So two weeks ago I got a box in the mail.
I opened the box, here's what was inside.
And here it is - a PRS Singlecut. I've dated it and it is a 2000, so was made just before the lawsuit forced them to cease production.
Review:
It is a 25" scale Single Cutaway with a Mahogany body and figured Maple top. To the best of my knowledge, a PRS SC of this year has a Mahogany body that is not weight relieved. I really like this top as it is not a 10 top. This might sound weird but I dislike overly pretty guitars, but I do like nice colours as long as they look smart. Up close you can actually see the plain wood grain underneath the figuring, which to me is super cool, you might be able to see this in the final picture. The colour is fantastic for me. As someone who usually wears a black or white Tshirt this purple really stands out against my clothes and looks really cool IMO.
The neck is the wide fat profile. Now I personally can't play a Gibson 50s but knew I could play this neck since I tried out loads of PRSs a while back. This profile is definitely slimmer than a Gibson 50s, or at least it has a smaller shoulder. The guitar has a great heel joint (forgot to take pictures of the back but plenty on google!) and together with the PRS bevelled lower horn make upper fret access on this guitar a breeze compared to a Les Paul.
The fretboard has dots, again this is my preference. Birds are nice, but they're not 'me'. One interesting thing is that the side dot for the 12th fret is a single dot, not a double as on most other electrics. Not really an issue as it is really easy to tell it is the 12th fret from position, but seems a strange oversight in design.
The tuners are a vintage type and they're really smooth in operation, no plans to change them.
In terms of pickups, this thing has the stock #7 treble and bass pickups. They aren't hot, according to this spreadsheet they should be about 8.44k bridge and 7.36k neck, both with alnico magnets (not sure which). To me the neck is really nice and full sounding, but the bridge lacks the bite found in my Les Paul with BB3. In contrast to the Les Paul the PRS with #7 has smoother highs and a fuller bass, but lacks the same aggression/grainy flavour to the midrange I love in the BB3. It is perfectly useable, just a bit smoother than I'm used to. I could easily see some people finding this pickup bright, but I'd just call it a bit plain/slightly characterless and clear. The middle position is very sweet and sounds fantastic. Based on this alone I think I'll live with the bridge pickup a while since the neck and middle positions are spot on for my tastes. I think if I continue to play with pickup heights I'll be happy with it soon.
So what results have I had?
Well at rehearsal through my Ironheart 120h plus Route 66 (808) in to TT412 (V30/Seventy 80 x pattern) - great! Guitar sounds nice and big and the TS helps add in the aggressive midrange it lacks for heavier styles. When I used the Les Paul I didn't need the TS for my tastes with the Ironheart, but the weight difference (11.5lb LP vs 9.3lb PRS) and easier fret access means I'm taking the PRS.
Through my Blackstar Series One 104EL34 this guitar is awesome. The amp isn't super bassy so the extra low end on this guitar VS my Les Paul comes across quite well. Once again the mids on this guitar aren't that aggressive, but since I've got a picking hand as heavy as a sledgehammer I'm managing to get something useable without a boost for my style.
---------
Sounds:
Here is a clip I recorded which is a sketch of riff ideas for a band track.
If anyone is interested here are the settings.
PRS Singlecut #7 Bridge Pickup
Cab: EVH412 (EVH Greenbacks)
Mic: Single SM57 Placement photo (distance 1.5 inches)
Blackstar S104EL34
Channel: OD1
Gain 11:30
Channel Vol 15:00
Bass: 12:00
Mid: 13:00
Treble: 13:00
ISF: 13:30
Resonance: 12:30
Presence: 13:00
Master: 08:00 (about 1.5 I guess, bloody loud at home!)
DPR: 100 watts
No pedals, no editing, hi and lo pass filters only. Came out quite warm, but I've been listening to QOTSA today so maybe no surprise!
-----------
Is it a Les Paul?
Now I could write an essay on my Les Paul Trad Pro vs PRS Singlecut... but it boils down to this: The Les Paul sounds thicker, more aggressive and has more character, but it weighs a ton and the upper fret access is compromised and the headstock angle is obviously 'prone to breaking if dropped' which worries me for band use as I love that guitar so much.
The PRS looks similar in shape, but feels totally different, the scale lengths are different (PRS 25" vs Gibson 24.75") , the fretboard is a 10" radius on the PRS vs the Les Paul's 12" and the bridge design does make playing position a bit different too. However the PRS does play 'better', resonates more and the upper fret access is way easier. Weight is obviously lighter on my PRS example but I picked a heavy LP - others were lighter but the one I picked just sounded right.
So basically my Les Paul remains my king studio guitar, which I expected as I picked it over PRSs at the time of purchase. It still is my perfect humbucker tone and I still haven't touched anything on it except the truss rod in almost two years of ownership (save for a slight nut recut to stop binding).
However my PRS looks cool (IMO), is easier to use, arguably is 'the better guitar' in all aspects except tone and has its own voice which does work well with a band. This might sound like I'm only half satisfied with the PRS but that is so not true - I bought it fully knowing it would be a more 'polite/refined' sounding instrument but I still like the tone... the main reasons for me buying it were the usability (better design), the quality (outstanding) and the look - love it, and I don't usually like figured tops at all. The colour is just so cool. I'm more than happy using this guitar with a band and recording tracks with my Les Paul when I need *that* tone. Plus, when I need something a bit smoother for recording this PRS will be better than the Les Paul, so it is nice to have both.
Phew, long post! Tried to cover everything, but if I missed anything just ask and I'll try to answer any questions. Hope you've enjoyed the pics + clip.
