KEY FEATURES
• All Mahogany body
• Bolt-on Maple neck
• 24 fret Rosewood fretboard
• 85 / 15 “ S ” pickups
• 25 ” scale length
• Push / pull tone control
• Satin Finish
• Affordable
Sometimes you must hand it to a guitar company when they set a new standard in the industry . This time around the block PRS get the big congrats . As publisher of this magazine , producer of four different annual guitar shows on the West Coast and generally a “ guitar nut ”, I get asked for my opinion on what a good electric is to buy in certain price points . Now , we all know the thing at opinions – that is – everyone has one . Ha ! But when asked about electric guitars specifically , I have said for the last 20 years or more that the PRS SE line of guitars is the best guitar you can buy for under $ 1,000 U . S . dollars . Hands down .
The quality of components like the pick-ups , the bridge , tuners , the fretwork , and neck playability … and certainly the finish - nothing beats them . They even come in a nice gig bag ( not a flimsy one ).
But now PRS has broken a new barrier . I can confidently say that the best guitar you can buy under $ 500 is a PRS SE ! Yes , their new SE CE model is $ 499 . What ? I know !
And the kicker is – they didn ’ t skimp on the components . To hear it from PRS … “ This introduction marks the most affordable guitar in the PRS catalog and is designed to support everyone from first-time players to budgetconscious guitarists to professional musicians . Modeled after the company ’ s classic CE 24 model , the SE CE 24 Standard Satin is an allmahogany workhorse , full of PRS DNA and quality ”. I need to say – that statement from PRS is accurate . And I would add that every guitarist in the church – from the youth group , to the main sanctuary platform , can benefit from playing this new model .
We all have friends who buy a less expensive guitar with the thought , “ Then I ’ ll replace the pick-ups for a better tone ” ( don ’ t need to with this SE 24 Standard Satin ), “ Then I ’ ll upgrade the bridge ” ( don ’ t need to ) and lastly , “ I ’ ll upgrade the tuners ” ( again , this PRS is ready to go right out of the gate ).
Let ’ s take a look at what our friend Jack Higginbotham has to say about it . Jack is the PRS Guitars Chief Operating Officer and has been deeply involved in the SE guitars from the start there at PRS . We first met Jack at the Creation Festival at Agape Farms over 20 years ago . Jack has a passion for Christian music and worked with many of the Christian bands there , introducing them and the massive crowds there to the SE guitar line . “ This guitar is full of all the attention to detail we have infused into the SE Series : the neck , pickups , playability , and vibe are pure PRS . More than that , this new satin finish makes a very lively guitar because it is so thin , but it is also incredibly durable , so it can withstand a bit of abuse . This is a quintessential player ’ s guitar .”
So you may ask me , “ How did they cut the price – it must be the satin finish ?” Jack gives us a clue here in his statement . Yes , a satin finish is less expensive than a nitrocellulose lacquer finish to apply . But Jack is also right in saying that the guitar is “ lively ” and can stand some abuse . Too heavy of any finish can deaden guitar tone so a thin layer of satin does help the tone . Add to this my pet peeve of watching a worship band live online and the guitarist ’ s guitar on the screen has smudges and fingerprints all over it like they haven ’ t wiped down their guitar in two years . I think to myself , “ Why doesn ’ t the person on the camera team tell the guitarist to clean his guitar once in a while ?” Ha !
When I held this new SE 24 Standard Satin in my hands – I tried to smudge the finish on purpose . You can ’ t do it . When I felt it with my fingertips and then took a good look at it – the satin finish actually is a plus on this guitar . It is beautiful too It feels great to the touch and after you pass it around to five different guitar players on the youth worship band it will still look fresh too .
More detailed specifications include : an allmahogany body that sports PRS ’ s shallow violin carve , a bolt-on maple neck featuring a wide thin carve and a 25 ” scale length , 24- fret rosewood fretboard with a 10 ” radius and PRS ’ s trademark bird inlays . The PRS SE CE 24 Standard Satin also features the full range and clarity of PRS ’ s 85 / 15 “ S ” pickups and the versatility of the push / pull tone control with 3-way toggle pickups selector . Don ’ t miss the push / pull aspect – you can split the humbuckers into single coils for those Tele style tones . Nut width is 1 & 11 / 16 .
The satin finish comes in three different colors … Vintage Cherry , Charcoal and Turquoise .
I ’ ll say it again … PRS has set a new standard with their SE 24 Standard Satin – It combines looks , tone , and playability into a high-quality package and it is the best electric guitar you can buy for under $ 500 !
Demo video Bryan Ewald
$ 499 PRSguitars . com
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