Uhh... Is The CE Back For 2016?

[archey]

I'm also not interested in arguing with you whether or not you, personally should try one. I'm just continually perplexed by people's easy dismissal of something they haven't tried from a builder they trust.

Gotcha. I'm sorry if I came off argumentative. For the record PRS are the only guitars I play, besides the ones I build. I love them. I especially love the ce's. Maybe that's why I'm so hard on the new specs. I will give them a try. Like I said I'm sure they are great guitars.

 

[CantankerousCarl]

I don't know if this point has been made yet or not, but the original spirit of the CE, I believe was to offer a lower-cost alternative to the "standard" line.

PRS has grown immensely as a company since the CE debuted. They have learned, and implemented, many improvements in tone, efficiency, etc. since the original CE was designed.

I am sure that if PRS had all of the resources, knowledge, product lines, etc. then that they have now, the CE of yesterday would look a helluva lot like the CE that was just introduced. So for anyone who thinks that this CE flies in the face of the spirit of the original CE, I call shenanigans. In fact, I think it's a testament to the thought that went into the instrument that it's NOT an S2. That would have been an easy cash-in.

So we have an SE bridge and S2 tuners. The S2 tuners are awesome, and, although the materials of the SE bridge aren't up to the quality of the Core bridge, the design and functionality is the same. What we do have are 85/15s, really nice-looking tops (from what I have seen at 2 or 3 different sites so far) and a MUCH sexier carve that looks much more Core than an S2. For a couple hundred more than an S2? You're already carrying $400 worth of pickups on her. What more do you want? Stick a MannMade NOS2000 on her if it bothers you all that much and ROCK ON!

LOVE IT. Bryan Ewald makes them sound pretty darn good...

 

[kbprs]

Personally, I think the market for "the exact same guitar made 10, 20, 50 years go" is already overly represented by other builders. Why do people who want and love the old CEs care about a new version of what they already have? How does it devalue them or their character?

One can actually love and respect a guitar and have valid unrelated reasons for not buying it. Thus, someone's choice to buy something is only relevant to themselves and PRS' tally of wallet votes.

And +1 to Carl. Exactly that. And Simon McBride's playing as well.

 

[archey]

Personally, I think the market for "the exact same guitar made 10, 20, 50 years go" is already overly represented by other builders. Why do people who want and love the old CEs care about a new version of what they already have? How does it devalue them or their character?

People would buy them for the same reason people bought them originally. Because they want a PRS at a more affordable price point. My only point has been, with the old ones that's exactly what you got. With the new ce it's close, but not the same.

 

[László]

People would buy them for the same reason people bought them originally. Because they want a PRS at a more affordable price point. My only point has been, with the old ones that's exactly what you got. With the new ce it's close, but not the same.

Not the same. True.

The new pickups are much better pickups than the old ones, IMHO. Much better. Could be my fave PRS pickups ever.

Playability, can't say, haven't played a new CE yet.

Neck finish, I like the old nitro finish. I have one with the new "in the wood" finish on my WL McCarty. So not a deal breaker.

Scarf joint stuff, who cares, won't affect a thing.

Less body carve, ehh, taste fairy stuff as far as I'm concerned, especially given the price savings over Core.

Really the only significant compromises are a different trem and tuning machines.

Pricing, taking inflation into account: Old ones were much closer in price to Core, than new ones will be.

My own take: The recent 5 PRS purchases I've made have been 1 Wood Library and 4 PS guitars, so it's likely that I'm pretty selective/fussy. But for some reason I see the S2s and this new CE as great values. I was very impressed with the S2s I have played, and also examined at the factory at the 30th event. I thought, and still think, they're "real" PRSes. Yes, even with the hardware differences.

I see the compromises PRS chose to keep the pricing down as very minor, considering what's on offer. Just my two cents. If I wanted a PRS bolt-on, I'd at the very least play one of these.

 

[sinical]

Perhaps I've missed it, but are the tuners the same as the S2's? Reason being, I've never noticed any tuning stability issues with those. If there's no tuning stability issues, who cares what the tuners are?

 

[sergiodeblanc]

People would buy them for the same reason people bought them originally. Because they want a PRS at a more affordable price point.

