PRS Guitars CE24 Standard Satin – A smooth operator?
The classic PRS bolt on gets a smooth new look
PRS Guitars CE24 Standard Satin is a new addition to the US company’s core guitar range. It’s based around the CE24 that was re-released earlier this year, now featuring a new thin nitro satin finish.
Classic
The CE 24 Standard Satin combines a mahogany body and bolt-on maple neck, and is one of PRS’s classic guitars from the past. Known primarily for making glued-in neck instruments, the original CE24 model was PRS’s way of making a more affordable guitar. The only problem was that they ended up costing too much for them to manufacture and sell at the price point they were aimed for.
Apparently, PRS can now manufacture and build the CE24 at a reasonable cost, allowing them to offer it to the consumer at a decent price. I think this is great as the guitar is one of the company’s classic designs. Do not think of the CE24 as a cut-down version of a Custom 24, rather think of it more as a different flavour.
Nitro
These satin finished CE24s have a thin layer of nitrocellulose sprayed over them and it is unbuffed, giving it a matte appearance. They should age nicely, but I don’t believe the base coat is nitro, so won’t age like an old vintage guitar would.
Hardware
Each guitar has a set of PRS 85/15 humbucker pickups loaded and these are controlled by a three-way toggle switch, one volume knob and one push/pull tone control, which splits the coils on the pickups. There’s a total of six pickup combinations and a nice, simple, uncluttered control layout, which I think is always good.
The usual 25″ PRS scale length neck is made from maple and has an Indian rosewood fretboard, with the neck then bolted to that mahogany body. The hardware is PRS’s own, so there’s a PRS classic trem bridge and locking PRS tuners: all good stuff and should last a lifetime.
This looks like a really nice PRS and one that should prove popular. If you have never played a CE24, then go try some out, as I think they are really nice guitars. This new satin version looks like it should be a good one as well, and is available in either Charcoal, McCarty Tobacco Sunburst or Vintage Cherry.
Price TBC
PRS Guitars CE24 Standard Satin full specifications here