Most strat sounding PRS - any 513 owners?

[prsprs]

Hi Everyone,

I currently have the following guitars in my stable:

-Custom 22
-Custom 24
-LPC 57 Reissue

AND
I am looking to add another guitar to it, a one that can effectively cover the single coil (strat sounding) territory.

I have thought about getting a strat for the first time in my life but I just love the look and the feel of PRS guitars too much that I want to get another PRS! :laugh:

To all the current/past 513 owners, what are your thoughts on this idea? 513 can do the strat?

I have checked out couple of 513 demo videos on youtube and it seems like 513 can do it pretty well but I won't know for sure until I play one in person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hflf2Y5VSOc

Thanks :hello:

 

[Maertl513]

Yeah, but the dude isn´t familiar with the switches and their certain voicings.

Using my more than 3 years experience with a PRS 513 I wouldn´t say that a 513 can DO the strat for a hundred percent.
Voicings depend on the type and settings of the amp and gear aswell.
But a 513 is capable to get near to a strat (and tele) SC sound (positions 2 and 4) (in clean and crunch settings) if you slightly reduce the guitar´s volume.

 

[Dancing Frog]

The Brent Mason is probably the closest of the current in production guitars to a strat.

The one that sounded most like a strat would be the DC3 which had a 25.5 inch scale bolted on maple neck and fretboard on an alder body with a steel trem with 513 type singlecoils.

After that, there would be a few 305 prototypes which had a 25.5 in scale maple neck and fretboard on an alder body. Those were strat killers. A strat with the balls of a tele.

Then comes the 513's which all have the strat like coo, but only some have the brightness and junk. The junk is the characteristic attack sound of strat that sounds like it has a touch of rattling washers. The most strat like that I have is a Private Stock 515 with a maple neck and a brazzy fretboard, it has the brightness with more warmth. It's even brighter than the 513 Swamp Ash which has almost strat like brightness, but a lot of twang. After that is a 513 with a maple neck and fret board which is more like a regular 513 with more top end. All these have varying degrees of the kind of junk you get when you play a strat. The 513, 513 Standard, and 513 Rosewood don't really have the junk.

 

[Maertl513]

Dancing Frog is the real 513 expert.

Mine is a 513 MT with a electronics mod.

It would be a nice try PRS manufactures a 513 according to a average strat specs (full alder body, maple neck, maple fretboar). What are the differences?
What is in fact part of the wood and construction, what is impact of electronics, settings of the guitar?

 

[Dancing Frog]

Differences. Vintage strat singlecoils have a DC resistance about half the 513 singlecoils, so rolling down the volume on 513's gets you closer. The 305 Prototypes with the tapped singlecoils had resistances which were similar when tapped. So there's that. The wood brings the brightness and warmth. The steel trem block in a strat versus the 513's brass one adds to the brightness. The Strat has a .25 inch longer scale length which gives it more clarity if what I've read is correct. Then, there is the big one, the neck joint. The 513 is as stiff as a singlecut in only part of the space of a normal joint. Because it's stiffer, the neck and body are more coupled together than a strat, so it filters out frequencies differently. And, there is also the fact that the body of a 513 is deeper which gives it more bottom end.

 

[HANGAR18]

I would favor the Studio model (no longer in production which has a NF/NF/HB pickup arrangement) or a NF3 if you also like the physical shape of a Stratocaster.

 

[Whitecat]

The NF3 nailed the "in-between" sounds of a Strat, but didn't really do the single-pickup sounds that closely.

 

[HANGAR18]

The NF3 nailed the "in-between" sounds of a Strat, but didn't really do the single-pickup sounds that closely.

For what it's worth, the full size humbucker in the bridge position of the Studio model gets cut in half with the push/pull knob it's connected to in order to get at least one single coil sound out of the guitar.

 

[prsprs]

is it still possible to order a dc3 from a dealer?

 

[drdoom8793]

The NF3 nailed the "in-between" sounds of a Strat, but didn't really do the single-pickup sounds that closely.

I just put a CE22 with a 5 way rotary on layaway. It got really close to some of these "in-between" Strat sounds on some of the pup position. The ability to switch from that to the true humbucker sound is really what sold it for me (other than just being a fantastic guitar).

 

[HANGAR18]

is it still possible to order a dc3 from a dealer?

You may find dealers who still have some in stock. What we call New Old Stock. If you have trouble finding a dealer with one, let me know and I can recommend a couple of places to try via PM.

 

[CVS]

Have you looked at a PRS 513? One other thing to think about if you finger pick - spacing between strings. Strats & Teles may be more forgiving than PRS's, depending on your finger picking style, as there is more space between each string by the bridge. I have both an NF3 and a Strat and I like both guitars a lot, but they are different. To me an NF 3 tone wise sits right in between a Fender & a Gibson and can cover a lot of musical territory. Depending on how you set you amp tone and volume controls you can come close to either a Fender or a solid body Gibson with humbuckers.

In the end , if you really want a Strat sound, then you need to strongly consider getting one, even if it means sacrificing the quality you get with buying a PRS (which IMHO are the best guitars made today).

 

[ombasan]

In the end , if you really want a Strat sound, then you need to strongly consider getting one, even if it means sacrificing the quality you get with buying a PRS (which IMHO are the best guitars made today).

^ That is also my opinion. I have a Strat and a 513 and they are very different to play and in tone. And considering quality: I am super happy with my US Ultra Strat (which I bought in 1996) - I never had any issues.

 

[Ur2funky]

I've had 4 different wood combinations of 513's and the closest one to a Strat of mine is the one with a Brazilian neck. At least of the ones I've had. The swamp ash body would be second. I tried one with a Rosewood neck that was very muddy sounding, very little 'quack'.

Dancing Frog IS the 513 guru.

Another idea for a non-PRS would be a Nashville Tele, which is a 3 pickup Tele. It has the Strat and Tele tones in one. Plus it has the awesome Tele bridge tone, which the weakest link on a Strat.

If you Palm mute the high strings ala Al DiMeola, you'll hate the Strat's volume knob placement. The Tele doesn't have this issue.

If you do go Strat, you want vintage, low output pickups for maximum 'Stratiness'. Otherwise you might as well stick with the 513/305

 

[HANGAR18]

If you do decide to get a "real" Strat, you might want to try G&L instead of Fender. Like PRS, they too are ready to play right out of the box.

 

[hammeron]

I've had a 513 MT and 513 SA, and the combination of swamp ash body and rock maple neck lift the Swampy head and shoulders above the MT...in my opionion

 

[László]

For me the operative question is "Which Strat can do all the things a 513, 408 or Brent Mason PRS does?"

And the answer is, "None."

 

[django49]

If you do decide to get a "real" Strat, you might want to try G&L instead of Fender. Like PRS, they too are ready to play right out of the box.

Agreed. However, I just never (personally) gel with a "Strat". The 513 will work for me. End result, both my G&Ls (Legacy and Legacy Special) are for sale locally.

I DO want to test drive a Swamp Ash 513!

 

[dogrocketp]

I like Les` take on this whole thing.

 

[Texas_minor_blues]

I have been down this road quite a bit myself trying to find that elusive "PRS strat" tone. I continue to find myself in the situation that I just do not like the feel of Fender Strats (Fender anything to be honest) but the tone is awesome. My wife says they should have called the company Vender (since I end up selling the ones I purchase fairly quickly). I have done the 513 (have yet to find a swamp ash 513, but still looking) and they are awesome instruments to be sure just not quite there.
The Brent Mason is really nice as well, especially the private stock ones without the pickguard! I think we should just petition and plead with Paul to build a better strat lol