PRODUCT REVIEW: Paul Reed Smith SE 245
(Sorrow - Pink Floyd)
I loved my first guitar. There are days when I still miss her. Shirley Blevins was an Epiphone Les Paul Special II Plus Top guitar in blue burst, and she cemented my desire to learn guitar for real instead of simply knowing a chord or two.
The time came to inevitably upgrade to a guitar that could carry me a bit further in my inspiration, and I was fairly dead-set on a big boy Epiphone Les Paul Standard. I'd played them a few times and really enjoyed the noise they made and the quality construction that I felt. The fateful day came and I waddled over to a Guitar Center to trade Shirley in. A very nice man -- the same nice man that sold me on the Boss Katana that I love so much, natch! -- got my chosen axe down from the wall so I could play it a little, started to walk away, and then sort of stopped and stared at something on the wall.
"Steve," he said, "I know you've got your heart set on that Les Paul, but you have to look at this." He pulled a guitar down from the wall that I had completely overlooked simply because it was in a color I would have never chosen myself. It also happened to have open humbuckers instead of the shiny, sealed ones that you typically associated with Les Pauls. When I raised an eyebrow, he smiled and said, "I promise you, this guitar will only cost you another $50, and it is a superior instrument to that Les Paul in every single way. You have to at least try this."
Then he handed me a PRS, and I promptly shit my pants a little.
After I got done shaking a little, I threw a strap on it, shrugged into it, and plugged into the store's demo Katana amp. I then proceeded to noodle away effortlessly for around 15 minutes with a stupid grin on my face. The nice man at the store was right: It was a better instrument in every sense of the word.
This is another one of those examples of high quality instruments built somewhere other than the USA that are given the stink eye and priced lower in spite of the fact that they're still ridiculously high quality. Paul Reed Smith has established himself as a serious contender in almost every level of the guitar sales world. It could be argued that the PRS 'Student Edition' guitars are their entry-level guitars, but their $600 price tag might intimidate a beginner that doesn't know if this is where they want to spend their hard-earned cash.
Anyone who picks an SE up will understand immediately that it's easily on par with a $900 instrument. Construction is all mahogany, completely with a gorgeous quilted top and single binding. The neck is poly-sealed, but it's still incredibly easy to run up and down on due to the sorcery that PRS employs when they lay their poly coats down in the factory. Here are a few more bibs and bobs:
- The fingerboard is mahogany as well, styled fatter and wider than your S-type or T-Type guitars.
- Neck Radius is 10"
- 22 Frets, 24.5" Neck Length
- PRS Tuners
- Hard-Tailed, wrap-around bridge.
- Two PRS 'S' Humbuckers, one at the bridge and one at the neck.
- Three-way selector switch
The noise that things thing makes is massive. There's just no other way to say it. The humbuckers are wired really warmly so you get massive volume without needing to crank your amp up all the way. What that also means is that you can roll off of the volume for either of your pickups and mellow the noise for a gorgeous clean tone. It doesn't matter if you're playing with dirty overdrives, distortions, or looking for a clean, shimmering chorus, this guitar will do it.
Some people will look at the Student Edition guitars from PRS and assume that they're not suitable for gigging or even or professional musicians. They would be incorrect. The fact that you can get a glued-in neck guitar with this kind of fit and finish for $600 is absolutely incredible. If you're looking for an LP-Style guitar with a little more USP than your standard Epiphone Les Paul Standards, look no further. You won't be disappointed at all.
Question and answer time!
Q: You mentioned the neck being fatter and wider than an S-Type or T-Type; would this be a problem for players with smaller hands?
A: It's possible, but not likely. The neck on the PRS SE is certainly larger than your average Strat Or Telly, but the difference is minimal. Anyone considering a Les Paul will feel right at home -- I dare say more at home -- on a PRS SE. The extra .5" fingerboard radius is only really noticeable if you're looking for it.
Q: I see four Pots on the guitar, but only two pick-ups. What's up with that?
A: Each pick-up has its own dedicated volume and tone knobs. This is REALLY great for this guitar because of how hot the pick-ups are. You can configure a nice loud tone with high volume on the bridge and then a softer, woman tone on the neck pick-up. Then you can just switch between them on the fly by using the guitar's pick-up selector. It's a really great setup.
Q: Does this mean you're not interested in Les Pauls anymore?
A: ...Say rather that I'm less interested in them. My PRS does just about everything that a Les Paul does, is lighter, and has a better fit and finish to it. I also think it's more attractive, but that's super-subjective. Do I still have my eye on a Les Paul? Sure. It's just a '57 Reissue with P90s like Gilmour used on 'Another Brick In The Wall Part 2'. True story, he didn't use The Black Strat for that.
