price is $569.97
set-in neck...

what are your thoughts? Anybody play one yet?

Robbie

Robbie,

I haven't played one, but there is a very favorable review in the new issue of GP (w/Buddy Guy on the cover).

There's a thread on the PRS forum that states that the wood used for these guitars is from a morally/ethically/legally questionable source!!!

and nope not played one yet.

I just happen to play one yesterday. *It's a very nice guitar for the money. *It's got a super fast neck & was setup great from the factory. *

I played a couple of different SE's at the NAMM show, and was reluctantly impressed by them. *Definitely a higher level of quality than what Epiphone's have been in recent years. *Not the typical gorgeous PRS that I'm used to, but a solid, decently constructed guitar that seemed to play very smoothly. *Not bad for the money! *Might even pick one up myself for a "beater"

a few caveats here...

* if you're going to use the PRS headstock and body shape, at least have the balls to call it a PRS.

* if you're going to call it a Santana (use the santana model's shape)

* there is some discussion of how legally the wood for the rosewood on these guitars was obtained. *Apparently the laws about logging from certain types of Indonesian Rosewood can be evaded relatively easily by big American corporations.

* Carlos Santana does not play one. *To me, this makes his endorsement misleading and about as good as Rick Allen of Def Leppard endorsing drumsticks for lefties...(sick joke mode: off)

on the other hand there are good points too..

* it's not as gaudy as standard PRS models

* at under a grand, you wouldn't be too scared to rip out the pickups and put in good ones.

* the neck inlays are nice

* Indonesian Rosewood makes a great barbecue flavor

Call me a "doubting Thomas" but you do get what you pay for.

Are they made in the USA?

The SE's are Korean made I believe. I played one. The quality is very good. Nice looking woods and hardware. Contruction and fretwork was excellent, as good or better than Ibanez guitars at this price point. For the price, I was very impressed.

I believe the Koreans are where the Japanese were 25 years ago. They get bad mouthed for producing poor quality guitars, but some factory line are starting to produce good quality instruments.

A recent Guitarist (UK) review was less than stellar - they basically panned them as overpriced and said you can do better for the money. *I'd agree - give me a MIM Fender or a nice Yamaha any day over one of these things...

I have a MIM Fender. I went thru quite a few to find a good one. It definitely isn't as nice as the SE.

Then again Jippy, when was the last time you saw a BAD review of any product in Guitar World?

A good point. But, at least there are some reviews coming out. Take 'em for what their worth. Myself, I'd still prefer an Ibanez-anything over a PRS. They've worked great for me for the past 10 years

Are you sure? Some selective quotes from the mag in front of me:

Guitarist UK, May 2001: Santana SE

"...the SE excels as a natural, comfortable and highly playable guitar that's hard to put down."
"...for its price, the SE is a finely-made instrument..."
"Aside from the microphonic pickups, which are already being sorted, it's very hard to criticise this guitar."
"Above all, this is a great guitar, worthy of any money spent on upgrading it. At last, the guitar-building skills that PRS has learned over the years are now available to the masses."

"Scores (out of five):

Build Quality: 4.5
Playability: 5
Sound: 4.5
Value: 4
Verdict: 4.5
We Liked: Just about everything.
We Disliked: High-gain pickup squeaking but it didn't spoil the fun."

That said, Guitarist editor Neville Marten is a vocal PRS fanatic, who has appeared in advertisements for PRS in the UK. So you often get what seems like an enormous "PRS are the epitome of guitar craft" slant in Guitarist editorials.

Considering the many fine UK-based custom builders that the mag covers, I find that a touch annoying, but it's the same opinion that much of the guitar media seems to have.

Cosmetically, I think these guitars undermine the aesthetic of what a PRS is, or IMO should be. If it plays well, fine, but my yamaha MS1511 is the same money, and IMO is a stunning guitar. It strikes me as exploiting the Santana/PRS image in a blatant , unappealing way.

Guy