Custom 24 vs SE Hollowbody II - PRS vs PRS!

Today, it's a Hollowbody vs Solid-body PRS shootout!
Follow along as I look at the features and advantages of each guitar!
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[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Which guitar did you guys like the best? To my ear, the CU24 was warmer with slightly more complex overtones. The SE Hollowbody had more clarity, fewer muddy lower mids, and a bit of chime :) Enjoy!

[@pekee9304]

if you asked me, they dont really sound that much different, but overall i would choose the cu24 :p Both of them look and sound amazing!

[@pekee9304]

im glad you deleted that comparasion comment. Pure nosense lol

[@PetraKann]

Pekee thanks mate.

[@patrickhaywood482]

Darrell Braun Guitar personally I found the magnetic pickups in the hollow body didn’t sound as good as my se custom 24 when I tried it out in a store, however could have been the amp settings etc

[@The802Rider]

Darrell. They both sound Great! I have been wanting a PRS for a year now but just can't stomach the price. I would love a Custom 24, but even the used are pricey. I've been looking at the CE24 as it's a bit more in "reasonable" prices but still $2k. I almost bought one but decided to get a Yamaha RS620. It's a more affordable price, and honestly, I'm very happy with the quality and the sound of the pickups. But I still have an itch for a PRS CE24. I have never played one though. Maybe you could do a shootout of an RS620 vs PRS CE24? love your vids!

[@lchang1326]

Dang these PRS guitars prices are no joke.

[@robertellison4691]

Yes. Much better to just build your own exactly the way you want it. Better and cheaper.

[@lchang1326]

@@robertellison4691 Yeah

[@therangersinger]

@@lchang1326 warmoth, best guitars I ever built and played.

[@lchang1326]

@@therangersinger Oh thanks for the suggestion.

[@michaelolz]

I’m going to save up. They’re probably the best guitars out there and they’re worth it. Especially the ES.

[@ThtGuyWtThBeard]

This is exactly the comparison I needed! Been seeing the new piezo pop up everywhere lately and definitely helps to give it a frame of reference.

[@ahasanhaque4005]

The best part of your videos are they are so easy to understand. Also, you compare specifically to such a point that the beginners can get the total idea! Take love man!

[@sosmooth7]

I really enjoy your guitar demos because you really show what the guitars are really about. Thanks a lot. I look forward to your reviews.

[@RC32Smiths01]

PRS always gets my upvote! Their quality might have to be the most consistent among most brands! A great shootout here!

[@lamunedonein2656]

suhr too

[@melvynobrien6193]

Not in my experience; I've never had any problems with any Fenders I've bought over the years.

[@melvynobrien6193]

@@lamunedonein2656 Suhr shot themselves in the foot when talking to Pete Thorn, calling all of us meat-eaters murderers. This murderer who lives on a beef farm won't be buying one, and the Suhrs can eat all the lettuce and carrots they want, like Bugs Bunny. Assholes.

[@HalfDeadGeezers]

@@melvynobrien6193 When a manufacturer expresses a personal belief that alienates a portion of their potential customer base, I am all for that person boycotting the product. Doesn't matter what I believe, how good the product is etc. You were personally attacked and you are certainly within reason to not support a manufacturer that overstepped their boundaries of what opinions they should publicly state.

[@nunezkant]

@@melvynobrien6193 entry fenders always need a ton of work on the fretboard, in my experience, 3 (2 strats (one American, one Mexican) and a tele) out of 3 needed it.

[@fredericadda]

Love PRS. I decided to go right between these 2 guitars with a CE24 semi-hollow 😄

[@louis9150]

Thanks again for the great videos as always Darrell, loving your PRS videos :)

[@jonhornbeck4324]

As thorough as Darrell usually is, I am surprised he made no mention of the piezo blend knob, and how authentic the acoustic sounds really are.

[@shponjoel]

He has a demo for that guitar already.

