Mileage check

This was yesterday's affair. If there is such a thing as a mileage check for guitars, then it should be done. My SE 245 suffered a warped neck (nothing severe) despite me keeping my instruments away from direct sunlight. But we know how the weather's like in this part of the world. I wasn't even aware of this anomaly until I started playing & felt the action a little too high to my liking & I kept making mistakes. The neck was adjusted accordingly (truss rod tweak) & that was all that was needed.

That prompted me to clean the crackling (slightly) input jack as well & lowered the neck pickup height a tad. I do keep a schedule of guitars due for periodic checks but sometimes, the ones not due for inspection are the ones in need of attention. It's all circumstantial. Pay particular attention to your guitars which experience the most sweat exposure (from you, of course) . These are the ones that would suffer moisture-related issues. 

Single cutting the NYE

It's the final day of 2015. Many of us are heading home after a half day at work, some of us aren't even at work. Hopefully all of us are in the mood to celebrate. I'm spending time with 2 singlecut guitars, the first of which is the above Gibson Les Paul BFG. I didn't immediately buy the BFG when it debuted in 2007. The first batch of them were all snapped up at Swee Lee & I didn't even bat an eyelid for a simple reason- I'm not a Les Paul fan. However, a year or so later, the guitar was listing for a promotional price, rightfully so because almost everyone who bought the guitar deemed it a let down of sorts due to severe corner cutting, the finish in particular. There was a chunk of top wood missing at the treble side just above the neck pickup. Many traditionalists find the finish appalling as they were used to the finished feel of the other models.

I bought it for its finish; I'm more at home with a lacquerless feel & the lighter weight means the instrument would give a little bit more manifestation in the upper frequencies. I'm not looking for a bottom end boom with this guitar, definitely not. As I wasn't a fan of Gibson pickups in general (still not), the bridge position now features a Seymour Duncan C5.

The other singlecut on my play list today is this PRS SE 245. It's the opposite of what the BFG offers; a rather heavy guitar which was finished from one end to the other. It's also the first generation of SEs to be manufactured in Indonesia. I thought since it was an SE version, it should be in the same league as the Squiers & Epiphones out there but I had a hard time treating it as a lesser brand name because it was above expectations in many aspects; playability, tone & QC in particular. The manufacturer had made it a point to differentiate the SEs from its American siblings so I'm here to tell you that it's never in the shadows of the upper tier counterparts. Awesome value for money!

The shorter hollow

This is a PRS variation of its existing 245 model which has gone semi-hollow with piezo goodness. The other semis in the PRS range do not sport a shorter scale length so they missed out on being the true voice of traditional guitars in this nature & the 24.5" measurement here means it's a tad shorter than those old-timers & should sound 'different'.

PRS SE: 245

The first PRS SE model was one that latched onto a formidable name that it was forgivably devoid of a concrete identity- the Santana SE (circa 2001). A decade or so later, the SE tag became an acknowledged nod towards a quality non-American PRS build only because the manufacturer had strict prerequisites when it comes to what should bear the 'PRS' tag regardless of the people handling the production. Fast forward 2014, the manufacturer announced a shift in production venue for the SE makes late in the year; Indonesia (goodbye Korean QC...). This was a big deal because the Korean WM plant bacame a formidable name in representing quality output. Ibanez & PRS helped put Korea on the quality map but both brand names have since departed the vicinity in search of a less costly affair.

Build/ fit/ finish

The PRS SE 245 on appraisal here represents the Indonesian manufacture so all eyes are on quality; a decent, presentable standard is just not PRS enough. The mark has to be higher. This SE 245 passed the initial quality exuberance test; there's a feeling of class there, no doubt about it. There were no anomalies to report in any aspects except for the following minor considerations:

1. Untidy nut finish. The nut was left prickly in many places. I was thinking, there is a simple procedure in getting this done, ie. the factory hands could have simply scraped the leftover bits using basic hardware (eg: blade/ string cutter) but it was omitted. I couldn't help but form a negative impression with regards to working philosophy.
2. Untidy binding terminal. This is perhaps the Achilles Heel of instruments sporting edge binding but we understand that at this price point, the binding is most likely a faux version. Regardless, the one displayed by this SE 245 is a little amateurish. It's no different from the hurried workmanship in some Chinese Charvels I've come across.
3. Action: The instrument in question manifested fret buzz at the upper frets but be assured that it wasn't a product of warping issues. The situation was attended to in the store promptly during the appraisal & a little higher action proved to be the perfect cure; no issues thereafter.

