Is the PRS DGT SE worth the Hype?

[@danielbrewer878]

I own 4 PRS SE models(McCarty, DGT, ZMyers, and Semihollow II w/Piezo). The DGT and McCarty are my go to guitars now. I own more expensive guitars but not better guitars. I was shocked at how much the DGT could sound like a strat (with the coil split) when needed. I think the pickups have great clarity. For context, I’m kind of a chameleon player: P&W, Classic Rock, Country, and Jazz. These two models can cover all of those genres.

[@ShaneStoneOfficial]

Sounds like you need a silver sky next

[@danielbrewer878]

@@ShaneStoneOfficial I wouldn’t turn one away 😃. I’ve been selling and buying gear, sifting through what inspires me to play. I did add another SE, the Swamp Ash Special. I think I might actually be content with what I’ve got finally. I’m using the DGT and Swamp Ash Special on gigs, but still use the McCarty and ZMyers from time to time.

[@kentGrey]

5:00 I watch a lot of guitar reviews, and you are the only one I've come across that has made this point about signature guitars! This was one of those "Of Course" moments where the second you made the statement it made perfect sense but without ever hearing the statement one wouldn't think to consider it when choosing (or reviewing) a guitar. PS, I am SO glad PRS sees the value of your reviews. Probably because they are among the handful of guitar makers who can stand up to such scrutiny. Thanks!

[@andrefludd]

Thank you, Kent! Prs is an awesome company to work with. They do really believe in their stuff.

[@eusma75]

Got to love the “authentic” Gibson photo when talking about scale lengths 😂

[@ToneDeth.]

The knob layout makes perfect sense to me. You want the bridge vol closer to you for volume swells etc.

[@TVsBen]

You had the same issue that I do with it; I live on the neck pickup so the control placement is a problem. I love how it sounds and love that it's been perfect out of the box for you. Gonna have to give it some thought because I'm not confident in my soldering to swap the placement myself. My main guitar is still the Hollowbody II Piezo, though.

[@pcar928fan]

I tend to prefer the tone of the neck position pickup as well. I have some custom guitars that are a lot like the PRS, but never played a PRS. I love my Parker Fly guitars though! Supreme and Classic! They are amazing! I love how light they are!

[@mwilk19]

Wouldn't know. I've been waiting for months because they're backordered everywhere. I think most of them went to KZbin reviewers.🤣

[@cornellpearce5686]

I lucked up and found one, preowned but in immaculate condition yesterday - $519 with the gig bag! I don’t “need” another guitar but I knew that it would be gone if I took a day or two to think about it. I hadn’t even heard of this SE DGT model, the store had tagged it as a 35th Anniversary SE but until I got home and had time to research it on KZbin and Google I had no reason to think that it wasn’t a 35th anniversary SE. I only knew that it played like a dream, sounded full and warm, very expressive with a nice top end especially when in split coils. She fits right in with my high end guitars at a fraction of the cost!

[@TheSoundofForgetting]

Been playing for decades now..like 3+ and have only 1 PRS & that’s my Mark Tremonti that’s back from 2010 or maybe older but it’s a work horse and love it & own many Strats, Custom Shop, Tele’s & amps etc as never sell my gear since a kid so been doing some research on my next PRS & came across your channel or was recommended and glad it was! Nice to hear someone who really plays and talks about playing and the music and well like how you made this video! Thank you for helping me out and because of you picking up the DGT & The McCarty 594.. I think for what you’re describing and we seem similar I think I have made the right choice and you helped..Subscribed..Keep rocking🤘🎸🤘

[@dj_tmc]

The Gibson graphic @2:40 is priceless!

[@philbergeron5306]

So true

[@arbelmaidan3657]

Hi Andre, Could you please tell me what's the height of both pickups when last fret is pressed?

[@franckrichard8077]

Before having an SE, I will wait for them to have roasted wood in the neck, along with graphite reinforcement rods. An indonesian guitar, with this price tag, should come with all those upgrades. EVH and Charvel made in mexico are build with all those features, and they come cheaper ....

[@Archtops]

I just bought the DGT with a Gold Top and the one with the Curly Maple. Super nice guitars!