[@SixStringflyboy]

The beauty of it is, you can get a set of SE locking tuners that will drop right in for about $100. I just so happen to have a set new in the box that I'm planning to drop into mine after I play it as-is for a while. I'd expect in about 6 months to a year, this model will come with them already installed at nearly the same price point.

[@marcofelice2016]

Hey man, this is exactly the comparison I was looking for!! thanks a lot for sharing!!!

[@vencemcadams2927]

I love the look and sound of that Hollowbody. Great video!

[@Russell_Optics]

I just received my new PRS hollowbody II Piezo SE last week from Sweetwater and I am extremely happy with the quality and sounds. The Piezo sounds as good as any I have heard compared to a real acoustic. The 3-way switch and pair of 58/15 S humbuckers give me plenty of options in tone, plus add the fact that you can blend them with the Piezo you end up with lots of options. Let alone running through 2 amps and a simulated stereo effect. Great guitar. It is pricy for being made in China, but the fit & finish and quality control is as good as any guitar from Indonesia or Korea. I got the Black & Gold burst and it is gorgeous !!

[@chasingfretscom]

I just love the bird inlays ❤️👍

[@camilob.9542]

I'm amazed by the beefy tone the Piezo carries in the bridge ❤️ great video

[@chrisggoodwin777]

The 85/15 pickups are my favorites of just about any I've played. I love the sounds they produce, especially in position 3. I do, however, want to check out one of those HB2s when my local shop reopens.

[@trangmy_tmn]

1:35 Part 1: Specs and unique features! 2:25 Custom 24 3:12 Is the hollowbody really lighter? Neck Pickup - Clean 4:17 custom 24 4:33 hollowbody Neck Pickup - Overdrive 4:49 custom 24 5:00 hollowbody Bridge Pickup - Overdrive 5:14 custom 24 5:28 hollowbody Both Pickup - Clean 5:43 custom 24 5:53 hollowbody Bridge Pickup - Distortion 6:07 custom 24 6:19 hollowbody Bridge Pickup - Lead Tone 6:40 custom 24 6:50 hollowbody

[@johnjumper7066]

This a comparison I always wanted to see thank you.

[@DBSG1976]

Wow, that Peacock Blue is absolutely beautiful and it seems to be a pretty versatile guitar...so if I were to buy my first hollow body and PRS, that would be it.

[@kitoyobeni1]

The blue finish really brings out the blue in the abalone bird inlays too. That said, I really like other available color too...black gold I think it's called?

[@spongebob7651]

I just love the color too ! It’s absolutely gorgeous.

[@brianpetersen3429]

Both are beautiful guitars, very inspiring to play.

[@CRPFilmsChristianRaymundPastor]

This is so awesome, I really appreciate those cool guitars.

[@WalkenDead]

I think one of the biggest tests would be to see how the guitars react in live situations. Especially for a hollow body. I know this is almost impossible to do in a video though, and that it is really only something for gigging musicians, which there probably not allot of those right now

[@jjdillon2007]

Not really related to the two guitars in this video, but, I recently picked up a PRS 2018 CE 24, and I love it (and I already have 6 Gibsons and 2 Fenders). It's like the combination of an SG and a Strat. I also added a Floyd Rose Rail Tail Trem, to the CE 24, and it works great. It's Like a decked trem, that I can also use, as a down only trem.

[@SixStringflyboy]

I have the 2017 model in Faded Blue Smokewrap Burst. The CE24 is just an amazing guitar. Up until I got the SE HB 2P, it was my number one. Now......

[@donciseau]

I love your PRS custom 24 that was my favourite guitar of the comparison!

[@JPinBrooklyn]

Thanks for all the great reviews. Currently torn between this PRS Hollowbody II piezo and the Dangelico excel dc mini, they have a similar similar price point. I hope someday you’ll compare these side by side. Thanks again!,

[@Random_dudebro]

I just got my PRS SE custom 24 and I love it.. I'm glad I didn't wait around for the SE Piezo though, the price is still painful to look at

[@juujuubees379]

You pay for what you get, that extra price will be well worth it, I sold my PRS SE Custom 24 due to the muddy sounding 85/15 pickups. This piezo se has more clarity, versatility and the 58/15 sound much better to me not to mention a piezo!

