Stevensville, MD (January 17, 2018) -- PRS Guitars has announced two exciting and versatile new limited edition models in advance of the 2018 NAMM show: the DW CE 24 “Floyd” and S2 Studio. The DW CE 24 “Floyd” is a new signature model with Between the Buried and Me guitarist Dustie Waring, and the S2 Studio brings the versatility of a single/single/hum platform to PRS’s S2 Series.
The progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me has a sound that is both heavy and melodic, lush and menacing. It is this demand for versatility without sacrifice that led to the development of guitarist Dustie Waring’s latest PRS signature model: the DW CE 24 “Floyd.” This model starts with the PRS CE bolt-on platform and includes a satin-finished maple neck, maple fretboard, a slightly modified Pattern Thin neck carve (Waring’s carve is slightly thinner front to back), and Floyd Rose tremolo system. The DW CE 24 “Floyd” comes with satin black hardware and is available in either Gray Black or Waring Burst.
The pickups and electronics are also unique to Waring’s signature axe. The pickups are Waring’s signature Mojotone “DW Tomahawk” pickups. Made with a blend of Ceramic and Alnico magnets and a special winding technique, DW Tomahawks have plenty of output and big bottom end while remaining articulate and clear - a unique quality for high gain pickups. Paired with a volume and tone control and 5-way blade pickup selector that have been shifted slightly to allow plenty of room to work the tremolo, the DW CE 24 “Floyd” is comfortable, fun, and inspiring to play.
“I’ve always thought CE’s were really great guitars, and I couldn’t be happier with this signature model. It can get pretty much any sound you want it to, it’s super comfortable to play, and it’s just cool to see a CE with a maple board and a Floyd. I hope everyone loves it as much as I do,” said Dustie Waring, Between the Buried and Me.
The second limited edition offering, the S2 Studio, takes the Standard 22 platform into new sonic territory with a single/single/hum pickup configuration and updated switching system. This versatile setup allows for a whole new scope of sounds that are only possible with a three pickup guitar, whether you’re looking for punchy singlecoils, vintage scooped tones, or the chunky kick of a bridge humbucker (that can still be split to singlecoils via the push/pull tone knob for a three single coil set up). With seven combinations in all, the S2 Studio covers classic tones but maintains a unique voice making it a perfect “desert island” guitar.
The S2 Studio comes in five striking colors: Antique White, Black, and McCarty Tobacco with Tortoise Shell pickguards and Frost Blue and Frost Green Metallics with Mint pickguards.
There is no cap to the number of DW CE 24 “Floyd” signature or S2 Studio guitars that will be made, but the order window for these models is limited to January 16 – March 31, 2018.
Watch the company's demo:
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PRS Guitars
Gibson originally launched the EB-6 model with the intention of serving consumers looking for a “tic-tac” bass sound.
The Gibson EB-6 was announced in 1959 and came into the world in 1960, not with a dual-horn body but with that of an elegant ES-335. They looked stately, with a thin, semi-hollow body, f-holes, and a sunburst finish. Our pick for this Vintage Vault column is one such first-year model, in about as original condition as you’re able to find today. “Why?” you may be asking. Well, read on....
When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye. The real competition were the Danelectro 6-string basses that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere and were suddenly being used on lots of hit records by the likes of Elvis, Patsy Cline, and other household names. Danos like the UB-2 (introduced in ’56), the Longhorn 4623 (’58), and the Shorthorn 3612 (’58) were the earliest attempts any company made at a 6-string bass in this style: not quite a standard electric bass, not quite a guitar, nor, for that matter, quite like a baritone guitar.
The only change this vintage EB-6 features is a replacement set of Kluson tuners.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
Gibson, Fender, and others during this era would in fact call these basses “baritone guitars,” to add to our confusion today. But these vintage “baritones” were all tuned one octave below a standard guitar, with scale lengths around 30", while most modern baritones are tuned B-to-B or A-to-A and have scale lengths between 26" and 30".)
At the time, those Danelectros were instrumental to what was called the “tic-tac” bass sound of Nashville records produced by Chet Atkins, or the “click-bass” tones made out west by producer Lee Hazlewood. Gibson wanted something for this market, and the EB-6 was born.
“When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye.”
The 30.5" scale 1960 EB-6 has a single humbucking pickup, a volume knob, a tone knob, and a small, push-button “Tone Selector Switch” that engages a treble circuit for an instant tic-tac sound. (Without engaging that switch, you get a bass-heavy tone so deep that cowboy chords will sound like a muddy mess.)
The EB-6, for better or for worse, did not unseat the Danelectros, and a November 1959 price list from Gibson hints at why: The EB-6 retailed for $340, compared to Dano price tags that ranged from $85 to $150. Only a few dozen EB-6 basses were shipped in 1960, and only 67 total are known to have been built before Gibson changed the shape to the SG style in 1962.
Most players who come across an EB-6 today think it was a response to the Fender Bass VI, but the former actually beat the latter to the market by a full year.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
It’s sad that so few were built. Sure, it was a high-end model made to achieve the novelty tic-tac sound of cheaper instruments, but in its full-voiced glory, the EB-6 has a huge potential of tones. It would sound great in our contemporary guitar era where more players are exploring baritone ranges, and where so many people got back into the Bass VI after seeing the Beatles play one in the 2021 documentary, Get Back.
It’s sadder, still, how many original-era EB-6s have been parted out in the decades since. Remember earlier when I wrote that our Vintage Vaultpick was about as original as you could find? That’s because the model’s single humbucker is a PAF, its Kluson tuners are double-line, and its knobs are identical to those on Les Paul ’Bursts. So as people repaired broken ’Bursts, converted other LPs to ’Bursts, or otherwise sought to give other Gibsons a “Golden Era” sound and look ... they often stripped these forgotten EB-6 basses for parts.
This original EB-6 is up for sale now from Reverb seller Emerald City Guitars for a $16,950 asking price at the time of writing. The only thing that isn’t original about it is a replacement set of Kluson tuners, not because its originals were stolen but just to help preserve them. (They will be included in the case.)
With so few surviving 335-style EB-6 basses, Reverb doesn’t have a ton of sales data to compare prices to. Ten years ago, a lucky buyer found a nearly original 1960 EB-6 for about $7,000. But Emerald City’s $16,950 asking price is closer to more recent examples and asking prices.
Sources: Prices on Gibson Instruments, November 1, 1959, Tony Bacon’s “Danelectro’s UB-2 and the Early Days of 6-String Basses” Reverb News article, Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars, Tom Wheeler’s American Guitars: An Illustrated History, Reverb listings and Price Guide sales data.
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
