Best PRS Guitars Ranked — SE vs S2 vs Core
Paul Reed Smith (PRS) guitars divide into three clear tiers: SE (Korean), S2 (USA, simpler spec), and Core (USA, full spec). Each tier is meaningfully distinct — not just cosmetically but in construction, hardware and pickup quality.
PRS Guitar Lines Overview
| Line | Origin | Price Range | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE | Korea | £500–1,000 | Best value PRS |
| S2 | USA | £1,200–1,800 | USA entry level |
| Core | USA | £2,500–5,000+ | Professional |
SE Line — Best Value
SE Standard 24 — £500
24 frets, double-cutaway, SE-designed humbuckers, maple top veneer, mahogany body. The most affordable PRS available.
Tone: Clear, balanced, versatile — PRS's characteristic tone is present even at this price. The SE Standard's pickups are less complex than SE Custom or Core pickups, but functional.
Best for: Beginners and intermediate players wanting PRS at the minimum price.
SE Custom 24 — £750
Bird inlays, Pattern Thin neck profile, SE 85/15 "S" humbuckers — PRS's 85/15 design voiced for the SE line. The Custom 24 is the most popular PRS SE model for good reason: balanced, versatile, well-constructed.
Best for: The best all-round SE at an intermediate budget.
SE McCarty 594 — £850 | Best SE Overall
Vintage-voiced 58/15 LT pickups, push-pull coil taps, Pattern Vintage neck profile, mahogany back with maple cap. The McCarty 594's vintage-voiced humbuckers produce PAF-authentic tone — warm, dynamic, characterful.
Best for: Players who want vintage Gibson-adjacent tone in a PRS format.
SE Hollowbody II Piezo — £900 | Most Versatile SE
Semi-hollow construction, magnetic SE 58/15 LT pickups, piezo saddle pickup system, blend control for mixing electric and acoustic tones. Extraordinary tonal range for one guitar.
Best for: Players who need acoustic and electric tones from one instrument.
S2 Line — USA-Made Entry
S2 Standard 24 — £1,300
USA-made, mahogany body (no maple top), S2-voiced humbuckers, simplified hardware compared to Core. The entry point to USA-made PRS construction.
Why choose S2 over SE: USA construction quality — more consistent fretwork and better assembly tolerances than Korean-made SE. Noticeable improvement in feel and response.
S2 McCarty 594 — £1,700 | Best S2
USA-made, 57/08 pickups (more complex than S2 Standard pickups), figured maple top, vintage-correct 24.594" scale length. The most tonally rewarding S2 model.
Core Line — Professional
Core McCarty 594 — £3,000 | Best All-Around PRS
The flagship PRS for players who want vintage humbucker tone — 57/08 pickups in Core spec, figured maple top (hand-selected), Pattern Vintage neck, full binding, USA premium hardware. The McCarty 594 is the guitar that has replaced the Les Paul for many professional players.
Best for: Professional players, serious advanced amateurs who play blues, rock or vintage styles.
Core Custom 24 — £3,200 | Best Modern Versatility
24 frets, 85/15 pickups, Pattern Thin neck, coil-tap switching. The Core Custom 24 is the PRS flagship model — versatile from clean to high-gain.
Vintage Voicing vs Modern Versatility — The Real Decision
Beyond the SE/S2/Core price tiers, the more consequential choice within PRS's lineup is McCarty 594 versus Custom 24 — vintage Gibson-adjacent tone versus modern versatile PRS voicing. This decision matters more than which manufacturing tier you buy at, since it determines the guitar's fundamental tonal character regardless of price.
Choosing tier before choosing voicing is backwards — decide whether you want McCarty's vintage warmth or Custom 24's modern versatility first, then find that model at whichever tier (SE, S2, or Core) fits your budget.
Common Mistakes
Assuming the SE Custom 24 and SE McCarty 594 are simply different colours of the same guitar. As the model breakdown shows, the McCarty 594's vintage-voiced 58/15 LT pickups and Pattern Vintage neck produce a genuinely different tonal character from the Custom 24's more versatile voicing — these are different guitars for different tonal goals, not cosmetic variants.
Skipping straight to Core without trying S2 first. As the guide notes, S2 represents a significant, noticeable quality jump from SE at roughly half the price gap to Core — many players find S2 delivers enough of the Core experience that the further jump isn't necessary for their needs.
Choosing a PRS purely for the "PRS sound" without considering the specific model's voicing. PRS's catalogue spans genuinely different tonal territories — the McCarty's vintage warmth and the Custom 24's modern versatility don't share a single unified "PRS tone" a buyer can assume across the whole lineup.
Underestimating the SE Hollowbody II Piezo's versatility for gigging musicians. Its blend control between magnetic and piezo pickups genuinely covers electric and acoustic-adjacent tones from one instrument — an underrated option for players who need that flexibility without carrying two guitars.
ToneStakr's Take
For most players entering the PRS ecosystem, the SE McCarty 594 remains the strongest starting recommendation — vintage-voiced tone and coil-tap versatility at the most accessible price point in the entire lineup. Players who've confirmed they want the McCarty voicing specifically, and have the budget, should consider the Core McCarty 594 directly rather than stopping at S2, since the guide notes it's genuinely replaced the Les Paul for many professional players — a meaningful endorsement worth the extra investment for serious use.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best PRS guitar for the money?
The SE McCarty 594 (£850) — the strongest SE model, offering vintage-voiced pickups and coil-tap versatility at an accessible price. The Core McCarty 594 (£3,000) if budget allows, since it's become the professional reference for vintage-toned PRS playing.
Is PRS SE as good as Gibson Epiphone?
The SE Custom 24 and SE McCarty are generally considered better quality than equivalent Epiphone models — better hardware, more consistent construction tolerances, and genuinely excellent pickups for the price tier.
What does "594" mean in the PRS McCarty 594?
It refers to the neck scale length — 24.594 inches, approximating vintage Gibson scale length. PRS's modern Custom 24 uses a 25" scale; the 594 scale specifically delivers a more vintage Gibson-like feel and tonal character.
Should I buy an SE Custom 24 or SE McCarty 594 as a first PRS?
Depends on your tonal goal — the Custom 24 offers more modern versatility across clean-to-high-gain playing, while the McCarty 594 leans into vintage-voiced warmth. Players unsure which direction to go should consider which existing guitars (if any) they're trying to complement or replace.
Is the jump from SE to S2 worth it if I'm not planning to go all the way to Core?
Yes, for players who specifically want US-made construction consistency — the fret work and factory setup improvement from SE to S2 is genuinely noticeable even without continuing to Core, making S2 a reasonable stopping point rather than just a stepping stone.
Does PRS SE quality vary significantly between specific models, or is it consistent across the range?
Generally consistent — PRS's Korean manufacturing partner maintains steady quality control across the SE range, though individual model specifications (pickups, hardware, neck profile) genuinely differ by design, which is a separate consideration from base build quality.