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We Need to Talk about PAUL REED SMITH Guitars

Nick Granville

4,611 views

I've owned 3 Paul Reed Smith guitars (PRS) over my 30+ year professional career and played many more - including trying every single one at Andersons Guitar Store in Guildford, UK.

In this video I wanted to discuss what makes them special, why I've kept the two I currently have and why I never should have sold my Hollowbody Spruce PRS. I'll also get into why I think PRS as a company are unique and great due to the namesake.

I'm not sponsored in any way from PRS Guitars. Just wanted to share my thoughts on these instruments.

More info about the Trons pickups at
https://mrglynspickups.com

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Gear used in this video:

Paul Reed Smith (PRS) custom 22 'Soapbar' ‪@prsguitars‬
Mr. Glyn 'Tron' pickups ‪@MrGlynsPickups‬
IK Multimedia ToneX 2 ‪@ikmultimedia‬

#PaulReedSmith #GuitarTone #PRS #Guitar #ElectricGuitar #GuitarGear #ACDC #Guitarist #MrGlynPickups #Filtertron #Gretsch

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro Jam
0:45 Start
2:00 Matilda and Flu
2:30 25 Inch Scale Length
3:30 Hollowbody Spruce - Dancing With the Stars
5:28 PRS DGT SE
6:38 We Will Rock You
7:40 Paul Reed Smith himself
9:55 Andertons PRS Guitars Conclusions
10:53 Purchasing my Custom 22 Soapbar
12:40 Should you buy an SE or Core Model?
13:00 Thanks, Like & Subscribe

20 Comments

@NickGranville Creator 22 hours ago Pinned

Are you a PRS fan? Do they really lack soul? Thoughts?

@CrisDreamJ06 18 hours ago

Great Video. I picked up guitar in 2020, so naturally I had Tele and a Strat, didn't really like either. The bird inlays are what drew me to PRS, I bought a SE CE - and fell in love with the feel of the neck and the tones. I am a PRS fan for sure, they are different and unpredictable, in a good way. I just bought the SE Semi-Hollow Special. 😀

@GT4RSBurns 21 hours ago

Concurred! I bought an SE Special and was blown away, found a Core scratched & dent ( still looking for the flaws!) Smoothest playing guitar I've ever owned & at 73 yrs. old I've played em all. Keep up the goodness Nick, your videos shine!

@Richardgreenmusic. 16 hours ago

I purchased a PRS Silver Sky core model and out of the box I was just blown away by the quality fit and finish. Just played like butter day 1 and still does. I love my Fender guitars but I did not have that experience with any USA strat or tele that I own.

@MarkJKLawrence 1 hour ago

I got to check out a John McLaughlin signature model last year. I mean, if a guitar manufacturer is making a McLaughlin signature model they're good! Out of my price range, but It was absolutely beautiful, immaculate and sounded great. Really interesting to play even if was not entirely my cup of tea, a truly great experience.

@JoelK 16 hours ago

I’m a fan. The shape got me when I was in my teens back in the late 90s.
Best PRS I’ve had was a 06 McCarty standard that I sadly sold. Now rocking a 25 S2 Semi Hollow Special Reclaimed with the US LT pickups. Taking me a while to get used to the neck profile and height at the bridge vs the stop tail

@2011UWM 18 hours ago

I bought a used DGT SE. Great guitar. Now I want a Silversky SE and I have all I need.

@winniecarl 18 hours ago (edited)

PRS are fantastic instruments, but their design aesthetic is polarising: scale length and versatility, with incredible quality control; SEs are such a great 'bang for the buck'. I would be interested in your thoughts on Yamaha guitars; in my opinion, criminally underrated, their (Korean) manufactured models are insane value.

@TimKaufman-u7q 23 hours ago (edited)

I was looking for the vintage PAF sound, so was choosing between the DGT and McCarty 594. I wanted to have the 25 inch scale, but prefer hardtail mostly. A 5 year old S2 singlecut 594 deal fell into my lap, so I have that now. I was never a Les Paul guy, but this fixes most of the LP ergonomic issues. I'm still getting used to it...that neck feels sooo short! While I play Teles a lot, I do have a 335, and never felt like it was super short.

@kalkun22 2 hours ago

Got fender american vintage II, a gibson les paul, both a 2012 traditional and custom shop r9 from 2018.
Bought the silver sky USA wild blue, and it just smoke the Fender both in play ability (the fender i had to send of to a guitar tech to get leveled, and nut cut)
The silver sky came perfect out of the bag. So i bought a PRS custom 24-08 core.. and again.. its just in another league then gibson and fender. Im shocked of how good these play and feel.

@limpeacock573 23 hours ago

I wasn't a fan of PRS when they first came out in 80's. The necks felt too wide for my hands. When Fender did their C & D debacle, I decided to give them a second look. I bought a SE Silver Sky and couldn't believe how good it was. I now have a Custom 24-08 and a Studio Standard. All three have their own unique voice that I love.

@timvandenberg9503 1 day ago

My favorite brand as somebody who wants the function without the price tag. I can buy an SE Silversky in additon to my beloved DGT SE for less than 2K USD. Between those two, I have everything Id ever need.

@landon.cunningham 1 day ago

I think I would just swap the volume knobs myself - and add the PRS SE locking tuners with the white tuning keys vs the chrome - that would look pretty classy. Sort of like the McCarty's have.

@kingfisher7603 13 hours ago

They came out in 1985. Where you been?

@314jrock 22 hours ago

4:24 Exactly. Soul comes from the player, not from the guitar.

@Macnee2 9 hours ago (edited)

My new SE PRS is admittedly put together well, beautiful fit and finish and the body and neck are lovely pieces of wood but action and intonation were clearly only roughed out. All the YouTube reviews plus customer service told me that the SEs go to Maryland for full setup and QA check. I bought mine in Adelaide.

@huanton2many 1 day ago

dots over birds 100% . that blue one looks great

@jimhall5393 22 hours ago

Hey Nick, if you remember I’ve got a goldtop DGT SE and I recently DE-GRISSOMED it! I now have a single master volume and two tones. MUCH better arrangement. I sold my USA core DGT because for me the SE was a more practical instrument without the recessed controls. Perhaps the best value and most versatile humbucker guitar on the market.

@TheRange-w1u 19 hours ago

Holy ^%# Nick, that thumbnail you look like Joe Bonamassa. I said OMG, JB is going PRS.....no way!!!!! LOL I only have a sample of one, an SE I bought about 6 years ago new from Sweetwater. It's one of the best made guitars I own and I have a over 5 dozen guitars. My issue is that it literally arrived DOA. It's the only guitar I've ever purchased that I plugged in and try as I might, I couldn't bond with it. I also swear, the thing has zero mojo....NONE. I know a simple pickup swap would work wonders, but I'm too lazy to do it. There's zero question about the insanely high quality of PRS guitars, even the SE's are just in a league of their own. One day, I'll get back to it...but for now I just play my mojo makers.

@Macnee2 9 hours ago (edited)

I do not agree about their quality or customer service. I bought two weeks ago, in Australia, a new PRS and out of the box there were issues. Their customer service, both the AI and the human, had no answer but for me to spend another $300 on a local luthier to fix it. They did not give a damn that it should have been at least generically set up given that all the reviews said they came with perfect relief, action and intonation from the factory.