An honest view of the PRS Custom 24

RandallFlagg

What's your honest take on the PRS Custom 24, leaving any PRS hate baggage at the door.

I love the build quality, much prefer a trem to the fixed bridge. I also preferred the old rotary to the slide switch, which I find a bit noisy and clunky, a 3 way McCarty toggle is best though.

I also liked the HFS/Vintage Bass pickups over the later pickups but the new ones are good.

The CU24 has a tone and feel all of it's own and I think is a very versatile all rounder. Even though you don't quite get the full fat bell like neck pickup tones due to the pickup location with regards the 24th fret harmonic, I still prefer the 24 over the CU22, which seems to lose some of the PRS vibe.

All in all a great guitar if you can get one with a less flashy top and without the black back and neck which I don't like. Prices creeping towards £3K these days though which makes the eyes water.

What's your thoughts on the CU24?

Whitecat

Very well made, with a few useability caveats for me personally. First, hate the Wide Thin and Pattern Thin profile, so it has to have a Regular / Pattern Regular neck.

Second, none really sung for me until the 85/15 pickups came out a couple years ago. It's the first Custom 24 I didn't feel a desperate need to change pickups on, I really didn't like any of the previous variants, and that includes the 57/08s and 59/09s they did for a little while (and I really like 57/08s on 22-fret guitars, go figure).

The new prices have gotten borderline insane on them, but secondhand they are still a great value, you should be able to get one on private sale for £1200-£1500 which is a lot of guitar for that kinda money.

I could never have a CU24 as my only guitar, but it's a nice complement to more traditional options, especially the newer ones which manage to toe a fine line between a modern and a vintage sound and still "work" without feeling something's been compromised.

Voxman

I have a PRS Cu24 with a 5-way rotary, and pretty much agree with everything you've said.  Its a 2002 in vintage amber with red back (non 10 top, but not far off I think - in fact, I'm a bit surprised it missed the 10 top grade!), birds, wide thin neck, & zebra p/ups that I bought for £850 used inc the original PRS case. I love the trem (easy push fit and very accurate), and the easy to restring and accurate tuners.  The Cu24 has a nice comfortable shape, great balance, the neck is very comfortable.  Build quality is superb.




I bought it because I wanted a single guitar that could give me both H/B (LP like) & single coil (strat like) tones.  I opted for the 5-way rotary because it sounded much nearer a Strat in positions 9 and 7. I didn't like the coil tap tones from the 3-position toggle/push-pull variant which sounded sterile & lifeless by comparison.  The Cu24 gave a little more flexibility playing wise than the Cu22, and I preferred the Cu24 p/ups to the 'Dragon' p/ups in the Cu22, that were OK but lacked character and felt 'weaker'.  However, aesthetically I've always preferred 'covered' rather than open p/ups, but the 'Zebra' look is I think muh nicer than just plain black p/ups.

When I first got it I thought it was fabulous and used it nearly all the time!  However, over recent years I find I still prefer proper Strat and LP tones, & I'm tending to 'go back' to a two guitar approach (either My LP Custom or SG Standard plus my USA Standard Stratocaster or Standard Telecaster) and so I'm using the Cu24 a little less.  I also find the middle p/up ('8') position a little muddy.  It's still a great guitar that I play regularly and if I could only choose one of my guitars for gigging, the Cu24 would be it because it can do everything I need very competently.  

One minor physical issue I have with the Cu24 is the edge of the nut which for some reason can catch my hand sometimes.  Also, the PRS case is very big & heavy!

The first 6 tracks here ('Undercover Duo') were all done with the Cu24 through a Vox Tonelab LE. 

https://soundcloud.com/richard-birch-1

guitarfishbay

I like it but I prefer everything about the CU22.  It's like the CU24 for people who don't need the extra two frets and otherwise would be happy playing a Gibson or Fender.

grungebob

I've had a fair few PRS guitars over the years and ive learnt a few things about them now to know what I like and dont like.

firstly ,with recent prices I do not believe they are worth £3-4K new! dont get me wrong they are superbly built but no f**king guitar is worth that amount of money.


