Why should I buy a SE Custom 24 Korean when price so close to American Strat?

Greetings from Minnesota!

I am considering purchasing a Mesa Lone Star. For the price...would you buy it again?
 
Strats aren't very good guitars for rock music.

Strats are ugly, their pickups are weak, their trems are borderline useless, the controls are poorly laid out, their neck heels are incredibly uncomfortable. They're made up of random parts quickly routed, dipped in finish and slapped together as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Wow. Really???

Tell Hendrix, Stevie Ray, Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Edge, Gilmore, Eric Johnson, Blackmore, Buddy Guy, etc, ad nauseum.....

Here is a list of some of the all time great Strat Players for you: Fender Stratocaster Players

Tell that to these musicians and their millions of adoring fans and you might just get laughed off the planet.

Standard USA Strats are very solid instruments in every respect. They are not built of the same materials and hand craftsmanship as the original 50’s and 60’s were. If you want that sort of hand crafted build and tone, step up to a Custom Shop or Master Built. Or pony up for a vintage. This may be the dumbest thing I have ever seen in print.
 
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I have a prs se custom 24, it is a great guitar indeed, infact I like it better than my evh wolfgang special, also I own a music man axis, and three strats, and a 1993 les paul std, and a sterling by music man ax3. having said that I seriously like my prs more than the others I know there all different but I always go for my se custom 24 first every time, and now I am getting a se custom 24 Floyd as well, after that I will get a usa model prs but the se line is in no way inferior to my other guitars I love mine. as a side note I am 47 and have been playing since I was 9 years old, so I would like to think I have some knowledge about guitars.and as far as off shore guitars I recently bought an Ibanez rg150dx new for just under 200.00 Australian and that little guitar screams.go with what you like what suits you best its very personal buying a guitar but my money would be prs se all the way.
 
Strats aren't very good guitars for rock music.



Strats are ugly, their pickups are weak, their trems are borderline useless, the controls are poorly laid out, their neck heels are incredibly uncomfortable. They're made up of random parts quickly routed, dipped in finish and slapped together as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Did you really post this?

I have been a Les Paul/Srat player forever...just recently purchased my first two PRS guitars. An SE custom first, then, after loving it, a 2005 PRS McCarty. My Fender american special HSS is a GREAT guitar for rock. Or country, blues, whatever. Would never get rid of it. My PRS's are different all together...love them too. It's true the pickups are not as hot on my strat as those of the Les Paul or either PRS, but those 2 texas specials and 1 atomic humbucker sound creamy and nice. I know how to turn up gain when I need to. The PRS trem is beautifully designed, but I have NEVER had a prob using my strats trem either. But then again, I'm no dive bomber on a trem...use it more subtly. I Guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but Strats are ugly? I think the Stratocaster is one of the sexiest looking guitars on the planet! Bottom line is buy what feels and sounds best for you. You really can't go wrong then.
 
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Greetings from Minnesota!

I am considering purchasing a Mesa Lone Star. For the price...would you buy it again?

Not sure how this ended up in a Strat Vs SE thread but I'll be happy to answer. I have one, I'm keeping it. I'd buy another anytime I needed one. It's a fabulous amp. Now, what do you mean by Lone Star? There are two types and depending on the year there are some different options. The first (Classic) Lone Star uses 6L6's. The "Special" uses EL84's. They produce very different tones. Like the guitars in this thread, go try both and pick the one that works for you.
 
[h=4]Ingredients[/h][h=2]Pastry[/h]2cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour1teaspoon salt2/3cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening4to 6 tablespoons cold water
[h=2]Filling[/h]3/4cup sugar1/2cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon, if desired6cups blueberries1tablespoon lemon juice1tablespoon butter or margarine, if desired


  • 1
    In medium bowl, mix 2 cups flour and the salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
  • 2
    Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.
  • 3
    Heat oven to 425°F. With floured rolling pin, roll one round into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.
  • 4
    In large bowl, mix sugar, 1/2 cup flour and the cinnamon. Stir in blueberries. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over blueberry mixture. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over blueberries. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.
  • 5
    Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours.
 
