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The S2 Starla offers serious style and retro personality in a reliable package that make this guitar instantly playable and sure to turn heads. At first glance, the all-mahogany singlecut body equipped with a Tune-o-matic bridge and a Bigsby B50 tailpiece tells you this is going to be one awesome guitar. Once in your hands, it is balanced and as comfortable as a guitar you've been playing for years.
The S2 Story
The PRS S2 Series offers the fit, finish, feel, and attention to detail of PRS craftsmanship in a straightforward design. Standing for "Stevensville 2," S2 Series instruments are made at the Maryland shop blending new design elements and manufacturing techniques with practiced quality control and workmanship to create reimagined, fresh guitars that reach a more affordable price for players.
The S2 Series is comprised of three models: the S2 Mira, S2 Starla, and S2 Custom 24. These models share several key features, including PRS S2 locking tuners, custom-wound pickups, PRS neck shapes, PRS S2 bridges as well as PRS fretwire, nuts, and double-action truss rods. The new asymmetrical, beveled body shape offers a vintage vibe, and the flatness of the top gives these guitars a big, resonant voice.
Whether the S2 Series means your first PRS or an addition to your arsenal, one thing is certain: each model in the PRS S2 Series is a solid American-made guitar that makes no sacrifice in playability or tone.
Features
The Woods
Wood is the foundation of a guitar's tone. If you sacrifice the foundation, there is little hope of achieving an exceptional instrument. Believing this, PRS have chosen the same traditional tonewoods that are used on PRS Core guitars, such as maple tops, mahogany backs and bodies, mahogany necks, and rosewood fretboards. While some of the design and construction methods used in the S2 Series (the neck blank's starting dimension across the Series and the S2 Custom's wood grade, for example) allowed PRS to use less expensive and more readily available woods, no compromise has been made to the tone or integrity of S2 instruments.
Necks
A guitar should be comfortable and feel familiar from the moment you pick it up, and the neck is paramount to that connection. PRS S2 instruments feature a 25" neck with scarf-joint construction and the Pattern Regular neck shape, which stems back to the PRS "Regular" neck shape found on guitars made in the late 1980s in the Virginia Avenue Annapolis shop.
On the PRS S2 series, the neck begins with a quartersawn mahogany neck blank. That blank is cut, the headstock is scarfed, and the heel is built up using a plain splice. (A scarf joint is made up of two pieces of wood that are cut at complementary angles and glued together. A plain splice is a joining of two pieces of wood in the same line). These construction methods allow us to start with a smaller amount of raw materials, and the increased glue surface area results in a very strong joint. This technique combined with a pre-radiused, pre-fretted fretboard result in a very efficient, cohesive manufacturing process that creates a durable, comfortable, playable neck.
Width of the fretboard at the nut: 1 21/32"
Width at the body: 2 1/4"
Neck depth at the nut: 27/32"
Finish
Finish should do three things: most importantly, it should enhance the tone of a guitar. It should also feel good to the player's touch, and it should look good. The finish used on the PRS S2 Series accomplishes these goals by featuring a polyester basecoat and an acrylic topcoat (reminiscent of the finish system used on PRS Core guitars for twenty years (before the introduction of V12)). PRS have updated the process of this finish system to allow S2 guitars to move through the finish hall smoothly and quickly while also requiring a thinner topcoat for optimal tone. This old-but-new finish maintains a hi-gloss, attractive aesthetic, and the translucent and opaque color options offer vintage and modern flavors that allow players to choose the look that fits them best.
Pickups & Electronics
PRS S2 Series proprietary pickups are built to exact specifications, including wire and coating materials, winds, and resistance. Whether harkening back to the original HFS and Vintage Bass pickups or designed to work with the unique tones of a Bigsby tailpiece, S2 pickups were designed to capture the distinct tonal character intended for each instrument in the series.
All of the models in the S2 Series feature a 3-way blade pickup switch with a master volume and a push/pull tone control. Coil-tap functionality adds versatility by allowing players to split the humbucking pickups into singlecoils, providing a vast array of tones. The jack assembly used on the S2 Series is the same jack as the Core line, providing a clean connection point to amplify your sound.