[@erickmo1188]

Scooped one for $550 yesterday in mint condition. Only thing was the was the previous owner did the volume mod swap that you talked about which is great for me as well! I rarely hang out in the bridge position. Since I’m a strat player primarily, I may even change it to volume tone tone. That’s TBD. This thing is incredible and I really find that it feels and sounds like a way more expensive guitar

[@ToneDeth.]

The dot inlays instead of the stupid birds make it worth the hype alone.

[@HighZ]

Not gonna lie, did a spit take at the broken Gibson headstock. As always loving the thorough content

[@Lordofmrak]

Does it stay in tune with big bends? I mean, because of tremolo bridge.

[@TheBdriver]

You leave your guitars in those environments??????

[@justaguy2365]

The thing that irritates me about my Les Paul is that the volume knob for the bridge pickup is further away lol. I like the idea of it being closer. I'm seriously considering one of these guitars

[@marvinmartin3438]

Dude, I need this axe! Is it true bypass? Does it have a sweet spot? Is it transgender friendly? Nonbinary? Covid compatible? Can it get Eddy's "Smells like teen spirit" tone? Asking for a friend

[@andyleotell]

😂

[@Magmoormaster]

I've been playing a PRS SE guitar as my one and only for a 3-4 years now, and I thought the DGT neck was insanely different feeling. I don't know what it was, but I really didn't like it. The difference between the standard SE profile (wide thin) vs the 594 (pattern vintage) was subtle, but the difference between them and the DGT was profound.

[@realtruenorth]

Just gotta sell my kidney and get a core DGT, I want ...

[@johnnydswing]

Great videos but it will actually be nice to hear the guitar clean and that didn’t happen

[@cjhenry41]

The broken Gibson headstock just busted me up

[@jerryhorton5708]

I’ve owned the SE DGT for several months myself. Completely agreed about the split coil tone. I actually like the control layout as well. I like it more than the control layout on my Custom 24. Aside from some minor issues with the nut (not cut quite right from the factory), the DGT is tremendous

[@ac8704]

This guitar is incredible. The pickups are as good as anything I've ever played. I love the neck profile. I bought my gold top through Sweetwater, and was able to pick one that only weighs 7lbs 2oz. The DGT SE is every bit as good as people say. The control scheme was weird at first, but now I'm actually a fan. I like the different tones I can get in the middle position blending the volume of each. I spend most time on the bridge pickup, and rarely roll the neck volume unless I'm in the middle position.

[@WCG72]

The SE doesn't have the violin carve.

[@williamwalsh4013]

Your presentation style is clear, concise, smart and truly helpful. Thank you. I am considering buying one of these and your review is a winner. You cover what matters, skip the nonsense and ego sidetracks and do a great service to guitarists. Bravo.

[@billiramone]

I'm a believer in this control layout. I get the "best of both worlds" (a preset for the neck and ability to ride the bridge volume easily.

[@ForrestWest]

How funny! I have a McCarty 594 SE almost exactly like the one you're showing. I love the beauty of it but I'm sure that dgt is an amazing guitar also. I like the birds and the colorful flamed maple of the McCarty and it plays so well.

[@daniellowry660]

Man you really must really not want to give bacm those guitars with how long youre stretching out the series...i love it 😂. Cant wait for your Holcomb review. Great stuff as always Doc

[@andrefludd]

I'm wrapping it up very soon :).

[@bryanmc75]

What are your thoughts compared to the hollowbody piezo?

[@andrefludd]

Nothing beats that guitar imo, but it doesn’t have a trem.

[@Healcraft]

Laughed at the image you used to show GIbson for the scale length, also these are hard to find in Canada without paying +$250-300 shipping internationally

[@retepmo6534]

That was funny, Andre couldn’t resist.

[@DanSandaal]

I really like the DGT SE in terms of playability and the pickups, I have two, but even with the trems blocked, tuning stability sucks. I have replaced the tuners with locking tuners, put lube in the nut, and the top three strings still go out of tune easily. Next step is to replace the nut. Intonation on the G string is really suspect as well. At $849, a guitar that will not stay in tune is not acceptable. At first, I thought maybe I just got one with an issue, but the second one, purchased from a different source and months apart still had the same issue.....

