PRS DGT SE - 9 months later
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- Опубліковано 2 лип 2024
- Just how good is the PRS DGT SE? I've had this for 9 months, so in this video, I share my thoughts.
00:00 Into
01:09 Aesthetics
01:57 Balance
02:38 Neck
04:04 Radius
04:34 Controls
06:30 Tremolo
08:41 Tones
10:36 Playability
11:31 Value
14:02 Gripes
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having gigging it a lot for months and also in the studio, can confirm its brilliant, superb at a variety of music in live situations. sounds great and inspiring to play. superb build quality lovely trem and playability, would recommend this to anyone
Which string gauge do you prefer on it?
@@mcadder stuck with 10’s so far. May try 10.5/11s but it’s vibing as it is so will probably let it be! Too much tinkering may change the vibe and it rocks as is and doesn’t affect me live so I’ll live with any minimal bits
Great to see AUSSIE UA-cam reviews and brings everything back home. Me a 2 mates all bought one of these together and absolutely love it. Gold top all the way!! To be honest I now have the whole PRS family….they are stepping ahead of the competition.
I appreciate your clear, helpful ramble. Mine was delivered from Sweetwater two days ago. It is in a closet acclimating and will be for another week or so. Weather swings are crazy and constant here in Georgia this time of year. I put your video in my queue before I ordered mine, but only now did it rise to the top. So, purchase made but still a good and useful review. Thank you. Most shops around Atlanta where down to one, but mostly none for stock.
Good vid. Mine will be here tomorrow and I'm stoked!
Thanks for taking the time to post your opinions on this guitar. I am on the fence about making the purchase. The last PRS SE model I owned didn't work out. I felt as though it was very neck heavy and that made it uncomfortable for me. There are numerous good reviews on this instrument, and for that reason, it still has my interest. Thanks again. Cheers.
Great review and helps answers how different it is from my 3 LPs......2 H:H and the other with P90s. I really like the tone on the neck pickup and your comments on the neck profile.
Great video - informative, interesting, very well produced. I feel like you should have more subscribers! Thank you for making it.
Thank you!
wrong
great video man, nicely done. Your experience with the friction of the tone know compared to the volume is no coïncidence, I tried one and it had that too. I reckon the coil split sound on the neck is great, love that tone. Also, great T-short, That Pedal Show will be happy
Next in the list ! 😊
Waited almost 8 months for this to arrive. Love it. I have a silver sky and custom 24. And to think I could get this quality in my first SE is astounding for the price.
Same combination of guitars in my stable. Amazing instruments, each one.
How do you compare the DGT SE vs Custom 24?
I grabbed myself the Custom 24 SE Quilted Violet (lovely top) and I was gravitating into buying or not this one being the C24 a really versatile instrument.
Great video! I am not a lover of PRS guitars, have never owned one. But this DGT is a gorgeous instrument. The gold top and dot/moon inlays just looks great. If I played more rock music, I would buy one of these in a second.
Greetings, what a great demo and review of the SE DGT. I purchased one pretty soon after the release and it still took almost a year to get it. I agree with the points on your review. I bought so many guitars to be my 1 guitar, that I could gig and play everything my band plays with 1 guitar. This guitar is so well made and well balanced. My band plays primarily radio rock and older 80s pop and dance. I took this guitar out of the box and straight to rehearsal, thwn that weeks gig without a hitch. I played the entire 3 hour show with 1 guitar. Thw wight is wonderdul mine is juat at 8 lbs. The neck is fatter but feels wonderful. Tones are limitless with this beauty, rock, hard rock, blues, pop it does it all beautifully. The only gripe I had was the dark back. I would have preferred to see the grain and not the blackout color, also I don't like that the dark color is all the way back, sides and into the horns....meh
I have had this guitar now for over a year and have a few PRS Core models Custom 22, Custom 24, Fiore, and a CE Custom 24 Semi Hollow. This guitar is my go to and ia not going anywhere
Try a little loc-tite on that screw should keep it from backing out! Great video I’m ordering one today! They run about 1100. To 1200 here in Canada. Cheers!
I have one and really like it. I noticed on mine the nut is cut a little too short. Not so much that it impacts playability. I also have McCarty SE and one of the tone puch-pull pots had a problem and needed to fixed. They are great guitars but not perfect. Still a tremendous value, though! Thanks for the update!
