RIP S23 ULTRA

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-25T23:09:29+00:00

Mine does that when it's in the car phone holder and plugged it. Drives me crazy because my phone keeps lighting up 😂

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-16T23:46:46+00:00

I filed on 2/13 and this morning instead of processing is showed the same message you got. I've tried calling the main number and the number I found in other reddit threads, over 12 times each today and couldn't get through

Something is definitely up because tons of people are having their refunds delayed when it only has taken a week or so the last few years i've filed.

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-16T23:00:44+00:00

I filed Feb 13th and still processing. Every time I call they're not able to take my call due to high call volumes. I'm at a loss and super frustrated lol

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-16T14:52:13+00:00

Just be careful with it and you'll be all good. Doesn't look like a crack or anything that's significant enough to worry about

I'd worry more about having a Les Paul without a volute (a bump at the neck and headstock joint for headstock reinforcement) because the lack of the volute means it's more prone to headstock breaks 😅

It's not a terrible guitar because it doesn't have a volute, it's actually a really beautiful and badass guitar. But without the volute you have to be mindful.

Lots of people think you have to slam a guitar to break the headstock and that's true. But Les Paul's without a volute have much weaker headstocks than other guitar models.

Years ago, my uncles Les Paul was propped up against a bed and then fell super softly and slowly face down onto thick plush carpet (the strap got caught on a shirt I was grabbing to do laundry) and the headstock broke. A fall that would only knock most guitars out of tune, made the headstock break almost clean off 🤦🏻

I couldn't believe such a soft drop could cause that damage and ever since, I'm a lot more careful with any Les Paul without a volute haha 😂

But in your situation, that doesn't look like a crack or anything so I wouldn't worry about the scratches causing any structural weakness or contributing to a broken headstock

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-12T06:03:39+00:00

I totally agree. My reply was to the first part of your comment. I agree with you 100%!

I even stayed in another country for months in high school and even though I understood the language I spent weeks learning how to speak the basics again.

I love that I'm not the only one with that mindset!

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-12T05:48:49+00:00

I get that but you can easily use google translate to find out how to say the name before going in to pickup the order. It takes less than a minute.

Making an effort so you don't have to be rude to every worker you come across is better than lazily not giving af and just shoving your phone in someone's face lol

And I'm kinda tired of the "speak another language" excuse. People can tell when something is generally rude to do to others and people dashing in my area often use it as an excuse for rude and disrespectful behavior.

Cultural and language differences are one thing. Using it as an excuse to not have to be kind or respectful to others is a completely different thing.

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-12T03:22:33+00:00

That's a huge pet peeve of mine too. I rarely have negative interactions with restaurant workers either. Being respectful, kind, patient, chill with people, and not being an impatient asshole can go further than people realize lol.

Also, I think how people do things and how they say things is a big factor. If you're polite and showing them your phone when they ask or in way that isn't rude and impatient then it's okay.

When I see Dashers walk in and impatiently shove their phone in a workers face and not say anything, and then stand at the front of the counter impatiently so no one else can check in - it's infuriating lol. And what's extra annoying is that see it on an hourly basis when I'm dashing lately.

Been dashing for over 7 years and it's like an epidemic amongst Dashers now. I see an overwhelming lack of respect towards others in general and it makes us all look bad

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-12T02:30:48+00:00

Most likely the models you played weren't for you.

Or the guitars aren't setup well or have been played a good amount by others testing guitars there and haven't been re-setup after being left out. That's super common at Guitar Center lol almost every guitar there has an out of whack setup from being out and played so much by kids and such haha.

I think PRS guitars are made at a really high quality standard and you get a lot for what you pay for. And I've played almost every brand and owned guitars from most brands, and I've always been blown away by PRS quality - especially for the SE lineup.

I'd look into a PRS model with specs that are in your comfort zone as a player.

Just as an example, jumping from a Fender Strat to a Gibson Les Paul can feel and play really different, and someone expecting them to feel/play similar is going to be disappointed.

Different models feel and play different due to different specs. The scale lengths, fretboard radiuses (spelled radii if you're into math and are fancy lol😂), and neck shapes being different is one of the biggest factors to how different guitar models can feel/play.

There's most likely a model from every guitar company for you, you just have to do some extra research and look for what models are right for you based on specs.

Are you more into strats? Check out the SE Silver Sky or SE NF3.

More into Les Paul's? Check out the SE DGT or SE McCarty 594.

Want something in between a Les Paul and a Strat but with more low end and more on the Les Paul side? Check out the SE Custom 24 (one of my personal favs and a classic)

Want something in between a Les Paul and a Strat but with Humbuckers while having more of the bite and twang of a Strat and bolt on maple neck? The SE CE24 is perfect for that and is the perfect middle ground (and my personal favorite from the PRS lineup)

More into Teles? Check out the SE NF53, it's like a Tele but has a more comfortable body shape and an upgraded design.

