SE vs S2

[sergiodeblanc]

Bangin'!

 

[Chuckblues]

I have an S2 Mira and an SE Bernie Marsden and an SE Santana ! The Santana & Bernie have Bare Knuckle pups in them . Know what, I like both SE's better than the Mira ! Is it because of the scale length ? They are all wonderful guitars ! Do I notice a difference in build quality ? No I don't . The difference seemed to be in the original pups !That being said I would like a stripped 58 with 57\08's at some point !

 

[Sam.Clayton]

I have an S2 Mira and an SE Bernie Marsden and an SE Santana ! The Santana & Bernie have Bare Knuckle pups in them . Know what, I like both SE's better than the Mira ! Is it because of the scale length ? They are all wonderful guitars ! Do I notice a difference in build quality ? No I don't . The difference seemed to be in the original pups !That being said I would like a stripped 58 with 57\08's at some point !

That may be true, but the neck on the SE guitars that I tried was too slim. I feel that the neck on my s2 is thicker and is something that I am more accustomed to (I used to have a les paul but Nashville flooded). Congrats with the guitars!

 

[Chuckblues]

The SE Bernie Marsden is modeled after Bernie's 58 Les Paul "The Beast " The neck is quite wide fat . A Little fatter than S2 Mira . Also The SE Santana is also a wide fat . The one guitar that had a wide thin was the SE Custom 24 . I couldn't bond with that one so I sold it !

 

[Chuckblues]

I guess it comes down to whether you bond with the instrument . I have played very high end models that I didn't like that much . The last one was a McCarty single cut . Very nice but something didn't feel right ! Each to his own !

 

[Gman77]

Whats with all the hate towards the s2's? On a non PRS forum the comments are mostly positive, but here the PRS owners are not so happy with the s2's.

I can't speak for anyone else.... But, I've been a "core" PRS player for many, many years.... I've owned and toured four Custom 22's, two Custom 24's, a CE24 and a Swamp Ash Special. I recently bought an S2 Custom 22 Semi-Hollow as an alternative to my current main axe (a 2012 CU24) and I gotta say.... I REALLY like this S2 Semi-hollow A LOT! It's just became my main axe--at least until the honey moon period is over, but I don't feel like anything is lacking at all. For the first few shows, I bought my CU24 along 'just in case'...but, it stayed in the case. :laugh: And now, I'm comfortable enough to leave it home.

The various tones, playability and feel are all there. And even with the plainer top (compared to my 10-Top core guitar) it's still a very nice guitar visually. SE's are good, but just don't do it for me personally. As others have alluded to, SE's are more "fixer uppers" if that's your thing. I don't like to have to alter anything.

 

[Marck.f91]

I tried the SE in a store in Austria. It was great, versatile and comfortable. Then I saw they had an S2 in stock and tried that one too. After sitting, plugging it in and playing the first notes, i felt THAT was my guitar. If the SE was good, the S2 was better, I could feel the difference in sound, playability and comfort. I didn't buy it it, but I'll rush as soon as i can.

 

[Chrisk-K]

I love my S2 Custom 22. However, the S2 line makes me wonder. The LP studio & AmStd Strat (1) use American bridges and pots, and (2) come with a high quality HS case, whereas the S2 uses SE bridges and pots, and come with a gig bag. Yet, the S2 Custom is slightly more expensive than the LP Studio and the AmStd Strat. The S2 should come with a HS case.

 

[gball]

I love my S2 Custom 22. However, the S2 line makes me wonder. The LP studio & AmStd Strat (1) use American bridges and pots, and (2) come with a high quality HS case, whereas the S2 uses SE bridges and pots, and come with a gig bag. Yet, the S2 Custom is slightly more expensive than the LP Studio and the AmStd Strat. The S2 should come with a HS case.

Personally, I don't miss the case and not too worried about the electronics. What is key to me, and I suspect many, is the fact that the underlying guitar, the part you play, is superior to any LP Studio or AmStd Strat I have owned or played. That makes it a great value to me and I would much rather have my money go to that than a case I would not use (I prefer gig bags).

 

[andy474x]

I love my S2 Custom 22. However, the S2 line makes me wonder. The LP studio & AmStd Strat (1) use American bridges and pots, and (2) come with a high quality HS case, whereas the S2 uses SE bridges and pots, and come with a gig bag. Yet, the S2 Custom is slightly more expensive than the LP Studio and the AmStd Strat. The S2 should come with a HS case.

I think there's a difference in philosophy between S2 production and the similarly priced Fender and Gibson guitars. When it comes to Gibson, to be frank, I think they're just putting out a less well made guitar. At least that's been the case on the ones I've played. They put a lot of the money into easily tangible things in the eyes of the consumer - USA made parts, pickups, hard cases, etc. But when it comes to the technique sensitive work like frets, finish, setup, they really have to hustle the guitars through without giving them proper attention, in order to meet their production budget. While some parts on S2's are made elsewhere, I don't think that necessarily makes them bad parts. In fact, when it comes to items like the import trem, I think it's a fine unit with the proper setup, which PRS takes the time to do.

Unfortunately "Made in the USA" doesn't always correlate to a better product anymore. I've really been enjoying my S2, because it has the attention to detail, and the sourced parts have been performing well. But, YMMV, etc.

 

[shinksma]

I love my S2 Custom 22. However, the S2 line makes me wonder. The LP studio & AmStd Strat (1) use American bridges and pots, and (2) come with a high quality HS case, whereas the S2 uses SE bridges and pots, and come with a gig bag. Yet, the S2 Custom is slightly more expensive than the LP Studio and the AmStd Strat. The S2 should come with a HS case.

If the S2 line came with an OHSC, you'd have to add at least $100 to the price tag. The whole point of the S2 line is affordable US-made guitars. If you really want a hard case, they are available for $100 to $200, depending on whether you want the PRS brand (i.e. closer to $200) or are happy with a third-party brand (which will probably be lighter, too...dang those PRS multi-fit cases are heavy!).

 

[Chrisk-K]

OK. I agree. I love my S2 Cu22 (Scarlet Red) so much that I want a 2nd one (Vintage White). My S2 is the 1st guitar I bought that didn't need any tweaking whatsoever out of the box. I always had to tweak Gibsons and USA Fenders that I bought new (e.g., filing nut slots, adjusting the truss rod, intonating, etc.).

 

[NomadMike]

Still loving my S2. About the only mod I'll be making is adding some shielding under the pick guard to get rid of some winter time static.