PRS Guitars Question

SpudMan said:
Thanks for the information, really great stuff. It helps to know your opinion on SE vs. S2 vs. Core. And your info on the finishes is very interesting. I just wish I hadn't been so young and foolish and still had my old Goldtop LP. But that ship sailed long ago. The follies of youth!
If I understand your last paragraph correctly you must have a recent LP with the shiny/plasticy looking finish, and that you are happy with it. Makes me go back to considering a Gibson LP 70's Standard. I was trying to keep this purchase closer to $1K but ....
Anyway, thanks for responding and for the very helpful insight. Much appreciated!
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Of course. IDK if the PRS finishes changed in the last couple years (mine is a 2021). I know people were complaining about them for a bit and describing the finish as fragile. I'd agree with that. The damage on mine is visible, but it doesn't bother me at all. Guitars are supposed to be used, even the pretty ones. I thought about putting drops of clear nail polish over the chips in mine to protect the wood...then I remembered what Rory Gallagher's strat looks like now and decided it was probably going to be fine.

My Standard 50s is a 2019. I didn't notice the poly top coat. I talked to that shop about the guitar they had damaged, which I heard about because the owner was talking about the experience on TGP. I figured out the shop he was talking about (because I was familiar with it) and PM'd him to confirm. Part of the reason that I bought my PRS when I did was because of how awesome they were handling the mistake. Plus, it's a good shop and run by good people....I was just impressed and was thinking about one anyway, so I bought it earlier than I planned. Plus, they had the last S2 594 in GA, as far as I could tell (it was Righteous Guitars outside of Atlanta...you can see it in some of Rhett Schull's videos).

But, my Gibson doesn't strike me as "plastic". It doesn't feel exactly the same as the few vintage Gibsons (or others) that I've played. But, it doesn't feel like the cheap plastic-feeling finish that people seem to complain about. It is possible that slightly-plastic-feeling just doesn't bother me. But, the texture and what a tailor would call "hand" of the finish is much closer to old nitro guitars than the plastic-y feel I get from modern, "cheap" guitars or the almost soggy, not-quite-squishy, soft-ish "hand" I get from some of the over-the-top satin-finish modern relics (which I like a lot less...vintage guitars aren't satin/matte).

nathan_393 said:
While we’re on the topic of 594s and DGTs: do they roar like Les Pauls do?

Can a McCarty do high gain? What about 80s thrash? And can a DGT do similar?
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I can only speak intelligently about the 594s. Yes, but, they're different. The pickups are farther away from the bridge...I really think that's where most of the difference comes from. That difference changes the pattern of overtones that the pickups get off the strings. My subjective experience of that difference is that the 594 sounds "heavier" than a LP....less "bite", more "full", and a different "roar" once you're running through heavy distortion.

I don't play metal or high-gain, but something like a TS into a HP Twin, JTM45, or Plexi turned way up...the 594 sounds "heavy" and the LP sounds like it's "breathing fire". To me. They can do the same job, IMO, but they don't sound exactly the same. If you have issues with too much "bass" in your distortion sound, the 594 is a bit worse about that than a LP. This was true stock-to-stock pickups, and it's the same with SD Seth Lovers in both. It's still true with the Seth Lovers in the PRS and what are basically Antiquities in the LP.

SpudMan said:
One more quick LP question: any thoughts/opinions on the Gibson USA LP Deluxe? Looks interesting. For a LP I lean towards the Standard, but .....
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The only Deluxe I've played was from the 70s. I still haven't seen one (ETA: one of the current ones) in person. But, it was cool....just not what I was looking for at the time. It did strike me as different than the Standards I'd played at that point, but I didn't play it enough to articulate how it was different.
 
