PRS SE Custom 24-08

first play
19
APRIL 2021 GUITARIST
PRS SE CUSTOM 24 & 24-08
7. While the two mini-
toggle switches of the
24-08 increase the
number of sounds,
they also switch from
humbucker to single
coil in a subtly different
fashion (see Under The
Hood on page 17)
8. PRS’s fabled bird inlays
come in different guises,
particularly when you
get to the USA Core
range and above. These
follow the original ‘solid’
designs, and if there’s
one at the last fret it
immediately identifi es
a 24-fret as opposed
to a 22-fret model
which many of us might call a tad more
vintage-y. The Custom 24’s coil-splits are
perfectly usable, primarily on neck and in
mix positions, which certainly supplies some
expected Fender-y bounce and funk. The
24-08, though, sounds very slightly sweeter.
Both really benefit from pulling the
tone control back a little – the volume, too,
which keeps things clear when reduced but
doesn’t overly ‘enhance’ the treble response.
While we can’t speak for everyone, both
guitars in single-coil mode benefited from
both tone and volume roll-off just to reduce
that presence. Conversely, and of particular
note if you’re using lashings of modulation/
delays, that presence can really enhance
what you hear with both controls on full.
Let’s be honest: the two extra sounds of
the 24-08 are subtle but noticeable. Those
two very discreet mini-toggles are really fast
and intuitive – you just need to remember
humbucking is ‘down’/away from you and
single coil is ‘up’. The pull-switch on the
Custom 24, of course, is fine – we’ve used
that plenty of times over the years – but we
have to be honest and say we really like the
setup of the 24-08.
If we were to pigeonhole, the Custom 24
model comes across as a very rock-ready
humbucker guitar with single-coil splits if
you need them; the 24-08 is slightly more
balanced, a guitar that excels at both.
Feel & Sounds
After 35 years of making the Custom, PRS
should know how to do it by now, right?
Both these ‘offshore’ models certainly
capture the style and taste, and not for
the first time the progression in quality
and sound of the SE seriously challenges
older USA models. The Wide Thin neck
is eminently playable, even though its
relatively slim depth (approximately 20mm
at the 1st fret and 22.5 at the 12th) might put
off the big neck brigade. Like the sounds
we hear, these guitars cover an awful lot of
ground. If we’re picky we’d love the satin
neck feel that we have on our CE 24, and
while that would be a pretty easy after-
purchase mod, frankly, the more we play
the more such thoughts disappear. As ever,
brand-new guitars need a little time to
settle, and of the two our 24-08 takes a little
while and some extra string stretching. But
both have identical setups, each fret mirror-
polished, the fingerboard edges lightly
rolled. C’mon, this is very good craft.
Obviously, we’re in the same ballpark
sound-wise, and to generalise we have a sort
of slightly hot vintage-y voice in humbucker
mode that suits a multitude of uses. The
more we swap between the guitars the more
subtlety we hear. To split hairs the Custom
24 seems to have slightly more stridency
to its voice; the 24-08 is slightly softer,
7
8
The progression in
quality and sound
of the SE range
seriously challenges
older USA models
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GIT470.rev_prs.indd 19 18/02/2021 08:56