[@wenjacklow]

Would love to see the PRS SE Hollowbody vs a more traditional semi-hollow like an Ibanez Artcore

[@romeou4965]

Agree it would have to be against AM93 or an Artstar

[@michaelolz]

My God that hollow body is killing it! I want it!

[@jakesmith4506]

Hi Darrell, your reviews are great. I checked out a PRS SE Hollowbody II at my local guitar shop. I suspected that it would have a thick 'maple-syrup' lacquer finish on it. It certainly did. YIKES. It was embalmed in a very thick coating of a plastic looking lacquer. I have a PRS Custom 24 that's made in the USA. It's fabulous and it's got a wonderful 'nitro' type finish. I really don't know if all of the China built guitars have the 'maple-syrup' coating or not. In this case the guitar neck also had that same treatment. It's certainly a matter of taste and there's no doubt that the Hollowbody is a good quality instrument. Keep up the great work and rock steady.

[@BaieDesBaies]

The Hollow has more clarity but softer sound, i love it. Never was fond of bassy tones.

[@maxfactorone]

Another excellent review but I'd really like to see is a comparison between the Paul Reed Smith SE Hollowbody II Piezo and the Schecter C-1 E/A in Cats Eye as they both have the piezo pickups as your individual reviews show both to be excellent instruments. So which one should I buy?

[@jim.mcintosh]

You sold me on the wreck last year. This prs hollow body ii is next. Wow

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Nice! Wreck is a killer guitar maker 👍

[@MichaelZola]

I like the Hughes and Kettner.. But really these guitars both sound wonderful. Can’t believe the price of the SE, but it does sport many features that serve any tone enthusiast. Really just want that piezo bridge! Already have the 24 custom semi hollow SE released last years. That’s enough for me to get my PRS fix. It was a discounted demo model from Sweetwater. This was a killer comparison. The demos were fantastic.

[@Osmorales90]

I love both... It is great to have the SE model with that great sound quality on a lower price range... But the looks of that golden top is so beautifull...

[@fredericadda]

PRS released a SE Santana in Egyptian gold 😛

[@AntonWatermann]

This guys reviews are next level awesome.

[@FGg503]

Hi Darrell. Must say I prefer the hollowbody!

[@Bimmer2047]

So I’ve seen quite a few reviews of the hollow body II lately but not in comparison with the custom 24. And in my opinion the hollow body II sounds WAY BETTER!! But I’m a bigger fan of clarity and that scooped sound.

[@peopledonotexist]

I went to guitar center planning to get an S2 and left with the hb2 piezo after trying everything. Made in china doesn’t matter to me! That things is one of the best guitars I’ve played.

[@livewire6925]

Well done and i concur!

[@sasunmontu]

I'll have both thanks.

[@84homey]

