new(ish) 85/15 pickups that
were released last year.
They certainly sound like
classic humbuckers, but they
are a little more defined in
the lows, slightly scooped
in the low-mids, and clearer
in the high-mids. High
fidelity is kind of a bad word
when discussing guitars,
but it works here. The
85/15s are balanced across
the frequency spectrum
and have a lovely, built-in
compression. Yes, they’re
hot, but rolling back on the
volume knob takes some of
that edge off. I found myself
playing with the volume
on the guitar set at 7 and
then rolling up to 10 for
full distortion. One of the
things that has always set
PRS pickups apart from their
peers is that they actually
sound good when splitting
the pickup for single-coil
tones. The CE24 and the
85/15s do the best tappedcoil tone I’ve ever heard.
Split the coils, plug into a
Fuzz Face, Tube Screamer
or both, and you get instant
Hendrix and SRV tones.
Switch back to both coils
and you have ‘70s and ‘80s
rock and metal and any
modern tone you
could want.
The heel on the neck of the
CE24 is substantial but it’s
carved asymmetrically so
that it doesn’t hinder upper
fret access. Compared to
most bolt-on guitars, the
neck on the CE24 is thicker
where it joins the body and
it is inserted more deeply.
In fact, the way in which it
joins the body is almost like
the joint on set-neck PRS
guitars. It’s a super-solid
connection but it still offers
the snap and twang you
would expect from a bolt-on
neck. Speaking of the neck,
the satin Nitro finish is one
of the nicest finishes I’ve
felt—quick and svelte even
with sweaty hands on the
fourth set of the evening.
And it has just right amount
of luster to show off the
subtle birds-eye pattern of
the maple.
WHAT WE LIKE
The CE24 was and is a
classic for a reason. It’s
a combination magician,
chameleon, and jack of all
trades. If I were the type
to limit myself to just one
guitar (hint: I’m not), I could
easily do an entire gig with
just the CE24 running from
classic rock, to indie rock, to
alt-country, and on.
CONCERNS
If you are using a lowheadroom amp or some
vintage style fuzz pedals,
the full-on humbucker
tones can be a little too hot
(especially if you’re looking
for clean tones).
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