The Paul Reed Smith SE: A Short History
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- TrueFire courses and all access memberships available here:
prf.hn/l/64do8vq
Enter promo code "FIVEWATT35" to save 35%
Friends of five watt on Patreon: / fivewattworld
T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and tumblers
the-five-watt-...
For five watt world short history bundle and Favorite Preset pack:
flatfiv.co/col...
To make a donation to support the channel click here:
www.paypal.me/...
Reverb link for the fww/Barber BUSS Overdrive in white:
reverb.com/ite...
Reverb link for the fww/Barber BUSS Overdrive in black:
reverb.com/ite...
Get regular updates on what's happening at the channel on Instagram:
/ fivewattworld
John Cordy's excellent TH-cam channel: / @johnnathancordy
Blugubrious' wonderful channel: / @blugubriousmusic
![[Full Episode] The Restaurant War Thailand ศึกพ่อค้าซ่าแม่ค้าแซ่บ Episode 2 | 29 ก.ย. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/r3lfLNH6Ke4/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video! I'be glad to see a short history obout Godin guitars!
Yeah. I’d be interested in that. Great value in North America made guitars.
I worked for Godin for a very short time until Covid hit, I still have a good friend at Godin, great guitrars made in Canada, looking at geeting a Godin
I second this! Love my Godin’s!
Love my Godin’s Montreal Premiere!
My first guitar ever was a Godin seagull and I had just gotten saved at 21 and started leading worship. Didn’t know much about guitars but the guy selling it at my local music and arts store was this cool long haired guy with a blue jean jacket and he said this is a good entry model. He started to play some blues licks and I was in awe. It was cedar wood and looked and sounded amazing. Electronics were fire too!!
All the gear snobs I play with make fun of my SE. I mean, what's wrong with an $800 dollar guitar that plays and sounds incredible? Best trem I've ever used.
100% agreed! They're incredible guitars! I mean, I still lust after the $4000 USA-made PRS, but realistically can't justify the money, even if the SE didn't exist. PRS is only gaining sales, not trading them as they feared.
Fun fact is that PRS doesn’t officially state what SE actually stands for. I have seen several recent videos and interviews and they always talk around it that it is up to anyone’s own interpretation. That being said, Student Edition doesn’t really do them justice. I own the cheapest SE possible (2022 SE standard) and it is absolutely beautiful and flawless. Great video by the way, stunned to see there were so many models ✌🏻
Student models are quite a bit better now than they were in the 80s and 90s 😂 probably regardless of instrument
I was thinking of all the band instruments I played in high school!
SE: Standard edition
S2: Standard 2.0
CE: Cutaway edition
Core: Professional/Ultra
Private Stock: Custom shop
@@romeou4965 CE = Classic Electric, referring to the bolt-on construction.
@@romeou4965 CE stands for Classic Electric.
While the SE Hollowbody II Piezo is a cool guitar with great tonal character, I respectfully disagree on the value. $1,589 for guitar manufactured in the far east is bonkers.
Uh, no.
@@JordonBealdid this dude just write that he paid 7k for a prs?😮
A full hollowbody with a piezo pickup is rare even in flagship lines. Can’t even think of another one off the top of my head. It may not be the most affordable of the PRS offerings but the alternatives with those features are much more expensive- American, custom shop level expensive.
The hollowbody 2 se guitars are pretty much always on sale for 800ish bucks. I got one new last year for 750 and would have happily paid way more.
I would still love to see a short history of Guild guitars!
I’d like a short history about ESP guitars please!
Richard Z. Kruspe and Mick Thomson are two of my favourite guitarists!
I just bought a PRS se custom 24 in the dark brown flame maple top and it looks and sounds top notch. I can’t stop playing it and it sounds ultra high fidelity with my amp and pedals. If I could pick one I’d pick this. Thanks Keith for your videos!! 🎵📽️🎸
Hi Keith, you've become like a friend with your pleasant speaking, highly informative videos, and ideas that help us further our musical/guitar interests.
Best Regards,
James
2:24 fun fact: the album pictured here, Caravanserai, features a very young Neal Schon on guitar and Gregg Rollie on vocals and keyboards. Both Gregg and Neal, along with Carlos Santana’s then-manager Herbie Herbert, would quit the band shortly thereafter and found what became the band Journey.