If I already didn’t have a core DGT, I would buy this SE. Great guitar.
0:40 that Steve Lukather lick is so amazing
I love those Violin tones and clear notation. The Gold Top, is sweet. I just picked one up myself and it sounds like a Gibson Modern. Thicker neck feels like Acoustic and notes are easier access, between strings.
I have had my PRS SE DGT for the past 12 months, it has become the guitar i go to all the time.
Great neck feel, tone and playability.
Looking at potentially getting a core DGT, but at the moment, love this SE version.
I know it is all subjective, but imho, it is great value for the price
Put a bit of temporary thread locker on that tremolo arm screw and you shouldn’t lose it! Enjoyed the video, thanks! 🙏
I've had mine for a couple of months and it's still in tune and I use the vibrato a good bit
Appreciate the honesty on the QC issues this did have. PRS QC is well established, but that doesn't mean that there won't be issues, ESPECIALLY on a new model where they are shippping 1,000's of guitars all at once without customer feedback to get a large enough sample size to really identify potential issues in the production setup. That's simply the nature of manufacturing anything much less a hand made instrument.
GREAT review too btw. PRS really is the best all-around guitar and simply CRUSHES Fender & Gibson in the value/$ category as long as the words 'Wood Library' don't ever enter the conversation.
Thank you!
Its a fair point as i have 4 SE s That where perfect and then when dgt was to ship to me the distributor sent me photos of issues and Said It would have to Go Back - i waited 4 months more and when It finally arrived It still had a few small issues i would have never expected From the SE s based on expereince … Dont get me wrong its a fabulous i mean fabulous guitar .. but i understand production and can Imagine what demand did on a model That had some Fine detials to consider …. Ill live with the imperfections …. But there where some and It was a shock as It was a first .. Im sure its sorted now
@@bobbyarthur-yf3yf I just ordered one from SamAsh for the 2nd time. First they canceled my preorder then call me to try to get me to reorder at full price (had 20% off coupon code).
Now they called saying there was a crack on the bridge. Not sure if they are b.s.ing me because I used their code to get it for $640 new or was that similar to the damage you experienced?
I bought one, 3 months ago. Changed the bridge to Slash pickups. Now my Suhr is always in the case. Will buy one more soon. This guitar is excellent.
Are you selling the pickups??
Just got my Gold Top SE DGT this afternoon, after waiting most of 2023 for it to be in stock for immediate shipment from an online retailer (don't like being on waitlists of indeterminate length). Frankly I can't imagine that the Core DGT at 5 times the price could be much better in sound or feel. The neck feels amazingly comfortable, the action is great right out of the box, and the tone is out of this world. It sounds great through every amp I've plugged into, A Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25, Egnater Rebel 30, Fender Deluxe, and Strymon Iridium amp/cab sim pedal. I know there are differences in components and materials in the Core model, one piece neck, and the deeper carve in the top and around the controls looks great, but functionally, I just don't see how it could be tremendously better than this, and I've been playing for over forty years. In the last twenty years, the quality and consistency of low and mid priced guitars has skyrocketed, and I just can't justify spending that much on a guitar when I can get something that plays and sounds as good as this guitar for a fraction of the price. I could be wrong, maybe I need to go to a retailer and check out the Core DGT and I'll be blown away, but I can tell you after about an hour of getting familiar with the SE DGT, I wasn't thinking about anything but the music I was playing with it. And it was sounding great to my ear.
I bought an SE DGT earlier this year and was so impressed with it that I got two core DGTs as well. The SE is very close to the cores in tone and playability.
I think my SE DGT is a little brighter sounding than my core DGTs. The core DGTs have a slightly rounder / warmer tone. The difference is subtle but it’s there.
I noticed my SE DGT actually stayed in tune better than the cores when I use the tremolo. I think this is because the SE DGT uses a self lubricating synthetic nut and the core DGTs come with a bone nut. I had the bone nut on one of the core DGTs replaced with a synthetic nut and now the tuning stability is just as good on that guitar as my SE DGT.
