Traded off...

[garrett]

Heck yeah!!! I'm down. It's been a couple years. It'd love to play that KILLER SE One you have.

Yeah that SE One rules.

And I get it on not needing the higher-end stuff anymore. I was entertaining the idea of selling my Core 594 to buy an S2 to upgrade, but my wife forbade me from letting go of the Core.

 

[markd21]

Yeah that SE One rules.

And I get it on not needing the higher-end stuff anymore. I was entertaining the idea of selling my Core 594 to buy an S2 to upgrade, but my wife forbade me from letting go of the Core.

I hear ya. Katie was VERY against me getting rid of the ME-V. It took months of going back and forth internally to come to the decision. Part of it came down to I just don't like the PRS Core formula anymore. I hate nitro finishes. I don't like the TCI pickups.

The last Core I was really in love with was my 2016, Blood Orange, 10-top 594. Your 594 is from around that time, too, isn't it? I just remember it looked and sounded awesome!

 

[GuitarJammin]

I hear ya. Katie was VERY against me getting rid of the ME-V. It took months of going back and forth internally to come to the decision. Part of it came down to I just don't like the PRS Core formula anymore. I hate nitro finishes. I don't like the TCI pickups.

The last Core I was really in love with was my 2016, Blood Orange, 10-top 594. Your 594 is from around that time, too, isn't it? I just remember it looked and sounded awesome!

I actually like how you did not let any "hype" influence your decision. It was just being honest with yourself and then having the confidence to actually go do it. Kudos! I really think these kinds of gear shifts whether up/down or sideways always allow the player to grow.

 

[markd21]

I actually like how you did not let any "hype" influence your decision. It was just being honest with yourself and then having the confidence to actually go do it. Kudos! I really think these kinds of gear shifts whether up/down or sideways always allow the player to grow.

Thanks. As I kept playing it I was taking notes about what worked for me and what didn't. I use a Helix Rack, the Plugin Alliance amp models, and stuff from Nembrini Audio. I had a chance to use the guitar with a lot of tone generators.

The guitar seemed to do well with certain tasks. I found it STELLAR for playing leads. It was nice for clean/semi-dirty open chord work. But, for the investment cost I have several other guitars that give me the same thing, maybe even slightly better.

The "downgrade" gives me other choices. I've had these guitars as Core models. I know what they'll do for me and what I want to change for different "colors".

This was my approach to instruments before I went PRS crazy. I liked having a tonal pallet from instruments of all sizes and shapes. One of my favorite recording guitars of all time was the Squier Classic Vibe Duo Sonic. GREAT guitar with fuzz pedals...

 

[vconstant2]

That's cool. Mods are fun.

 

[markd21]

Update:

Guitars are enroute. They should be here Wednesday. I'll charge my Nikon for some sweet pics.

I'll order the following parts from John Mann tonight:

* 594 Wiring Harness
* Mannmade Vintage locking tuners
* PRS universal pickup rings
* Lampshades
* Mannmade football jack plate blk

I'm going to try the USA wiring before I swap the pickups. I am curious to hear the difference in the quality of wiring. I still may grab 58/15LT pickups, but don't wanna spend $500 if I don't have to.

The 594 will be the first upgrade. The HBII Piezo will be second. All I'm doing on that one is 57/08s, tuners and new wiring. I'll probably even keep the speed knobs because they match.

Went through Mannmade's site last night and priced out the upgrades for the DGT. It'll be the most expensive because It'll get the most mods:

* 59/09 pickups
* Mannmade trem
* SE Locking tuners
* Custom wiring: (2) P/P vol, P/P tone for phase reversal
* PRS universal pickup rings
* Lampshades
* MAYBE a refinish on the top....

I'll start a new thread for each. Stay tuned!!

 

[ScottR]

 

[Bogner]

Oh My!

 

[Longneck Tenon]

...my ME-V for some other toys. You may think I'm crazy, but I decided to go all SE with upgrades. I'm getting the following, all new, which is cool...

1. SE 594 double cut
2. SE Hollowbody II Piezo
3. SE DGT

Then there's enough cash left for parts upgrades. I'm doing Core pickup rings and locking tuners all the way around. 57/08s will go in the HBII. Jury is out on the other two. I was thinking of grabbing the 58/15LT pickups for the 594, but the TCI process ruins the sound for me.

On the DGT I'll upgrade to a Mannmade bridge. I'll probably consider hybrid hardware too, like I did with my SE245, which is still my favorite guitar.

Tough choice, with much turmoil. But, I stopped using the ME-V and I want instruments to play, not look at.

The 58/15S pickups in the McCarty 594 SE sound pretty good to me. I would give them a chance first.

 

[Longneck Tenon]

That's cool for you. I've had the nice guitars. I don't really care anymore. I chased the Core guitars. I've had almost every model at some point. I can no longer justify spending thousands on a guitar.

I'm currently doing an album using a Esquire I built myself. It kills. It cost 1/2 of my ME-V and I play it more. For me, it's about what I need to do a job. My instruments are tools. My clients don't know if my guitar cost $1500 or $15000. They just want good sound and performance on their tracks.

Ironically, the only PRS guitars that I have owned that I would record with are the SC245 57/08 LTD, the Vela and the CE24 Semi Hollow. When I stopped playing live, I stopped playing most of my PRS Core guitars. They were bragging pieces. I was coveting and collecting them because I could.

Everyone is different, and I have decided I can get all I need from an import with some changes that matter to me. Weird, I know, but after 42 years of playing it's gone back to basics for doing my little cloud-based session projects.

This. I didn’t buy 4 core models to impress anybody, and they were beautiful things to look at and play, but I never gigged with them, and I didn’t play them as much as I should have. I sold off two to buy another Vibrolux Reverb and a new Supro Keeley amp that I play almost every day.