I think Ovation Guitars deserves a history video. Although not as popular as they used to be, one of the most innovative guitar makers with their designs and concepts. They did a lot of things with acoustic guitars before other companies did. Cutaways, shallows, electronics, etc... And, had a lot of major players endorsing their guitars over the years. Made in USA!
I remember when the SE came out and compared to other Import guitars, it looked SO PLAIN! I tried one back in the day but at the time I had a Samick SG clone and that felt much better to me at less than half the price.
Today I have a Schecter S-1 Elite that I jokingly call a "Tele in a PRS clothing" and have made several small changes to it but from the outside it almost looks the same. I swapped black speed knobs for Q Part acrylic dome Tele style knobs replaced the plastic switch tip with a black Gretsch style metal one. Under the hood I replaced both Volume knobs with CTS push pull knobs to individually split each pickup rather than just the tone being the original push/pull. For the Tone knob I tracked down a Shadow Killswitch pot (to bad it's Linear but I have a Killswitch on the guitar). I also swapped the original jack (nothing wrong with it) for a Switchcraft one.
I mention all of this because the Schecter does fit much of the PRS aesthetic while being a bit more Metal. The Elite version is a 25.5 inch scale length but other S-1 models have a 24.75 inch scale. The other thing is that it is pretty easy to play and unlike my Teles, I never feel I have to fight this one. I also moved the strap button to the back center position like an SG and that solved the only comfort issue I had with this guitar. This guitar is interesting because while I use it as an SG stand in, it's a bit beefier in feel and tone than an SG but not quite in Les Paul territory.
While not a PRS guitar I feel that this model was heavily inspired by US made PRS guitars in many respects and feel wise, this guitar does it for me. I pick up PRS SE guitars and while they are not bad, they feel a tad off compared to Gibsons or Fenders. I do really like the Single Cut Korina model and that is one of those guitars I plan to pick up one day. 😎👍✨
Love this as always!
311 is pronounced ‘Three Eleven’
(I’ll see myself out . . . )
Thank you! ❤️🤘🏻👽
miT appreciates you too 😁
Where are those fall tour dates? I’m ready to go!
My first brand-new guitar was a flat-top SE Custom 24 with the moon-dot inlays and the G&B era pickups, and this was during their tenure being made in Korea.
That guitar in my youth of learning to mod stuff received many mods and even my first attempt at a refret (for some reason my SE had VERY soft frets and I played them till flat, the refret worked by it was very sloppy in hindsight)
Nowadays, a SE CE24 is its spiritual successor and a SE DGT, both are happily apart of my recording stable of instruments and I don't plan on letting them go anytime soon.
As for the flat-top, it's currently a toasty (heat gun) naked husk, but now that I'm getting done with two project builds and starting to properly dedicate guitars for different tunings, I think I'm going to restore it (kind of) into a C standard sabbath-esque machine.
At the end of the day, even masters are students of the craft.
Im happy that people seem to like these and get a good value out of them. However, my PRS SE 245 was the biggest lemon of any guitar I ever owned. Absolutely atrocious fretwork, wiring, but, tuning stability. I bought it online and couldn’t wait to get rid of it.
I have a mid 2000 single cut and soap bar. Both great guitars! You can't go wrong with the SEs
Awesome video! Paul is thinking guitars all the time and there's nothing he wouldn't do to improve his merchandise, kinda like the Porsche factory.
I never took them seriously until I got a mint SE Paul's guitar half price at GC. I may be done buying F's and G's.
I have a limited edition SE custom 24 with a roasted maple neck. It's still one of my overall favorite guitars to play after 5 years.
Unless I missed it, I was surprised there was no mention of the 594 Ted McCarty 594 SE. I felt that the Silver Sky Se, the DGT SE and the McCarty 594 SE were the absolute best in the SE line.
This video inspired me I went to my music store K.S.M music in Logan Utah and I bought a PRS. SE. MARK HOLCOMB SIGNATURE MODEL 😅 I HAVE A SHOT VIDEO OF THE GUITAR ON MY TH-cam CHANNEL 😊
Barely two minutes in, and the expected nomenclature mistake has already appeared: the first era of PRS SE guitars were the Santana SE series, as shown in the photo captions. This mistake plays into the strange trend on the Internet of guitarists calling the SE DGT the "DGT SE" (I suspect because they could afford not to pay attention the budget line previously.). I am very glad that this mistake was not repeated.