I opened the box, here's what was inside.
And here it is - a PRS Singlecut. I've dated it and it is a 2000, so was made just before the lawsuit forced them to cease production.
Review:
It is a 25" scale Single Cutaway with a Mahogany body and figured Maple top. To the best of my knowledge, a PRS SC of this year has a Mahogany body that is not weight relieved. I really like this top as it is not a 10 top. This might sound weird but I dislike overly pretty guitars, but I do like nice colours as long as they look smart. Up close you can actually see the plain wood grain underneath the figuring, which to me is super cool, you might be able to see this in the final picture. The colour is fantastic for me. As someone who usually wears a black or white Tshirt this purple really stands out against my clothes and looks really cool IMO.
The neck is the wide fat profile. Now I personally can't play a Gibson 50s but knew I could play this neck since I tried out loads of PRSs a while back. This profile is definitely slimmer than a Gibson 50s, or at least it has a smaller shoulder. The guitar has a great heel joint (forgot to take pictures of the back but plenty on google!) and together with the PRS bevelled lower horn make upper fret access on this guitar a breeze compared to a Les Paul.
The fretboard has dots, again this is my preference. Birds are nice, but they're not 'me'. One interesting thing is that the side dot for the 12th fret is a single dot, not a double as on most other electrics. Not really an issue as it is really easy to tell it is the 12th fret from position, but seems a strange oversight in design.
The tuners are a vintage type and they're really smooth in operation, no plans to change them.
In terms of pickups, this thing has the stock #7 treble and bass pickups. They aren't hot, according to this spreadsheet they should be about 8.44k bridge and 7.36k neck, both with alnico magnets (not sure which). To me the neck is really nice and full sounding, but the bridge lacks the bite found in my Les Paul with BB3. In contrast to the Les Paul the PRS with #7 has smoother highs and a fuller bass, but lacks the same aggression/grainy flavour to the midrange I love in the BB3. It is perfectly useable, just a bit smoother than I'm used to. I could easily see some people finding this pickup bright, but I'd just call it a bit plain/slightly characterless and clear. The middle position is very sweet and sounds fantastic. Based on this alone I think I'll live with the bridge pickup a while since the neck and middle positions are spot on for my tastes. I think if I continue to play with pickup heights I'll be happy with it soon.
So what results have I had?
Well at rehearsal through my Ironheart 120h plus Route 66 (808) in to TT412 (V30/Seventy 80 x pattern) - great! Guitar sounds nice and big and the TS helps add in the aggressive midrange it lacks for heavier styles. When I used the Les Paul I didn't need the TS for my tastes with the Ironheart, but the weight difference (11.5lb LP vs 9.3lb PRS) and easier fret access means I'm taking the PRS.
Through my Blackstar Series One 104EL34 this guitar is awesome. The amp isn't super bassy so the extra low end on this guitar VS my Les Paul comes across quite well. Once again the mids on this guitar aren't that aggressive, but since I've got a picking hand as heavy as a sledgehammer I'm managing to get something useable without a boost for my style.
---------
Sounds:
Here is a clip I recorded which is a sketch of riff ideas for a band track.
If anyone is interested here are the settings.
PRS Singlecut #7 Bridge Pickup
Cab: EVH412 (EVH Greenbacks)
Mic: Single SM57 Placement photo (distance 1.5 inches)
Blackstar S104EL34
Channel: OD1
Gain 11:30
Channel Vol 15:00
Bass: 12:00
Mid: 13:00
Treble: 13:00
ISF: 13:30
Resonance: 12:30
Presence: 13:00
Master: 08:00 (about 1.5 I guess, bloody loud at home!)
DPR: 100 watts
No pedals, no editing, hi and lo pass filters only. Came out quite warm, but I've been listening to QOTSA today so maybe no surprise!
-----------
Is it a Les Paul?
Now I could write an essay on my Les Paul Trad Pro vs PRS Singlecut... but it boils down to this: The Les Paul sounds thicker, more aggressive and has more character, but it weighs a ton and the upper fret access is compromised and the headstock angle is obviously 'prone to breaking if dropped' which worries me for band use as I love that guitar so much.
The PRS looks similar in shape, but feels totally different, the scale lengths are different (PRS 25" vs Gibson 24.75") , the fretboard is a 10" radius on the PRS vs the Les Paul's 12" and the bridge design does make playing position a bit different too. However the PRS does play 'better', resonates more and the upper fret access is way easier. Weight is obviously lighter on my PRS example but I picked a heavy LP - others were lighter but the one I picked just sounded right.
So basically my Les Paul remains my king studio guitar, which I expected as I picked it over PRSs at the time of purchase. It still is my perfect humbucker tone and I still haven't touched anything on it except the truss rod in almost two years of ownership (save for a slight nut recut to stop binding).
However my PRS looks cool (IMO), is easier to use, arguably is 'the better guitar' in all aspects except tone and has its own voice which does work well with a band. This might sound like I'm only half satisfied with the PRS but that is so not true - I bought it fully knowing it would be a more 'polite/refined' sounding instrument but I still like the tone... the main reasons for me buying it were the usability (better design), the quality (outstanding) and the look - love it, and I don't usually like figured tops at all. The colour is just so cool. I'm more than happy using this guitar with a band and recording tracks with my Les Paul when I need *that* tone. Plus, when I need something a bit smoother for recording this PRS will be better than the Les Paul, so it is nice to have both.
Phew, long post! Tried to cover everything, but if I missed anything just ask and I'll try to answer any questions. Hope you've enjoyed the pics + clip.
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