Don't Buy the New PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo Guitar.

The PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo is the latest in PRS' offerings to wrangle the acoustic and electric player in what seems to be a convenient package. But you should you buy one? Here are some reasons why I think it's not worth the money.

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[IkeGuitar]

Hey PRS simp boys, you guys wanna see the response to this video three years later? 

Hint: (I bought one)

[darielmuzik]

I couldn't even finish this video with such empty comparisons!

[markmcgibbon]

Sorry buddy you’ve dropped no knowledge here on this occasion. The acoustisonics from fender and and piezo equipped PRS are quite different animals meant for quite different players.

[mellowmonsoon]

This guy has convinced more people to buy PRS than anyone else.

[kenmenees]

I bought this Guitar, And I Love it ! Best sounding Guitar I have ever played ! Plays and sounds better than My Gibson Les Paul Supreme that cost twice as much Opinions are like a, ah, you know how that goes, at least I played it before giving an

[kurtnolen]

The HB II isn’t an “acoustic-electric.” It’s a fully hollow electric instrument and sounds very much unlike anything else in the PRS line. I have a Maryland built 10 top version and it’s hands down my favorite guitar I’ve ever played, and in the 30+ years I’ve been playing - professionally for 15, then as a hobby after I changed careers - if you had told me 20 years ago that one day I’d swear by a hollow electric, I never would have believed you. I have the piezo version, nope. Doesn’t sound like an acoustic at all, but it does sound like every other piezo pickup out there, and a good translation of the piezo sound IMHO. I’m not going to start butchering peoples last names but the cat who plays for Phish has been touring with a hollow bodied electric for Christ knows how long, the guitar player from Incubus was touring with the PRS HBII in the late 90’s when I saw them live... there’s people who use them for sure. It’s a particular sound and not for everyone, but if it’s your thing, honest to god, I’ve never found a better example of this kind of instrument from PRS’s offering. I’d buy the SE version of my core HBII Piezo in a second if I had the expendable dough. Truthfully. I’ve played them, I dig them - are they the same as my Maryland version, no, but despite being made by Cort in China - yep - it’s as close to my personal favorite guitar as I’m ever going to find, and at a price point that I don’t mind at all throwing in the back of a camera truck in a fight case for a location shoot I’m going to be on for a month or more. Someone steals it? That sucks. I’ve lost a great Chinese copy of my favorite guitar, but I didn’t lose a $6k+ instrument so worse things could happen. I honestly don’t think you understand the nature of what PRS is trying to offer the cork sniffing, well heeled, middle aged guitar nerds they’re targeting with the core model of the guitar, and that they’re offering a very passable, and honestly good, version of it to a wider audience at a decent price point, is a good thing.

[keithtq]

It took 10 minutes of playing this guitar in a GC this past weekend to decide to take it home. Within 5 min I had the Piezo dialed in and blended into the clean sound and it was amazing. Totally easy to play, and sounds remarkable. The last guitar I bought was 10yrs ago and it was the Alex Lifeson signature LP w/ piezos, it too sounds amazing, and I'm so glad they didn't try to put a microphone in that one! I'm over 50, so I'm sure I don't "get it, " but wth? The PRS SE is worth every penny!

[jabespagan]

I play mostly rhythm, acoustic and electric. For me, this is perfect. I have the option of using only one guitar for the entire gig. I dig it. Yes, it is a bit expensive, but, I think is kind of expected.

[greggesaman]

I respectfully and completely disagree. I'm fortunate enough to have a collection of about a dozen quality electric and acoustic guitars I've built up over the years. I've wanted a true do it all guitar forever. I owned a Taylor T5. It was a beautiful guitar but both the electric and acoustic sounds were lacking. I owned a really nice Variax. It's a great parlor trick and in a way, no compromise, but the sounds were close, but not quite right (to me) and I don't want the complexity of a computer in my guitar. I tried a Godin combo - the acoustic was pretty good, but the elect aspect was very lacking, etc...
This thing is the real deal. It's quality built and beautiful. It's a truly great sounding and playing electric that can stand on it's own with any of my Gibsons or Fenders. The acoustic piezo sounds are beautiful. There's a blind test on YouTube everyone should check out. It is so close to sounding like a quality Taylor, you have to strain to tell the difference. To top it off, you can blend the two and get amazing tones that are unique and unlike any other guitar on my wall. It's an absolutely amazing and quality guitar. My snob knob doesn't like that it's made in China, but that doesn't take away the quality of the build, beauty, playability, and sounds that come from this wonderful and unique guitar. You could also definitely play a gig with this as your only guitar and it could do it with no compromises - in any way. Nothing but this and the CORE model can say that. Nothing. I've owned and tried the rest. You are not getting how special this guitar is - I suggest you try one before you make such a statement and think about what I am saying. Thank you.

