Phillip, based in part on your review and a few others, I picked one up. (one local mom and pop store had a brown burst on hand.) I could not be more pleased with this guitar. Honestly I have had two other SE models and didn't keep either. This guitar sits perfectly in our band mix, whether I am on the piezo or the mags. Very pleased. Thanks for the video.
Michael McCartney yeah I got the SE Hollowbody ll, no piezo, although I tried it. All I want to say is that these guitars are really not like a good portion of the other SE models, made in Indonesia. Although many SE models are good guitars, you can’t just in general take one out of it’s case, tune it up, make some minor adjustments, and now off to a gig. Supposedly PRS looks at even all offshore guitars before they reach buyers or sellers. I don’t know....I’ve seen too many fair/poor nuts, fret dressing and crowning needed, serious tuning issues, etc.. But these SE Hollows, they are of a different stripe, little or no adjusting out of the box.I think because of the “core” hollows, Paul knew he must get reasonably close to the “Core”, and he has. No 10 tops or caps instead of veneers, but regardless the SE hollows are built to a very high standard, and you’re getting a professional grade instrument. No need to swap anything out, although some have said why not the push-pull single coils ?? Well the “Cores” didn’t have them, and there is a large range of sounds anyway.
Aaron Short Music On the Piezo model the neck is just slightly thicker than the usual “wide/fat”. But you’re still not looking at a 59’ Gibson baseball bat andif you have tried some PRS “wide-fats” you really need small hands for problems.. But don’t count out PRS technically, actually try the guitar out, PRS does a lot of other things to improve playability
I own the SE Hollowbody II Piezo and it has become my desert island guitar. The fit & finish are perfect. the sound is incredible. It was worth every penny and I'm a proud owner. Thanks Phil for the great and honest review.
Waiting for mine to arrive, I am so looking forward to it, I recently bought a new PRS SE Tonare and I am blown away by the quality and sound, I have a Korean Custom 24, again a great guitar for the money and now this will be my 3rd PRS, I think I am hooked! Your review has made the wait even worse! Keep up the no nonsense reviews, they are always informative. Thanks :-)
Just got my beautiful Peacock Blue HBII, Piezo, and couldn't be happier. It plays beautifully, and it's gorgeous. Perfect action out of the box. The one I initially played in the store had kinda high action, but that is an easy fix. I did put the locking tuners on, which were on sale for $65. My new favorite
@@lorenzodappiano4502 - LOL yep! Five original EG models from '90/91, a '91 CE24, a '97 Custom 22, an '07 Mira and a Tremonti SE. I've got other brands as well but PRS has been my #1 for 30 years.
Bought one about a month ago... an amazing experience if I can say anything about it. My only complaint is that the flame maple binding is a bit distracting while I'm playing. If I look at the guitar at all, it seems to shimmer and shine. I find myself forgetting what I was just playing. I'm still getting used to it though... I'm sure it'll fade, but my GOD it's a beautiful guitar. I've hardly had to tune it, and I'm so amazed at the variety of tone. Blending the piezo and mag pickups puts me right where I've always wanted to play. Since I got it, i've played more than ever before and I feel so confident in my playing.... it's hard to describe. If you've always wanted a core PRS hollowbody, you might want to check one out.
Possibly the best guitar PRS have ever released under the SE range. The finish on mine is flawless, the binding is beautiful, the pickups are very good as is the Piezo. Running the Piezo through a quality acoustic amplifier simultaneously with the magnetic pickups through a quality valve amplifier produces such a great tone. Bone nut is good, fretboard and inlays are good. The standard tuning heads are a bit rubbish, and I'm not that impressed with the PRS SE locking tuners either which I have on my SE Santana Singlcut and SE Custom 24 models. So I fitted Hipshot open gear locking tuners to this guitar and they're a huge upgrade. I've also had mine Plek'd and professionally set up and that's just elevated it to the next level. With a capi at 1st fret and holding down the low E at the 12th I've got .004 clearance and no fret buzz. It plays beautifully. The only other feature that's not great are the knobs which look and feel cheap by comparison with those on my core model Custom 22. Core model knobs are a crazy price too for some plastic which is a shame as the appearance could be enhanced dramatically with core model tone and volume control knobs. So some relatively cheap black and gold speedknobs have been fitted and I think they look a whole lot better than the amber PRS offerings. I've had four SE models and a Core Custom 22 and this is by far the best SE I've seen and played. It's very close to core level at a fraction of the price.
I purchased the same exact SE Piezo you just reviewed. Mine was as close to perfect as one could hope for. The tone and playability are above reproach as is the workmanship. I am not a “brand snob”. I would like to buy US made products, however, the price differential cannot be justified for me. I do own and older Gibson which is a fine instrument, but I also have several Epiphones that are amazing. My 2 Eastmans are cream of the crop! The best guitars are the ones that you the player bond with regardless of their birthplace.
@@zamedoeswtever5267 Most of my guitars were made elsewhere, Korea, Mexico,etc. China has taken over our commerce which is sad so I boycott them any chance I get. I did finally purchase a made in USA guitar, yay!
I purchased one of these from Sweetwater (the blue one) and returned it. Please understand I own a couple dozen high quality electric guitars, so my perspective is different than most buyers. It is a good guitar, but a huge difference in quality from a PRS core instrument. (I own 3 + an S2) . The S2 is also better quality. I am not prejudiced to guitars made in China, I a have owned some good ones. The neck was not to my linking and I didn't like the pickups. Note: none of my PRS guitars have 58/15 pickups). I also own Gibson 335 which I also like better. Just another opinion. I play rock and blues music mostly. Great review Phillip!
Mr McKnight! I'm a huge fan and long time subscriber, love what you do man. I don't mean this as an actual criticism, but rather as my opinion of one aspect of your review. I realize your thinking must have been that everyone who would be interested in this guitar would likely be jazz or blues players for the most part, so you should only demo it with clean tones, but it would have been nice to hear at least a bit of a crunchy or classic rock sound for the sake of showing if its versatile enough to pull it off. Cheers and be well!
I want someone to make hard rubber F-hole plugs like they make for acoustic guitars sound holes . I’m sure the SE will sound great gained up. I have a very sweet 1981 ( es335copy but better) Yamaha SA2000 with EMGs , egads 😜 I know. Sounds incredible, but the feedback is a problem at moderate higher volumes . This SE looks even better to me . Lighter, smaller at least .
Philip Merrihew . Ya got me there . 😉 I must admit that I also used to stuff my F-holes with polyester batting or foam rubber ...... it really helps with the annoying yowling feedback
I have an SE hollowbody standard. It takes a surprising amount of gain. Remember, these are true hollowbodies with laminated bodies. Think of it as a more hollow 335 with greater midrange clarity. Linkin Park uses a carved top version of this. No shortage of gain there.
Thanks for demoing this PRS. I have been considering buying one. I own PRS guitars and have been wanting to buy a hollow body but was not sure how they sound. Well, this was a game changer. Definitely going to buy one now. Thanks again.
