Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 Ten Top

1997 PRS Custom 24
Body: Maple 10-top, Mahogony Body
Neck: PRS W/T Neck. 24 frets. 25" scale. Mahogony. Set Neck.
Fretboard: Rosewood. Bird Inlays. 12" Radius.
Hardware: PRS Tremelo
Neck Pick-up: PRS VB
Bridge Pick up: PRS HFS
Volume knob
Tone knob
5-way rotary pickup selector
Original Hardshell Case, Very Good Condition

I play mostly blues - rock style music, slide guitar...Some heavy Mettalica - Sabbath but not allot as i'm getting old! I use a Mesa Rectoverb amp with a Mesa 12AT7 preamp tube in the first position to tone down the gain of the amp. This makes more for a Robben Ford tone with the gain set in the sweet spot of the amp. Still can get a Mettalica sound if you want it but with 12AX7 it is Mettalica or nothing through the rectoverb. With this guitar and those settings.... I can get screaming leads and a chunky rock sound to clean tone for fingerpicking and strumming with the flick of the 5 way toggle. Without having to adjust the amp settings. Thats the beauty of the PRS in my opinion. The 5 way toggle switch can go from FAT Santana tone for single note solo's to a strat like single coil to a classic rock sound. This is not a Strat...but can sound Strat like....not a Les Paul but can sound Les Paul like... Very versitile guitar. Allot more versitile than any other guitar I have ever played.

Plays easy .... great action. Strings used are 9 guage. Still as easy as the action is the strings dont just hover over the frets. There is some room for muting when playing slide guitar without hitting the frets. I tried 10 guage strings on it and really dont make a difference in the tone. Huge difference on my strats but on the PRS 9 guage it is!

Whale Blue color with 10 top... bird inlays. The guitar is beutifull. That was never a priority for me as long as it plays and sounds good. Stays in tune ect.... So i consider that a bonus.

This guitar stays in tune! I beat may guitars up a bit. Bend strings hard... my hands sweat. I use the whammy for some tremolo here and there. No complains here.

Never needed them so ... no opinion.
Owned this guitar for bout 10 years.

Im 40 years young and have been playing seriously since I was about 14 yeas old. I own two Fender Stratocasters, an Alvarez Yari DY62C acoustic and a few other beater guitars. Used to own a Les Paul Studio but wore the frets off that sucker and sold it..... still miss it... Mesa Rectoverb and a Marshall cheapo solid state amp.

When I went shopping to buy this guitar I considered this a one time purchase. So i was very picky on what I was going to buy. I wanted either a Les Paul Standard... or PRS or Gibson 335.... i wasnt sure until I played them all.

I shopped for over a month with cash in hand and decided on the PRS mainly because for the money .... this guitar was not just one style. I mean a strat is awesome and i love them but they dont stay in tune for me... and that bothers me. Les Pauls are awesome but they are imo rock guitar sound or nothing. The PRS was a logical chioce because I could play heavy rock... fingerpick... slide ... stumming clean.... Santana tone leads all in one package. The intonation is flawless... action like buttah.

1995 Prs Custom 24 10 top. 5 way rotary. 2 PRS humbuckers, locking tuners. Wide thin neck. Hard case

I had a really hard time getting a good tone out of this guitar. Very sterile and bright sound. I really tried to like this guitar, I changed the pickups to Gibson Burst buckers, which helped a little. The closest I came to decent tone was with Harmonic Design Z90's. But the guitar still lacked life. I own several vintage Fender amps and a Marshall 50 watt JMP head. Two Mesa Boogies have passed through my arsenal as well, a Mark IV and a DC-30. I also own a Premier 2-12 and Groove Tube Soulo 1-12 combo. None of these amps worked well with this guitar. I would start a gig with it and change to another guitar after the break, Les Paul, Strat, Tele, Reverend, WOW what a difference, these guitars all had life and inspired my playing, the PRS stayed in the case the rest of the night.

Plays like butter, beautiful top, no cosmetic flaws at all. The trem worked great.

Very well built

Never called them

I'm 54 years old, I started playing guitar when I was 9. I have 3 Les Pauls,'70, '78,'85. I have 4 Strats, '67,'79,'81,'94, Reverend Slingshot, Gibson SG w/P90s, Les Paul Special w/ P90s '74, '65 Fender Jaguar, Gibson ES125 TDC '54, 2 PRS SCs, one with P 90s and stop tail, one with Humbuckers and trem, I love both of these guitars. I thought I had just got a bad one with the Custom 24, and then I read an interview with Carlos Santana about the Custom 24, his response was, " It would make a nice lamp." He explained how the sound was thin and brittle. The Santana model is more like a double cut Gibson, than a Custom 24. The Custom 24 played great, felt great, nice balance, nice features, except for the 5 way rotary, but was seriously lacking in tone. I sold it.

