andy474x
Knows the Drill
Waves had another $29 sale for the PRS amp 3-pack, the Dallas, V9, and Archon... heck of a deal if for nothing else than having an approximation of amps I don't own. Surprisingly enough, the amp I liked the most of the trio was by far the Dallas... very punchy, very tweakable, and sounded good through the largest number of cabinet combinations offered in the sims. There are 1 and 2x12 V30 cabs, 2x12 "Black" cabs (anyone know what those are?), 55hz and 75hz Greenbacks, and on or off axis G12-65's. Honestly, both the V9 and especially the Archon need to be played through 2 different cabs at the same time to get the best of them, which really surprised me. The pro-tweaked presets were (mostly) really good for that, getting the best combination of cabinets and EQ settings. Meanwhile, the Dallas sounded killer just through either of the V30 cabs. I should get some more cab IR's to try with them. I know the consensus on the Waves stuff is that they're good, but not as much so as the real thing, I still think it was worth the $29 just for the Dallas sim.
I have a Torpedo Cab M and load box on the way, I'll be interested to see what kind of sounds I can get out of my 2 Channel Custom and MT15 through that setup, vs the sounds I can get through the Waves sims.
I've also been playing my S2 Studio frequently. I've noticed some small but very striking differences between it and my other S2's - first, it's the most resonant all over the fretboard. The semi hollow and satin models both have a lot of resonance too, in their own individual ways, due to the hollow chamber on one and the all hog/nitro finish combo on the other. But neither have the raw sustain and depth of tone especially on the high frets, compared to the Studio. It's not a night and day difference, but it's definitely there. Which surprises me, as usually the satin models are the deepest sounding whenever I get my hands on them. The trem action on the Studio is the best I've ever played, very stable tuning without having to oil anything, widen slots, etc. Also, I wonder if they're starting to round off some of the corners on the newer S2's - mine has a softer edge where my forearm rests, and it feels great.
My first S2, the Custom 22 Semi Hollow, is a 2014 model, and it had a couple small flaws - the volume knob is scratchy if I don't hit it with contact cleaner every few months, and the selector blade switch fell apart on me one day after progressively getting more and more loose. Easy fixes, I'm not trolling! The guitar is well worth it. But the Satin model from late '15 has incredibly solid electronics, as does the Studio so far. The trem on the Satin was fair, I replaced it with a Mann trem, the semi's trem is decent too but I really like the sound of the guitar and don't want to change it, so I leave it be. The only thing I dislike about the Studio is the trem bar itself - they changed the design, added a tip cover and changed the angles, and it doesn't allow as much drop before bottoming out/hitting the bar on the guitar body. It feels choked in terms of how much play there is.
So my experience is that there has been a consistent climb in the quality of S2's. They've all been good, but PRS is just nailing it when it comes to the newest ones. I'd also just like to point out, prices on SE's have climbed up to within a couple hundred dollars of the S2 Satins, which haven't changed price AT ALL since they came out, you want to talk about a deal? Having played them both, there's just no contest between how resonant and deep sounding the S2 satin is next to an SE - side by side with a core model, the S2 is much closer to the core than it is to the SE. The SE has the bling factor, but honestly, I've got two plain mahogany, dot-laden S2's hanging on the wall and not having birds or a figured top means nothing to me at this point. I think anyone shopping that SE/S2 price point is doing themselves a serious disservice if they don't get both in their hands and play them!
I have a Torpedo Cab M and load box on the way, I'll be interested to see what kind of sounds I can get out of my 2 Channel Custom and MT15 through that setup, vs the sounds I can get through the Waves sims.
I've also been playing my S2 Studio frequently. I've noticed some small but very striking differences between it and my other S2's - first, it's the most resonant all over the fretboard. The semi hollow and satin models both have a lot of resonance too, in their own individual ways, due to the hollow chamber on one and the all hog/nitro finish combo on the other. But neither have the raw sustain and depth of tone especially on the high frets, compared to the Studio. It's not a night and day difference, but it's definitely there. Which surprises me, as usually the satin models are the deepest sounding whenever I get my hands on them. The trem action on the Studio is the best I've ever played, very stable tuning without having to oil anything, widen slots, etc. Also, I wonder if they're starting to round off some of the corners on the newer S2's - mine has a softer edge where my forearm rests, and it feels great.
My first S2, the Custom 22 Semi Hollow, is a 2014 model, and it had a couple small flaws - the volume knob is scratchy if I don't hit it with contact cleaner every few months, and the selector blade switch fell apart on me one day after progressively getting more and more loose. Easy fixes, I'm not trolling! The guitar is well worth it. But the Satin model from late '15 has incredibly solid electronics, as does the Studio so far. The trem on the Satin was fair, I replaced it with a Mann trem, the semi's trem is decent too but I really like the sound of the guitar and don't want to change it, so I leave it be. The only thing I dislike about the Studio is the trem bar itself - they changed the design, added a tip cover and changed the angles, and it doesn't allow as much drop before bottoming out/hitting the bar on the guitar body. It feels choked in terms of how much play there is.
So my experience is that there has been a consistent climb in the quality of S2's. They've all been good, but PRS is just nailing it when it comes to the newest ones. I'd also just like to point out, prices on SE's have climbed up to within a couple hundred dollars of the S2 Satins, which haven't changed price AT ALL since they came out, you want to talk about a deal? Having played them both, there's just no contest between how resonant and deep sounding the S2 satin is next to an SE - side by side with a core model, the S2 is much closer to the core than it is to the SE. The SE has the bling factor, but honestly, I've got two plain mahogany, dot-laden S2's hanging on the wall and not having birds or a figured top means nothing to me at this point. I think anyone shopping that SE/S2 price point is doing themselves a serious disservice if they don't get both in their hands and play them!