Pricing, taking inflation into account: Old ones were much closer in price to Core, than new ones will be.

My CE maple top wasn't the cheapest PRS in the stores when I bought it new in 1993. There were Standards (one was a black one with a free maple top!) and Specials that had sat at Maken' Music and Park Ave. for a couple of years that were on sale cheaper. IIRC there were Customs with moons that were only a couple of hundred smackers more, that I was more than willing to pay if they wowed me.

I wound up buying my CE because it was the best guitar in the shops for me and I was looking to make a life-long purchase, so not everybody who bought one of those original alder CE's got it 'cause they wouldn't pony up the extra cash. As I pointed out in an earlier post in this thread the model slow morphed into a different guitar over the course of six years.

These new ones look nice though... The top on the one Simon plays looks especially gorgeous! It's great to see all these videos and press releases for the new CE, it just goes to show what an important model the CE is/was for PRS customers. I hope everybody who gets one loves them as much as I do mine.

 

[László]

.I wound up buying my CE because it was the best guitar in the shops for me and I was looking to make a life-long purchase, so not everybody who bought one of those original alder CE's got it 'cause they wouldn't pony up the extra cash.

It's funny, when I tried the early CE it didn't occur to me for a second that it was supposed to be a less expensive model. I figured bolt ons were just less expensive to make, so they charged less for them.

My SAS, price wasn't a factor at all.

The only guitar I ever got from PRS where I factored price into the equation was the '08 Mira I had - that guitar just felt like a STEAL and it was! What a fantastic instrument, and doubly so when the money was factored in.

 

[HANGAR18]

WOW! I'm so excited! I just discovered today the comeback of the CE24 model! That is huge news!

I'm not necessarily excited because I want to buy one (not right this second anyway, all my PRSi are core models, including one with a bolt-on Maple neck) but rather I'm excited because these are just plain great guitars to begin with but now they have some fantastic modern upgrades! Top of the upgrade list is the new pickups. I love the new pickups! Pattern Thin CnC neck carve! And as a busniess geek, I love the fact that PRS will have another price point marker in-between the S2 line and the Core line! That will be great for their catalog, making it easier for guitar buyers to zoom in on the price point which suits them best!

As many of you know, the CE has already made history because it is the guitar that got Alex Lifeson's attention way back when, and he played a CE model, not a core model, for many years. So it is exciting from a historical point of view as well as a practical point of view. I have always felt like the CE line was their sleeper model. Much better than people in general ever realized. I totally understand the whole subject and I haven't even watched the new videos yet! This is really great news!!!

 

[rugerpc]

WOW! I'm so excited! I just discovered today the comeback of the CE24 model! That is huge news!

I'm not necessarily excited because I want to buy one (not right this second anyway, all my PRSi are core models, including one with a bolt-on Maple neck) but rather I'm excited because these are just plain great guitars to begin with but now they have some fantastic modern upgrades! Top of the upgrade list is the new pickups. I love the new pickups! Pattern Thin CnC neck carve! And as a busniess geek, I love the fact that PRS will have another price point marker in-between the S2 line and the Core line! That will be great for their catalog, making it easier for guitar buyers to zoom in on the price point which suits them best!

As many of you know, the CE has already made history because it is the guitar that got Alex Lifeson's attention way back when, and he played a CE model, not a core model, for many years. So it is exciting from a historical point of view as well as a practical point of view. I have always felt like the CE line was their sleeper model. Much better than people in general ever realized. I totally understand the whole subject and I haven't even watched the new videos yet! This is really great news!!!

Now, that is the reaction I was thinking I would see from most PRS aficionados...

 

[Brad737]

I'm not really sure why they would bring the ce back, just to make all these changes that cheapen it compared to the original. Prs has always been it's own competition. I would have to say I would rather buy a used original ce than this guitar.

One thing that Paul mentioned when I met him was that he's no longer competing with Fender or Gibson. PRS is competing with iPhones and XBox.

 

[Brad737]

It's funny, when I tried the early CE it didn't occur to me for a second that it was supposed to be a less expensive model. I figured bolt ons were just less expensive to make, so they charged less for them.

My SAS, price wasn't a factor at all.

