The SE 245 love thread!!!

SE245-White.jpg

So with all this SE 245 Love I figured I'd post mine up as well.
xXSsYDK1
 
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A question to SE 245 lovers ...

"Background" I want the scale length. As a small hands sufferer, I find shorter scale lengths "friendlier"...
I own 2 Fender Jaguars as a result. Vastly underrated and much maligned guitar ... (try the ones not "vintage" without all those goofy toggles , or replace them.)

But I digress... I have stayed away from the 245, because of its Wide Fat neck profile. But since I first formed that "opinion", I have learned to adopt a classical sitting style (left knee) and can live more comfortably with it

I'm plotting to cop a SE Hollowbody, with the same neck profile ... so we will see.

But like a true GuitarJunky, I am already planning the acquisition after that ! :)

Assuming the Hollowbody Experience proves "successful", a 245 with the stripey stripes (that I cannot get on a McCarty Thinline) may be in order ..

So, THE QUESTION !!!

What do you guys do about pickups ?

Are the stock ones cool ? Or do you off them for a higher output Alnico 5 PAF design (SD 59 Neck / Custom 5 ) or a more vintage Alnico 2 hookup SD Pearly Gates) ???

I think with guitar junkies, once we have "setted" on one solution, we gotta find a new quest ...:oops:
 
The scale is 24.5" which coincidentally is how they came up with 245. Yes, the neck is a WF carve, but it feels more comfortable to me than a C carve fender neck. Neck Radius is 12" if I am not mistaken. Stock pickups are really good, probably the best of the SE line. The 85/15S's in the HB2 being the only exception. The only thing I changed on mine was the Pots and Capacitors (wiring harness) to get a broader range of tones.
 
I got a SE 245 recently. I also prefer shorter scale guitars. Dumb as it sounds I love my Squier Bullet Mustang, fun guitar!
Well I love the 245, love it! They call it wide fat but I wouldn't describe it with either word. It's not thin either, I got a Squier CV Jazzmaster and it's not terribly different than that except for the scale.
I actually found about the 245 looking for something different wth short scale.
I got the charcoal burst. As far As the pickups go, I'm not changing mine, I have 3 other 2 hb guitars. The Squier Mustang stock, a LTD EC with Dimarzio Super Distortion and Tone Zone and a Dean Z Select with SD APH2 and a TB5 The PRS pickups are better sounding than the Mustang but I'd say the other pickups would be a lateral move. They sound different but not better or worse. I'm not changing mine. The Mustang is however on the waiting list for pickups, probably EMG Super 77s.
 
George molz said:
Dumb as it sounds I love my Squier Bullet Mustang, fun guitar!
Click to expand...

I was looking at that just the other day ! Thinking ... in that these are "skinnier" guitars (like my S2 594 Thinline) ... costs waay less, and are probably just as cool ??? :)

I love the Jag's 24" scale, and C profile neck ... but I guess to "offset" presumed lost mass They are some HEAVY chiks ! Wide hips ! (bouts) ;)

Good to know about the pickups... I have replaced one set of 85/15s 'es ...on the fence about the other. But if the 245SE is anything like the 58/15S in the Thinline and Hollowbody. I will see assuming that project ever gets "greenlighted" ...

I was reading some stuff on YouTube by my current fav boutique winder guy (Vaughn Skow) ... That in an article explaining the difference between '57 PAF' s and '59 PAF's that it is the magnet , ALNICO 2 in the 57, and Alnico 5 in the 59 ... where his bias ran to vintage PAF 57 (warmer more woody ) in skinny guitars or hollowbodies, and the brighter zingier PAF 59 in heavy bod guitars (Les Pauls, SE 245, CU24"s)

But he also disses all things ceramic , and there I don't follow him, as I like my crazed , nuclear powered SD Black Winters (no, not a metalhead) and I been diggin' on G&L MFD single coils s ...so
 
CrimesAgainstMusic said:
A question to SE 245 lovers ...

"Background" I want the scale length. As a small hands sufferer, I find shorter scale lengths "friendlier"...
I own 2 Fender Jaguars as a result. Vastly underrated and much maligned guitar ... (try the ones not "vintage" without all those goofy toggles , or replace them.)

But I digress... I have stayed away from the 245, because of its Wide Fat neck profile. But since I first formed that "opinion", I have learned to adopt a classical sitting style (left knee) and can live more comfortably with it

I'm plotting to cop a SE Hollowbody, with the same neck profile ... so we will see.

But like a true GuitarJunky, I am already planning the acquisition after that ! :)

Assuming the Hollowbody Experience proves "successful", a 245 with the stripey stripes (that I cannot get on a McCarty Thinline) may be in order ..

So, THE QUESTION !!!

What do you guys do about pickups ?

Are the stock ones cool ? Or do you off them for a higher output Alnico 5 PAF design (SD 59 Neck / Custom 5 ) or a more vintage Alnico 2 hookup SD Pearly Gates) ???

I think with guitar junkies, once we have "setted" on one solution, we gotta find a new quest ...:oops:
Click to expand...

one of these should work for you.