I loved my first guitar. There are days when I still miss her. Shirley Blevins was an Epiphone Les Paul Special II Plus Top guitar in blue burst, and she cemented my desire to learn guitar for real instead of simply knowing a chord or two.
The time came to inevitably upgrade to a guitar that could carry me a bit further in my inspiration, and I was fairly dead-set on a big boy Epiphone Les Paul Standard. I'd played them a few times and really enjoyed the noise they made and the quality construction that I felt. The fateful day came and I waddled over to a Guitar Center to trade Shirley in. A very nice man -- the same nice man that sold me on the Boss Katana that I love so much, natch! -- got my chosen axe down from the wall so I could play it a little, started to walk away, and then sort of stopped and stared at something on the wall.
"Steve," he said, "I know you've got your heart set on that Les Paul, but you have to look at this." He pulled a guitar down from the wall that I had completely overlooked simply because it was in a color I would have never chosen myself. It also happened to have open humbuckers instead of the shiny, sealed ones that you typically associated with Les Pauls. When I raised an eyebrow, he smiled and said, "I promise you, this guitar will only cost you another $50, and it is a superior instrument to that Les Paul in every single way. You have to at least try this."
Then he handed me a PRS, and I promptly shit my pants a little.
After I got done shaking a little, I threw a strap on it, shrugged into it, and plugged into the store's demo Katana amp. I then proceeded to noodle away effortlessly for around 15 minutes with a stupid grin on my face. The nice man at the store was right: It was a better instrument in every sense of the word.
This is another one of those examples of high quality instruments built somewhere other than the USA that are given the stink eye and priced lower in spite of the fact that they're still ridiculously high quality. Paul Reed Smith has established himself as a serious contender in almost every level of the guitar sales world. It could be argued that the PRS 'Student Edition' guitars are their entry-level guitars, but their $600 price tag might intimidate a beginner that doesn't know if this is where they want to spend their hard-earned cash.
Anyone who picks an SE up will understand immediately that it's easily on par with a $900 instrument. Construction is all mahogany, completely with a gorgeous quilted top and single binding. The neck is poly-sealed, but it's still incredibly easy to run up and down on due to the sorcery that PRS employs when they lay their poly coats down in the factory. Here are a few more bibs and bobs:
- The fingerboard is mahogany as well, styled fatter and wider than your S-type or T-Type guitars.
- Neck Radius is 10"
- 22 Frets, 24.5" Neck Length
- PRS Tuners
- Hard-Tailed, wrap-around bridge.
- Two PRS 'S' Humbuckers, one at the bridge and one at the neck.
- Three-way selector switch
The noise that things thing makes is massive. There's just no other way to say it. The humbuckers are wired really warmly so you get massive volume without needing to crank your amp up all the way. What that also means is that you can roll off of the volume for either of your pickups and mellow the noise for a gorgeous clean tone. It doesn't matter if you're playing with dirty overdrives, distortions, or looking for a clean, shimmering chorus, this guitar will do it.
Some people will look at the Student Edition guitars from PRS and assume that they're not suitable for gigging or even or professional musicians. They would be incorrect. The fact that you can get a glued-in neck guitar with this kind of fit and finish for $600 is absolutely incredible. If you're looking for an LP-Style guitar with a little more USP than your standard Epiphone Les Paul Standards, look no further. You won't be disappointed at all.
Question and answer time!
Q: You mentioned the neck being fatter and wider than an S-Type or T-Type; would this be a problem for players with smaller hands?
A: It's possible, but not likely. The neck on the PRS SE is certainly larger than your average Strat Or Telly, but the difference is minimal. Anyone considering a Les Paul will feel right at home -- I dare say more at home -- on a PRS SE. The extra .5" fingerboard radius is only really noticeable if you're looking for it.
Q: I see four Pots on the guitar, but only two pick-ups. What's up with that?
A: Each pick-up has its own dedicated volume and tone knobs. This is REALLY great for this guitar because of how hot the pick-ups are. You can configure a nice loud tone with high volume on the bridge and then a softer, woman tone on the neck pick-up. Then you can just switch between them on the fly by using the guitar's pick-up selector. It's a really great setup.
Q: Does this mean you're not interested in Les Pauls anymore?
A: ...Say rather that I'm less interested in them. My PRS does just about everything that a Les Paul does, is lighter, and has a better fit and finish to it. I also think it's more attractive, but that's super-subjective. Do I still have my eye on a Les Paul? Sure. It's just a '57 Reissue with P90s like Gilmour used on 'Another Brick In The Wall Part 2'. True story, he didn't use The Black Strat for that.
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