Can My New PRS CE 24 Sound Like A 1982 Fender Stratocaster?

[@JLFulks]

How close do you think the PRS sounded to the strat?

[@misterroberts344]

Close enough that a non musician wouldn't tell much of a difference. Far enough away that a good ear can hear both the different tones.

[@abrahamyanes2405]

I put a greg koch p90 in the bridge and a fluence modern in the neck of my 24. Covers country, blues, funk, pop, rock, and metal. Took a little extra routing for the p90 and the extra volume and tone. Absolutely love it

[@kicknadeadcat]

Prs very smooth clean and tight very good harmonics. I love it. But it’s not a strat.

[@williamkramer9731]

You can hear the difference but the you can't quite replicate that fender twang some people love, and on the other end, short of paying twice the price almost, you're not going to touch prs time with a fender

[@thadlogan51]

I have a PRS core 24, a CE 24, and an American fender stratocaster, etc. I rarely ever still play my fender. It sounds nice, clear, and quacks... but my core 24 can do all this but had warmer, fuller sound. My ce sounds less strat like than my core... the CE sounds more telecaster like than strat to me when using coil taps... but the CE has fuller sound than both tele and strat in humbucking mode. I like all the guitars for various reasons. If I only had one it would be my core 24...it can sound like a strat but warmer, but the CE and strat are great too... depending on the style and tone your are after...

[@Tier_1_Golf_Academy]

After being a diehard Fender guy for 25+ years, I took a leap of faith and picked up a 2021 CE-24. When I say my CE hasn’t been modified at all, not even the setup it came with out of the box, I mean not a single screw has even been turned, and it is my favorite guitar I’ve ever owned. I always find one or two little issues with any new guitar that I wish I could change, no matter the price point. As hard as I’ve looked, though, that hasn’t happened with this CE, and the coil tap option on the 85/15 pickups is actually halfway convincing. Never dreamed I’d be playing Waylon tunes on a 24 fret PRS, but here I am. I am sold on PRS for life (CE and Core models only)!

[@MrNighthawk68]

Still sold?

[@jamesnelson1443]

Great comparison & both have incredible tone!!!! I so want both!

[@lifeofalex9199]

I didn’t much like the clean single coils by themselves on the CE but in the mix it sounded solid. Definitely filled the role of that single coil guitar sound in the mix

[@misterroberts344]

I'm partial to the CE. I've always been a fan of humbuckers. The CE can get seriously heavy and funky too. I got mine this year. 2021 model and all.

[@sipius22]

The other thing is that you can hit a note on the PRS, go to lunch and when you come back the note is still ringing.

[@JLFulks]

It’s true

[@markchesterfield9661]

Nice! Agreed, the PRS is versatile but a Strat will only ever sound like a strat. Picked up my CE24 in Grey black last weekend too, couldn't resist it once I'd played it and now I can't put it down. An amazing instrument! Happy Thanksgiving from across the pond ✌🏻

[@JLFulks]

Agreed man! I love mine too! They are great 🤘🎸

[@ScottMacLeodCompany]

To answer your question the CE 24 gives you the best of both worlds and it's fine with a good amp and a good player it can sound just like a strat.

[@JLFulks]

Yes the coil split is pretty awesome

[@TheSupart91]

​@@JLFulks youre review just cemented what ive been debating.... Selling all my guitars and sticking to my prs and strat 😂😂🤣🤣 less is more since the rest are collecting dust.....

[@888jimm]

​@@TheSupart91I'm in the same boat 😂

[@MatthewFant]

They’re both awesome in their own right.

[@cortviva69]

Very nice comparison! I have the same feeling about my instruments!

[@JLFulks]

Thanks!

[@darkestfugue]

the PRS sounds better in my opinion, its smoother and more refined, of course the strat sounds strattier but the PRS still gets a strat type tone, live you wont care about the nuances, compare that with the better upper fret access and humbuckers on tap the PRS is a no brainer for me

[@elmariachi451]

Been playing the CE for a minute but just picked up a strat. Might switch the CE to 9s I've come to love the strats feel over the CE. Still love both of them.