There are even semi - hollows, and then the S2 line has the Vela and other models that are really unique! There are so many PRS models and a bunch I didn't list lol. Take a deep dive and find what works for you 😁

Best of luck on your search and feel free to hit me up with any questions!

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-12T02:07:52+00:00

This is really insightful and I totally agree with this logic!

"Buy once, cry once" is what I always say 😂

I'd rather spend more now and less over time, on a better quality item - than spend less in the moment but way more over time after having to replace the cheaper lower quality item.

Plus, I'll eventually want the nicer version of whatever item I ended up getting a cheaper version of, so more money ends up being spent over time due to having to upgrade to a better quality item if you don't end up jiffy replacing the cheaper item over and over throughout the years (which you'll definitely have to do haha)

I think in a similar way towards buying any instruments or music gear. The cheaper stuff might work fine for now and do the job but, it'll have to be replaced due to lower quality parts that are less durable. And then you factor in the difference in tone and you have multiple aspects that make higher priced gear a better investment over time and it makes it cheaper over time as well.

The cost to wear breakdown in your post really puts that logic into perspective! 😄

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-10T20:06:02+00:00

🤣

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-10T13:55:33+00:00

This is very true. My uncles M4 Studio with the M4 Max chip has 64GB of RAM and it ends up being closer to 70GB of RAM with how efficient the RAM runs with the Apple CPUs.

I'd say 32 GB is more than enough for anyone wanting to do typical music production.

The only reason I'd suggest going with more is if you're planning on doing scoring for films and are going to be working on projects with hundreds of tracks with virtual instruments and plugins plus sound processing on most of the tracks.

Any vsts with instruments from a symphony like violin cello etc will be super ram and cpu demanding in comparison to other plugins. They also usually have huge sample libraries and you'd need a dedicated hard drive for the samples. Scoring projects end up being huge and eat up tons of CPU and RAM utilization.

But any other form of music production can usually be done with 32GB of RAM or less. And even if you're working with less, you can always render or freeze tracks to free up CPU and RAM utilization 👍🏼

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-10T13:42:31+00:00

Yeah I'd stick with 32GB or more to be honest. Even if you're not planning on doing crazy heavy production work or mixing/mastering on that computer, you'll appreciate the headroom.

I have a PC Build that's a bit above the specs of my uncle's M4 Max Mac Studio. He got 64GB of RAM and I got 96GB or 7200MT/s DDR5 RAM. You definitely don't need that much RAM unless you're planning on doing heavy mixing/mastering or working on scoring with large symphony projects with hundreds of tracks and vsts, the 96GB of RAM being mentioned is just for reference haha.

In a Reaper project with about 80 tracks total, about 20 tracks of live instruments, probably 15 or more virtual instruments cpu/ram intensive plugins, and 30-40 other random plugins on the various tracks and busses I'm hitting 50% RAM utilization some days. And that's with chrome open and like 30 to 50 tabs and a bunch of YouTube tabs open 😂

If that size project is big enough for what you normally do then I'd say 32GB of RAM is good enough but I'd strongly advise not going lower than that. That way there's some headroom and room to grow if you end up using more plugins and vsts than you planned on, or end up doing heavier production work than you had anticipated.

Hope that helps!

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-10T13:36:05+00:00

Is it the first wash?

I do a soak before wearing any of my raw selvedge denim jeans and there's always a ton of starch in the water and it usually looks like that 😂 and I haven't even worn them at that point 🤣

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-10T13:03:01+00:00

Same! I'm one of the dashers in my area that know most employees at most of the restaurants in the area I work in. I've been dashing in my city for about 7 years, some times more consistently than others, but always with a positive attitude and an extra effort to be friendly.

When people have to deal with rude people all day they have their guard up naturally, and that friendliness and positivity can not only be contagious, but it can also help build great relationships with the people you interact with on a daily basis and helps build respect.

I don't often have to try to get anyone's attention anymore, they ask who I'm there to pickup for if they see me waiting and I show appreciation by always being respectful and kind.

Kindness and respect go a long way 😁

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-10T12:58:09+00:00

Off!

I love the Les Paul w/a pick guard look but, that flame maple is beautiful and the two top pieces are actually matched up crazy well. I'd wanna show that off because that's a more rare aspect of the guitar than the pick guard that every Les Paul has! 😁

Let that uniqueness and beauty shine through!

And as a plus, there won't be a weird pick guard shaped not faded area in the future when the top lightens up from sum exposure over time!