I own one CORE PRS and three SE models...all SEs are top notch guitars...indeed flawless. The SE Silver Sky will end up being THE guitar that helped turn the market to affordable made overseas. It is a wonderful axe and my daily player...but I still love my Les Pauls!!
Thanks Keith for some amazing content! As always! I’ve never owned or even played a PRS, so I found the show most interesting. Having begun playing in 1969, I’ve never strayed from the prominent and dominant Fender and Gibson. Even today, my only non-traditional guitar is a Schecter PT, which let’s face it, is basically a souped-up Tele. Your show today has most definitely made me want to explore PRS, they look and sound singularly sensational.
I've got an OG '01 "Santana SE" in red that I picked up for next to nothing in about 2011/2012. Just dropped in some SE locking tuners I picked up for also next to nothing a few months ago and they dropped right in (which is pretty cool for 20+ years later). Just a fantastic guitar.
I’m just impressed you shouted out Tim Mahoney. And Navarro respect 👊
My bone of contention with PRS guitars is the same one I have with Fenders. The back cavity covers aren't countersunk and they stick out, causing the screws to grab and tear my clothes. Other than that I really like them. However, that one factor prevents me from buying them.
More music man guitars please
I have 3 majesties and they are perfect. I both them not because it's petrucci signature but because of how they feeling and what features have
Now I'm a fan of music man guitars
No P90 guitars currently sold by PRS, at least not on Sweetwater. Only solid body w single coils in bridge are all strat copies. PRS are a great guitar to spend way too much money on. PRS insisting tonewoods are a things denies science as well. I’ll pass. And yes I realize this is about their more budget models, but they don’t offer anything to make me want to put down my money
The SE semi hollows that you spoke of towards the end of the video stating how they got lost during covid, I don't believe they got lost at all because they're made in China and sit around that $1500 range. I know thats a hard pass for a LOT of players including myself and I noticed you conveniently skipped over that made in China detail.
I had one and loved it for what it was. I found it on sale for about $1100. Seemed well made to me despite the location of the factory.
@@fivewattworld I think most people find the variability and unpredictability coming out of certain factories to be the issue. I've owned one great Indonesian SE, and now two horrendous McCarty 594 SEs. I had to return both, as the frets were nearly unplayable. They should never have left the factory.
The Santan model shape is the same as Paul's handmade guitars in the mid to late 70s before he went commercial.
SE really came into their own around so years ago. But when they *really* settled into the market was when they swapped to the current headstock, it finally *looked* legit.
Fantastic video!! I have 12 SE models and love them all. THanks for the video
I'm going to show your comment to my GF. I have 10 SE's myself (all Korean-made), and she thinks that's excessive. LOL
Dear Kith in minute 14:11 is not a Kestrel that is GG 4 String on the left, minute 14:21 is a GG4 core model too.
I had se 277 with p90s , bought for 499 on a blowout at the end 2019. Sold in 2020 during the guitar boom for 900. Wished I still had it. But, had to keep the lights on
Obviously bias here because I am in the video, but honestly, with all of the options with imports out there - and I have had my share - PRS SE is top notch and I love that this video shines a light on that. Thanks for including me, Keith. And thanks for showing not all great guitars are on the top shelf.
Hey Blu 👋
Cool little spot 😊
Peaked my interest in the narrow field pu's 👍
@@rainfieldmusic Thanks RFM... if you any questions, shoot me a note.
I'd love to see a short history of Dean guitars
I have and play a late first-generation Santana SE, which has a PRS logo on the truss rod cover from 2001. It’s a fantastic guitar, even before I modified it heavily. It’s been with me for about 20 years, except for a short period where I traded it to a friend, but later traded back for it. It amazes me how the SE line has grown.
3-1-1 is my favorite band
I would suggest that "SE" stands for Santana Edition. No one from PRS has ever stated or confirmed that it stands for "student edition".
See Dave Burluck’s book, authorized by PRS for my reason for including it here.
I like everything you do. But I will never understand the PRS hype. They are lifeless and incredibly overrated. I bought one and it was up for sale within a week. I've never bought a guitar that I turned around and got rid of so quickly.
Every guitar, and every guitar player is different. That’s all.
Keith...the Silver Sky SE has an 8.5 inch radius....NOT 7.25...or were you referring to the core model??
Dork
@@adelok ???