I do prefer the 24 fret models over the 22's, I like the fact the neck feels more to the left and I prefer the placement of the neck pickup, it avoids that muddyness  i associate with neck humbuckers on other guitars.
I too prefer the rotary 5 way and the original VB&HFS pickup set over their other offerings ( although Im yet to try the 85/15's). plenty of power and definition from the HFS and the VB is very sweet sounding, the split sounds are nice too.

The CU24 is almost the perfect guitar for me except i dont like the violin carve ( if thats what you call it), that flat outer edge ruins the comfort of what looks to be a super comfy guitar and it hurts the hell out of my strumming arm. I also dont like the flame / quilt tops.  They play great, they balance great and they have the ability to cover so much musical ground. I love the phase 2/3 tuners ( the wing ones are terrible!) and the trem is smooth and accurate.

If they dropped that flat edge from the core line i'd buy another in a heartbeat but until they do that im very happy with my S2 standard 24 and Vela. the Pattern Regular neck is just great, wide thin is a touch too thin.

richardhomer

A modern classic.

Personally I've always liked the five position rotary - it was always the most visually pleasing solution PRS came up with and never caused me any difficulties live.

Early 'short-heel' models are prone to dead-spots - but otherwise, an exceptional piece of design.

artiebear

Not the first guitar I go to but absolutely brilliant at getting the job done with perfect playability, tuning etc. I still like the HFS / Vintage bass combo and the original 5 way rotary. Got my first one way back in 1991 when they were a bit more rare round here and beat everything else hands down for quality and reliability. The first one was one of the original signature models, should have kept it. I currently have a 2000 artist pack, it plays and sounds great if at bit too blingy for some and wouldn't fit every gig.


http://i.imgur.com/u2hBPS9.jpg

guitars4you

Custom 24 - A great all round guitar - and the original PRS - when PRS first appeared on the scene, late 1980's, the first buyers were very much gigging players and the 'Doctor and Dentist' tag they have unfairly acquired had not yet happened - Early players in the UK included Geoff Whitehorn, Phil Hilbourne and Tony Hicks from The Hollies - 

I personally prefer the regular neck profile to wide/thin but the playing performance is so slick I don't have any real issues with either profiles

As an overview, when comparing a CU24 to say a DGT or CU22 I'd suggest that the more gain you use then the more you'll generally prefer a CU24 over a CU22 - Both are more than capable of working in various musical environments, but just that the CU24 does work better on gain than less gain/clean

I have no issue with old style 5 or 3 way switch, or the new 5 way blade - With a 3 way then a nice mod is to convert it to partial coil tap for more authentic single coil tones - I don't own a CU24 but sold shed loads - don't have a personal opinion on which PRS pick-ups I prefer, but have found on a few occasions were the previous owner has changed from PRS to say Bare Knuckle pick-ups, that there is often something about the changes I prefer regarding tonal character

I think used CU24's are now very well priced when you look at new S2 models and budget USA models like various CE models - a lot of professional guitar for your money

artiebear

richardhomer said:

A modern classic.

Personally I've always liked the five position rotary - it was always the most visually pleasing solution PRS came up with and never caused me any difficulties live.

Early 'short-heel' models are prone to dead-spots - but otherwise, an exceptional piece of design.

totally agree. It is a classic design which is easy to take for granted now. 

SquireJapan

Some really really nice instruments. I think the perception "fancy top guitars" is a bit harmful for the brand. 

They are undoubtedly high quality guitars. My personal opinion is that the pickups tend to be a bit crap. On the PRS's I've owned, changing the pickups removes some of the "negative" views people have when they say things like "sterile".

