PRS Custom - 22 vs 24?

PonchoGreg

I've never had a chance to do a side by side comparison - the only PRSes I've ever tried were CU 22 - so was curious what people's take was on this. Is there a significant difference between the two (beyond the obvious number of frets )?

While I have no real need for an extra two frets, I'm thinking it might be a good idea not to be too limited in a potential search, as 24s seem to be pretty plentiful...

I would imagine the neck pickup would sound closer to an SG given the placement - does the neck feels more "shifted to the left" too?

Thanks for any insight! I realise the easiest would be to compare directly in a shop or just try a used CU24, but obviously it's a bit trickier at the moment...

Stevepage

You do get a slightly more rounded tone from the neck pickup on a 22 fret model. For me, I preferred the 22 fret because I rarely use the 23rd and 24th frets and you get get the Wide Fat profile (or what ever equivalent is nowadays) which I loved.

crunchman

If you are not used to a 24 fret neck, it can throw you off in terms of where you are on the neck.   It did for me anyway.

If you are up around the 17th, 19th frets, then you kind of know where you are in relation to the end of the neck if you are used to 21 or 22 frets.  With 24 frets, you lose that, especially as there is an extra dot marker (and maybe bird) as well on the 24th fret.  It just messed with my head.

I do have a copy of the PRS book that I got years ago.  Paul Smith himself does say the 22 fret necks sound bigger than the 24 fret necks.  He's very big on neck stiffness being an important part of the sound.  From memory, I think the stiffness varies with the cube of the unsupported length.  Having 2 frets less length is meant to make a difference there.  That's also the reason that the 24 fret PRS now have a bigger heel than their early guitars.

Grumpyrocker

I prefer the look of the PRS 22 fret guitars over the 24. The proportions seem better, especially the pickup spacing.

And I get a nosebleed past the 17th fret anyway. 

CountryDave

Having owned both (at one point I was fortunate enough to own the two together), my personal preference was for a 22 fret neck.
I don’t recall ever using the last two frets on my original Custom and as mentioned above, the neck pickup sounded better (to me) on the 22.

guitars4you

The construction of the p/ups on a 22 v 24 are different regarding winding, output, magnets etc - So a different voice - As well as the obvious difference regarding placement of the  

Both CU22 and 24 can be spec'd with the wide/thin profile - But the Standard/regular is only available on the 24 and wide/fat is only available on the 22

Stoptail option on the 22 - Only the odd exception for a stop on the 24, to be the point of almost none 

No hard fast rule, but I'd say as an overview, that classic old school rock/blues guys favour a 22 and modern/virtuoso rockers like 24's 

Traditional Gibson based players will tell you that when you hang a 22 on a strap it feels right straight away, but on a 24 it is though the 'frets are not in the  natural/right' position that you are used to 

PonchoGreg

Thanks for all that, chaps - wiz to all

Kinda confirms my thoughts, given my style leanings a 22 would seem more appropriate (and I do prefer the look too, for what that's worth). Will still try to try a 24 at some point though, maybe I'll have an epiphany and realise I've been missing two frets my whole life (doubtful )

hassleham

I've never had the chance to compare side by side either but having played mostly 24 fret super strats for the first 5 or more years of 'serious' playing and then making the transition to more classic strats with 21/22 frets, I've rarely missed having the few extra frets! 

Also I gather having 22 frets allows the neck pickup to sit further up the string for a sweeter tone, and I think I'd miss that a lot more!

richardhomer

I much prefer 22 fret PRS guitars - but the 22 fret Custom isn’t a popular model - the CU24 outsells it it by a significant margin.

If you want a Custom, I would go for a 24 fret model on the basis that you’ll have more choice and an easier time selling it if it doesn’t work out for you.

If what you want is a PRS with 22 frets, a DGT or McCarty would be a much better bet IMO.

crunchman

richardhomer said:

I much prefer 22 fret PRS guitars - but the 22 fret Custom isn’t a popular model - the CU24 outsells it it by a significant margin.

If you want a Custom I would go for a 24 fret model on the basis that you’ll have more choice and an easier time selling it if it doesn’t work out for you.

If what you want is a PRS with 22 frets, a DGT or McCarty would be a much better bet IMO.

