SE Schizoid mixed reviews????

[Brooklyn]

Hello from Brooklyn, NY.

I put my order in for the new Schizoid SE & I am feeling a bit anxious after reading some mixed reviews. Correct me if I m wrong, but it seems like the USA is still waiting for its street release while the rest of the world have received them already. Poor workmanship is the the biggest issue. Yes it is $779, but still it should be a good quality axe coming from a company like PRS. I hope mine will not have the issues I have read about. Please, if you own one already can you please contribute your 2 cents here. Thank you very much in advance.

 

[grausch]

Other than a five star rating on Thomann I have not yet seen any reviews. Mind giving an indication who has already reviewed them?

 

[markd21]

Other than a five star rating on Thomann I have not yet seen any reviews. Mind giving an indication who has already reviewed them?

Yeah, I looked for reviews and didn't find any. Links?

 

[shimmilou]

I am waiting for an SE Paul’s guitar, but haven’t seen one review yet about any of the new SE models. Where do you see reviews for the new models?

 

[Ovibos]

Isn't the schizoid just an SE Custom 24 with a paint job?

 

[Mozzi]

Isn't the schizoid just an SE Custom 24 with a paint job?

Its an SE Standard with the artwork on top - no Maple cap

 

[Brooklyn]

Other than a five star rating on Thomann I have not yet seen any reviews. Mind giving an indication who has already reviewed them?

I have spoken to a few guitar player friends in Europe. And to be fair to PRS, I have only seen the one review on YouTube:

I am very happy with my PRS S2 semi-hollow and as I wrote yesterday, I hope the Guitar I receive will be issue free.

 

[shimmilou]

Yeah, that guitar doesn't inspire confidence. I believe that the guitars destined for the US will have final inspection in the US, while those going to Europe have final inspection in Europe, so I hope that the US inspectors will weed out any that aren't up to PRS standards.

 

[Mozzi]

I have spoken to a few guitar player friends in Europe. And to be fair to PRS, I have only seen the one review on YouTube:

I am very happy with my PRS S2 semi-hollow and as I wrote yesterday, I hope the Guitar I receive will be issue free.

First off, he seems to be comparing this against a US 'Core' guitar - the comments about the headstock shape, the lack of locking tuners (on a PRS SE Standard don't forget) and a lot of the price is down to its limited edition and artwork - its a £500 guitar in essence not a £3,300+ like a Core model is over here in the UK. The guitar has been checked by PRS and sent to the UK where GAK have received it before dispatching it to the person. The fret work is not going to be to the same standard as a Core PRS, and the 'level sanding' process is likely to be done as opposed to taking each fret and working on each to round the ends a roll the fretboard - something you expect on a Core US model.

Its not an SE Custom and most of the things seem to be something that can be done with a bit of time and effort. It can still be playable and still do the job it was designed for out of the box. Most of the issues had little to do with the actual playability and functionality of the instrument. He seemed to be calling into question the quality of the SE parts and finish yet never even plugged the instrument in to play it, to show how it sounded and functioned. He has 3 core PRS guitars and two baritone SE's and to me, it seemed like he was comparing a PRS SE Standard 24 to a Core guitar - neglecting the fact that this as a limited edition, signature model (so some money goes to the artist) with a licenced artwork picture on the top of the body - all of which adds up.

I don't own an SE PRS so I don't know if any of the things mentioned were not common to an SE, but I still wouldn't expect the same fit/finish etc as a Core PRS

 

[shimmilou]

.......but I still wouldn't expect the same fit/finish etc as a Core PRS

I would, and do. All of the SE that i have now are much better than the one in the video, the fit/feel/finish are on par with my core guitars. And that is the promise from PRSh, that the SE will be excellent quality. I understand and accept the cost cutting measures, foreign labor, foreign made parts etc, but I do expect quality from PRS, wherever they are made, and I certainly wouldn’t keep that guitar in the video, no way.

 

[Ethelread]

Just watched that video. Good grief, what an utterly appalling piece of 'workmanship' !!! Paul Reed Smith was hesitant about introducing an Asian-made affordable range as I recall, lest it impact his cherished PRS brand. Well, if they're allowing this crap to be sold then his initial fears are being fulfilled. I'd got the hots for the Santana SE Trem in Egyptian Gold but I'm certainly not buying one now until I start seeing them come through and get reviewed.

NB: I have a Bernie Marsden SE in gold and the quality is fine. Of course, I did have to have it professionally set up, but I have to do that for all guitars I purchase including top of the line ones. My Bernie was made in the Korean factorty that makes Chapmans (and others). Where are these three NAMM 2019 ones being made?

 

[Drew]

Damnnn.... that dude didn't hold back!

Indo made guitars have not been up to snuff with several manufacturers as of late. Ibanez is having similar issues with their premium line.

 

[pauloqs]

I have spoken to a few guitar player friends in Europe. And to be fair to PRS, I have only seen the one review on YouTube:

I am very happy with my PRS S2 semi-hollow and as I wrote yesterday, I hope the Guitar I receive will be issue free.

