I stumbled on a great deal on a Hollowbody 1 in the used section of an obscure GC so I bought it. My tech friend did a great job on the fret work and set up and she sounds spectacular. I cannot afford a new one. You gotta dig sometimes but the digging can be worth it. Loved your comment. I tell folks all the time that the reason I never ended up in treatment was because I was (am) poor.
tdunster2011 My comment may be unwanted but many times if you have a heavy handed technique, if you don't put heavy strings on it it will partly sabotage any quality guitar, amp, or effects. Not that this demo guy always does that, I've just noticed this problem overall where the player is slamming the strings with .09 or .10 set, you'll be pushing notes and chords out of tune.
Kim Sorry about the lateness, I don't live daily in cyberspace. Anyway, if you can spare $1200 or so instead of $1000, I would actually check out the S2 models, they are assembled in the US and the quality overall is noticeably better than 90% of the Indo SE line. As well, some actually appreciate in value- I bought a S2 Custom 22 semi-hollow for $1100 new, now they go for $1500-$1600. Just my intuition, but Paul's guitar SE, not convinced it's worth $1000.
This is THE best guitar review I’ve ever seen! I love that it went point by point, from top to bottom with more explanation than playing. I’m buying the SE model as I write this so thank you for your time and effort Sir!
The SE guitars have always been incredibly underrated in my eyes. People always write them off as the cheap PRS guitars but they give you some amazing quality
PRS all models are always a great deal. Fender always has quality control even with there $5,000 model guitars. I have to admit I'd like to get a 63- 64 Strat or Tele but can't afford that. Like Leo as long as Paul is alive PRS will always put out a fantastic guitar. Paul won't have it any other way. Peace
@@9Nails Did I quote Paul directly? Sure didn't. Unfortunately, I don't recall what video I watched here on UA-cam regarding the change to Indonesia, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that what was said indicated that the South Korean guitars were getting too good. Thereby cutting into the business for the S2 and Core lines made in Maryland. And sure, it's cheaper to make them in Indonesia. Lower paid workers typically equates to lower quality craftsmanship. Not always, but typically.
Stop the bullshit. If they were so worried about their “core” business, they would never make a less than $3k guitar at all then, would they? You are saying the equivalent of BMW selling too many lower series and saying, my god, can’t give away quality at that price anymore, must stop... probably they found a cost efficiency in Indonesia. I am sure they’d happily sell 100 times more foreign models. Their profit margin is probably not much different either. Such nonsense opinions people have.
my wife came in and caught me... yep... drooling over the PRS SE 35th anniversary model. She said "if that's what you really want - get it!" I've had it about a week and yeah, it's as good as I hoped it would be... thanks Paul! She's a keeper, and the PRS too. Am I a lucky guy or what?
My girl always say that if i get a guitar to make sure its a good one and one i really like so i dont regret it and not keep wanting others or wonder what could be if i just got what i wanted in the first place. we some lucky ass guys😂
Sorry to say this but your wife may be cheating on you and dealing with some guilt. There's no other explanation for someone's wife approving such a purchase
@@Mrlz56 I'm sure their 4000th sexual encounter really knocked her socks off. I'm just kidding guys marriage is sacred I'm just a cynical child of divorced parents
Phil you did it again. You helped reassure me about my SE. For me the SE is all I’ll ever need. I can’t justify spending 4x more. For the people that can, more power to ya. It’s a gorgeous guitar and you are getting the BEST OF THE BEST. PRS and Fender Custom Shop is the pinnacle of the guitar world. IMHO. Thanks again for doing these videos man.
I’m 61 years old and just started to play the guitar, electric that is. Watched a lot videos on electric guitars, all types of makes and got hit in the eyes with the PRS line of guitars. Went to a local guitar shop and found a very beautiful used SE semi Hollowbody Korean made. Had it for week and a half, watched some learning videos on UA-cam, more videos on PRS Guitars and went to another local guitar shop for some supplies and traded in the Semi Hollowbody for a PRS SE 35th Anniversary. I hope I did the right thing. Damm, UA-cam, see what you’ve to me. PRS SE guitar addiction got me. Don’t tell the wife.
Technically speaking... those aren’t DIP switches. They are small toggle switches. DIP is an acronym for Dual In-line Package. It came from the integrated circuit industry. DIP switches are those little switches in a row that you need a pen or other pointy object to push. Great video as usual.
I have no idea why people use the term dip switches for just normal switches I guess it's because people think it's the word Dip, because they dip up and down or somthing. As an electronics engineer this annoys me as well
LOL. I was going to point that out too, then I thought, don't be such a nerd :-) Turns out people found your comment really helpful, so what do I know :-)
@@andrewdimartino7426 here's another factoid which corrects something he said:. The "Gibson" mini humbuckers on the original deluxe Les Pauls were actually leftover Epiphone minis. Gibson had a truckload of deluxe models routed for P90s and they flopped. They also had shelves of the epi mini humbuckers they had acquired so they simply put the Epiphone mini humbuckers into the slots that we're out here for the p90s with the plastic cover and they work perfectly. To me those mini Epiphone humbuckers where the best sounding pickups ever to be put onto a Les Paul
Coming from a guy who just shot a review/demo for the new 35th anniversary SE, I reallllly appreciate how well done this video is. You really know your stuff!
Hey Phil, Thanks for the great comparison review and breakdown. I just bought my first PRS SE last week. Great deal from Sweetwater. Was $899 marked down to $599 brand new.
Nice! How did you like the sweetwater experience? I’d assume it would be hard to not be able to go into the store and try out guitars until you find one that sings.
Absolutely love my SE Paul’s. By far the best guitar I’ve ever owned. My only complaint is the cheap looking plastic tuning pegs. Having said that, they hold the guitar in tune very well.
