Why are SE guitars so good?

[Desperado]

I bought my SE Singlecut used for £200. I just got it back from my tech after paying £180 for a stainless steel refret, new bone but and a set up.

If I didn't love it, I would not have paid almost it's full cost again, for a few mods. It's a keeper! Obviously my USA is a better guitar, but it also cost over 10 times more £££s...

When I picked it up from my tech, she had a friend over. The guy said to me that he picked the guitar up to test it out after the fret job. One hour later he finally managed to put it down.

He didn't know about these guitars before and immediately got online to check them out. He said he was gobsmacked when he saw the prices.

 

[dogrocketp]

I'll never be able to sell my Core Mira. I had a static problem, had it regrounded, and it's just amazing to hear. I prefer the 2 control, coil tap switch arrangement personally. And I love my SE's. They've all been modded out the wazoo, and it was worth it. I'm a tinkerer, and the thought of modding a core instrument doesn't appeal to me. The thought of modding an SE gets me going because I haven't diminished the value of the guitar. The bodies and necks on all 6 of my SE's were very good quality, so it made sense to go after the sounds I thought I could get modifying. I once owned an archtop made by MR. D, that was supposed to be all that and a bag of chips. i find it ironic that the necks on the SE's play more in tune. I gladly sold the D to finance my divorce, but I just won't sell my PRS guitars. Period.

 

[mojo1fan]

GAS strikes again-

$249 at a GC in Illinois. It's missing the truss rod cover and has a Duncan Invader in the bridge position which I'll definitely change.

So the guitar arrived today, and I am blown away at how pristine she is. Nothing more than pick scratches on the front and slight buckle rash on the back. The worst thing has been the aforementioned Duncan Invader in the bridge position and the missing TR cover. Also it appeared someone tried a quicky wiring job and did not have the neck pup wired correctly at all. That may explain why it was listed at $249.

I have removed the Invader and replaced it with an old Gibson HB that I had laying around to get by until I get something else. As a bonus, even though it is a stop tailpiece guitar there was a PRS trem bar in the gigbag. My other SE singlecut-with trem- was missing the bar when I got it, so that was a pleasant surprise.

 

[mojo1fan]

 

[solacematt]

Nice top on that one. Some of those SE's just look nuts

 

[Duffy]

Wow Mojo; that guitar has some serious mojo. It has a beautiful finish. What is that called? Vintage sunburst? It is almost a solid tint across the whole top, rather than a burst. Beautiful.

I have a Singlecut Tremolo and it is beautiful and feels and plays wonderfully, plus the sound is great with the stock pickups. I put a set of raw nickel/silver metal pickup covers on it and it looks even better to my eye. I am not a fan of the zebras.

Keep your kid, with his hammer and chisel, away from that guitar. Unless you want a real crude relic job.

 

[gball]

SE's are fantastic. I do not hold my SE's with any less reverence than for private stocks. My Bernie SE has a honkiness that's hard to find anywhere, even at Private Stock level. I'd save the private stocks first in event of fire, but only for their value, not for any big fundamental superiority as a musical instrument. Any PS musical superiority is marginal.

Different price points in a product line is as natural as birds and flight. At various financial stages of their lives, people will get the best guitar they can afford. For some that means a pernambuco collection with Celtic knots. For others it's a SE Bernie Marsden.

A manufacturer would be a fool not to court all available market segments at the same time. He however needs to justify the price by creating increase in perceived value in the mind of the customer. Exotic woods and inlays. Quilt tops. Better resonance.

The Bernie owner does not suffer unduly at the lack of a Paul's 28; it's at most a remote admiration. The Paul's 28 owner has a collectible piece of history, but he also gets laughed at in some circles for spending tens of thousands on a piece of wood.

The high end owner does not have it all his way, neither does the entry level owner. It's all good.