Great review as always. Many years ago I worked in a guitar shop in London, and so I have played hundreds of guitars from the vintage Gretsch Country Gentleman to the carbon fibre Parker Fly and everything inbetween. I have personally owned a Custom 24, and I have also owned many other guitars including Fenders, Gibsons, Taylors, Guilds, etc, etc. I know what a good guitar looks and feels like and I realise I am priviliged in that way. I have recently ordered the SE Hollowbody II Piezo from Andertons in the UK for a great price (less than $1,000 with hard case, check them out they have some coming in) in that exact Peacock Blue colour. Regarding your "why get the Custom 24?" here is my perspective: : 1. The frets are less well-finished on the SE: Get some basic equipment and learn to level and polish your own frets. It's actually very enjoyable and gives (for me anyway) a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment and makes me feel like I am more involved in my guitars, and they are more personally "my own". Alternatively if you don't fancy the work, take it to a luthier and get them to do it for you for say $100. 2. The hollow body creates unwanted feedback: Learn to control your feedback, or if necessary put a few socks in it for that ultra-gain song and then take them out again for the soft ballads (or use another guitar for your high gain moments, see point 4 below). Sorted. Cost = $10 for a nice new pair, or free if you use another guitar. 3. No locking tuners: Learn to string your instrument without locking tuners, after all everyone managed fine before the 80s! :o). But if you like the convenience fair enough. Buy a set of PRS SE Locking Tuners at a cost of about $100 and fit them yourself (if you buy the right set they will fit straight into the existing screw holes). 4. No trem: This one I cannot fix on the Hollowbody itself. Arguably a genuine reason to not choose the Piezo model is if you want a trem bridge rather than a piezo bridge. But then of course you won't get the piezo sounds! HOWEVER... you could ALSO buy for example a PRS SE Silver Sky or a PRS SE Custom 24 for $1,000 (and obviously there are hundreds of other non-PRS options) and you would now have the SE Hollowbody Piezo AND a trem bridge guitar AND still have change to go looking at amps, pedals, etc compared to the cost of the Custom 24. 5. Only a 3-way switch. So you want coil tapping? Well apparently the SE pickups are wired for it, so it would be simple job for a luthier or potentially a DIY job for someone who is competent with a soldering iron. If you get it done for you a luthier might charge say $100. So you can do ALL OF THE ABOVE and end up with TWO highly acclaimed GUITARS and it will still have cost you about $2,210, which is HALF THE PRICE of one Core Custom 24. Of course, you still won't own a "real" Core PRS, so if that's important to you (which I understand) then by all means get the Custom 24. Otherwise save yourself about $2k and get two guitars with greater versatility than one Custom 24 can possibly offer for substantially less money, and go spend the remaining $2k on a vacation, and think of me when you're sipping martinis by the swimming pool!

[@artnelsoncreative]

Love your videos-just subscribed. Not only are they easy to understand; your video work and editing is unmatched on KZbin. The lighting, bokeh, sound.....just great. Just curious-which camera do you use?

[@choreuviz]

Thanks Darrell!

[@andrewbarker9773]

they are beautiful looking guitars, sound great too, both had great tones but I liked the SE even with the distortion, price range more accessible too I might add

[@shponjoel]

I'm thinking of getting that hollowbody ii piezo in that same color and adding coil splits to it to make it more versatile. I do need some strat-ish sounds.

[@TheSlagwerker]

SE for me. What a great guitar!

[@leonardszubinski4709]

I find that PRS guitars have a "weeping" type of sound! Great guitars!

[@lollipopl6473]

Great video!! I personally like the solid bodies better, but both are really great!! They look very cool, too!!

[@joeldamerville3435]

Hey Darrel, I've been shopping around for acoustics online and I stumbled upon Acoustic simulator pedals and I'm wondering if you could review one of them. Maybe the boss ac-3 because there are no real in depth reviews on them

[@thadlogan51]

Really great demo. I have a core 24 a ce 24... and was thinking of buying a semi hollow like this. My cousin let me borrow another great hollow body for a month and I absolutely loved it but then bought a PRS Chris Robertson instead... which has a big body and fat neck...so sounds close to warmth of the hollow body but has more clarity with the p90 in the neck...and had coil tapping. So as much as I lived the hollow body I gravitated more towards the PRS Chris Robertson. But maybe my next guitar will be this PRS se semi hollow piezo... because of the piezo mainly...

[@kevin7rxxx346]

The way you crossed the guitars at intro 😆

[@williambaumert7726]

New intro? I like it!

[@armax00]

Beautiful tones.. but omg that color! BTW do I see a SoundBrenner? :) I bought one for myself, great metronome

[@Bomberm4n]

Love those bird fret markers. Might have to buy a PRS just because!

[@akeeperofoddknowledge4956]

I can't afford either one right now, but I'm salivating all over my smartphone!

[@drummerboi05]

It would be really cool if you could do a comparison between the prs se and the ce

[@claudiajay8291]

I want them both.

[@tonedeth2068]

I would like to see a comparison between the SE and the Core

[@JC-11111]

Sweet! This ought to be good!

[@sosmooth7]

PRS has SE locking tuners available for the SE guitars. They are not that expensive.