I agree the cores aren’t 5x better. They’re still amazing, I love playing them, and am glad I got them. Still, the SE DGT holds its own when compared to the cores. I think it’s an amazing guitar. I love playing it and have no plans to sell it. It’s a keeper!
@@markcarleton6647 It's funny you say that, because I played for a few hours this evening, and this thing was just sounding and playing so great, the wheels in my head definitely started turning. If the SE is this good, maybe the Core... There's no doubt their appearance is exquisite. I have not played a PRS at all in many years, and have never owned one, but a friend of mine had a couple of fantastic Custom 24s in the late 90s - early 2000s, and they were just killer guitars, he let me take them on gigs and into the studio a few times, and I just loved playing them. But it's been a long time, so I'd kind of forgotten how good PRS guitars really are. Now though, like I said the wheels are turning. It probably won't be long before I've got to go take a Core DGT for a test drive, at least...
@@ZigbertD I remember the first time I played a PRS guitar. I took my son to a Guitar Center to get him a guitar for Christmas around 10 years ago. He’d been playing my old Les Paul and wanted a guitar of his own. We were looking at Gibson SGs and there was this guitar on the wall that caught my eye. It was a used PRS Custom 24 in a blue whale burst finish. Brand new it would’ve probably cost 2-2.5x what they were asking for it. I remember playing it for around an hour thinking that’s the nicest electric guitar I’ve ever played. It looked stunning and it played and sounded great. My son and I played an SG and some other guitars in the store but that Custom 24 really stood out. I ended up buying it for my son. It was more than I intended to spend that day but it wasn’t that much more than the SG and both my son and I thought it was a much better guitar.
My son still has his Custom 24. I never thought I’d own a PRS. I wanted one but didn’t think I could justify getting one. I thought they were out of my league so to speak. Earlier this year I played the SE DGT. That was my first PRS. I hardly ever played my Les Paul after getting that guitar. I liked the tone, ergonomics, weight, frets, pickup coil tapping, neck better on that SE DGT.
So that SE DGT was a gateway drug / slippery slope for me as I have since acquired some core DGTs! Congrats and enjoy your new guitar!
Fastest neck I've ever played. Gloss finish isn't sticky at all. Really smooth
Nice review😊 Thank you! I have a custom24 that for me does not feel so balanced. Certainly not like an offset which I tend to prefer although I do think PRS is very consistent in their quality.
Earlier this year, I got a core DGT and I can’t put it down. I think is perfect for me.
I would say a small amount of Loctite on the screw adjust the arm to the way you like it and that should solve the problem.
Set it and forget it. thanks for the wonderful assessment of the guitar it is really helpful, just subbed
Loctite might be overkill. Tiny dab of clear nail polish will do the job and comes off more easily if/when needed. But your point is absolutely correct. Not arguing - refining.
@@PsionicAudio The nail polish is a great tip I’m glad you included that. I know there is a different color Loctite that is easy to undo.
@@sixfix79 I gave a drop of Loctite 222 "purple low strength" and there are no problems anymore.
Best guitar ever! That is for the money.
I absolutely love my SE DGT Gold Top! I felt instantly at home with it. My only minor gripe is that I wish the tone pot had a bit more friction, because I sometimes brush it whilst playing and change the setting without meaning to.
I cut out a bit of felt…. and stuck it under my Strat tone knob and now it’s much firmer. Obviously circular with a hole in the middle.Problem solved, and it’s pretty much invisible
@@kevinreynolds6792 Thank you for the tip! I'll definitely try that. 👍
The neck is a reproduction of Dave’s favorite Gibson ES335.
Only issues I find is the taper on the pots kind of step down instead of smooth sweep and the trem arm has a tiny hard to reach set screw which has a tendecy to back out from the vibration
I've had mine for about a month, and I love it. The clarity of the pickups stands out to me. I have other guitars that are more expensive that I like, but when I A/B this to them, most other pickups sound muddier. Super versatile guitar that is very comfortable to play. Thankfully, I haven't had any quality issues with mine. The 7 month wait was worth it for me. Definitely lighter weight than my Les Paul. I'm wondering how much better a Core DGT's pickups would sound. I love the SE so much that I may have to sell some other guitars and consider adding a core DGT.
The core DGT pickups are light years better than the SE. There is no comparison between the SE and Core DGT on any level. I really wanted to like the SE, but it's just lacking.
