Tried a couple of SEs today.

[93studiolite]

So I’m on the search for my first PRS and decided to stop by my local GC to try out a couple. I wanted to feel the difference between a 24 vs 22 fret and the wide thin vs wide fat neck. The GC local to me is fairly small and they only had four PRS’s in total. The two I tried were a Tremonti and and SE Custom 24.

The first thing I noticed is that the neck feels quite a bit wider than my Strat and LP. I could tell the Tremonti’s neck was fatter than the 24’s, but it didn’t feel like a huge difference. All in all I felt that both were thicker than either the 60’s slim on my LP and the modern C of my Strat. Maybe it was the wider fret board that made them both feel that way. I’ve never played a 24 fret neck and found that I actually preferred it over the 22 fret. I was pleasantly surprised by that, as a 24 fret PRS was/is what I was most interested in.

The things I didn’t like were the glossed backs of the necks and for some reason the fret board on the 24 felt sticky. My hand was not sliding very well on the gloss neck, I’m used to the satin neck of my Strat and the nitro on my LP has started to smooth out as well. Any tricks like using a scotch bright pad on the neck to fix the gloss? As for the fret board, both of these were older Korean SE’s and have been in the store for awhile. Both are new and maybe since they’ve been there for awhile, they’ve picked up some gunk and just need to be cleaned.

Anyway, I didn’t really have a point other than to say that I’m on the look for a new guitar and my first PRS. I also found that I believe I prefer the feel of the 24 fret over the 22 fret models. Anyone have any other recommendations that I should keep in mind on my search? They did have a CE 24, but it was used and FL Guitar Centers are still not selling used equipment at the moment.

Thanks for reading.

 

[toothace]

Trust the Force...

Be wary of GC guitars, there's a chance they've had more hands on them then...well, a lot of hands. The scotch pad to the back of the neck is a common trick to rid yourself of the gloss stickiness. IF you have a chance to play through your own rig(or the same equipment at the store) that can help you decide as well.

 

[Boogie]

...but it was used and FL Guitar Centers are still not selling used equipment at the moment.

Wait...what??!! They have a guitar they can’t/won’t sell you? I’m scratching a hole in my scalp on this one.

 

[93studiolite]

Wait...what??!! They have a guitar they can’t/won’t sell you? I’m scratching a hole in my scalp on this one.

I know. I was surprised by that as well. The nice girl that was helping me said all FL Guitar Centers were unable to buy or sell any used equipment at the moment. That’s all she said. I don’t think she had a lot of information to give though.

 

[shimmilou]

Consider the SE Zach Myers, it has the wide/fat neck with a satin finish, but only 22 frets. Excellent guitar.

 

[drawshot]

Consider the SE Zach Myers, it has the wide/fat neck with a satin finish, but only 22 frets. Excellent guitar.

This.

I had one, and tricked it out with all the parts I could find on John Mann's website. It was phenomenal.

Gave it to my bro-in-law as a birthday gift...and I've missed it, since. Considering going back to that well....

 

[MichaelS]

So I’m on the search for my first PRS and decided to stop by my local GC to try out a couple. I wanted to feel the difference between a 24 vs 22 fret and the wide thin vs wide fat neck. The GC local to me is fairly small and they only had four PRS’s in total. The two I tried were a Tremonti and and SE Custom 24.

The first thing I noticed is that the neck feels quite a bit wider than my Strat and LP. I could tell the Tremonti’s neck was fatter than the 24’s, but it didn’t feel like a huge difference. All in all I felt that both were thicker than either the 60’s slim on my LP and the modern C of my Strat. Maybe it was the wider fret board that made them both feel that way. I’ve never played a 24 fret neck and found that I actually preferred it over the 22 fret. I was pleasantly surprised by that, as a 24 fret PRS was/is what I was most interested in.

The things I didn’t like were the glossed backs of the necks and for some reason the fret board on the 24 felt sticky. My hand was not sliding very well on the gloss neck, I’m used to the satin neck of my Strat and the nitro on my LP has started to smooth out as well. Any tricks like using a scotch bright pad on the neck to fix the gloss? As for the fret board, both of these were older Korean SE’s and have been in the store for awhile. Both are new and maybe since they’ve been there for awhile, they’ve picked up some gunk and just need to be cleaned.

Anyway, I didn’t really have a point other than to say that I’m on the look for a new guitar and my first PRS. I also found that I believe I prefer the feel of the 24 fret over the 22 fret models. Anyone have any other recommendations that I should keep in mind on my search? They did have a CE 24, but it was used and FL Guitar Centers are still not selling used equipment at the moment.

Thanks for reading.

I'd blame the gunked strings rather than board or frets. Those can be cleaned and strings changed. I like Gorgomyte for frets, FastFret for strings, and once a year some fretboard oil.
How exactly does a 24 fret 'feel' different than a 22 fret neck?
Sound on the neck pup ok. But FEEL?? They're both the same scale length.

Now your LP is a shorter scale... to THAT it might seem a little different
Then again, your Strat is a LONGER scale, even though it also has 22 frets.

