CantankerousCarl
Occasionally Onery Member
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2012
- Messages
- 2,009
So during my gushing posts over the new CE24, I said how great the guitar was out of the box. I also indicated that I would probably upgrade the bridge.
PRS's decision to use the tried and true SE Tremolo as a cost-saving measure was a smart one. Out of the box, I can honestly say that tone, sustain, and stability wise, the 2016 CE24 can sit alongside any PRS in my stable. Which is a pretty damn nice stable, I am blessed to say.
I had such a great experience with John Mann's MannMade 2300 adjustable stoptail upgrade on my 2000 CU22 SH that I just had to see how much better the new CE24 would be with a new bridge. So I ordered me a MannMade 2000NOS, which is a one-piece cast done from the original Mil-Com molds from back in Annapolis (and pre) days.
Out of the box, the MannMade unit is a splendid machine. And it weighs in at 1.8oz more than the stock SE unit (both measured with saddles) - not sure how much of that weight difference is the bridge itself vs. the saddles. Science (and my patience) have limits, ya know...
ANYWAY, I have messed around with many a trem on many a PRS before. I watched John's video twice prior to beginning. The whole process took me about 90 minutes, including the restringing, and adjusting the saddles for height & intonation. The hardest part was getting the new springs into the holes on the trem - the ends are bent a bit, to make sure they are snug, and as on John's video, I had to give them a little love tap or fifteen to get them in. But overall, easy as...pie. Y'all should try it sometime.
AFTER PICS: (and I am sorry I did not take comparable before pics)
SHINY!
AMBER LIKES HER NEW BLING!
NO MORE BLACK THROUGH THE BACK!
TEH SOUNDZ:
OK, so I admit, I was going to take Les' post to heart, and do some before and after sound clips. I did allow my fear of public suckage playing to enable my laziness gene to take over the project. Plus it was so SHINY...it just HAD to go on ASAP! So you'll have to take my word on my words.
I had to change strings; I used the same strings (D'Addario NYXL .10-.46) before and after, and they are very consistent. Guitar to cable to amp.
TONE: there is a little more push in the midrange, but also a bit more down the bottom. The split tones were already great; this brought those tones out a bit more. In addition, there is a slight but perceivable increase in clarity of chords with high gain - you can hear individual strings even more clearly. There also seems to be more things going on with the harmonics.
SUSTAIN: definitely an additional 1 to 1.5 seconds or so overall in general. Notes on the dusty end of the fretboard receive the most immediately noticeable benefit.
STABILITY: too soon to tell, but I anticipate no issues with this at all. My CE honestly seems to be less affected by climate changes than most of my other PRSes for some reason. It never needs more than a little tweak despite the ups and downs in temperatures here that have had my guitars in general need frequent adjustment. If I notice any issues, I will update y'all.
CONCLUSION: John Mann knows his stuff, and makes a hell of a product. The new CE24 looks, sounds and plays 100% core out of the box. It doesn't need an upgrade - PRS did the redux proud. However, if you are so inclined, the MannMade NOS2000 will take your the CE24 to 11...maybe even 12! And it really wasn't difficult to install at all.
Note: This is not an advertisement / endorsement. I paid full retail price for my bridge. Although John and Roxanne do give you lots of nice stickers and stuff
PRS's decision to use the tried and true SE Tremolo as a cost-saving measure was a smart one. Out of the box, I can honestly say that tone, sustain, and stability wise, the 2016 CE24 can sit alongside any PRS in my stable. Which is a pretty damn nice stable, I am blessed to say.
I had such a great experience with John Mann's MannMade 2300 adjustable stoptail upgrade on my 2000 CU22 SH that I just had to see how much better the new CE24 would be with a new bridge. So I ordered me a MannMade 2000NOS, which is a one-piece cast done from the original Mil-Com molds from back in Annapolis (and pre) days.
Out of the box, the MannMade unit is a splendid machine. And it weighs in at 1.8oz more than the stock SE unit (both measured with saddles) - not sure how much of that weight difference is the bridge itself vs. the saddles. Science (and my patience) have limits, ya know...
ANYWAY, I have messed around with many a trem on many a PRS before. I watched John's video twice prior to beginning. The whole process took me about 90 minutes, including the restringing, and adjusting the saddles for height & intonation. The hardest part was getting the new springs into the holes on the trem - the ends are bent a bit, to make sure they are snug, and as on John's video, I had to give them a little love tap or fifteen to get them in. But overall, easy as...pie. Y'all should try it sometime.
AFTER PICS: (and I am sorry I did not take comparable before pics)
SHINY!
AMBER LIKES HER NEW BLING!
NO MORE BLACK THROUGH THE BACK!
TEH SOUNDZ:
OK, so I admit, I was going to take Les' post to heart, and do some before and after sound clips. I did allow my fear of public suckage playing to enable my laziness gene to take over the project. Plus it was so SHINY...it just HAD to go on ASAP! So you'll have to take my word on my words.
I had to change strings; I used the same strings (D'Addario NYXL .10-.46) before and after, and they are very consistent. Guitar to cable to amp.
TONE: there is a little more push in the midrange, but also a bit more down the bottom. The split tones were already great; this brought those tones out a bit more. In addition, there is a slight but perceivable increase in clarity of chords with high gain - you can hear individual strings even more clearly. There also seems to be more things going on with the harmonics.
SUSTAIN: definitely an additional 1 to 1.5 seconds or so overall in general. Notes on the dusty end of the fretboard receive the most immediately noticeable benefit.
STABILITY: too soon to tell, but I anticipate no issues with this at all. My CE honestly seems to be less affected by climate changes than most of my other PRSes for some reason. It never needs more than a little tweak despite the ups and downs in temperatures here that have had my guitars in general need frequent adjustment. If I notice any issues, I will update y'all.
CONCLUSION: John Mann knows his stuff, and makes a hell of a product. The new CE24 looks, sounds and plays 100% core out of the box. It doesn't need an upgrade - PRS did the redux proud. However, if you are so inclined, the MannMade NOS2000 will take your the CE24 to 11...maybe even 12! And it really wasn't difficult to install at all.
Note: This is not an advertisement / endorsement. I paid full retail price for my bridge. Although John and Roxanne do give you lots of nice stickers and stuff