I think "acoustic electric" has become (or is very close to becoming) its own sound. What I mean is, it has a uniquely blended, "not-pure-electric/not-pure-acoustic-but-a-healthy-dash-of-both" thing going on that has a lot of really nice musical applications. Lots of players are blending acoustic and electric tones and piezo-based systems really offer a lot of ease and practicality there. And even though they don't *quite* sound like a true mic'd-up acoustic (which seems to be the usual criticism about piezos) modern piezo systems seem to deliver enough of that woody, acoustic vibe that even the lay listener gets the difference.
Hoobastank used the hollow body II to play the song “Running Away” live when they needed to go from an acoustic sound to full distortion. It’s not a true acoustic sound but makes for a great live performance guitar when playing songs from acoustic to distortion.
It's great to see a Cort build defy the slanted economic racism of a Chinese built guitar. When the brand puts the money and effort into a quality product, Cort delivers. PRS SE and ESP LTD top field in international builds and exceed expectations on most every build. Some absolute gems coming out of Vietnam as well. Great video Phillip, thanks.. Stay safe and well ✌️
@@HalfDeadGeezers That's entirely your choice to make, but it wasn't my point. For example, a large well known brand contracts the very slightest of builds and its labelled "Chinese crap" instead of "so and so big name just built 2 million of the shittiest guitars to ever generate a carbon footprint". The list is growing for quality built guitars from China and other international builders, in my experienced opinion, this PRS SE build is a perfect example of that point. Stay safe and well ✌️
This is my favorite guitar I have ever owned. I. Don’t use the piezo pickup as much as I should but this one sounds amazing. Mesa boogie amp. It’s the sound I have been searching for for 20 years. I bought the non piezo red one and put some Seymour Duncan antiquity pickups in them but then got the blue one and I can’t say enough good things about them. Love the stock pickups. The feel is great. They look beautiful.
The nut is drilled out near the end of completion at the Indonesia factory, and in the USA factory they're done closer to the beginning. They use a machine that cuts the slot in both at both factories.
Beautiful looking and sounding guitar indeed! I'm in the market ( more like toying with the idea ) of getting a hollow bodied guitar. But, I am still somewhat mixed on which one I would want or which one would be the BEST. Been thinking about Epiphone 335 or a Gretch type similar to a 335 or the PRS. Maybe all 3.😆😆😆😆 I see my comment is 4 yrs too late. But I have been going through all your older videos; since I have started to watch your VERY interesting videos for about 4 months now. Cool stuff Phil!!
I have a Custom 24 Koa top made in Korea, paid 799, then added locking tuners, an original PRS nut, a John Mann PRS bridge and a set of Fishman's Tosin Abasi and this guitar is still cheaper than the equivalent S2 model while looks and sounds better. DOn't know if the Indonesian craftmanship is as good as the korean, what's your opinion on this Phillip?
Face it, the guitars made in China, Vietnam, Indonesia etc. are damn good, well made guitars. They are no longer cheap useless junk. I love mine a lot! I'm saving for one of these new PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo starting now! Great review. Thanks, Phil!
This looks like a really cool guitar! Still think a pre-owned S2 is the best price point within Paul Reed Smith. Many are going for under a grand on Reverb.
you can get a semi hollow s2 but not a full hollow body... the s2s are nice, but i would argue they were overpriced.. s2's still feel like a cheaper PRS.
I owned a 2016 S2 Standard 24 for about a year, bought it new. This one was the older pickups, before they moved to the 85/15 "S" pickups. I never clicked with this one, which is why I didn't hold onto it very long. It had a satin finish, which was awesome, but the guitar just didn't feel as good as some of the other PRS I've owned, mostly SEs.
Thanks for yet another interesting and informative review! It's worth remembering that although these guitars are made in China, they're not Chinese. You have a USA company (PRS) outsourcing to a Korean company (Cort) and both companies building in China because they can cut costs but retain build quality. There's nothing rogue or risky about these guitars. Re the price point, I think the involvement of Baggs' R&D probably pushed up the price, as the involvement of Presonus in Fender's Acoustasonics
It's a beautiful guitar, I have had a thing for the core version for years. Really love the flame maple binding. So torn over the price which in Canada is over 2K .
I had an Epiphone LP Ultra 3 that was basically the same thing. The Epi also had a USB port for direct input into my computer. I didn’t see one on the PRS. As you said, it’s what you can afford.
I have same one in Peacock blue. I had reservations about the SE line in the past. However, the Hollowbody guitars got my vote. I have Se Hollowbody Standard and Se Hollowbody Piezo. No regrets. Totally impressed and satisfied. Mind you I already have 4 other PRS guitars. Thanks for the review as always.
For years I've been looking for a hollow body and this guitar hits all the sweet spots. First of all, I'm a smaller guy so most of the standard jazz type hollow bodies just felt too big and bulky. They just weren't comfortable for me to play. In addition, I've always had issues with the limited reach when playing in higher positions on a lot of hollow bodies. This is not an issue on this guitar. The entire finger board is easily accessible. And lastly, I've always had issues with the way a lot of hollow bodies felt..... and by that I mean they just felt cheap and flimsy. This guitar has a good solid feel without feeling like an anchor around your neck; and by the way, is not neck heavy like other hollow bodies. But the Crème de la crème of this guitar is it's sound and feel. This guitar has become my first choice to play...... so much so that I'm considering liquidating my collection and buying a second as a back up.
@@src248 How do you figure? Core tuners, core nut, core bridge, better finish, same 58/15 S pickups, better quality woods, made in the PRS factory.. go up to the other S2 McCartys and you get a real maple top not just a veneer. Not saying the SE isn't a nice guitar. I mean, I wouldn't turn down a free one, but for me the S2 is way more appealing at that price
@@sirhc2242 Bone nut, maple binding top and back, full hollow (which does cost more to produce), ebony board, real abalone inlays, the piezo pickup.... I did forget that the 594 use a different bridge and finish than the rest of the S2 line. So not EVERY spec, I was wrong on that but overall the spec is crazy good (as is the build quality, going by the standard I played compared to my Core)
Excellent review Phillip. I've had a chance to play this model. The neck felt chunkier than what I prefer, but the tones of this piezo model was fantastic. The quality build was flawless and really pretty. I haven't bought one yet. I'm banking on finding a used one in great condition. Being 'Made in China' will devalue in 6 months to a year. I can't justify the $1500.00 expenditure for China made. Keep making your fantastic Vids. I really appreciate them and you. Cheers!
I wouldn't swop this for My similar looking Schecter C-1 E/A, which also has piezo. I've had it modded with Grover locking tuners, Bareknuckle Abraxas pickups, Seymour Duncan triple shot on both pickups, Varnish removed from the neck and just about to fit a Duesenberg Les Trem II. It's an Awesome sounding (and looking) guitar.
Great review. The PRS SE Hollowbody II with piezo sounds fantastic. I just purchased one from Guitar Center today. Although they are currently out of stock, I am anxiously waiting for its arrival. I am sure this will wind up being my main guitar over my Gibson LP, Strat and Tele.
