LeviathanKiller
Knee-shooting Archer
I used to own a PRS SE Mark Tremonti. Sold it and regretted it ever since. I did at least make like a $100 profit off of that guitar because of how cheap I bought it for and how high I was able to sell it. Anyway, after switching to 7-string guitars I didn't think I'd ever own a PRS again despite liking the brand a lot. Last year, I searched to see if they had a 7-string model available and it was discontinued but it just so happened the very week I searched for a PRS 7-string, the announcement for the PRS SE SVN came out. I snatched one ASAP.
I ended up getting the Gray Black finish. Most of my guitars are dark but I just didn't dig the Black Cherry finish. I was pleased to see that it was a 26.5" scale and fixed bridge (versus 25.5" and tremolo). There's a dark golden honey colored binding around the top edge of the body. Isn't present anywhere else on the guitar and doesn't continue into the cutaway on the treble side.
The back of the neck is gloss finished. Big drawback if that's something that affects you. Other than that, the neck is on the thicker side but I love it. Feels nice and solid and is easily playable for me at least. I don't like super thin necks.
Fretwork was and is great although fret wires 2 and 5 have seemed to pop/split the gloss finish on the ends at some point (possibly before I got it even). There's not a chip missing or anything like that, just a slightly visible line which can be felt if you run only your fingernail across the edge. I can't feel it with my fingers I've noticed. Time will tell if that's an actual issue or not but it's not something that's easily noticeable visibly or tangibly. It's nitpicking really, especially at this price.
Tuning stability is good. What I'd consider average/acceptable for a fixed bridge at this scale. I haven't had any intonation, tuning, or action issues with this guitar at all.
Bridge is smooth. If you rest your hand on it, there are no sharp points or rough edges to be felt.
The 85/15 "S" pickups are pretty alright. They're not the tightest or clearest but they are versatile. I'd say that's what stock pickups should aim for generally. I prefer them over the mushy-feeling Solar pickups that come stock in the Ola Englund Washburn and Solar guitars. Cepheus passive pickups that come stock in Agile guitars are definitely more metal geared and sound great in that application but they're less versatile because of that too. So currently in my book it's 85/15 "S" and Cepheus passive > Solar pickups as far as true stock pickups go that I've had experience with.
I like that they put the coil split on the tone knob which is behind the bridge. I don't like the push-pull being on my volume and I don't like it being close to the strings. The pickups sound good split too. Once again, nothing insanely standout but they work well in multiple contexts.
The gig bag is excellent. Anyone who's gotten a PRS with one before knows they're awesome. Makes the purchase have even more value.
I think that's all I have to say really. I'm debating on switching out the pickups with a Guitarmory Orion set I've ordered. Writing this review has made me question that move though since the stock pickups really are quite decent. If I do swap, I'll probably sell the 85/15 "S" set rather than sending them in to be rewound into something else. I have a feeling someone would appreciate these a lot and I'd hate to just trash them like that. If I do swap, the cream colored bits will probably be swapped for straight black at some point. I've never been a fan of the cream stuff.
Time for pics as usual:
I ended up getting the Gray Black finish. Most of my guitars are dark but I just didn't dig the Black Cherry finish. I was pleased to see that it was a 26.5" scale and fixed bridge (versus 25.5" and tremolo). There's a dark golden honey colored binding around the top edge of the body. Isn't present anywhere else on the guitar and doesn't continue into the cutaway on the treble side.
The back of the neck is gloss finished. Big drawback if that's something that affects you. Other than that, the neck is on the thicker side but I love it. Feels nice and solid and is easily playable for me at least. I don't like super thin necks.
Fretwork was and is great although fret wires 2 and 5 have seemed to pop/split the gloss finish on the ends at some point (possibly before I got it even). There's not a chip missing or anything like that, just a slightly visible line which can be felt if you run only your fingernail across the edge. I can't feel it with my fingers I've noticed. Time will tell if that's an actual issue or not but it's not something that's easily noticeable visibly or tangibly. It's nitpicking really, especially at this price.
Tuning stability is good. What I'd consider average/acceptable for a fixed bridge at this scale. I haven't had any intonation, tuning, or action issues with this guitar at all.
Bridge is smooth. If you rest your hand on it, there are no sharp points or rough edges to be felt.
The 85/15 "S" pickups are pretty alright. They're not the tightest or clearest but they are versatile. I'd say that's what stock pickups should aim for generally. I prefer them over the mushy-feeling Solar pickups that come stock in the Ola Englund Washburn and Solar guitars. Cepheus passive pickups that come stock in Agile guitars are definitely more metal geared and sound great in that application but they're less versatile because of that too. So currently in my book it's 85/15 "S" and Cepheus passive > Solar pickups as far as true stock pickups go that I've had experience with.
I like that they put the coil split on the tone knob which is behind the bridge. I don't like the push-pull being on my volume and I don't like it being close to the strings. The pickups sound good split too. Once again, nothing insanely standout but they work well in multiple contexts.
The gig bag is excellent. Anyone who's gotten a PRS with one before knows they're awesome. Makes the purchase have even more value.
I think that's all I have to say really. I'm debating on switching out the pickups with a Guitarmory Orion set I've ordered. Writing this review has made me question that move though since the stock pickups really are quite decent. If I do swap, I'll probably sell the 85/15 "S" set rather than sending them in to be rewound into something else. I have a feeling someone would appreciate these a lot and I'd hate to just trash them like that. If I do swap, the cream colored bits will probably be swapped for straight black at some point. I've never been a fan of the cream stuff.
Time for pics as usual:
