Special 22 or Paul's guitar?

Bluecat

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Dec 15, 2019
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I have a Special 22 that I like but don't feel it is "the" guitar for me.

I have played a Paul's guitar and liked the neck feel but haven't had it in my home and listened to it through my set-up so I can't really compare the two sound wise.

Anyone have any thought about how these two stack up against one another?

Thanks
 
I have a Special 22 that I like but don't feel it is "the" guitar for me.

I have played a Paul's guitar and liked the neck feel but haven't had it in my home and listened to it through my set-up so I can't really compare the two sound wise.

Anyone have any thought about how these two stack up against one another?

Thanks

I have a PS with the non-TCI Paul’s Guitar pickups.

The narrow 408s on the Paul’s have more of a single coil quality in humbucking mode, and to my ears, greater clarity, than the traditional humbuckers on the other models.They’re capable of wide dynamic range, and therefore, can be nuanced and delicate, or raw power.

But that’s just my opinion. You may feel completely different about them.

For me, they’re among the most beautiful sounding pickups out in the world, but for someone else, who knows? We’re all different, we play differently, we hear differently, we love different music, we have different ancillary gear. So the advice you’ll get, however well intentioned it may be, may not suit you.

One thing to consider is that maybe there is no “the” guitar for you; maybe there are several guitars for you, each of which does different things, in order to complete your guitar toolset.

When I think of the really sweet guitars I’ve sold in pursuit of “the” guitar, I could kick myself, but I don’t have to; my wife does all the (verbal) kicking whenever I sell a piece of gear.

The smart/safe thing to do is bring your rig to the store where you played one, and see how it sounds for yourself. Then you won’t be buying a pig in a poke, or taking advice from strangers on the internet who know nothing about your playing style.

But it never hurts to keep a nice guitar like the Special 22, use it for what it’s best at, and also get a Paul’s Guitar.
 
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There is no Spoon.

There is no Or.

There is only And, Both, and All.
 
Ok seriously I have a TCI Paul’s and I really like the sound of the pickups, especially in single coil mode. They kind of have their own unique tone which I love!
nJHaLdR.jpg


But then again it’s really down to the individual guitar. Better to have an inherently resonant and woody toned guitar in a model less favored, than the other way round..
 
you definitely need to play the Paul's guitar, if you can before you buy.
As good as the guitar is it is designed mostly for playing in a live situation. It is very strong in the mid-EQ. I wanted it to be brighter.
I found it difficult to get the multiple sounds I expect out of a guitar these days. it seemed to have only 2 different tones.
even with the TCI, I just found it not to be as flexible as the DGT for example.
I compared the 2 head-to-head for many weeks before selling 1 of them. 1 had to go on the reverb.... the DGT stayed, its single coils sounded remarkable and different in each position, the mid-position was very different very telecaster like, for humbucker nice big and different. 6 unique tones, The Paul's guitar ended up sounding too similar on every setting. Still beautiful and fantastic I can see how it would work extremely well in a band situation.
 
Ignore all that good advice. Get the one all your buddies envy. Then, when you're tired of owning a guitar you never play, get another one (and keep both).

Rinse and repeat until you have no more room in your house for more guitars.

My work here is done.
Have you been in my house without my knowledge?
 
I have and love both. If I could only have one of the two it would be the SSH though. Just a super, super flexible guitar.

My thoughts exactly! I think they complement each other really well.

Feel-wise I do prefer the slightly larger Paul's frets, but that's minor.
 
Here’s a recording I did with the guitar that has the Paul’s pickups and my HXDA amp. The rhythm part is relatively clean, the other parts are a little dirtier.

Might as well listen and decide what you like or dislike.

https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/pedaland-4

I should mention that these tracks were recorded with the guitar volume at around 6-7, and the tone control around 8, so considerably less bright than possible with this guitar. These were done in full humbucker mode.
 
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Whilst they do have some similarities - ie Humbucker type with individual coil splitting options, scale length, woods etc, they are also different guitars. Not just the added Narrowfield and extra '4' pick-up selection options that offers or the semi-hollow construction, but also the trem bridge and different HB's too which makes a big difference on the sound. I thought the neck though was the same but maybe the frets are different.

Its entirely possible that the Paul's guitar may be more suited to you and what you are looking for. I can't tell you that its 'better' than the Special or that you should swap. Its something that only you can decide yourself because those differences are more preference. Do you prefer the TCI Pick-up sounds, do you prefer a fixed bridge etc. I love my PRS Special and think its aptly named but you may prefer the Paul's guitar. I prefer my 594 to the Paul's which you could say is similar too - both fixed bridge, double HB with individual coil splitting options but someone else may prefer the Paul's - neither is 'better/worse' just different enough to co-exist and could justify owning both.

The only answer I can give is to take your Special to a Shop that sells the Paul's and try both side by side into the same Amp. That way you will get a good idea of the differences in both feel and sound so you will know which will suit you best. By knowing how the Special sounds in your rig and how it sounds in the shop, especially if you can't use the exact amp you own, will still give you an idea of how the Paul's will sound. You have both guitars side by side to swap back and forth between to be able to compare directly to make the right choice for you.
 
I had a similar dilemma between the SSH and the 594. Ended up with the SSH after I noticed every time a really nice one came up for sale they sold quickly. Figured it was a good sign. No regrets yet on my decision 6 months later. Still on the hunt for a 594 but waiting for the new pickups and finish.
 
Ok seriously I have a TCI Paul’s and I really like the sound of the pickups, especially in single coil mode. They kind of have their own unique tone which I love!
nJHaLdR.jpg


But then again it’s really down to the individual guitar. Better to have an inherently resonant and woody toned guitar in a model less favored, than the other way round..

I agree with you on the the Paul’s guitar with TCI. I also have Paul’s with regular 408’s, they sound awesome yet different.
 
SSH and Paul’s are both great and both very different. If I had to choose between the two I would choose the Paul’s with the TCI but that’s me. Only because I’m playing a lot more clean electric guitar these days and less classic rock to hard rock. Not that you can’t play dirty distorted tones with the Paul’s, it’s great but The SSH is Extremely diverse I believe more of a Swiss Army knife than the Paul’s. I know it’s easy for me to say but try to own both it would be worth it.
 
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