How to jump from the SuperStrat to the PRS wagon?

JasonE said:
Number 1 was under priced. That is why it sold fast. Number 3 may be the closest to what you know and love from a super strat. I didn't know they made that model. I have an older SAS that I really like. It is closer to a strat sound than my other PRS guitars. With the all maple neck and swamp ash body it just has that snap like a fat strat. I probably wouldn't get the floyd on a PRS.
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Yes, that is what I was thinking. If getting a PRS, better embrace the original PRS experience and not try to emulate SuperStrat features like the Floyd Rose.
 
I'm new to PRS so I'm not the most knowledgeable person to listen to. I have been a SuperStrat player for years.. I stuck to mostly USA Jacksons and Charvels... I had an itch for a PRS so I started looking at different models and ended up buying the DW CE24. There are a few things I would have changed on the guitar if I designed it, but they are very minor and didn't stop me from keeping it once I got my hands on it.. so the DW was my choice for my first and only PRS coming from SuperStrats.

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Piing said:
#3 also sold 😅 They are not good deleting expired ads here.

I am hesitant to buy a new one. It seems like the best value for money for these PRS is on the used market, so I will keep an eye on the second hand market for a while.
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Here is my take on PRS guitars. I have a number sent for review on my YT channel as well I have owned a number of them as well. Maybe 15 in all in my career.

Usually flawless guitars. Esp something new, but they rarely have issues. They have their own distinct voice. They can cover the brand G thing and at time the brand F thing, but they all still sound very similar to me. They are "PRS" in sound.

As far as a leap from an Ibanez to a PRS. That is a very big departure. One thing I would say is that PRS guitar - at least for me - don't do the super strat thing all that well - esp HSH SS version. They can get straty but once you introduce mahogany to a guitar, it is hard to unwood it. Part of it is the 25 scale - which is cool but not quite there as far as snap.
I almost always feel PRS guitars have this 70/30 blend of G and F but sound more on the "beefy" side of the house. However, they are flawless, well made guitars.

As far a Floyd on the them....it is not really ideal. Their whole thing is the locking tuners, trem set up and taking that away, I feel they miss something that is "PRS" and go to something that they are not really "great" at.

Having said all of that, I do not own any PRS guitars any longer. For me they always seem to not "fit" correctly in the space I am looking for with a guitar sound. Prob as close to a SS would be a CS24 - to me any PRS that is 22 fret defaults right to brand G.
 
MojoBodies said:
I'm new to PRS so I'm not the most knowledgeable person to listen to. I have been a SuperStrat player for years.. I stuck to mostly USA Jacksons and Charvels... I had an itch for a PRS so I started looking at different models and ended up buying the DW CE24. There are a few things I would have changed on the guitar if I designed it, but they are very minor and didn't stop me from keeping it once I got my hands on it.. so the DW was my choice for my first and only PRS coming from SuperStrats.

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Besides the thicker neck, would you highlight other remarkable differences with the USA Jackson and Charvels, in playability and/or tone?
 
Piing said:
#3 also sold 😅 They are not good deleting expired ads here.

I am hesitant to buy a new one. It seems like the best value for money for these PRS is on the used market, so I will keep an eye on the second hand market for a while.
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Used anything consumer related is always a better value haha.
 
Since I don’t think anyone called it out, the SE is the non-USA line. They can still be nice but not the same.

Then there is the CE line which is USA with bolt on necks. I own a CE-24 guitar. I like it but I prefer my Charvel and Suhr.

The other thing to call out is that the one Swamp Ash you posted isn't the "typical" PRS. The "core" traits for most PRS is Mahogany body with Maple cap and Rosewood fretboard.
 
Piing said:
#1 sold 😅 I got a quick reply from the seller

Now between #2 and #3
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Of those two, #3 would be my choice. It is a USA Core model, has the "Pattern thin" neck profile, and the 85/15 pickups are excellent. My Custom 24 has the same neck profile, and it is super comfy. Too bad it sold already....