I have a PRS SE custom 24 bought in 2018. Some differences I notice... 1. The head stock has the Paul Reed Smith signature with SE underneath it. Nowhere does it say PRS except on the back of the machine heads. 2. There is no scarf joint in the neck I can find. The "ears" on the head stock are glued on each side but where the glue in neck attaches to the body there is no extra piece of wood glued in. It is a 3 piece neck plus, of course, the fret board. 3. The fretboard is rosewood with mother of pearl bird inlays 24 frets with "penguin" on the last fret. 4. It has no "DIP" switches. The tone knob is a pull push that splits both pickups. There is a 3 way blade switch. There is a noticeable volume drop when you split the bridge pickup but very little difference when you use either the neck pickup alone or both pickups. 5. The pickup rings are beige. The screws are recessed except for the pickup height adjustment screws which are not. All the screws, unlike the cores, are polished chrome finished. 6. The guitar was made in Indonesia and purchased from Sweetwater and set up very well. It did not come with a truss rod tool but I bought a 7mm one on Amazon for $8 and it works well. 7. The Sweetwater set up was ok but the action was high and was fixed by simply lowering the hex head screws in the bridge. 8. The guitar came with a good gig bag but I bought a Gator hard shell case which fits the guitar perfectly. It was also missing the whammy bar which Sweetwater sent me and I received it 3 days later with no questions asked. 9. 6 months in I noticed the action was terrible after I hadn't played it for about 2 months. I looked at the neck and it had developed quite a bow. 1/4 turn tightening the truss rod and it was back to perfect. 10. I tune it dropped 1/2 step to D# with .009 strings and there is no buzz BUT the volume and sustain on the high B and E string drops a bit after the 16th fret, primarily the sustain. 11. The pickup sound good if you have nothing to compare it to. However when I play it next to my 1987 Les Paul I do notice that the pickups lack the clarity of the Gibson. They have a little less brightness and fullness. 12. The control knobs look like standard Gibson knobs. They are not "stiff" but there is more friction when you turn them than I prefer. I also like the look of the PRS core knobs and the fact they are recessed into the Maple top looks better than these in my opinion. Aesthetically the guitar looks very nice. It has a maple top with veneer, the rest of the guitar is mahogany except for the rosewood fretboard. It maintains tune very well even when you abuse the whammy bar. It will never replace my American made Stratocaster or my Gibson Les Paul but it fits well in the middle. If I had to do it over I would probably get a used PRS CE 24 for $1500.00 instead of my SE 24 that ended up costing $950.00 by the time I got the case etc. It would have been worth the extra $550.00 just to get the better machine heads and pickups plus a solid top vs a veneer.
You absolutely make the most informative and detailed videos compared to anyone else I've seen on UA-cam . You unlike so many others play all the tones including clean tones where a lot of other demos just show crunch and distortion tones. There are a lot of us out here who are interested in hearing the guitar's capability for beautiful clean tones especially with the Paul Reed Smith that have some very unique options. Really appreciate it!.
This is an excellent comparison and covers the ground very thoroughly. No self indulgent widdling like in one other UA-cam review of these two variants. Well done, Phillip, and thank you.
Very good video. I was skeptical about the SE being made in Indonesia. My experience with Indonesian SE guitars is not good. In fact, I made certain that the SE I purchased was Korean. Nice to hear that is a good one.
Thanks Phil I just got my Amber se Paul’s guitar .this is the first PRS I’ve owned at first I said why did I buy this plugged it in to my hot rod deluxe should of went with an sg been playing for a week now I love it Sounds like a strat and like a Gibson just a little bit brighter used with distortion sounds pretty ballsy very well made great video
Mrjfeb Hi Jen. I just got my amber SE. I love the guitar but the color seems to be off, it’s more of a dark mustard color than yellow, I was wondering how you were enjoying the color of your guitar. By the way, the damn thing plays so great.
I picked up one of the SE Paul's Guitar in red, back in November of 2020. What an Amazing guitar! .. and I found mine "used" in perfect condition at a big savings. I've never been happier. I do also have an older original McCarty. I like the SE Paul's better. Especially the new coil tap with the TCI-S pickups. It blows my old McCarty out of the water in tone quality.
The finish of the SE reviewed here is among the 3 guitars I traded in to go home with a trampas green CE24. I can only imagine comparing it a $4k prs. The ce24 is a $2k prs and it's like night and day between it and the Paul's guitar @ $1000. Of course as stated..a $1000 guitar still should undoubtedly land you an incredibly awesome instrument. $1k is no cheap tab either. Discovering an immaculate condition ce24 used for $1400 was something I may never find a good of deal again in guitars. Which is why I drove 12 miles home to get 3 guitars to trade and buy it that day. No regrets. Worth it. I knew it would be gone in a matter of days.
I love my PRS and although I got it used, I am thoroughly happy with the price I paid for the quality I received. That said, I contacted them about possibly re-fretting because they are a bit low and I was having difficulty holding my bends without slipping. They quoted me a price about the same as buying a new one. Congrats, you guys have officially priced me out of being a PRS buyer.
Just got an SE made in Indonesia and it is perfect out of the box. The neck and fretwork are every bit as good as any Gibson I own at 4-5X the cost of the SE. With every single other guitar I've purchased in a comparable price range, I have had to do fret work and a thorough set up. Which is not a surprise with the price however, I was surprised that the SE did not need a single thing. It was perfect right out of the box.
The PRS "the Paul" SE is a fantastic feeling amazing playing great sounding guitar one of the very best guitars money can buy. I am delighted from the sound and playability. This is one high quality guitar for the money. A great buy and a fantastic deal
I bought my first PRS last year (Used SE) and it really impressed me in the quality and overall fit and finish. Having had higher end guitars in past (Gibson Les Paul Custom,93 Ibanez Jem 7vwh) .. the biggest difference is pickups. On the budget guitars that seems to be the one area that separates the high end vs budget. Yet at the difference in price really a matter of how much money a person will justify spending. I have a different model but what I love about my PRS is it has the same bridge, and having Floyd Rose type on most of my other guitars..it's great to have the stability and ease of the fixed bridge along with added sustain.
I bought a core Paul's guitar a few years ago. It's one of the best sounding and playing guitars I've ever played. It's not a 10-top, so it didn't cost me $4000. I think if the SE had existed two years ago, I probably would own one of them instead of the core model. I can't wait to check one out, just to see how well it holds up to mine.
Believe me...I know my gear and that is why I say my 2018 PRS Experience Paul's Guitar is the best guitar I have played ( and I have played a lot of guitars :-) ). Great Vid Phillip!
just purchased a SE 24 for $389(open box) thats advertised as mint shape from an online music store its still on route and looking forward to trying my first PRS. thanks for the vids
This video is ridiculously fantastic. Such great video quality and an excellent demonstration of the two. PRS makes some of my absolute favorite guitars on the planet, I am just fascinated by them!
Really loved the "shootout" of both models and mention of your personal preferences, awesome instruments, actually both, although no doubt, the core model is a work of art next to being an awesome instrument.
Ive had both I had a Custom 24 and have several SE going back to 2003. For me man the Custom 24 for playing hardrock and metal I couldnt get it dialed it due to the pickups it never seemed to have that punch and heavy sound I was looking for. Great for light overdrive and clean. The SE even with the cheap pickups they get there. I have changed the pickups in one and put invaders in a Tremonti
Great comparison of the two guitars. Nice to know what the differences are between Paul's Guitar and one of the Core guitars. I agree with you on the SE's top. Looks better than the 10 top on the Core. Hey, I noticed your spelling of Hughes & Kettner at the 8:15 mark is incorrect. You put Kittner. The amp maker can't be happy about that. Especially when the logo is directly behind you on their amp in the video. LOL.