[berndkiltz]

Making a review without having the guitar? Please just stop it!

[kckelleymusic]

So I totally tried this guitar specifically because this video. After playing it for 30 mins I bought it. Good price and I love the hollow 2 now I don’t have to spend 4000 plus on one and piezo pickups can give some killer tone if you know how to dial in your sound. Nice rant you should play this thing through a helix it absolutely sings

[bassmandudge]

I fell for the crap click bait but while i'm here..I think you've missed the point by an absolute mile.... there's tonal flexibilty and value for money here especially if you split the pick ups to different amps...or even better to an amp and PA so you get full range on the piezo. Its not meant to be an acoustasonic so thats just a daft comparison. In fact the sound samples on youtube of the piezo blew me away with how close it got to an acoustic..I wasnt expecting that. So this is basically a $6k instrument for $1500...and you think thats a bad thing?? Good grief. So it differs from the core guitar... it has a laminated top construction (oh hang on just like a $3.5k ES335) and also comes with double bound body, neck, headstock and f holes in flame curly maple. Set neck (unlike the CE which is bolt on and maple which some love but doesnt have a piezo so why the comparison?) This is the first SE to come with a proper hardcase... maybe you have never made a guitar and so dont know the ins and outs but I do, having made more than a few in my time....the process of adding that binding alone and the finishing involved is time consuming. This also comes with real abalone inserts ...and they are fitted really well...see the close ups on DBG channel...and of course your not going to get nitro at this price point .... it takes ages for nitro to cure compared to poly and adds huge ammounts to the cost ..I can pretty much spray ..flat and polish a poly guitar in a day... nitro takes a week. How many fenders or gibsons can you buy new with nitro finish for under $2k? Stainless frets also divide opinion..and also sound completely different to nickel...which is probably more of a consideration than the cost..your not being done out of quality because they are not stainless. When you actually break down what your getting here, what it shows is simply how ridiculously expensive is it to manufacture stuff in the US compared to China... (which I believe is where these are being made ) and the quality is nearly comparable. I reckon if this was made in the US it would have had an RRP north of 3-3.5k. I am not a PRS fan (the man not the brand) but I take my hat off to him...this is a bold move and has me way more interested in buying an SE than ever before. Like others have said ..you really should have titled this "why I am not going to buy this guitar" I cant see a valid arguement in your video why anyone else shouldn't buy one.

[jazzbox]

I respect everyone is entitled to their opinion. I have a this SE Hollowbody II Piezo, for about a year now. I Love it ! I play a variety of music live, from Blues, Rock and Jazz Standards. I use this guitar for all. It have a convincing Jazz tone when I blend the Piezo ever so slightly with the Neck pickup. Love the tones I get with this guitar. The light weight and Neck feel are just additional reason to love this guitar

[tommygrant]

This is nothing like the acustasonic. You have missed the point of this guitar (and every piezo equipped electric for that matter) completely.

[ralphmuller]

The conclusions in this review are WAY off.
I own four PRS 'core' models AND a newly acquired SE Hollowbody and frankly I'm amazed at how good this guitar is.
As for "Who would want this guitar?" - speaking as a touring professional I can say that it's built for somebody who just needs decent acoustic tones in a few songs but doesn't want to ship an acoustic guitar all over the country just for three songs in the repertoire. I use it direct into an IR loader and it sounds fantastic.
Note: maybe I just got suckered into posting by the author so he could get more comments and help the algorithm.

[shaneb]

First off, did you notice the “Charcoal”, isn’t a “Piezo”? That’s why it’s 300$ less. Second, the “Piezo”, is great if you want that acoustic sound for say, an intro, or inside a song live, without having an actual acoustic. And they sound great! Also, you can only get the “SE” version in 2 colors. Blue& Black/Gold. They’re actually great instruments at the 1600$ price point! Try playing one

[robertsmith]

I'm a rythm player in a couple bands. While on stage in need to he able to go from electric to acoustic very quickly to keep the set going. This guitar allows me to do that.

[paulcrumley]

Have you played the guitar? How can you give this kind of opinion without having played it?

[Hooptie_moto]

Assails a guitar he’s never even played. Sounds legit.

[kend]

Well, I got this guitar in the mail a few days ago. I have to say that while I own some ES 335 style guitars, a full archtop, along with a Taylor Tz5 classic hybrid and an acoustic 514ce, I really love the feel, sound, and appearance of this guitar. The ergonomics of this guitar are outstanding (6.2 lbs) in that it is more comfortable to play and lighter than my semi-hollows, and much thinner than my archtop. The piezo pickup gives it a unique tone that I just love that comes out well in my Blues Cube Artist and my Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue. I would not call it a "hybrid", the Tz5 is much more hybrid-like unplugged as well as plugged in. This is its own thing in that it isn't going to replace your ES335 or your archtop, but you wouldn't compare a Strat to those either.