PRS 1995 Custom 24 10 top violin amber, 5 way rotary switch, trem. 2 PRS humbuckers, Wide, thin neck. PRS locking tuners.

I was disappointed in the sound of this guitar. With a clean amp there is no life here. It seems to have a nasal high mid tone that is annoying. I tried it with Fenders, Marshalls, and Boogies. The Mesa on thick saturation was the only good tone I could get out of this guitar.
I really tried to like this guitar because it was beautiful and played like a dream, but the tone put me off. I have a large collection of guitars and I have been playing since 1963. I always wanted a PRS and when I got it, any Strat, Tele, or Les Paul I own has more life than this guitar. Then I read a Carlos Santana interview and he says the same thing. He said it would make a nice lamp and gave it back. He plays PRS guitars, but only his signature model which is basically a double cut Les Paul

Beautifully made and a dream to play, gorgeous top, lots of flame. Very smooth and buttery feel to the neck and frets

It seems to reliable enough

Very friendly, but don't want to hear issues about tone.

I started playing at 9 years old and I am 54 now. I have a nice collection of Fenders and Gibsons. 3- Les Pauls, 2 goldtops, 1 With Lollar P90s, and one cherry sunburst standard, '54 ES-175 TDC,72 Les Paul Special w/ Bigsby, '92 Firebird IV. Strats, '69-'79- and a '94. '62 Tele, '65 Jaguar, Reverend Slingshot. '75 Jass Bass. Plexi Marshalll 50 watt head and 2-12 cab. Black face Fender Deluxe reverb, Black face Princeton reverb, '61 Brown 4-10 Fender Concert amp. Groove Tube Solo-75. And I build amps for myself. If it were stolen, I would collect the insurance and buy another one just to see if I got a lemon.
I'd like to give PRS another try.

Most of the details have been wel descibed. I'd like to add that my Custom 24 is a 10 Top and Matteo Blue. But here's the thing........the Top is a ONE-PIECE TOP. Not a two piece center seamed. Just a STUNNINGLY BEAUITIFULL electric to look at. The Matteo Blue 10-Top with a set of Zebra bobbins rally make the 24 look like a million bucks. I played my 24 right next to a Custom 22 with a Wide-Thin neck. My 24 has a substantially thicker neck. I NEVER cader for the locking Tuners on PRS electrics. Though since my PRS is a 01 hey have since came out with a Sperzel set that I think are much better. Its NOT that they don't hold a tuning. Th issue is they are a pain in the ass to work with. Especially on the high E and B strings. At least to use a they are suppose to be used!!!

The Pick-u[ps on the guitar? Wll on my 24 iy comes stock with a neck Bass Vintage and bridge HFS. I like this set a LOT. I had owned a CE-24 in the past with the same pups and liked them here also. I do not care for PRS Dragon II pups. And the McCartys are good with solid mahogany bodys. So you really need to listen to theri pick-ups. You may not like one of their sets.

I have been playing since 1967. I have owned just about every guitar you cab name. I was fortunate enough to be playing on-stage by 69. So by that time I was already playing high-end gear. I have stuck with Fender Blackface and early Silverface amps [68 and 69 silverface]. Guitars I basically use Fender Strat's and Tele's, Gibson LP's and SG's. I also have a P-90 Melody Maker I love. Also Hamer electric's. I have played and owned many over the yeasr. To date I own a 96 Mirage II loaded with a set of humbuckers that fred DiMarzio custon buil for me. He built two humbuckers[using 4-rail pups] 2-fast tracks, a cruiser and a chopper and a 5-way superswitch added. No tone I can't get now,

But the PRS is a very special; electric. I wanted one very versitile electric. After deciding to go PRS. I have played MANY over the months in search. Came across MANY DOG's. Friend of mine who manage's Sam Ash by me. Called me at home and said I ought to come play a 24 he took in used?

So off to Sam Ash I went. When I looked at the Custom 24 I was blown away immediatly. It just has a very atractive appearence to it. I plugged into a Fender 57 Twin. The guitar brought a RARE shit eating grin to my face!!! Its been a LONG time since I have heard a electric that I thought sounded THIS GREAT. I could NOT find a bad position on the 5-way. With a bit of tweaking in each position...al soundd very very good.