I've played a Paul's Guitar - those pickups are to DIE for. Super happy you did this comparison. I'm tempted to get the SE at some point, it still seems like an incredible guitar.
I’m a long-time Gibson / epiphone guy who wants to get a PRS to add to the collection. Love the hardware , color scheme and overall setup and vibe of the SE, if only it sounded like the Core 22, but the difference in tone is night and day between the two. The American is so much clearer, fuller, and more musical. It has to be mainly the pickups since the dimensions are identical. Also the recessed knobs and the fully carved top seal the deal for me. Thanks for making this video, this is exactly what people need to make this decision.
@@ericvandruten yeah that makes sense, so the fact that they quarter-saw the american and glue it together differently makes a real difference huh? did you get an SE or an american? I'm sure I would still be happy wioth the SE, I mean it probably rocks. I like epiphones even though my gibson sounds clearer.
Great job with the demo and explaining the differences between the SE Paul's Guitar and the core. The SE holds it’s own but I sure prefer the core. If I wanted to spend that much money I would prefer to try one out in a store before buying the core.
I recently purchased an SE Paul's Guitar in Amber. I had Gotoh SD90MG-T locking tuners put on, PRS US lampshade knobs, PRS US Nut, US Strap Buttons, Fret levelling and crowning, and this guitar plays and sounds absolutely incredible. I'm going to look into whether the Core Paul's Guitar's pickups and potentiometers can be put in. I'd like to get it as close to the Core Model as possible even tho the stock SE Paul's Guitar is amazing and one of the best, if not the best , guitar at the $999 price point .
Finally! I’ve been waiting for this comparison for so long!!! Thanks for taking the time to put this together. If I can get a deal on a core, it’s going to be hard to resist.
It seems that Paul has created something special here. This is the first time in the history of the human kind, when the same pickups can deliver the real sounds of great single coils and humbuckers. Well done PRS team!
Would love to see you do a comparison between the SE Paul's Guitar and the SE Custom 24-08. There's supposedly a lot of similarities (TCI-S pickups for example) but on other reviews they don't sound the same. The Custom 24-08 seems brighter (less muddy/fuzzy) than the Paul's. I need to hear more comparisons of them and see more play of them.
I think there's a problem here. I talked to a PRS guy once about replacing my SE pickups with a "higher grade" PRS pickup. He said that the pickups for any PRS electric are very carefully chosen to fit the axe in hand. Of course a bunch of models actually do use the same pickups, but I remember the rep saying as well that you shouldn't assume that a pickup change alone will turn a ordinary or even very good guitar into a great one. Just like putting a set of 59' $500 pickups into a $500 Epiphone Les Paul will make an amazing guitar.
@John Smits Interesting. I do have an Epiphone Traditional Pro II. I will eventually upgrade the pickups but so confused over the myriad of choices. That’s a good problem to have. The pickups in my Peavey EVH however, are AMAZING.
Phil Really well done review. Great detail, info and things I wanted to know and things I didn’t know I wanted to know. I feel my GAS kicking in big time. And as an aside nice playing. Getting some nice chops!
Great Vid Phil! I Love my LH PRS SE Custom 24 also! Mine was made in Korea and sounds Great, Finish is Flawless!! Please keep up the Good Work my Friend!!
I have an SE Zach Myers from Korea in the color they call "Stealth". Matte gray and black with quilted maple veneer over maple top. Semi hollow thin line style. It looks like some complete death metal machine, with the matte gray/black and ebony fretboard. I would have preferred the Trampas green version, but living in Germany, and shortly moving back to the US, the only one that had a non-CITES fretboard was the stealth model. I have to say it is one of the best playing and sounding guitars I have ever owned. I am really extremely impressed with it. In fact I was so impressed with it, I purchased one of the SE acoustic guitars also. The T60 Tonares in Ziricote. Same neck profile as the Zach Myers, the wide fat. beautiful sweet sounding acoustic. And the T60 came with a hard case. I got the same gig bag with the Zach M as you do. Another extremely fine piece of kit. Probably the best gig bag I have ever seen also. Good stuff!! Bob in Germany
I have three PRS SE models and I love playing all three. Its my go-to guitars for playing. The SE models feel and play just as good as the S2 and Core models IMO.
Another great video. Thanks for the comparison. I love my SE Custom 24. I am definitely interested in the SE Paul’s Guitar or the Core model if I ever win the lottery.🤣🤣🤠🎸
I have a Custom 22 SE and love it. Great wailing tones. Feels like a high quality and priced instrument as Phil mentioned. For the price, I'm looking for another SE. And someday my budget will get me a Core model.
Why? Scarf jointed necks are generally much stronger than necks with an angled headstock cut from a single piece of wood. Note all the single piece headstock broken Gibsons.
Bught a fire red SE at a savings over the other colours. Used the savings to get some matching Black Chrome Locking tuners.This is one of the best guitars I have played, Only minor set up to my taste was required. Very Very playable right out of the box. Great review.
At 1:52 of the Bryan Ewald video, PRS states the SE has real Abalone inlays. Nice loop Phil. The price difference is staggering, but the core has that “it” factor. I think the SE Paul’s will do very well. For the money it will make a lot of people consider PRS.
As a teenager in the 80s, I used to daydream about PRS guitars when I would see the ads in magazines.... they just looked so exotic and refined compared to everything else on the market... but they were so out of reach for most of us, as we didn't have the cheaper SE models back then. That said, I still haven't tried an SE... and I recently purchased my third PRS core guitar. It's not that I have issues with $1000 guitars (I own several at that price point, or less!), I just feel like if I'm going to go PRS, I might as well go all in :)
Scarf joints are actually advantageous. They are stronger than making it out one piece. Also, how do you know the frets are harder? Did you measure them with a Rockwell hardness tester or similar? And aren't frets generally glued in? I am pretty sure they are on the random guitars that I have. Although apparently some manufacturers make their fret slots so tight that no glue is necessary? If that is the case I feel bad for whoever tries to refret one of those. Normally you heat up the frets a little bit and you can pull them out. If they are in there so tight that no glue is necessary I feel like removing them could be pretty difficult and possibly destructive. Also I am not likely to pay $4000 for a solid body electric guitar. I don't care how "premium" the materials are. $4000 is high-end classical/acoustic guitar money-like something that probably involves an actual luthier in at least some capacity to make it. Regardless of how premium the materials are, or where they make it the things are still made mostly by CNC machine. There just isn't $4500 worth of material and labour in one of those. Plus you can't even adjust the intonation on the bridge. You yourself have a very good video on "What doesn't make guitars expensive". I dunno. The reality is that the cost of something is whatever people are willing to pay. I think you can get "more guitar" for your money from somewhere else.