[@JLFulks]

Go for it!

[@MrSongwriter2]

Is that because of the wide thin neck? I have a prs eg4 which is about as close to a strat as they ever came prior to silver sky. However the neck takes a bit of getting used to after years of strat and les paul it’s like neither and closer to an Ibanez

[@moimeme7839]

You have to get a 22 for that. Pickup placement farther from the bridge

[@JLFulks]

Right on i havent played a 22 yet

[@ERMAV]

Agh! Good to know! Thanks!

[@fender7695]

The prs is better than the strat in every way except no instrument can sound like a strat. So if you want the strat sound get a strat

[@jamesnelson1443]

Both are great & unique!!!! I want both!!!!

[@briancoyne6700]

Wha amp did you use? It sounds like you went direct in.

[@JLFulks]

I believe I used ToneHub by STL Tones. Great guitar plug-ins / amp profiles

[@jasonmaltz7040]

I struggle with the 85/15’s in mine. Can’t seem to get a good balance. Curious where you have the height set on yours? I still have my 3024 American Standard Strat and you just can’t replicate those in betweens.

[@DonAmos_stories]

Good question for JL, if he had to keep only one, which one would it be?

[@JLFulks]

Strat. I sold the PRS. Great guitar though

[@erikpedersen7977]

No. They were never meant to replace that tone. Single coils taps are what they are. How many single coil pick ups are there?

[@HooksBill]

The nice thing about the CE24 is in a blind test and in a mix you'd be hard pressed to really tell the difference between a Strat and a CE24 or between a Les Paul and CE24. It does them both quite convincingly. Here's the thing. It does so so much more. Yes, I have a CE24, but I also have a Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster and SG '61 with Les Paul 60s pups in it and I've owned a plethora of others over my 38 yrs of playing. The end result is a Strat is a Strat and nothing will ever replace it as a Strat. I've played a Silver Sky as well. Great guitar and the closest I've seen to emulating a real Fender Strat....but again, not a real Strat. it's why I have one of each of my favorite guitars.

[@adamproductions4529]

Only a strat sounds like a strat. The only issue is that it only sounds like a strat. The PRS does a great impression in the neck position though and I doubt the average Joe would notice the difference.

[@gotzz84]

pearloid dots on JV? I had/have few of them and they all had 9.5" fretboard radius

[@JLFulks]

Yep Pearl Dots

[@oldasrocks9121]

The PRS still sounds humbuckery split, it's how it pushes the mids. Its beautiful but the producer would make you grab your Strat if she wanted a Strat

[@BastognePitBull]

Is there a lot of 60 cycle hum with the PRS in single coil mode? How is the bite on the bridge?

[@adam461smith]

Excellent video, thanks for filming and uploading! Do you find that switching to the single coil on the PRS results in any 60's hum? To be fair, even when playing the Strat, everything sounded nice and quiet, I just wondered if losing the natural noise cancelling humbucker (so to speak) was an issue.

[@AndyInTheUK]

I found that my PRS pickups are about three times as powerful as my Strat, and they seem to have in-built distortion. I love it, but it is not that clean chime or twang that you get from the Strat.

[@christinabacke9831]

PRS is not as straty, but has a more rich and full sound. 🎸❤️

[@ggreloaded5269]

That Strat has mojo. A strat can do anything

[@antoniocapozzi6893]

No way! 1982 Japan Stratocaster Is icredible

[@benjones869]

Came here for the PRS as I'm considering a ce24... But that strat sounds incredible.

[@JLFulks]

both are awesome!

