PRS Custom 22

The Paul Reed Smith Custom 22 Ten-Top is one of PRS's flagship guitars from the 1990's. It features a mahogany body with a carved figured maple top, twenty-two frets, a twenty five inch scale, and Mahogany neck with a Rosewood fretboard. Made in the USA, and solid everywhere. It features the HFS pickup in the neck/treble position, and the Vintage Bass pickup in the bridge/bass position. It has a 5-way blade switch and a tone and volume knob.

UTILIZATION

The guitar is an absolute dream to play. Every aspect of it is so perfect and so well thought out and planned for. It sounds and feels just incredible. Very sweet and quick action, awesome tones and really easy to get lost in. Really comfortable to stand or sit. Well dressed frets, comfortable bridge design, and nice shape. Really tempting to just sit and play it all day long.

SOUNDS

The Custom 22 absolutely sings no matter what you ask it to do. It can go from chunky bass tones to twangier treble tones and all kinds of places in between. It gets heavy too, and sounds great on hot lead tones. I even played extreme drone metal with it! Also sounds great at my local jazz club through an old Fender Twin Reverb. Really responsive to the effects and amps you use on it, and a very unique sound.

OVERALL OPINION

Overall I am blessed by having this guitar in my life. I got a GREAT deal on it, and I'll never give it up! It's basically my dream guitar, but then again so is everything PRS makes. If this were stolen I would track down that thief and do unspeakable things to him! This guitar is a must have everywhere and there are days where I barely even put it down.

This guitar was purchased in Leesburg Virginia at Melodee Music. I paid about 2300.00 for this beauty. It was worth the wait!

Fantastic ACTION! Beautiful artist package with black leather case. Birds add that PRS touch. The pickups are great, from the clean sounds to raw, it performs.

A little pricy, but well worth it. I look at it as an investment.

Artist maple top, better that AAA or Quilt.Rosewood frets with famous birds. Quality is perfect in every way.

I own or have owned a lot of guitars in my time. This guitar was worth the 3 month wait. Strait out of the case, it played effortlessly. PRS really does take the time to set them up, and test them. The only guitar I have not had to set up before I played it. Pickups are superior to any guitar I own.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased the guitar from Professional Music Technology in Birmingham, UK. I paid £3,000 for the instrument, which was a competitive price, as the recommended UK retail price is around £4,400. As for why, I have always wanted a PRS and seeing and playing my example, it was love at first sight.

Just about everything. I have been playing guitar for most of my 40 years of life and also have a Les Paul Standard, US Deluxe Stratocaster (my fourth Strat)and a Martin 00028. Putting the accoustic to one side, this guitar comfortably surpasses all the electrics I have owned so far. I can best describe it as having the soulful sweetness of the Les Paul, whilst careful experimentation with the controls will yield a nice strat-type attack-based sound. It's also as easy to handle as - and actually lighter than - the Fender.

In complete honesty - nothing at all.

Quality and attention to detail is one of PRS's selling points. Everything, the quality of materials, the finish, hardware and set up itself raises the bar far beyond what would reasonably be expected of high end guitar builders. It's very clear that much thought has gone into the design and build of this guitar. My particular example has the Artist pack and is finished in dark cherry quilt, with pau bird inlays and looks simply stunning. I initially thought of going for a conventional (i.e., non-Artist) Custom, but I'm very pleased I went the whole hog. My advice to anyone with a similar dilemma, assuming expense is not an issue, is simply to go for it - you'll be getting a unique instrument which cannot be replicated and is likely to hold it's value well. Besides, the extras, which includes gold hardware, Pau bird inlays & headstock insignia (which under certain types of stage lighting, look as though they are back-lit!!), 10-top and a very smart black leather case (unique to the Artist) are all well worth the extra outlay.

Whilst I am thoroughlly pleased with my guitar, the Custom 22 isn't for every style. Whereas the 22 is sweet, melow and very Les Paul orientated, the 24 on the other hand is very agressive, with an entirely different personality - a shredders dream. The best idea is to try one. Also, be aware that the neck profiles are very different, which itself has implications for the tonal characteristics. Mine is of the 'wide-fat' variety, most consistent with this sweet, bluesy tone.

I also want to add some comments about PRS themselves. I researched my purchase thoroughlly and actually consulted PRS for advice. They were very friendly and astonishingly honest and asked me to let them know which model I eventually decided upon. I did and a few days later, in the post, was a parcel with PRS's name stamp on the front, which contained a friendly letter thanking me for my interest, enclosing a backplate signed by the man himself!! That will be worth something in years to come. In the meantime, it is nice to know that they not only care about their instruments, but also the people that play them as well.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I acquired this guitar at a Guitar Center in Villa Park, IL. The store was selling it for $1964, but since i bought two i payed $1464 for this one, and $2120 for the other, because it had bird inlays and and a flame top.

By far the best thing about this instrument, and the factor that grabbed me, was the beautiful action and ease of playing. Licks that i could only sort of play my Strat or Les Paul came out flawlessly on the PRS' fingerboard. It is also a beautifully made instrument, and is a work of art in itself. The Dragon II pickups are produce red-hot distortion, and distinctively smooth and full clean tones.

The only trouble with this instrument, is I don't believe the pickups produce enough twang for some styles of music, and it doesnt sound as good in low gain settings that are ideal for blues playing.

This instrument is constructed flawlessly. It is beautiful to look at, and it feels very solid in your hands. The weight is perfect. It will only sound better with age, and will last a lifetime. The only problem I had was one of the screws that held the bass pickup to the plastic docking piece came loose soon i after i purchased the guitar. However, I tightened it, and have had no problems since.

Overall one of the best guitars available. While versatile in it's own right, it is perhaps best suited for rock playing, leaving the jazz to a softer sounding intrument, and the blues to a twangier instrument. I would consider this guitar the best middle-ground instrument available.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com