Can't disagree more about which looks better. Don't quite like those zebra stripe over the top flames while the brown one just looks absolutely gorgeous.
Really enjoyed your comparisons in the differences in manufacturing and what is the same. I made the mistake at looking at the SE model on Sweetwater and seeing the Amber version. It instantly hypnotized me into preordering it.
Thanks for this comparison - helpful to understand the differences you get from such drastic prices and workmanship. What I take away from this is if you're not looking for an elegant 10 top look and style, you buy the SE, and plop some other pickups in it that give you better clarity for another hundred bucks or so, and save an easy 3k in price for a great player guitar.
Great video! I love hearing about PRS's attention to detail, I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone more detail oriented than Paul. I did find myself randomly drooling over the Margarita G&L and the Tangerine Solar in the background too though!
Awesome comparison Phil! I agree I prefer the Core as well, but the SE is still pretty sweet. I have a Mikael Akerfeldt PRS SE and although it is not better in any one specific aspect to any of my other guitars, it's tied with my Gibson Les Paul for my favourite in my collection and just happens to be the least expensive as well :)
I trust Phil, but still I will believe the new indonesian SEs are now on par with the koreans when I will be able to try a bunch. My old korean custom 24 with locking tuners and a change of pickups was a majestic guitar.
One of the best tones on this channel imo. I like it better than the core, but both sound sooo similar on YT. Paul's se price is so good. If it plays as good as it looks I wouldn't mind buying one and throwing some dimarzios in it. Blasphemy!
I picked up a PRS semi hollow custom 22. Love it, but need to replace the nut, they cut it wrong at the factory. Replacement graphtec nut in order, can’t wait to get it in!
@@MrRafaztarGive them a break, they're trying to make an affordable version. They have to create savings to make it more affordable. Lets be honest, if you're willing to buy a thousand dollar import, then another 20$ for cream pickup rings is not a serious problem. If an extra 20 bucks is a problem to you for this guitar, then you'd probably be happier buying something else.
This is actually a great video I bought the PRS SE custom 24 I had gone into a local music store to check it out and buy some strings and tried the one I thought was best and loved the sound I’m happy with my prs the pick ups are great sounding the neck is really comfortable the look is beautiful I have the maple top it has binding on neck and body with the bird inlays and the binding on the headstock I paid $600.000 and I know they go for $830.00 or more
@@seanc.5310 Really depends. The high end custom shop stuff or the core PRS could be 300% or even more than that. Standard guitars will probably be a 100% to 150% markup and will decrease with the more affordable models. This is because of price fixing where manufacturers can artificially set a price to their dealers and punishing them for setting it lower. Fender probably only spends $400 or $600 to make an American Professional, that's because everything is either bulk or produced in their own factories which means that hardware is only in the mere couple dollars compared to consumer prices and being part of owning a factory, i'd know manufacturing things are cheap especially with modern day automation. Then Fender will demand to their dealers that the minimum price will be $1,549.99. They'll markup the price to a distributor and then to a store at a reasonable rate and the store will probably pay $1,300 or something. Sounds a little BS but since instruments are always expensive, people will be willing to assume it'll remain the same price even though with technology, the price of production will only get cheaper and thus the markup will only get higher. Add in a lot of marketing about how you're owning an invaluable piece of art instead of a product, history, talk about tonewoods and pickups and shit...etc and since almost every brand does this as well, now you've created a market where everyone pays exorbitant prices. The reason it's like this is because Guitar is a niche. There isn't such a high demand and thus guitar is a relatively tight community full of similar beliefs which means it's easier to... basically brainwash them into believing these prices are reasonable. Also factories require significant investment and have either moderate or low demand which means that BS markups are recommended to comfortably stay above the green.
I liked your color grading trick when switching between single and humbucker, but the humbucker should be more yellow as it is the warmer of the two! =D
i just sanded the back of my SE paul's guitar and it does not have a scarf joint. however it looks like a three piece neck all the same wood. i just wanted you to know. thanks for all the awesome videos you make.
I haven't tried a PRS Core guitar for the same reason I've never tried heroin. It's simply a habit I can't afford to have.
tdunster your right ! AVOID them. I can't even play well and saw one I had to have. Paid $over 4K for it. I'm an addict.
I stumbled on a great deal on a Hollowbody 1 in the used section of an obscure GC so I bought it. My tech friend did a great job on the fret work and set up and she sounds spectacular. I cannot afford a new one. You gotta dig sometimes but the digging can be worth it. Loved your comment. I tell folks all the time that the reason I never ended up in treatment was because I was (am) poor.
tdunster2011 My comment may be unwanted but many times if you have a heavy handed technique, if you don't put heavy strings on it it will partly sabotage any quality guitar, amp, or effects. Not that this demo guy always does that, I've just noticed this problem overall where the player is slamming the strings with .09 or .10 set, you'll be pushing notes and chords out of tune.
@@johnsmits2494 What would you recommend ?
Kim Sorry about the lateness, I don't live daily in cyberspace. Anyway, if you can spare $1200 or so instead of $1000, I would actually check out the S2 models, they are assembled in the US and the quality overall is noticeably better than 90% of the Indo SE line. As well, some actually appreciate in value- I bought a S2 Custom 22 semi-hollow for $1100 new, now they go for $1500-$1600. Just my intuition, but Paul's guitar SE, not convinced it's worth $1000.
This is THE best guitar review I’ve ever seen!
I love that it went point by point, from top to bottom with more explanation than playing.
I’m buying the SE model as I write this so thank you for your time and effort Sir!
The SE guitars have always been incredibly underrated in my eyes. People always write them off as the cheap PRS guitars but they give you some amazing quality
PRS all models are always a great deal. Fender always has quality control even with there $5,000 model guitars. I have to admit I'd like to get a 63- 64 Strat or Tele but can't afford that. Like Leo as long as Paul is alive PRS will always put out a fantastic guitar. Paul won't have it any other way. Peace
Well, they were good when they were made in South Korea. Paul felt they were getting too good, so they changed production to Indonesia.
@@gmmakesmehurl Cool story. Mind showing me some credible source for that? Surely it couldn't be because of cost?
@@9Nails Did I quote Paul directly? Sure didn't. Unfortunately, I don't recall what video I watched here on UA-cam regarding the change to Indonesia, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that what was said indicated that the South Korean guitars were getting too good. Thereby cutting into the business for the S2 and Core lines made in Maryland. And sure, it's cheaper to make them in Indonesia. Lower paid workers typically equates to lower quality craftsmanship. Not always, but typically.