@@alex241 I'm just jk man . I'm a dork too.
I love my SEs! Great documentary here, Keith. Fabulous job as always.
I wonder: What is your favorite part of the process with the “Short History” series? I would imagine the research alone is very gratifying.
Extremely detailed video and timeline of models and features. PRS is a universe unto it's own and PRS guys will love this.
I'd love to see a history of Alvarez's long discontinued electric guitar range
Love the info keith on PRS, I got a great deal on a Snatana se,2001a few years back, $400 Cdn, new about $1200 Cdn,what a great guitar, I will never part with it.
Cool vid, have you mentioned Bernie Marsden signature PRS?
Totally agree with your opinion on the SE Hollowbody II w/piezo. It’s an amazing guitar that is very versatile.
Three One One?? oh no, that’s some Ed Sullivan stuff right there 😂😂
Sigh…it is
My 2005 SE custom 22 sounds better than my gibsons and fenders from the usa. Its the only import i play on stage
Well done, Keith. Always enjoy your short history videos.
The Mikael Akerfeldt model didn’t get enough love
Came with SE (Korean made) HFS and Vintage Bass pickups
And 24 frets!
On a PRS singlecut!
Super cool model
Great video. Should have included when they started introducing the few lefthand models that they now offer.
Interesting stuff! Thank you. I have two 2012'ish SE's. Both just great guitars. Especially the SE Santana model.
Thank I enjoy your short history videos keep it up thank you
If I were to have only one guitar, prs would be on the short list of the choices
Sometime ago i played an SE Starla, and that was the first and only PRS that i had played, i loved how the pickups sounded, very much in the 60's Gibson T-Top/Guild HB-1 territory, but the neck was huge, i think that if i had to buy that guitar, i will definitely send it to a luthier to make it slimmer, more like a D-Shape type of thing.
I recently went to the store looking for a used Maryland made PRS, but wound up with a 2019 SE Hollowbody Standard that just spoke to me. Had enough money left to get a used MT-15 head too.
Great video, Keith. I am a long-time fan of PRS guitars. Thanks for shining a light on this brand. I have had played and owned too many to list here and they are a special fiddle. It was cool that you had ole Blugubrious on your video. Way to reach out in the community. Thanks again.
While my favorite guitar is my PRS CE 24, my PRS SE Bernie Marsden is my Les Paul substitute, and I only played one Les Paul, an R8, that I liked better.
Yet another great video! I bought a PRS SE Standard 24 Tobacco Burst in October 2020. It is mahogany w/ no maple cap. I imagine that the mahogany is sourced from Indonesia or nearby. It has the double-cut body with the beautiful mahogany grain on display with binding on the slightly curved top and on the neck. I love the Pattern Thin neck and the glossy finish does not bother me in the least, although I realize some people might not like it. At first, I thought that the pickups were too bright, but after playing them for a couple days, I realized that having all that high-end was a good thing and I lowered the pickups a bit and I learned to use the Tone knob a bit. All in all, the SE Standard 24 is a great guitar! It might be the gateway to upgrading for some people, but I have no need to upgrade it or upgrade in the PRS line. I don't want all of my guitars to sound the same - I want different tones to use at different times.
I love that Santana cared for the less affluent guitarists, shows his true character. On the other hand, having PRS delay SE series to "find overseas factory obsessed with quality" is absurd. They could easily contract their guitars in Japan, e.g. in Fujigen or any other Japanese factory. The only problem is, doing so would make painfully obvious that PRSes aren't worth the money. You can buy MiJ Fenders or Ibanez which are substantially more affordable than American guitars and yet surpass them in the quality.
Not only MIJ Fenders, but once people come here (Japan) and play Momose, Sugi or any number of quality guitars that Fender & Gibson block from the U.S. market there is no going back to way overpriced custom shop stuff.
I picked up one of the original Santanas on sale in '02 and have held onto it even though I've rotated through a bunch of other much more expensive guitars since. It might sit for a good stretch, but I'm always impressed by it when I pick it up and play, plus there are no worries letting the kids mess around with it. Easily one of the best value buys I've had.
I never knew what SE meant.
I love PRS SE, I've tried lots of them and always liked them and even almost bought one myself.
However I think their approach of "We don't wanna trade sales, we want them to be a very different thing" doesn't really work in 2024, I think they should make a totally high end import line with all the features and exact body carves as the US Core models but made in Indonesia/Korea, that's something I would buy.
