Paul Reed Smith (PRS) Guitars for Jazz

[C.A.JO.]

Lately I've been thinking about buying a Paul Reed Smith (PRS) guitar.

I only heard good things about them. Nice craft, good feel but most of all, good sound.

My concern is how they are suited for jazz. I like a thick but not muddy sound....

Does any of you have any experience with these guitars regarding to jazz music?

[hutch82]

I'm using a PRS SE Custom Semi Hollow that has amazed me how versatile it is for the money and has me coveting a full on PRS Hollowbody but aside from selling a bodypart is out of reach for the time being....it's the neck on my guitar that has impressed me most blows away any mid priced plank on the market.I suppose it's more of a fusiony tool than a full on box but I aspire more to LC than JP ...recommended!

[derek]

I have owned 4, 2 Custom 22's for rock/pop, a Hollowbody I, and their discountinued Archtop. First, I would say they are made exceptionally well, and are absolutely beautiful guitars. The playability is superb. I sold the Custom 22s because I wasn't able to achieve the tones I was looking for, but no fault to them.

I bought the Hollowbody I (maple top, mahogany back & sides) to be an all purpose guitar, and it was very good at that. I gave it to my guitar instructor, who uses it for everything from pop, rock, blues, r&b, to jazz.

I bought the Archtop for the same versatility. Imo, it is the best guitar PRS has ever made. They discontinued it after 2004, and I got one of the last ones. The only thing I didn't like about it is the neck pup is a bit hot for my tastes, so I dropped a Gibson 57 Classic in the neck. My teacher replaced the pups in the Hollowbody for the same reason.

I prefer my ES175 for solo jazz stuff, but enjoy playing the PRS for ensemble stuff. Great guitar. For similar tonal range, build quality, playability, but lower price, I would look at the new Carvin semi hollow body guitar. The PRS Hollowbody and Archtop are not true hollows, as they have a sound post connecting the top and back, providing a peice of wood to sink the screws for the stop tail peice they each feature.

[jlc]

I have been playing a PRS spruce top since '02, it has Mc carty (sp?) pups in it that measure 7.2 and 7.3, i think these particular pups are matched perfectly with this guitar, it is light, perfection in build and sounds wonderful. this is really the only guitar that i use for jazz with 10-46 strings on it, each guitar has its own geometry and feel, this one is easy to play, sounds great for jazz as well and has no feedback issues, try one if you can find one in a music store, the light weight, tone and playability will probably impress you.

peace

[mr. beaumont]

they're beautiful, well made, and for some reason, do absolutely nothing for me.

but you can play jazz on anything, man.

[C.A.JO.]

Yeah, the real tone comes from the fingers. It's amazing, my guitar teacher is 67 years old and a former pro guitarist... you know, I came with my telecaster and when he played it.... out came the most smooth jazz sound:-) I never managed to get a sound like that from it. Used to a more thin and aggressive sound.... so I agree. It's mostly the player, not the instrument. But thanks everyone for contributing with your experiences.

[harm.on.x]

....it's the neck on my guitar that has impressed me most blows away any mid priced plank on the market.I suppose it's more of a fusiony tool than a full on box but I aspire more to LC than JP

This is one of the reasons I bought a second hand solidbody McCarty. It has a fat-wide neck (chunkier than the standard PRS models). Scale length is 25". 22 frets instead of the 24 of the standard models and coil split for whoever needs it. I love the tone and playability of the guitar. Mine came a bit roughened up which wasn't a bad thing since it gave me the opportunity to bring the price where I wanted. It also proved to me that the guitar can take a beating and apart from cosmetic issues retain full function and playability. I set it up with 11's, tweaked the truss rod just a bit and haven't played anything else since.

A few things could use some improvement. I would take better tuners over the vintage style ones (although I never experienced tuning instability) and the hardware turnishes easily. They come with two types of bridges. One which allows individual string adjustment and one which doesn't. I have the latter. No problems here for me but if you would like to use flatwounds or string gauge above 11, I could see needing the fully adjustable type.

I play/own solibody guitars only. For me a good tele-type guitar or this McCarty have most of the things I love and very little I hate.

[Steve Cat]

I am interested in a PRS but it has to have a trem. I like the sound of the P-90 soapbars but love the PRS trem. I have tried Bigsbys on other guitars and they don't seem as easy just to get that subtle vibrato I afer, They should a red soapbar on the prs site with a Bigsby. Also on you tube the Paul Allender model and the bridge pickup sounds nice cleam, but I can't quite get by the signator's music. Anythoughts?

[peacebone]

I play one of these^, and I haven't run out of good things to say about it.

I get constant comments about the jazz tone (and look) of this thing. There's a great sweet spot on the tone knob where you have a perfect balance of darkness and clarity. (Solidbody guitars often sound muddy when the tone knob is rolled back)

Plus, there's a coil tap, which is useful for comping. (I like to split the coil and use hybrid picking).

I've owned this PRS for a year so far, and it hasn't let me down.

[fep]

You might want to give Ibanez's PRS type model a test drive, you might like it... if you like it as much you could save yourself quite a bit. I live near Carvin so I did compare the Ibanez Prestige (it comes stock with Seymour duncan pups) to the similar carvin models. I choose the Ibanez.

[Abaddon2005]

i'd say this a pretty good endorsement on whether they're able to play jazz:

i've tried a few out and personally prefer a les paul, although they're pretty much different beasts.