Stop the bullshit. If they were so worried about their “core” business, they would never make a less than $3k guitar at all then, would they? You are saying the equivalent of BMW selling too many lower series and saying, my god, can’t give away quality at that price anymore, must stop... probably they found a cost efficiency in Indonesia. I am sure they’d happily sell 100 times more foreign models. Their profit margin is probably not much different either. Such nonsense opinions people have.
my wife came in and caught me... yep... drooling over the PRS SE 35th anniversary model.
She said "if that's what you really want - get it!"
I've had it about a week and yeah, it's as good as I hoped it would be... thanks Paul!
She's a keeper, and the PRS too. Am I a lucky guy or what?
one of the luckiest!
man honestly down for a poly relationship i want in on that prs
My girl always say that if i get a guitar to make sure its a good one and one i really like so i dont regret it and not keep wanting others or wonder what could be if i just got what i wanted in the first place. we some lucky ass guys😂
Sorry to say this but your wife may be cheating on you and dealing with some guilt. There's no other explanation for someone's wife approving such a purchase
@@Mrlz56 I'm sure their 4000th sexual encounter really knocked her socks off.
I'm just kidding guys marriage is sacred I'm just a cynical child of divorced parents
Phil you did it again. You helped reassure me about my SE. For me the SE is all I’ll ever need. I can’t justify spending 4x more. For the people that can, more power to ya. It’s a gorgeous guitar and you are getting the BEST OF THE BEST. PRS and Fender Custom Shop is the pinnacle of the guitar world. IMHO. Thanks again for doing these videos man.
I’m 61 years old and just started to play the guitar, electric that is. Watched a lot videos on
electric guitars, all types of makes and got hit in the eyes with the PRS line of guitars. Went to a local guitar shop and found a very beautiful used SE semi Hollowbody Korean made. Had it for week and a half, watched some learning videos on UA-cam, more videos on PRS Guitars and went to another local guitar shop for some supplies and traded in the Semi Hollowbody for a PRS SE 35th Anniversary. I hope I did the right thing. Damm, UA-cam, see
what you’ve to me. PRS SE guitar addiction got me. Don’t tell the wife.
Awesome Alan. I am 59 and starting guitar as well.
This review keeps showing up in my recommendations. I keep watching.
Same
Technically speaking... those aren’t DIP switches. They are small toggle switches. DIP is an acronym for Dual In-line Package. It came from the integrated circuit industry. DIP switches are those little switches in a row that you need a pen or other pointy object to push. Great video as usual.
Thanks for the clarification Eric! Im trying to learn more about electronics so factoids like that are actually really cool and helpful to me.
I have no idea why people use the term dip switches for just normal switches I guess it's because people think it's the word Dip, because they dip up and down or somthing. As an electronics engineer this annoys me as well
@@joe5583 i think its because they are dips lol im just joking but i no what u mean haha just small toggle switch
LOL. I was going to point that out too, then I thought, don't be such a nerd :-) Turns out people found your comment really helpful, so what do I know :-)
@@andrewdimartino7426 here's another factoid which corrects something he said:. The "Gibson" mini humbuckers on the original deluxe Les Pauls were actually leftover Epiphone minis. Gibson had a truckload of deluxe models routed for P90s and they flopped. They also had shelves of the epi mini humbuckers they had acquired so they simply put the Epiphone mini humbuckers into the slots that we're out here for the p90s with the plastic cover and they work perfectly. To me those mini Epiphone humbuckers where the best sounding pickups ever to be put onto a Les Paul
I got the opportunity to try out a beautiful Paul’s Guitar Core. It’s the most comfortable and easy to play of any guitar I’ve ever had in my hands.
I just watched the offical PRS review of this guitar and Bryan Ewald says that the bird inlays are real abalone shell.
Love your review videos, mate!
Coming from a guy who just shot a review/demo for the new 35th anniversary SE, I reallllly appreciate how well done this video is. You really know your stuff!
Hey Phil,
Thanks for the great comparison review and breakdown. I just bought my first PRS SE last week. Great deal from Sweetwater. Was $899 marked down to $599 brand new.
Nice! How did you like the sweetwater experience? I’d assume it would be hard to not be able to go into the store and try out guitars until you find one that sings.
I just tried this guitar today and Paul's SE humbucker mode actually sounds close to the DGT, which demonstrates a lot of value for this SE guitar!
Absolutely love my SE Paul’s. By far the best guitar I’ve ever owned. My only complaint is the cheap looking plastic tuning pegs. Having said that, they hold the guitar in tune very well.
Great review Phil. I am currently awaiting delivery of my SE Custom 24-8 and can't wait to play it.
I have a PRS SE custom 24 bought in 2018. Some differences I notice...
1. The head stock has the Paul Reed Smith signature with SE underneath it. Nowhere does it say PRS except on the back of the machine heads.
2. There is no scarf joint in the neck I can find. The "ears" on the head stock are glued on each side but where the glue in neck attaches to the body there is no extra piece of wood glued in. It is a 3 piece neck plus, of course, the fret board.
3. The fretboard is rosewood with mother of pearl bird inlays 24 frets with "penguin" on the last fret.
4. It has no "DIP" switches. The tone knob is a pull push that splits both pickups. There is a 3 way blade switch. There is a noticeable volume drop when you split the bridge pickup but very little difference when you use either the neck pickup alone or both pickups.
5. The pickup rings are beige. The screws are recessed except for the pickup height adjustment screws which are not. All the screws, unlike the cores, are polished chrome finished.
6. The guitar was made in Indonesia and purchased from Sweetwater and set up very well. It did not come with a truss rod tool but I bought a 7mm one on Amazon for $8 and it works well.
7. The Sweetwater set up was ok but the action was high and was fixed by simply lowering the hex head screws in the bridge.
8. The guitar came with a good gig bag but I bought a Gator hard shell case which fits the guitar perfectly. It was also missing the whammy bar which Sweetwater sent me and I received it 3 days later with no questions asked.
9. 6 months in I noticed the action was terrible after I hadn't played it for about 2 months. I looked at the neck and it had developed quite a bow. 1/4 turn tightening the truss rod and it was back to perfect.
10. I tune it dropped 1/2 step to D# with .009 strings and there is no buzz BUT the volume and sustain on the high B and E string drops a bit after the 16th fret, primarily the sustain.
11. The pickup sound good if you have nothing to compare it to. However when I play it next to my 1987 Les Paul I do notice that the pickups lack the clarity of the Gibson. They have a little less brightness and fullness.
12. The control knobs look like standard Gibson knobs. They are not "stiff" but there is more friction when you turn them than I prefer. I also like the look of the PRS core knobs and the fact they are recessed into the Maple top looks better than these in my opinion.
Aesthetically the guitar looks very nice. It has a maple top with veneer, the rest of the guitar is mahogany except for the rosewood fretboard. It maintains tune very well even when you abuse the whammy bar. It will never replace my American made Stratocaster or my Gibson Les Paul but it fits well in the middle.