I understand the frustation and criticisms of many with PRS Core pricing, especially post-pandemic. But for years now, they’ve had quality instruments at every pricepoint range (Core, CE, S2, and SE), and there is NOTHING wrong with SEs. I even saw Joe Walsh play (a modded?) one with Eagles a couple years ago!
In addition to the high quality-to-price ratio, if you’re a little patient, you can usually get SE models at substantial discounts. Just last year, I got a Piano Black Silver Sky off Sweetwater for $649-$200 off MSRP. I have a Core version (Orion Green, 2019 purchase, thankfully), and the differences in sound, appearance, and playability are minimal and honestly pretty subjective. It helps that Silver Skies (Skys?) don’t show the wood grain or require any sort of veneer, but is that 10-Top flame really worth the extra four or five grand? Not for most of us in most playing situations, I say.
I’d be nervous as shit taking a Core model out of the house. Half because of being a klutz, half because their eyecatching nature is likely to catch the wrong eyes.
Nice review of the PRs line thnx
I’ve owned a few PRS SE guitars. I don’t pretend to be particularly sophisticated about my guitars.
The Michel Akerfeldt was a great guitar, but didn’t quite connect with me. Sent it on.
Later, I picked up an early Tremonti SE, dirt cheap, in Santaquin, Utah, on my way south to camp in the Red Rock country of Utah. My girlfriend laughed at me when I pulled up in the Maverick parking lot, and came back to the car with a new used guitar.
I tried to get myself to sell that Tremonti, but I figured I should play it a bit more before listing it.
Yeah, No. Can’t sell that one.
All of the Les Paul goodness, in a lighter, slightly more compact package, with awesome sound and tones? Yeah, Imma gonna keep that one.
And then, I picked up a Custom 24 SE, with a quilted red maple top.
ErMaGerd. So beautiful. So soulful. So full of life.
Don’t remember if it was $400 or $500. Either way, major value.
Still remember driving out to the UPS warehouse near the airport in SLC to pick it up.
Totally worth it.
It’s sitting in my lap right now.
Such a beautiful guitar.
Definitely want to play it more, once I’m done healing from this damn arm surgery.
This guitar needs to sing.
Great video. I have a Dave Navarro SE. At the time I was looking for a new guitar after my JEM 555 died. I looked at so many mid priced guitars but the neck on the SE felt so good in my hands. I've toyed with selling it over the years as I play my tele more often these days. But when I pick it up I can't part with it. I tried a Silver Sky SE in a store recently. That may just be my next purchase. The neck on that is heaven.
I own 3 PRS's; an original 2001 SE which was my go to over a dozen other guitars I own and 2 22 fret ten tops, one with the rotary pup switch which is funky but ok. The only thing that sucks about PRS's is that every new guitar they come out with, I want! Looking forward to getting an SE Hollow body someday and maybe a Starla. Thanx for your great work at FWW, Keith, I love your channel...rock on!
Mahalo Keith. I liked the fact that Paul spec his standard and custom models as Gibson originally intended. PRS always had some models I considered buying.
In June of 94, PRS Custom was price at $2278.50 for bird inlay and $1757.00 for moon inlays at Elderly Instruments. I like the fact that SE are more like US models.
You didn't mention my favorite SE, the McCarty 594 Double Cut. (I also have the SE Silver Sky and SE Custom 24 Quilt-Top. All 3 play and sound great.
Very cool!! My favorite 59 LPB (you have it bad when you have one of those), is Bernie's "The Beast". RIP Bernie, we miss you! So when the SE came out, I jumped on it. I'm glad I did, it's still one of my favorites. I sold my 2 LesPauls a few years ago, and bought a set of 85/15 LT pups made in Maryland. The original guitar was $749, and the pups were $500. Hmm.. The SE Beast was only available for 1 year in the US, not sure about 'overseas'. I've thought about a 594 core, and a CS LPB, but for now I'm pretty happy with my Bernie Burst! Thanks Keith, this was great and I learned a lot, as usual!! 8) Peace --gary
Thanks for this one, Keith! I have a whole new appreciation for PRS now. Maybe The Admiral (as in I'm the Captain of my house... but she's The Admiral) will allow one into the arsenal....? 🍻🍺🥃🍹🧑🌾🇺🇸
So many SE models, interesting how I don’t see many for sale used!
