Watch It First
PRS’s SE line has spent the better part of a decade proving budget doesn’t mean boring. The Custom 24-08 is the latest example, and it’s got a genuinely clever trick up its sleeve.
That „-08” isn’t a random suffix. It stands for eight distinct pickup combinations, way more than the usual three or five you get on a double-cut.
I dug into the quilted maple Lake Blue version currently on Thomann. Here’s what stood out – and what didn’t.
What Makes the „-08” Different?
Most PRS Custom 24s give you a 3-way blade switch and maybe one push-pull for coil splitting. That’s fine, but it caps your tonal options.
The Custom 24-08 ditches the single push-pull in favor of two separate mini-toggle switches, one per humbucker. Each one independently splits its pickup to single-coil mode.
Combine that with the 3-way blade and you get eight usable tones instead of the usual handful. Humbucker/humbucker, single/single, humbucker/single, and everything between.
It’s a genuinely useful feature, not just a spec-sheet flex. If you gig covers and need Strat-ish quack alongside PAF-style crunch, this solves it without a pedalboard full of EQ tricks.
Build Quality and Specs
Under the fancy quilt veneer sits a mahogany body – the same tonal backbone PRS has used on Custom 24s forever.
The top is genuine quilted maple, not a printed skin, and it’s bookmatched enough to look properly premium for an SE-tier guitar. The headstock even gets a matching quilt veneer.
Neck is maple, glued in (not bolt-on), topped with an ebony fretboard and PRS’s signature bird inlays.
Neck Feel
PRS calls the profile „Wide Thin” – 21mm at the first fret, 23mm by the twelfth. Slim enough for fast lead work but with enough shoulder that it doesn’t feel flimsy.
Scale length is the classic PRS 25″, fretboard radius 254mm (10″), and the nut sits at 42.9mm. A comfortable middle ground between a Gibson and a Fender.
Binding wraps the body, neck, and headstock – a detail you don’t always get at this price point, IMO.
Playability and Tone
Plugged in, the two TCI „S” humbuckers are voiced closer to vintage PAF territory than modern high-output metal pickups. Don’t expect Iron Maiden buzz-saw – expect warm, articulate rock and blues tones.
Split down to single-coil mode, they thin out nicely without going harsh or icepick-y, which is where a lot of coil-splits fall apart.
The PRS-designed tremolo stays impressively in tune through bends, and multiple owners report the factory setup needed basically zero adjustment out of the box.
One recurring note: the ebony board can arrive a touch dry and benefits from a light oiling before your first proper session. Minor, but worth knowing.
Who’s This Guitar For?
Honestly, this isn’t a first-guitar purchase. It’s for players who already know what they want out of an instrument and have a decent idea what „coil split” even means.
- Gigging players who want genuine tonal range from one instrument, without hauling two guitars to a show
- Anyone who likes the PRS double-cut shape but finds a full-price USA Custom 24 out of reach
- Players who actually use coil-splitting – if you never touch those switches, you’re paying for a feature you won’t use
It’s also a solid pick for home recording folks who want one guitar that covers rhythm chug, clean jangle, and lead tones without swapping instruments between takes.
Honest Niggles
The two mini-toggles are small and sit close together. Precise footwork mid-song is tricky – this is more of a „set it before the song starts” feature than a live-tweak one.
It’s still a trem-equipped guitar, so if you’re not into occasional re-tuning after aggressive dive bombs, keep that in mind.
No hard case included, just a gigbag. Fine for most, but factor in a case if you’re flying with it.
How It Compares
Against the standard PRS SE Custom 24, you’re trading a simpler switching scheme for more tonal flexibility – worth it if you actually use single-coil tones.
Compared to something like the Yamaha Pacifica Standard Plus, the PRS leans more vintage-voiced and less aggressively modern.
Want a double-cut alternative with a totally different vibe? The Epiphone SG Modern is worth a look, though it doesn’t offer anywhere near this switching flexibility.
Players chasing a set-neck humbucker machine with a totally different construction should also check out the ESP LTD M-1000HT – different genre focus, similar build quality tier.
For tremolo fans specifically, the Gretsch G5230T Electromatic Jet is a fun (and very different-sounding) alternative bridge system.
And if you’re building a pedalboard to pair with this thing, an EHX Freeze is a fun way to stretch those coil-split tones even further live.
Specs at a Glance
- Body: Mahogany
- Top: Quilted maple veneer
- Neck: Maple, set neck construction
- Fretboard: Ebony, bird inlays
- Neck profile: Wide Thin (21mm / 23mm)
- Scale length: 635mm (25″)
- Fretboard radius: 254mm (10″)
- Nut width: 42.9mm (1.69″)
- Frets: 24
- Pickups: 2x TCI „S” Humbucker
- Switching: 3-way blade + 2 coil-split mini-toggles (8 combinations)
- Bridge: PRS tremolo
- Hardware: Nickel
- Includes: Gigbag
Setup quality out of the box also deserves a mention. PRS’s SE line has had a reputation over the years for needing a proper setup on arrival, but recent batches (this one included, per owner feedback) seem to ship much closer to gig-ready than SE models did five or six years ago.
Final Verdict
The PRS SE Custom 24-08 takes a genuinely great platform and adds a feature that’s actually useful, not just a marketing bullet point.
It sits toward the premium end of the SE range, but it still undercuts anything wearing a USA PRS badge by a wide margin, and the build quality holds up its end of the deal.
If tonal flexibility matters to you and you like the PRS double-cut shape, this is one of the more interesting SE releases in a while. Recommended.
Just don’t buy it expecting to gig-flip those mini-toggles mid-song – dial in your combo before you plug in, and let the rest of the guitar do the talking.