If I had to do it over I would probably get a used PRS CE 24 for $1500.00 instead of my SE 24 that ended up costing $950.00 by the time I got the case etc. It would have been worth the extra $550.00 just to get the better machine heads and pickups plus a solid top vs a veneer.
You absolutely make the most informative and detailed videos compared to anyone else I've seen on UA-cam . You unlike so many others play all the tones including clean tones where a lot of other demos just show crunch and distortion tones. There are a lot of us out here who are interested in hearing the guitar's capability for beautiful clean tones especially with the Paul Reed Smith that have some very unique options. Really appreciate it!.
I love SEs, especially the Paul's, but the Core pickups are night and day better. Those sound amazing!
Probably would be worth buying the SE and just upgrading the pickups, huh?
That's what I was thinking, I wonder how much they are?
trDewy good luck buying a set of pickups for this guitar. PRS doesn’t sell them and no one is selling them.
It boggles my mind why anyone would pay $400 for PRS (and BKP) pickups to begin with. But it's only money.
i went to a few stores in Tucson az , picked up some PRS's...I was shocked to fined over half of what I played...needed to be set up..
This is an excellent comparison and covers the ground very thoroughly. No self indulgent widdling like in one other UA-cam review of these two variants. Well done, Phillip, and thank you.
Very good video. I was skeptical about the SE being made in Indonesia. My experience with Indonesian SE guitars is not good. In fact, I made certain that the SE I purchased was Korean. Nice to hear that is a good one.
Thanks Phil I just got my Amber se Paul’s guitar .this is the first PRS I’ve owned at first I said why did I buy this plugged it in to my hot rod deluxe should of went with an sg been playing for a week now I love it Sounds like a strat and like a Gibson just a little bit brighter used with distortion sounds pretty ballsy very well made great video
Mrjfeb Hi Jen. I just got my amber SE. I love the guitar but the color seems to be off, it’s more of a dark mustard color than yellow, I was wondering how you were enjoying the color of your guitar. By the way, the damn thing plays so great.
Thanks Phil. As always I look forward to everything you review. This was great and helpful.
Best compare on UA-cam! Thank you!
I picked up one of the SE Paul's Guitar in red, back in November of 2020. What an Amazing guitar! .. and I found mine "used" in perfect condition at a big savings. I've never been happier. I do also have an older original McCarty. I like the SE Paul's better. Especially the new coil tap with the TCI-S pickups. It blows my old McCarty out of the water in tone quality.
The finish of the SE reviewed here is among the 3 guitars I traded in to go home with a trampas green CE24. I can only imagine comparing it a $4k prs. The ce24 is a $2k prs and it's like night and day between it and the Paul's guitar @ $1000. Of course as stated..a $1000 guitar still should undoubtedly land you an incredibly awesome instrument. $1k is no cheap tab either. Discovering an immaculate condition ce24 used for $1400 was something I may never find a good of deal again in guitars. Which is why I drove 12 miles home to get 3 guitars to trade and buy it that day. No regrets. Worth it. I knew it would be gone in a matter of days.
I love my PRS and although I got it used, I am thoroughly happy with the price I paid for the quality I received. That said, I contacted them about possibly re-fretting because they are a bit low and I was having difficulty holding my bends without slipping. They quoted me a price about the same as buying a new one.
Congrats, you guys have officially priced me out of being a PRS buyer.
Fantastic Comparison Video. I feel like you explained everything I would need to know.
Just got an SE made in Indonesia and it is perfect out of the box. The neck and fretwork are every bit as good as any Gibson I own at 4-5X the cost of the SE. With every single other guitar I've purchased in a comparable price range, I have had to do fret work and a thorough set up. Which is not a surprise with the price however, I was surprised that the SE did not need a single thing. It was perfect right out of the box.
Thanks so much Phil. I watch all your vids and they never disappoint. Informative, fun, and limited heavy metal shredding.
Now THAT'S how you make a comparison video!
The PRS "the Paul" SE is a fantastic feeling amazing playing great sounding guitar one of the very best guitars money can buy. I am delighted from the sound and playability. This is one high quality guitar for the money. A great buy and a fantastic deal
I bought my first PRS last year (Used SE) and it really impressed me in the quality and overall fit and finish. Having had higher end guitars in past (Gibson Les Paul Custom,93 Ibanez Jem 7vwh) .. the biggest difference is pickups. On the budget guitars that seems to be the one area that separates the high end vs budget. Yet at the difference in price really a matter of how much money a person will justify spending. I have a different model but what I love about my PRS is it has the same bridge, and having Floyd Rose type on most of my other guitars..it's great to have the stability and ease of the fixed bridge along with added sustain.
Thanks for the explanations. PRS are new to me and confusing with all the different models and variations.
Great comparison phil. love the in depth analysis of the constructions and hardware.
I bought a core Paul's guitar a few years ago. It's one of the best sounding and playing guitars I've ever played. It's not a 10-top, so it didn't cost me $4000. I think if the SE had existed two years ago, I probably would own one of them instead of the core model. I can't wait to check one out, just to see how well it holds up to mine.
Believe me...I know my gear and that is why I say my 2018 PRS Experience Paul's Guitar is the best guitar I have played ( and I have played a lot of guitars :-) ).
Great Vid Phillip!
Cesar All Guitar sc or core?
Core it is, at that time the SE was not available yet...
just purchased a SE 24 for $389(open box) thats advertised as mint shape from an online music store its still on route and looking forward to trying my first PRS. thanks for the vids
This video is ridiculously fantastic. Such great video quality and an excellent demonstration of the two. PRS makes some of my absolute favorite guitars on the planet, I am just fascinated by them!
Really loved the "shootout" of both models and mention of your personal preferences, awesome instruments, actually both, although no doubt, the core model is a work of art next to being an awesome instrument.
Ive had both I had a Custom 24 and have several SE going back to 2003. For me man the Custom 24 for playing hardrock and metal I couldnt get it dialed it due to the pickups it never seemed to have that punch and heavy sound I was looking for. Great for light overdrive and clean. The SE even with the cheap pickups they get there. I have changed the pickups in one and put invaders in a Tremonti
Great comparison of the two guitars. Nice to know what the differences are between Paul's Guitar and one of the Core guitars. I agree with you on the SE's top. Looks better than the 10 top on the Core. Hey, I noticed your spelling of Hughes & Kettner at the 8:15 mark is incorrect. You put Kittner. The amp maker can't be happy about that. Especially when the logo is directly behind you on their amp in the video. LOL.
Great comparison! Both sound great, though the core is obviously better overall. The SE, though, is definitely closer to my price point.
Dude you are guitar encyclopedia,watching your chanel last few months and enjoying,regards and all best from Croatia
Nice review.
