PRS S2 Vela Semi-Hollow Review

Extremely Versatile

I mostly play in the comfort of my home but also fill in for our praise band on occasion. I was looking for a semi-hollow guitar (all my others are solid-bodied guitars) that, when asked, would meet that need. When looking I came across this guitar. I loved the vintage cherry and was intrigued by the pickups. Side Note: I have always been a PRS fan (I have two other S2 models/no… read more cores) however I am not just a PRS snob. I also have other guitars from companies like Gibson, Fender, and MusicMan at my disposal. I placed an order for it as it was out of stock. When it came in and I opened it up I was immediate taken back by the finish of this guitar and the detail. Even the F hole is immaculately finished. I immediately plugged it in and was thrilled with the tones coming from it. I quickly realized that this was not just a worship guitar but would fit in so many other genres (country, pop, hard rock, etc). The pickups are amazingly versatile! I can't say enough about this guitar. If you are in the market but are on the fence, don't be afraid! I can't imagine any realm that which a person would not be happy with this guitar.

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PRS' take on a thinline Tele?

It's lightweight. Mine is 5lbs 14oz. Has a comfy front and back bevel. Sounds fairly resonant and jangly acoustically. Incredibly versatile in sound. Think of it as a lightweight thinline telecaster with a 25" scale, 3 a side locking tuners, and a bridge humbucker with a very usable (as per PRS usual) coil split (I think they use a resistor to prevent all of the second coil from… read more going to ground, which both reduces hum and gives the single coil sound some more oomph so it doesn't sound thin and anemic). The neck pickup sounds a bit like a hot gretsch single coil and a stratocaster neck pickup had a baby. The middle position sounds are great with coil tap engaged or disengaged. Although it may take some work to really get the pickups balanced so they all sound good separately and together. Adjustable pole pieces help a lot with that. It sounds like there is a treble bleed circuit on the volume, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. But it's implemented well (many aren't and do weird things with the pickup EQ as you roll down volume) and sounds fairly transparent. It's just not what I'm used to. It feels more "hi-fidelity" to me. The volume and tone both have nice tapers, and feel very functional apart from my being used to hearing a bit of tone bleed with the volume. The neck feels great. I was worried it would be a bit too thin, but it's not. And I love the aesthetics -- classy and understated. It's a guitar that doesn't call unnecessary attention to itself and isn't visually distracting, which is more than I can say for a lot of the rest of the PRS line...no insane flamed maple tops and bright transparent finishes, no bird inlays. Just classic (in my case) gloss black. Mine came with a few small finish flaws on the body, at a pretty nice discount for me. It'll have a lot more on it by the time I'm done with it. This might be the first electric guitar that has screamed to me in no uncertain terms that it's a keeper and barring any unfortunate events, will be with me a long time. PRS hit this one out of the park.

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Very special

I have several PRS guitars but this one is much different. The pickups have a unique configuration. The single coil stands out the most. Bright sparkling tone with the split coil engaged. The semi-hollow body is very warm and projective. Just a wonderful guitar with tons of compliments from the band mates. Thanks to Kent Sallaz for the great service and wonderful deal.

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The perfect guitar for me

I own several nice guitars like Gibson, Fender, Guild, Schecter, Ibanez, and of course PRS. I was on a personal quest to find a great sounding guitar that fit me and played really well. Every guitar had something about it that I wanted and liked, but none of them had everything until I found the Vela. The Schecter PT Special was very comfortable and has an awesome neck profile.… read more The PRS hollowbody Piezo sounds incredible and has the "stereo" options, but the neck is just a bit too fat for my hands. Gibson SG ..fat neck and un-balanced. Les Paul .. HEAVY. Guild .. Very nice guitar, but a bit too bulky..ETC...ETC...ETC. Enter the PRS semi-hollow Vela... It is an offset body shape that is super comfortable. It is a semi-hollow design which I really like. It is super lightweight ( under 6 pounds ) and well balanced. Locking hi-ratio tuners. Top-loading fixed bridge with intonation and action adjustment. Comfortable "c" type pattern regular neck profile. Rosewood fretboard with 10 inch radius and impeccable fretwork. It has a very cool sounding type-D single coil at the neck with a bit of a "gretschy" quality to it , and a superb split-able Humbucker at the bridge that has an incredible range of tones. It is easily one of the best Humbuckers I have ever heard. Plenty of spank or twang when you want it, or a smooth/mellow bluesy tone. Superb sustain. The 25 inch scale I feel is the perfect compromise. Intonation is spot-on, and it absolutely stays in tune even after several 1-1/2 step bends. For such a simple and basic design it has an amazing assortment of sounds available. The fit and finish as well as quality of workmanship overall is a testament to the craftsmen at the PRS factory in Maryland. It fits me like a glove, and plays like it was custom made for me specifically. I absolutely love my PRS S2 Vela and honestly don't really know what they could do to make it any better. For a "workhorse" type of guitar and price-point to match, it is definitely punching above it's class. They may make prettier guitars for more money, but I just don't see how they could get any better.

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Really special guitar especially at this price point

Everyone knows PRS guitars are so well crafted, but I'm thrilled with my first. The guitar is a work of art really, and usually at this price point I find myself making changes like swapping the pickups for something better. Not with this guy though. The neck pickup tone is round and thick with great clarity, and the bridge pickup is a killer lead sound too. Super lightweight and… read more resonant, and the finish is really beautiful. Extremely happy with it!

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Checks All The Boxes

I have a number of very nice guitars and I surely do not need another, but the Vela S2 Semi-Hollow checks all the boxes for me: PRS American build quality, a very unique and sexy semi-hollow body design, and I love a 2 pickup guitar with a single coil neck and splittable humbucker bridge. About the pickups - they are great. A typical humbucker bridge does not usually sound… read more very good clean, but I have noticed that PRS humbuckers always sound clean and clear without being spiky or ice-picky. The Vela humbucker is exceptional and also has a lot of punch and dynamic range. The middle position is really nice for chording and sounds great with the bridge in single coil or humbucker modes. The neck pickup is a nice fat single coil that never sounds muddy or wooly. The guitar is obviously shielded very well, because I don't notice much noise at all from the single coils, which is a welcome relief for me. I also think the dots work much better than the bird inlays on this style of instrument which is modern in design, but old school in style. It is also VERY light, coming in under 6 lbs!! So what can I say then - this is a guitar that I definitely don't need, but it is definitely everything I want - a keeper for sure!

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PRS Vela Semi-Hollow

I shopped around for years for a Semi-Hollow and when heard the Vela it got my attention. The coil splitting and overall sound quality makes for a great guitar. It"s weight is perfect so very comfortable,plays great and as usual with a PRS the instrument will never let you down. It"s great when you find the sound you"re looking for and it"s even better than you expected.

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