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Recently purchased a used 2001 PRS Cu24. The owner told me he cherry picked it at Wildwood years ago out of several guitars. Here's my comparison of it versus my 'hand made' 91. All of this is my OPINION only, and another person could have a radically different perception of the two guitars or even hate em both.
First impressions:
Cosmetics - The bird inlays on the '01 are much more colorful than on the '91. I can't tell any difference on how the top was carved on either - they look identical. One thing I don't like about the '01 is how the back is opaque black - the '91 has a nice dark red stain that I can see the grain through. The '91 has a nicer top, but part of that is the color - black trans finishes just don't have the same punch that a lighter color does. We'll see how the black trans finish looks under stage lights this weekend.
Neck - the '01 has a standard, I actually prefer it over the wide/thin on the '91. Guitar seemed to have a beefier tone acoustically than the '91. I really think thicker necks make a difference. Also, the '01 has the 'heel from hell' - on the Cu24, I had no problems, but the 22 fretters have a bigger heel. I could tell no difference on either 24 when playing. Fretwork on both guitars was fine, each have a nice low setup with little to no buzz depending on how hard I play.
Tuners/hardware - I prefer the '01's tuners. Smoother. Love the way both lock though, very cool and I like how they look. Trem on the '91 is the coveted 'mil-spec' but I couldn't really tell a functional difference between the two. Both stayed in tune if I just lightly accented chords or notes, if I tried to really Van Halen it then they both went out a little.
Electronics - The '91 has swapped out pickups. The HFS it came with stock was harsh though - had a very grating upper mids/highs that I did not like. Replaced it with a Duncan JB and it's better but still a little harsh. Probably will try something darker soon. Neck pickup in the '91 is a Van Zandt custom, and it is awesome. Stock pickups in the '01 - can't remember the name of the neck, but the bridge is a HFS. It is a little trebly but not as harsh as the '91. Sounds good. The 01 was converted to a 3way, so it lacks the push/pull coil split the '01 has. The '01 had a factory 3 way switch, which includes a push/pull tone that splits both coils. I really like the coil split on the '01, you can get some nice stratish tones. No, you won't get 100% ones, but close enough for live work and to add versatility to the guitar.
Overall - I'm going to have to gig with each, but the '01 is a great guitar in it's own right and is very comparable to the '91 I have. I'm actually leaning towards the '01, but either guitar is really good.
I did play some newer Cu24s and Ce24s at the local Guitar Denter, and I really didn't like most of them. I don't know if there is a difference between 2001 and 2006, and it could have been the setups too.
Pete
First impressions:
Cosmetics - The bird inlays on the '01 are much more colorful than on the '91. I can't tell any difference on how the top was carved on either - they look identical. One thing I don't like about the '01 is how the back is opaque black - the '91 has a nice dark red stain that I can see the grain through. The '91 has a nicer top, but part of that is the color - black trans finishes just don't have the same punch that a lighter color does. We'll see how the black trans finish looks under stage lights this weekend.
Neck - the '01 has a standard, I actually prefer it over the wide/thin on the '91. Guitar seemed to have a beefier tone acoustically than the '91. I really think thicker necks make a difference. Also, the '01 has the 'heel from hell' - on the Cu24, I had no problems, but the 22 fretters have a bigger heel. I could tell no difference on either 24 when playing. Fretwork on both guitars was fine, each have a nice low setup with little to no buzz depending on how hard I play.
Tuners/hardware - I prefer the '01's tuners. Smoother. Love the way both lock though, very cool and I like how they look. Trem on the '91 is the coveted 'mil-spec' but I couldn't really tell a functional difference between the two. Both stayed in tune if I just lightly accented chords or notes, if I tried to really Van Halen it then they both went out a little.
Electronics - The '91 has swapped out pickups. The HFS it came with stock was harsh though - had a very grating upper mids/highs that I did not like. Replaced it with a Duncan JB and it's better but still a little harsh. Probably will try something darker soon. Neck pickup in the '91 is a Van Zandt custom, and it is awesome. Stock pickups in the '01 - can't remember the name of the neck, but the bridge is a HFS. It is a little trebly but not as harsh as the '91. Sounds good. The 01 was converted to a 3way, so it lacks the push/pull coil split the '01 has. The '01 had a factory 3 way switch, which includes a push/pull tone that splits both coils. I really like the coil split on the '01, you can get some nice stratish tones. No, you won't get 100% ones, but close enough for live work and to add versatility to the guitar.
Overall - I'm going to have to gig with each, but the '01 is a great guitar in it's own right and is very comparable to the '91 I have. I'm actually leaning towards the '01, but either guitar is really good.
I did play some newer Cu24s and Ce24s at the local Guitar Denter, and I really didn't like most of them. I don't know if there is a difference between 2001 and 2006, and it could have been the setups too.
Pete
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