[@whatwouldhousedo5136]

Really close tone-wise- I liked the hollow better for cleans, dirt was pretty close, maybe the solid has a little extra mustard but nothing that couldn't be tweaked in amp/pedal settings for the hollowbody. As a huge Phish fan, I'd go hollow to cop some Trey Anastasio vibe- but that's just me. The piezo was showcased in the first review video and sounded KILLER, so with that it would be a no-brainer for me.

[@dennisobergfell6919]

Thx much for the solid review/comparison and really appreciate that you weighed each of the guitars!!! Well done sir. My days of playing backbreaking guitars are over so one that’s so a well-build, sounds and plays great, isn’t not crazy-expensive and only weighs 6 lbs is more to my liking. That said, if the hollow body was built in Korea as opposed to China I’d be buyer, but China’s God-awful human-rights record will keep me on the sideline. As alternative, I’m considering a Guild m-75. Thx again.

[@paulhudson2293]

Have you done a comparison between the Piezo II hollowbody and the regular SE hollowbody? The price difference between them is significant, basically another 50% which seems like a lot if the only difference is the Piezo.

[@jimbecker5675]

They both sound very nice...but I honestly like the tone of the hollowbody for some reason.

[@robertclarkguitar]

Darrell ...Still a huge fan, just wanted to say hi as I do not comment as much as when i started out learning. Heheh. Been practicing ...I recently bought a Harely Benton based on spec to price ratio. Have you tried their pro series fusion line? I ordered a second hand reverb purchase Fusion T HH FNT. Looks can be deceiving so, I'll have to see when I get it tomorrow. The specs are out of this world and they detail under 400 usd. For the price of a Classic Vibe which I have a couple of.. I will review it soon. Hoping it arrives ok. Came from CA and all the way across US to Ga. Hahah. He added a gig bag. Lmao. We shall see but I wonder if you have any play on these??

[@drothberg3]

I like the clean sounds on the Hollowbody better and the distorted sounds on the CU24 better.

[@djencode]

That SE Hollow body just sounds more open and clear. In pretty much every situation.

[@kenmasters007]

22 frets vs 24 frets... hmm... what watch are you wearing Darrell? I like the blinky lights.

[@calogeroavanzato398]

Hi Darrell Any chance of reviewing a Panico guitar from Italy. Small company but the guitars look beautiful

[@sirnedwood8987]

I have both. my C24 is an S2, and the HBII is an SE piezo. The HBII does not have stable tuning. if you put pressure on the body with your arm it changes the pitch ever so slightly. The tones are completely different and suitable for different things. The piezo is very nice, I use it with a IR to pay acoustic at church all the time. If I had to choose 1 I'd go with the C24. It is the perfect generalized electric guitar. The split coils on the S2 model sound way better than most.

[@kaungkhant6348]

The solid one sounds solid.

[@jeanfrancoisnolin340]

What can be the difference between a PRS semi-hollow and a Gibson ES-335?

[@jemrock1441]

👍 Good friend 🙂 💫 👍 beautiful electric guitar 🎸 🎶 🔥

[@hairnation68]

You could buy a PRS sc custom hollow body II and an PRs custom 24 with a Floyd Rose for less than the PRS custom 24. and still switch pickups.

[@jasonpatrickapostol]

You forgot the to show the piezo only sound on the SE. Great comparison though! 👍👍

[@JaniceLalla]

Hey, what's up with your watch? Great video Btw

[@santiagolopezfernandez]

I'd go for the hollow.

[@vincents.6639]

Other than just comparing between clean and distorted, how about showing the tone control too? Perhaps the sound with the tone control at 0, 5, 10; especially for the neck pickup?

[@melvynobrien6193]

EVH said that your tone control is your pickup selector. I remove the tone controls, thereby making the pickups sound fuller and clearer. Tone controls are subtractive and only interfere with the true tone of a pickup.

[@HalfDeadGeezers]

@@melvynobrien6193 That must be true. My RG with active EMG's has no tone control and although rolling back the volume helps, it sure is hard to tame down those pickups.