[bkdavidson]

I have owned a PRS Custom 24 for over 8 years, which is the longest I've ever owned a guitar by far (been playing about 15). I love it. It can do anything, and do it well. It is built like a tank. As far as I'm concerned, believe the hype.

[gravelrocks]

Has anyone tried a PRS JA-15? There's not much online about them and I'm dying to hear some opinions, as they look sweet.

[kambor]

Already seen these videos?

[Steve Z]

I briefly play one unplugged back in February at a guitar show and I have to say that I was not all that impressed. I only played it for a few minutes acoustically just trying to get a feel of the neck and body. What really stood out is that the body is much larger than I would have had thought it would be... almost too large for a thin-body guitar for my taste. Also, the neck was to "PRS-like" for my preference... thin and the back of the neck finish seemed rather sticky if that makes sense... not a smooth relaxed feel like many archtops. Who knows, maybe the guy before me had just eaten a jelly sandwich . The finish felt thick, though I have no idea what the finish was or how thick it was... it just felt that way to me.

Cheers,
Steve

[Jazzpunk]

This is the JA 15 (15" lower bout):

[george4th]

I own a SC-j and maybe I got a special one, but all of my Jazz friends are extremely envious, I did get sonny landreth's guitar tech to set it up perfectly, but it along side my C P Thornton Jazz Elite is tonal bliss, both took minor tweaking but they are both magnificent guitars. I am a archtop freak, own near 200 and those two are my go to guitars, IMHO.
G

[Jake Hanlon]

yeah I think that PRS probably makes the best Guitars right now in terms of offering a really well made guitar that all sound great, play great and look great when you're talking about the larger company guitar builders out there.

But they aren't for me, I've tried a half dozen out over the last 6 years and always thought, 'great job... not for me' which had nothing to do with anything other then it didn't give me that feeling I get playing the guitar(s) I have all end up buying, and that being said compared to most people I know I don't pull the trigger on guitar purchases often.

I don't know how they do cost wise these days but back around 2000, 2001 they were going for 4 or 5 grand for the higher end models easy, this is another turn off as I don't think guitars should cost that much unless they're boutique guitars and even then you have to be talking a seriously well made instrument.

[Loobs]

I can't get into PRS. To me they have 0 vibe. Sure they're nicely made, but they sound pretty nondescript to me. In fact the Custom 22 I owned for a very short while sounded and felt dead. I'm not just saying that. I must've got a bad one because all the others I've played have been well made. I just think they have nothing exciting about them at all.

[uburoibob]

I tried PRS on and off over the years. And they weren't for me until recently. Since 2008, they have been on a roll. Tons of vibe, great sound and the wonderful fit, finish and playability everyone talks about. I have a 2008 Hollowbody 1 single cutaway with maple top and mahogany back and sides that is my go to guitar for electric jazz stuff. I also have a Paul's Dirty 100 which is the best solid body guitar I have ever owned. And I have a KL33, which is the Santana body style (but I have swapped the pickups out for PRS 57/08s).

If you are out auditioning guitars, pay special attention to the ones made 2008 or later.

Bob

[Revelation]

Are the PRS jazz guitars chambered or semi hollow body?

[uburoibob]

They don't make a "jazz" guitar per se. They make a Hollowbody which is hollow except for a post under the bridge that joins the back to the top. This helps control feedback and is exceptional for transmitting the vibrations of the guitar right into the strings. They also make the JA-15 which they say was designed with the jazz musician in mind. It's a bigger body overall except for the depth, which is about the same depth as a regular Hollowbody. It's also one of the most expensive production models they make. I say if you can find yourself a used 2008-2010 Hollowbody 1, you'd probably be very, very happy.

Bob

[woyvel]

I'm using a PRS SE Custom Semi Hollow that has amazed me how versatile it is for the money and has me coveting a full on PRS Hollowbody but aside from selling a bodypart is out of reach for the time being....it's the neck on my guitar that has impressed me most blows away any mid priced plank on the market.I suppose it's more of a fusiony tool than a full on box but I aspire more to LC than JP ......recommended

H

I can't agree more. I just bought one. I played a Joe Pass, an Emperor, and a Sheraton at the same shop and the PRS won out. It simply played like a dream and it's very light weight. It isn't capable of getting the warm jazz tones of the other 3, but it is very versatile.

PRS doesn't suggest a wound 3rd string on their bridges, so it might be one thing to think about if you're accustomed to playing with heavy strings. I'm going to try a set of super light flats on mine with a plain 3rd soon. You may not find them at your local stores (I can't) as I have to order a set online.

[Revelation]

Though I love PRS guitars and really would love one of their jazz guitars, they are out of my reach. I just ordered a Carvin SH 575 after trying one out for a week. They are over $1,000 less than the PRS. They are also very sweet guitars. I would not say it's better or worse than the PRS, just a little different. Quality seems to be on par with each other.

[Makani]

I have a PRS archtop called the PRS Archtop II (McCarthy) which was made from 1998 to 2001. It actually has a depth at the bridge of about 4 inches but the guitar is relatively small with a bout of 14 inches. I peronally like the guitar from the standpoint of playabiity ...its very comfortable and the neck is very easy to play as well. The guitar does not have an acoustic "woody" sound like my other archtops. It has a smooth sound that resembles a ES-335. It can play jazz, blues or rock and is very versitile.