PRS: fresh look for 2011
(John Gorbe | Posted 2011-01-24)
Highly regarded guitar manufacturer Paul Reed Smith has two great looking new models for 2011.
The Studio Model Electric is a new offering from PRS and is a very versatile instrument. It’s an update to a classic design in almost every way. I really thought this guitar was both beautiful and different. From afar, the pickups and the 2011 bird inlays give a hint that this is a fresh guitar for the New Year.
PRS’s proprietary 57/08 Narrowfield pickups are located in the middle and neck positions in tandem with a 57/08 humbucker at the bridge. The Narrowfield pickups are unique and versatile because they harness the sound of a humbucker, P90, single-coil, and mini-bucker. It’s a new PRS format that uses the same wire as 57/08’s, but squeezes the width of the pickup from pole to pole and goes deeper.
The guitar also includes a mahogany back and neck, V12 finish, rosewood fingerboard, “Pattern Neck” profile with “Pattern Thin” option, 2011 bird inlay, tremolo or stoptail bridge option, PRS locking tuners, nickel or gold hardware and redesigned lampshade knobs for volume and push/pull tone controls.
Colors: Amber Black, Angry Larry, Black Gold, Black Gold Burst, Black Slate, Charcoal Burst, Evergreen, Faded Blue Burst, Fire Red Burst, Gold Top, Matteo Mist, McCarty Sunburst, McCarty Tobacco Sunburst, Smoked Orange, Sapphire Smokeburst, Santana Yellow, Scarlet Smokeburst, Smoked Cherry Burst, Vintage Burst.
The Signature Limited Run is the culmination of years of artist input and is PRS’s first ever multi-endorsement guitar, with artists such as Tom Wheeler, Howard Leese, Michael Ault, Davy Knowles, and Paul Reed Smith himself endorseing the model.
The Limited Run features a private stock figured maple top, lightweight African mahogany back, mahogany neck, East Indian rosewood fingerboard, “Pattern” neck profile, PRS low-mass locking tuners, ME Bird inlay with brown mother of pearl centers, Stoptail or Tremolo bridge, Cocobola truss rod cover, a 408B bridge pickup and a 408T neck pickup.
The highlights on this guitar I believe are the versatile sounds that can be created thanks to the 408B and 408T pickups. With the aid of a 3-way toggle and 2 mini-toggles, up to 8 different sounds are possible.
From a press release.
