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Published on 12/31/11 at 09:52The PRS Custom 24 is one of the flagship guitars from the company and it was introduced back in the eighties as a blend between the Fender and Gibson camps. It features a mahogany body and neck with set neck construction like the Gibson guitars, a rosewood fretboard with 24 frets and really classy bird inlays, locking tuners, a custom design PRS tremolo system (non locking) and a pair of PRS humbuckers (usually the HFS/Vintage Bass combo). It's basically like a high class superstrat meets a Les Paul, and as a result it's quite versatile and can cover lots of sounds from clean through dirty with ease.
UTILIZATION
The design of the Custom 24 is pretty amazing. The shape is excellent and the weight is a great balance between light and heavy. It's got a beautiful carved top that not only looks killer, but offers nice support for your arm to rest on. The only real issue I have with the design is the neck heel, which can get in the way of the upper fret access a bit (though I'm no stranger to that, having played Gibsons that had the same issue). Getting a good sound out of this guitar is pretty easy. The woods and pickups used are top quality, so the tones are just excellent. Whether you are playing clean or distorted, rhythm or lead, this guitar will respond very well to whatever you are playing.
SOUNDS
The tones out of this guitar are excellent. I'm a big fan of the PRS pickups in general. They're pretty high output, yet they retain the feel of being like a vintage pickup like a PAF. The result is a very thick and sweet sounding guitar that has excellent sustain and oozes harmonics, especially when played through a distorted tube amp. The neck pickup is syrupy smooth, perfect for any kinds of smooth jazz comping or overdriven fusion leads, and the bridge pickup is biting and clear, yet very thick - a perfect mate for hard rock riffage and shredding lead work. The in between positions on the selector offer some very Fender-esque Strat/Tele type tones that really cap off the instrument and prove its versatility in a variety of settings.
OVERALL OPINION
All in all I think the PRS Custom 24 is truly a fantastic instrument. It looks killer, feels like an old friend, is very highly crafted and the tones are to die for. At about $2,800 new this guitar isn't cheap, but if you're willing to pay the price for a real instrument that blends the gap between Gibson and Fender and offers just a great guitar, do yourself a favour and try the PRS Custom 24. You won't leave disappointed.
UTILIZATION
The design of the Custom 24 is pretty amazing. The shape is excellent and the weight is a great balance between light and heavy. It's got a beautiful carved top that not only looks killer, but offers nice support for your arm to rest on. The only real issue I have with the design is the neck heel, which can get in the way of the upper fret access a bit (though I'm no stranger to that, having played Gibsons that had the same issue). Getting a good sound out of this guitar is pretty easy. The woods and pickups used are top quality, so the tones are just excellent. Whether you are playing clean or distorted, rhythm or lead, this guitar will respond very well to whatever you are playing.
SOUNDS
The tones out of this guitar are excellent. I'm a big fan of the PRS pickups in general. They're pretty high output, yet they retain the feel of being like a vintage pickup like a PAF. The result is a very thick and sweet sounding guitar that has excellent sustain and oozes harmonics, especially when played through a distorted tube amp. The neck pickup is syrupy smooth, perfect for any kinds of smooth jazz comping or overdriven fusion leads, and the bridge pickup is biting and clear, yet very thick - a perfect mate for hard rock riffage and shredding lead work. The in between positions on the selector offer some very Fender-esque Strat/Tele type tones that really cap off the instrument and prove its versatility in a variety of settings.
OVERALL OPINION
All in all I think the PRS Custom 24 is truly a fantastic instrument. It looks killer, feels like an old friend, is very highly crafted and the tones are to die for. At about $2,800 new this guitar isn't cheap, but if you're willing to pay the price for a real instrument that blends the gap between Gibson and Fender and offers just a great guitar, do yourself a favour and try the PRS Custom 24. You won't leave disappointed.