Thank you for the review. I love the SEs and I'm a veteran player who has owned and played many premium instruments. I absolutely have been made into an exclusive prs player. I love the sound of this instrument and likely will purchase one. My only wish is to have a wide thin neck. Thanks for the review again and thank you prs.
I don't own a core, maybe never will. The closest I'll probably come is my 2017 CE24, which I bought new old stock 2 years ago and has been my go-to for live playing. I just purchased one of these yesterday, and it absolutely lives up to the hype and the good reviews. Maybe the "new guitar smell" will wear off, but for now it's the king of my herd.
I have an Eastman that's made in China. Best guitar I've ever had and I've owned several Gibson's. some of the craftsmen there are awesome. As long as they haven't dumbed down the components I really wouldn't worry
Probably been done before but I can't find it in any of your vids but... How about a comparison of low to mid range semi hollow guitars with both piezo AND magnetic pickups (like the one here or the Schecter C1E/A, etc). Never seen a comparison of these types of guitars. We all know the EB Petrucci sounds great at 3-6k but what about the mid to low end piezo magnetic guitars. ...?
thanks for the review you did something that nobody does you made a money comparison to how many guitars for the price of a core se over the years are pretty good quality wise i would like you to make a review on the zach myers very curious of what you think of it .............i bought that guitar because of the neck finish and shape thanks again keep it up i really enjoy the brainiac picking of gear that you are doing
Could not agree more on the subject of sub-brands! I buy Epiphone “Limited Editions” which usually come with Gibson electronics! My latest came with a Ebony fretboard Gibson pickups. I got it for around $700.00. Sounds great, one of my favorite guitars!!!
Very interesting - in the other PRS hollow body video you did I was thinking that the hotter pickups were not making sufficient use of the tone from the wood - in that video you had played the guitar dry at the end with no amp, that's when I realized. But this one with the piezo definitely does. It is possible to have both?
I purchased a PRS SE Custom 24 earlier this year. I love it! When Phil showed the 1 Core model compared to the 5 models. I think to keep in mind with overseas guitars the new price point is great but the used/resale drops way more than the American more expensive models. That's the case whether its PRS, Gibson, Fender or other American made companies and models. I don't buy guitars as a investment, I buy them to play and get the best value. That's why I love the PRS SE Custom 24. A brand new guitar for $600 that plays, feels and sounds like a $2K or $3K guitar. But if you are looking for something to hold it's value years from now, then those American models would be a better fit.
Nice to see piezos starting to pop up again! They fell under the radar since early 2000s I believe. I have an Ibanez s2020 with piezo Floyd and I love it! For someone who is thinking about buying a guitar with piezos, the sound is worth every penny^^
I've bought two core PRS's for about $2200 each. I made it by buying about 15 years old used ones. PRS's won't go bad and I'm skilled enough to do a variety of repairs if necessary (in these cases, didn't need to). So, if you want a core, buy used one.
You can buy a new AMERICAN MADE PRS S2 for anywhere from the same price as this thing to a couple hundred more. You can also find a fully loaded usedusa made JP6 (also has a piezo) in great condition for this price. 1500 for a chinese guitar hell no. Maybe an eastman but not a mass produced prs se guitar.
Adan Ibarra Gomez no sir The S2's are 100% made in the US , fret work, body and finish. but the hardware (tuners ,nut,pots pickups) are asian. aside from the piezo pretty much everything on this guitar is also chinese made. Not saying this is a bad guitar (never played a bad SE) but theres cheaper better options if you want a piezo loaded guitar. You probably had to get you guitar woked on because plastic nuts suck no matter where they are assembled.
Yes this is the way to present this guitar. Thank You! Since yesterday I have exactly this beauty at my home. She is perfekt. I love the piezosound mixed with a little magnetic pickup`s. I thank God and the chinese workers for making this possible.
Hey Phillip, I posted basically this same comment on your Tremol-No video, but I don't know if you'd see that so I wanted to post it here as well, and maybe I'll ask during one of your live Q&A's if I'm available at the time you're doing one. Is there any way you would be able to do an update about how the Tremol-No is holding up? I've been wanting one for a long time, and now I'm finally in the market to actually buy guitar upgrades, but I've seen some reviews of the Tremol-No that are less than desirable. Things about it not working, how the screws aren't a tight enough fit, how it rattles and won't clamp on properly, no matter how level it is with your trem block, etc. I'm surprised to see that there are very few credible guitar gear reviewers on youtube talking about the Tremol-No, considering how many problems it promises to fix, and so if you could provide an update with any issues you may have had using one, that'd be absolutely wonderful. Thanks!
Another option though is buy used. I have several high end PRS including some rarer models. They are typically half the price if not more. I have a great single cut Mcarty with 10 top and P90. New it's about 5k I bought used for 2100. You just have to be willing to wait for right one to come along.
I want to buy one of these, but I am also thinking about buying am appropriate amplifier for it, such as a Roland JC-22 that has two independent channels and speakers so I can feed the piezo into one and the electric into the other. I wish I could find a tube amp for this though.
Probably a stupid request, but I would love to see a sharpen my ace video that shows how to change knobs for push-pulls on a hollow body guitar like this one. No cavity cover, I supposed you have to remove the pickups to have access to the electronics??
I've had mine for some months now & cannot fault this guitar. I was rather dubious of the Chinese workmanship, but honestly I cannot fault any of the workmanship. It plays & sounds great. The only thing I think is a little cheap looking is the battery compartment for the piezo system. I sold Taylor T5z pro to buy this guitar as the Taylor (a brilliant guitar I might add) did not quite have a good enough acoustic sound for me. China have been making great guitars for years "Eastman" to mention but one brand, so it really depends on the capability and QC of any production line. It looks like PRS have got both these points spot on. A great guitar for the money in my opinion.
Solid review - question about the jack wiring - if you're plugged into the magnetic-only jack for the humbuckers, does the mix/piezo jack then become piezo-only? That would seem to be the logical arrangement, but I haven't seen anyone mention that in a review of this guitar.
If you can live without the affectations of a flame maple cap, bird inlays and a bound neck, the S2 is the way to go. They're flat-out amazing guitars.
Don't forget the hollowbody and piezo part... You'd have to live without those on the S2 line as well. And then you factor in the weird body carve on the S2 guitars...
The semi hollows are half the price. I just can't justify paying twice as much for one more pickup and more cutout. Also switching from Korea to China may rub some the wrong way.
I noticed if you upgrade the tuners to se locking tuners the posts are copper - can you upgrade the stoptail on this as well? What would you recommend for that?
Miguel V. I have to partially agree.. The Piezo sounds good, but is “typically” Piezo, meaning by default on the trebly side. So unless you have a really good acoustic amp or acoustic preamp, you’re kind of stuck in that default quakiness. All three models are first rate guitars. But full acoustic mode is not really worth the extra $300-$400..
Easily done, since there is a dedicated piezo out. If you only had the blended option (as some piezo equipped guitars do), it would be much tougher (or you would have to tap dance when switching).
