I own 5 Maryland made PRSs. A Custom 24 25th Anniversary, latter day CE24 Semi-Hollow. DGT, Custom 22 Piezo and a Special Semi-Hollow. Fantastically well made guitars each with their own niche. What I didn’t have was a big ole chunk of mahogany Singlecut with a trem.
Having looked at the slim pickings that were available,I ran across a “used” 2021 Tremonti SE in Dave’s Guitars used listings at a helluva lot less and in better shape than most of the used cores on the market right now, so I decided to take a leap at my first SE. I entered this decision with the knowledge that I was buying it for the “bones” and was likely going to sink a few hundred more into it to get it where I wanted it to be tone wise. The stock Tremonti wasn’t going to fit the bill for my preference for traditional blues/classic rock sounds - often more clean, but also capable of late 60’s/early 70s hard rock/metal sounds. I’m distinctly NOT looking for modern power metal tones.
So, here’s what went into making this guitar “mine”:
Suhr Thornbucker pickup set (Raw nickel covers/50mm spaced neck/53mm spaced bridge)
PRS core Pickup rings
Switchcraft 3 way switch
Switchcraft jack
2 CTS 500k audio taper pots
2 PRS push/pull tone pots
.22uf orange drop caps
PRS Core black/clear knobs
Mannmade trem
PRS SE Locking Tuner
Graphtech TUSQ nut
EBay eagle truss rod cover
Here are some comparison pics between Dave’s listing photos and the final product.
As noted in a separate thread, I think the nut upgrade was not necessary. After pulling off the stock nut and examining it, I realized that PRS must no longer be using those semi-hollow plastic nuts. The material looked exactly like the Graphtech (minus their specific markings), had the same weight and sounded exactly the same under the drop test.
I wired it up 50’s style - no need for treble-bleed circuit with separate coil split on each tone knob. Full split to ground - no partial blend as the Thornbuckers sound fantastic fully split without a massive volume drop. Yeah, you do get some more hum without a bit of the second coil, but so be it.
I cannot speak highly enough about the Thornbuckers. Split they have that great creamy bluesy Strat neck tone and twangy bridge. Full humbucking mode, they’re classic Gibson PAF territory but with a bit more clarity/note separation under gain. Great clean and dirty through both my Mesa Mark V and my 25 year old Peavey Classic 50 2x12 tweed Fender-ish combo.
All in all, I’m really happy with the results as it plays fantastic and has a sound that rivals - yet differs - my core models. Not that it was about looks, but I think it looks like a premium guitar now too.
Having looked at the slim pickings that were available,I ran across a “used” 2021 Tremonti SE in Dave’s Guitars used listings at a helluva lot less and in better shape than most of the used cores on the market right now, so I decided to take a leap at my first SE. I entered this decision with the knowledge that I was buying it for the “bones” and was likely going to sink a few hundred more into it to get it where I wanted it to be tone wise. The stock Tremonti wasn’t going to fit the bill for my preference for traditional blues/classic rock sounds - often more clean, but also capable of late 60’s/early 70s hard rock/metal sounds. I’m distinctly NOT looking for modern power metal tones.
So, here’s what went into making this guitar “mine”:
Suhr Thornbucker pickup set (Raw nickel covers/50mm spaced neck/53mm spaced bridge)
PRS core Pickup rings
Switchcraft 3 way switch
Switchcraft jack
2 CTS 500k audio taper pots
2 PRS push/pull tone pots
.22uf orange drop caps
PRS Core black/clear knobs
Mannmade trem
PRS SE Locking Tuner
Graphtech TUSQ nut
EBay eagle truss rod cover
Here are some comparison pics between Dave’s listing photos and the final product.
As noted in a separate thread, I think the nut upgrade was not necessary. After pulling off the stock nut and examining it, I realized that PRS must no longer be using those semi-hollow plastic nuts. The material looked exactly like the Graphtech (minus their specific markings), had the same weight and sounded exactly the same under the drop test.
I wired it up 50’s style - no need for treble-bleed circuit with separate coil split on each tone knob. Full split to ground - no partial blend as the Thornbuckers sound fantastic fully split without a massive volume drop. Yeah, you do get some more hum without a bit of the second coil, but so be it.
I cannot speak highly enough about the Thornbuckers. Split they have that great creamy bluesy Strat neck tone and twangy bridge. Full humbucking mode, they’re classic Gibson PAF territory but with a bit more clarity/note separation under gain. Great clean and dirty through both my Mesa Mark V and my 25 year old Peavey Classic 50 2x12 tweed Fender-ish combo.
All in all, I’m really happy with the results as it plays fantastic and has a sound that rivals - yet differs - my core models. Not that it was about looks, but I think it looks like a premium guitar now too.
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