Swap
Swap
Gibson ES Supreme
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo
VS
Playability
73
Sound
77
Build
83
Value
63
Score
78
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logoMusician's Friend logo
Playability
70
Sound
73
Build
61
Value
68
Score
68
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logoAmazon logoMusician's Friend logo
Add to Compare
Add to Compare
Add more to comparison
Show Full Spec Comparison
Gibson ES Supreme vs PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo Specs Comparison
Gibson ES Supreme PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo
General
Brand: Gibson PRS
Year: 2024 2020
Configuration: HH HH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States Indonesia
Series: Modern SE
Colors: Sunburst, Blue Blue
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Semi-Hollow Hollowbody
Body Material: 3-ply AAA Maple/Poplar/Maple Mahogany
Bridge: Aluminum Stop Bar PRS Adjustable Piezo Stoptail
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Grover Locking Keystone PRS Designed Tuners
Fretboard: Ebony Ebony
Neck Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Decoration: Mother of Pearl Super Split Block Birds
Scale Size: 24.75" 25"
Shape: Rounded "C" Wide Fat
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 10" to 16" 10"
Nut: Ivory Tusq PRS Propietary
Nut Width: 43.1mm (1.695'') 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Burstbucker Lead Pro (Humbucker / Passive) PRS 58/15 S (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Burstbucker Rhythm Pro (Humbucker / Passive) PRS 58/15 S (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Bell Speed
Pickup Mods: Coil Tap Multi-Voicing
Volume Controls: 2 2
Tone Controls: 2 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Gold Nickel
Show Diagrams Comparison
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo pickups switch and push knobs diagram
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo's switch options

Reasons to Get
Gibson ES Supreme over PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Indonesia
Built with higher quality standards
Release Year
2024 vs 2020
From a more recent year
Compound Radius
10" to 16" vs 10"
Balanced playability for chords and single-notes
Neck Profile
Rounded "C" vs Wide Fat
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Pickup Mods
Coil Tap vs Multi-Voicing
Lowers output of humbucker coil to create a single coil sound
Body Type
Semi-Hollow vs Hollowbody
Lighter and allows more gain than a hollowbody
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Locking Tuners
Yes vs None
Easier to change strings
Nut Width
1.695'' (43.1mm) vs 1.688'' (42.9mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm) vs 25'' (635mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone

Reasons to Get
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo over Gibson ES Supreme

Neck Profile
Wide Fat vs Rounded "C"
Thick neck that gives you a better grip
Pickup Mods
Multi-Voicing vs Coil Tap
Changes the voice (tones or gain) of the pickups
Body Type
Hollowbody vs Semi-Hollow
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Nut Width
1.688'' (42.9mm) vs 1.695'' (43.1mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Scale Length
25'' (635mm) vs 24.75'' (628.7mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Value Score
68 vs 63
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Gibson ES Supreme vs PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo

Bridge Pickup
Burstbucker Lead Pro vs PRS 58/15 S
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Burstbucker Rhythm Pro vs PRS 58/15 S
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Maple vs Mahogany
Different Body Wood
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs PRS Propietary
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Gibson ES Supreme vs PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo

Neck Wood
Mahogany
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Ebony
Same Fretboard Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
2
Same volume control
Pickups
HH
High output without hum
Number of Frets
22
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Decorative Top
3-ply AAA Maple/Poplar/Maple vs Beveled Maple Top with Flame Maple Veneer
Finished with beautiful natural wood patterns
Neck Joint
Set
Neck is glued to the body
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

SET PRICE ALERT
SET PRICE ALERT

These are affiliate links. We may earn a fee if you purchase after clicking. These prices are prone to error. Make sure you're buying the right product after clicking on a link from our site. We are not liable if you buy the wrong product after following these links. As an Amazon Associate site we earn from qualifying purchases.

Hand Size Comfortability

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo favors large hands more than the Gibson ES Supreme.

Gibson ES Supreme:
Big Hands
Small Hands
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Gibson ES Supreme meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

Gibson ES Supreme
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale

New Player Friendliness

PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Locking tuners

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in Both

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.

Woods Used in the Gibson ES Supreme

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Winner: Tie.

Pickup Configuration

Both pickup configurations are HH. Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

Pickups Quality

Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: Tie.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.

Both give you different pickup mod options.

The Gibson ES Supreme offers Coil Tap.

Coil Tap is similar to Coil Split but it works a bit differently. Instead of completely cancelling one of the coils of the humbucker, it only cuts part of the output once activated. Some people believe this gives the split pickups a more real single-coil sound.

On the other hand, the PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo comes with the following: Multi-Voicing.

Multi-Voicing means the pickups come with multiple ''voices'', which means they can change the tone and gain by a simple switch or knob. Piezo, Fishman and similar are considered multi-voicing pickups.

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Gibson ES Supreme.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Gibson ES Supreme
Pickups 90
Sustain 75
Versatility 63
Tuning Stability 80
Sound 77
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo
Pickups 90
Sustain 70
Versatility 61
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 73

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Gibson ES Supreme compares to the PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Gibson ES Supreme is built in United States while the PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo is made in Indonesia.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.

Winner: Gibson ES Supreme

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Gibson ES Supreme has a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.

On the other hand, the PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo comes with a PRS Propietary nut. It's similar to TUSQ nuts, but they're not as hard, and the tone is not as bright. However, the material is self-lubricating, and it's usually well cut, so they have good tuning stability.

Winner: Tie.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

Both come with a similar bridge: Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

The Gibson ES Supreme has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.

Winner: Gibson ES Supreme.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Gibson ES Supreme
  • Locking Tuners
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Ivory Tusq Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Coil Tap Pickups
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo
  • Expensive Wood
  • PRS Propietary Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Multi-Voicing Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Gibson ES Supreme
Quality of materials 70
Features 80
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 83
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo
Quality of materials 48
Features 60
Quality Control 75
Build Quality 61

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Gibson ES Supreme Nut Width
Gibson ES Supreme Nut Width
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo Nut Width
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Gibson ES Supreme has the wider nut with 43.1mm (1.695'') vs 42.9mm (1.688''). This is a 0.2mm (0.0070000000000001'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Gibson ES Supreme, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Gibson ES Supreme's Scale Length
Gibson ES Supreme's Scale Length
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo's Scale Length
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo has the longest scale: 25". The Gibson ES Supreme is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.25'' (6.4mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Gibson ES Supreme Neck Profile
Gibson ES Supreme's neck profile
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo Neck Profile
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Gibson ES Supreme has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

The PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo, on the other hand, has a Vintage neck. This means that it's thicker than most modern necks, and makes it a better fit for playing chords and slow solos. Some people prefer this type of neck because it gives them a better grip thanks to the extra mass. Still, the vast majority prefer a thinner, faster, and more ''modern'' neck.

Fretboard Radius

Gibson ES Supreme Fretboard Compound Radius
Gibson ES Supreme's Compound Fretboard Radius
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo Fingerboard Radius
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo's Fingerboard radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

In this case, the Gibson ES Supreme is the only one with a compound radius. This is a huge win because it will give you the best of both worlds: a more curved radius in the first few frets for chords, and flatter as you come closer to the body for soloing.

Fret Size

Gibson ES Supreme and PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium Jumbo fret size

Both have a Medium Jumbo fret size. These are slightly shorter than full Jumbo frets, so you'll still feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. However, they interfere less with your fretting hand than medium-size frets. This is a good size if you like easy-to-press frets, but would still like to feel a bit of the fretboard when playing.

Final Playability Scores

Gibson ES Supreme
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 70
Playability 73
PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 55
Playability 70