Thanks man.
I've played a Paul's Guitar - those pickups are to DIE for. Super happy you did this comparison. I'm tempted to get the SE at some point, it still seems like an incredible guitar.
I’m a long-time Gibson / epiphone guy who wants to get a PRS to add to the collection. Love the hardware , color scheme and overall setup and vibe of the SE, if only it sounded like the Core 22, but the difference in tone is night and day between the two. The American is so much clearer, fuller, and more musical. It has to be mainly the pickups since the dimensions are identical. Also the recessed knobs and the fully carved top seal the deal for me. Thanks for making this video, this is exactly what people need to make this decision.
@@ericvandruten yeah that makes sense, so the fact that they quarter-saw the american and glue it together differently makes a real difference huh? did you get an SE or an american? I'm sure I would still be happy wioth the SE, I mean it probably rocks. I like epiphones even though my gibson sounds clearer.
Very detailed review! Amazing run-through on both guitars. Subscribed!
Id rather go with the SE, spend around 1.5k to set it up perfectly and keep the change.
Definitely gonna get myself an SE!! Affordable and awesome!
Great job with the demo and explaining the differences between the SE Paul's Guitar and the core. The SE holds it’s own but I sure prefer the core. If I wanted to spend that much money I would prefer to try one out in a store before buying the core.
I recently purchased an SE Paul's Guitar in Amber. I had Gotoh SD90MG-T locking tuners put on, PRS US lampshade knobs, PRS US Nut, US Strap Buttons, Fret levelling and crowning, and this guitar plays and sounds absolutely incredible. I'm going to look into whether the Core Paul's Guitar's pickups and potentiometers can be put in. I'd like to get it as close to the Core Model as possible even tho the stock SE Paul's Guitar is amazing and one of the best, if not the best , guitar at the $999 price point .
Finally! I’ve been waiting for this comparison for so long!!! Thanks for taking the time to put this together. If I can get a deal on a core, it’s going to be hard to resist.
It seems that Paul has created something special here. This is the first time in the history of the human kind, when the same pickups can deliver the real sounds of great single coils and humbuckers. Well done PRS team!
💯
😁
Thank you. Excellent overview. Great guitar. Looking forward to ordering. Hopefully it will be a good addition to my PRS SE CUSTOM 24 35Aniversary.
I dropped some Seymour Duncan "Pearly Gates" in my SE Paul's guitar and it's extremely clear and chimy.
How did you handle the proprietary pickup ring situation? I will probably want to upgrade mine too, but do the rings fit all pickups?
Would love to see you do a comparison between the SE Paul's Guitar and the SE Custom 24-08. There's supposedly a lot of similarities (TCI-S pickups for example) but on other reviews they don't sound the same. The Custom 24-08 seems brighter (less muddy/fuzzy) than the Paul's. I need to hear more comparisons of them and see more play of them.
How about a “Sharpen My Paul’s SE to Sound Like a Paul’s Core Guitar”?
Yeah, do that.
Supperconductor please
I think there's a problem here. I talked to a PRS guy once about replacing my SE pickups with a "higher grade" PRS pickup. He said that the pickups for any PRS electric are very carefully chosen to fit the axe in hand. Of course a bunch of models actually do use the same pickups, but I remember the rep saying as well that you shouldn't assume that a pickup change alone will turn a ordinary or even very good guitar into a great
one. Just like putting a set of 59' $500 pickups into a $500 Epiphone Les Paul will make an amazing guitar.
@John Smits Interesting. I do have an Epiphone Traditional Pro II. I will eventually upgrade the pickups but so confused over the myriad of choices. That’s a good problem to have. The pickups in my Peavey EVH however, are AMAZING.
@@johnsmits2494 Sounds like something a PRS guy would say...
Phil Really well done review. Great detail, info and things I wanted to know and things I didn’t know I wanted to know. I feel my GAS kicking in big time. And as an aside nice playing. Getting some nice chops!
Would never buy one but I appreciate the review. Keep up the good work.
Great Vid Phil! I Love my LH PRS SE Custom 24 also! Mine was made in Korea and sounds Great, Finish is Flawless!! Please keep up the Good Work my Friend!!
Thank you for your videos I look forward to them all the time...
I have an SE Zach Myers from Korea in the color they call "Stealth". Matte gray and black with quilted maple veneer over maple top. Semi hollow thin line style. It looks like some complete death metal machine, with the matte gray/black and ebony fretboard. I would have preferred the Trampas green version, but living in Germany, and shortly moving back to the US, the only one that had a non-CITES fretboard was the stealth model. I have to say it is one of the best playing and sounding guitars I have ever owned. I am really extremely impressed with it. In fact I was so impressed with it, I purchased one of the SE acoustic guitars also. The T60 Tonares in Ziricote. Same neck profile as the Zach Myers, the wide fat. beautiful sweet sounding acoustic. And the T60 came with a hard case. I got the same gig bag with the Zach M as you do. Another extremely fine piece of kit. Probably the best gig bag I have ever seen also. Good stuff!! Bob in Germany
I have three PRS SE models and I love playing all three. Its my go-to guitars for playing. The SE models feel and play just as good as the S2 and Core models IMO.
well laid out format!
Another great video. Thanks for the comparison. I love my SE Custom 24. I am definitely interested in the SE Paul’s Guitar or the Core model if I ever win the lottery.🤣🤣🤠🎸
I have a Custom 22 SE and love it. Great wailing tones. Feels like a high quality and priced instrument as Phil mentioned. For the price, I'm looking for another SE. And someday my budget will get me a Core model.
Awesome Phillip. Always scared about necks with scarf joints. Didn't know that was an SE spec so thank you.
Why? Scarf jointed necks are generally much stronger than necks with an angled headstock cut from a single piece of wood. Note all the single piece headstock broken Gibsons.
I have that exact SE and the abalone is real not man made. Its the best quality guitar for the money it sounds amazing
Greatly appreciate you Phillip
Bught a fire red SE at a savings over the other colours. Used the savings to get some matching Black Chrome Locking tuners.This is one of the best guitars I have played, Only minor set up to my taste was required. Very Very playable right out of the box. Great review.
Brilliant, brilliant review.
At 1:52 of the Bryan Ewald video, PRS states the SE has real Abalone inlays.
Nice loop Phil. The price difference is staggering, but the core has that “it” factor. I think the SE Paul’s will do very well. For the money it will make a lot of people consider PRS.
That was a lot of great insight on guitar build stuff.
