PRS S2 vs Core (Including Custom 24 and McCarty 594 Guitars)

PRS have 4 different “lines”, SE, CE, S2 and Core. The “Core” line consists of all the flagship, no expenses spared guitars, whereas the “S2” line offers cheaper alternatives, but which are still made in the USA.

In this article I’ll be directly comparing S2 and Core series guitar so you can see the differences and decide if the Core versions are worth the extra money.

Here’s the quick answer…

PRS Core	PRS S2
Pickups are made in the USA	Pickups are made overseas
One-piece neck and headstock construction	Scarfed neck and headstock joint
Violin carve tops with higher grade maple	Asymmetric bevel carve tops
Hard shell case included	Soft gig bag included
Average price $3900-$6000	Average price $1500-$2400

Pickups and Tone

One of the main differences between the PRS Core and S2 guitars is that they use different pickups. The PRS S2 guitars use “S” versions of the pickups which are made overseas and sound almost, but not quite as good as the Core pickups which are made in the USA.

Do they sound $2000 better? Not in my opinion at least. Especially considering you can buy a set of used Core pickups for less than $500.

To my ears, the Core pickups have more mid-range and top-end sparkle whereas the S2 pickups sound more open, and slightly warmer. However, when using driven tones I personally find it very difficult to tell the pickups apart.

Here is a video comparing the tone of a Core and S2 McCarty 594.

Neck Construction

Another big difference between the S2 and Core guitars is the way the headstock is fixed to the neck of the guitar.

S2 guitars have a scarfed neck construction
Core guitars use a single piece of wood so there is no need to join the pieces together

The scarfed neck joint on the S2 models is actually stronger than the one-piece construction on the Core models. Some people prefer the look of a one-piece construction, however as the joint is painted on both models you can’t tell the difference visually.

Maple Top

Guitars in both lines have maple tops, however they have different carves.

PRS S2 guitars have an “asymmetric bevel” carve
PRS Core guitars have a “violin” carve.

The carve on the Core versions looks more dramatic and is a lot more labour intensive to construct. The violin carve typically takes PRS 20 hours to make, whereas the asymmetric bevel takes around half that time. This has a huge impact on the cost of the guitars.

Whilst you can get stunning flame maple tops on the S2 guitars, the tops on the Core models are another level. You can also splash out for a “10 top” version on the Core guitars if you want the most visually striking finish.

Case/ Gig Bag

A less important difference, but one still worth mentioning between S2 and Core guitars is the case that comes included:

PRS Core guitars come with a hard shell case
PRS S2 guitars come with a gig bag

If you purchase the hard shell case separately, it’ll set you back around $500, whereas the soft gig bag that comes with the S2 models only costs around $100.

Hardware and Controls

The hardware and controls on the PRS S2 and Core Custom 24 are different, however on the McCarty 594 models they are the same.

On the Core Custom 24 model you get an upgraded tremolo system, however the S2 models bridge is also excellent and hard to fault. They also have different tuning machines (despite both having locking tuners), and again the difference between them is minimal in my opinion.

With regards to the controls on the S2 Custom 24 you get a 3-way pickup selector, one volume control and a push/ pull tone control for coil splitting the humbuckers. You also get coil split humbuckers on the Core Custom 24 but instead they are operated using the 5-way pickup selector so the tone control isn’t a “push/ pull”.

Similarities

PRS Core and S2 guitars are all made in the USA Maryland factory.
The neck profile and fingerboard radius is the same on Core and S2 versions of the same model e.g. Custom 24
All guitars in these series have a set-neck construction

Models Available

Before we jump into the direct comparisons between different models, here is a list of all the different models available in the Core and S2 lines.

Solid Body

Model	PRS Core Version	PRS S2 Version
Custom 24	Yes	Yes
Custom 24-08	Yes	Yes
McCarty 594	Yes	Yes
McCarty 594 Singlecut	Yes	Yes
Custom 24 Piezo	Yes	No
Custom 24 Floyd	Yes	No
McCarty	Yes	No
Studio	Yes	No
Modern Eagle V	Yes	No
509	Yes	No
Paul’s Guitar	Yes	No
DGT	Yes	No
Mark Tremonti	Yes	No
Santana Retro	Yes	No
Standard 22	No	Yes
Standard 24	No	Yes
Vela	No	Yes

Semi-Hollow/ Hollow Body

Model	PRS Core Version	PRS S2 Version
McCarty 594 Hollowbody II	Yes	No
Hollowbody II Piezo	Yes	No
Special Semi-Hollow	Yes	No
McCarty 594 Thinline	No	Yes
Vela Semi-Hollow	No	Yes

Don’t forget to check out these comparisons too:

PRS Core vs S2 Custom 24

The PRS Core and S2 versions of the Custom 24 have a different top carve, neck construction, bridge, tuning machines, pickups and control layout. The PRS Custom 24 costs $2000 more than the S2 version on average.

Here is a table highlighting all the differences between these two guitars.

Feature	PRS Core Custom 24	PRS S2 Custom 24
Top Carve	Violin	Asymmetric Bevel
Body Binding	Yes	No
Neck Construction	One-Piece	Scarfed
Headstock Logo	Inlaid Signature	Decal Signature
Bridge	PRS Patented Tremolo (Gen III)	Molded PRS Patented Tremolo
Tuning Machines	PRS Phase III Locking	PRS Low Mass Locking
Pickups	85/15	85/15 “S”
Controls	Vol Tone 5-Way Selector with Coil Split	Vol Push/ Pull Tone (Coil Split) 3-Way Selector
Case	Hardshell	Gig Bag
Average Price	$3900	$1900

PRS Custom 24 vs PRS S2 Custom 24

Similarities:

25″ scale
24 frets
Maple top and mahogany body
Mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard
PRS Double Acting truss rod
Pattern Thin neck profile
10″ fingerboard radius
Bird inlays
No neck binding
Set neck construction
Nickel hardware
PRS nut material
“Custom” truss rod cover
10-46 gauge strings
Made in the USA

PRS Core vs S2 McCarty 594

PRS Core and S2 McCarty 594 guitars have a different top carve, neck construction and pickups. However, they have the same hardware, neck profile and controls. The Core McCarty 594 costs roughly $2000 more than the S2 version.