnetic signals to separate amps, or just run them through one output to a single amp/interface. The Core line has a mini-toggle on the top of the guitar that allows you to switch between magnetic, piezo or mixed outputs. The SE line does not have this, all switching between functions is done through the volume knobs.

Also, on the Core line, the outputs are "Mag/Mixed" and "Piezo" thus giving the Piezo it's own dedicated output. On the SE line, it's reversed as "Mag/Mixed" and "Mag" giving the magnetics it's own dedicated output. Not sure how or if this really changes much, but it is a different approach.

On the Core line piezo, you can adjust the individual string volumes with a tiny screw driver via a control section accessed through the battery port of the piezo board. There is no way to adjust the individual string volumes on the SE board (last I knew).

In terms of sound, I don't know if there is a whole lot of discernable difference....none that I've noticed through watching online videos, at least.

Those are the main differences that come to mind for me.

 

[JasonE]

From what I can tell, it's mostly functional differences.

Both the SE and the Core line will have dual outputs on the side of the guitar, so the player can split the piezo and magnetic signals to separate amps, or just run them through one output to a single amp/interface. The Core line has a mini-toggle on the top of the guitar that allows you to switch between magnetic, piezo or mixed outputs. The SE line does not have this, all switching between functions is done through the volume knobs.

Also, on the Core line, the outputs are "Mag/Mixed" and "Piezo" thus giving the Piezo it's own dedicated output. On the SE line, it's reversed as "Mag/Mixed" and "Mag" giving the magnetics it's own dedicated output. Not sure how or if this really changes much, but it is a different approach.

On the Core line piezo, you can adjust the individual string volumes with a tiny screw driver via a control section accessed through the battery port of the piezo board. There is no way to adjust the individual string volumes on the SE board (last I knew).

In terms of sound, I don't know if there is a whole lot of discernable difference....none that I've noticed through watching online videos, at least.

Those are the main differences that come to mind for me.

The electronics are completely different between the two. You get all of the US pickups, pots, etc. with the core model. The construction of the guitar is quite different as well. The neck on the core model is made of one piece of wood. The SE has a multi-ply neck. The top and back on the core are made from solid pieces of wood (mostly 2 piece) and carved to the shape they want them to be. I think the wood and process is different for the SE.

 

[ElrytNamrogo]

The electronics are completely different between the two. You get all of the US pickups, pots, etc. with the core model. The construction of the guitar is quite different as well. The neck on the core model is made of one piece of wood. The SE has a multi-ply neck. The top and back on the core are made from solid pieces of wood (mostly 2 piece) and carved to the shape they want them to be. I think the wood and process is different for the SE.

Right...thanks for that!

I was essentially just speaking to the operations of the piezo system itself, but yeah, lots of big differences in build and components used, as well.