Paul Reed Smith CE-22 Review
Back a few years ago, I was looking for a new guitar to add to the collection and decided it was time to own a Paul Reed Smith. I didn’t have a lot of experience with them at the time and had one played a couple at the local guitar shop. On a bit of a whim, I bought one off a guy online who lived about 6 hours away from me. He shipped it up to me on the bus. It is probably the best guitar purchase that I have ever made online!
Actually, I got it about a few hours before a gig that my band at the time was playing. I actually ran home to pick it up while setting up for that gig after my girlfriend had gone to the bus stop to pick it up for me – exciting day! I didn’t play it for the gig but it was cool to have a PRS as a “back up guitar” for that night!
First, let’s talk about the features of this guitar. Bolt on wide fat neck, 5-way rotary pickup selector switch, locking tuners, 22 frets (there’s a 24 fret model too!), two Dragon humbucker pickups, alder body with a sweet maple top, PRS tremolo and a maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard.
The Good:
The first thing that I noticed when the guitar got to my house and in my hands was the super low action and ease of playing. It took a little time for me to get used to the bigger neck on this guy but after a few hours, I was fine.
Looking at the guitar closely, you can tell that it is a quality instrument that has had a lot of care go into the making of it. The finish is practically flawless, the neck is seated in the neck pocket very snug and the frets are perfectly set.
One thing that I really like about this guitar is the rather large strap pegs. I’m used to using strap locks anyway but with this guitar, it is definitely not needed.
I don’t really have an opinion on the trem because I don’t think I have had the trem bar in the hole since I got it! Not a trem user — I have a hard enough time just playing without having to think about trem as well!
As far as sound goes, it certainly delivers here. It sounds great plugged into almost anything (notice I said almost – not my Fender Super Sonic for some reason see my Fender Super Sonic review for more info about that). I’ve plugged this into a number of different amps and amp models on my computer and have been able to get some amazing tones in all types of musical genres. This is certainly a versatile guitar for musicians of all types.
This guitar can’t mimic anything that a Strat can produce for a tone but that’s not what it’s made for anyway. I have heard people say that Paul Reed Smith guitars are good for people who like Gibson Les Pauls because they share kind of the same type of tone. Not sure what is meant by that but I believe that they have a tone all their own.
The (Not Too) Bad:
I find the locking tuners kind of questionable. Don’t get me wrong, they work flawlessly and have never given me any issues. The guitar definitely stays in tune no matter how much abuse I give it. However, they seem kind of cheap compared to my other guitars with locking tuners. These ones have a kind of screw on top of the pole and it feels kind of flimsy. The locking tuners on my other guitars have a knob on the back which is a lot bigger and seems more rugged.
My only other complaint with this guitar is actually no fault of the guitar but just my preference. I hate the rotary switch for the pick up selection. It drives me crazy! If you are a person that tends to change pickup selection in the middle of solos/songs, this is not the guitar for you. Luckily, I believe that there are models what have a regular toggle switch as well.
Conclusion:
If you have been playing for awhile and are looking to step up to a more pro guitar, this just might be what you are looking for. I wouldn’t replace anything on this guitar (well, maybe the locking tuners like I mentioned before). It is a joy to play and sounds great!
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