Updated PRS S2 lineup

tomajoha

shame the velas lost the moons 

duotone

I like this Dark Cherry Sunburst the best

Jeremiah

I still love the look of the Vela, still think I might buy one if they had a tremolo.

Philly_Q

duotone said:

Philly_Q said:

I guess this thread's pretty much played out now, but I forgot to say yesterday - I like the new Space Blue colour for the Standard 22, Standard 24 and Vela.

I’ll check out the new colours @Philly_Q ;;;

2 things that put me off the previous S2 line was: Poor colour options & the price difference compared to the SE line.

duotone said:

I like this Dark Cherry Sunburst the best

It's lovely, but I must admit I prefer the solid colours and the mahogany Standards.  There are many features of the S2 range which I like, and one of them is their plainness!  I have got an S2 McCarty 594 with a maple top and although it's pretty, I kind of wish I hadn't bought it - it's nowhere near as blingy as many Core and Private Stock models, but it's a bit full-on for me.

The bird inlays are similar - I don't hate them like some people do, they look good to me and I've got PRS guitars with birds, but I'd kind of prefer the S2s to just have dots...

RaymondLin said:

I think overall this is the right move for S2, as they always push the tag line of "made in the USA", well, it is assembled in the USA but not really made in the USA.  Now this is at least a step closer to it for those who think it matters.

Agreed, using the import pickups and electronics always seemed like a fairly small economy (although maybe I'm underestimating the manufacturing cost of PRS USA pickups).  Just so long as they get the pricing right....

Funkfingers

Jeremiah said:

I still love the look of the Vela, still think I might buy one if they had a tremolo.

The nearest equivalent to a vibrato-equipped Vela is/was the S2 Studio. I suppose that the selector switch could be altered to leave the centre pickup out of circuit.

mrkb

Funkfingers said:

Jeremiah said:

I still love the look of the Vela, still think I might buy one if they had a tremolo.

The nearest equivalent to a vibrato-equipped Vela is/was the S2 Studio. I suppose that the selector switch could be altered to leave the centre pickup out of circuit.

You could look for a used Vernon Reid Vela

guitargeek62

RaymondLin said:

I think overall this is the right move for S2, as they always push the tag line of "made in the USA", well, it is assembled in the USA but not really made in the USA.  Now this is at least a step closer to it for those who think it matters.

The woodwork, assembly, finish and setup have always been done in the US on these; it’s just the pickups, electronics, and hardware that weren’t physically made there. To me that’s still been the majority of the work in the US and, credit to PRS, they’ve been transparent about it since day one.

grungebob

You say this is the third neck pickup for the Vela?
I had a 2016 model with the type D, did they rehash the  type D or did other models have something else before this new switch to the Narrowfield?  I didn’t much like the type D in isolation but it sounded nice with the bridge. 

Whitecat

grungebob said:

You say this is the third neck pickup for the Vela?
I had a 2016 model with the type D, did they rehash the  type D or did other models have something else before this new switch to the Narrowfield?  I didn’t much like the type D in isolation but it sounded nice with the bridge. 

I thought it was only the second pickup change. The original bridge pickup was an S2 Starla, and they changed that to the “DS-01”, whatever that is, at some point. 

Jeremiah

mrkb said:

Funkfingers said:

Jeremiah said:

I still love the look of the Vela, still think I might buy one if they had a tremolo.

The nearest equivalent to a vibrato-equipped Vela is/was the S2 Studio. I suppose that the selector switch could be altered to leave the centre pickup out of circuit.

You could look for a used Vernon Reid Vela

I might like that with a different pickguard.

Chimpankie

Andertons have the new prices - £2.6k for 594 Singlecut, £2.3k for the Vela. I loved my Vela and S2 Satin Singlecut but both cost me less than £1000 new. I know inflation’s a thing but those prices are way out there. If any of the new Velas pop up on the used market for less than £1.5k then I’d be interested.

Chimpankie

Also didn’t know they changed the D type before! Anyone know if there was any material difference to the tone? I had the original d type. 

RaymondLin

guitargeek62 said:

RaymondLin said:

I think overall this is the right move for S2, as they always push the tag line of "made in the USA", well, it is assembled in the USA but not really made in the USA.  Now this is at least a step closer to it for those who think it matters.

