If you are looking for a new electric guitar or buying your first one as a beginner, then we have a suggestion for you. Paul Reed Smith guitars brand offers high-quality guitars with incredible design, sound, and playability.
The PRS SE Standard 24 model is no exception. In this article, you can find out more about this guitar and if it is worth buying, so keep on reading.
Key Takeaways
- The PRS SE Standard 24 guitars are well designed and come in different body finishes.
- Solid and well-built with a mahogany body and a maple neck.
- Comes with 85/15 “S” humbucking pickups and its own tremolo system.
- There is great sound quality and versatility.
- Comfortable playing experience with a well-shaped neck and light strings.
- Affordable price and valuable.
- Made for beginners, professionals and people who want to explore music genres.
Table of Contents
Design and build
The PRS SE Standard 24 guitars are good-looking and kind of curvy which gives it a cool design and feel. They come in different body finishes such as tobacco sunburst, translucent blue, and vintage cherry, all of them unique.
The tobacco sunburst gives it a more classic finish which really makes the mahogany body of the guitar stand out. The vintage cherry finish looks gorgeous in its brightness and as the name suggests it fits the vintage rock aesthetic. Lastly, the translucent blue finish has elegance and the colors blend well together.
These guitars are designed with great mahogany tonewood and both the neck and body have cream binding which adds to the looks of it. As a trademark of PRS, in the SE Standard 24, there are bird inlays as well. They are easily recognizable and look amazing.
Apart from design, what is really important is the build quality. When it comes to PRS SE Standard 24 guitars they don’t disappoint in this section because they are solid and have high-quality construction.
The mahogany body of this guitar not only looks good but is also durable. There is a maple neck that makes playing the guitar comfortable and features a gloss finish which is also good for durability.
Pickups and tremolo
The PRS SE Standard 24 guitar comes with 85/15 “S” humbucking pickups that are versatile and wired across a three-way selector.
These pickups offer warm sounds and richness in volume. They are well balanced and not flat when used together in either humbucker or single coil configuration.
You could use the split bridge pickup or so-called single coil configuration option to get more clarity in the produced sound without it sounding too rough and heavy.
In general, these pickups, as modeled after the 85/15 pickups Paul Reed Smith designed for PRS’s 30th anniversary, offer a great tonal range from clear tones to high gain.
The PRS SE Standard 24 guitar comes with its own tremolo system which works rather well and is easy to use. The PRS-designed tuners and tremolo should work well for rock-solid tuning and intonation.
In general, the tuners do a decent job even though they might look cheap. Basically, you shouldn’t have problems with the tuning.
Sound
Because of the way this guitar is designed with its mahogany body and rosewood fretboard, it is able to give enough warmth and darkness to the tones. This works great for rock and metal.
As this guitar comes with a maple neck, you will be able to get clearness in the tones. For more versatility, there are pickups with which you can add more brightness to the tones if needed.
As we already mentioned, the guitar offers both dark and warm tones so it is balanced well and isn’t flat or too dark. Although it sounds really good, sometimes it can be a bit muddy and can lack some brightness.
But overall, the PRS SE Standard 24 guitar offers great sound quality and is suitable for any kind of music such as jazz, metal, and rock. You can get both intense and clear sounds from this guitar which adds to its versatility.
To best experience the sound of this electric guitar and how versatile it is, we recommend using an amp. You can find different high-quality amps offered from the same brand.
Playability
When it comes to how easy and comfortable this guitar feels to play, we can say that it is an enjoyable experience. The fretboard is 10 inches and there is some curve, but it won’t disturb your playing. It is well-polished and so you will be able to play comfortably.
The guitar is also equipped with light, 9-gauge strings which allow you to be able to play effortlessly because they are easy to hold down without being breakable.
The PRS SE Standard 24 might not offer a super-fast neck, but it is fast and smooth enough for you to have a good playing experience. The shape of the neck is wide and thin so it doesn’t feel chunky which ensures smooth playing and great access to the upper frets.
An issue to playability here could be the molded plastic nut which seems too tall. This could impact tuning stability and the nut might wear out if you play too hard.
Price value
The PRS SE Standard 24 guitars fit generally into the more affordable market. These guitars are inexpensive unlike a lot of other guitars from the same brand, and are definitely worth buying because they don’t disappoint with the features and performance.
As we have covered in the previous paragraphs, these guitars offer a fantastic and durable build, classy designs and a great playing experience with their well sounding pickups. Because of these factors, the PRS SE Standard 24 guitar is valuable and worth its price.
Who is the PRS SE Standard 24 guitar for?
This guitar is amazing for both beginners and more experienced guitar players. As other guitars from the PRS brand are more expensive, this guitar is a great option if you have a limited budget and want something more affordable.
Because of its versatility, this electric guitar is great for use in a lot of different music genres. So if you are a person who likes to experiment and explore from time to time, but also return to distorted riffs and melodic leads, this guitar will be a great choice for you.
Final verdict
The PRS SE Standard 24 guitars are well-built and high-quality guitars which offer great features and an amazing playing experience.
All of this at an affordable price. Sounds great, doesn’t it? We can assure you that you won’t go wrong if you decide to buy this guitar. Hopefully, with this review article we managed to help you make a choice.