@@tomolewine5743 Good to know. I guess I need to get my hands on a core DGT and hear the difference.
@@tomolewine5743no comparison to the price either as the core is 4600 dollars
@@tomolewine5743 not 3000$ worth of difference . . lmao . . be real dude
@jimmyhartman573 laugh all you want, the difference is quite significant, particularly the neck and pickups. They are not even close. The neck is nothing like the DGT carve and the pickups are way different. If you're happy with an SE, great, enjoy it.
That Steve Lukather's intro is a killer one
haha, I wondered if anyone would pick that up!
The PRS SE Mira is my pick made before the S2 and it's really a dark horse I bought a new one right here in Australia for one off price $600.00Aud and this guitar has it all rings when you play it acoustically is super light a kind of modern take on a double cut junior the 85 15 s work well with this model though I always wondered what the 58 15 S Would have been like in this model in my opinion the dgt is the best looking off the bunch but I'am still trying to get use to the PRS sound I always found them very neutral sounding a little bit on the modern side for my liking that's where the Mira struck the balance for me I know if I had to change anything in the design off PRS guitars the tuner heads look way to big for the Headstock round button style tuners like on a vintage stratocaster but three a side in my opinion would look way more balanced if they were also locking tuners not that you really need those it would fit in well with these modern themed machines prs are a strange brand you kinda gotta own one but for me it's a sound you either like or you don't the Mira at least let me get comfortable if it's possible play all before you buy sort out tuning issues and allow the guitar to settle in a few months and acclimatise I found once guitar settle in they play better too if you find a model that rings out loud and clear with bell tones and shimmer acoustically before you plug it in buy it enjoy your playing people
Lifelong Fender guitarist. Love the humbucker tones and the look of the DGT. Curious about the neck shape and gloss finish. Any comments?
Neck shape is definitely chunkier than a Fender modern C. That along with the gloss back of neck made me very nervous. But for me, I don't notice either so it hasn't dampened my enthusiasm to play this guitar.
It's certainly _not_ a Fender feel, but that's not a bad thing.
I think most prs models have a control placement problem. He has trouble working the neck vol. The one's with blade switches, bar is in the way of it. I thought I heard or saw prs acknowledge that. Wish they would address that.
I believe that tone knob is a push/pull pot.
Regarding the mid-position.
I find that, as with most twin humbucker guitars, that backing the neck off a bit gives the best mid-position tone.
Great video, I'm really about to pull the trigger.
Did you leave the factory configurations for the setup? how did they seem to you? Is the bridge is also set well out by box?
Cheers!
It wasn’t perfect from the factory which was a little surprising for PRS and their renowned quality control. It needed a serious set up and the wiring wasn’t working on the coil tap.
Right now the input jack is loose and needs and the wiring needs soldering again.
But would I recommend it? Absolutely. For the money it is incredible.
Agree completely regarding the position of the vol control for the neck pickup. It sucks. As a Les Paul player who's grown up riding the vol and tone controls, that trem arm is just always in the way of something. I'm finding it hard to adjust. Other than that, no complaints.
Its hilarious people trying to wrap their brains around 3 knobs. Its throwing everyone into a awkard confusion. Its 3 knobs. Figure it out yall
I. Love my Hendrix Flying V with 3 knobs and my Gold Top Billy Gibbons 3 knob Les Paul with NO pickup switch…… these folks need to apparently need knobology lessons wow
😂😂😂 man you need to say it for the people in the back lol
Great review although the neck a tad too chunky for me (a personal thing). Afraid I don't agree about the balance though, I think it feels bottom heavy, to me anyway. Mine fell backwards off my knee and banged a table marking the side if the fretboard. In saying that a great guitar for the money for sure.
I agree with you about the action being high, it doesn’t help when it comes with 10’s which to me seem like piano wire I usually have 9’s on my other guitars but I may persevere until the guitar has settled down. Also I not too confident about changing the action, truss rod and tremolo if I go down a gauge-do you have any thoughts about this or would it not need these adjustments or just some? I also want to change to PRS locking tuners but that’s just my personal preference.