My Custom 24 is excellent, and has the 5-way lever switch, giving a couple nice split options in between the usual 3-way switch choices which sound somewhat Fender-y and sees a lot of use here. It came with their 59/08 covered humbuckers, since it is a 2014, which sound enormously punchy and clear. I would suggest jumping on a USA Core model (no SE or CE). My SE is not a bad guitar at all, and still sees a lot of use, but it acted more of a gateway to the nicer Core ones with the better fit and finish, woods, hardware, pickups, and more interesting circuitry....
 
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If you want “the PRS experience” it is the custom 24. I personally dont like the blade switch and would look for one without - the tone knob did the split.
 
I personally liked the Floyd on the NS-14 I had. It didn't kill the "PRS" experience at all and I think it added to it IMO. But Floyds (and PRS) are a different playing experience. It's all good, just comes down to what works for you. If I were you, I'd go with what piques your interest the most and see if you like it. A PRS is always re sellable.
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Piing said:
I will keep an eye on the second hand market for a while.
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With this auction in Canada (BC) happening tomorrow & Saturday, and the number of PRS guitars in that collection (I counted about 15 pre-1990 models, and there are several more beyond that year listed), I'd assume some will get flipped, and show up on Reverb.
I used to love my PRS when I first got it, but it got to a point where I really couldn't stand that ridge around the perimeter of the top biting into my arm (not an issue on all their models of course.) And as mentioned, I see very few models where the PU selector is located in such a way that you can get to it fast. So I'd recommend keeping those in mind, depending of course, whether they'd matter to you.
 
Randall d said:
Being more of a Strat and Super-strat guy myself, I found it tough to bond with a PRS. I found a used one at a store that I really liked (a CU22) and bought it, but I still have never really bonded with it. PRS is just a different animal. Some people LOVE them, and others like me just don't click with them. This is not saying anything about quality; they are great guitars. Another thing: I played a few CU24's and really didn't like them AT ALL. The neck was just too far out from the body (sort of like a SG). I don't like that myself, so I got the CU22 instead. What I am driving at is that you need to at least play the two different models to see what you like (assuming you want a CU and are deciding between a 22 and a 24).
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This is good advice, and echoes my experience. I loathed PRS for most of my adult life, in spite of buying a few,
playing the ones friend's owned, and shopping to bond with one to no avail. I lost my mind a few years ago and
now have 3 different Core models. Go figure! :)

I also have my SG, 335, and several other guitars. I could never just own a PRS and be content. They are NOT the
be-all and end-all of guitars, in my view.
 
This might get me shot here, but I find the bevel on the S2s more comfortable than the core shape (at least on singlecuts).

I still suggest OP buys a custom 24 from the last few years and see if it gels. Good savings, great guitars.
 
Install a TremEndus/Arming Adjuster either type tremolo and it won't matter whether it's a Floyd or a PRS trem!
 
Piing said:
There are brand new "PRS SE Custom 24 Floyd" on Reverb from $1,000. What makes that one $4,300?
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Think of "SE" as "Student Edition", they're not core guitars made in the U.S. factory. There's also the "S2" line which is made in the U.S. factory, and that adds to the price. They're all good guitars, but when you get into the core guitars you're getting a really nice instrument.

I have five core PRS and have a blast playing them. Yeah, a couple of them get a lot more play time than the others, but that's because they're SO fun to play.

If you lean toward super-strat type guitars, look into the Studio guitars. They're fully humbucking but go from a Strat sound to almost a P-90. I play mine more than the rest of my PRS because it is so fun.

If you want one that's like an old Les Paul, look into the DGT model. It's one of their best sellers because it feels and sounds so good.
 
I have liked all 5 PRS guitars that I have owned.........I just never loved them.
I love my Les Paul and my Strat.
Just something about PRS guitars that just don't have that mojo.
 
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