PRS guitars

[AX17609]

Originally Posted by thestubbyone

Does any one own a PRS electric?

[tl;dr warning]

I recently bought a PRS SE245 and in the process of doing that, I did a lot of basic research on the company and its products. This is what I learned.

PRS is located in my home state of Maryland. I remember when their first models came on the market in the mid-80s. The company was known then as a boutique guitar maker, whose products were of very high quality. And expensive. They're still high quality, but they're no longer expensive.

Paul Reed Smith, himself, is a guitarist, so he has more than a casual knowledge of the instrument as a player. He grew up with the rock sound of the '60s and '70s and honors vintage tone. To refine his lutherie craft, he cultivated great guitarists like Carlos Santana and great guitar designers like Ted McCarty. He has also gotten access to historic equipment, like the amp Hendrix used at Woodstock. His friends say that Paul is obsessed by guitar tone.

PRS has three primary levels of instruments -- Core, S2 and SE. The Core line is the original model that came out in the '80s. They added the S2 line to provide the same instruments at a lower cost, and the SE line to lower the cost even further. In spite of there being three distinct lines, no one has ever argued about PRS quality. Everything that comes out of the shop is perfect. Paul wants to be able to walk into any guitar store in the country and find his instruments in perfect playing order. Quality is a fundamental value of the company.

The SE (Student Edition) line is built oversees in a partnership with Cor-Tek Corporation. They were originally made in Korea but are now manufactured in a new plant in Surabaya, Indonesia. When the Maryland plant got temporarily shut down because of the pandemic, Paul upped his investment in the SE line, and it's this line that you're seeing in stores today.

Within each of the three lines, there are three different scale lengths -- 24.594", 25" and 25.5". All the necks have the same 10" radius, however. The shorter scale length is found on their McCarty models, while the longer scale length is favored by death metal guitarists and others who like to tune down to D or C#. Fret wire is all medium jumbo and so hard that it has to be manufactured to the proper radius, because it can't be bent thereafter. Paul wants his guitars to never have to be refretted. Given the fact that the frets are superglued in place, refretting might not even be possible.

There are also three neck profiles -- wide-thin, wide-fat and "pattern vintage" -- and these are meaningful distinctions. Personally, I didn't like the wide-thin profile at all. It seems to be favored by shredders. I prefer the wide-fat profile. I haven't played a pattern vintage, but given its similarity to a '59 Les Paul, I'd probably like it.

Paul believes in tone wood and that a guitar has to sound good acoustically to sound good electronically. To that end, his higher priced models are manufactured from fewer pieces of wood. As far as pickups go, Paul has said that he seeks humbuckers with single coil tone. This explains why PRS guitars seems to occupy a tonal space that sits between Gibsons and Fenders. A PRS will never deliver the glorious lead tone of the bridge pickup of a Les Paul, and it will never deliver that deep hollow tone of the neck pickup of a Strat. But you'll get a full range of everything in between.

The company manufacturers its own pickups, and there are a variety of models running from vintage to high output. If you see an "S" designation, it means the pickup was manufactured oversees. I've never heard anyone rave over the wonderfulness of PRS pickups, which have been described by some people as having a sterile, lifeless, and clinical tone. I can relate. There's even one company (Vaughn Skow) which carries a model specifically designed to replace the installed pickup. Many PRS guitars have push/pull tone pots that allow you to turn a humbucker into a single coil, which is nice in theory. The problem is that you lose some volume when you do that, so it takes a relatively high output pickup and some specialize internal circuitry to pull it off.

PRS guitars are said to be "pedal friendly", and you may need a couple to get the performance you want. Session guitarist Tim Pierce says that he sets his guitar and amp up to deliver the rhythm tone he wants and uses a warm gain pedal for leads. Personally, were I still in the business, I wouldn't hesitate to use a modeling rig. I think with a PRS and a Helix I could play every brew house and wine pavilion in the country, carry everything in one trip, and have all the tones I'd ever need.

The PRS SE line is generally regarded as the best electric guitar you can buy for less than $1k. You give up a few things for the price but not much. The finish is polyurethane rather than nitrocellulose, and some people have criticized that. Personally, I'm fine with polyurethane. In fact, I don't have any issues with the playability of my guitar at all. Nor do I have any issues with the hardware. My only criticism of the SE line is that the guitars seem to have just a little bit of a harder tone than their S2 and Core equivalents. I don't know why that is. I've been tempted to swap out the pickups in my 245 for one of the after-market PAF copies, but I haven't done it yet.

