Unless you actually are Carlos Santana, the closest you’ll get to a ‘real’ PRS is licking the guitar shop window. Stop doing that and consider the entry-level SE range, whose staggering ratio of price to performance is the stuff of legend.

PRS is synonymous with luxury, and most of it filters down to the SE range. We’ve got a classic combination of mahogany body and maple top, complemented by PRS humbuckers and a set mahogany neck with a rosewood board that’s furnished with ‘moon’ inlays.

There are longer spec sheetsout there, but PRS has always been about performance, not bells and whistles.

The Singlecut had one hand on the gold within minutes. Physically, this guitar is a tonic to the bloaters that dominate the singlecut market: it’s slim and ergonomic, balances perfectly and puts you utterly in control.

That impression is consolidated by the gorgeous neck, which offers a wide carve that fills the palm to perfection, alongside a unique 25-inch scale that makes for expressive bends and vibrato.

Verdict

If you’re looking for a singlecut that can deliver soul when clean but go suitably mental under heavy gain, you can’t go far wrong with the PRS Singlecut. Riffing on the neck ’bucker is a winner for creamy blues solos, but flipping to the bridge under distortion unlocks a thrillingly angry tone that brings spit and sawdust to your lead work.

5 Stars

Pros: quality, playability, rounded tone.
Cons: it’s price is at the very top of its bracket.

Buy: PRS SE Singlecut is currently available from Thomann and PMT Online.

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