These must be really good because they are totally unavailable, even at the new 1600.00 price point. Might find a blue one here and there, but the tobacco burst is hard to come by! Likely floating somewhere on the Pacific in a shipping container.
Honestly, I was considering a Zach Myers to replace a Gibson Les Paul I never got on with, but this ticks so many boxes - it's acoustic enough for noodling on the sofa without an amp, it does the piezo thing (can ditch my old Ibanez electro-acoustic), it's gorgeous to look at (which means the wife won't object to it being left in the lounge on a stand) and it has a great sound. This could well be the best all-round guitar on a cost-to-performance basis on the market. Andertons in the UK have them on offer at £749 at the moment and I'm trying to sell enough body parts to pick one up before the price goes up - at that money, it's literally a steal.
Phillip weare do I get the push pull kits to coil-splitting for prs Se-Hollowbody from watt supplier I'm in Ireland but cen order from USA supplier as I have order guitar from the states hope to hear back thanks
Phill, these types of guitar, seem to do a BETTER acoustic piezo sound than a proper acoustic guitar that has an piezo system in it. Maybe it's the thicker wood top. I have heard fully solid 'acoustics', & they sounded better also. Nowhere near as 'clanky' sounding, with better low end resonance, and more 'woody'! I am guessing the piezo in these is PASSIVE yes? Good demo!
@@andrewrepp2973 Oh ok, I did NOT see that, and Phil did not mention it! Just has a flat preamp then, no active tone controls like on an acoustic with a 3 band. Cheers for that!
I wish this was made in the Indonesian factory instead of China. I really want the Indonesian factory to expand their lineup and start adding "piezo" or "premium" versions for some of their existing models like the CEs, Customs, or the McCarty. Ever since Epiphone dropped the ball on the Alex Lifeson piezo model, I've been hoping PRS would come out with an affordable piezo model. If they came out with a piezo version of the Singlecut McCarty 594 and added a tremolo to it, I would buy that so fast. This Hollowbody is nice for what it is, but for 1,500, man I wish PRS SE would just offer additional model variations of their other guitars at that price point. Make "SE piezo" versions of existing models, just add a piezo system to any of the existing guitars, charge a higher price and sell it as a totally separate offering. Same colors and everything. But they should also offer "SE Premium" options that come stock with locking tuners and US pickups and/or a hard case. I'm sure there are those who would rather get the upgrades out of the box than to have to do it themselves later. And PRS could even use that as an opportunity to bring some exclusive (much-desired) colors to the SE line. For example, keep the current SE Singlecut McCarty 594s and their color options for 800-900 bucks, but also offer the SE Premium version that costs more with US pickups, locking tuners, maybe even a hard case, all for 1,300-1,500 dollars and you'd also get some exclusive color like the McCarty burst finish, or the Honest Gold Burst finish for example which are usually only found on the higher end PRSs. I'm just using the McCarty as an example but I hope that makes sense. It would really flesh out the PRS SE line up with tons of offerings anywhere from $500-$1500. Because once you spend over 1,500 dollars, chances are you're getting an S2 or something else anyways.
Totally agree about buying several PRS SE guitars for the price of one core. I have one core custom 24... and it sounds really great. But I also have a ce 24, and a se Chris Robertson. I also previously had an se 245. If you get a good one... I think the se guitars I've had sound every bit as my core... but have a different tone. If you want the core 24 tone you have to buy the core... since the CE doesn't sound at all like the core. The SE Chris Robertson actually sounds and feels more like the core line though. I also give the Korean PRS guitars to be better built and way higher level than the Indonesian or Chinese ones hands down. I've never played the hollow body piezo but really want to. At the end of the day there's not need to fork out the big bucks for a core unless there is a specific tone you are after... because the se guitars sound just as good just different...or if you are vain guitar collector like me that had money to burn and just wants a few good expensive collectors pieces in their connection... but again I play my se guitar just as much. Maybe the flame on top isn't as pretty... and it has Asian components but close your eyes and play and you would never know the difference. Now but all se guitars are great... such as the se 24 kind of sucks oddly compared to both the core and CE... just looks and feels like cheap toy in comparison...
Phillip, based in part on your review and a few others, I picked one up. (one local mom and pop store had a brown burst on hand.) I could not be more pleased with this guitar. Honestly I have had two other SE models and didn't keep either. This guitar sits perfectly in our band mix, whether I am on the piezo or the mags. Very pleased. Thanks for the video.
Michael McCartney yeah I got the SE Hollowbody ll, no piezo, although I tried it. All I want to say is that these guitars are really not like a good portion of the
other SE models, made in Indonesia. Although many SE models are good guitars, you can’t just in general take one out of it’s case, tune it up, make some minor adjustments, and now off to a gig. Supposedly PRS looks at even all offshore guitars before they reach buyers or sellers. I don’t know....I’ve seen too
many fair/poor nuts, fret dressing and crowning needed, serious tuning issues, etc.. But these SE Hollows, they are of a different stripe, little or no adjusting
out of the box.I think because of the “core” hollows, Paul knew he must get reasonably close to the “Core”, and he has. No 10 tops or caps instead of veneers, but regardless the SE hollows are built to a very high standard, and you’re getting a professional grade instrument. No need to swap anything out,
although some have said why not the push-pull single coils ?? Well the “Cores” didn’t have them, and there is a large range of sounds anyway.
I'll buy this one in the next few days. Great video, Phillip. Thanks!
I've had mine a week now and absolutely love it.
How fat is that neck?
Aaron Short Music On the Piezo model the neck is just slightly thicker than the usual “wide/fat”. But you’re still not looking at a 59’ Gibson baseball bat andif you have tried some PRS “wide-fats” you really need small hands for problems.. But don’t count out PRS technically, actually try the guitar out, PRS
does a lot of other things to improve playability
I own the SE Hollowbody II Piezo and it has become my desert island guitar. The fit & finish are perfect. the sound is incredible. It was worth every penny and I'm a proud owner. Thanks Phil for the great and honest review.
Do you still enjoy it? Thinking about getting one but have been on the fence for a while. But the price has recently dropped to 1200
Waiting for mine to arrive, I am so looking forward to it, I recently bought a new PRS SE Tonare and I am blown away by the quality and sound, I have a Korean Custom 24, again a great guitar for the money and now this will be my 3rd PRS, I think I am hooked! Your review has made the wait even worse! Keep up the no nonsense reviews, they are always informative. Thanks :-)
Just got my beautiful Peacock Blue HBII, Piezo, and couldn't be happier. It plays beautifully, and it's gorgeous. Perfect action out of the box. The one I initially played in the store had kinda high action, but that is an easy fix. I did put the locking tuners on, which were on sale for $65. My new favorite
I was trying to come up with a smart comment but theres nothing smarter than the design of a PRS.
Great video, as always
Nothing indeed! That's why I own nine of them. Best guitars ever.
@@DiscoScottie dude 9?!?
@@lorenzodappiano4502 - LOL yep! Five original EG models from '90/91, a '91 CE24, a '97 Custom 22, an '07 Mira and a Tremonti SE. I've got other brands as well but PRS has been my #1 for 30 years.
@@lorenzodappiano4502 Dude its like crack. Just want them all. lol
Bought one about a month ago... an amazing experience if I can say anything about it. My only complaint is that the flame maple binding is a bit distracting while I'm playing. If I look at the guitar at all, it seems to shimmer and shine. I find myself forgetting what I was just playing. I'm still getting used to it though... I'm sure it'll fade, but my GOD it's a beautiful guitar. I've hardly had to tune it, and I'm so amazed at the variety of tone. Blending the piezo and mag pickups puts me right where I've always wanted to play. Since I got it, i've played more than ever before and I feel so confident in my playing.... it's hard to describe. If you've always wanted a core PRS hollowbody, you might want to check one out.
"Since I got it, I've played more than ever before and I feel so confident in my playing.... it's hard to describe."
Same here......
Possibly the best guitar PRS have ever released under the SE range. The finish on mine is flawless, the binding is beautiful, the pickups are very good as is the Piezo. Running the Piezo through a quality acoustic amplifier simultaneously with the magnetic pickups through a quality valve amplifier produces such a great tone. Bone nut is good, fretboard and inlays are good.
The standard tuning heads are a bit rubbish, and I'm not that impressed with the PRS SE locking tuners either which I have on my SE Santana Singlcut and SE Custom 24 models. So I fitted Hipshot open gear locking tuners to this guitar and they're a huge upgrade. I've also had mine Plek'd and professionally set up and that's just elevated it to the next level. With a capi at 1st fret and holding down the low E at the 12th I've got .004 clearance and no fret buzz. It plays beautifully.
The only other feature that's not great are the knobs which look and feel cheap by comparison with those on my core model Custom 22. Core model knobs are a crazy price too for some plastic which is a shame as the appearance could be enhanced dramatically with core model tone and volume control knobs. So some relatively cheap black and gold speedknobs have been fitted and I think they look a whole lot better than the amber PRS offerings.
I've had four SE models and a Core Custom 22 and this is by far the best SE I've seen and played. It's very close to core level at a fraction of the price.
I purchased the same exact SE Piezo you just reviewed. Mine was as close to perfect as one could hope for. The tone and playability are above reproach as is the workmanship. I am not a “brand snob”. I would like to buy US made products, however, the price differential cannot be justified for me. I do own and older Gibson which is a fine instrument, but I also have several Epiphones that are amazing. My 2 Eastmans are cream of the crop! The best guitars are the ones that you the player bond with regardless of their birthplace.
Too soon to tell. Have the guitar a couple of weeks only
I cannot bring myself to pay that for China made. I am trying to boycott China
@@Deribinkle then you may render to buy basically nothing lol, or at least most of them cost a huge fortune out of China
@@zamedoeswtever5267 Most of my guitars were made elsewhere, Korea, Mexico,etc. China has taken over our commerce which is sad so I boycott them any chance I get. I did finally purchase a made in USA guitar, yay!
I purchased one of these from Sweetwater (the blue one) and returned it. Please understand I own a couple dozen high quality electric guitars, so my perspective is different than most buyers. It is a good guitar, but a huge difference in quality from a PRS core instrument. (I own 3 + an S2) . The S2 is also better quality. I am not prejudiced to guitars made in China, I a have owned some good ones. The neck was not to my linking and I didn't like the pickups. Note: none of my PRS guitars have 58/15 pickups). I also own Gibson 335 which I also like better. Just another opinion. I play rock and blues music mostly. Great review Phillip!
Mr McKnight! I'm a huge fan and long time subscriber, love what you do man. I don't mean this as an actual criticism, but rather as my opinion of one aspect of your review. I realize your thinking must have been that everyone who would be interested in this guitar would likely be jazz or blues players for the most part, so you should only demo it with clean tones, but it would have been nice to hear at least a bit of a crunchy or classic rock sound for the sake of showing if its versatile enough to pull it off. Cheers and be well!
I want someone to make hard rubber F-hole plugs like they make for acoustic guitars sound holes . I’m sure the SE will sound great gained up. I have a very sweet 1981 ( es335copy but better) Yamaha SA2000 with EMGs , egads 😜 I know. Sounds incredible, but the feedback is a problem at moderate higher volumes . This SE looks even better to me . Lighter, smaller at least .
@@michaeltaylors2456 Something just doesn't sound right about rubber F hole plugs....
Philip Merrihew . Ya got me there . 😉
I must admit that I also used to stuff my F-holes with polyester batting or foam rubber ...... it really helps with the annoying yowling feedback
I have an SE hollowbody standard. It takes a surprising amount of gain. Remember, these are true hollowbodies with laminated bodies. Think of it as a more hollow 335 with greater midrange clarity. Linkin Park uses a carved top version of this. No shortage of gain there.
@@michaeltaylors2456 My "thumbs up" is for your Yamaha SA2000!
Excellent review and a gorgeous, reasonably priced guitar. I have now seen three reviews of this guitar and want it.
Got one from Sweetwater in December. Love it. Very versatile. Looks great, plays geat, sounds great. Serious bang for the buck.
Thanks for demoing this PRS. I have been considering buying one. I own PRS guitars and have been wanting to buy a hollow body but was not sure how they sound. Well, this was a game changer. Definitely going to buy one now. Thanks again.
I think "acoustic electric" has become (or is very close to becoming) its own sound. What I mean is, it has a uniquely blended, "not-pure-electric/not-pure-acoustic-but-a-healthy-dash-of-both" thing going on that has a lot of really nice musical applications. Lots of players are blending acoustic and electric tones and piezo-based systems really offer a lot of ease and practicality there. And even though they don't *quite* sound like a true mic'd-up acoustic (which seems to be the usual criticism about piezos) modern piezo systems seem to deliver enough of that woody, acoustic vibe that even the lay listener gets the difference.
Hoobastank used the hollow body II to play the song “Running Away” live when they needed to go from an acoustic sound to full distortion. It’s not a true acoustic sound but makes for a great live performance guitar when playing songs from acoustic to distortion.
I bought one of these the beginning of last week after doing a bit of research. Should arrive either tomorrow or the day after. I'm excited. :D
It's great to see a Cort build defy the slanted economic racism of a Chinese built guitar. When the brand puts the money and effort into a quality product, Cort delivers. PRS SE and ESP LTD top field in international builds and exceed expectations on most every build. Some absolute gems coming out of Vietnam as well. Great video Phillip, thanks.. Stay safe and well ✌️
Economic racism..... human rights violations....... I don't see the difference either if I want a particular guitar.
@@HalfDeadGeezers That's entirely your choice to make, but it wasn't my point. For example, a large well known brand contracts the very slightest of builds and its labelled "Chinese crap" instead of "so and so big name just built 2 million of the shittiest guitars to ever generate a carbon footprint". The list is growing for quality built guitars from China and other international builders, in my experienced opinion, this PRS SE build is a perfect example of that point. Stay safe and well ✌️
@@gmichaelhall You too. ✌️
Wow Phil, that sounds so nice, you are an amazing player, amazing video
Yes, I did spend a lot for my PRS but I do not regret it at all! These new SE's look awesome.