So much truth in this. I find my SE to be the equal of any guitar, regardless of price, for playability and tone. And at this stage in my life I can theoretically buy almost any guitar I want (save extremely expensive vintage models and VERY high end contemporaries) yet I have sold off all of my expensive guitars and gone relatively cheap in the last few years. Just seems to work for me.

 

[BigdaddyRN]

Can i be the first here?Mexican Fenders are s**t,chinese squiers are s**t,Epiphone Les Pauls from korea are s**t.Japan build some good guitars.USA build the best guitars.Im talking factory guitars.West have outsorced everything to other parts of the world only for one reason,to make owners of the brand richer.The one truth we are supposed to believe in is that the product is as good.Its not!To me it smells like s**t in most musicstores today.Its only business to make as much money as possible.Apparently the workers in the overseas factories are skilled workers but they will never get credit for it.The american or european brand get the credits.We live in a world with a system that has as a basic to have everything private owned and from those private owners prosperity will come.It does in the shape of products manufactured in asia,mexico or india for example.Profits are huge products are s**t.Plus our unemployment rates gets higher and higher.

Reading between the lines you seem to think that Capitalism is a bad thing. How many products do you recommend that come from a non capitalist nation? Profit drives innovation always has always will, that is economics 101.

I own a 2012 American Strat bought new still in the box when I got it, my 2012 SE custom 24 is every bit as good as my strat which has custom shop pups.

 

[Watersilk]

Seriously. Why are these so good?QUOTE]

I think the difference is easily explained. Paul Reed Smith knows the value of a guitar from a musicians point of view. He repaired guitars for customers, he understands that a guitar has to be above all, sonically functional. Making pretty guitars is one thing, but quite useless if they don't perform the job they are made to do. He is a visionary, and owns the company; his company.

it upsets me when people make fun of him and his guitars. The world is full of people who are unable to see things as they really are.

I admire Paul's relentless pursuit of perfection. To own one of his guitars is a privilege.

 

[AP515]

Go to 20 minutes in and see what PRSH says about the difference between the SE's and the US models.

 

[Deleted member 7139]

They just deliver tone and playability, they don't have that brittle/cheap feel to them
They are pretty solid.
Between my usa prs and se prs custom 24 the visual and weight differences are not that huge. You really have a downsized version that acts on its own and maintains the characteristics with minor hardware to be improved

KILLER guitars, the best out of world factory along with higher end schecter

 

[FennRx]

old thread is old.

but still relevant. :beer:

 

[troyli]

 

[markintime]

Man, that is really, really nice! Like very much. Even the zebras don't put me off on this one! Good choice.

 

[Deleted member 7139]

the se custom semi hollow is always spot on. really classy guitar

 

[gwardealy]

i have a Tremonti SE, and I dont like it. It's not a bad guitar though. I thought the pickups were lame so i put in some Duncans which made it better but it still isn't that great. Frets don't have a great feel and it's a lot of weight for the tone it gets. I dont see any kind of comparison to the US models, but if compared to other Korean guitars in the same range it's probably better than most.

 

[Falko83]

i have a Tremonti SE, and I dont like it. It's not a bad guitar though. I thought the pickups were lame so i put in some Duncans which made it better but it still isn't that great. Frets don't have a great feel and it's a lot of weight for the tone it gets. I dont see any kind of comparison to the US models, but if compared to other Korean guitars in the same range it's probably better than most.

Which Duncans did you put on it?

 

[gwardealy]

the Slash pickups. I had them in an SG and they sounded great.

 

[henryr]

I've a road runner hsc and tho it is cheap, it seems well built, closes securely and seems to hold my SEs well. However I have a question. What parts/areas of the SEs should be supported in an HSC?

 

[AP515]

I have an SE in a Roadrunner case. They work pretty well. Ideally you would like the case to fit the body as well as possible to offer as little movement of the body as can be. The neck support is also important. The Roadrunner case supports the neck well, and the body moves an inch or so. That is about as good as you are going to get without a form fitted case.