I have 9’s on all my other guitars, but left 10’s on this one. Being a shorter scale length with the floating tremolo does help with bend etc. It’s not as easy to play, but I still really like it the way it is.
If you went down a gauge, you would have to adjust the springs on the back of the guitar to keep the tremolo level, but that might be all you need to do. It really depends whether you have fret buzz after going down. Sometimes you don’t need to sometimes do.
If you’re not comfortable with that, then you could certainly take it into a shop to do a one off setup from tens to nines.
Thanks for your help.
Which string gauge do you prefer on it?
I got a notice that today they just sent me a new bridge for my PRS McCarty 594. I have a different bridge than you but I have a problem with my bridge screws all falling out. I’m not sure if the problem will be fixed with my new bridge, but I’m going to be using some Fabric glue probably to hold all the screws in place. You might want to try the same thing for your loose screws.
Hi, like you, wanted a Gibson sounding guitar, which is why I also went for the Humbucker’s. I’ve been playing a Stratocaster since 1984.
Good luck with the new bridge! I think this guitar really fills a void I had in the collection and I don't feel the need to get a Gibson anymore. This is a good thing!
I put some teflon tape around the wammy bar screw and solved the falling out problem.
Put some Loctite blue thread locker on the screw that keeps falling out
The average PRS is the perfect Dad Rock, wedding guitarist axe and live session guitar for TV shows and popstar world tours. Particularly popular in neo-soul currently. The company closest for religious experience level paint jobs is Kiesel and then a giant cliff drop from there. So if you want the aesthetics and bling of a PRS but want to get all the most contemporary elements like roasted maple fretboards, headless, multiscale, fanned pickups, steel frets etc. Ibanez and Strandberg Indonesian guitars are a tier below only on paint finishes being ludicrously PIMP with their insane figured tops. PRS Private stock is like staring at a museum. We're entering a golden era of production available guitars with custom shop quality playability and parts. Kiesel also has an insane amount of room to grow in regarding available body shapes.
It’s hard finding good help even for Paul. I think that’s the reason QC has been getting slagged in the press. Imagine all those SE’s coming in from Indo china it must be overwhelming
10:51 Strange reverb there. Sounds like a metal pole vibrating and not spring or plate.
Jumbo frets right? How is the fret work? Frets have any drag?
The frets feel great, nicely dressed with no sharp edges. They're nickel if that makes a difference.
No drag either, I only really get that on gloss maple fingerboards. This rosewood one has no issues.
Mine came perfect. Big and beautiful.
Thanks guys. Gotta check one out. If you guys haven’t played a Japanese Tokai. Great instruments and inexpensive. Best fret wire on the market. If you refret a guitar use Sanka fret wire. I need to do a review of my Tokai’s
Thanks guys. Gotta check one out. If you guys haven’t played a Japanese Tokai. Great instruments and inexpensive. Best fret wire on the market. If you refret a guitar use Sanka fret wire. I need to do a review of my Tokai’s
If a person is not a trem player, could the handle be left off permanently without causing a problem?
Yep, absolutely
Probably can fix that small screw with a little thread lock
Use blue loctite on the screw
wait it already 9 months
I have a love / hate relationship with PRS. I adore the looks, the playability, I just find it hard to like the tone, I’ve had 2 high end PRS (custom 24 and P22) and one cheaper ones the se 245 single cut or whatever it’s called which was horrible. The 2 expensive ones were amazing but the tone was just difficult to fall in love with, very flat and transparent, very little in the way of it’s own voice and character. Overdriven sounds particularly highlight that, beautiful cleans I think it shines at like Steven Wilson type solos. PRS coil taps are useless mostly and nothing like say Fenders double taps that actually sound like single coils when engaged. Having said that this particular guitar at that price seems like an incredible buy. And I can hear a voice at the back of my head saying get one. I have enough fantastic guitars I just don’t think this would have a place anywhere atm. I’d recommend it to someone looking for their first guitar maybe that has a good budget for in terms of not needing some work doing to it out of the box. A lot of guitars in this price and below could put pelf playing guitar for life due to poor fretwork or whatever.
Great thoughts. I agree, if you have other HH guitars then getting this might be a luxury. For me this filled a hole, in that I don't have a Les Paul type guitar so I took a punt and got this. For me it's close enough, at least right now.