 

[MichaelS]

Btw, VERY nice StudioLite LP. I dig the color and top.
I have a '92 blue w/blacked out hardware.

 

[Black Plaid]

How exactly does a 24 fret 'feel' different than a 22 fret neck?
Sound on the neck pup ok. But FEEL?? They're both the same scale length.

They may be different neck profiles.

The 24 fret neck is in a different relative position. It might be 2 frets, but it makes a diff in 'feel' of the guitar for certain.

 

[MichaelS]

They may be different neck profiles.

The 24 fret neck is in a different relative position. It might be 2 frets, but it makes a diff in 'feel' of the guitar for certain.

Good point. I'd call that guitar feel though. Not neck feel. For instance an SG and an LP both have 22 frets but entirely different (guitar) feels due to where the neck joins the body.

 

[dogrocketp]

Meguiar’s cleaner/ polish in the burgundy bottle (3 coats) will take care of the sticky feel on the neck. I rewax the neck every other time I change the strings. I’m turning into more of a 24 fretter all the time. My S2 Studio is the exception. Maryland has a 30 day waiting period before used gear can be sold, in case it's stolen. There's a well known used instrument shop near here. If you know the owners, you can go in the back and try instruments on hold. You can then prepay, and no one else will have a chance to buy your favorites.

 

[Joesnewmatch]

I’m in Florida also. There’s some issue with used gear. GC puts a hold on used items for about a month, probably to make sure they’re not stolen.

 

[93studiolite]

I'd blame the gunked strings rather than board or frets. Those can be cleaned and strings changed. I like Gorgomyte for frets, FastFret for strings, and once a year some fretboard oil.
How exactly does a 24 fret 'feel' different than a 22 fret neck?
Sound on the neck pup ok. But FEEL?? They're both the same scale length.

Now your LP is a shorter scale... to THAT it might seem a little different
Then again, your Strat is a LONGER scale, even though it also has 22 frets.

Yeah, I guess I should have said guitar feel instead of feel if the neck. I have heard and read that some folks get lost on a 24 fret neck. I really wanted to compare both models to each other and to both of my current guitars.

 

[Boogie]

I know. I was surprised by that as well. The nice girl that was helping me said all FL Guitar Centers were unable to buy or sell any used equipment at the moment. That’s all she said. I don’t think she had a lot of information to give though.

I imagined an old Wild West movie where the shop owner closes the gun cabinet after showing the traveling stranger his wares and states, “your money’s no good ‘round here.”. I’m in the banking industry and understand why the banking rules are drastically different in FL. This smells like something similar, and it stinks for us!

 

[93studiolite]

Btw, VERY nice StudioLite LP. I dig the color and top.
I have a '92 blue w/blacked out hardware.

Thanks. It was a gift from my parents back in 94. I never really got along with it until recently. I can’t really explain why though. Love the sound, but for some reason I prefer the feel of my Strat. I’ve been playing my LP a lot more recently though. The blue ones are beautiful guitars.

 

[Revelation]

I also preferred the Custom 24 neck over the 22 myself. I may orefer thr skight tone difference of the 22 but for the slimmer neck and extra frets my vote is for the 24.

 

[Victek]

So I’m on the search for my first PRS and decided to stop by my local GC to try out a couple. I wanted to feel the difference between a 24 vs 22 fret and the wide thin vs wide fat neck. The two I tried were a Tremonti and and SE Custom 24.

I have a couple of SE Custom 24s; one with the older pickups and the other with the new 85/15S. I'm a fan of double-cuts over single cut electrics for the easier access to the upper frets. One thing I like is the SE CU24 balances nicely if you play standing up with a strap (no neck dive). Another consideration is fixed Vs floating bridge. If you prefer a fixed bridge there's the new SE Paul's Guitar.

 

[93studiolite]

The SE Paul’s Guitar is on my list and probably at the top, but I think it’s a 22 fret guitar. After playing both I believe a 24 fret is starting to rise to the top. I would prefer a fixed bridge over floating, but I can deal with either.

 

[Tim S]

It's hard to go wrong with any SE model. If you're like most of us, you'll enjoy whatever you get and end up buying additional models (I have 5 so far.. there as SO many great discontinued models).

I wish I could get along with the Wide/Thin neck, but it's too thin for me. That limits my choices. But if you can get along with the Wide/Thin, I'd recommend a Custom 24. To me, it's the quintessential PRS and all other models are descendants. If I'm factually wrong someone will quickly correct me -- but it doesn't change how I feel.

(Thankfully the S2 version of the Cu24 isn't a Wide/Thin -- it's my #1)

 

[Victek]

The SE Paul’s Guitar is on my list and probably at the top, but I think it’s a 22 fret guitar. After playing both I believe a 24 fret is starting to rise to the top. I would prefer a fixed bridge over floating, but I can deal with either.

Yes, the SE Paul's Guitar is 22 fret. Ideally you want to try before you buy, but I know they can be hard to find locally.