[@franklinmichael671]

Would you review one of Alan Holdsworth’s headless guitars?

[@noshirt4516]

PRS guitars are underrated imo, people say that its halfway between a strat and LP but it’s definitely its own sound. Sidenote Darrell, could you do the Indio boardwalk vs Harley Benton HB-35 looking to pick one of these bad boys up but I’d like to hear your comparison!!

[@sccanj]

How can they be underrated? PRS will never sell Fender levels just because the prices are 2 or 3 times more in general Every guitarist now a days would like to have a PRS, but the prices are not for everyone

[@Pete_Harris]

Hollow body has a lovely fat/round tone, it's the winner for me :)

[@bradsullivan3588]

I have an older SE 24 Custom, and it is amazing. If anything a little boring because you don't have to fight it, if that makes any sense. Almost a little too perfect, but how can you complain about that?

[@stewartdegner260]

Thank you.

[@turkicnomad5632]

I see that metronome on your wrist. How do you like it?

[@TomHenksYT]

Damn... I've grown so used to PRS SE guitars being anywhere between like 500$~1000$, give or take. But this hollow-body SE actually costs about the same as a Gibson Les Paul Studio. That's quite a lot of money even if it is of excellent build quality, it's made in the far east so the production is a lot cheaper than it would be in the US. The tones are great though.

[@Uraharatix]

Can you do one with the CU24 SE to the Core model?

[@arnolddealiii4259]

To me they sounded the same on the lead sounds except for the last lead time example. Clean the hollow body sounded fatter but just as articulate. Take away for me, “Why buy the core?”

[@Fictionalian]

what do you think about fishman single coil?

[@sccanj]

The blue one sounds better to me, I prefer it’s sound over the gold one, I don’t care about specs, pickups, where is made, or what magical wood it’s made of But only when you own several guitars with different price points is when you understand that all that matters is how it sounds and how it plays Unfortunately you have to own a few guitars before knowing that

[@zoundsic]

Would have totally agreed until I had lend of my mates CE24 for a month, tones coming out of that thing are just crazy and you can't judge that by this video, playing wise it's no better than my s series Ibanez, which goes to show you can get budget Guitars these days that are superb but they lack that special something, just have to decide whether all that extra cash is worth it for your needs, so expect it's the same between the CE and SE models. I have a bias towards electro acoustics as it's just different to a solid.

[@musikus7092]

Have you rolled the tone knob down?

[@Junior1385]

Overdrive 5:14 vs Distortion 6:06

[@jimmyjames2022]

Well core pickups/electronics *always* sound much better than SE's, to my ears the overtones are clear and balanced in the core but muddle things up in the SE. And that's with me happily owning an SE with stock pups so it sounds very familiar and they aren't even the same pups but they all have that SE sound to me. In Canada it's over $2000 CAD for the Hollowbody piezo but the Hollowbody Standard SE is only $1300 CAD. Is the piezo worth that much more? Probably the Peacock Blue with ebony fingerboard and abalone inlays alone makes it worth it! BTW, PRS does provide built to fit SE locking tuners for *only* $100 CAD.

[@sisouphanh1]

Hi my friend I want to know how much Yellow

[@timgelston2032]

Anyone ever seen a PRS Custom 24 with a rotary pickup dial instead of a toggle?

[@eddiesalazar688]

Could someone tell me the name of the song from the intro?? Appreciate it

[@kevinguerrier8431]

I love your demos and I go to them often. My one criticism would be you never say what amp our amp setting you are using. This would be extremely helpful.

[@tyrssen1]

Damn, I just have to ask: how come ya threw that poor guitar onto the roof, in the opening sequence?

[@asifamlan7398]

Can you do a fender strat ultra hss vs music man cutlass hss?

[@David01.d]

can you review a jaguar or mustang?

[@timgermanyjr]

Need to put solid vs hollow head to head with the same pickups. IMO 90% of the slight difference between the way these sound is the pickups.

[@airjosena]

Espectacular