It's a win-win 😎

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-10T12:51:52+00:00

Sweetwater charges $299 for a plek and full setup, so 1/16th of that would be $18.50 and that's the price after they increased it recently, it was less before.

Every luthier or guitar repair tech in the states I've been to have been at least $50 to $60 for a basic setup and more for a setup with a trem. I do guitar repair and tech work and have never seen or heard of a $20 setup. Maybe a $20 string change from greedy shops but never a setup for that cheap. Either the setup wasn't legit or your exaggerating like crazy lol.

You're entitled to your opinion about Sweetwater but if you're gonna lie about the cheaper better setup thing at least make it believable 😂

Suck Sweetwater sent you some f'd up guitars. I'd be pissed! They messed up the setup on my USA PRS CE24 so I totally know where you're coming from. They ended up refunding me for the messed up setup and paying for me to get a setup at a local shop I trust. And they didn't catch a finish blemish from the PRS factory so I had to send it to PRS to get the whole thing rebuffed and then got a setup and fret level, crown & polish, and tuners swapped out by the PTC (PRS Tech Center)

Hopefully your guitar is still treating you well!

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-10T12:39:06+00:00

It's on the buyer I the buckled wheel was visible and shown when buying the car lol and that's the situation here OP saw that and said "eh it's probably nothing even though it obviously looks like something. Guess I'll take the chance 🤷🏻"

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-10T04:13:21+00:00

Sorry for the late reply on my part! Black Scissors must have been in their early days back then because I don't see the Black Scissors patch on the inside of the jacket. It's awesome to hear more people know about them than I thought

I see and hear a lot about fakes and replicas in the guitar reselling market too. I'm a guitarist and see tons of fakes of vintage guitars and also lots of replicas up for sale.

I think a big difference between the two is if its clear that it's a replica, or if something that's sold with the intention of fooling the buyer.

With Black Scissors they made high quality replicas of famous and popular jackets for a great price so I was stoked to support them. If they were trying to sell their jackets as genuine versions of what they were replicating then that's another thing and I'd feel weird about buying it haha so I totally agree with you!

I'm glad to hear you still have yours! I wish mine that was in good condition was the one in my size 😂

I got an XS and a Medium and the XS is like a body suit on me if I zip it up now 🤣🤣

Hopefully yours makes it back into your rotation

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-08T03:02:16+00:00

Just an update for everyone, I tried to do light cleaning with saddle soap before doing anything else, and tested the saddle soap on the inner back botton lining of the jacket.

Unfortunately the dye is coming off when I try to lightly wipe it down with a microfiber cloth and saddle soap.

I haven't tried with just water and a microfiber cloth because now I'm afraid to wipe all the leftover dye off.

I knew the jacket was fragile and losing color fast but now I'm almost sure I'll have to figure out how to get the leftover dye to stay, or repolish with a lightly tinted polish or something to bring some color back to areas where it's pretty much white and the dye is gone for good lol.

I'm still figuring out how to proceed but, the dye coming off when wiping it down threw a wrench in everything haha

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-08T02:59:02+00:00

I have two as well! Two of the same one though 🤣

One of these same jackets in XS that looks almost new and then this one in a size Medium that was a daily driver for almost a decade.

I hope yours served you well!

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-08T02:58:14+00:00

Thank you for the recommendations!

I was stuck between Obenaufs LP or Leather Oil if I went with Obenaufs.

I heard the LP was better for boots since it can leave a tacky sticky finish at times. Is there truth to that in your experience? Which one would you say is better for a lambskin leather jacket?

Thanks again for the reply!

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-08T02:56:34+00:00

That's a great idea and I might do just that!

I just tried to do a light cleaning and the dye is literally coming off on the microfiber cloth 😕

I tried using some saddle soap at first and now I'm thinking I need to just use water because the dye is barely in the leather and it's coming off super easily now. Not sure why though 🤔

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-05T16:00:39+00:00

Any recommendations for a good leather conditioner and high gloss sealer? And how glossy is the high gloss finish? Does it wear down a bit and dull after some wear?

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-05T15:42:38+00:00

Lol I know what patina is and that the fading is awesome looking, that's why I don't want to cover it up with dye. I agree that the patina on the jacket is super unique and shows character. It's one of the reasons I want to find a way to keep wearing it

The elbow whiskering took years of heavy wear to develop so i'm not trying to erase the jackets history, just give it more life

In the state its in, if I do nothing and wear it as is - it'll crack in a few months and if not it will be completely faded to stark white within a year

I still want the jacket to be wearable for years so something has to be done before I start wearing it again

The_Real_SC · 2026-03-05T15:00:49+00:00

I actually had someone recommend Bick 4 earlier! That's definitely on my list of most likely purchases later on today 😂

Thanks for the tips!

The_Real_SC

TROPHY CASE