[@icu469]

Replace the nut with a graphtec tusk XL and it will solve all the tuning issues. My only complaint with prs se guitars is the strings binding at the cheap plastic nut.

[@icu469]

It's ez to do. All 3 of my prs se guitars had same tuning problem. It's not the tuners. It's the strings binding at the nut. Change the nut to graphtech tusk xl and u can whammy all day at still be in tune

[@gregorygetable]

Thanks. Really good vid. I have 4 PRS , 3 SE an 1 S2..love them. And yes I have vintage others and modern but my PRS are my fav. Dgt maybe in future

[@AD-uw3rn]

Done subscribe... 😊👍🏻 Very clear review n explaination.. will go for DGT...😂🎉

[@andyleotell]

It’s Macdonald’s not Macdowells! WGAS! Great review my brahski!

[@citybikesalex]

Re: flashiness, yes it's simpler but... goldtop. Kinda obviates your argument, as few things are flashier than a bright goldtop.

[@sebrura]

Bought this as my very first PRS. Used to ESPs, Jacksons etc. It's nice, but the neck is seriously thick compared to almost everything else. Still it plays quite nice.

[@1loStu]

I have Vela and SE Silver Sky. After many hype vids I decided to buy this guitar. The sound of the PRS SE DGT is very good. BUT... Just keep in mind that you can play on the guitar if you have big palms only. The thick neck makes playing the guitar uncomfortable. And espessially playing after 12 fret your wrist rotates unnaturally, so you have to move your entire forearm.

[@piemmetubo]

Thank you for this great review! After careful analysis of features and numerous tests in stores, I am in the final stretch to purchase a new guitar. My choice has narrowed down between the PRS SE 594 and the SE DGT. In case I get the latter, I too will make the modification of reversing the volume pots.

[@WCG72]

I may consider one in the future. As for now I have a PRS Core Special Semi-hollow on order.

[@voxshall]

Great video, well done. I'm surprised people thought the pickups were dark, I found them quite bright, but I did handpick the brightest sounding DGT of the three I tried. I agree with everything else you stated it's an incredible guitar in the price range and I find I much prefer it to a HSS strat for a do everything versatile one guitar for the entire gig type guitar.

[@illtemperedcur9798]

I rather suspect that some of the DGTs were built without treble bleed caps on the individual pot outputs. My DGT had them and sounded like someone had covered the amp with a mattress. Clipped the caps out and now the pickups sound great. Now I just need to track down and fix the bad connection on the bridge pickup. I only get output maybe 20% of the time, and I have to bang on the selector switch a few times to get it to pass signal. Haven't decided yet whether it's the wiring connection or the switch itself. I'm not impressed by the wiring harness design & QC. It's like a bird's nest in there, and of course there's the two problems I mentioned. Given that I can deal with it myself, it's not worth the effort to process a return. Other than that it's a great guitar, and I really like it.

[@davidcolinburt]

I've been questioning the tone knob when rolling off. The gradient seems weak for such a fine guitar. Any answers? Love this guitar. I own one. dcb

[@SB-ht6kf]

Thanks for the great and straightforward reviews. Love the channel

[@rocinblues]

So funny at 2:30, neck comparison.... for the LP..... a broken neck....LOL

[@shayneandrew3327]

Great review! Q: How’s your bridge height from the body on your DGT SE? How’s the action? I got a Sunburst recently and the first thing I did was drop the saddles to lower the action. I’m hesitant to mess with those six screws that anchor the floating bridge to get even closer to the fret board.

[@T.m.K]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this Dgt. If you like this coil split, maybe you will like it much more in Cort G290 Fat II. That Cort is like Suhr in Harley Benton price 🤫

[@kekotorres3700]

Great final assessment on the DGT SE, Andre! Your honesty is a breath of fresh air. I recently purchased a PRS SE McCarty 594 that looks exactly like yours and I love it, but I would have bought the DGT SE if it had been available. A future purchase perhaps. Question for you. I have a two year old PRS SE Custom 24 that I love in all regards except that the tremolo bar is unusable because it consistently throws the guitar out of tune. Did you test an SE Custom 24, and if so, how did the tremolo work for you? Keep up the great work!

