Korgscrew
Group: Super Admins
Posts: 3511
Joined: Dec. 1999 |
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Posted: June 23 2014, 02:42 |
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Ultimately, the best thing is to go somewhere that's got a good selection and try out a whole load of them, then ask yourself the sometimes difficult question of whether your favourite one is worth the price they're asking for it...
I'm not the biggest PRS expert out there, and perhaps not even the biggest PRS expert on the forum...I've not played loads of them, so there's a limit to how much I can help beyond what I've said above...but seeing as I'm here and I've started writing, we'll see what I can come up with to help 
There's a fairly clear divide down the middle of PRS's offerings - on the one side, there are the lower priced SE guitars, made in Korea, and on the other are the models made in the USA. The USA ones can be further divided down into various price bands, from the new-ish S2 range at the lower end, to the Private Stock stuff right at the top.
There's always a law of diminishing returns with guitar prices. It's also fair to say that ornamentation does tend to add a great deal to the price of an instrument, simply because of the time it takes to add it (the actual cost of the materials, like abalone, does factor in as well, but the cost of the materials in an instrument tends to be quite small compared to the cost of turning those into an instrument).
The SE models save money both by being simplified compared to the US models (for example, the tops have a slight curved bevel rather than being fully carved, with a flamed maple veneer rather than being solid flamed maple, saving both on materials and labour costs) and by being built in Korea using cheaper materials. They're decent guitars for the money (or at least they were last I tried one), so if you pick up an SE Custom 24 and it floats your boat, maybe there's no need to look any further! I think there are a few people on the forum who own SEs of various kinds, so maybe they can be persuaded to chip in with an opinion...
The S2s do a similar thing with the tops, so they can be made in the USA for less money than a standard PRS. I've not seen one up close or read much about them, so there may be other differences that I'm not aware of. If you like the slightly more stripped back vibe, you'll probably find them good value and well worth a try.
The full Custom 24 is the one that's closest to what Mike plays, though they've tweaked the features slightly over the years (and the vintage yellow colour that Mike's late 80s PRS has is only available as part of a more pricey Artist Package). It's got the carved maple top and a slightly different switching system - a five way blade as opposed to a three way with coil tap on the tone knob...the five way gives you the chance to have bridge humbucker and neck single coil together, an option not possible with the three way, but takes away the possibility of single coil neck and bridge on their own. You'll have to try them out to decide whether that's a tragic loss, but I'd also say it's ultimately not a hugely important difference, as it's not that difficult to have the guitar rewired if you want something different.
Once you get higher in price than those, you're into the territory of limited editions and Private Stock stuff with particularly ornate decorations and/or more fancy materials. I suspect a fair number of those are bought more as collectors' items than players' instruments and rarely leave their cases, but I'm sure they're fine instruments if you happen to feel like buying one to play!
I suppose if I was buying a PRS as a treat for myself, I'd be looking at the US-made Custom 24...but at somewhere around £2500, you're in the territory where you can find a more local luthier to hand build you something to your spec, which can be a very rewarding experience. All depends on what floats your boat the most, really!
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