markwilk
New Member
- Joined
- May 4, 2017
- Messages
- 14
First off, many thanks for the knowledge and opinions I've received by lurking here for the past few months!
My guitar-playing days were long ago--I have a couple guitars in my basement that have barely been touched in almost 20 years (Ovation Legend and a Peavey Predator/strat copy). I thought I was mostly done with the guitar until my 12yo son came home from music class at school a couple months ago and said he'd like to learn how to play. Taking him around to shops as we looked for his first made me a little...itchy ;-)
The truth is, I've had PRS in the back of my mind since the first time I saw Alex Lifeson with one in the early 90s. I know it sounds superficial, but the bird inlays grabbed hold of me, and I still smile when I see them. Now that I'm thinking about starting to play again, PRS seems like the right choice.
What will I be playing it through? As of right now, my only amp is a '79 Fender Twin Reverb. My intention is to find a decent (headphone-enabled) practice amp that could be coaxed into dealing with friendly jam sessions, if needed.
Budget? A brand new SE Custom would be at the top of my range, I think. I'm not opposed to buying used, though, and have been spending a lot of time on Craigslist. Spending a little less on a used guitar would give me a little more room when shopping for an amp.
Scale length? Number of frets? I have the feeling that these would only matter to me after I've played with the guitar for a while. My playing has been almost non-existent over the last 20 years, so there are no hard-fought opinions that I'm looking to reinforce or overcome.
How will it be used? I imagine much of my playing will be for my own ears and enjoyment, and will probably be playing clean tones most of the time. I see myself playing along with my son as he learns, and his musical interests are pretty wide-ranging. This could mean a little blues and classic rock as well. I've always loved the sound of jazz guitar players, especially the sounds that came out of a 175. So, I guess I'm looking for something fairly versatile. Oh, and having a trem is not a big deal to me.
If you're still reading...thanks!
So here's what I've had my eye on:
1. New SE Custom 24. Seems like it would be pretty versatile, and I've read some great things about the new 85/15s pickups.
2. New SE Custom 22 semi-hollow. Again with the pickups, and I feel like the semi-hollow might give me some tones I'd appreciate. I'd also like to add a push-pull tone pot to this.
3. Zach Myers. Adjustable bridge, separate controls, semi-hollow. I've heard good things about the neck on this one.
4. Used mid-2000s Soapbar II that caught my eye on CL. Would you classify these guitars as "versatile"? Would I be giving up much, versus the SE Custom 22/24. No bird inlays, though. Oh well. ;-)
5. Used, but newer, SE245 Soapbar (also on CL). Pros/cons over the older Soapbar II?
6. Other ideas?
Thanks again for any opinions on this.
Mark
My guitar-playing days were long ago--I have a couple guitars in my basement that have barely been touched in almost 20 years (Ovation Legend and a Peavey Predator/strat copy). I thought I was mostly done with the guitar until my 12yo son came home from music class at school a couple months ago and said he'd like to learn how to play. Taking him around to shops as we looked for his first made me a little...itchy ;-)
The truth is, I've had PRS in the back of my mind since the first time I saw Alex Lifeson with one in the early 90s. I know it sounds superficial, but the bird inlays grabbed hold of me, and I still smile when I see them. Now that I'm thinking about starting to play again, PRS seems like the right choice.
What will I be playing it through? As of right now, my only amp is a '79 Fender Twin Reverb. My intention is to find a decent (headphone-enabled) practice amp that could be coaxed into dealing with friendly jam sessions, if needed.
Budget? A brand new SE Custom would be at the top of my range, I think. I'm not opposed to buying used, though, and have been spending a lot of time on Craigslist. Spending a little less on a used guitar would give me a little more room when shopping for an amp.
Scale length? Number of frets? I have the feeling that these would only matter to me after I've played with the guitar for a while. My playing has been almost non-existent over the last 20 years, so there are no hard-fought opinions that I'm looking to reinforce or overcome.
How will it be used? I imagine much of my playing will be for my own ears and enjoyment, and will probably be playing clean tones most of the time. I see myself playing along with my son as he learns, and his musical interests are pretty wide-ranging. This could mean a little blues and classic rock as well. I've always loved the sound of jazz guitar players, especially the sounds that came out of a 175. So, I guess I'm looking for something fairly versatile. Oh, and having a trem is not a big deal to me.
If you're still reading...thanks!
So here's what I've had my eye on:
1. New SE Custom 24. Seems like it would be pretty versatile, and I've read some great things about the new 85/15s pickups.
2. New SE Custom 22 semi-hollow. Again with the pickups, and I feel like the semi-hollow might give me some tones I'd appreciate. I'd also like to add a push-pull tone pot to this.
3. Zach Myers. Adjustable bridge, separate controls, semi-hollow. I've heard good things about the neck on this one.
4. Used mid-2000s Soapbar II that caught my eye on CL. Would you classify these guitars as "versatile"? Would I be giving up much, versus the SE Custom 22/24. No bird inlays, though. Oh well. ;-)
5. Used, but newer, SE245 Soapbar (also on CL). Pros/cons over the older Soapbar II?
6. Other ideas?
Thanks again for any opinions on this.
Mark
