# Are PRS Custom 24s shredable?



## Andrew (Dec 4, 2008)

no music stores carry any around me, so i dont think ill ever be fortunate enough to play a PRS. However, online PRS Custom 24 in Mccarty Tobacco Sunburst looks beautiful! Finished necks scare me though. I play mostly metal and some rock. Does anyone own one and can do a bit of a review on what sound/feel ill get from it? id be going from the slimness from an ibanez neck to this, would that be awkward?


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## Isan (Dec 4, 2008)

try some esp or schecters, their necks are similar (kinda)


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## jaxadam (Dec 4, 2008)

Yes, very shredable. I had a PRS Custom 22 with a wide-fat neck that I shredded on for 8 years.


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## HighGain510 (Dec 4, 2008)

jaxadam said:


> Yes, very shredable. I had a PRS Custom 22 with a wide-fat neck that I shredded on for 8 years.



+1 I don't really shred but the wide-thin and regular carves are even more shred-friendly than the WF carve.  Wide-thin is still probably thicker than a wizard but not to a degree that it wouldn't be comfortable to shred on if you're used to an Ibby neck.


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## WillingWell (Dec 4, 2008)

Ask Guthrie Govan.


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## noodleplugerine (Dec 4, 2008)

^^^^ +1.


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## Apophis (Dec 4, 2008)

^^  every neck is shredable, you need only skills for that


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## Ramsay777 (Dec 4, 2008)

Between the Buried and Me use them. 


So I imagine they're damn shred-able!


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## -Nolly- (Dec 4, 2008)

PRS necks are definitely shreddable, it's more the fretboard radius that throws me at first, but then I'm used to practically flat boards. Nothing that a bit of time couldn't get me used to.


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## jacksonplayer (Dec 4, 2008)

I say moderately shreddable. The round fretboard radius kills them for me, plus the frets aren't usually big enough. I played a late '80s PRS some years ago that had essentially the same neck specs as an Ibanez Wizard, and that thing shredded like a monster, but I'm not sure that PRS would make anything like that anymore--maybe if you forked over big bucks to them.


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## killiansguitar (Dec 4, 2008)

Thats like asking if its possible to run in dress shoes. Of course its possible. It just may not be your best option to do so.


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## ibznorange (Dec 4, 2008)

an option to consider:

Carvin CT6
ridiculously nice tops, your choice of bridge(fixed, wilkinson, floyd, floyd nut optional), your choice of neck wood, choice of flame or quilt top, choice of color, you can choose painted neck or satin neck or tung oil, choose your fretboard wood (maple, birdseye, rosewood or ebony), inlays, and frets (including 2 stainless options)

The necks arent the same, and if you get one of the PRS that just sits right, its gonna smack the carvin around, but im yet to see a bad ct6.
the neck IS very shredfriendly however.


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## budda (Dec 4, 2008)

PRS's are shreddable, yes.


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## AgentWalrus (Dec 4, 2008)

i am amazed by some of the questions you see on the internet. anything is "shredable" if you spent enough time developing techniques


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## The Echthros (Dec 4, 2008)

if you want to play on a PRS 24 fretter why not check out the paul allender one? its got a pretty thin flat neck and some screaming ceramic pickups


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## ledzep4eva (Dec 4, 2008)

LOL

The ability to shred has nothing to do with the thickness of the neck.

Some of the best 'shredders' of all time play Teles.


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## auxioluck (Dec 4, 2008)

il_echthros_777 said:


> if you want to play on a PRS 24 fretter why not check out the paul allender one? its got a pretty thin flat neck and some screaming ceramic pickups



I had a real tough time with the Allender, especially with fret access and the neck joint. It was uncomfortable as hell. Although the finish was cool. I will give it that.


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## Harry (Dec 4, 2008)

jacksonplayer said:


> I say moderately shreddable. The round fretboard radius kills them for me, plus the frets aren't usually big enough. I played a late '80s PRS some years ago that had essentially the same neck specs as an Ibanez Wizard, and that thing shredded like a monster, but I'm not sure that PRS would make anything like that anymore--maybe if you forked over big bucks to them.



I get the same problem with PRS fretboard.
I can't use a fretboard radius any smaller than 14 inches, and the PRS 10 inches doesn't feel right to me
It's still certainly more playable than many Gibson necks I've tried, as an example.
Plus, I like the biggest frets possible, and AFAIK, there is one PRS model with Dunlop 6100 frets, but I've never had a chance to play it.


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## NiCkMiLnE (Dec 5, 2008)

i prefer them more than most for shred and metal playing..only if i could afford them!


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## fateofthorns666 (Dec 5, 2008)

its very possible, opeth proves it


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## Andrew (Dec 5, 2008)

yeah guthrie playing one says enough.
but is it going to be weird going from a wizard prestige neck to a PRS? or would i be better off spending the big bucks on a suhr or blackmachine?