The ACTION? I have NEVER owned a electric with action better than this Custom 24, And I own CS Fenders, Gibsons and Hamer's. The action on this baby beats then ALL. What a nice FEEL to it. So smooth and Light. Plays effortlessly. Action is so-good I need to apply very little pressure to the fretted note's.

I have read a LOT of negative's about the pick-ups? These are VERY NICE sounding pups and SOOoooo versitile. When I bought the PRS I was looking fro a electric that would replace a couple others on stage. This 24 doe's this. Its Strat tones are VERY usable. The hubucker's sound amazing for chords. lead, funk, whatever your style may be. SHOULD I want to make the 24 into a straight uo ONE TRICK PONY. Then yes I would go with a different set of humbuckers. But that defeats the purpose of this fine instrument. Idea of the Custom 24 is to do a LOT of things VERY WELL. NOT one-thing GREAT? Also it must be noted that the TREM system is the best I've played on. Without going to a double locking set-up!!

Best I have EVER seen. And as I mentioned I own Custom Shop guitars by Fender Gibson and Hamer. So thats saying a LOT!! BUT....LOOK over what you are buying. I had played MANY PRS electrics. Many of them were dead-wood or had issues. Just because it says PRS doe's NOT mean your search has ended.

Not Sure...........its not a Tele or Strat so I imagine you will need to be very carefull with it. Can't grab the Trem arm and bounce the guitar off the floor like SRV. Not with a PRS? But for a tilt back headstock, set-neck etc etc etc. It is durable!

Not positive I've yet to contact them. But I hear they are great?

I've NEVER owned/played an electric that played so sweetly. Where the action was THIS GOOD yet the weight, feel, Tone and everytning else was in line also? This one is just ALL THERE. When you hear the phrase....This one's a keeper? Well this PRS is what they mean. Not specifically THIS GUITAR. But all its appointments, and its Tone, Feel, playability. I been at this a LONG TIME. To find a piece like this PRS you would certainly have to look at a lot of electric's. And it may still take MTHs or evenyears to find one. Just because a elcectric says PRS or GIBSON or WARRIOR or HAMER on the headstock. That doe's NOT mean its a KEEPER. Lot of good guitar out here. But not a lot odf GREAT ONE's

Whale Blue Quilted Ten Top Custom 24. I bought this guitar brand new from Make'n Music in Chicago. Came with Case and all Case Candy. The finish is excellent. Wide/Thin Neck profile with all PRS Hardware. Very nice guitar. The bridge pickup is nice and hot, and the neck pickup is smooth. The 5 way rotary switch is sometimes annoying, but it provides versatility.

This guitar is very versatile. If you want a Les Paul Sound, buy a Les Paul. If you want a Strat Sound, buy a Strat. If you want a guitar that you can throw in a case and take to an audition to cover a wide array of tones, this is it. I use it as my main guitar in an original Rock band, and as my main guitar in a working cover band that covers all kinds of styles. This guitar really sings. Good sustain and overtones.

Factory Setup was good. Set up the guitar for 10-52 string set, and the guitar plays excellent. Gives it a little more bottom end. I really like the wide/thin profile. It's not like an Ibanez Wizard or ESP M series neck, bit I like it. The thickness and radius makes it easy to chord as well as blaze through leads. No Flaws whatsoever.

Extremely reliable. Judging from the other PRS owners, seems like it will last. I use this guitar as my main guitar all of the time, and it holds up great.

NEVER GIG WITHOUT A BACKUP. PERIOD. STRINGS WILL BREAK.

I've not had to contact PRS for anything, so I have no opinion.

Excellent guitar!! Would buy another one if both of mine got stolen. I play PRS Custom 24s and Gibson Les Pauls. This guitar is very versatile, and a comfortable player. It's comfortable to carry on your shoulder all evening, and it stays in tune.

Again, if you want a specific guitar tone, buy that guitar. This isn't a replacement for every guitar. It is a good subsitute at guitar auditions for carrying three guitars. Its full of versatile tones.

The only thing I wish is that PRS would put out a Custom 24 with a Floyd Rose Double Locking Bridge on it. Would be great for those Van Halen-style tunes.

The guitar looks great and plays great. I'd recommend going to a store and playing one. Excellent.

USA made 2005, 24 frets, dual humbuckers(HFS and Vintage) , 5 way rotary switch, set in neck, Mahogany body with a great looking flamed maple top, rosewood fretboard, PRS tremolo, locking tuners, case. The rotary knob takes a bit of getting used too.