SpudMan said:
Thanks Jason, you and others have been so helpful. It is "funny" how many different opinions there are on the PRS SE 594, and how many great suggestions there are on other LP type guitars. I appreciate your help, and everyone else's. Unfortunately several of the guitars that look like great options are well above my budget. For me it comes down to parsing through the different opinions expressed here to decide between an Indonesian SE or the S2 series. The Core models are just well above my budget.
I guess in terms of questions the biggest one I have is which PRS models have pickups that most resemble the sound of a vintage LP, specifically a 70's LP.
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From reading your responses, I would recommend the SE DGT. I don't think you can go wrong with either the SE DGT or SE 594.

My opinion is that I would spend my money on the SE and not spend the money on the S2 line. I would save and go up to a core from the SE if you wanted to upgrade. The S2 line of guitars doesn't make a lot of sense to me. They basically use the same electronics as the SE line and use scarf joints to make the necks. I know they make them this way to cut some costs. I just don't think they are enough of an upgrade to spend the money on them over the SE line.
 
JasonE said:
From reading your responses, I would recommend the SE DGT. I don't think you can go wrong with either the SE DGT or SE 594.

My opinion is that I would spend my money on the SE and not spend the money on the S2 line. I would save and go up to a core from the SE if you wanted to upgrade. The S2 line of guitars doesn't make a lot of sense to me. They basically use the same electronics as the SE line and use scarf joints to make the necks. I know they make them this way to cut some costs. I just don't think they are enough of an upgrade to spend the money on them over the SE line.
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My S2 retired my custom 22. Ymmv but i would skip the SE.
 
Budda said:
My S2 retired my custom 22. Ymmv but i would skip the SE.
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Did you upgrade anything on the S2? For my preferences, I can't see an S2 unseating any of my core models. I like the carve on the core models better. I have not had to upgrade anything on most of my core models. I have done a couple of pickup swaps on some of the older ones.
 
I have an SE. My PRS options are extremely limited because I'm lefty - they only do core lefties in limited runs, and they are usually very expensive. (Though they are releasing some news SE lefties in August I think!)

I can tell you that the build quality is very good on the SEs, though they did have quality control issues for awhile when they moved from South Korea to Indonesia. These seem to have been resolved, but I'm not sure. I got caught up in that with some pickups that had barely any output, and unfortunately there were not any more guitars available until a ship came in from halfway around the world. It took awhile, but their customer service was excellent. Paul sent me a care package valued at roughly $100 including a hand-signed book about the company, a guitar care kit, earplugs, a strap, etc.

Best advice: play as many guitars as you can and choose the one YOU like the best. No one on an internet forum can tell you whether the core model is worth the investment in your particular situation.
 
marsonic said:
IDK if the PRS finishes changed in the last couple years (mine is a 2021). I know people were complaining about them for a bit and describing the finish as fragile. I'd agree with that. The damage on mine is visible, but it doesn't bother me at all. Guitars are supposed to be used, even the pretty ones.
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They experimented with some variations in finishes.

I have five PRS from ’08 to ‘21 and the older ones have a fairly thin nitro finish. That’s good for the sound but is more delicate. My ‘08 DGT has nicks and dings because it’s been played a lot but those scars give it a lot of street cred.

I’ll grab one of my electrics when we’re enjoying happy hour on the patio, and periodically will accidentally bump one against a chair or, worse, before I learned to be careful, raised the headstock of one into the ceiling fan, which whacked the D-string’s tuning gear then glanced off the tip of the head. I was horrified for a minute, then inspected it and the damage was minimal. And, after thinking about it for a while I decided that such marks are signs of how much I enjoy the guitar. They’re gonna get damaged eventually so I try to be careful but if they only get occasional nicks and dents then I am OK with it.
 
JasonE said:
Did you upgrade anything on the S2? For my preferences, I can't see an S2 unseating any of my core models. I like the carve on the core models better. I have not had to upgrade anything on most of my core models. I have done a couple of pickup swaps on some of the older ones.
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Bone stock. Sounded better, balanced better, at least a pound lighter. I think the custom 22, while a decent guitar, just had the story of not a great one. Which really sucked because I had wanted exactly that one for years, and I didnt have to pay through the nose.