The only guitar I ever got from PRS where I factored price into the equation was the '08 Mira I had - that guitar just felt like a STEAL and it was! What a fantastic instrument, and doubly so when the money was factored in.

I bought 2 Korina Miras back when PRS was doing that free pickup promotion. I couldn't believe the tone and playability I got for that price. I sold them to offset the cost of my first Modern Eagle, which was my main guitar until I ordered my Private Stock. The "Bang for Buck" factor was incredible.

 

[prsrocker1988]

Oh man I want one lol. I like the CEs.

 

[andy474x]

I think tonight taught me why the compromises on the new CE's might be an issue after all.

I played my S2 semi hollow at rehearsal tonight, and it just didn't perform well. I threw the guitar in a cold car on the way over, and the neck must have shifted, because I had to actually stop during a song and adjust my truss rod. I assume it's unstable due to the scarf joint? The volume pot was scratchy all night, and no matter what I did with the tone control, my tone was either too muddy or too bright. So I was already pretty irritated, plus my trem was taking things out of tune all night. Toward the end of the set I was trying to retune and one of my tuner buttons BROKE OFF!!! Can you believe that??? This S2 hardware is JUNK. Can't believe they put it on the beloved CE's.

Disclaimer: None of this came remotely close to happening, my evening with my S2 was dominated by flawless reliability and function. If I were into bolt on maple necks, I would be busting a n*t over the new CE.

 

[bodia]

I think tonight taught me why the compromises on the new CE's might be an issue after all.

I played my S2 semi hollow at rehearsal tonight, and it just didn't perform well. I threw the guitar in a cold car on the way over, and the neck must have shifted, because I had to actually stop during a song and adjust my truss rod. I assume it's unstable due to the scarf joint? The volume pot was scratchy all night, and no matter what I did with the tone control, my tone was either too muddy or too bright. So I was already pretty irritated, plus my trem was taking things out of tune all night. Toward the end of the set I was trying to retune and one of my tuner buttons BROKE OFF!!! Can you believe that??? This S2 hardware is JUNK. Can't believe they put it on the beloved CE's.

Disclaimer: None of this came remotely close to happening, my evening with my S2 was dominated by flawless reliability and function. If I were into bolt on maple necks, I would be busting a n*t over the new CE.

I was about to go all wtf.!!!! Just shows you always need to read the fine print! Good one.

 

[Boogie]

I wound up buying my CE because it was the best guitar in the shops for me and I was looking to make a life-long purchase, so not everybody who bought one of those original alder CE's got it 'cause they wouldn't pony up the extra cash...

My first PRS buying experience was similar. Various GC employees brought in their personal instruments for me to audition (their stock was minimal in Indy at the time. And yes, you read that right...they brought in personal instruments so I could experience as many models as possible before making a decision. It was incredible!). A CE was one in the mix and it played and sounded great. It wasn't what I was after, but the price mark didn't have an influence. Admittedly, my uneducated snobbery led me to immediately discount the CE because of the bolt-on neck, and I wanted the quintessential PRS experience and opted for the Cu24. I'd like to think that I've grown and my taste has refined enough to reserve an opinion until laying hands on a particular guitar.

 

[László]

I wasn't exactly an early adopter of PRS, but I have been playing them since 1991. I think they've gotten better and better.

That's why I don't diss anyone's choice with them.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

One thing that Paul mentioned when I met him was that he's no longer competing with Fender or Gibson. PRS is competing with iPhones and XBox.

Short term worry...

Smart phones, tablets, etc are reaching saturation point and the market is slowing.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Guitarist mag has plopped through my door and has a review of the CE.

9/10 Guitarist choice award!

Pros: Price, build, sound, vibrato, intonation. A cracking workhorse.

Cons: Limited Colours, no options, so you're stuck with the Pattern Thin neck... And those birds!



If they had an option of 22 frets, bigger neck and a preferably a maple neck and board I'd be in for a 40th birthday present in a couple of years. Even if I had the cash the neck profile would rule it out. Other than that I like this guitar!

 

[archey]

One thing that Paul mentioned when I met him was that he's no longer competing with Fender or Gibson. PRS is competing with iPhones and XBox.

I wonder if he was saying this in reference to kids wanting to learn to play a guitar? In which case, at least for myself, the first guitar will be a pretty inexpensive one.