O6rcnO7.jpg
Or
YuGPr3E.jpg
 
Certainly prime candidate should SE245'S' s merit upgrading ...The Bare Knuckles I have not heard, but I read good thing about them and although from the UK I believe, are available locally ...

Which do you prefer in an SE 245 ?
 
The SE 245 pickups do me just fine.

However pickups are a very personal thing. People are sometimes quick to dispense with stock pickups, rather than give them a chance, adjusting their height and playing around with amp settings.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

The whole guitar is very comfortable and intuitively laid out.

What made mine doubly sweet, was that it was a gift from a stellar group of people! Thanks again.
 
CrimesAgainstMusic said:
I was looking at that just the other day ! Thinking ... in that these are "skinnier" guitars (like my S2 594 Thinline) ... costs waay less, and are probably just as cool ??? :)

I love the Jag's 24" scale, and C profile neck ... but I guess to "offset" presumed lost mass They are some HEAVY chiks ! Wide hips ! (bouts) ;)

Good to know about the pickups... I have replaced one set of 85/15s 'es ...on the fence about the other. But if the 245SE is anything like the 58/15S in the Thinline and Hollowbody. I will see assuming that project ever gets "greenlighted" ...

I was reading some stuff on YouTube by my current fav boutique winder guy (Vaughn Skow) ... That in an article explaining the difference between '57 PAF' s and '59 PAF's that it is the magnet , ALNICO 2 in the 57, and Alnico 5 in the 59 ... where his bias ran to vintage PAF 57 (warmer more woody ) in skinny guitars or hollowbodies, and the brighter zingier PAF 59 in heavy bod guitars (Les Pauls, SE 245, CU24"s)

But he also disses all things ceramic , and there I don't follow him, as I like my crazed , nuclear powered SD Black Winters (no, not a metalhead) and I been diggin' on G&L MFD single coils s ...so
Click to expand...
Are the stock pups too cool for school? Can they bring the beef? I refer you to post #3 of this thread...
 
I put Vaughn Skow's PAF style for PRS guitars in my 245. While I didn't hate the stock pickups, there was something about them (a muffled or constrained quality) that I didn't bond with. The Vaughn Skow PU's are not a night and day difference, but they have a little higher output and seem more articulate.
 
kipkohl said:
I put Vaughn Skow's PAF style for PRS guitars in my 245. While I didn't hate the stock pickups, there was something about them (a muffled or constrained quality) that I didn't bond with. The Vaughn Skow PU's are not a night and day difference, but they have a little higher output and seem more articulate.
Click to expand...

OK ! You have articulated what I was trying to say about Vaughns "PRS Replacement" pickups that I couldn't put my finger on when I put them in a SE CU24 . They seem to have more of everything, especially when coil cut, but do not change the basic character of the guitar The "aural profile" is the same, just "better" ...

I guess that is a good thing, as I was not looking to make the guitar something that it was not ...

The only place I ran into trouble (and got lectured by Vaughn) is when I went to "skinny strings ".
To decrease string tension, and increase playability, I changed to Rev Willys Mexican Lottery 7 Gauge Strings ...
The Skows became very bright... bordering on "ice-picky". I asked Vaughn what gives .,and he replied

"WhatsamatterU ? Nobody uses such skinny strings !!! I said, "Well, there's Billy F and BB King ...

He said, But those guys can play !;)
No he didn't beat me up that bad ... but ... Vaughn explained that 8's may be the smallest gauge they work with, and that the Cool Kats in Nashville (where he hangs out and does business) generally play 11's

Although, I did put the same set of 7's on my Korean made SE with stock pickups and ... they are still on there !
 
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Boogie said:
Are the stock pups too cool for school? Can they bring the beef? I refer you to post #3 of this thread...
Click to expand...

OK ! I see (hear) what you are talking about ! ;)

They obviously work !

You possess skills far beyond my beginner rudimentary cowboy chords ...
But considering what you can do with the beast ... I'm wondering if a guy with your skills, would not greatly benefit from the Skow replacements ? You will preserve all the basic good stuff of your stock set, but you can exploit their "More" advantages better that I can. :cool:
 
CrimesAgainstMusic said:
OK ! I see (hear) what you are talking about ! ;)

They obviously work !

You possess skills far beyond my beginner rudimentary cowboy chords ...
But considering what you can do with the beast ... I'm wondering if a guy with your skills, would not greatly benefit from the Skow replacements ? You will preserve all the basic good stuff of your stock set, but you can exploit their "More" advantages better that I can. :cool:
Click to expand...
To be completely honest, I replaced the stock pickups a few years ago with Seymour Duncan Antiquity humbuckers. Not that the stock ones didn’t sound great, but I was after a vintage thing. And in the SE245, they sound glorious. In this current config, it has been top dog in so many shows I’ve lost count. Such a great guitar!

Bottomline: the SE245 is a great performer for the $$ whether you keep it stock or mod the daylights out of it. You’re safe doing whatever you want.
 
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