One criticism of PRS guitars that rings true to my ears is that the company's strength is also its weakness. The quality is so consistent, you won't find one that's special. They're all really, really good, but none of them are outstanding. So, while you're unlikely to find one that's poorly made, you won't find one that sets your heart on fire, either. They are high quality, highly reliable musical tools.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by AX17609

[tl;dr warning]

Within each of the three lines, there are three different scale lengths -- 24.594", 25" and 25.5". All the necks have the same 10" radius, however. The shorter scale length is found on their McCarty models, while the longer scale length is favored by death metal guitarists and others who like to tune down to D or C#.

Just one clarification - 25.5" is the scale length of most Fenders (eg Strat, Tele). Those were around long before shredders entered the scene. Unless of course you count Mozart as a shredder

Gibson is mostly 24.75" so PRS split the difference with the 25" scale.

[Jimi2]

I picked up a used PRS SE hollow body II Piezo not long ago and I’m in love with the the thing. I haven’t played any other PRS models, so my knowledge is limited, but my guitar is super resonant due to the hollow construction, and sounds beautiful clean while still giving fat distorted lead tones up the neck that remind me of much more expensive Gibsons. There’s a UK seller on Reverb blowing out a large amount of new ones at about half off right now in case anyone’s interested.

[1neeto]

PRS SE line is one of the best guitars you can buy at that price range. I’ve owned SE, S2, and core, and the SE fit, finish, and playability had absolutely nothing to envy the USA made ones. Even at first glance, my SE looked higher end than the S2. The S2 was my least favorite because the balance was off. The neck would raise while playing standing up. Kinda like the exact opposite of a Gibson SG where the neck tends to dive. It’s annoying to play a guitar you’re trying to keep steady while playing.

[Matthew Sarad]

I have 2 PRS, an SE from.the first year they were made and a McCarty from.the 90s.
The McCarty is a gold top double cut with soap bar P90s and sounds like Mike Bloomfield's Les Paul Standard on the first Electric Flag album.
The SE was converted into what a call a West Coast Jerrification Model with three Dimarzio Super distortion Humbuckers. push pull pots for single coils, a six position switch, pre amp, and on board effects loop.
Both of these guitars easily play in tune unlike my Melody Maker I bought 50 years ago, my '58 Les Paul Jr, and the recent SG Standard that required serious nut work to be in tune and stay in tune.
I

[Boozehound]

I've been jonesing for a PRS for a while now, but I rarely play electric so I have held off. They are absolutely beautiful guitars that I have coveted since I was a kid. One day my resolve will crack and I'll buy one, LOL.

[CarolD]

I purchased my PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo maybe two years ago now. It's really the only guitar I spend a lot of time with and I absolutely adore it. You can just make it sound like so many different things that I never get tired of exploring with it.

I just watched this past Friday's Know Your Gear and someone asked about this guitar again (Phil did a deep dive on it when it first came out) and he reiterated that he LOVES it and that he actually likes the SE better than the Core version.

That said, you need to decide a few basics, like do you want 22 or 24 frets, do you want a trem or no, do you want a solid body, Strat, hollow, or semi hollow. Finally, within those parameters, what neck shape suits you best? Let those things be your guide.

Cheers and hope you do get a PRS!

[glaze3]

I pre-ordered a SE McCarty 594 the day they announced them. Should start trickling in around March.

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by CarolD

I purchased my PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo maybe two years ago now. It's really the only guitar I spend a lot of time with and I absolutely adore it. You can just make it sound like so many different things that I never get tired of exploring with it.

I just watched this past Friday's Know Your Gear and someone asked about this guitar again (Phil did a deep dive on it when it first came out) and he reiterated that he LOVES it and that he actually likes the SE better than the Core version.

That said, you need to decide a few basics, like do you want 22 or 24 frets, do you want a trem or no, do you want a solid body, Strat, hollow, or semi hollow. Finally, within those parameters, what neck shape suits you best? Let those things be your guide.

Cheers and hope you do get a PRS!

The PRS “pattern” neck is the most polarizing feature. You either love it or hate it. I highly recommend trying before buying for sure.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by 1neeto

The PRS “pattern” neck is the most polarizing feature. You either love it or hate it. I highly recommend trying before buying for sure.

