PRS SE Custom 24-08
9
10
first play
PRS SE CUSTOM 24 & 24-08
20
GUITARIST APRIL 2021
PRS SE CUSTOM 24
PRICE: £825 (inc gigbag)
ORIGIN: Indonesia
TYPE: Double-cutaway solidbody
electric
BODY: Mahogany back with maple
top (w/figured veneer facing) and
shallow violin carve
NECK: Maple, Wide Thin profile,
glued-in
SCALE LENGTH: 635mm (25”)
NUT/WIDTH: Friction reducing/
43.2mm
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood,
‘old-school’ bird inlays, 254mm (10”)
radius
FRETS: 24, medium
HARDWARE: PRS patented vibrato
(cast), PRS designed non-locking
tuners – nickel-plated
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52.5mm
ELECTRICS: PRS 85/15 ‘S’ Treble
and Bass humbuckers (open coil,
double black bobbins); 3-way lever
pickup selector switch, master
volume and tone (w/ pull switch
to simultaneously coil-split both
humbuckers)
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 7.6/3.45
OPTIONS: Colour only
RANGE OPTIONS: Other SE include
the Custom 22 and the Custom 22
Semi-Hollow (both £825), and the
Custom 24 Floyd (£899). The USA
Core Custom 24 starts at £3,599 and
the S2 version costs £1,779
LEFT-HANDERS: Yes, in Charcoal
Burst and Faded Blue Burst at £845
FINISHES: Bonnie Pink (as
reviewed), Black Gold Burst, Faded
Blue Burst, Charcoal Burst
PRS SE CUSTOM 24-08
PRICE: £899 (inc gigbag)
ORIGIN: Indonesia
TYPE: Double-cutaway solidbody
electric
BODY: Mahogany back with maple top
(w/figured veneer facing) and shallow
violin carve
NECK: Maple, Wide Thin profile,
glued-in
SCALE LENGTH: 635mm (25”)
NUT/WIDTH: Friction reducing/
42.8mm
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood,
‘old-school’ bird inlays, 254mm (10”)
radius
FRETS: 24, medium
HARDWARE: PRS patented vibrato
(cast), PRS designed non-locking
tuners – nickel-plated
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52.5mm
ELECTRICS: PRS TCI ‘S’ Treble and
Bass humbuckers (open coiled zebra
bobbins); 3-way toggle pickup
selector switch, master volume and
tone, 2x mini-toggle coil-split switches
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 8/3.6
OPTIONS: Colour only
RANGE OPTIONS: See Custom 24.
The SE Paul’s Guitar uses the same
mini-toggle switches and TCI ‘S’
pickups as the 24-08 and costs £899.
The USA Core 24-08 starts at £3,799
LEFT-HANDERS: See SE Custom
FINISHES: Eriza Verde (as reviewed),
Vintage Sunburst
9. PRS’s patented vibrato
is a cast design with
steel top-plate and
block, plus push-in
stainless steel arm
Verdict
The past year has seen high demand for
PRS guitars, which makes virtually any
criticism or observation redundant. There
will be plenty of guitar players, for example,
who would enjoy a more ‘working player’s’
version of either of these in opaque colours,
such as a black or gold-top with less
ostentatious inlays. But with such demand
for its core classic style, sorry, that isn’t
going to happen!
Prices have risen, too, in line with most
brands and, certainly, at £899 the Custom
24-08 is no cheap date (although you can
expect to see lower dealer prices as usual);
we already have £1k-plus SE models in the
form of the Hollowbody II Piezo. Of course,
the all-mahogany USA S2s start lower than
that at £1,185, but the S2 Custom 24 is still
nearly £1,000 more expensive than either
guitar on review here.
The thing is, with essentially the same
hardware and pickups these SEs march
hard on the tails of the S2, none of which
feature the ‘tuned’ TCI circuitry of our
24-08 or its expansive switching. In short,
the SE line has the wind behind it. Great
design, beautiful execution and sounds that
just continue to evolve: a serious amount of
guitar for the money.
PROS It’s impossible to question
the craft: what seals the deal are the
slightly sweeter sounds here and the
expanded switching
CONS Bright green guitars might
not be your thing, so there’s just
Vintage Sunburst as an option;
no lefties… but it’s still a cracker
PROS Seriously well-sorted
Custom with not a hair out of place;
versatile rock-ready sounds with
good coil-splits
CONS We’d love a less showy
looking version and, thankfully,
there are more classic colours
offered here, too
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
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GIT470.rev_prs.indd 20 18/02/2021 08:56