DGT also has a variant on the regular neck profile.  I think it's the only way to get that profile on a 22 fret "Core" PRS.

Crazyblue1779

I’ve always preferred 22 fret guitars simply for the neck pickup tone which ( whether real or imagined) for me is just nicer. 

guitargeek62

guitars4you said:

The construction of the p/ups on a 22 v 24 are different regarding winding, output, magnets etc - So a different voice - As well as the obvious difference regarding placement of the  

Both CU22 and 24 can be spec'd with the wide/thin profile - But the Standard/regular is only available on the 24 and wide/fat is only available on the 22

Stoptail option on the 22 - Only the odd exception for a stop on the 24, to be the point of almost none 

No hard fast rule, but I'd say as an overview, that classic old school rock/blues guys favour a 22 and modern/virtuoso rockers like 24's 

Traditional Gibson based players will tell you that when you hang a 22 on a strap it feels right straight away, but on a 24 it is though the 'frets are not in the  natural/right' position that you are used to 

This, plus the opposite is also true in terms of feel - the 24s can feel more at home for those coming from the Fender/bolt-on 25.5" scale camp.


I've been a long-term player of the 22-fret PRS models, but finally succumbed to a Cu24 last year as I couldn't resist a bargain vintage model. It definitely feels and sounds a little more snappy than I'm used to, but it's still very capable of covering thicker G-style sounds too. They do have their own sound, but the comparison to an SG isn't a bad place to start - especially with the Standard 22/24 models.

If you could only try one model then I'd recommend starting here:

• CE-24 (any version) for Fender players. Not too dissimilar from Cu24s, but even more snap from the maple neck.
• McCarty or variants (DGT, 594, etc) for Gibson players. A Mira is a great alternative too.
• Custom 24 for studio players and/or anyone looking to play heavier styles of music.

PonchoGreg

guitargeek62 said:

guitars4you said:

The construction of the p/ups on a 22 v 24 are different regarding winding, output, magnets etc - So a different voice - As well as the obvious difference regarding placement of the  

Both CU22 and 24 can be spec'd with the wide/thin profile - But the Standard/regular is only available on the 24 and wide/fat is only available on the 22

Stoptail option on the 22 - Only the odd exception for a stop on the 24, to be the point of almost none 

No hard fast rule, but I'd say as an overview, that classic old school rock/blues guys favour a 22 and modern/virtuoso rockers like 24's 

Traditional Gibson based players will tell you that when you hang a 22 on a strap it feels right straight away, but on a 24 it is though the 'frets are not in the  natural/right' position that you are used to 

This, plus the opposite is also true in terms of feel - the 24s can feel more at home for those coming from the Fender/bolt-on 25.5" scale camp.


I've been a long-term player of the 22-fret PRS models, but finally succumbed to a Cu24 last year as I couldn't resist a bargain vintage model. It definitely feels and sounds a little more snappy than I'm used to, but it's still very capable of covering thicker G-style sounds too. They do have their own sound, but the comparison to an SG isn't a bad place to start - especially with the Standard 22/24 models.

If you could only try one model then I'd recommend starting here:

• CE-24 (any version) for Fender players. Not too dissimilar from Cu24s, but even more snap from the maple neck.
• McCarty or variants (DGT, 594, etc) for Gibson players. A Mira is a great alternative too.
• Custom 24 for studio players and/or anyone looking to play heavier styles of music.

That's super helpful, thank you. See, the problem is I like them all I'm equally happy playing Fenders and Gibsons, I really don't struggle with the shift in scale length etc. Which makes me think this could be a good opportunity to have something that's a bit more of its own thing (i.e. more modern, as all my guitars are very firmly in the vintage specs camp) - which to me sounds like a 24... Ha ha I could probably convince myself I need both by the time this is over!

guitargeek62

In that case I'd definitely start with one of the 24-fret models. A CE-24 is the easy way in, and the cheapest, but you can get some really good deals on Cu24s if you're patient. The real sleeper model (and possibly best of the 80s-early 00s models) is the Standard 24, it's over-looked because it doesn't have the maple top, but they sound incredible.

merciful-evans

I prefer 24 fret guitars but I pretty much use the neck pickup all the time. I have a PRS CE-24, and a PRS SE Custom 24. I have played the Custom 22 as well and the sound difference was not as much as I expected. It did help cement my preference for the 24 anyway. 