This is my favorite guitar I have ever owned. I. Don’t use the piezo pickup as much as I should but this one sounds amazing. Mesa boogie amp. It’s the sound I have been searching for for 20 years. I bought the non piezo red one and put some Seymour Duncan antiquity pickups in them but then got the blue one and I can’t say enough good things about them. Love the stock pickups. The feel is great. They look beautiful.
The nut is drilled out near the end of completion at the Indonesia factory, and in the USA factory they're done closer to the beginning. They use a machine that cuts the slot in both at both factories.
These are made in China, not Indonesia.
Beautiful looking and sounding guitar indeed! I'm in the market ( more like toying with the idea ) of getting a hollow bodied guitar. But, I am still somewhat mixed on which one I would want or which one would be the BEST. Been thinking about Epiphone 335 or a Gretch type similar to a 335 or the PRS. Maybe all 3.😆😆😆😆 I see my comment is 4 yrs too late. But I have been going through all your older videos; since I have started to watch your VERY interesting videos for about 4 months now. Cool stuff Phil!!
Nice review Phillip. I have a PRS SE Hollowbody II Tri-color and love it.
I have a Custom 24 Koa top made in Korea, paid 799, then added locking tuners, an original PRS nut, a John Mann PRS bridge and a set of Fishman's Tosin Abasi and this guitar is still cheaper than the equivalent S2 model while looks and sounds better. DOn't know if the Indonesian craftmanship is as good as the korean, what's your opinion on this Phillip?
Another great Demo Phillip , mine is being delivered tomorrow in the same black gold as your demo model .
Face it, the guitars made in China, Vietnam, Indonesia etc. are damn good, well made guitars. They are no longer cheap useless junk. I love mine a lot! I'm saving for one of these new PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo starting now! Great review. Thanks, Phil!
This looks like a really cool guitar! Still think a pre-owned S2 is the best price point within Paul Reed Smith. Many are going for under a grand on Reverb.
you can get a semi hollow s2 but not a full hollow body... the s2s are nice, but i would argue they were overpriced.. s2's still feel like a cheaper PRS.
I owned a 2016 S2 Standard 24 for about a year, bought it new. This one was the older pickups, before they moved to the 85/15 "S" pickups. I never clicked with this one, which is why I didn't hold onto it very long. It had a satin finish, which was awesome, but the guitar just didn't feel as good as some of the other PRS I've owned, mostly SEs.
S2 single cut is also calling me .. stupid nice
Got a mint S2 Vela for $650 by local seller
No way are you getting the S2 Piezo hollow badly for under a grand anywhere. A basic S2 maybe, but apples to apples please!
Thanks for yet another interesting and informative review! It's worth remembering that although these guitars are made in China, they're not Chinese. You have a USA company (PRS) outsourcing to a Korean company (Cort) and both companies building in China because they can cut costs but retain build quality. There's nothing rogue or risky about these guitars. Re the price point, I think the involvement of Baggs' R&D probably pushed up the price, as the involvement of Presonus in Fender's Acoustasonics
This guy always wanted me to spend my money! Another awesome review from you man!
Hey Philip ever thought about doing a video where you upgrade the guitar? Locking tuners and add coil split!
Tremendous value. I've got one of the SE Paul's Guitars, and the quality and playability is great. I'm really itching for one of these now.
It's a beautiful guitar, I have had a thing for the core version for years. Really love the flame maple binding. So torn over the price which in Canada is over 2K .
Superb review 👌
Can you post a close pic of the stop tail bridge. Just to see to compare the pole with my guitar - I doubt mine is bit tilted …
I had an Epiphone LP Ultra 3 that was basically the same thing. The Epi also had a USB port for direct input into my computer. I didn’t see one on the PRS. As you said, it’s what you can afford.
I have same one in Peacock blue. I had reservations about the SE line in the past. However, the Hollowbody guitars got my vote. I have Se Hollowbody Standard and Se Hollowbody Piezo. No regrets. Totally impressed and satisfied. Mind you I already have 4 other PRS guitars. Thanks for the review as always.
For years I've been looking for a hollow body and this guitar hits all the sweet spots. First of all, I'm a smaller guy so most of the standard jazz type hollow bodies just felt too big and bulky. They just weren't comfortable for me to play. In addition, I've always had issues with the limited reach when playing in higher positions on a lot of hollow bodies. This is not an issue on this guitar. The entire finger board is easily accessible. And lastly, I've always had issues with the way a lot of hollow bodies felt..... and by that I mean they just felt cheap and flimsy. This guitar has a good solid feel without feeling like an anchor around your neck; and by the way, is not neck heavy like other hollow bodies. But the Crème de la crème of this guitar is it's sound and feel. This guitar has become my first choice to play...... so much so that I'm considering liquidating my collection and buying a second as a back up.
Such a beauty! Thanks for the review Phil!!
Very nice playing Phil. Have a great 4th of July!
The price is just nuts imo. It cost more then the S2 594 Thinline.. It's a nice instrument, but not at that price
Agreed... for this money I would just be buying the maple cap 594
The S2 specs are worse in literally every way and these are incredibly well made.
@@src248 How do you figure? Core tuners, core nut, core bridge, better finish, same 58/15 S pickups, better quality woods, made in the PRS factory.. go up to the other S2 McCartys and you get a real maple top not just a veneer. Not saying the SE isn't a nice guitar. I mean, I wouldn't turn down a free one, but for me the S2 is way more appealing at that price
@@sirhc2242 Bone nut, maple binding top and back, full hollow (which does cost more to produce), ebony board, real abalone inlays, the piezo pickup.... I did forget that the 594 use a different bridge and finish than the rest of the S2 line. So not EVERY spec, I was wrong on that but overall the spec is crazy good (as is the build quality, going by the standard I played compared to my Core)
Chris Morash Have you played this guitar? I bet you didn't. It's a higher spec and country of origin doesn't say much about the quality.
Even if the market’s not ready, my body’s ready 🤤
Excellent review Phillip. I've had a chance to play this model. The neck felt chunkier than what I prefer, but the tones of this piezo model was fantastic. The quality build was flawless and really pretty. I haven't bought one yet. I'm banking on finding a used one in great condition. Being 'Made in China' will devalue in 6 months to a year. I can't justify the $1500.00 expenditure for China made. Keep making your fantastic Vids. I really appreciate them and you. Cheers!
So...which "Made in 'X' " would you pay $1,500 for a piezo model with "fantastic tones" and a "flawless, really pretty build quality?"
I wouldn't swop this for My similar looking Schecter C-1 E/A, which also has piezo. I've had it modded with Grover locking tuners, Bareknuckle Abraxas pickups, Seymour Duncan triple shot on both pickups, Varnish removed from the neck and just about to fit a Duesenberg Les Trem II. It's an Awesome sounding (and looking) guitar.
Lovely playing Phil
Great review. The PRS SE Hollowbody II with piezo sounds fantastic. I just purchased one from Guitar Center today. Although they are currently out of stock, I am anxiously waiting for its arrival. I am sure this will wind up being my main guitar over my Gibson LP, Strat and Tele.