Interesting with the voice and character. I often play through monitors, but if I played through a cab in a room I wonder if I'd feel any different? Maybe not because I don't have anything else to compare it to.
Each to his own. The tone for me is very nice and lovable.
I wish the neck is less chunky and the back not glossy, I think doing that PRS will sell TONS of gtrs
They have already sold a ton. Don’t think they are going to adopt your personal preferences.
@@loneranger2385 there so many that have the same opinion as I do, look why they made the Fiore model … so definitely would take my opinion before yours
Actually the neck carve is probably the one thing that PRS would not change on a DGT. It is David Grissom’s spec and it took about 2 years of back and forth to get it precisely to David’s preference.
PRS did a series of build videos prior to the release. Check them out!
If you don't like it don't buy it
Too much Fantastic maybe say mmmmm
What surprises me is how peoole seem surprised at the quality of an SE guitar that pushes $1000 USD. You may call it student edition, or "budget line", but that price point is not "budget"
Inflation has recalibrated people's perspective of what entry level means. 😂
That price point should be premium.
Do you remember when $1K smartphones came out? That was/is considered veey expensive and premium. A "budget " entry level guitar is $200-$300. Maybe $500 tops.
2 words… blue loctite.
Nice sounds. But it tells me you have a good amp+pedals. It is really pointless.
I really don't like the gold.
"for 850 I would absolutely buy one" Okay... that insinuates that you have not bought one. Why is that? It's a simple question, please do not spin or get defensive.
This one is mine, I bought it full price. I’m too small a UA-cam channel to do sponsorship.
I meant that if I didn’t have one, I would buy one because it’s a great deal.
@@guitarlounge coo... Honestly I think the entire SE line is worth its price it just depends on which one speaks to you. I'm getting the DGT
@jamesbarrick3403 good choice!
@@jamesbarrick3403u’re a lot of fun
Nothing wore than a sweaty bald guy. Especially playing on stage.
Good looking guitar from the front, but the blacked out back screams "cheap guitar!". May be the one reason I didn't buy it. You could clear up the weight thing in the future by........weighing it. People worrying so much about gloss finishes makes me laugh; for hundreds of years everybody made gloss finish necks......satin is okay but not an industry standard. They seem like plastic to many people. An "out of the way selector switch can often translate to "hard to get to". Strats have yet to be surpassed in control placement, especially if they come into how you play the guitar. They never say what the trem block is made of......I suspect zinc, a tone killer.
Agreed
Damn.....sometimes when I read my old comments I seem like such a killjoy. I gotta get a handle on that.@@treishtrei
I'll take David Grissoms opinion over yours 😂
Sounds like a lot of negative opinions from someone whom I assume hasn’t even played the DGT SE yet? it’s worth checking out.
Also: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Holly, Buddy Guy, Eddie Vanhalen, David Gilmour, John Frusciante, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jimmy Vaughan, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Robin Trower, Nile Rogers, Eric Johnson… just a few names off the top of my head that have all played and recorded with their “tone killing” zinc trem blocks. But yeah, thanks for all the great info.
Maybe learn a little bit about guitars.@@GreggWard
His name is Les Paul not Lez Paul. Lester not Lezter.
Terrible guitars….
But does it chug?
How good is it compared to a $4000 version. Explain that! Oh it's all about price. Well OK, but it's not even close to the original. PRS must have sent the SE model to every guitar pimp on YowTube.
That’s actually a really good question. I wonder if most players would really notice the difference. For professionals, maybe, but I actually don’t know what the differences are.
First, do any of these reviewer, actually have an original in their hands when making a comparison.? I think this would affect any reviewers analysis. 2nd, isn't the conversation, by YT reviewer really about affordability, which is totally subjective? I have a DGT, which I 've owned since 2009 and I really can't imagine, that $4400 guitar can be reduced to $850+ and call it even close to an original.@@guitarlounge
Thanks for your reply and honesty.
Just to confirm that this guitar is mine, I paid full price, nothing to do with PRS.
Secondly, I don’t own a core model, so I can’t make any sort of comparison against them. All I can do is comment on what I feel is a great guitar for the price and I can easily see a professional using this live or in the studio.
David Grissom did a fairly reliable comparison and comment...