I agree with a lot of this guy says, but not everything. For instance, I lost it when he said that if you had to level sand more than 3 frets it’s probably because the fretboard is crap. That’s utter BS. For instance, Martin got a plek machine to among other things level the frets of their standard series and up. Before those frets were leveled and re-crowned by hand which increased the risk of there skilled workers getting carpal tunnel or other problems due to repetitive motion. Although he makes some good points, he also pulls some stuff out of his a$$. I mean, although there is no evidence of problems with the truss rod, he concludes there are issues because of the issues elsewhere. Or his criticism to the SE bridge. He says it’s crap, but doesn’t really say anything concrete about it. For the record, the bridges on SE, S2 and CE are fantastic. It’s a slightly different design and different materials from the core model, but they do an exceptional job. Also, part of why they feel different is that they use different materials. PRS has no control over the nature of minerals. I’m just pointing out these things, because I think in some aspects this dude was unfair. Other stuff, regarding the finish or the nut, I do agree with him.

 

[Mozzi]

Damnnn.... that dude didn't hold back!

Indo made guitars have not been up to snuff with several manufacturers as of late. Ibanez is having similar issues with their premium line.

Maybe its the big increase in work, deadlines and numbers to meet with everyone moving their guitar construction out of Korea...

 

[Drew]

Maybe its the big increase in work, deadlines and numbers to meet with everyone moving their guitar construction out of Korea...

No doubt. Production has grown too fast there and I'm sure the ratio of experienced workers to green workers is far from ideal.

 

[Victek]

Hello from Brooklyn, NY.

I put my order in for the new Schizoid SE & I am feeling a bit anxious after reading some mixed reviews. Correct me if I m wrong, but it seems like the USA is still waiting for its street release while the rest of the world have received them already. Poor workmanship is the the biggest issue. Yes it is $779, but still it should be a good quality axe coming from a company like PRS.

Brooklyn is my home town too

As you can see, opinions are all over the map about the guitar. If you're going to mail order then I think it just comes down to a good return policy. If you don't want to deal with possibly having to return ship the guitar have you considered going to Sam Ash in Brooklyn or Manhattan? It's always better to play a guitar before buying IMHO. If they don't plan to stock the SE Schizoid you could consider ordering with in store pickup, meaning you would get to unbox and test the guitar in the store. That way if there are problems it's very easy to hand it back to them. I've done this a number of times with my local Guitar Center.

 

[dogrocketp]

I had to reply on the YouTube post to this so called expert. His mouth sometimes moves before his brain engages. Having said that, I have yet to play an Indonesian guitar at any price point that I would keep. I have great korean and US PRSi. One of my sons used to manage a GC. 98% of the guitars I played there were underwhelming for the money.

 

[MarcPRS]

I just got one.

The Bad:
1) The quality is underwhelming especially where the fretboard meets the binding. The finish sometimes overflows to the wood on the fretboard. This is the only place guitarists look at constantly while playing, so you think they would pay some attention to it.
2) The decal is a little bit scratched where the screws for the pickup selector go in. The finish on the inside of the pickup selector is so so.
3) The brown gig case, though decently built, is the ugliest thing I have ever seen.
4) Minor scratches here and there in the body and pickup surrounding plastic covers.

The good:
No fret sprout, so that is good. The guitar is very playable otherwise. It goes out of tune very easily even without tremolo use, but I have not changed the factory strings yet.
It is a limited edition for a band with lots of collectors, so price depreciation should be lower.

This is my first PRS so I have no point of comparison, I also don't own any guitars in this price range, only a used Ibanez Prestige and a cheap Yamaha.

Would I buy a PRS SE again? Not without inspecting it, I expect better for $850 (final in the US). I don't know if the Koreans or Mexican Strats are any better.

I'll attach an image from a dealer showing the binding issues with the glue/varnish they put on the neck.

 

[shimmilou]

Hmmm, got any more pics?

 

[Brooklyn]

I just got one.

The Bad:
1) The quality is underwhelming especially where the fretboard meets the binding. The finish sometimes overflows to the wood on the fretboard. This is the only place guitarists look at constantly while playing, so you think they would pay some attention to it.
2) The decal is a little bit scratched where the screws for the pickup selector go in. The finish on the inside of the pickup selector is so so.
3) The brown gig case, though decently built, is the ugliest thing I have ever seen.
4) Minor scratches here and there in the body and pickup surrounding plastic covers.

The good:
No fret sprout, so that is good. The guitar is very playable otherwise. It goes out of tune very easily even without tremolo use, but I have not changed the factory strings yet.
It is a limited edition for a band with lots of collectors, so price depreciation should be lower.

This is my first PRS so I have no point of comparison, I also don't own any guitars in this price range, only a used Ibanez Prestige and a cheap Yamaha.

Would I buy a PRS SE again? Not without inspecting it, I expect better for $850 (final in the US). I don't know if the Koreans or Mexican Strats are any better.

I'll attach an image from a dealer showing the binding issues with the glue/varnish they put on the neck.

Hi MarcPRS, Thank you very much for your 2 cents. Wow, that photo scares me; I am amazed that Mr. Smith is letting an axe like that on the street with his name on it. Your comments are very much appreciated. If I could cancel my order for this Guitar, I would. I really am over the moon with my S2 semi-hollow body USA Guitar. And I think from now on, I will only show interest with a PRS axe that is made in the USA and forget any other. Again, thank you very much for your efforts in sharing your experience with your Guitar.