PRS SE Paul Allender - Guitar Review

[echoist]

what does pencil lead in the nut slots do?? and also whats the diff between the graphtech nuts and the standard graphite nuts?? thx

Pencil lead is made of graphite, and due to its "slippery nature" it can act as a lubricant here. This can prevent binding and let the strings "slide better" through the nut slots when you bend the strings, or play with the tremolo, thus retaining tuning stability. I came across this tip in one of Santana's interviews with Guitar Player mag ages ago. Some ppl uses Vaseline instead (i read here somewhere, our Brader Sub uses it), or both.. And its not constraint/limited for nuts only, you can apply it to the saddles too.

Graphtech nuts have Teflon lubrication impregnated into the material its made of. And Teflon is said to be 500 times (or much less??) more slippery than graphite. So, its definitely a much, much better option than graphite for nut replacement. :mrgreen:

 

[bf0502tr]

O.O!! hmmm how much does it cost to change the nut to a graphite one?? thx again

 

[echoist]

O.O!! hmmm how much does it cost to change the nut to a graphite one?? thx again

Its $45 together with the nut. Extra charges might apply...
It was mentioned in one of the threads here: http://soft.com.sg/forum/maestro-gu...ejuvenate/102861-replacing-graphtech-nut.html

 

[holyking]

I just send mine for servicing to fix the fret buzz and also due to the sound as it sounds like it is struck inside the guitar and not wanting to come out! Still I love the sound of it and the playability of it!

 

[psyence4]

I have had my Paul Allender for 9 months, playability and sustain is superb, humbuckers are great for rock and metal. I upgraded to this from a PRS Custom SE as it had 24 frets and a thinner neck. However I think I slightly prefer the Zebra pickups tone as they are more balanced (not so trebly)... But this guitar is a 9.5/10 for me especially after being set up by Beez the man...

 

[feverpromise]

I am actually planning to get myself a PRS Tremonti SE but I've come across this Paul Allender model and now I'm re-thinking my decision. What do you guys think?

 

[bf0502tr]

if u want better access to all frets then get the allender model cos the tremonti is a singlecut plus only 22 frets. if u want weight, the allender prob isn't the heaviest chunk of wood lying ard. cant say much for the tremonti though, nvr tried it myself. but the allender is pretty light for mahogany so it could be chambered. in the end, u have to test both out to see which one u like better. though their body specs are pretty similar i'm sure the pickups are voiced differently.

 

[echoist]

I am actually planning to get myself a PRS Tremonti SE but I've come across this Paul Allender model and now I'm re-thinking my decision. What do you guys think?

My advice is try both guitars and see which suits you better..

That said, you have to ask yourself why you chose the Tremonti SE in the 1st place. You like the looks, or functions, or the the guitarist himself whose signature is on the guitar. Both are different beasts.

The difference between both that makes a REAL difference:
1) wood construction
- the Allender has a maple neck, and mahogany body capped with maple
- the Tremonti has a mahogany neck and body
- these difference affects the tone of the guitar

2) neck construction/wood
- like mentioned earlier one is maple, the other is mahogany
- tonewise, maple gives a brighter tone while mahogany is supposedly warmer
- Allender have a wide thin neck, while Tremonti has a wide fat neck
- the feel of both neck is definitely going to be different
- plus more wood in the fat Tremonti neck is definitely going to affect the sustain/tone

3) no of frets
- 24 on the Allender vs 22 on the Tremonti
- extra no of frets
- the placement of the neck pickups also affects the tone in that position

4) the bridge
- Allender comes with a trem that floats, though not in Floyd Rose variety
- Tremonti, stop tailpiece

5) tone controls
- both pickups shares the same tone and volume controls in the Allender
- individual pickups have own set of tone and volume controls in the Tremonti

I've had my Allender SE for about 2 yrs now and i still find joy playing it. Of course, its the the ONLY guitar i own!! I can get good tones out of this guitar, and playing with the vol and tone controls give me more.. The only mod done to it is switching the the tuning pegs to the Spertzel locking ones. No pick-up upgrades or anything. The frets are badly worn in LOTS of places and there's dead spots all over the neck. But its still a JOY to play!!

I'm thinking of buying a 2nd guitar with a stop tailpiece and the Tremonti did come to mind because of the marked difference between the Allender and the Tremonti. I wouldn't want to have 2 guitars that's similar!!

Again, check out both guitars. Hold them in your hands and definitely have a feel of both necks. Then make the your decision.. :mrgreen:

 

[feverpromise]

wow thanks to both of u guys but i have to give my special thanks to echoist for giving me such an explanation. i will test both guitars out at Davis guitars then.

The reason why i choose tremonti SE is mainly because he's my idol, he designed this model together with PRS and the guitar design also seems nice in a simple way. Definitely more shiny than the Allender model. oh and another reason is ..... i've played PRS SC250 before and i just love it. among the SE models, tremonti SE is the only one closest to SC250 coz PRS SE Singlecut have only 2 knobs.

however, i've always wanted a guitar with special inlay designs rather than just dots coz that'd look cooler. haha we all know that allender model has those special bat inlays and even the body paint is special compared to other SE models. that kinda make me have interest in the Allender Model. other than the appearance, i have no other knowledge of Allender model or the person himself. i don't really like COF's music.

 

[bf0502tr]

dont buy a guitar just cos of the looks dood! u'll regret. i almost bought a lp copy cos i liked the looks of an lp. then i realised i didnt like playing it cos access to higher frets was like shit. i think u get my point...i dun wanna get flamed

 

[KCrimson]

Have you seen the previews of the new Allender SE's? It sounds interesting - and very different from the current Allender SE due to the use of active EMG pickups with coil tapping. The photo I saw looks very similar to the current Allender, with only the color of the pickups appearing different (it was a green model - I haven't seen the new scarlet burst (a burgundy/scarlet red colored burst finish DOES sound nice with the Allender styling and accessories).

Double-cutaway mahogany body with flame maple veneer
Arm carve and rounded edges on body
Maple neck with ebony fretboard
24 jumbo frets, bats in flight inlay
Tremolo, nickel hardware
EMG 89 and 81-TW pickups with coil tapping
Push-pull volume (taps neck pickup)
Push-pull tone (taps bridge pickup)
3-way toggle switch
Emerald Green Burst or Scarlet Red Burst finish

 

[bf0502tr]

i think the green is also abit diff from the current green. dunno if its the photo quality or what but the new one seems to be almost like non-lacquered =X

 

[mightyboy88]

It looks really nice , i think its an improvement over the old model due to the pickups n the cutaway, anyone know the price ?

wonder if davis will bring it in ?

 

[bf0502tr]

It looks really nice , i think its an improvement over the old model due to the pickups n the cutaway, anyone know the price ?

wonder if davis will bring it in ?

whats wrong with the pickups and the cutaway?? they're both nice!! no way i'm gassing for one now that its using actives

 

[Golgotha]

The gold plating/paint have worn-off at certain areas (screws, tuning heads, trem) due to constant contact with skin.

Hi, I am also a firm believer of this PRS model, and I love playing it! Its like butter on my fingers!

I just wanna ask you though if it is possible to restore the gold plating on the trem and tuning heads?

 

[bf0502tr]

Hi, I am also a firm believer of this PRS model, and I love playing it! Its like butter on my fingers!

I just wanna ask you though if it is possible to restore the gold plating on the trem and tuning heads?

replate it with gold lol

 

[shibby]

awesome!!!!