PRS Special Semi-Hollow Review

Easily the Best Guitar I've Ever Played

I've been playing guitar for 40 years and had landed on four as my main babies - a 335, Les Paul Standard, Jazzmaster and 62 Strat. All fantastic guitars, all American made, all tweaked to oblivion, including custom pickups and coil taps for the Gibsons. And I had to constantly switch between them to get the sounds I wanted. So here's a guitar that on paper seems like it could… read more combine the best attributes of all those guitars. Could it really do it? The short answer is yes. Electronics - Great humbucking sounds from the two 58/15 LT humbuckers. Great single coil sounds from the split coils in the same humbuckers. (Note: IMO, the LTs are way better than the regular 58/15s for coil-tapping purposes.) Great P90 sounds from the Narrowfield in between. 12 different ways to combine all the above. Incredibly balanced volume between them all. And sonically.. you just have to hear them. The articulation, the balance, the fullness, the warmth... crushes everything from acoustic sounds to Dire Straits to Black Keys to even Van Halen. Hardware - The Gen III tremolo, paired with the Phase III locking tuners, stays in tune no matter what you throw at it. I have the hybrid hardware that comes with the 10-top, so not sure how much the brass is bringing to the party. But the resonance and sustain coming from the overall setup is like nothing on any of my other guitars. Semi-Hollow Body Design - Maybe some of that resonance and sustain is coming from the semi-hollow body. Probably a combination of all of the above. Even unplugged, this guitar just rings and rings, with that airy, woody, semi-acoustic thing that semi-hollows do so well. The design also makes the guitar light - mine's just 7 pounds. A welcome relief from my other rigs. Playability - The combination of the Pattern neck profile and highly polished fretwork creates an ultra-smooth, almost seductive playing experience. Add the light weight, violin carve and sculpted contours all around and you get a guitar that's really hard to take your hands off. Vibe Overall - Does this guitar sound EXACTLY like my 335, or my Les Paul, or my Strat or my Jazzmaster? No. Does it do what any of those guitars do in terms of their individual vibes? Yes. In some cases, better. Downsides - Price, for sure. And some say this guitar is too pretty to be played - guitar players want something they don't feel bad about smashing into guitar cymbals or whatever else. I think that's a fair point. I think PRS could address both issues by producing a version that costs a $1000 less and skips some of the aesthetics, but keeps all the electronics, hardware, etc. Maybe a solid color version or a relic'd version. But if you don't mind a guitar that looks better than any guitar you've owned at the same time it is more versatile, plays better and sounds better than any guitar you've ever owned -- and if you can afford it -- check this one out. Wow. Just wow.

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