PRS SE Soapbar I - Long term review

[Oscar67]

Around 2008 I was looking for a nice guitar with P90s. This was long before I got into jazz, btw. I went to a shop to check out both a Gibson SG Special and a Les Paul Special. The ear is subjective so I always A/B against something else. After much rummaging in the back, the shop owner came out with the only other P90 guitar he had at that moment: a dusty new old stock PRS Soapbar SE I. I compared it to the US-made Gibsons and it blew them straight out of the water in every aspect (Gibson now is much better than Gibson was around 2008). I bought it on the spot for €360. Best deal ever,



The serial number indicates that this is guitar was made in 2004, about four years after the start of the SE range. It’s light-weight, all-mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard and 25” scale length. Although the finish obscures the wood, I’m pretty sure it’s not a one-piece body, nor a one-piece neck. The neck profile is unusual in the sense that I’ve never seen another PRS with a similar neck, including other SE Soapbars. It’s a big, fat neck with a pronounced, rounded V shape and I’m sure it contributes to this guitar’s big, fat tone. Definitely not a shredder’s neck profile, but the sustain easily equals my core-line PRS guitars and feeling the guitar resonate against the body is addictive. This thing is alive.

The finish is a thick, synthetic affair that I’d shy away from if this guitar didn’t sound as good as it does. The colour is interesting: totally black in low-light situations yet a burgundy kind of sunburst in direct light. A nice touch is the matching headstock.





This guitar is like the rock of Gibraltar: it’s very stable, meaning excellent tuning stability, excellent intonation and resistance against weather changes. The stop tailpiece is meant for a plain G, so you’ll have to change it if you need a wound G. The guitar is very comfortable to play standing up and sitting down due to its dimensions, shape and light weight. The tuners are super-smooth with large pegs and I actually prefer these over most core-line tuners. The controls are not low-friction but work well and have a nice, usable sweep and treble is maintained when rolling back the volume, which cleans up the tone really well. The fretwork was decent but not to my personal standards, so I had them levelled and crowned by an expert and it’s played like a dream ever since.

The P90s are ballsy, with more output than the typical PAF. They have the gritty midrange complexity and top-end chime characteristic of these pickups and they’re awesome for blues, rock and pop. The dual-pickup setting is a thing of beauty: airy, articulate and with lots of snap. For jazz purposes, the neck pickup can be a little dark depending on amp settings but it excels at Kenny Burrell-like tones with just a little bit of hair on it.

I’ve been playing mine a lot since I got it and it will always stay with me. When there were kids to raise, this was my only guitar and I felt fortunate to have it, Still do.

This model was followed by the Soapbar II and both the I and II have been out of production for a long time. They can be found used, usually for very little money. I doubt that anyone who snags one and pays some more for a really good setup will be disappointed.

[Herbie]

Thanks for the thorough review! I have always wondered how these play and sound. They look so minimalistic, no-nonsense guitars that fascinates my imagination. They have all I like in an electric solid body guitar: LP shape and P90 pickups. (Except the headstock… but I guess one would get used to it!) The description of these P90s sounds interesting too. Hmm!

[Oscar67]

There’s a recent vid around of a 2004 Soapbar (like mine):

And this is an older vid but quite nice:

[Herbie]

There’s a recent vid around of a 2004 Soapbar (like mine):

And this is an older vid but quite nice:

Thanks, very informative!

That Greg really has the tone in his fingers, all his guitar demos sound great!

[Oscar67]

I could get a good deal on a set of Lollar P90s and put them in. Guess what? I can’t say they sound better than the stock soapbars. The Lollars sound great but the stock pickups give me about 95% of that. But the Lollars are noisier and not hum-cancelling in the middle position. I’ll probably put the old ones back in and sell the Lollars.

[BGood]

The neck pickup sounds clear and very defined on mine. You need to lower it as low as it will go. Remove and\or move anything under it that would prevent going low. Middle position tone has much to gain by doing this. I love everything about that guitar.

Yes, I moved the toggle switch to the volume pot hole.

[Greywolf]

The SE soapies are nice , I'd love to add a baritone


I have 3 Core soapbars from PRS , 2 McCarty's and a CU 22 Triple. They are among my very favorites my knaggs Kenai has Lollars and is a gem

my Artinger Concept has sublime soapies too