The only PRS I have modified was my first core, an early 2000’s custom 22 trem. I put lollar imperials in it.
 
Budda said:
Bone stock. Sounded better, balanced better, at least a pound lighter. I think the custom 22, while a decent guitar, just had the story of not a great one. Which really sucked because I had wanted exactly that one for years, and I didnt have to pay through the nose.
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The only S2 I played was stunning. It performed as well as a core model, it just wasn't appointed and finished as well. I wasn't in the market at that moment otherwise I'd have grabbed it.

All of my guitars are core models and were purchased used, and their playability varied so I'd immediately adjust them to my liking. I finally decided the playability and weird setups must have been due to the previous owners either screwing with the setup, changing the strings without redoing the setup, or giving it to a shop that screwed it up. I had to send my 509 in because I broke the lead on one of the pickups adjusting it, and bit the (considerable) bullet for a factory replacement and, at the same time, had them do a set up on it to understand how they'd do it. After getting it back, it plays wonderfully, so I think that anyone that has one that doesn't play great and bought it used probably had the same experience, someone messed with it. Even buying it new from a shop doesn't guarantee that one of their customers or their in-house tech didn't screw it up.

And that all goes back to David Grissom and the DGT models. He regularly checks the quality of the DGT guitars on dealer's walls to ensure they're still meeting his specs. He won't let them use his name on the guitar if they screw it up, and, reportedly, the DGT is their biggest seller so they have an interest in doing it right. From what I can tell though, Smith himself is a stickler too.
 
JasonE said:
For my preferences, I can't see an S2 unseating any of my core models.
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Based on the ones I've played, I agree with you. There's going to be some guitar-to-guitar variations. And I did upgrade my S2's pickups and changed the pots/etc. to match my preferences.

But, SE vs S2...IMO the S2s are worth it. For me, when I've been in the market for guitars, Core vs S2 wasn't worth it. So far. It probably will be eventually.
 
Budda said:
I bet the number of 594s in natural is reeeeally low. Hot damn.
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I didn't know that. I just assumed they were out there in quantities as much as any other color. The top is one piece too. Best of all, it's absolutely wonderful to play.
 
AlexGuitar said:
I have an SE. My PRS options are extremely limited because I'm lefty - they only do core lefties in limited runs, and they are usually very expensive. (Though they are releasing some news SE lefties in August I think!)

I can tell you that the build quality is very good on the SEs, though they did have quality control issues for awhile when they moved from South Korea to Indonesia. These seem to have been resolved, but I'm not sure. I got caught up in that with some pickups that had barely any output, and unfortunately there were not any more guitars available until a ship came in from halfway around the world. It took awhile, but their customer service was excellent. Paul sent me a care package valued at roughly $100 including a hand-signed book about the company, a guitar care kit, earplugs, a strap, etc.

Best advice: play as many guitars as you can and choose the one YOU like the best. No one on an internet forum can tell you whether the core model is worth the investment in your particular situation.
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Excellent advice, and I will in fact do what you are saying. The "truth" is in the individual's ears and fingers!
 
acwild said:
I didn't know that. I just assumed they were out there in quantities as much as any other color. The top is one piece too. Best of all, it's absolutely wonderful to play.
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Natural is the hardest finish to get right, I dont think they do too many period.

I had a 594dc with one piece, one of the prettiest PRS or guitars I’ve ever had. Sacrificed for a custom shop les paul, no regrets (R9 in avatar).
 
Budda said:
Natural is the hardest finish to get right, I dont think they do too many period.

I had a 594dc with one piece, one of the prettiest PRS or guitars I’ve ever had. Sacrificed for a custom shop les paul, no regrets (R9 in avatar).
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Thanks for the heads up! I didn't know that as I had a natural finish 408 with a solid Brazilian rosewood neck. To me, it seemed like there's an abundance of natural finish PRSs. :)
I understand the trade as I have an R8 that won't ever get sold. Yours is a beauty! As someone who has owned many nice Les Pauls, the Reissues are in a class of their own.
 
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