Did yours come in yet
Thank you for the review. I love the SEs and I'm a veteran player who has owned and played many premium instruments. I absolutely have been made into an exclusive prs player. I love the sound of this instrument and likely will purchase one. My only wish is to have a wide thin neck. Thanks for the review again and thank you prs.
I don't own a core, maybe never will. The closest I'll probably come is my 2017 CE24, which I bought new old stock 2 years ago and has been my go-to for live playing. I just purchased one of these yesterday, and it absolutely lives up to the hype and the good reviews. Maybe the "new guitar smell" will wear off, but for now it's the king of my herd.
I became an SE fan a couple of years ago. Great quality that I can afford. I plan to buy one of these, or maybe a Zack Myers model
If I had the bucks, I would buy one of these on the strength of this review alone. What a guitar ...
I have an Eastman that's made in China. Best guitar I've ever had and I've owned several Gibson's. some of the craftsmen there are awesome. As long as they haven't dumbed down the components I really wouldn't worry
Probably been done before but I can't find it in any of your vids but... How about a comparison of low to mid range semi hollow guitars with both piezo AND magnetic pickups (like the one here or the Schecter C1E/A, etc). Never seen a comparison of these types of guitars. We all know the EB Petrucci sounds great at 3-6k but what about the mid to low end piezo magnetic guitars. ...?
The PRS here is a true hollowbody, so the Schecter isn't a direct comparison. Maybe an S2 semi-hollow and the Schecter?
thanks for the review you did something that nobody does you made a money comparison to how many guitars for the price of a core se over the years are pretty good quality wise i would like you to make a review on the zach myers very curious of what you think of it .............i bought that guitar because of the neck finish and shape thanks again keep it up i really enjoy the brainiac picking of gear that you are doing
hope to have a hollow body soon to go with my se custom 24 and my se 245
That's my holy trinity of guitars right now. 245, CU24 (35th Ann), and the HBII (no piezo). The last guitar I want is an A40E acoustic.
The piezo system sounds great and the aesthetics are stunning!
Just bought one; got a sweet deal on Reverb for a brand new one! Will let you know what I think once I get it.
Well???
Show you Testing on split coil sounds
and more gain on bridge, neck humbucker
Great review as always. Cool guitar too.
Could not agree more on the subject of sub-brands! I buy Epiphone “Limited Editions” which usually come with Gibson electronics! My latest came with a Ebony fretboard Gibson pickups. I got it for around $700.00. Sounds great, one of my favorite guitars!!!
A great review.
Very informative about "price point" and it's evolution.
Unit costs are becoming a very important factor.
Thanks
Really great video and very informative. Thank you
Always appreciate your honest reviews. No pandering ever,... so you got that goin for you, which is nice.
I’ve just pulled the trigger for one of these,also the locking tuners at £69:00,at Anderton’s.There’s up to a 3 month wait!
Very interesting - in the other PRS hollow body video you did I was thinking that the hotter pickups were not making sufficient use of the tone from the wood - in that video you had played the guitar dry at the end with no amp, that's when I realized. But this one with the piezo definitely does. It is possible to have both?
This is perfect for those who does both acoustic gigs and electric gigs.
I purchased a PRS SE Custom 24 earlier this year. I love it! When Phil showed the 1 Core model compared to the 5 models. I think to keep in mind with overseas guitars the new price point is great but the used/resale drops way more than the American more expensive models. That's the case whether its PRS, Gibson, Fender or other American made companies and models. I don't buy guitars as a investment, I buy them to play and get the best value. That's why I love the PRS SE Custom 24. A brand new guitar for $600 that plays, feels and sounds like a $2K or $3K guitar. But if you are looking for something to hold it's value years from now, then those American models would be a better fit.
Nice to see piezos starting to pop up again! They fell under the radar since early 2000s I believe. I have an Ibanez s2020 with piezo Floyd and I love it! For someone who is thinking about buying a guitar with piezos, the sound is worth every penny^^
I've bought two core PRS's for about $2200 each. I made it by buying about 15 years old used ones. PRS's won't go bad and I'm skilled enough to do a variety of repairs if necessary (in these cases, didn't need to). So, if you want a core, buy used one.
You can buy a new AMERICAN MADE PRS S2 for anywhere from the same price as this thing to a couple hundred more. You can also find a fully loaded usedusa made JP6 (also has a piezo) in great condition for this price. 1500 for a chinese guitar hell no. Maybe an eastman but not a mass produced prs se guitar.
True. You could also buy the ESP LTD EC-1000 Piezo that retails for $500 less as well.
Adan Ibarra Gomez no sir The S2's are 100% made in the US , fret work, body and finish. but the hardware (tuners ,nut,pots pickups) are asian. aside from the piezo pretty much everything on this guitar is also chinese made. Not saying this is a bad guitar (never played a bad SE) but theres cheaper better options if you want a piezo loaded guitar. You probably had to get you guitar woked on because plastic nuts suck no matter where they are assembled.
Yeah I can’t justify buying one
Yes this is the way to present this guitar. Thank You!
Since yesterday I have exactly this beauty at my home. She is perfekt. I love the piezosound mixed with a little magnetic pickup`s. I thank God and the chinese workers for making this possible.
Acoustic tones are crisp, articulated, and very authentic.
That thing sounds amazing!
Beautiful guitar impress very beautiful guitar
Hey Phillip, I posted basically this same comment on your Tremol-No video, but I don't know if you'd see that so I wanted to post it here as well, and maybe I'll ask during one of your live Q&A's if I'm available at the time you're doing one. Is there any way you would be able to do an update about how the Tremol-No is holding up? I've been wanting one for a long time, and now I'm finally in the market to actually buy guitar upgrades, but I've seen some reviews of the Tremol-No that are less than desirable. Things about it not working, how the screws aren't a tight enough fit, how it rattles and won't clamp on properly, no matter how level it is with your trem block, etc. I'm surprised to see that there are very few credible guitar gear reviewers on youtube talking about the Tremol-No, considering how many problems it promises to fix, and so if you could provide an update with any issues you may have had using one, that'd be absolutely wonderful. Thanks!
Another option though is buy used. I have several high end PRS including some rarer models. They are typically half the price if not more. I have a great single cut Mcarty with 10 top and P90. New it's about 5k I bought used for 2100. You just have to be willing to wait for right one to come along.
I want to buy one of these, but I am also thinking about buying am appropriate amplifier for it, such as a Roland JC-22 that has two independent channels and speakers so I can feed the piezo into one and the electric into the other. I wish I could find a tube amp for this though.
I have the PRS SE 24 lefty!! Love it! Will this model be offered as a lefty???
Fingers crossed!!!
Probably a stupid request, but I would love to see a sharpen my ace video that shows how to change knobs for push-pulls on a hollow body guitar like this one. No cavity cover, I supposed you have to remove the pickups to have access to the electronics??
