PRS Custom 24 57/08

USA made

24 frets

PRS Phase 2 locking tuners

PRS tremolo system

Mahogany body and neck, flame maple top, rosewood fretboard

Bird inlays optional

2 57/08 humbuckers

PRS 3 way switching, with push-pull coil tap

Master Volume and Tone controls

Wide thin, wide fat, or regular carve available

UTILIZATION

On a PRS Custom 24 guitar, fretboard access is very easy. My guitar was made in 2005, and all the chatter in internet forums is the "longer heel" on PRS guitars made after 1995 make it harder to reach the top frets. I think that claim is bunk - it was a breeze to reach all notes.

Dialing in tones was very easy - I could literally get whatever standard guitar tone I wanted out of it.

Weight is manageable - a solid 7.6 pounds. Not too heavy, but it doesn't feel like it wants to fly away from me like a toy guitar.

SOUNDS

This guitar can play anything! The 57/08 pickups have a very old-school Gibson PAF type quality to them, so they sound great with any genre, really.

The coil-splitting capability made it extra versatile - I could get convincing Tele twang and Strat in-between tones. Very creamy, yet articulate, and I could get great bite out of the guitar my digging into the strings.

OVERALL OPINION

Obviously, PRS guitars are gorgeous - that's the first thing anyone, musician or non-musician, will say upon getting one out of the case.

The guitars are quite expensive. I think a used one is a great deal - they seem like they appreciate in value after a couple of decades, like old Fenders or Gibsons. I see no reason why this trend would change. But I'm not sure I'd buy a brand new one, as they are soooo incredibly expensive for what they are. I'd probably get a Suhr if I was going to spend that amount of money on a new guitar, but at the same time, this PRS is very well made.