PRS SE Custom 24-08 Electric, Vintage Sunburst (107994:VS)

I didn’t know anything about guitars but always wanted to play so I ordered one now that I have the time. The first one I ordered was the Sterling 30ct hss, I kept muting strings next to the ones I was holding on the fret board so I did some research and notice the nut was only 42mm. I returned it and looked for one with a wider nut. This one was recommended in an article as the best beginner electric guitar so I checked out PRS. The Carlos Santana model and the se standard felt good in my hands but I picked this one up because of the price ($795), less than $70 more than the SE standard 24-08. I’ve had it two weeks and the first thing I noticed was that I didn’t have to push down on the string nearly as much as I did with the Sterling. The Sterling was really cutting into my finger tips, which I expected, but this one is not nearly as bad. I’ve learned that is called action and apparently the Sterling has high action and the PRS has low action.. this one is much better. Next thing I noticed is that I wasn’t muting the other string as badly. You wouldnt think less than 1mm would make a difference but it does. I’m still muting some but after 2 weeks of playing with it I’m getting much better at avoiding it. Im glad I got this one as it makes playing a lot more fun and makes it easier to stick with it. Like I said, I don’t know much about guitars but from a newbie point of view the wider string spacing and low action is definitely something to consider. I love this guitar.

Love this PRS. Split coil switches, beautiful tone, a dream to play. This is my go to for anything from lead to rhythm in musical style.

So gorgeous, but was not a fan of the pickups. Got a full setup and swapped the PU’s out for EMG 85 and 89. Also had the faulty PU switch replaced with a switchcraft and replaced the white PU rings with black, and installed the PRS locking tuners.
Playing all kind.of new riffs now.

I own about 40 guitars including multiple American Fenders, Gibsons, Guilds, a Godin, a Kiesel custom ordered guitar, etc etc. (yes I have a sickness 😉 ). This is my first PRS. For a long time I have been eyeing the Core 35th Anniversary models because of their pickups, switching, and coil splitting, but they are 4K and up in price. Hard to justify that price given the guitars I already own, including the Kiesel which in my opinion is very much in the same league with PRS core models (at least the one I have is). But then PRS decided to outfit the SE line with 35th Anniversary configuration in terms of the switching and coil splitting and when I saw this SE in the vintage sunburst finish I had to pull the trigger. I had played some SE models over the last few years at my local box stores and was impressed with the workmanship and the feel and even the electronics. I am not disappointed at all. Fit and finish is perfect. I think even the fretboard edges are rolled. The 25 inch scale is perfect and have had no problem getting used to it from the 25.5 inch Fender scale. The neck is gloss finished but it is still easy playing and my hand does not meet any resistance. I would say it is nearly as comfortable as my Kiesel guitar neck which is a tung oil satin finish and by far the most comfortable playing neck I have ever encountered. The sunburst finish on this guitar is gorgeous. Obviously the flame maple top is a veneer and not a cap like the core models but its more than fine considering this guitar is about 1/5th the price of a Core model. The pickups sound amazing and really this guitar can do any sound from Jazz neck humbucker clean, spanky strat and tele, Les Paul/335, crunch, metal shredding, you name it. I am blown away by how good these pickups sound. This is probably the most versatile guitar you can get for under 1K dollars. I would say if you are a beginner who knows you’re committed to playing guitar for the long hall, this would be a great investment as this is something that you could use even if you became a good enough guitarist to play professionally and it would be the only guitar you’d need to cover multiple genres of music on a gig. This has become my favorite guitar to play and I can’t believe I got it for sub 1K. Another thing that is interesting is that I find that it is very easy to bend strings on this guitar. I don’t know why but it just seems effortless, whereas on most guitars I really have to put some elbow grease into it. I have heard/read some reviews in which people criticize the tuners and the tuning stability. I have not had a problem with the tuners. They are very responsive and easy to turn. They are not locking tuners but I am not a professional and don’t need to change strings after every show. If you don’t change strings often you do not need locking tuners. Locking tuners do nothing for tuning stability, they just make string changes quicker and easier. Any issues with tuning stability can be remedied by putting a lubricant such as nut sauce in the nut slots and on the bridge saddles where the strings make contact, and by stretching out new strings multiple times and retuning.

So, is this on par with a PRS core model? I can’t answer that one honestly because I have never played a core PRS model. I cannot however imagine that any guitar is 5 times better (in terms of functionality, playability, and aesthetics) than this guitar. If 4k for a guitar is in your budget, then go for it. For me I think this gets 80-85% of the way there and so the value is truly amazing. I would readily pay twice the price for this guitar than they are charging for it.

Ok, time to wrap it up, this is a long review, but I am just thrilled with this guitar. Now I am going to stop writing and go play it.