[@steveliberty]

Great video. I wanted the goldtop version of the DGT SE, but couldn't find one, so I opted for the Sunburst. No biggie. The guitar is great all around. Neck profile, pickups, trem...ll wonderful. I am generally a Gibson guy, and the similarities are significant enough for me to feel at home. The gig bag is a disappointment though. Could have hd more padding ,and a neck rest & strap would have been nice as well, I guess at this price point we are lucky we got anything.

[@BuddyLee63]

I wemt back and forth between a DGT or a McCarty for months. Almost bought the McCarty simply because no one near me had either DGT in stock, and the goldtop was backordered 3-6 months everywhere I looked. Finally found a goldtop in-stock at a store on Reverb and ordered it on the spot. Haven't looked back since. It's an amazing guitar.

[@johnmartin5153]

hey Andre , did you try to switch those volume pots yet?

[@andrefludd]

No! I actually ended up selling it. Great guitar but I just have too many.

[@StupidGuitar]

I’m not at all surprised you still like it. Everything you said in the deep dive seemed to indicate this was a guitar that was going to stick for you. Only bummer for me is I have a McCarty and can’t really justify getting something so similar.

[@paulrich6307]

Have you played the PRS SE Paul’s model? Any thoughts on where to slot the Paul’s in with the others in the SE lineup? Thanks and great review.

[@hellodrjeckyl]

That Gibson scale length picture. 😂😢

[@silvel2edge]

Nice video. You got a nee subscriber! I’m trying to pick between dgt and 594 for my next guitar. Are you able to do a comparison there as well as how the dgt split compares to the 594 split? I’m leaning dgt, however i have a silver sky and custom 24 now so I’m not sure which i should more consider between these.

[@rickyricardo9917]

My concern is the 11 gauge strings, does anyone use 10’s ?

[@andrefludd]

I’m not sure what you mean. It works with all strings

[@x3a3x3]

“I’m one of those guys who prefer simple guitars” … that’s why I bought a white falcon 🤣

[@Sonny_AA]

I'm hoping they come out with another color (Blue or Black, please). I'm not a gold guy and the violin color isn't my thing either.

[@escargotomy]

Cool review. I have a Santana SE from about 10 years ago in greenburst. I don't play it nearly as much as it deserves considering how well its built and sounds. It may be because it's rather round shape makes it a little wonky for sitting down. But your so right about the PRS SE's being huge bang for the buck. Mine was made in Korea and the build quality was top notch...I mean zero flaws. The only thing I changed was I added locking tuners because I specifically used it for songs with heavy trem use. I like the simplicity of master volume and tone too. It's the perfect guitar when you need the trem for a solo like Limelight or 80's metal tunes.

[@christianboddum8783]

Can you see small dents in the frets? My SE custom22 was driving me nuts (as well as other Korean guitars) a fresh set of EVO golds changed that!!

[@steviesynapse]

It’s been good to watch your PRS journey Andre. PRS are often cited as the single most polarising guitar brand in the world. I have a bit of a different slant on PRS , insofar as I ‘like the idea’ of owning a PRS and I have been trying to buy one for years because I really like the Brand ethos and build quality of their guitars so I keep on keeping on trying one model after another. Unfortunately, I just can’t find a model I like the feel and sound of and I’ve tried just about all of their models now. My friends core DGT came closest!

[@hawkcrossfamily]

Great video. PRS SE line guitars are always well set up out of the box, and IMO, have less issues. With the silver sky comparison, the Silver Sky sounded brighter, and wasn't as good for the song you were playing. I am sure you could have adjusted the tone on it to get it there. I do like the control layout on the DGT. Personally, I am thinking about the DGT or the Santana. I like the look of the Santana, but I don't love the control placement - it seems like you wouldn't mess with the controls with that guitar.