Means the quality is high, but also that I’m unlikely to find one.
My Specs? Dbl cut, wrap tail bridge, upper body cut or bevel, 24.5 or 25” scale, and knobs well behind the bridge, in other words as close to the Santana guitar in an SE as I can get.
Keith help! 😅
I’m willing to trade my red SE hollowbody, with all new electronic parts & wiring, a SD custom ‘78 neck PU, DeAddario black locking tuners
It’s been PLEK’d….unfortunately I find the lack of an upper body cut, makes my right hand go to sleep🫤
After all that work 😞
I have a hollow body 2, and a Paul’s se guitar. I was floored with the Paul’s SE single coil sounds better than most singles I’ve played. I’m a bedroom rocker and the quality of instrument I get from the se line is nothing short of amazing. Though I love Fender the quality of the SE’s is hard to beat excellent customer service as well. Thank you for the video!
Did I miss any mention of the PRS SE Custom 24 Roasted Maple released in 2019? There was only 2,000 produced for the US market and one of the last models produced in Korea. Maybe I missed it?🤷🏻♂️🎸
I have a 2007 SE Single Cut and a 2018 SE Multi-Foil. The 2007 is a much better guitar. And it came with a much nicer gig bag! :-) The Multi-Foil is disappointing. Could be just mine because I've seen some rave reviews for it.
Appearantly any speak of McCarty is strictly off limits? Even an SE version gets the snub. It is what it is.
Never cared for many PRS models, until the McCarty .594 Singlecut standard in Vintage Cherry dropped from the SE line.
Then the NF3 had me sold, in Gunmetal Grey with the rosewood fretboard. They're like complete opposites. With $1329 retail into both guitars. I seriously have zero complaints. The pickups alone make them worth it. Other than Yamaha or LTD. I can't think of another import brand putting out as consistently good guitars as PRS.
Another cool little history of a guitar brand.
Peace!
I love my PRS s2 McCarty 594 Thinline in Vintage Cherry Burst with locking tuners and 57/08 pickups. One day, I hope to be able to play it as well as I appreciate its look and feel.
I like the McCarty 594 single and double cut SEs.
My thing with se’s over the years when looking at double cuts was that I was missing the old school Clapton like tonal flexibility of something like a Gibson/ EPI SG. That was of course until they finally did the McCarty 594 SE. Except now I’m missing the Trem arm I was getting used to on other models Ive liked.
I think It’d be a complete game changer if there was a model that combined the old 2 vol 2 tone double cut solid body format (with Coil taps would add even more flexibility) with a the stability of a PRS trem setup..
Either way it’d be great for a player like me who tends to otherwise hang out on both Gibson and Fender style guitars depending on the music I’m playing and the fact that I could be playing lead or rhythm depending on the situation..
I might even be able to down size my existing herd quite substantially or even invest the proceeds in a back up if something to fit that sort of space came out.
Back in 2020 I found a 2006 SE Custom in a second hand shop - it was missing the pick up switch knob, had a shallow gauge in the neck and a very dirty body and neck. Cleaned it up and it’s become my ‘testbed’ guitar, having replaced the pick ups and wiring for split coils (not a feature on release). A very solid instrument!
I have a SE Soapbar II, and it's a really great guitar. One of the finest guitar players in my area hipped me to the Soapbar II's. Fat necks, lightweight and resonant. Tossed a pair of Pete Biltoft Vintage Vibe pickups in it, and it sounds amazing. Funny thing was I liked the SE so much I sold my USA PRS guitars. LOL
Three-one-one LOL
Hey…clearly not my band
@@fivewattworld very much just joking. I love what you do. keep it up
I picked up an SE Hollowbody II for GBP600 2 years ago - it’s a real good guitar for that money. Easily sits alongside guitars 5-10x the cost both in quality and how it sounds. I’d say my old 2002 Lucille edges it on tone just, and it’s finished in poly so feels a bit ‘cheaper’ , but for the money they are superb.
Great story 👏
IMO the PRS Asian guitars would be better off without the "student edition" branding.
