SE Mods

[henryr]

Hi all,
The reason for making mods to my SE custom 24 is to get it as close as possible to the sound and sustain of a us made core prs custom 24. Do differences in body and neck woods, carving and frets make that an impossible goal?

 

[andy474x]

I think the maple neck definitely has an effect on the tone, my SE Custom 24 has a bright tone that my mahogany neck axes don't. Not in a bad way, just noticeable. So you may not ever match it 100%, but I wouldn't let that stop you from modding it, you'll still have an awesome sounding guitar if you upgrade some things to USA spec!

 

[henryr]

Thanks for the replies,

As mentioned I already changed the nut to MOP and changed the trem to a Mannmade 2000NOS trem. It seems that replacing the volume and tone controls would be easy and not expensive. I think the only items left would be the pups. Am I missing some thing. I play jazz and blues...no hard loud shredding so I didn't think locking tuners would be important. I've got the setup quite good as it relates to nut string heights, trem setup, action height and proper neck bow. I'm open to all recommendations.

 

[dogrocketp]

I put locking tuners on everything. Aside from making it easier to change strings, it gives me one less thing to obsess about. I would rcommend CTS pots of the highest quality you can find. Try RS guitarworks super pots. They have a lower variation from the norm. I use Hipshot open back tuners with the U>M>P> mounting system. They`re the last of the American made. The curve of the tuning buttons matches the curve of the top of the head stock.

 

[DogPhishHead]

Got my SE Zach Myers back from N Stuff Music yesterday...new PRS core nut, setup to butter smooth action, fret polish and level and my homemade brushed nickel pup covers installed....DAMN, she looks good.

 

[dogrocketp]

That`s a real beauty!

 

[Watersilk]

On my SE Soapbar II, I've done...

Grover mini locking tuners
Bone nut
CTS pots
Switchcraft jack
Tonepros studs
Schaller straplocks
Pickup swaps: first to Vintage Vibe P-90's, then to DiMarzio VP-90/DLX-90, now seriously considering swapping to mini hums

I also bought a USA bridge for it years ago, but probably won't ever bother to put it on.

The price difference between the SE bridge and the USA bridge is enormous. I was wondering what the difference between them is. It seems that both are made of aluminium. I have a theory that the SE bridge is cast, while the USA bridge is milled. If I had a USA bridge I would replace the SE bridge with it; the difference might be small, but those little improvements add up.

I wasn't prepared to pay so much money for a USA bridge, but I like the PRS style bridges. My solution to upgrade the bridge for half the price was to buy a ABM bridge, also milled like the USA one, they come in two types, aluminium, and bell brass. I chose bell brass for a different sound, with nickel plating. This bridge really gives fantastic tone! Highly recommended upgrade.

 

[John Beef]

The price difference between the SE bridge and the USA bridge is enormous. I was wondering what the difference between them is. It seems that both are made of aluminium. I have a theory that the SE bridge is cast, while the USA bridge is milled. If I had a USA bridge I would replace the SE bridge with it; the difference might be small, but those little improvements add up.

I wasn't prepared to pay so much money for a USA bridge, but I like the PRS style bridges. My solution to upgrade the bridge for half the price was to buy a ABM bridge, also milled like the USA one, they come in two types, aluminium, and bell brass. I chose bell brass for a different sound, with nickel plating. This bridge really gives fantastic tone! Highly recommended upgrade.

I think you're correct about casting vs milling. Care to post a link to your milled brass ABM?

 

[sergiodeblanc]

That`s a real beauty!

+1

Looks like a million bucks.

 

[dogrocketp]

I am now 3 SE stoptails with Schroeder bridges. I wish I understood why they sound so good on PRS guitars. I`ve tried the others but these sound the best to my ears. They get my vote for bridge change. I`m probably going to put one on my Core Mira, which already sounds great.

 

[Rockula]

So I just replaced the nut on my 2015 Santana SE with a TUSQ black XL, and put a set of Grover 406C tuners on it as well.

I elected to go with the TUSQ nut because I had just put them on a couple of Les Pauls and a Mustang. The TUSQ nut took away about 95% of the tuning instability that I had with the original nut. I have .010 strings on that guitar, but even though I opened up the slots with a set of gauged files, it always gave me troubles. I tried Paul's drop test on both nuts, and sure enough, the TUSQ rang quite a bit more bell like than the stock one. As reported elsewhere, the stock nut was mostly hollow inside. Can't really say I notice a huge tone improvement now, but the guitar is drastically more stable, and I can use the trem without concern.

I don't think the Grovers make a huge stability difference, but I already have them on a Les Paul, and I love the tuning action and speed of string changes. The buttons that come with 406s are smaller than they need to be. Sized for a 6 in line setup really. So I just swapped out the buttons that were on the stock PRS tuners. That worked fine.

Overall, I'd say these mods were a must. Next I'm going to monkey around with pickup coils and magnets.

 

[JHeavey17]

JHeavey, how do the Tremonti's sound in the ZM? Seems like an interesting combination that would give you lots of that nice harmonic feedback.

Can't believe I never saw this. They sound fantastic in the guitar honestly. Also, just get the matching nut and and should be a perfect fit. My wide-fat nut was a straight swap.

 

[Watersilk]

I think you're correct about casting vs milling. Care to post a link to your milled brass ABM?

