SE24 Questions

[thx712517]

Happy owner of a PRS SE Standard 24 in blue here, with a few questions.

When playing, the low E string sounds louder than all the other strings. I'm using 9-42 gauge. It's louder on both the neck and bridge pickup. The adjustment screws on the humbuckers for the E pole look to be no higher than the others. Should I experiment with screwing them down a little lower, or would it be related to my Vox amp having an alnico speaker and possibly being flubby? I can't recall noticing it when I was testing the guitar in the store on a stock Vox or Fender amp.

When using the capo (usually on the 2nd or 3rd fret), the strings are not equally in tune. When placed snug against the fret the low E and A are noticeably out of tune with each other, but with the capo further away from the fret the strings are in tune. It's a Kyser spring capo, so I'm guessing it's pressing down too hard, but I'm not sure why it would be noticeable on the two low strings and not the higher, unless I need to check on my intonation.

My G string seems to have trouble staying in tune after string bending. The others are okay, but the G slips a bit. I'm wondering if this is due to my post wrapping. I intend to switch over to the locking tuners provided by PRS as my understanding is they're a direct drop-in replacement, no new holes required. Aside from trying to keep my post wraps tight and minimal, anything else I need to take into consideration?

Thanks so much. I'm really enjoying this guitar. I used to play the neck pickup only regardless of whatever I played, and with this one I'm rocking the bridge, playing both, and doing some neck stuff as the mood strikes. I'm also seriously making use of the coil split function, something I never thought I'd be using. It's such a versatile, pleasant guitar.

 

[shimmilou]

Sounds like you need a good pro setup, intonation, bridge pivot screws, check the nut for binding, lube, etc. One thing that might be easy for you to try, lower the bass side of your pups with the pup height adjust screw (not the pole screw, but the screw on the pup ring).

 

[thx712517]

Good to know! I took a look at the screw height for the bridge pivots and they are a bit uneven - the outer I think are a bit lower, the middle four are a bit higher and a little uneven. I assume that might cause an issue? If the nut is an issue, I've seen some folks putting on a wide/thin nut from PRS to replace the stock SE nut. Worth it, or better to get a bone one made?

 

[shimmilou]

I have many PRSi (core, S2, SE), not had to replace any nut so far. I have had a few that had the bridge mounting screws uneven (SE), as you’ve described, and had to adjust them, and installed locking tuners, and now they stay in tune brilliantly, even with wild whammy use.

I used a very small allen wrench to check the gap between screw heads and bridge plate, which gave me great accuracy when adjusting. If you only have to go a quarter turn or so on the screws, no need to remove strings and springs.

 

[Eddie kim]

Core nut will make a big difference in my opinion...

 

[dogrocketp]

The bridge screws should be in a straight line, but if all of one side are higher than the other and the intonation is good, leave it. Whatever you do, don’t just take a screwdriver and fix it yourself. You can ruin the whole affair. Take it to a qualified luthier and have it set up. Make sure he/she knows how to set up a PRS. A newbie at a Big box store is not a qualified luthier.

 

[thx712517]

Took the guitar in for a setup to Southeast Guitar Repair in Buford, GA. It'll have the intonation checked, neck relief, etc. I was talked into going with a bone nut, something I had been considering. Either the bone or a PRS Core nut, you know? They would install a Core nut but preferred bone.

I did feel a twinge of uneasiness about one thing. I mentioned the pivot screws were at different heights - the two outer ones were lower while the inner four were higher. I was told that it was fine as the two outer ones took the load while the four inner were there just in case. Essentially a two pivot bridge. I'm not a trained luthier. I can change strings and that's about it. But all I've read makes it sound like the PRS trem, SE or not, rides on all six screws equally. They might be slightly different heights to compensate for any dishing of the knife edge or height of the notch compared to the rest of the screw.

Am I overthinking?

 

[Black Plaid]

the two outer ones were lower while the inner four were higher. I was told that it was fine as the two outer ones took the load while the four inner were there just in case.

This person was blowing smoke. They don't know how the PRS Guitars work. The bridge should rest evenly across all screws' detents. If they do not, it can cause problems, damage the knife edge, or break the screws. The bridge plate shouldn't have any dishing, and I would expect the screws should be consistent enough not to look uneven.

That said, I do not have experience with the SE line, perhaps tolerances can't be as close at the price point?

 

[Tim S]

I agree with Black Plaid.

It sounds like your tech is more familiar with Fenders than PRSi

A Core nut is more slippery than a bone nut. This is important for guitars with trems.

 

[thx712517]

I sent an email to the owner explaining my concern over the comment, and offered to come get the guitar if I wasn't worth dealing with. We'll see how it goes. They've done great work for me in the past on other guitars, just not a PRS with a tremolo, and PRS has put the fear of God in me when it comes to touching that mechanism.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

^what they said^

This is useful viewing. A USA PRS nut works well with a

 

[thx712517]

Mother of God, he just cut strings under full tension.

 

[dogrocketp]

Send this video to your repair place. If they already set up the guitar, it’s probably done wrong. The PRS nut is much better than the bone nut for keeping the strings in tune. It you don’t disconnect the springs before you adjust the trem pivot screws, you can ruin it. They can simply watch the PRS videos and learn how to do it right. Just because you can wrench a pickup truck doesn’t mean you can tune a Ferrari. The bridges last for years if handled properly. I have a 91 EG ll. That has a perfect bridge, and I play it all the time.

 

[Black Plaid]

Mother of God, he just cut strings under full tension.

Savage!

 

[thx712517]

Got a response from the owner, checked all the boxes for my concerns and I feel a lot better. Looking forward to getting it back, should be a lot of fun.