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## The Echthros (Dec 6, 2008)

i dont know if i would consider anything Opeth have done shred. they do more blues based leads and what not


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## Stealthdjentstic (Dec 6, 2008)

WillingWell said:


> Ask Guthrie Govan.




He doesnt count, you need to be from Earth to qualify.


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## Harry (Dec 6, 2008)

il_echthros_777 said:


> i dont know if i would consider anything Opeth have done shred. they do more blues based leads and what not



Not always the case.
They have had many solos based on Aeolian ideas, with harmonic minor thrown in over the years.

The solo from A Fair Judgement for example, the first solo of the section where the song changes to B minor (that solo starts around 6:15ish from memory).
That's Akerfeldt's solo.
I can play that solo, and he displays some good alternate picking chops for the first lick, wide vibrato, and some of the licks towards the end of the solo are some surprisingly quick 3 note per string legato lines.
He may not be a all out blazing virtuoso like Satriani or Guthrie Govan, but Mikael Akerfeldt has more technical skill than he is given credit for IMO and has some amazing phrasing too.

And now that the band has Fredrik Åkesson on board, they have a bona fide shred guitarist in the band.
I may be able to get pretty close to Mikael Akerfeldt's close, but Åkesson's alternate picking chops are out of my league right now.
On the newest album, Watershed, Åkesson shows off some pretty mean chops, but very tasteful as well


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## march (Dec 6, 2008)

that guy demos Orange amplifiers in the UK, Custom 24;

and Johnny Hiland;


etc ...

And that guy Jari something from Wintersun, he shreds on a tele in a metal band ... see, really the guitar does not matter. It's 99% in the fingers.


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## CrushingAnvil (Dec 6, 2008)

With the right wood chipper you'll be shredding it fairly quick.

I don't recommend this though.

but In all seriousness...yes you can shred on a PRS...you can shred on anything bro.


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## hairychris (Dec 6, 2008)

Andrew said:


> yeah guthrie playing one says enough.
> but is it going to be weird going from a wizard prestige neck to a PRS? or would i be better off spending the big bucks on a suhr or blackmachine?



I've not actually played a Wide Thin profile, but the standard is definitely narrower & fatter then the Ibby neck, Wide Fat has a lot more wood & rounder. Radius is massively different too.

I can't comment about Suhrs (never had an opportunity to play one) but a PRS from a US dealer is going to cost you less then a Blackmachine & you'll have it before 2010. I'd certainly recommend a pickup change if you *do* get a Cu24.

However, if you're looking at boutique guitars there are some great luthiers on this board who may be able to sort you out too.


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## Andrew (Dec 6, 2008)

have no doubt that the PRS will sound amazing. I just really need to try one out for the feel of the body and neck. I love my Ibanez neck, but the sound and limited with 22 frets really sucks. arent painted necks sticky and slow?  really sucks when none of these high end guitars are in any music shops. i guess i should make a prs vs suhr vs blackmachine vs ernieball vs carvin thread.


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## hairychris (Dec 6, 2008)

Out of those listed that I've played, best bang for buck is a Carvin... The necks on the DC-127 and DC-135 that I owned were insane (tung oil finish on both of them), top fret access is completely unhindered, profile is in the Ibanez/Jackson ballpark. Pickups & styling aren't for everyone. PRS... if you can find one with a rosewood neck they are seriously nice, but I found that the HFS/VB pickups weren't great and Bareknuckled instead. Blackmachine are fucking great, but top fret access isn't quite as good as the Carvin as they're bolt-on, and obviously you have a long wait if you order.

Can't comment on Suhr or EB. All IMO, obviously, and I'm not particularly a shredder.


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## fateofthorns666 (Dec 6, 2008)

il_echthros_777 said:


> i dont know if i would consider anything Opeth have done shred. they do more blues based leads and what not


 
yea tru but the lead in grand conjuration was in a way kinda shred like with the tapping. doesnt the guy from daath use a PRS also


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## Scali (Dec 6, 2008)

I'm with the guys that say it's mostly in your technique, not in the guitar you use.
I play both Ibanez and Gibson/Epiphone, and to me it really doesn't matter in terms of 'shredability'.
I haven't played PRSes all that much (PRS just feels like cheating for me, as a Gibson player), but I didn't notice any problems with the ones I played. I found them to play very nicely, and I didn't even need time to adjust to the neck.


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## ledzep4eva (Dec 7, 2008)

Andrew said:


> have no doubt that the PRS will sound amazing. I just really need to try one out for the feel of the body and neck. I love my Ibanez neck, but the sound and limited with 22 frets really sucks. arent painted necks sticky and slow?  really sucks when none of these high end guitars are in any music shops. i guess i should make a prs vs suhr vs blackmachine vs ernieball vs carvin thread.



Yes, you can see how 'sticky and slow' painted necks are when you watch Guthrie and the guys above playing on them.

Dude, it's personal preference. Don't take everything you hear so literally.

EBMMs are ridiculously nice guitars though.


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## Johann (Dec 7, 2008)

march said:


> And that guy Jari something from Wintersun, he shreds on a tele in a metal band ... see, really the guitar does not matter. It's 99% in the fingers.