Play progressive rock on Mesa Boogie Stiletto w/Keeley DS1, Boss MT2, Voodoo Labs Micro Vibe, Bad Horsie Wah (All on floor)along with TC G-Major, BBE Sonic Maximizer, Hush Super C (in effects loop) into Mesa 4x12 cab. The sounds from this one are very, and I stress VERY clean and clear. There is warmth on either of the humbucker settings and the center position is kind of stratish, however the other 2 settings are very clean. Pretty serious volume drop on any setting that is not full bucker, but great tone none the less. Overall has a very pronounced, bright alive kind of tone. Good marriage of Paul meets Strat.

String action was really crappy from the store...no sweat. P/U were adjusted just fine and the finish is beautiful! Only flaws I could find are ones that occurred at the store, none from the factory. The volume and tone knobs feel a bit loose, but I am changing real soon.

Haven't had any issues yet. Seems to be built very well. As far as a backup is concerned, I don't even go to rehearsal without 2 or 3 guitars.

Good warranty (Limited Lifetime). Never had to contact PRS for anything.

Have given a basic run down of my rig: guitars are Jackson SL 2, Fernandez Revolver Pro, Am. Strat, Ibanez Rg's and now the PRS. Please don't steal. I don't want to have to afford another one! Honestly I think everyone should have a PRS in their bag of tricks. Too many great sounds to pass up on.

Nice features. 5-way rotary pickup selector. Vintage bass and HFS pickups. Sperzel low yada yada tuners. 24 frets. Nice neck. Shaped similar to a Gibson SG special neck , Big D shape but slightly slimmer. Doulbe cut body makes playing in the upper register very nice. Neck heel could be done a tad better but its not as un-ergonomic as a les paul or a strat. Nice frets, Large sized possibly stainless steel ?? Too smooth for nickel. The finish is very nice, i picked out a nice Teal / Emerald green hybrid color on ebay, apparently a mistake color creation by prs, I havent seen another one like it so far. Flame 10 top, nicely book matched. Its a fine blend of 2 guitars, Stata-paul. The prs trem system is absolutely the best. I have guitars with floyd rose ,fender vintage 6 screw and fender 2 screw modern tremolos and this thing is the best.

Sounds good to me. I like it allot. I completely hate fender gutiars at this point. I've played strats in a price range of $500-$50,000 and i've yet to see what the whole "golden-egg" thing is with them. They twang and have no bass. The prs has great Gibson sound, it has that 5 way rotary switch with auto coil tap so if I want it I can get nice stevie ray sounds but richer and fuller sounding.

The pickups are pretty well made. I have owned just about every major brand of pickups and These seem to be of good quality. They're not Lindy Fralins but they're just as good as a $100 seymour duncan or Dimarzio pickup out there.

Noise.. None. Use good cables. Use ground eliminators if need be. Stay away from computers and dimmers for lights and halogen and any guitar will be quiet. Un less its a piece of crap.

I have 2 amp rigs at the moment. My main rig is a Fender Deville 2x12 with mullard power tubes and sovtek pre-amp tubes (left channel) my right channel amp is a Mesa boogie 2x12 Heart breaker. I have Mesa El-34's and 12AX7's in that. I run these through my pedal board which changes all the time. But straight through and split the guitar sounds nice and clean. It definately has its own distinctive tone through the clean channel. Un-like any other guitar.

My Conspiracy theory about PRS and Mesa boogie.
I think they designed the Entire Rectifier Series amps to be used with PRS Custom 22-24 guitars. When I plug into one of those.. Jesus oh my god of Holy gain does it sing like the wind. The Custom 24 and Single, double, triple, any rectifer or recto verb will rock the house. I've also played that amp with other guitars and its not the same... So thats my next amp at this point.

I also run a 1986 Marshall JCM-800 Lead Series *50 watt* combo through a mojo-tone 1x12 cab with an english made celestion inside 200watt rare speaker? 2x12 total. Screams. You really have to tweak the lead controls but you can get it.

I bought this guitar from guitar center (the enemy) but it was setup nicely and they put new strings on it. The pickups needed to be lowered. Some idiot had them so close that when you used the upper frets, lets say anything above the 14th fret the strings would contact the face of the pickup.. DUH.... 10 minute fix. Back on track and rocking away.

The finish is great. THey have a nice clear coating system, unlike my les paul which constantly eats bottles of polish the prs I just use a polish cloth and its good as new. Little spray every now and then thats about it.

The saddles need to be replaced with graphtech ones. I dont know why prs just doesnt put them on for you. The nut on the guitar is graphtech . Just boggles my mind.

