View Full Version : PRS SE--anyone w/experience?
jpage
03-02-2006, 12:40 PM
Anyone have one of these? I have the itch for maybe one of the Customs with the flamed veneer and one of the SSS ones. Seem like great prices--how can you go wrong?
mbratch
03-02-2006, 12:55 PM
Have you tried a forum search on it? I was trying to remember if there has been a thread on these. Or do you mean the newest SE's with the fancy tops?
I tried the previous SE's (a P90) in GC and I was impressed with the feel and sound. I'd still considering buying one. Construction was good. Neck was excellent (it had a wide neck, which I'm not fussy about but it played nicely). It had decent resonance. I was in the process of evaluating various inexpensive guitars for purchase and ended up spending $450 on a used USA Hamer, which was a steal. If I hadn't encountered the Hamer, then teh PRS SE would still be a strong candidate. It may still be sometime in the near future. And you can get them for very low price used.
jayhawk
03-02-2006, 01:09 PM
I played one of the flamed veneer P90 versions at a Guitar Center and was very impressed.
The pickups sound great - the bridge is fat but sparkly and the neck is full with no mud. I think it was priced at under $500 bucks and it looked nice too. I'm actually trying to thin my guitar herd at this point so I didn't buy it but I was tempted.
The neck had a bit of a plain, mass-produced feel to it, like it was the same dimensions up and down the neck but that wasn't a big deal to me.
I've owned 2 new USA PRS guitars. The last one was a McCarty Rosewood which I owned for 5 years.
I bought a PRS Soapbar II last year. I got it from Washington Music Center. I asked for one in cherry and Brian Meador sent me the best one out of a batch of 5. $399 plus shipping. it came with one of the best gigs bags I've seen and a cheap cable too! This guitar is very light weight, loud and resonant unplugged!
It plays very smooth just like any well setup USA PRS! It's my first P-90 guitars and bought it fully expecting it would need a pup swap. The stock ones sound very good. I'm sure some different pups could improve the sound. I'm just not sure how much. This guitar doesn't look, play or sound like a $399 dollar guitar. I've owned a lot of high end and some boutique guitars and I think the soapbar II could easily compete with guitars 3 times the price. I've had this guitar a year and it killed my GAS for a McCarty Soapbar.
bbarnard
03-02-2006, 01:16 PM
I have a Soapbar SE SC (prelawsuit version) that is perhaps the best guitar I've seen for $400. Great neck, great player, great sound. I did just like Mark did and got it from WMC and got Brian to pick a good one but all the ones I've seen/played seem to be great.
I have friends who have them, and every one of the 4 or 5 I've touched were terrific. I'll get one at some point.
jpage
03-02-2006, 02:21 PM
Thanks for the input--I tend to look at the "made in Korea" label too seriously sometimes which is wrong. If a guitar sounds and feels good and I'm buying locally--why the heck not?
jpage
03-02-2006, 02:23 PM
RAZ--I agree with your sig but damn, how much fun is that?
Does any of this really matter?
P.Muck
03-02-2006, 02:37 PM
Sorry for the thread hijack, but Ihave a similar question....
I just put a (refundable) deposit on a SE Singlecut in Tobacco Burst.
(http://prsguitars.com/showcase/current/sesinglecut.html)
If it feels as nice as the SE Tremonti's I've seen, I'll be darn happy for $550.00.
But I'm kind of wondering about the depth of the carve (if any- it's hard to tell from the pictures I've seen). Has anyone seen one of these in person yet? Comments?
Also, does anyone have any negative experience/issues with the the non-adjustable tailpiece that's on the SEs? Anybody out there replaced it with a PRS USA-type adjustable bridge or TOM- does it fit?
Thanks in advance and again, sorry for the hijack pagey.
Pat
Super Locrian
03-05-2006, 08:50 AM
I tested an original PRS Custom 24 at the music store yesterday. Had difficulties putting it down. Then, just for the heck of it, I tried one of the SE models. Put it back on the rack after 30 seconds. Had about as much in common with the real PRS as Libyan chocolate pudding has with French trouffles... or something like that. :D
Bottom line is that you get what you pay for. Don't think you can get $3,000 quality for $500. But perhaps the SE guitars compares favourably with other guitars in the same price range - I wouldn't know about that as I'm not really interested in cheap guitars.
redgold
03-05-2006, 10:13 AM
I have two double cut SE's: a white SSS with trem and a p-90. The SSS pickups are blah, and the switch feels a bit flimsy. I'll probably mod this eventually. The p-90 pickups are surprisingly good (does anyone know if they are alnicos?), and the volume and tone controls have a nice taper. The p-90 is the one to get IMHO.
Hardtail
03-07-2006, 06:37 AM
I tested an original PRS Custom 24 at the music store yesterday. Had difficulties putting it down. Then, just for the heck of it, I tried one of the SE models. Put it back on the rack after 30 seconds. Had about as much in common with the real PRS as Libyan chocolate pudding has with French trouffles... or something like that. :D
Bottom line is that you get what you pay for. Don't think you can get $3,000 quality for $500. But perhaps the SE guitars compares favourably with other guitars in the same price range - I wouldn't know about that as I'm not really interested in cheap guitars.
Be sure to wear a hat when you go out in the rain or you might drown ...
HT
DavidE
03-07-2006, 06:49 AM
I just picked up a used flame maple veneer top P90 SE. Surprisingly nice guitar! Extremely light weight. Sounds terrific. Love the wide fat neck (like on my McCarty and CU22). Looks great too. I think the only thing I have to do to it is change the strings and take some steel wool to the frets. Other than that, it seems gig ready. I have the two USA PRS guitars mentioned above and a bunch of Hamers (including some seriously nice P90 guitars), Fenders, G&L etc... I WILL gig with this cheap guitar.
bickertfan
03-07-2006, 07:56 AM
does anyone have any negative experience/issues with the the non-adjustable tailpiece that's on the SEs?
I have a Santana SE and I use heavier than stock strings (11's). Although the guitar intonated well with the stock strings (9's I believe) it is way out with the 11's. Hopefully YMMV otherwise you may want to factor an intonatable bridge into the purchase equation.
I am playing a SE SoapBarII these days. It's a real nice guitar for the money. I am in the process of changing out the electronics and I'll be putting in a set of Duncans to bring a little more out of the guitar. But all in all I'm very happy with it.
Just play a few before you buy.
MCG
I am playing a SE SoapBarII these days. It's a real nice guitar for the money. I am in the process of changing out the electronics and I'll be putting in a set of Duncans to bring a little more out of the guitar. But all in all I'm very happy with it.
Just play a few before you buy.
MCG
let us know how the new pups sound. WHat kind of Duncans?
let us know how the new pups sound. WHat kind of Duncans?
Just the run of the mill vintage style with alnicos. I'm also upgradeing the pots and cap as well, so I'll let you all know how it turns out.
MCG
aleclee
03-13-2006, 08:09 AM
Anyone have one of these? I have the itch for maybe one of the Customs with the flamed veneer and one of the SSS ones. Seem like great prices--how can you go wrong?I wrote a review on Birds & Moons if you care to look it up.
To make a long story short, there are other guitars in that price range I'd buy before the SE Custom.
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