Jari Mäenpää


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## Wiz (Dec 8, 2008)

I would definitely NOT ask Guthrie if the PRS are shreddable lol. The guy would melt our faces on a used hello kitty guitar with only 1 string left on it.


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## LeftyJ (Dec 8, 2008)

PRS actually had a model once, in 1985, they called 'the Metal', based on the Standard 24. Nobody liked them back then (well, except for Ted Nugent maybe) so they barely sold any, so nowadays they're very rare:


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## jacksonplayer (Dec 8, 2008)

I just watched Al DiMeola's "Speak a Volcano" DVD this weekend, where he's playing on a PRS Custom 22, and I'm sorry, but I spent the entire time wishing he'd pull out his Les Paul. The sound from that PRS just didn't suit his shredding. Kind of muddy and indistinct with no real 'balls' to it. It also felt to me like he had to fight the guitar to do the high-speed stuff. And that's exactly how I remember thinking about the Custom 22 I had many years ago. I hated the damned thing and regretted buying it. The bolt-on PRS's are a lot more shreddable, IMHO.

I got the same feeling this summer when I watched Al play with Return to Forever. His playing and sound went up several notches whenever he played his Les Paul rather than the PRS.


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## Fler (Dec 9, 2008)

I play a custom 24. I'm not really a shredder, but the guitar can sure handle some rippin speed. I do advise better pickups though.


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## E Lucevan Le Stelle (Dec 9, 2008)

If you've got a big enough shredder, I'm sure... they're only wood and metal...


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## Scali (Dec 9, 2008)

jacksonplayer said:


> I just watched Al DiMeola's "Speak a Volcano" DVD this weekend, where he's playing on a PRS Custom 22, and I'm sorry, but I spent the entire time wishing he'd pull out his Les Paul. The sound from that PRS just didn't suit his shredding. Kind of muddy and indistinct with no real 'balls' to it. It also felt to me like he had to fight the guitar to do the high-speed stuff. And that's exactly how I remember thinking about the Custom 22 I had many years ago. I hated the damned thing and regretted buying it. The bolt-on PRS's are a lot more shreddable, IMHO.
> 
> I got the same feeling this summer when I watched Al play with Return to Forever. His playing and sound went up several notches whenever he played his Les Paul rather than the PRS.


 
Interesting. I've always found that there's a delicate balance between definition and mud with a big mahogany guitar like a Les Paul.
I found that shredding works because of the maple top, which accentuates the pick attack just enough to get a good note definition, given the right pickups and amp, that is.
My S7320 is even closer to the limit, with the bolt-on maple neck barely being able to compensate for the missing maple top in terms of pick attack and note definition. Both have an alnico bridge pickup, by the way, so a rather mellow vintage sound to it.
Perhaps PRS is past the limit?

My ultimate shredding guitar is (ironically) a Gibson M3, which has a maple neck and fingerboard, a poplar body and Gibson's 496R and 500T ceramic pickups. It results in a very bright and punchy attack, giving incredible note definition, no matter how fast you play, or what technique you use (legato, tapping, picking, sweeping... whatever, it just works great).
I also have a Yamaha guitar with ebony fretboard, that also gives a really nice attack to it for note-definition when shredding.

So perhaps you need to look around for pickup and wood options with PRS, see what works best. Ebony or maple fretboards are really nice for shredding.
I think Gibson's pickups are quite a strong point in how well the guitars sound when playing fast with a hi-gain sound. You have note definition, but don't have to trade it in for a sterile, abrasive sound.


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## Minoin (Dec 9, 2008)

Still the Custom 24's a very shredable, just search out the "Making of Train of Thought" vid @ Youtube. If I'm not mistaken, Petrucci uses one at the rehearsal, sounds bad ass too!


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## hairychris (Dec 9, 2008)

Fler said:


> I play a custom 24. I'm not really a shredder, but the guitar can sure handle some rippin speed. I do advise better pickups though.



Bareknuckle Cold Sweat set... Everything the HFS/VB should have been but isn't.

If you have a 5 way you'll need to get the neck magnet reversed on the replacement pup so that the in-between tones work properly.


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## jacksonplayer (Dec 9, 2008)

Scali said:


> Interesting. I've always found that there's a delicate balance between definition and mud with a big mahogany guitar like a Les Paul.



True. What the Les Paul has that the PRS doesn't is attack. When DiMeola does legato stuff on his PRS, it sounds good. But his fast picking runs don't come off very well, IMHO. In addition to the attack, Les Pauls just have an intensity to them that PRS's don't. Different beasts, really. For less gain-oriented stuff, like classic rock and "roots" music, I'm sure that the grainy sound of the PRS sounds great.

Structurally, the PRS essentially has less of everything than a Les Paul--thinner maple top and thinner mahogany underneath it. More comfortable, to be sure, but not my tone.


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## Scali (Dec 9, 2008)

I wonder what a PRS would sound like with Gibson pickups in it.


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