Yes John, I mean to, when something sounds this good it just has to be shared! It was a bit of a gamble, the guitar 'expert' at Thomanns, a huge, perhaps one of the largest music stores in Europe, said that the AMB would not fit my PRS SE.... he said that the radius is wrong, and the studs would not fit either without major modifications!! I like to listen to experience, however, I also know from experience that people can sometimes be wrong. I did a lot of research, what made me decide that I had just been given the wrong advice was a guitar featured in Guitarists magazine.

This was I think a Macon, made from 7,000 year old bog oak. It's a handmade guitar along the lines of a Les Paul Junior, with PRS influences.... looking at the specifications it had the same radius fretboard as my SE, and there was a ABM bridge! A handmade guitar, from a well-known Luthier with a hefty price tag, and he opts for an ABM bridge.... he must have had a good reason...

Peter the marketing man at AMB, was very helpful, he provided detailed drawings with measurements, and said that if I ordered direct from the factory they would swap the imperial studs for metric. The string spacing, radius and stud spacing all matched the SE. I chose the bell brass option because I wanted something sounding different from my USA McCarty's aluminium bridge. Peter advised me not to use locking nuts... he said that the bridge needs to be allowed to resonate...

Jonathan, my Luthier at Feline Guitars, Croyden, had advised me to use the TonePros adjustable bridge, and an Earvana nut, so I went against his advice too, opting for the PRS Core nut and the ABM bridge. Funny, they fitted all the parts for me, they were quite intrigued with the nut, they were wondering what it was made of. If I play open strings unplugged, I can hear both the nut and bridge working.

Pictures to follow

 

[vashondan]

Any recommendations for pickups for blues playing?

 

[Watersilk]

I think you're correct about casting vs milling. Care to post a link to your milled brass ABM?

Here is the website, it's the worst site imaginable, I just hope no one was paid for it.

http://www.abm-mueller.com

This bridge looks very similar to the PRS bridge, they come in either bell brass or aluminium, with plating options and with either imperial or metric studs.

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[Watersilk]

I bought my 2003 SE Singlecut Soapbar on eBay. She had been languishing on the wall in the seller's lounge for 12 years! Hardly played, but I think frequently abused by Pete Townsend impersonations, because the body was covered in fingernail scratches from wild strumming.... there were also three dents where the lacquer was cracked. The strings were the worst I have ever seen, perhaps even the originals??

I applied acetone carefully to the shattered lacquer, so it could seep into the cracks, after three applications the cracks had closed. I then applied Planet Waves Restore Detailer to the rest of the body to remove the surface scratches, this made the finish look almost like new.

Feline Guitars of Croyden, my Luthiers of choice, carried out the work.

The electrical cavity was given a coat of paint because the original covering wasn't complete. The pots were changed to 550 Bare KnuckleCTS, a Jensen Capacitor, Switchcraft pickup selector switch and jack. The original G&B P90's were left in place, but the covers were chaned from black plastic to cream (Bare Knuckle again) The control knobs were black speed knobs which felt rather cheap, these had to go anyway because the pot shafts were now imperial, so I chose black Lampshades, and added markers like the 50's Les Pauls. Jim Dunlop strap locks were fitted, changed the nut to USA core, and the bridge to an ABM bell brass with nickel plating. The neck was setup, frets leveled and lightly dressed, lemon oil applied to the Rosewood and 9-42 nickel Picato strings fitted. The dents were filled and now barely visible. Finally, I bought a PRS Multifit case for her. She now looks and feels like a new guitar!

It doesn't really make sense to do all this to an SE, yes, she is now a truly amazing guitar; however, the cost adds up to a USA core PRS! As good as she is, she will never compete with a core guitar because core guitars have superior wood, and should resonate much better with superior tone.

So why do we do it? I did it because I had so much fun, plus I now have a guitar that feels special to me; perhaps, the closest some of us get to having our own signature model?

If could only change two things, it would be the nut and the bridge!! I think they have made by far the biggest difference in tone, and sustain.

Before...

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After...

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[dogrocketp]

I`ve altered 5 SE guitars. My justification is that no one could make a a guitar I absolutely loved unless it was custom. Modification gets me much closer. Each one sounds differently. I still have a core Mira. I`m feeling guilty about possibly changing the bridge on that one.

 

[Watersilk]

I`ve altered 5 SE guitars. My justification is that no one could make a a guitar I absolutely loved unless it was custom. Modification gets me much closer. Each one sounds differently. I still have a core Mira. I`m feeling guilty about possibly changing the bridge on that one.

I did look at the Schroeder bridge, there is a picture of one early on in this thread, perhaps it's yours? It's an interesting shape. What is it made of?
Regarding the customisation of core guitars, I'm frightened to change my McCarty, how do you improve on perfection? I changed the tuning buttons to Faux bone, and the control knobs to Lampshades..... I have no plans to alter anything else. My philosophy so far, is to always make changes that can be reversed without leaving extra holes, or anything that wasn't there before. I can believe that your Mira sounds amazing just as it is.

Were the Hipshot tuners a straight swap using the existing holes in the SE headstock?

 

[dogrocketp]

The Schroeder bridge is milled aluminum with brass inserts. The big difference is above the high E. All the guitars sing up there. The hipshots are open back, and there is a Universal Mounting Plate system that I use. That means no new holes. Hipshots are the only tuners still made in the USA that fit easily.

 

[mezzio]

Hoping maybe someone can help me out. I'm ordered some new PUPs for my EG, got a SD Hot Rails, Vintage Rails and Cool Rails. Since they're humbucking, would I buy pots for a humbucker or single coil? Or does anyone have a different combo of pots and cap they found works well?