So I traded my Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion III Semi Hollowbody off. She is a good guitar, probably great as a jazz guitar that can also rock. She can fetch a high value but unfortunately, her value can’t command a decent offer here in Singapore. So I said goodbye to Howard.
And in her place, I welcome this pretty Paul Reed Smith (PRS) Classic Electric (CE) 24 in faded blue smokeburst. At first glance, she is not a looker. But the blue burst exudes class and elegance without being flashy.
When I played her for a start, she sounded good, almost. Her 85/15 pickups were not as bright as what I had hoped her not. I wanted her to be a little more muddy, especially with tone between 0 to 3. So she was perfect, almost.
Why almost? Cos the tone knob with the push-pull coil was loose, especially at the lower end of the tone. I tried many times and it was clearly loose. I told the previous owner about it. He didn’t know enough to help. Then, the 3-way toggle switch could not stay in the neck position; it kept popping back to the middle.
I was thinking, man, for such a wonderful guitar of only a few months, how could these happen? Must I really go back to Davis to have them fixed for me?
So I decided to take matters into my own hands at a risk. I opened up the cavity at the back. First thing I noticed was that the wiring was not as neat as I thought about a PRS guitar. Then, I went ahead to meddle with my tone pot and its wiring with my bare fingers. After several minutes, I discovered that the wiring to the tone pot was loose. So I tidied up a little and voila, the tone was fixed! I then looked at the toggle switch. I widened one blade a little with my bare fingers, and voila, the switch stopped popping! Problems solved.
The next 15 minutes were pure joy. I tried the different tones on this versatile PRS and the sounds were fabulous. I ended up spending more time playing with tone at zero. I have heard rave reviews about the PRS CE 24, which is often touted as the bridge between the S2 and Core versions. I have finally understood why. I am really glad the 85/15 pickups are not as hot as I imagined it to be.
This PRS CE 24 could be my personal legend. This weekend, I’m going to pitch her against the Gibson Les Paul Traditional. The winner could stay for a long time while the loser will head out.
But, with so many guitars out there, I’m not going to say that the winner’s position is secure.
Something in me yearns for one of a Tom Anderson, a Lipe and an Ernie Ball Music Man.