Interesting I never realized the Pattern Thin neck was "polarizing" I have it on my CE 24 and I guess you can list me as a "lover"

I am aware of course that PRS like Taylor both the guitars and or the company is often subject too rather absurd "polarization".. But fortunately we here on AGF sail well above that quagmire

[Rolph]

Originally Posted by AX17609

[tl;dr warning]

I recently bought a PRS SE245 and in the process of doing that, I did a lot of basic research on the company and its products. This is what I learned.

PRS is located in my home state of Maryland. I remember when their first models came on the market in the mid-80s. The company was known then as a boutique guitar maker, whose products were of very high quality. And expensive. They're still high quality, but they're no longer expensive.

Paul Reed Smith, himself, is a guitarist, so he has more than a casual knowledge of the instrument as a player. He grew up with the rock sound of the '60s and '70s and honors vintage tone. To refine his lutherie craft, he cultivated great guitarists like Carlos Santana and great guitar designers like Ted McCarty. He has also gotten access to historic equipment, like the amp Hendrix used at Woodstock. His friends say that Paul is obsessed by guitar tone.

PRS has three primary levels of instruments -- Core, S2 and SE. The Core line is the original model that came out in the '80s. They added the S2 line to provide the same instruments at a lower cost, and the SE line to lower the cost even further. In spite of there being three distinct lines, no one has ever argued about PRS quality. Everything that comes out of the shop is perfect. Paul wants to be able to walk into any guitar store in the country and find his instruments in perfect playing order. Quality is a fundamental value of the company.

The SE (Student Edition) line is built oversees in a partnership with Cor-Tek Corporation. They were originally made in Korea but are now manufactured in a new plant in Surabaya, Indonesia. When the Maryland plant got temporarily shut down because of the pandemic, Paul upped his investment in the SE line, and it's this line that you're seeing in stores today.

Within each of the three lines, there are three different scale lengths -- 24.594", 25" and 25.5". All the necks have the same 10" radius, however. The shorter scale length is found on their McCarty models, while the longer scale length is favored by death metal guitarists and others who like to tune down to D or C#. Fret wire is all medium jumbo and so hard that it has to be manufactured to the proper radius, because it can't be bent thereafter. Paul wants his guitars to never have to be refretted. Given the fact that the frets are superglued in place, refretting might not even be possible.

There are also three neck profiles -- wide-thin, wide-fat and "pattern vintage" -- and these are meaningful distinctions. Personally, I didn't like the wide-thin profile at all. It seems to be favored by shredders. I prefer the wide-fat profile. I haven't played a pattern vintage, but given its similarity to a '59 Les Paul, I'd probably like it.

Paul believes in tone wood and that a guitar has to sound good acoustically to sound good electronically. To that end, his higher priced models are manufactured from fewer pieces of wood. As far as pickups go, Paul has said that he seeks humbuckers with single coil tone. This explains why PRS guitars seems to occupy a tonal space that sits between Gibsons and Fenders. A PRS will never deliver the glorious lead tone of the bridge pickup of a Les Paul, and it will never deliver that deep hollow tone of the neck pickup of a Strat. But you'll get a full range of everything in between.

The company manufacturers its own pickups, and there are a variety of models running from vintage to high output. If you see an "S" designation, it means the pickup was manufactured oversees. I've never heard anyone rave over the wonderfulness of PRS pickups, which have been described by some people as having a sterile, lifeless, and clinical tone. I can relate. There's even one company (Vaughn Skow) which carries a model specifically designed to replace the installed pickup. Many PRS guitars have push/pull tone pots that allow you to turn a humbucker into a single coil, which is nice in theory. The problem is that you lose some volume when you do that, so it takes a relatively high output pickup and some specialize internal circuitry to pull it off.

PRS guitars are said to be "pedal friendly", and you may need a couple to get the performance you want. Session guitarist Tim Pierce says that he sets his guitar and amp up to deliver the rhythm tone he wants and uses a warm gain pedal for leads. Personally, were I still in the business, I wouldn't hesitate to use a modeling rig. I think with a PRS and a Helix I could play every brew house and wine pavilion in the country, carry everything in one trip, and have all the tones I'd ever need.