There are 2 or 3 small finish flaws. Nothing I cant live with. I also have a $1900 les paul and it has way worse flaws then this guitar.

I'll give it a 9, needs graphite..

Solid. Light weight. You can gig it without worries. You get what you pay for.

Put schaller straplocks on though. The stock strap buttons are good for leather ended straps only. if you use those nylon straps you cant do over the shoulder throws with the guitar, Just kidding about the throws but add strap locks.

Never contacted them yet. I would assume with guitars ranging from $1499 to $60,000 they would have a good ass kissing support team.

Playing since 1992, I have 13 other guitars including a les paul, RKS Dave mason *darkstar*, Ibanez jem , SG's, custom made jagmasters and some other odd ball stuff and I cant put this guitar down.

If someone stole this from me i would go renegade hunt them down.
I compared this guitar to my Les paul AAA Top and a 68' strat which sucked the donka donka.

My custom 24 has the wide/thin neck, birds and 10 top with HFS and vintage bass pus.

Here is the main reason I am writing this review. The ONLY way to get this guitar to sound great, and I mean GREAT, is to change out the pick ups!! For some reason, the guitar sounds way to clean with the stock vintage bass and HFS pick ups. I have run it through my JCM 800 with a silver modded tube screamer, a JTM 45 with a tonebone british, and a Fender twin reissue '65. On all these amps it was too sterile and clean, although it did work with the JTM 45 and the Fender, but with the JCM 800 it didn't come close. I put in dimarzio pick ups, AND THE GUITAR SHINES!!! BETTER THAN ANYTHING!! I have Les Pauls, strats, tom Andersons, etc., and this thing WITH THE DIMARZIOS, sounds the best!! I use the super Distortion in the bridge and the PAF pro in the neck. I think any choice of high output pickups would work, but do not use the traditional types, this guitar needs push!! Now the guitar gets a 10, but since I had to add pickups, it gets a 9

this guitar is very well set up, and the action and finish is first rate. I didn't change a thing from the factory. All I did was add 10 gauge strings and tighten the springs on the tremeolo a bit to realign the tension. also, I had to reintonate the first two strings. But, even out of the box, this guitar is set up very very well!! If you use 9 gauge strings, it is perfect!! Medium low action!! If you need to change the gauge, minor mods!!

I believe this guitar will stand the test of time. My model is a 2004 and I have played it over 1000 hours, and so far, excellent. Also, it is really tough to scratch. I have classical nails on the right hand, and when I go to switch the rotary, I know I am scraping the finish, but no scratches!!

Actually I emailed them once about the fret jobs and didn't receive a response. boo hoo in this section!

Overall, the guitar is my main axe!! I love it, especially now that it has been set up for 10 gauge strings, AND NEW PICKUPS!! DIMARZIOS REALLY HELP A TLEAST 50%!!

1996 10 top Custom 24. 24 frets, bird inlays, locking tuners, flamed maple top w/ a touch of quilt, amber burst finish, dual truss rod, 5 position pickup selector. Just a really nice guitar.

It's not a real throaty tough guitar if that's what you're looking for. However, it has a real nice tone to it. It's actually my go-to guitar most of the time. It's never noisy and it has a real smooth rich tone to it.

This is where this guitar shines. The guitar plays beautifully and rarely goes out of tune. When you learn to use locking tuners correctly, they really are some of the best out there. I actually like them better than sperzels.

The guitar is almost 10 years old and has stood up to a lot. Everything looks pretty solid. I had a scratchy pot one time, but after spraying it with contact cleaner it was like new.

I contacted them once, and they were very helpful

Great guitar.

The five way switch and decently balanced pick-ups are nice futures but the rotary takes some getting use to. Ten top and bird in-lays Wide thin neck profile. HFS and Vintage bass pick-ups.

I play everything that I can mostly Alt or prog rock-metal think eighties shread. Witch it love medium to high gain and has some good clean tone as well. I have many amps and different processors to choose from. I always see how a guitar sounds with cord to amp first and have tested this guitar with Fender Twins, a Marshall 800, Sound City, Traynor yc 40, and Mesa stiletto amps. It sounds great with all of them .It also processes well.I see a lot of disappointed reviewers here the only advise that I can give them is check out any instrument well before you buy one. Play it in the store thru a set up as close to what you use as possible run it thru the paces just because it is a PRS does not mean it will suit your style don?t get caught up in the hype. Tone is personal this may not be yours.

Finish is great but the hardware tarnishes Quickly.

I have been playing for twenty-two years. I have a long list of fine guitars this ranks up there with all of them.