NGD! Limited edition PRS SE *UPDATE WITH THOUGHTS 4 MONTHS ON*

Jalapeno

If it was 100% identical to a LP, why bother ?

Funkfingers

Exactly.

Enjoy the PRS SE for what it is rather than trying to impose your will upon it in an attempt to make it behave like something that it is not. Vive la difference an' all that.

Jonathanthomas83

I went through this journey too and the guys above are 100% spot on, it's never going to be your Les Paul or Strat. 

Right now, I'm gonna buy a singlecut PRS to get closer to the tones I like and QC that I like, but it'll never be a Les Paul and nor should it be.

guitarfishbay

Personally I really like PRS but they aren't for everyone.  If you like how it plays but not how it sounds, different pickups are a good thing to try.

Did you ever try a CU22?

As far as I'm concerned that's the more suitable 'middle ground' for a Strat and Les Paul player who wants something a bit more refined but also with humbuckers. 

The CU24 has more of an SG/super strat vibe going on with the everything moved to the left and the generally thinner neck profile.  It also affects the neck pickup tone, if you're into classic guitar designs you'll probably prefer the tone of a pickup at the 22nd fret position, it gets moved towards the bridge on the 24.  This also affects the in between tone.

Acoustically I've found the 22 fret versions generally sound beefier too, which is more in line with a Les Paul, though it'll never be the same as there are just too many differences.

amarok1971

Jonathanthomas83 said:

I went through this journey too and the guys above are 100% spot on, it's never going to be your Les Paul or Strat. 

Right now, I'm gonna buy a singlecut PRS to get closer to the tones I like and QC that I like, but it'll never be a Les Paul and nor should it be.

i have one of the first singlecuts (2000) typical excellent prs quality and feel but it aint a les paul, reasonably close but no banana. Its close enough for me though.

chrishill901

Funkfingers said:

chrishill901 said:

I'll probably put APH-1s in there now ... Not to say that the 85/15S is a bad pickup, ... I just prefer the characteristics of an APH-1 ... I think I'm still a Les Paul guy

Word of caution. The Duncan APH-1 pair is designed to go in a Les Paul. It may not suit a twenty four fret guitar with a vibrato and a maple fingerboard.

IMO, the SE Custom 24 needs something smoother than an APH-1N to avoid screechiness and something hotter than an APH-1B to compensate for the spring cavity.

The design development from Custom to McCarty to Singlecut to SC245 to the 594 provides a clue that no Custom is ever going to sound exactly like a Les Paul.

Didn't think of that, excellent advice

Jalapeno said:

If it was 100% identical to a LP, why bother ?

I'm not looking for something identical to an LP, just something that has a certain 'Je ne sias quoi' - I think a few have you have missed my point - I don't want it to sound like my strat or my LP, but there is a depth of character and a special something about both of those guitars (nothing tonally linked to shape or construction, and certainly not present on all strats and LPs - my Vintage v100 hasn't got it) that the PRS lacks - the PRS is sterile. I'm actually after a 'Super Strat' vibe and something different to my LP or strat!

I think it could possibly be the 24 fret thing and I'd like to try a CU22

guitarfishbay

If it is the superstrat thing you want then check out the CE's too.  I think the maple bolt on necks give the guitars some extra snap which are good for that vibe.

I don't really buy in to the whole sterile thing, but then again I put EMGs in my PRS so maybe I'm the wrong person to ask on that point!

chrishill901

I was playing all of my guitars last night and I'm starting to wonder if it could be the subtle difference between the trems - My Fender is set up against the body so I can only dive with the block against the wood but the PRS is floating... Is there anything actually in that? I've had a couple of guitars in the past with Floyd Rose's but sold them all as they sounded 'thin' and not very resonant which I initially put down to them having cheap Floyd Rose Special bridges - perhaps I have become accustomed to the tone of hardtail/flush trems and it is this subtle tonal difference that irks me about the PRS? Is there a tone difference or is it a myth?

Jonathanthomas83

Bound to be a difference between hard tail and teen, theres a big Spring that will vibrate and brighten (I'd imagine) things up.

mbe

In my opinion, a decked trem will generally sound fuller than a floater but decking a trem on some guitars can be disappointing,