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Fireguy8402 « A Less Expensive Step Down Version of the Real Deal PRS. »
Published on 11/19/11 at 13:50The Paul Reed Smith Santana SE is a dual humbucker double cutaway electric with a solid mahogany flat top body, with a body style similar to that of a Fender strat without the tummy cut. The neck is set-in mahogany with a rosewood fretboard and diagonal inlays. Electronically there are two passive PRS humbuckers wired to a three way switch (bridge, neck, and both) and a single volume and single tone knobs. A small pickguard protects the smooth finish from pick marks. The guitar is lightweight with a stop tailpiece (although a tremolo version is available) and has the typical PRS headstock with PRS non locking tuners.
UTILIZATION
The playability and set up of this guitar from the factory is top notch. The action on this guitar can be set very low without fret buzz and the neck seems very stable. The PRS tuners on this guitar hold tune very well and do not need to be upgraded. The guitar is very comfortable to wear and a joy to play. I like a little more weight to my guitars, but after wearing this for a few minutes I almost forget it’s there. Access to the upper frets is great, so soloing is a breeze. The guitar plays nicely up and down the wide-fat neck, chords do not feel cramped. Switches, jacks and hardware are all very nice and the wiring job is very neat. The pickups leave a little to be desired, they lack some clarity and are fairly low to medium output.
SOUNDS
This SE version does not sound like the real deal PRS that I used to own. It does sound and play great for a budget version though. The sound is typical of a PRS, in between a Strat and a LP, but this SE sounds a little thinner. Upgrading the pickups does help add some body to the tone, but the sustain and meat you get from a LP styled guitar with a thicker body can not be exactly replicated. Don’t get me wrong though, this guitar can sound great and really cuts through a dense mix if needed. With a pickup change to some medium output PAF style four wired pickups, a player could add a coil tap and cover anywhere from almost a LP tone to a Strat tone and everything in between.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall this is a very nice guitar with super playability. PRS really puts great effort into their quality control and every PRS guitar I’ve played was a treat in it’s own right. They come straight from the factory with a good setup and only need to be tweaked ever so slightly to match the player. This is not my main guitar, I like LPs, but it’s been my backup for several years now and I’ve played it with no problems other than some tarnish on the bridge. The sound of this guitar is very good, but the playability, style, and craftsmanship is just super. PRS knows what they are doing and even these foreign made guitars stand up to their name. I would suggest anyone looking for a PRS styled guitar to stay away from most of the copies and just get the little brother version of the real thing.
UTILIZATION
The playability and set up of this guitar from the factory is top notch. The action on this guitar can be set very low without fret buzz and the neck seems very stable. The PRS tuners on this guitar hold tune very well and do not need to be upgraded. The guitar is very comfortable to wear and a joy to play. I like a little more weight to my guitars, but after wearing this for a few minutes I almost forget it’s there. Access to the upper frets is great, so soloing is a breeze. The guitar plays nicely up and down the wide-fat neck, chords do not feel cramped. Switches, jacks and hardware are all very nice and the wiring job is very neat. The pickups leave a little to be desired, they lack some clarity and are fairly low to medium output.
SOUNDS
This SE version does not sound like the real deal PRS that I used to own. It does sound and play great for a budget version though. The sound is typical of a PRS, in between a Strat and a LP, but this SE sounds a little thinner. Upgrading the pickups does help add some body to the tone, but the sustain and meat you get from a LP styled guitar with a thicker body can not be exactly replicated. Don’t get me wrong though, this guitar can sound great and really cuts through a dense mix if needed. With a pickup change to some medium output PAF style four wired pickups, a player could add a coil tap and cover anywhere from almost a LP tone to a Strat tone and everything in between.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall this is a very nice guitar with super playability. PRS really puts great effort into their quality control and every PRS guitar I’ve played was a treat in it’s own right. They come straight from the factory with a good setup and only need to be tweaked ever so slightly to match the player. This is not my main guitar, I like LPs, but it’s been my backup for several years now and I’ve played it with no problems other than some tarnish on the bridge. The sound of this guitar is very good, but the playability, style, and craftsmanship is just super. PRS knows what they are doing and even these foreign made guitars stand up to their name. I would suggest anyone looking for a PRS styled guitar to stay away from most of the copies and just get the little brother version of the real thing.