guitars4you

guitargeek62 said:

guitars4you said:

The construction of the p/ups on a 22 v 24 are different regarding winding, output, magnets etc - So a different voice - As well as the obvious difference regarding placement of the  

Both CU22 and 24 can be spec'd with the wide/thin profile - But the Standard/regular is only available on the 24 and wide/fat is only available on the 22

Stoptail option on the 22 - Only the odd exception for a stop on the 24, to be the point of almost none 

No hard fast rule, but I'd say as an overview, that classic old school rock/blues guys favour a 22 and modern/virtuoso rockers like 24's 

Traditional Gibson based players will tell you that when you hang a 22 on a strap it feels right straight away, but on a 24 it is though the 'frets are not in the  natural/right' position that you are used to 

This, plus the opposite is also true in terms of feel - the 24s can feel more at home for those coming from the Fender/bolt-on 25.5" scale camp.


I've been a long-term player of the 22-fret PRS models, but finally succumbed to a Cu24 last year as I couldn't resist a bargain vintage model. It definitely feels and sounds a little more snappy than I'm used to, but it's still very capable of covering thicker G-style sounds too. They do have their own sound, but the comparison to an SG isn't a bad place to start - especially with the Standard 22/24 models.

If you could only try one model then I'd recommend starting here:

• CE-24 (any version) for Fender players. Not too dissimilar from Cu24s, but even more snap from the maple neck.
• McCarty or variants (DGT, 594, etc) for Gibson players. A Mira is a great alternative too.
• Custom 24 for studio players and/or anyone looking to play heavier styles of music.

Take your point regarding the feel and how it sits - I don't actually notice it as such - But I've had many traditional Gibbo players mention it to me over the years - Can't recall a Strat based played mentioning it - So I was only really quoting from various customer comments made to me over the years

KrisGee

I like the look and feel of 22 but at the same time I also prefer the tone of 24. The sound from a neck pickup on the 24 is PRS's signature tone for me. 

thegummy

When I got back in to guitars as an adult the first guitar I got was a PRS SE Custom. At the time I was ignorant and thought "I might as well get the 24, even if I never use the extra frets, they can't hurt".

I was totally wrong - the extra frets mean the neck pickup has to be moved closer to the bridge to fit the extra frets in which makes the neck pickup sound different. It sounds more like a middle pickup than a neck pickup on a 22 fret guitar.

Some people might not be bothered by the difference in tone and some may prefer the sound of the 24 fret neck pickup - it's just different; but it is definitely different.

It was the single reason I sold my Custom 24 and I did a lot of blind testing to make sure I wasn't just imagining it - recorded quite a lot of samples and I reliably could tell the difference.

If you like that classic Les Paul neck tone you can't get it on a 24 fret guitar, it just isn't as deep or round. If you don't particularly care about that sound I'd advise listening to samples of both neck positions and see if you have a preference.

As you say, though, there is such a better variety on the Custom 24 and a lot of special editions only on that model. I find that a real shame and also puzzling when PRS himself prefers 22 but maybe their C24 is their biggest selling guitar.

crunchman

thegummy said:

As you say, though, there is such a better variety on the Custom 24 and a lot of special editions only on that model. I find that a real shame and also puzzling when PRS himself prefers 22 but maybe their C24 is their biggest selling guitar.

That might be a bit of a chicken and egg thing though. I just looked on the Andertons Website, and I counted 23 Custom 24s (including the 35th anniversary model) vs only 4 Custom 22s.

Someone looking at that is more likely to buy the 24, because there are no Custom 22s in the spec/colour they like.

If there were more 22s available, I suspect they would sell more.

Having said that, I'd go for a 594, or a DGT if I wanted a trem, ahead of a Custom.

grungebob

I liked both but preferred the S2 the most. It felt more alive in the hands and ears to me then the other two 

crunchman

grungebob said:

I liked both but preferred the S2 the most. It felt more alive in the hands and ears to me then the other two 

It's not got a great big thick maple top on it.

The Standard 22/24 sound better than the Custom 22/24 for the same reason.

I do like the S2 series though - especially the satin finish versions.