[vwjodyme]

Anyone have any thoughts on the SE's vs the real deal?

I am getting all the xmas catalogs and it seems like a huge jump in price between the two (like 600 for se compared to 2600 for PRS). Are they really that far apart?

[KCJones]

Only you can be the judge of that. Specs on paper are just that, specs. Suggest you go hold and play a Custom 24 in Original as well as SE, side by side. Obvious differences are solid maple top vs. veneered maple; mahogony neck vs maple; hardware and electronics in-house PRS made vs. outsourced; electronics functioanilty different. Yer right in that there is definately a cost/benefit analysis to be made, but not just on paper. There's definately nice SEs out there. You just need to decide if that "one" is for you.

[WilliamC]

Agree with above...

The SE line is manufactured in Korea and has a generally lower grade of "fit and finish".PRS has fairly recently started to add some of the PRS "signature" features like bird inlays and figured tops. They're pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a "student edition" - sort of thickish finishes, thinner, less figured tops on the one's that have 'em, no locking tuners, "PRS design" pickups, etc. Still, nice guitars

I recently bought an '02 Santana III - one of PRS's earlier attempt at a more affordable instrument and it's a wonderful guitar. No gold hardware or fancy inlays, nice but not spectacular top, etc. You can get 'em in the $1599-$1999 range (the higher end would have the 10 Tops). Unfortunately they're not all that common - it took about a year of semi-serious web watching to turn up mine. (The one here: http://www.ultimatesantana.com/PRS-Paul ... a-III.html could be my guitar's twin.)

Not surprisingly, people tend to take good care of their PRS instruments, so real nice ones are not hard to find at pretty decent prices, especially if you can live without a "10 Top".

[Bear62]

I would look at something like this: The Mira is a very nice guitar and the price point is much closer to an SE than a Custom 24

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2009-PRS-Korina ... 601wt_1398

[CoolBreeze]

Also one thing to keep in mind is if you plan on doing any modifications. I have no trouble changing things on my $300 SEII- but a $2600 axe? Not so much. And the "real" PRS guitars really do hold a decent re-sale value, on down the line.

Bruce

[myoung6923]

Also one thing to keep in mind is if you plan on doing any modifications. I have no trouble changing things on my $300 SEII- but a $2600 axe? Not so much. And the "real" PRS guitars really do hold a decent re-sale value, on down the line.

Bruce

I bit the bullet and modded my PRS custom 24 10 top. I finally decided that rather than worry about its resale value, I wanted it to be what I wanted. I have no idea what I might have done to its resale value, but it's the best guitar that I have ever held - it's really a beauty in all aspects.

[tcsned]

If your not gonna sell it ever I wouldn't worry about modding it. I think folks get too hung up on resale value in general. You might look into a CE model used. I love mine and they're cheaper than the customs.

[vwjodyme]

I bit the bullet and modded my PRS custom 24 10 top. I finally decided that rather than worry about its resale value, I wanted it to be what I wanted. I have no idea what I might have done to its resale value, but it's the best guitar that I have ever held - it's really a beauty in all aspects.

Beautiful guitar! Sounded awesome on Friday!

[myoung6923]

I bit the bullet and modded my PRS custom 24 10 top. I finally decided that rather than worry about its resale value, I wanted it to be what I wanted. I have no idea what I might have done to its resale value, but it's the best guitar that I have ever held - it's really a beauty in all aspects.

Beautiful guitar! Sounded awesome on Friday!

Thanks! I didn't know you came down - you should say hi!

[Rusty the Scoob]

I bit the bullet and modded my PRS custom 24 10 top. I finally decided that rather than worry about its resale value, I wanted it to be what I wanted. I have no idea what I might have done to its resale value, but it's the best guitar that I have ever held - it's really a beauty in all aspects.

Beautiful guitar! Sounded awesome on Friday!

Thanks! I didn't know you came down - you should say hi!

x2! I wondered if you were there but got sidetracked with work friends and didn't exactly want to go wandering around the crowd asking random people, you know?

[vwjodyme]

We didn't end up staying long, i think we left around 10:30, so didn't get to stop by during set break like i planned.
We both had a good time and plan on coming out again if you guys are playing nearby in the future.