NickS wrote:I'm interested in why, though. Did you go looking for a PRS or were you in the shop and think "let me see what these play like", or what?
Good question!
It starts out like this. I'm taking speed pretty seriously now. I've long thought that the problem with most "shredders" is the God-awful boring music they usually play, not the beautiful technique they have, so I've been trying to develop scales and licks and arpeggios over time, while still trying to keep my indie rock/indie pop influences... because why not. So, as I've started to have faster and faster licks in my daily playing, I'd started to want a guitar that lends itself to a little more speed and access. I'm not saying that my Jazzmaster or Jaguar or Mustang can't play fast, but you know, for instance, my Mustang (7.25 radius) can fret out a bit on high E bends if I want more than a whole step. If I want to use 9 gauge or lighter strings, sometimes my offsets might act up. If I want deep whammy dive bombs, I don't have a guitar I can reach for. But more than anything, it was that I wanted something with excellent fret access, I wanted 24 frets this time and high output pickups, basically something very different from my usual tastes but nothing ridiculously flashy like an Ibanez RG with monkey grips. It was all about extending my capabilities and potential.
So I started going on websites, looking for any decent guitar with 24 frets with a vibrato bridge. Naturally, this is complete shredder territory, which means flame maple tops, trans black finishes, EMG 81/85, Floyd Rose bridges, and I just wasn't quite ready for all that. Because on top of 24 frets, vibrato bridge, high output pickups (or potential for, anyway, which means any guitar really), and light weight, I had these other wish list things: good looks, a solid finish (burst acceptable if semi-hollow), and ease-of-use as in I'd tolerate a Floyd on a perfect guitar but I'd prefer another if at all possible.
The two 24-fret guitars I've always LOVED are the Rickenbacker 350SH Susanna Hoffs signature (this is the one guitar I must really have) and Charvel Surfcaster, and Surfcaster usually has a vibrato bridge, too, but I kind of wanted a new guitar, and I didn't want to spend custom shop dollars.
The one guitar that actually caught my eye was the 24-fret PRS Dave Navarro SE in jet white, and it's kind of the model that made me reconsider PRS because, as you know, PRS is well known for their figured woods, bird inlays, intricate carves, which all kind of look compared compared to, something like a Jaguar which doesn't try so hard and achieves comfort and beauty in a much simpler manner. The Dave Navarro model didn't quite do it for me, but it did encourage me to look at PRS in a different light, and that's when I started to see these Standard 24s which completely checked all my bullet points for me, whereas with most other guitars I was shopping, they usually checked most of them. The large pickguard is the thing that really sealed it for me. A pickguard complements the body, adds looks, and also adds function in simplifying wiring and protecting the body, and I just really thought that a PRS with a pickguard, that's something I could support.
So that's the story. Kind of long.
Kicking and squealing Gucci little piggy.