Tuners, Nuts & Bridges
The tone of a guitar is influenced by several factors: wood choice, body style, pickups, scale length, metals and other materials used, etc. Some of the most impactful components are those that directly affect the vibration of the strings: the tuners, the nut, and the bridge. This is because it is the strings' vibration that the pickups sense and that creates the sound wave the ear will ultimately hear.
The bridge is the anchor of the guitar. It is here that the vibration of the string is transferred into the body of the guitar, bringing out the inherent tone of the woods chosen. Each S2 instrument features a different bridge style. The S2 Mira features the same stoptail that is used on Core PRS instruments. PRS use an unplated bridge with brass studs. The S2 Starla features a time-tested Tune-o-matic bridge with a Bigsby B50 tailpiece. The S2 Custom features a PRS tremolo (the same bridge found on the SE line of guitars).
The nut also plays a critical part in the transfer of tone. The nut on S2 instruments is the same nut PRS use on the Core guitars. The nut is strong and long-lasting without "grabbing" the strings, and it is imbued with brass, a highly musical metal.
PRS S2 locking tuners are used across the S2 Series. These proprietary tuners are reminiscent of the "Phase II" tuners and follow many of Paul Smith's "tweaks," including a brass shaft and specially-configured internal construction. The locking mechanism itself is identical to the one used on the Core guitars, which helps the guitar stay in tune.
Whether using parts shared by the Core manufacturing line or newly-sourced proprietary parts, PRS always chose to use musical materials (such as brass) and avoid materials that deaden tone (like nylon washers), maximizing the guitars' overall resonance, musicality, and tone.
Other Appointments
The nut, jack assembly, fret wire, electronics knobs, and strings are all shared between Core and S2 instruments. It is long-lasting and is comfortable to play. The electronics' knobs are made in PRS' own proprietary mold, which results in a handsome and ergonomic design. As with all of solidbody guitars, PRS use 10-46 strings. S2 Series guitars come in a nylon gig bag to make heading out for your next show that much easier.
Get American-made PRS quality at an affordable price. Order today.
Custom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
Gold Coverage Includes:
Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks Normal wear and tear Power surges Dust, internal heat and humidityOther plan features include:
For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks) For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax. Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold Plans are renewable on new gear*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.
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I got a Starla used 2nd condition so it wasn't setup at all but that's no fault of anyone and is to be expected coming used I guess. I think it should have been a level 3 though perhaps because the 3 way pickup selector is broken I haven't fixed it yet but I will. After setting the string height and intonation it's a great player and feels really good. The body has no dings though so that's good. I can tell it's gonna get played a ton. I really like it. Tuning stability is pretty good and I use the bigsby a lot. The pickups in the s2 sound a lot more gibson than gretsch. The original Starla had more of a gretsch type pickup. I got this for rockabilly sets so I'll be putting in some filtertrons. But, the stock pickups sound really good. Like I said though the stock pickups are more gibson sounding. Great guitar! The end.(2 of 2
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I really like this guitar. Just put in some filtertron Brian Setzer signature pickups and I love it even more. Understand there was nothing wrong with the stock pickups it's just that I specifically wanted to try the Setzer pickups. This guitar sounds and plays so well that I wish I didn't have to go to work and could just play my guitar all day.Was this review helpful? Yes / No
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Workmanship and finish is excellent on my Seafoam Green S2 Starla w/Bigsby. Gigbag okay but I am getting a better case for gigging with. Frets are dressed well and do not have the sharp edges like a lot of manufactured guitars have. The tone and playability is exceptional and the intonation was almost dead on. With some real minor tweeks and adjustments to my liking this guitar is rock solid. The pricing is well worth it for an American made guitar with such attention to details and quality. OBTW...mine came with bird inlays on the neck.Martin Short Scale Acoustic Guitars: A Perfect Fit for Small-Handed Players
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