What SE/S2 should I try next

[alex1fly]

I've had a SE Custom 24 for about three years now, really dig the sound but the neck shape has been giving me trouble - puts my thumb in a weird spot and cramps up my grip. I rotate through my 6 guitars and I eventually come back to loving to play the Custom SE, but I find that I want the PRS sound more often than my hand is willing to put up with the neck feel.

The ones I’ve played extensively are the SE soap bar II, SE Custom 24, two different era Santana SEs and found that the differences to me were mainly the pickups, scale length, and the wide fat vs wide thin neck. Beyond that I feel like there’s a lot of similarities - good intonation, lots of sparkling highs and clarity. I liked the wide fat neck feel.

What should I look at? Open to S2s but the price is pretty steep - I tend to prefer buying new so I can either run the racks or buy off of Sweetwater (for returns and knowing the weight).

 

[MarcWink]

Maybe give an SE 594 a go. They have the Pattern Vintage neck which is just ever so slightly beefier than the Wide/Fat, but not by much.

 

[garrett]

SE DGT. The neck has a little more meat to it compared to the thin neck on the Custom, which should make your hand happier. You still get a trem and the stock pickups sound stellar.

I agree the SE 594 is a good choice, too. Only thing is that takes you in an even more vintage direction both in sound and feel.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Vela, S2 Thinline are the two on my list.

Would love to have a Vela again, and a Thinline is as close as I’ll get to a Doublecut Starla

 

[SinSir]

+1 S2 Vela or thinline all the way without question.

 

[garrett]

Problem with the Thinline for the OP is the thin neck. It'll be too much like the SE Cu24.

 

[Russ73]

OP there are a few S2 Standard 22s and 24s on GC used for under 800 bucks...I would go with that all day...the pattern regular is boutique feeling and just fills the hand!

 

[aphantomvaper]

I'm going out on a limb and mention the SE Mira. An amazing SE for less money.

 

[Broseph]

vela is worth your wild. And buying them used can greatly reduce the price by 40-50%. There’s been no update since their release except for the finishing.

 

[alex1fly]

OP there are a few S2 Standard 22s and 24s on GC used for under 800 bucks...I would go with that all day...the pattern regular is boutique feeling and just fills the hand!

vela is worth your wild. And buying them used can greatly reduce the price by 40-50%. There’s been no update since their release except for the finishing.

What are the downsides of buying used? Besides the SE Custom 24 I picked up in 2020 (it was barely used), no pre-owned guitar has worked out for me. I'm trying to remember why... fret work mostly. I'm picky about even & consistent frets. I guess if your used guitar has fret divots and whatnot you just get it crowned (or re-fretted in the worst case scenario)?

 

[jacefromHBG]

The S2 McCarty 594 Thinlines are so tonally diverse, and such a comfortable play. With a Vintage Cherry finish, that'd be one great looking instrument!

 

[Broseph]

What are the downsides of buying used? Besides the SE Custom 24 I picked up in 2020 (it was barely used), no pre-owned guitar has worked out for me. I'm trying to remember why... fret work mostly. I'm picky about even & consistent frets. I guess if your used guitar has fret divots and whatnot you just get it crowned (or re-fretted in the worst case scenario)?

You can find velas practically new on the used market. I find USA quality PRS top notch in terms of frets and nut cutting. The SE is not on the same level if you ask me. They are leaps and bound better than other companies like fender

 

[spawnofthesith]

S2 Vela semi hollow

 

[Tony M.]

Pre-owned Mira S2 semi hollow?

It's a great guitar.

 

[alex1fly]

Several of these suggestions have Pattern Regular necks. From the neck profile page it looks like the thickness difference is less than 1 mm from the Wide Thin that I'm having trouble with. Does the Pattern Regular have other differences besides these thicknesses?

 

[Broseph]

It’s a noticeable 1 mm difference tho. Think about raising your action 1 mm. I find it much more comfortable

 

[Longneck Tenon]

SE DGT. The neck has a little more meat to it compared to the thin neck on the Custom, which should make your hand happier. You still get a trem and the stock pickups sound stellar.

I agree the SE 594 is a good choice, too. Only thing is that takes you in an even more vintage direction both in sound and feel.

They’re both great. Try them both if you can.

 

[Xtcclassic]

Several of these suggestions have Pattern Regular necks. From the neck profile page it looks like the thickness difference is less than 1 mm from the Wide Thin that I'm having trouble with. Does the Pattern Regular have other differences besides these thicknesses?

I would never have guessed it’s that small of a difference. The pattern regular feels quite a bit more substantial than the wide thin.

 

[alex1fly]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. Here are the ones I'm interested in and why. I'll probably go run some racks within the next few weeks but this is the initial brain dump.

Mira X - lightweight, interesting history, thick neck
S2 Standard - because why not start with the basics, comes in satin
S2/SE McCarty - flagship, thick neck, satin, shorter scale
S2 Vela - lightweight, interesting pickups, satin
SE Starla - interesting pickups, thick neck
SE Paul's Guitar - interesting pickups, thick neck, lightweight
Fiore - I prefer bolt-ons generally and this one has a thicker neck
S2 Studio - interesting pickups

 

[phillybri]

I really dig the S2 Studio. That is such a cool model...