I've had mine for some months now & cannot fault this guitar. I was rather dubious of the Chinese workmanship, but honestly I cannot fault any of the workmanship. It plays & sounds great. The only thing I think is a little cheap looking is the battery compartment for the piezo system. I sold Taylor T5z pro to buy this guitar as the Taylor (a brilliant guitar I might add) did not quite have a good enough acoustic sound for me. China have been making great guitars for years "Eastman" to mention but one brand, so it really depends on the capability and QC of any production line. It looks like PRS have got both these points spot on. A great guitar for the money in my opinion.
Are you sure it's got a bone nut? I just bought one today and the G and B strings keep going out. Very frustrating.
Hey Phil! I see you said it right at the beginning of this video 😃 pē-ā-zō for those who struggle with Latin, Espanyol.
Sounds very nice. Maybe If I get another Guitar at some point I will seriously consider this model thanks for all your input.
Piezo sounds great!
Solid review - question about the jack wiring - if you're plugged into the magnetic-only jack for the humbuckers, does the mix/piezo jack then become piezo-only? That would seem to be the logical arrangement, but I haven't seen anyone mention that in a review of this guitar.
If you can live without the affectations of a flame maple cap, bird inlays and a bound neck, the S2 is the way to go. They're flat-out amazing guitars.
Don't forget the hollowbody and piezo part... You'd have to live without those on the S2 line as well. And then you factor in the weird body carve on the S2 guitars...
@@WarmothGuitarist I prefer the s2 carve actually. Probably won’t be long before this is made for S2.
I have two SE guitars, and a NICE S2. I play the SE's more than the S2 even though they were considerably cheaper. $1400 S2 vs $499 SE and $400 SE
The semi hollows are half the price. I just can't justify paying twice as much for one more pickup and more cutout. Also switching from Korea to China may rub some the wrong way.
Six more pickups technically - there's a piezo pickup on each string.
Got mine 3 days ago. Love it!!
Thanks Phil. I want one! Might need to thin the herd to raise $$ and space for this bad boy.
Beautiful guitar could this guitar be used to play blues type
I noticed if you upgrade the tuners to se locking tuners the posts are copper - can you upgrade the stoptail on this as well? What would you recommend for that?
That piezo really needs a good preamp/EQ. Sounds pretty shrill.
Miguel V. I have to partially agree.. The Piezo sounds good, but is “typically” Piezo, meaning by default on the trebly side. So unless you have a really good
acoustic amp or acoustic preamp, you’re kind of stuck in that default quakiness. All three models are first rate guitars. But full acoustic mode is not really worth the extra $300-$400..
Easily done, since there is a dedicated piezo out. If you only had the blended option (as some piezo equipped guitars do), it would be much tougher (or you would have to tap dance when switching).
These must be really good because they are totally unavailable, even at the new 1600.00 price point. Might find a blue one here and there, but the tobacco burst is hard to come by! Likely floating somewhere on the Pacific in a shipping container.
Honestly, I was considering a Zach Myers to replace a Gibson Les Paul I never got on with, but this ticks so many boxes - it's acoustic enough for noodling on the sofa without an amp, it does the piezo thing (can ditch my old Ibanez electro-acoustic), it's gorgeous to look at (which means the wife won't object to it being left in the lounge on a stand) and it has a great sound. This could well be the best all-round guitar on a cost-to-performance basis on the market. Andertons in the UK have them on offer at £749 at the moment and I'm trying to sell enough body parts to pick one up before the price goes up - at that money, it's literally a steal.
Phillip weare do I get the push pull kits to coil-splitting for prs Se-Hollowbody from watt supplier I'm in Ireland but cen order from USA supplier as I have order guitar from the states hope to hear back thanks
I love the blue one... not cheap but very tempting.
Phill, these types of guitar, seem to do a BETTER acoustic piezo sound than a proper acoustic guitar that has an piezo system in it. Maybe it's the thicker wood top. I have heard fully solid 'acoustics', & they sounded better also. Nowhere near as 'clanky' sounding, with better low end resonance, and more 'woody'!
I am guessing the piezo in these is PASSIVE yes?
Good demo!
The piezo is actually active! There's a 9-volt battery right next to the output jacks.
@@andrewrepp2973 Oh ok, I did NOT see that, and Phil did not mention it! Just has a flat preamp then, no active tone controls like on an acoustic with a 3 band. Cheers for that!
looks awesome. i'm curious as to how this compares (quality-wise) to the Korean SE's.
Better imo. Tried the standard version yesterday, easily the best SE I've played. Neck felt as good as my Core, build quality was fantastic
Great review Phil!
I wish this was made in the Indonesian factory instead of China. I really want the Indonesian factory to expand their lineup and start adding "piezo" or "premium" versions for some of their existing models like the CEs, Customs, or the McCarty. Ever since Epiphone dropped the ball on the Alex Lifeson piezo model, I've been hoping PRS would come out with an affordable piezo model. If they came out with a piezo version of the Singlecut McCarty 594 and added a tremolo to it, I would buy that so fast.
This Hollowbody is nice for what it is, but for 1,500, man I wish PRS SE would just offer additional model variations of their other guitars at that price point. Make "SE piezo" versions of existing models, just add a piezo system to any of the existing guitars, charge a higher price and sell it as a totally separate offering. Same colors and everything. But they should also offer "SE Premium" options that come stock with locking tuners and US pickups and/or a hard case. I'm sure there are those who would rather get the upgrades out of the box than to have to do it themselves later. And PRS could even use that as an opportunity to bring some exclusive (much-desired) colors to the SE line. For example, keep the current SE Singlecut McCarty 594s and their color options for 800-900 bucks, but also offer the SE Premium version that costs more with US pickups, locking tuners, maybe even a hard case, all for 1,300-1,500 dollars and you'd also get some exclusive color like the McCarty burst finish, or the Honest Gold Burst finish for example which are usually only found on the higher end PRSs. I'm just using the McCarty as an example but I hope that makes sense. It would really flesh out the PRS SE line up with tons of offerings anywhere from $500-$1500. Because once you spend over 1,500 dollars, chances are you're getting an S2 or something else anyways.
Totally agree about buying several PRS SE guitars for the price of one core. I have one core custom 24... and it sounds really great. But I also have a ce 24, and a se Chris Robertson. I also previously had an se 245. If you get a good one... I think the se guitars I've had sound every bit as my core... but have a different tone. If you want the core 24 tone you have to buy the core... since the CE doesn't sound at all like the core. The SE Chris Robertson actually sounds and feels more like the core line though. I also give the Korean PRS guitars to be better built and way higher level than the Indonesian or Chinese ones hands down. I've never played the hollow body piezo but really want to. At the end of the day there's not need to fork out the big bucks for a core unless there is a specific tone you are after... because the se guitars sound just as good just different...or if you are vain guitar collector like me that had money to burn and just wants a few good expensive collectors pieces in their connection... but again I play my se guitar just as much. Maybe the flame on top isn't as pretty... and it has Asian components but close your eyes and play and you would never know the difference. Now but all se guitars are great... such as the se 24 kind of sucks oddly compared to both the core and CE... just looks and feels like cheap toy in comparison...