The woodwork, assembly, finish and setup have always been done in the US on these; it’s just the pickups, electronics, and hardware that weren’t physically made there. To me that’s still been the majority of the work in the US and, credit to PRS, they’ve been transparent about it since day one.

To me that’s “PRS S2, most of it proudly made in the USA”

Philly_Q

RaymondLin said:

guitargeek62 said:

RaymondLin said:

I think overall this is the right move for S2, as they always push the tag line of "made in the USA", well, it is assembled in the USA but not really made in the USA.  Now this is at least a step closer to it for those who think it matters.

The woodwork, assembly, finish and setup have always been done in the US on these; it’s just the pickups, electronics, and hardware that weren’t physically made there. To me that’s still been the majority of the work in the US and, credit to PRS, they’ve been transparent about it since day one.

To me that’s “PRS S2, most of it proudly made in the USA”

The guitar is completely made in the USA.  Suhr use some Gotoh hardware, does that mean their guitars are only "mostly" made in the USA?

Chimpankie

Philly_Q said:

RaymondLin said:

guitargeek62 said:

RaymondLin said:

I think overall this is the right move for S2, as they always push the tag line of "made in the USA", well, it is assembled in the USA but not really made in the USA.  Now this is at least a step closer to it for those who think it matters.

The woodwork, assembly, finish and setup have always been done in the US on these; it’s just the pickups, electronics, and hardware that weren’t physically made there. To me that’s still been the majority of the work in the US and, credit to PRS, they’ve been transparent about it since day one.

To me that’s “PRS S2, most of it proudly made in the USA”

The guitar is completely made in the USA.  Suhr use some Gotoh hardware, does that mean their guitars are only mostly made in the USA?

Funnily enough, Suhr aren’t allowed to put Made in the USA on their guitars anymore for the reason that a lot of their components are import (pots too, I believe). Which kind of just goes to show how silly the made in the US stuff can get because no one would doubt the overall quality of a Suhr guitar. 

Musicman20

Chimpankie said:

Andertons have the new prices - £2.6k for 594 Singlecut, £2.3k for the Vela. I loved my Vela and S2 Satin Singlecut but both cost me less than £1000 new. I know inflation’s a thing but those prices are way out there. If any of the new Velas pop up on the used market for less than £1.5k then I’d be interested.

You'll see these on sale around Black Friday, don't you worry!

PRS guitars are ALWAYS on sale! Apart from the super rare/high end models.

Musicman20

duotone said:

I like this Dark Cherry Sunburst the best

Now I'd be tempted at that over a Gibson Les Paul if these drop to £1500 in sales.

Whitecat

https://www.suhr.com/headstock-engraving/

Suhr aren’t allowed to say “Made in the USA” anymore. 

If PRS were in California they wouldn’t be able to say “made in the USA” either. That’s a state-specific law. Fender can’t say “made in the USA” on their USA-made instruments, for example, and they don’t. Only 5% of components or parts can be imported in order to put that label on them, or 10% if it’s impossible to source any American equivalents - none of the above meet that standard. 

/pendantry

RaymondLin

Philly_Q said:

RaymondLin said:

guitargeek62 said:

RaymondLin said:

I think overall this is the right move for S2, as they always push the tag line of "made in the USA", well, it is assembled in the USA but not really made in the USA.  Now this is at least a step closer to it for those who think it matters.

The woodwork, assembly, finish and setup have always been done in the US on these; it’s just the pickups, electronics, and hardware that weren’t physically made there. To me that’s still been the majority of the work in the US and, credit to PRS, they’ve been transparent about it since day one.

To me that’s “PRS S2, most of it proudly made in the USA”

The guitar is completely made in the USA.  Suhr use some Gotoh hardware, does that mean their guitars are only "mostly" made in the USA?

Strictly speaking, yes, absolutely. I am differentiating between “made” and assembled.

I am going being a stickler on this point because the guitar industry in general always pushed “USA being better”.  As I fully aware that some made in China stuff would have things made elsewhere and then assembled in China.  If they didn’t do that then  I wouldn’t care, but the fact that they made a press release about “pick ups and electronics are now made in the USA” just reinforces my point.

When someone, by someone I mean guitar makers, say “made”, I expect all the parts comes from that country they are stating.  

My Bogner says “Assembled” in the USA. Which to me is accurate. 

RaymondLin

Ps, I don’t care, I love my PRS SE One, as much as my core.  

But if they makes a press release about its country of origin then they open the door for criticism for that exact point.