PRS SE Custom 24 Review (2026)

Why you should trust this review

I bought my SE Custom 24 in Faded Blue Burst at retail to evaluate as a versatile workhorse alongside my Fender Player Stratocaster and my Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50s. PRS did not provide a sample and did not know I was reviewing it. Owning a dedicated Strat and a dedicated LP is exactly what let me judge this guitar fairly, because the entire claim of the SE Custom 24 is that it does both of their jobs, and I could A and B it directly against the real thing.

Across five months it saw roughly an hour of daily play, two full volume band rehearsals through a Marshall DSL40CR, and one short studio session for a friend’s recording. That mix of bedroom, stage, and studio use is the honest test for a do everything guitar, because a guitar that feels great unplugged at home can fall apart at stage volume or under a microphone. I also lived with it through a humidity cycle to see whether the neck and finish would move.

How we evaluated

I started with a full out of box assessment of the action, neck relief, intonation, pickup height, and tremolo float angle to see what the factory setup was like. For tone I recorded clean, edge of breakup, and high gain passages through the Marshall and A and B compared them against my Strat and LP playing the same parts.

I ran the coil split through its paces, playing identical passages in both humbucker and split single coil modes for a direct comparison. I tested tremolo stability with repeated full bar dives followed by tuning checks across the five months, took it to two rehearsals at full stage volume, and played it daily through two string changes to watch for any movement or wear.

Tone: humbucker rich, single coil convincing

The 85/15 S humbuckers are the most flexible stock pickups I have used at this price. In humbucker mode they have balanced output, articulate attack, and enough character to hold their own against a Les Paul through high gain rhythm work. The neck pickup stays warm without turning muddy and the bridge is bright without going thin, which is harder to get right than it sounds.

The push pull coil split is the killer feature. Splitting both pickups delivers a credible single coil voice that works for funk chord stabs, country picking, and clean rhythm. A and B against the Player Strat in single coil mode, the PRS is a touch fuller and less bell like in the high end. It is not literally a Strat, but it is closer than any humbucker only guitar gets, and against the Epiphone LP the PRS is brighter and more articulate. Two useful voices from one instrument.

Playability and neck

The wide thin neck profile is the right call. It has a flatter back than a Gibson 50s neck and a wider nut than a Fender, with enough depth that it does not feel like a thin slab. For a player coming from a Strat it feels familiar, and for a player coming from a Les Paul it feels faster. That middle ground is part of why this guitar suits so many styles.

The 10 inch fingerboard radius sits between Fender and Gibson, and bends come out clean across the neck while chord shapes stay comfortable. The 24 frets give real upper fret access for lead playing. The 25 inch scale length is its own middle ground between Fender’s 25.5 and Gibson’s 24.75, and it gives the guitar a feel and tension that works for everything from clean chord work to shred. One honest note: it ships with light strings, and I preferred a slightly heavier set on the 25 inch scale.

Hardware and the tremolo

The PRS designed tremolo is the surprise of the guitar and the best stock trem I have used at any price. With the stock locking tuners, yes, locking tuners are standard here, return to pitch through a full bar dive is consistently within a few cents and recovers cleanly. After five months of aggressive vibrato use I have not had a single mid song tuning collapse, which is something I cannot say about many guitars at twice the price.

The factory build quality on this unit punches above the price. Pickup heights were within a hair of optimal out of the box, the action was set comfortably for medium playing, and the frets needed no cleanup. The Indonesian quality control is excellent, though to be fair it is slightly less consistent unit to unit than the higher tier PRS lines, so the experience can vary a little between examples. Mine was dialed in beautifully.

Long term and how close it gets to a Core PRS

After five months including two rehearsals and a humidity cycle, the guitar shows no body or neck movement, no fret wear beyond normal, and no finish issues. The maple top with flame veneer looks identical to day one. For a guitar at this price that gets played hard and hauled to rehearsals, that stability is reassuring and speaks to the build.

People always ask how close this gets to a Core PRS, and the honest answer is roughly 70 percent of the experience. The Core has more neck options, US made pickups, more refined fit, and that unmistakable Core resonance. The SE captures the basic feel and sound at a fraction of the price, which is exactly why working players who own a Core often grab an SE Custom 24 as a travel backup. It is not the Core, but it gets you a long way there.

Who should buy the PRS SE Custom 24?

Buy it if you want one electric guitar that covers many styles, if you play live and need tuning stability through tremolo use, and if you appreciate refined hardware and looks at a mid range price. Buy it if you prefer the 25 inch scale as a middle ground between Fender and Gibson.

Skip it if you specifically want classic vintage Strat or LP tone, where a dedicated guitar is more idiomatic and the right buy. Skip it if you hate the bird inlays, because the SE Custom line does not offer a dot inlay option. And skip it if you are a true beginner, because this is more guitar than a starter player needs to begin on.

The verdict

After five months of practice, rehearsals, and a studio session, the PRS SE Custom 24 is the most versatile electric I would recommend at any price. The coil split humbuckers cover real Strat and Les Paul territory from one instrument, the neck and trem punch well above the price, and the build stayed rock solid through hard use and a humidity swing. It is heavy on a strap and the birds will not be for everyone, and a dedicated Strat or LP is still more idiomatic for those specific tones. But for one guitar to cover the most ground, this is the answer, and it is the one I keep reaching for.