PRS Custom 24 article
Prs Custom 24 for Beginners: A Complete Guide
A tremolo bar, 24 frets and more switches than your last guitar had strings — here's the friendly way into your first PRS Custom 24.
Right, so this is your first proper electric and it happens to have a tremolo bar, 24 frets and more switches than your last guitar had strings. Deep breath. None of it is as complicated as it looks, and honestly, this is one of the friendlier "serious" guitars you could have picked to learn the ropes on.
Why the PRS Custom 24 Is a Genuinely Good First "Real" Guitar
The 25-inch scale sits comfortably between a Gibson-style and Fender-style feel, which means it won't feel unusually stretched or unusually tight compared to whatever you've played before. The extra two frets over a traditional 22-fret design just give you more room to grow into as your playing develops — you won't outgrow the neck any time soon.
Getting to Know Your PRS Custom 24's Controls
- The three-way selector — switches between the neck pickup, both pickups together, and the bridge pickup. Start here before touching anything else.
- The volume knob — does what it says. Simple.
- The tone control — also works as a push-pull switch on most versions, splitting the humbuckers into a thinner, brighter sound. Fun to experiment with once you're comfortable with the basics.
- The tremolo bar — adds pitch-bending vibrato when you push or pull it. Treat it gently at first; it's built for expression, not aggressive dive-bombs.
Your First Few Weeks With a PRS Custom 24
Spend your early sessions just getting used to where your hand naturally falls with 24 frets available instead of 22 — it changes where certain notes and positions sit slightly compared to guitars you might have tried before. Get comfortable with basic chords and simple lead lines before you start exploring the tremolo or the coil-split tone properly. There's no rush; the guitar isn't going anywhere.
Common Beginner Worries, Sorted
| What you're noticing | What's actually going on |
|---|---|
| Tuning drifts after using the tremolo bar | Normal for a new setup — new strings need stretching in, and the bridge may need balancing by a tech |
| The split tone sounds thin and quiet | Completely normal — coil-splitting reduces output, so a small volume boost is expected, not a fault |
| Some frets feel harder to reach than others | You're adjusting to the extended upper-fret access — this settles with regular playing |
| The neck feels different to a guitar you've tried before | Neck profiles vary genuinely between tiers, so this is expected, not a defect |
Looking After It
Keep an eye on neck relief if you change string gauges, and get the tremolo professionally balanced if tuning stability ever feels genuinely off rather than just "new guitar" quirks. A good tech visit early on will save you a lot of head-scratching later, and it's not a sign you've done anything wrong — even experienced players get their guitars set up.
Once you're settled in, our full features guide goes deeper into the construction and pickup details, and our buyer's guide is worth a read if you're thinking about your next PRS down the line.
The Bottom Line
With a PRS Custom 24, you don't need to master every switch and control in week one. Learn the three-way selector, get comfortable with the extra frets, and treat the tremolo gently until you trust it. Everything else builds naturally from there.
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