I recently got a chance to spend some quality time with a PRS SE CE 24. A long time ago I established the “Clint Eastwood” style review setup, and now I’m stuck with it, so here is the good, the bad, and the ugly about this guitar.
The Good
You can currently find this guitar on sale for under $600 if you shop around, and I think it’s a steal at that price. The example I played had outstanding fretwork for a $699 guitar. I’ve seen Fender Strats for two grand that wished they had fretwork this good. This doesn’t mean every SE CE 24 will have great fretwork. But this one sure did. The action was low, and one spot on the neck was a little teeny bit buzzy. One spot on the entire neck.
Years ago I almost bought a PRS CE 24 for $1,800 new. I don’t spend that kind of money on a guitar, ever, but I loved how it looked and sounded, and the neck was great. There was one deal-killer – the extreme top carve left a bit of a “sharp-ish” edge all the way around the body, and it made my forearm uncomfortable. But the SE version doesn’t have that same harsh edge – I’d say it’s more comfortable to play. And even at the full $699 price tag it’s still a monster guitar for the money. I really like it… but it’s not perfect.
The Bad
I’m saving the pickups for “The Ugly”, so in the “bad” section, I’d say I don’t like the feel of the back of the maple neck much. It feels like they put on the lightest finish possible and shipped it. The neck carve itself is great, but if I close my eyes, I wonder if I’m playing a Squier. There’s something cheap-feeling about the feel of a barely finished maple neck. You find it on low end budget guitars, and this is NOT a low end budget guitar. This might not bother you, or it might. If I got one of these, I’d plan on putting more finish on the back of the neck, until it felt more satin and less lumber yard. That’s not an easy thing to do if you have no experience, but it is possible.
The Ugly
I don’t know what kind of pickups they’re putting in the SE line these days, but I’m sorry… they’re still a disappointment. This is VERY subjective. To me, this guitar sounds best when playing single note leads, but playing chords through gain, I just don’t quite hear the clarity I’d like. Part of this is because that’s the sound PRS wants, and I don’t prefer it. But if I got one of these guitars, the bridge pickup would need to go. Again, pickups are a very personal thing. You might love the sound of these. To me, they sound like almost every SE pickup I’ve ever played – good for leads, lacking in detail for chords.
Conclusion
Would I recommend the PRS SE CE 24 despite the fact that I don’t like the neck finish or the pickups? Definitely. Those things can be upgraded. I own two PRS guitars and I upgraded the bridge pickup in both of them. I’m a big PRS fan. You might not care about the neck and pickups. Regardless, the fretwork and build quality is as good as guitars two to three times the money. Pickup swaps aren’t hard. This is a killer guitar for the cash.