Playability/ tone

The SE 245 isn't a shred machine per se but with a little help from some high gain sources, speed shouldn't be an issue here; just bear with the rather substantial neck profile. On a personal note, I feel this is a deserving neck profile for the instrument, a wide & wide-fat D-carve suitable for many applications. More importantly, the neck matches the overall heavy affair, yes, the instrument is 3.8kg & it isn't too friendly when one plays standing up most of the time but this made the SE 245 a downright winner in terms if sustain & low frequency push. Special mention goes to the tuners for being responsive & holding tuning well despite being in-house models.

Tone-wise, the manufacturer had gone for inherent attributes as opposed to pleasing specific campers. The default humbuckers aren't high output affairs so a good degree of vintage warmth could be had from the neck pickup. In fact, the neck pickup is a good reference for all things 'nice' (cleans especially). If there's any post-purchase considerations, you might be bent on replacing the bridge humbucker (not that it's a dud to begin with) to fulfill a more specific distortion attack, especially for those with prog inclinations & a very calculated opinion of what a preferred distortion-oriented humbucker should be.

Conclusion

You'd read some derogatory comments in cyberspace pertaining to the mere switch from Korean to Indonesian manufacturing when it comes to the PRS SE. These trolls equate the country of manufacture with quality & that's one of the most uneducated thing to do when it comes to standard appraisals. What we should acknowledge is reputation- yes, some countries have a more established reputation when it comes to QC but that is a general affair. To sum up: When 4 out of 5 doctors from Country A are sub-standard practitioners, we often overlook that 1 that stands out from the rest. 

Price-wise, this generation of Indonesian SEs would prove to be a headache when it comes to value for money. It retails for nearly 50% off its Korean counterparts & without showing a proportionate deterioration in quality. In fact, I would be implying disrespect to the PRS name should I allude to quality issues just because the SEs now hail from Indonesia. If you are in the market for a budget instrument with substantial QC attached to one, may I suggest you look at the PRS SEs first.

Overall rating: 80%

PRS SE 245

Product availability: Davis GMC

Price: $495 (bag included)

Thanks to Ram, Chris & Janet for the assistance.

PRS SE 245: Indonesian goodness

Actually, this PRS SE 245 was the final purchase for 2014. Production shifted to Indonesia, I was very well aware of that. The instrument was well-made less some tolerable oversight (not to be discussed in ts entry).

The default pickups made way for these Seymour Duncans: Custom (B)/ Jazz (N). They were fine inclusions, really (especially that neck humbucker) but I have to quell my thirst for overdrive sensation; it had always been this way. 

I have handled many Korean PRS SEs, I find this Indonesian to be on par but some fine details were overlooked. Nevertheless, they were non-detrimental to reputation. This batch of SEs prove to be the most affordable (you can purchase one for less than $500) without presenting too many deficiencies. On a personal note, I give them my thumbs up.

PRS sale: Recommendations

It's June :-) The PRS promo had begun at Davis GMC. I was there to take a look at the range on offer; 2 recommendations for you, interested parties.

Firstly, it's the SE 245 (pic above), the scale length is a whisker shorter than a Les Paul unit & this was done to invoke some familiar feel in terms of playability, not to mention added boom from the tone. There's something about the body that you should know about: CLICK So that, plus the open coil humbuckers struck a perfect balance in terms of tone; nothing too excessive in any bass/ midrange/ treble performance.

Secondly, the SE Fredrik Akesson (Opeth) signature model is a worthy consideration. It's every bit an SE 245 in specs but it sports an ebony fretboard instead of the 245's mahogany. This is a rather notable difference because both guitars feature identical pickups. The ebony fretboard would mean a healthy dose of clarity from the neck humbucker. Some other differences to note:

• Rounder + slightly deeper cutaway- only notable upon playing
• TonePros stop tail- with adjustable saddles for intonation accuracy

You can deliberate your decisions till the end of June, plenty of time for those of us who have yet to receive the month's salary (your truly included).

Despite being a signature model, Davis GMC did not price this one excessively, in fact, it's in the same price bracket as the 245- a sub-$900 price tag after the promo discount.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

The thicker message

The PRS SE 245 is now in store @ Davis GMC. What's the big deal here? This singlecut SE sports a thicker body depth & it adds to the overall weight of the instrument quite significantly. The plus point is definitely that more thumping bottom end you'd like to hear. Also, Davis GMC did a good thing by keeping the price to a sub-$1K tag. Please call the store for further details :-)