Wow. That was sort of overwhelming . . . you had to edit out the breaths between each model didn't you - I felt myself collapsing due to lack of oxygen with this one. Brilliant - I had no idea there were so many SE models. I bought the Custom 24-08 a coupla years ago to see what all the fuss was about with PRS and it's become a bit of a favourite. I really dislike the flashy flame thing on so many PRS guitars, though - each to his own, I guess. Quite keen to grab a black Tremonti SE and mod it a bit (Bare Knuckle PG Blues pick-ups, and the Indonesian wiring is hit and miss). I've played Les Pauls for decades and the Tremonti has the 24.5 scale and a trem so that'll be fun. There was another one in there with HSH & Trem, will track that down, the guitar I've played most the last 30 years is my Sadowsky NYC HSH so quite keen to try the PRS take on that. Thanks for another great vid!
If you are going to buy an SE, track down a Korean (World Music) made. I have never seen a bad one.
As for the Indonesian (Cort) made SE, every one I ever owned had faulty hardware, faulty electronics, or structural issues, right out of the box, to the point where they were outright NOT playable, so I immediately returned them all.
The only one I kept was an SVN with faulty tuners, and only because I planned to put on locking tuners anyway.
So, I am now at the point where I will outright never buy an Indonesian (Cort) SE. I will only buy Korean (World Music) SE.
I've been playing guitar for 40 years, many of those years professionally, and over those four decades I've played and owned almost every major guitar brand out there. Except for a large sampling of Ernie Ball Music Man models, I have more Korean-made PRS SE's in my collection than anything else. They're just so hard to beat for the money - they look, sound, and play great. I've checked out a few of the more recent models being made in Indonesia and China, but I found that the quality control is not up to the Korean standard I've become accustomed to. I'm glad I bought the ones I have when I did. Thanks for the video, Keith, stellar content as always.
I love the SE line and consider them superior to Gibson USA. I recently had an Allender which came with EMGs. I didn't care for the EMGs so tried out a bunch of passives till I settled on the Duncan JB/Jazz set which worked perfectly. I didn't care for the bat inlays, too heavy metal for my taste. I like birds or dots for PRS. My next PRS SE will probably be the Santana model which I've always wanted.
Years ago as a young man just starting out, every PRS player I knew was into jazz fusion and was fairly wealthy. We all hung out together in used guitar shops like they were clubhouses. My world was used $200 Fender Jazzmasters and $250 SGs. Then I sold some guitars and bought a Fender Jazz bass and got to play in everyone's band! Hahahaha
I'd love to see a single cut, 24 fret version of the 24-08. With the humbuckers closer to one another, activating the inner coils of both pickups produces a great stratty quack.
When are PRS going to make lefty versions of all of their stock models?? All these great shapes and versions and never leftys....
I have noticed that there is always this "Wide Thin" Profile on SE Guitars. Too chunky Neck for me. Great Video. Thank you
Great PRS history lesson. Like many of us here I’ve owned many guitars during my life. Several PRS core and SE models, and to tell you the truth one of my favorite current guitars is a PRS se245 Fredrik Akesson (Opeth) model. I just love the shorter scale and how well the guitar resonates and sustains. It’s a guitar that I probably won’t part with any time soon, I love it that much.
I am fortunate enough to own a 2003 Custom 22 Artist in blue matteo. It is, and will always be, my #1. But I have also owned a few SE's along the way. I currently have a Zach Meyers SE 594. I switched out the electronics and that has become my go-to guitar for local events. Its amazing in its own right.
Interesting for me as I have a PRS SE 2010. Everything is great, except the pickups. For a 1000 bucks guitar they had to cut corners somewhere. I had my luthier change the 2 humbuckers for some (not cheap) Seymor Duncan and it is a totalyy new guitar with a great sound (at least for me and definitely way better than the original pickups).
Great video , I was fortunate enough to own de 25th anniversary model of the custom 24 , sold it and got a 1997 ce24 that is the best prs I’ve ever played
My love for PRS is much larger than my guitar budget. I do have some PRS picks though!😂 love the bird shaped holes in them
My dream gig guitar would be an SE
Also, my absolute most expensive dream guitar is a PRS modern eagle. I have an old magazine with a picture of one with a Brazilian rosewood neck and fingerboard and a whale blue striped top. Probably won’t even ever see one
What I love about PRS as a company is that Paul Reed Smith still owns the company. Well before this time in the histories of Gibson and Fender the companies were sold by their founders. I'm still a Gibson fanboy, and my Les Paul gets most of my playing time, but I love my SE Silver Sky and SE 594.