[@bluwng]

That m control layout isn’t unique most Kramer guitars do that. The reason for the nearest volume control mapped to the bridge is to facilitate volume swells.

[@zemlidrakona2915]

LOL! 2:27

[@mikemaysmusic5519]

The only thing that control layout is missing is a master volume, and you'd have a gretsch control layout. That's probably my favorite control layout of all time.

[@etherboy3540]

I agree about PRS SE trems. I went into a guitar store with no particular budget in mind and was shocked at how well my SE Custom 24 played. It seemed hard to justify spending several times more for guitars that weren't clearly better. That was 6 years ago, and other than the usual cleaning and string changes I haven't had to do anything to the guitar aside from one truss rod adjustment. I highly recommend PRS SE guitars and would have more if i weren't cursed with left-handedness.

[@oldtimer99]

Excellent video that helped me to better select PRS between the SE 594, Paul's and the DGT!

[@monmixer]

They also offer the DGT with the flame top and the bird inlays for only 50.00 more than the GT model.

[@attrition0]

Brass accents on the McCarthy. Brass where strings contact is one of pauls "things".

[@avidia_music]

Love these series!!! 🔥🤘🏿🖤

[@spokes28]

? Did you find there was enough extra wire to change the volume controls around or did you have to add wire? Thank you for your videos.

[@JeremySchultz23]

Great video Andre! Love the broken headstock picture to represent Gibson 😂

[@scottketterer1672]

I have the core DGT, but the SE seems to be super close and a really good value. I think the coil splits sound great on them and I typically don't enjoy split coil sounds.

[@vitorweber3237]

Love your reviews and thank you for sharing your experience. Totally get the volume control thing. I wonder if having a master volume vs a master tone would be more helpful? I guess it depends if you prefer adjusting the volume or tone individually. I'm hoping these guitars will start showing up in the used market soon. Just saw one for $699 on reverb

[@jimmyhartman573]

Great video's . . . Still waiting for the next shipments to arrive . . been waiting 3or4 months now . .You always start second guessing your decisions this far out . The timing of this video was heaven sent . I did know when ordering it would be a bit of a wait , but somehow this video reassured my decision to go with the Gold Top . . Thanx have a great day Andre

[@davidschwartzguitar]

Mine has held up fairly well, with the exception of the pickup selector switch which started shorting out recently. Really easy fix, though. And I don’t know about you, but I found the plastic trem bar tip to be painfully sharp where it tapers off into the metal arm. It really digs into the palm! A couple wraps of electrical tape fixed it, but I’m surprised no one else has mentioned it.

[@andrefludd]

With the tip, it sounds like you may have got a bad one. I haven’t experienced anything like that on any of the arms I’ve had.

[@ngoma]

PRS are marketing geniuses

[@andrefludd]

Yea that's also true.

[@paulparsons3625]

LOL on the broken Gibson headstock pic🤣

[@rigorhead01]

You make great videos, brother!

[@1-eye-willy]

the transition from short to long sleve was jaring

[@BeastMadeReviews]

great video, Andre!

[@lunamatic9775]

I think the control layout is what would confuse me the most as well, but I definitely want to try one before I decide to buy. Thanks for the in-depth review!

[@gedcanonizado]

I’m about to buy this guitar and I just watched your first video about it literally a few minutes ago. It’s meant to be haha.

[@andrefludd]

Mine is for sale. Feel free to shoot me an email if you are interested andrefludd @ gmail.

[@MarkStearle]

I am thinking of getting the David,thanks for the review.

[@niarfw714]

review a EGC guitar

[@GuitarGeorge22]

This guitar is the closest prs has come to making a unique sounding guitar imo.

[@Straydogger]

You can thank David Grissom for that. 🙂

[@PatrickGeneLeBlancHardy]

Thanks for sharing 🎸🎶

[@keithb5612]

Compared to your D'Angelico Bedford model? Thanks

[@andrefludd]

This is why I sold D’Angelico a few months back. Didn’t need them both. If you like a thinner neck the Bedford is better. Apart from that the DGT is better and the bridge is great

[@FDLX]

@@andrefludd If I may ask, are you referring to the Bob Weir Bedford? I've seen a lot about how versatile it is as an instrument, but something about HH guitars with coil splits speaks to me a lot more and I've been trying to decide if the value of the Bedford as a tool is actually versatile enough to justify getting it over something that catches my interest a little more.