The abalone bird inlays are real abalone not synthetic. I have one on order and can't wait for it to show up
As a teenager in the 80s, I used to daydream about PRS guitars when I would see the ads in magazines.... they just looked so exotic and refined compared to everything else on the market... but they were so out of reach for most of us, as we didn't have the cheaper SE models back then. That said, I still haven't tried an SE... and I recently purchased my third PRS core guitar. It's not that I have issues with $1000 guitars (I own several at that price point, or less!), I just feel like if I'm going to go PRS, I might as well go all in :)
Scarf joints are actually advantageous. They are stronger than making it out one piece.
Also, how do you know the frets are harder? Did you measure them with a Rockwell hardness tester or similar? And aren't frets generally glued in? I am pretty sure they are on the random guitars that I have. Although apparently some manufacturers make their fret slots so tight that no glue is necessary? If that is the case I feel bad for whoever tries to refret one of those. Normally you heat up the frets a little bit and you can pull them out. If they are in there so tight that no glue is necessary I feel like removing them could be pretty difficult and possibly destructive.
Also I am not likely to pay $4000 for a solid body electric guitar. I don't care how "premium" the materials are. $4000 is high-end classical/acoustic guitar money-like something that probably involves an actual luthier in at least some capacity to make it. Regardless of how premium the materials are, or where they make it the things are still made mostly by CNC machine. There just isn't $4500 worth of material and labour in one of those. Plus you can't even adjust the intonation on the bridge. You yourself have a very good video on "What doesn't make guitars expensive".
I dunno. The reality is that the cost of something is whatever people are willing to pay. I think you can get "more guitar" for your money from somewhere else.
Like very much how quickly you got right into matters
Can't disagree more about which looks better. Don't quite like those zebra stripe over the top flames while the brown one just looks absolutely gorgeous.
I used to own the core just like that one it was awesome.
Really enjoyed your comparisons in the differences in manufacturing and what is the same. I made the mistake at looking at the SE model on Sweetwater and seeing the Amber version. It instantly hypnotized me into preordering it.
Thanks for this comparison - helpful to understand the differences you get from such drastic prices and workmanship. What I take away from this is if you're not looking for an elegant 10 top look and style, you buy the SE, and plop some other pickups in it that give you better clarity for another hundred bucks or so, and save an easy 3k in price for a great player guitar.
Great video! I love hearing about PRS's attention to detail, I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone more detail oriented than Paul. I did find myself randomly drooling over the Margarita G&L and the Tangerine Solar in the background too though!
that melody is nice, dude. good work.
Awesome comparison Phil! I agree I prefer the Core as well, but the SE is still pretty sweet.
I have a Mikael Akerfeldt PRS SE and although it is not better in any one specific aspect to any of my other guitars, it's tied with my Gibson Les Paul for my favourite in my collection and just happens to be the least expensive as well :)
I just tried a zebrawood SE in a music store, and wow! One of the nice sounding and great feeling guitar I ever held.
That blue one is beautiful
I trust Phil, but still I will believe the new indonesian SEs are now on par with the koreans when I will be able to try a bunch. My old korean custom 24 with locking tuners and a change of pickups was a majestic guitar.
According to the indonesia factory tour video from PRS, the SE guitar frets are also glued in.
Great job as usual Phillip.
8:46 This sounds fantastic. Nice one.
Omg, I'd love to listen full version of it - if at all it exist.
I have come back a few times just to listen that piece.
@@rajatchats Me too. I'm glad you reminded me of it so I could listen to it again.
One of the best tones on this channel imo. I like it better than the core, but both sound sooo similar on YT. Paul's se price is so good. If it plays as good as it looks I wouldn't mind buying one and throwing some dimarzios in it. Blasphemy!
I picked up a PRS semi hollow custom 22. Love it, but need to replace the nut, they cut it wrong at the factory. Replacement graphtec nut in order, can’t wait to get it in!
The SE would look better with cream pickup rings.
100 per cent such a dick move not to put them on stock
@@MrRafaztarGive them a break, they're trying to make an affordable version. They have to create savings to make it more affordable. Lets be honest, if you're willing to buy a thousand dollar import, then another 20$ for cream pickup rings is not a serious problem. If an extra 20 bucks is a problem to you for this guitar, then you'd probably be happier buying something else.
I hate the black
Not a fan of cream pickup rings. I wonder why Paul has never direct mounted his pickups.
Cream looks like shit
This is actually a great video I bought the PRS SE custom 24 I had gone into a local music store to check it out and buy some strings and tried the one I thought was best and loved the sound I’m happy with my prs the pick ups are great sounding the neck is really comfortable the look is beautiful I have the maple top it has binding on neck and body with the bird inlays and the binding on the headstock I paid $600.000 and I know they go for $830.00 or more
The best comparison yet
Hi
Great Video. Just one little thing:
The Amps Name is “Hughe&Kettner“ not Kittner 🤪
I‘m using those Amps for over 13 Years now. Theyre great 😬
Amazing review. Subscribed!
I would love to know the mark up% companies make on “premium” guitars. I can not justify paying over 2000 for a guitar.
I am curious about the mark up on the Indonesian guitars. $1000 seems steep.
Materials are probably $600 for those premium, labor can be maybe a few more hundred so it’ll be idk... $1000 to make?
You're right. With 2k you can pretty much get two American Fender standards lool
Usually 50% or more markup
@@seanc.5310 Really depends. The high end custom shop stuff or the core PRS could be 300% or even more than that. Standard guitars will probably be a 100% to 150% markup and will decrease with the more affordable models.
This is because of price fixing where manufacturers can artificially set a price to their dealers and punishing them for setting it lower. Fender probably only spends $400 or $600 to make an American Professional, that's because everything is either bulk or produced in their own factories which means that hardware is only in the mere couple dollars compared to consumer prices and being part of owning a factory, i'd know manufacturing things are cheap especially with modern day automation. Then Fender will demand to their dealers that the minimum price will be $1,549.99. They'll markup the price to a distributor and then to a store at a reasonable rate and the store will probably pay $1,300 or something.
Sounds a little BS but since instruments are always expensive, people will be willing to assume it'll remain the same price even though with technology, the price of production will only get cheaper and thus the markup will only get higher. Add in a lot of marketing about how you're owning an invaluable piece of art instead of a product, history, talk about tonewoods and pickups and shit...etc and since almost every brand does this as well, now you've created a market where everyone pays exorbitant prices.
The reason it's like this is because Guitar is a niche. There isn't such a high demand and thus guitar is a relatively tight community full of similar beliefs which means it's easier to... basically brainwash them into believing these prices are reasonable.
Also factories require significant investment and have either moderate or low demand which means that BS markups are recommended to comfortably stay above the green.
Great video!!!
I liked your color grading trick when switching between single and humbucker, but the humbucker should be more yellow as it is the warmer of the two! =D
i just sanded the back of my SE paul's guitar and it does not have a scarf joint. however it looks like a three piece neck all the same wood. i just wanted you to know.
thanks for all the awesome videos you make.