EVH Frankie or PRS CE24

Which should I buy?


  • Total voters
    42

Chewie5150

Fractal Fanatic
I'm feeling real itchy for a guitar and have been waiting months for a PRS CE24 to come in but also have a hankering for the Frankie that is locally available right now. I know these two guitars are kinda apples to oranges ; however, the amount of cash i'd drop is the same on either. Push me in a direction maybe?
 
I'm feeling real itchy for a guitar and have been waiting months for a PRS CE24 to come in but also have a hankering for the Frankie that is locally available right now. I know these two guitars are kinda apples to oranges ; however, the amount of cash i'd drop is the same on either. Push me in a direction maybe?
I had serious buyer's remorse after buying my Frankie. But the day it arrived put that to rest immediately. Now, consider what it is and what you'll be using it for.

I'm on an a VH kick since I've bought it, creating presets/scenes for each album tone that I like (VH1, 2, FW and 90's). And I've had a blast learning the old songs again. The VH kick will fade eventually but it's been over 2 months and I barely play any other guitar. I'd sell 2 others before I sell this one. It's just a fun guitar to play and is inspiring if you want to chase some old VH tones. I honestly thought those days were over for me and I'd moved on. I'm having a blast sending videos to my buddies who are all VH fans. We're all in our 50's, so it's in our DNA. What is also surprising, is that I've left the 9's that it shipped with on and I really had to 'learn' to play 9's again. It's a lighter touch and I can play faster with them.

I'm not in a band, so I have time to do stupid sh!t like learn old VH tunes and dial in EVH tones. I don't think I'd use it live unless it was for a VH cover. It's my homage to the dude who was the most influential guitarist to me. Even when I was deep into Lynch, it all started with EVH, his amp and the licks. It's the only 'signature' or artist guitar I have and most likely will have.

Check the resale value and see if used ones are moving. If you don't like it, you can probably take a small loss and move on. I'd hate to be the guy who sways you into a decision you regret. So take my experience with a grain of salt. I was very surprised by how much I play it and the VH rabbit hole it lead me back into.
 
Part of my post here is problematic as there isnt a comparison with quality, I'm sure, placing these guitars side by side. The PRS will have consistent build quality and no doubt retain more resale value I'd imagine. @Bman you really hit the nail on the head in terms of being inspired. The Frankie would be more a sentimental value and Van Halen tunes are what i started learning when i first picked up the guitar. If the guitar plays and sounds great ...if it inspires me to play then its worth it for sure. I may go to the shop today and try it out see if I bond with it. I had an EVH striped series circa 2014 that was hell lot of fun to play and i played it more than some of my other higher end guitars. I've sold that guitar since...the build quality was so so. If this Frankie has good fretwork and intonation etc then I may very well pull the trigger...
 
It's surprisingly lighter than my other guitars and I feel like that adds to 'cheapness' quality compared to my Charvel USA Select and a Warmoth build. And the Floyd arm is a tad loose, which can be tweaked I'm sure. I replaced an arm on my Warmoth. The thing was shipped in a card board box and was set up almost perfect. I'm still blown away by the pickup though. It's high output but it immediately captured the VH tone on my main preset that I used with my other guitars. It was night and day, really and I didn't realize how much lower the gain was that I've been playing with. Now I have to to work at it, when I play my other guitars. The EVH is easy to play, which I guess is what Ed always said....make it easy.

So, it plays and sounds great for sure. It's EVH, so basically Charvel. Which typically means quality. I'm just shocked at how light it is and others may not be that light..... I don't know. I always read the original had a heavy body.
 
Also, I have a Les Paul and my Warmoth is a H-H setup, so the PRS would be duplicating things for me. I already have a tough time choosing which guitar to play...lol. Except I'm on a VH binge..... The 'come down' may be horrible and I'm not looking forward to the detox.
 
You are comparing old memories / sentimental thoughts / show / name dropping etc, vs. quality, sound, look, matureness, materials quality, reseller value (this shouldn't be a parameter, but it is)….
I'm not a gig fan of PRS but don’t think there is any doubt here.

I don't like beat-up guitars, hate all that relic crap.
My ladies are always clean, shine, smooth and full of body lotion (I mean lemon oil or something).
 
quick update: PRS wins out for now. As much as I wanted to fall in love with the EVH I just got home from the shop. I knew in 5 min. looks cool though but just didn't feel it esp for the asking price. For $2500+ (CAD) the components and finishing touches just weren't there. The fine tuners, for example, on the floyd felt like they were stiff and rusted out.
My wallet is safe another day.
 
quick update: PRS wins out for now. As much as I wanted to fall in love with the EVH I just got home from the shop. I knew in 5 min. looks cool though but just didn't feel it esp for the asking price. For $2500+ (CAD) the components and finishing touches just weren't there. The fine tuners, for example, on the floyd felt like they were stiff and rusted out.
My wallet is safe another day.
 
quick update: PRS wins out for now. As much as I wanted to fall in love with the EVH I just got home from the shop. I knew in 5 min. looks cool though but just didn't feel it esp for the asking price. For $2500+ (CAD) the components and finishing touches just weren't there. The fine tuners, for example, on the floyd felt like they were stiff and rusted out.
My wallet is safe another day.
ah yes. The fine tuners. I have this exact complaint and so do many others. I haven't oiled them yet, but I feel that they shouldn't have to be this early. And it's a common complaint. Come to think of it, had I not plugged it in, I wouldn't have bought it ....100% There is a 'cheapness' that is definitely there.
 
ah yes. The fine tuners. I have this exact complaint and so do many others. I haven't oiled them yet, but I feel that they shouldn't have to be this early. And it's a common complaint. Come to think of it, had I not plugged it in, I wouldn't have bought it ....100% There is a 'cheapness' that is definitely there.
Don't get me wrong @Bman you got a very cool guitar. Not knockin this guitar at all. My funds are limited otherwise the schoolboy in me would have just bought it on the spot. I like the overall size and weight of it; I"m 6"3 and have big mitts so it feels like a Charvel to me.
 
My Charvel feels much more like an expensive guitar to me. I think there is a 'cheap' quality to these but I couldn't tell if it's the weight, the slinky 9's or the relic (I think it's all of the above). It's the best sounding guitar (at the moment), hands down. But I think I can remedy that by buying the pickup.

Personally, I'd love to have the 5150 style that Andy built. These guitars are cool but I'm glad you didn't go out and buy something that you wouldn't be happy with. That would be a real shame. And let's be honest....if you own a Fractal you can get VH tones on most any guitar, or at least get very similar tones. If I do swap out the Charvel's pickup with the EVH pickup and it's in the same ball park, I'll report back (and maybe have a relic up for sale).
 
I think the Wolfgang pickup is insanely good. It was on my EVH striped rwb that is now discontinued. That and the low friction pot was killer.
 
I think the Wolfgang pickup is insanely good. It was on my EVH striped rwb that is now discontinued. That and the low friction pot was killer.
I'm upgrading to low friction pots on both my super strats. It's a no-brainer. I'm loving the D-Tuna also. I got tired of grabbing a non-floyd guitar and tuning down. (Geez, I sound like a whiney bia... w/ high-class problems).

I have never played a Wolfgang. A long time ago I played the Peavey version. They're much different now, obviously. I considered buying one...when Ed passed. But I got the relic instead. What is a 'rwb' ?
 
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