[@onewiththings]

I love your detail and passion.

[@simonpark843]

Another insightful video...I'm still not sold on any of the SE models but they do sound excellent.

[@andrefludd]

Maybe by the finally I’ll get you ;)

[@simonpark843]

@@andrefludd - possibly, yeah. I'll have to wait and see!

[@dlmyrs]

Great review. Would also like to see some metal playing to see how they do with high gain.

[@andrefludd]

I’ve been practicing Metallica lately to prepare for the metal experiment and this has been my go to guitar. I don’t know a lot about high gain tones but it good to me. I’m going to drop another video tomorrow and I’ll include that as well for you bud.

[@dlmyrs]

@@andrefludd thank you, Dr Fludd!

[@ToneDeth.]

if i ever had a signature guitar it'd be a disaster for other players. for example, i set my tele up with the control plate flipped so it is volume closest to you, then tone, then the pickup selector. but then to make matters more confusing, the pickup selector is switched (towards neck is actually bridge pickup, towards bridge is actually neck pickup)

[@andyleotell]

Man you be crazy dawg!! Do you live in bizarro world?? Please mansplain this illogical Tele layout to me!! Best, Andy

[@ToneDeth.]

@@andyleotell okay. having the order as volume tone selector is easier to explain. just like how a strat the volume knob is closest to you. easier for volume swells on a tele. Also for those that strum wildly you aren't going to knock the selector knob. Plenty of guitars have the knobs closest than the switch. In terms of flipping the switch directions, I really have no explanation. You know how in first person shooting games some people like to flip the y axis? Maybe it's that.

[@andyleotell]

@@ToneDeth. excellent explanation!! Now I’m gonna have to try it…. More money to my luthier I suppose. Thank you for taking the time! I always invert the axis on first person shooters… totally hit the mark dude!

[@ToneDeth.]

@@andyleotell be prepared for a "wtf" look from your Luthier. It's why I just do the mod myself. That way don't get the judgment.

[@elliotgreen987]

I see a LOT of complaints regarding the DGT control layout and I do get it but for balance I think it's important to note it is very easy to resolder the controls to how you like or if you aren't confident doing that it should be pretty cheap to get an honest professional to do it for you

[@tripledoubletroubful]

Totally, lots of people seem to miss that modifications can be made to suit your needs for controlling the guitar and not just "upgrades", and these are usually cheap or DIY. I wire my strats with a master tone and option for a "tele/Gibson middle" type sound. I know someone who sold a Wolfgang because the selector switch was backwards. It would have required loosening a nut and rotating it. Or maybe he wanted a new guitar haha.

[@waltzguy14151]

So.. pay $700 then pay a tech $60 to resolder the controls. So there’s a $60 premium to cover PRS’ stupidity. Swell

[@bad1and1bad]

Americans can speak like it’s overwhelmingly important for the world. It’s a guitar…

[@andrefludd]

Yea I love guitars so I get excited to make videos about them for like-minded people. I hope you enjoyed it!

[@stripesd]

Stupid take, guitars are important for a lot of people

[@MountainLionessMusic]

The DGT SE is a real gem. I think I need to give one of these a test run. My concern is how think the neck is vs a CU24 SE.

[@corneliuscrewe677]

Dude,for the love of God, there is no “H” in McCarty. As for the review, I agree the knob layout on the DGT is a little odd. I’d make the same change.

[@waltzguy14151]

Who cares it still sounds crap

[@elephantfootrisers]

It's McCarty, not McCarthy. You're welcome, PRS.

[@andrefludd]

You missed video 2

[@corneliuscrewe677]

@@andrefluddWTF are you talking about,you JUST published this.

[@StupidGuitar]

@@corneliuscrewe677he’s talking about the second video in the series. Calm down kid

[@sombrerogrande6317]

Hey mister come over here. I've got a Rolex. I've got 2 on each arm and some around my feet.