Ingredients

Pastry

2cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour1teaspoon salt2/3cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening4to 6 tablespoons cold water

Filling

3/4cup sugar1/2cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon, if desired6cups blueberries1tablespoon lemon juice1tablespoon butter or margarine, if desired


  • 1
    In medium bowl, mix 2 cups flour and the salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
  • 2
    Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.
  • 3
    Heat oven to 425°F. With floured rolling pin, roll one round into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.
  • 4
    In large bowl, mix sugar, 1/2 cup flour and the cinnamon. Stir in blueberries. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over blueberry mixture. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over blueberries. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.
  • 5
    Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours.

I'll bet it's delicious, but how does that Pie sound, lets say compared to a hostess hand held model?
 
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I can buy an "American Special" Strat for $799, or a SE Custom 24 for $709.
Wouldn't that be better value? Aren't SE models actually dolled up American clones like say Oscar Schmidt or the like?
I'm an easy sell. Sell me!

I just bought an SE Custom after checking out practically every Gibson and Fender out there and went with the SE because I liked the guitar I pulled off the wall and loved the way it felt and played. I wasn't looking so much at price or specs but more a connection. I'm not a guitar geek in that sense. I have 3 Taylor acoustics. One Ibanez nylon. 2 American Strats. And have owned Les Pauls in the past but sold them. The only thing I knew about PRS was that Santana played one.

But the one I pulled off the wall felt great to me. Looked great. Played great. And my decision was based on that connection. I love my Strats and when I got them it was the same deal. That connection.

Guitars are very personal. Any guitar player can tell you that.

Go with what you like and don't think too deeply about it. Play it. Play a lot of guitars. When one feels right get it. It's that simple.
 
I have similar concerns as the original poster, but my question is relative to the S2 line. The cost is so close, why wouldn't you buy an S2?

I have a hard time purchasing an SE guitar when i can get comparable quality from other Korean made guitars... Dean, BC Rich, Epiphone.

& while I do love me some Korean made guitars, I think Dean Zelinsky's Indonesian line sets the bang for your buck bar.
 
Another necro-thread! Zombie alert, the apocalypse is upon us!

I have similar concerns as the original poster, but my question is relative to the S2 line. The cost is so close, why wouldn't you buy an S2?
The cost isn't so close. A new SE is about half the cost of a new S2 of the "same" model. Similar ratios apply to the used market.

So if a person had just enough money to buy a new SE, that person wouldn't be able to afford a new S2.

As for why a PRS SE vs another brand: well, the PRS SEs are fantastic guitars! Especially for their price, but even just as a guitar in its own right, not judged by cost. I have noodled about on other brand guitars, and I found their Korean made models to be often quite competent guitars, but they are missing that "je ne sais quoi" of the PRS design motif.

I have a mix of about 50/50 for SE vs Core (plus one S2, my RL Vela). I am just as happy to pick up an SE to play as I am one of the cores.
 
The cost isn't so close. A new SE is about half the cost of a new S2 of the "same" model. Similar ratios apply to the used market.

You're right. Model for model there's a big difference. But for the top of the line SE & the standard S2, personally it's too close for me. I understand we're all different & some would rather have the "fancy" looking top SE model... But for me, I'd rather the S2.
I have noodled about on other brand guitars, and I found their Korean made models to be often quite competent guitars, but they are missing that "je ne sais quoi" of the PRS design motif.

Maybe. If you value PRS je ne said quoi..

I have a mix of about 50/50 for SE vs Core (plus one S2, my RL Vela). I am just as happy to pick up an SE to play as I am one of the cores.

I hear ya. I love my Korean made guitars.
 
You're right. Model for model there's a big difference. But for the top of the line SE & the standard S2, personally it's too close for me. I understand we're all different & some would rather have the "fancy" looking top SE model... But for me, I'd rather the S2.
Fair enough. I get where you are coming from.
 
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