Personally I've changed the 5 way to a toggle, I like my guitars simple

Trems are very very good; but again I've had mine blocked off as personal preference.  

jeztone2

I've gigged both a CU22 & a CU24. I think there great guitars. They do what is asked of them. Which is more than could be said for some of the other brands I've owned.

i find the Doctor/Dentist tag a hang over from the mass affluent/baby boomer players of the early 2000's. It's an awesome pro instrument. Besides Fender did a Custom Shop event in the City a couple of years ago. So Stockbroker Strats anyone?

For me I have a CU24 Floyd. I think it's a really underrated guitar. The m pickups in split coil mode on clean are sublime. Especially with FX. It has this strident quality that cuts through a mix.

Evilmags

Loving this one so far. 

drwiddly

Beautifully made and reliable, professional instruments. I really don't get all the bullsh*t about dentists and 'tosser tops', if you don't like flames or quilts there are plenty of plainer looking models. I only have one cu24 but I've got two CE24's and I recently bought an SE24 Floyd. All of them are great guitars that I'd be happy to take to any gig.

octatonic

The 5 way rotary is a bit of nightmare in a gigging situation- you can't easily get from bridge humbucker to neck humbucker- at least not as easily as a regular 3 way.
Personally a 3 way switch with a push/pull on the tone is a better solution.
Or a regular Strat style 5 way.

I gigged with an '89 Custom for about 10 years- basically the same model as the CU24 but before they had the CU22 they just called it the Custom.
It was a great guitar.

RandallFlagg

Evilmags said:

Loving this one so far. 

Lovely but would clash horribly with a Freddy Krueger red and green jumper...and his gnarled burnt face as well I guess.

fandango

octatonic said:

The 5 way rotary is a bit of nightmare in a gigging situation- you can't easily get from bridge humbucker to neck humbucker- 

But in a studio setting, it must be a real boon, as there's no switch to foul up in the middle of a full flow solo.

artiebear

RandallFlagg said:

Evilmags said:

Loving this one so far. 

Lovely but would clash horribly with a Freddy Krueger red and green jumper...and his gnarled burnt face as well I guess.

I bet it would get you signed to a label these days

Bucket

I want to love them. They're so pretty, and in theory should be so far up my street they're practically wedged into my colon.

I even own a Tokai which is a close-ish copy of a CU24.

But every time I play an actual PRS CU24, I find myself wanting to put it down almost immediately. The neck profiles are always all wrong, the finish feels all wrong too, I don't like the way the shape sits on me and the placement of the bridge makes it feel weird to play - I think it's the combination of an arched top and a low-profile trem, it feels cramped somehow. And they never ring the way I would like them to, either.

I think if I were to try a fixed-bridge one with a satin neck, I'd probably like that a lot more.

I also feel as though I'd like a single-cutaway CU24 more - most of the nicer PRSi I've played have been single-cutaways, something about that shape feels more "right" to me. Which is strange considering I a) don't usually like LP-type single cutaways that much and b) get on so well with my double-cutaway Tokai.

The best USA PRS models I've played have been a Swamp Ash Special and a SC245.

octatonic

fandango said:

octatonic said:

The 5 way rotary is a bit of nightmare in a gigging situation- you can't easily get from bridge humbucker to neck humbucker- 

But in a studio setting, it must be a real boon, as there's no switch to foul up in the middle of a full flow solo.

This has literally never happened to me when doing sessions.
Besides, if it did then you'd just play it again.

Voxman

fandango said:

octatonic said:

The 5 way rotary is a bit of nightmare in a gigging situation- you can't easily get from bridge humbucker to neck humbucker- 

But in a studio setting, it must be a real boon, as there's no switch to foul up in the middle of a full flow solo.

Disagree, I think it just depends on what you get used to. I can find any p/up position in a split second, and no slower than with a 5 way slider as on my Strat. In fact, the rotary is arguably more positive/precise.  I also fit a rubber surround to the rotary switch for a good grip so my fingers don't slip live. 

guitarfishbay

The switch on a PRS CU is so far out of the way I don't know how you'd accidentally hit it when recording anyway. Unless you windmill when going for maximum accuracy.