Having spent a month with my PRS, I thought I'd update this thread with my thoughts on it.

Unfortunately, my Custom 24 S2 turned out to have an issue with either wiring or the neck pickup. I noticed it had a loud buzz which would go away when I touched the strings when using the neck pickup. If I touched the pickup height adjustment screw, it go REALLY loud. So it is boxed up to head back to Sweetwater. They've made the return really easy - great guys there!!

To cut to the chase, I'm considering a Les Paul again. And here is why:

There was a lot to REALLY like about the PRS - playability, lightweight, great sustain, great tuning stability, gorgeous to look at, great craftsmanship (hum issue aside). Unfortunately, to my ears, the tone was nothing special, there was nothing inspriring about the tone like when I'd pick up my strat or LP. All was not lost though...for me, the PRS was going to be about it's versatility and its stageworthy-ness. Since I was in a band, this was going to be my gigging guitar - one guitar would give me the tone I needed on stage and would be super comfortable to play. Once I decided to bow out of the band and noticed this hum issue, I found that this guitar really didn't have a place in my collection any more.

As far as it being a gigging guitar, I noticed that one of my favorite musicians Steven Wilson uses PRS this way. He uses LPs and Strats in the studio, but PRS on stage.

If I find myself in a band situation again, I will definitely consider a PRS again - though I may opt for a 22 fret model. Otherwise, I'll be looking to upgrade my faded LP studio to something like a LP Standard or Studio Pro. As I've learned - if you want LP tones, buy an LP, otherwise you will be dissapointed.