Missing my PRS Custom 24

Jonathanthomas83

So I sold my Custom 24 earlier in the year. I've since realised that I could have been a little more savvy and tried a few other things before letting it go - deaden the springs to kill the noise (god knows why I didn't do this when I had it!), and changed the pickups I had in there which just didn't suit it. I was constantly trying to turn it into something it wasn't...a metal machine.

I now have that metal machine, partly funded by the proceeds from the PRS, and I'm happy with that guitar...however, the lower key stuff I used to play on the PRS is now cycling around in my brain and just wish I could pick it up again. I just can't (ironically) get that sound out of my Les Paul or Strat! Plus, it was one of the nicest looking guitars I've ever seen in terms of body shape.

If you were in the market for a PRS, would you go 24 or 22 fret? Anybody else got any love for PRS? Anyone else sold one and missed it?

dangriffiths

Sold mine and don't miss it at all.  Not even sure why I got one.  It played nicely (as long as you didn't use the trem) but made me feel a bit queasy to look at and I don't rate the pickups compared to my other guitars.  Neck felt nice but wasn't a fan overall.

Now have a Nik Huber Redwood which is similar in build/ideas (as he once worked at PRS) but loads better in my opinion.  

wesker123

I had no idea Nik Huber used to work for PRS. Blimey!

Stevepage

I had and sold 3 PRS guitars and I really miss 2 of them. A 1990 standard 24 and a 1999 CE22. Sold both because I was desperate for the cash to pay unexpected bills. I'm happy with what I have but will get another someday

Jonathanthomas83

Yep, Nik Huber and Joe Knaggs were both from PRS.

wesker123 said:

I had no idea Nik Huber used to work for PRS. Blimey!

ChuckManual

Jonathanthomas83 said:

Anybody else got any love for PRS? Anyone else sold one and missed it?

I had to part with a first series EG a few years ago - and I really miss that.  I've got dibs on it, should the new owner ever want to move it on, but he seemed to be collecting one in every colour, so I'm not holding my breath...

CountryDave

I let me '89 Custom 24 go earlier this year after owning it since '91.  I've had a couple of others (a CU24 and a CU22) in the last 10 years and let them both go.  The big mistake for me was letting the CU22 go, if I was to get another I'd probably go for 22 frets rather than 24.

Do I miss the old one, not really but that's probably because I got an EBMM Albert Lee to replace it which is much more my thing.

sgosden

Look out for a second hand S2 model and upgrade the pickups / electronics to whatever suits you.

Got an S2 CU24 and an S2 Vela. love them both.

andy1839

I have a few, including CountryDaves 89 CU24 which I love to bits.

I traded away a gorgeous mint custom 22 hard tail artist pack. 
Really miss that one, it was perfect.
I'd love to find a rosewood necked 24 fret custom with hard tail. 

At the minute though I'm only playing my Eggle 96 Drop Top, best instrument I've ever owned.

Up til now anyway.

Misty

I've owned three, a '93 CU22 and two CU24s, '89 and '93. I sold them all eventually as I never really got on with any of them. Ironically the best Custom 24 I ever came across was one I borrowed; it had a plain maple top, no faux binding around the edge, and was a nice shade of red. It felt great and sounded better than any of the ones I owned. It had a strange "B" stamp on the back of the headstock which I never discovered the meaning of. Also, from memory there were one or two shoddy bits of workmanship on it. Maybe it was an employee's own guitar which found its way here. Anyway, all the ones I owned had the birds, and I've since decided I don't like them, too blingy.

I've recently bought a DGT, (no birds), which is a really great guitar, best PRS I've owned without a doubt.

SimonC

I sold my CU24, and bought a McCarty with the proceeds.
I never found a use for the 24 Fret thing, and found that a trem isn’t really for me, and found the pickup spacing too “cramped”.
Couldnt be happier with the McCarty now.

Twinfan

Misty said:

It had a strange "B" stamp on the back of the headstock which I never discovered the meaning of.

'B' means it had cosmetic flaws and was an artist loaner guitar never destined for sale to the public.

Jonathanthomas83

That'll explain the shoddy workmanship then.

DLM

Saying Nik Huber worked "at" PRS is not quite accurate. Huber showed Smith guitars he had built, and the latter was so impressed that he made Huber an authorised PRS repairer for customers in Europe.

richardhomer

I owned a Custom in the early 90s (they were only available with 24 frets at the time) and liked a lot of things about it - but ultimately it didn’t nail ‘big’ humbucking sounds as much as I’d have liked. 

I subsequently owned a couple of McCartys - but moved them on for various (primarily financial) reasons.

This year I sold my ‘64 335 which I’d owned for 15 years and bought a DGT. For me, it’s the best humbucking guitar out there (Les Pauls ‘really’ don’t work for me ergonomically).

PRS owners seem to get a ridiculous level of flack. They’re really well made, well sorted guitars. If you don’t mind playing something which wasn’t played by most guitar heroes, they’re great.

jrc2806

Sold a 25th anniversary cu24 a while back and regret selling it - although I think I miss the idea of owning the guitar as in reality I played it very little when I did (although that is the case with most of the guitars I have owned..... bloomin GAS!). If I was in the market it would be the 22 fret variety with a stoptail (realised I did not need the frets/trem after buying a Tele... actually maybe I do..........oh no....)..

DrJazzTap

I keep thinking about selling my DGT. I know I would regret it, and for the price I would get for it an equivalent les paul in price wouldn't be nowhere near as nice 

Misty

Twinfan said:

Misty said:

It had a strange "B" stamp on the back of the headstock which I never discovered the meaning of.

'B' means it had cosmetic flaws and was an artist loaner guitar never destined for sale to the public.

Thanks, I never knew that, probably should have bought that one. It was a great guitar.

grungebob

I do like PRS guitars but I currently don’t have any. 
Ive hade 3 EG III’s, a CU22, 2x CU24’s, 2 x CE 22’s and 2 x CE 24’s and S2 Vela and a S2 Standard 24 satin oh and 2 x McCarty’s. 

I miss the S2’s and McCarty’s the most but I’ve never tried a DGT yet. 

When funds allow trying a DGT is top of my list, that and another Vela. 

Twinfan

I've gigged PRS guitars in pub bands for over 10 years and as a working tool they're fantastic.  They stay in tune all night, they rarely need adjustment once set up and they easily cope with the abuse I give them as a heavy handed player.  By comparison, all other guitar brands that I've used had issues in one way or another.

Overlooking them as trophy guitars is doing them a massive disservice.  They're hard as nails when it comes to doing the job they were designed to do.

vasselmeyer

That's a wisdom for you @Twinfan. I have used my DGT as my main gigging guitar for nearly four years now and I tune it once at the beginning of the gig and two hours later the tuning hasn't moved at all. I've even got out of the habit of checking tuning between songs. I'm a pretty heavy handed player and don't baby it at all. It's a working guitar and just does everything I need it do. Apart from a couple of slide songs, I just it for everything from funky Chic stuff through to full-on rock.

The odd thing is that I don't love it like I love my Tele. It's a thoroughly competent and extremely flexible instrument but I'm almost certain that if it went missing I could pick up another DGT tomorrow and it would feel and play pretty much exactly the same.