The PRS SE line is generally regarded as the best electric guitar you can buy for less than $1k. You give up a few things for the price but not much. The finish is polyurethane rather than nitrocellulose, and some people have criticized that. Personally, I'm fine with polyurethane. In fact, I don't have any issues with the playability of my guitar at all. Nor do I have any issues with the hardware. My only criticism of the SE line is that the guitars seem to have just a little bit of a harder tone than their S2 and Core equivalents. I don't know why that is. I've been tempted to swap out the pickups in my 245 for one of the after-market PAF copies, but I haven't done it yet.

One criticism of PRS guitars that rings true to my ears is that the company's strength is also its weakness. The quality is so consistent, you won't find one that's special. They're all really, really good, but none of them are outstanding. So, while you're unlikely to find one that's poorly made, you won't find one that sets your heart on fire, either. They are high quality, highly reliable musical tools.

The wood library McCarty's are $6500. When I got my first McCarty '97 they were $2000. I think they're very expensive. Nice review though.

[Dru Edwards]

Hi Carol. I listen to each of Phil McKnight's podcasts in the car. You're right, he's mentioned how much he likes the PRS SE Hollowbody II a few times, and that he likes it better than the Core.

Glad to hear you're still enjoying yours.

Originally Posted by CarolD

I purchased my PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo maybe two years ago now. It's really the only guitar I spend a lot of time with and I absolutely adore it. You can just make it sound like so many different things that I never get tired of exploring with it.

I just watched this past Friday's Know Your Gear and someone asked about this guitar again (Phil did a deep dive on it when it first came out) and he reiterated that he LOVES it and that he actually likes the SE better than the Core version.

That said, you need to decide a few basics, like do you want 22 or 24 frets, do you want a trem or no, do you want a solid body, Strat, hollow, or semi hollow. Finally, within those parameters, what neck shape suits you best? Let those things be your guide.

Cheers and hope you do get a PRS!

[RussL30]

I’ve been doing a deep dive on researching PRS lately. I plan on buying a nice electric this year and I’ve been really wanting a Les Paul lately. PRS has always fascinated me but I’ve never put one in my hands.

Most of the core stuff is a little bit out of my price range as I can get a Les Paul standard, classic or traditional used much cheaper with some exceptions of the older McCarty models I’ve seen under 2k.

I’ve been looking at the S2 McCarty models in both single cut and double cut and used ce22 and ce24 models. I really think the new SE DGT models look like great guitars as well.

I think either way I’d get a great guitar but my biggest worry is if I pull the trigger on one will I regret not getting the Les Paul. I really need to get my hands on some and try them out.

[Vognell]

Originally Posted by RussL30

I’ve been doing a deep dive on researching PRS lately. I plan on buying a nice electric this year and I’ve been really wanting a Les Paul lately. PRS has always fascinated me but I’ve never put one in my hands.

Most of the core stuff is a little bit out of my price range as I can get a Les Paul standard, classic or traditional used much cheaper with some exceptions of the older McCarty models I’ve seen under 2k.

I’ve been looking at the S2 McCarty models in both single cut and double cut and used ce22 and ce24 models. I really think the new SE DGT models look like great guitars as well.

I think either way I’d get a great guitar but my biggest worry is if I pull the trigger on one will I regret not getting the Les Paul. I really need to get my hands on some and try them out.

They don't currently make them, but if you can find a PRS SE Chris Robertson used (one on reverb now for $750... I think they were about $850 new), its a pretty good facsimile of a Les Paul. You may or may not care for the p90 in the neck (it's a good version of the P90, but if P90's ain't your thang...), but it's overall one of the nicest PRS-SE LP-type guitars out there.

[AX17609]

Originally Posted by RussL30

IÂ’ve been doing a deep dive on researching PRS lately. I plan on buying a nice electric this year and IÂ’ve been really wanting a Les Paul lately. PRS has always fascinated me but IÂ’ve never put one in my hands.

Until about three weeks ago, the single cut SE245 Standard was the poor man's Les Paul. But about 20 minutes after I bought mine, they killed that model and replaced it with the SE McCarty 594, which appears to be a better guitar. The 245's pickups are excessively hot in my opinion, and do not have vintage tone. The McCarty's pickups have much more vintage output. Also, the McCarty's neck profile is more in line with a '59 Les Paul.

Everything about the McCarty appears to be spot on for the Les Paul lover with the exception of the coil splitting feature, which some reviewers have described as weak. The output isn't strong enough to operate in single coil mode, so the volume drop is significant. Still, you can buy three McCarty's for the price of a Les Paul and still have money left over.