Preface: im not trying to create/continue hype for Holcomb USA's, im genuinely curious.
Due to the prices, it took me a good couple of years to get some additional hands on experience with PRS guitars but im still left with some unanswered questions. I know that it wouldnt be fair to compare an Ibanez to a PRS sound wise considering how differently they're put together, so I had to compare a PRS to a PRS. Years and years ago, I had my first USA Holcomb that I ended up falling in love with because of the level of clarity it naturally had. It didnt matter what set of pickups I put into that beast, or how i swung my EQ, or how much gain i threw in.... it never lost its clarity. I know im gonna get razzed on for it but i always use the same riff when testing a guitar out for note clarity, the opening riff to Creed's "Higher". If I can hear the melody line on the 3rd string staying as prominent as the open DAD strings with lots of gain going, i classify that as clarity IMO. I ended up letting that Holcomb go because I wanted to get one with a better finish, but after years of not finding a decently affordable one i experimented. I remembered that i wasnt big on the hardtail bridge on it as im such a LoPro snob, but remembered that the LoPro will generally fit most OFR routings (at least for my purposes, i lock them down). So when I stumbled onto a PRS Custom 24 Floyd, it seemed like the answer to my prayers. All the woods were the same as the Holcomb, including having a maple neck instead of a mahogany one. The only spec differences were the radius (irrelevant to this discussion), the scale (25" scale instead of the Holcombs 25.5"), and the bridge. Essentially, i was expecting that same level of clarity on that riff coming from the PRS Custom 24 Floyd, especially since I was using the same amp setting that I had created for my Holcomb, and the same set of pickups.
So the main thing im wondering is, if that PRS Custom 24 Floyd was nearly identical to the Holcomb, why does the Holcomb just eclipse it in terms of clarity and resonance? That same referenced riff doesnt ring or shine through in the same way on the Custom 24 Floyd as it does on the Holcomb. I confirmed this again once my new Holcomb arrived by using the exact same setup (Amp, EQ, pickups, etc) and there it was again..... that melody line just shines through so clearly and defined. I mean, this thing just sings even just acoustically. Is it the shorter scale and the LoPro that dramatically changed the sound of the instrument? Originally I had plans to get my Fixed LoPro installed in it, but the level of resonance and the amount of clarity coming from this thing are now stopping me from even replacing the Hardtail plate with a black one so that the whole things blacked out. For once in my life im trying to stand back and think about this carefully because i dont want to lose that clarity or a lot of that resonance just to make it more comfortable for me play. Feel-wise, I prefer longer bridges so that i can leave my hand anchored on it when tremolo picking open strings, but on the Holcomb's bridge i have to use alot more effort to keep my hand in the right place.
Am I right to assume that the Custom 24 sounded less resonant and less clear just because of the trem, or is it a combination of the shorter scale with the trem thats making the difference. Sound wise i didnt really notice a difference between the OFR the Custom came with and the LoPro after i swapped out, but theres a HUGE difference from the Holcombs i had.
First Holcomb
PRS Custom 24 Floyd (after conversion)
and my new Holcomb
Due to the prices, it took me a good couple of years to get some additional hands on experience with PRS guitars but im still left with some unanswered questions. I know that it wouldnt be fair to compare an Ibanez to a PRS sound wise considering how differently they're put together, so I had to compare a PRS to a PRS. Years and years ago, I had my first USA Holcomb that I ended up falling in love with because of the level of clarity it naturally had. It didnt matter what set of pickups I put into that beast, or how i swung my EQ, or how much gain i threw in.... it never lost its clarity. I know im gonna get razzed on for it but i always use the same riff when testing a guitar out for note clarity, the opening riff to Creed's "Higher". If I can hear the melody line on the 3rd string staying as prominent as the open DAD strings with lots of gain going, i classify that as clarity IMO. I ended up letting that Holcomb go because I wanted to get one with a better finish, but after years of not finding a decently affordable one i experimented. I remembered that i wasnt big on the hardtail bridge on it as im such a LoPro snob, but remembered that the LoPro will generally fit most OFR routings (at least for my purposes, i lock them down). So when I stumbled onto a PRS Custom 24 Floyd, it seemed like the answer to my prayers. All the woods were the same as the Holcomb, including having a maple neck instead of a mahogany one. The only spec differences were the radius (irrelevant to this discussion), the scale (25" scale instead of the Holcombs 25.5"), and the bridge. Essentially, i was expecting that same level of clarity on that riff coming from the PRS Custom 24 Floyd, especially since I was using the same amp setting that I had created for my Holcomb, and the same set of pickups.
So the main thing im wondering is, if that PRS Custom 24 Floyd was nearly identical to the Holcomb, why does the Holcomb just eclipse it in terms of clarity and resonance? That same referenced riff doesnt ring or shine through in the same way on the Custom 24 Floyd as it does on the Holcomb. I confirmed this again once my new Holcomb arrived by using the exact same setup (Amp, EQ, pickups, etc) and there it was again..... that melody line just shines through so clearly and defined. I mean, this thing just sings even just acoustically. Is it the shorter scale and the LoPro that dramatically changed the sound of the instrument? Originally I had plans to get my Fixed LoPro installed in it, but the level of resonance and the amount of clarity coming from this thing are now stopping me from even replacing the Hardtail plate with a black one so that the whole things blacked out. For once in my life im trying to stand back and think about this carefully because i dont want to lose that clarity or a lot of that resonance just to make it more comfortable for me play. Feel-wise, I prefer longer bridges so that i can leave my hand anchored on it when tremolo picking open strings, but on the Holcomb's bridge i have to use alot more effort to keep my hand in the right place.
Am I right to assume that the Custom 24 sounded less resonant and less clear just because of the trem, or is it a combination of the shorter scale with the trem thats making the difference. Sound wise i didnt really notice a difference between the OFR the Custom came with and the LoPro after i swapped out, but theres a HUGE difference from the Holcombs i had.
First Holcomb
PRS Custom 24 Floyd (after conversion)
and my new Holcomb
done.
but i do get where youre coming from though 