[@MrSongwriter2]

Anything from fujigen factory in Japan is top notch those early Tokai from the very early 80’s are some of the best strats I’ve ever had. Including fender Japan. I came here for the prs examples it’s close enough for a gig. The neck bridge is closer to the neck mid on the strat

[@paulcarter5117]

No, PRS will never sound like a Stratocaster or a Les Paul or even come close to replacing them. The PRS well, the tone has no character to it like the Strat or Les Paul. The title says it all.

[@JLFulks]

Agreed. My strat is pretty awesome

[@sipius22]

Strat for blues, country, PRS for hard rock and metal.....is what I do with mine....great playing.

[@topografer]

Pretty close but then again I don't like versatile guitars. When I play strat I need it to be a strat. I don't need it to be something else. Maybe this is why I never liked PRS guitars

[@brandonreed6528]

Same. Feel like they’re trying to be everyone and lose their own sound

[@johndolores315]

Its lacking that twangy sweetness. It is super clean though, but too clean for my taste.

[@hankpog3907]

Strange that your CE24 has a plastic binding. I’ve played a few and the all had the masked maple binding

[@JLFulks]

I’m almost positive it’s not plastic probably the maple binding

[@hankpog3907]

@@JLFulks must just look strange on camera. Great vid!

[@JLFulks]

@@hankpog3907 thanks man!

[@tumadsvids]

Here ya go guys another great test between PRS CE24 and Silversky SE: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6aYpIKiZ8ysaqc

[@gianlucaperricone2877]

the answer is... no... it's a different sound... wonderful as well but very different from the fender single coil... its a different guitar.

[@grantmueller5981]

That was a great vid how about a collab, lol😂

[@JLFulks]

Thanks dude! I have more collabs coming 🤘

[@joshualessore7652]

It's coil split, not coil tap. They're two different things. Coil split, which is what you're doing, obviously isolates one single coil from the humbucker configuration. Coil _tap_ is when you isolate a certain amount of winds around the pickup so while both single coils in the humbucker are still engaged, you can now switch between higher and lower outputs on the same humbucker without changing the tone all too much. It's a common mistake, but awesome video nonetheless!!

[@JLFulks]

Hey man thanks for pointing that out. I’ll refer to it as a coil split for now on! Thanks watching and the support!

[@ivohage]

It is coil taps since the second coil is still in there for 5-10% to remove humm

[@tumadsvids]

I measured the outputs on my CE. 7 down to around 5.6 ohms so def coil TAP as both are still active. On my other guitar, Coil split it goes from 8 to around 4 ohms and one coil is inactive shorted to ground.. Furthermore the coil tap ground wire has a resistor to not allow full earth to the tapped coil. I get a far more convincing sound on my setup. Video coming shortly.

[@roncohen5716]

No, it cannot and it should not... Why would you like to make it sound like a Stratocaster??? It has its thing...

[@AndyInTheUK]

No. It can't. Sorry. The pickups are located differently and will respond to different harmonics. I have a (faux) Strat and a real PRS Custom 24 and was hoping the replace the Strat, but I absolutely can't. The PRS is brilliant. The Strat is differently brilliant.

[@zool84]

21 vs 24 frets, half an inch difference in scale length. Trying to make something sound like something else can only result in frustration. Yes you can get in the same ballpark sometimes, but for how we as guitarists are made, if you want a strat sound, just buy a strat, if you want a LP sound, go buy a LP, otherwise is just a waste of money.

[@JLFulks]

Agreed. In the studio especially

[@DogDaze66]

It’s not even going to sound just like a Stratocaster , just like a Harley Davidson, only a Harley will ever sound exactly like a Harley. It’s a sound that Harley actually is only for their bikes , other manufacturers cannot copy it to close as they patented it or something to that nature. PRS CE is not the same recipe nor does coil splitting pups is going to make it sound close to a strat. Apples do not taste like oranges do they.

[@nathanbouton6700]

Can a strat sound like a Les Paul? No. The PRS can. The PRS is its own animal. The question is.. can the PRS sound amazing no mathe style youre playing. Absolutely. Its also not a fit and finish disappointment like two other companies i can think of.