I suppose I should tell you fine folks a bit about myself first.... I'm Jared Whitman, guitarist for Meliora (a fledgling modern rock band), and formerly the touring lead guitarist for an artist that tours North America and the UK. I received the amazing opportunity to partake in the launch of the Semi Hollow S2 guitars via my work with that artist and Rich Hannon's gracious nature! So after a number of weeks spent rehearsing with, beating the snot out of on stage and frankly, falling in love with a beautiful S2 Custom 22 Semi Hollow in BCB; I bring you my detailed thoughts regarding her (yes.....HER) and a few photos to boot. They'll be at the end of this post, after the write up.
"So I was recently granted the opportunity to play a new guitar by PRS Guitars prior to its release to the public. I've had a few weeks to really put it through the gamut of what I do and I wanted to take a few moments to discuss my feelings and observations for those interested in the new Semi Hollow PRS line of S2s.
The guitar in question is a PRS S2 Custom 22 Semi Hollow in Blue Crab Blue Smokeburst. As expected, the fit and finish is top notch. PRS used their prior finish mix from the pre-2011 core line, which is a glassy poly based finish that is high luster and finely buffed to a sheen. Those of you accustomed to "dipped in glass" PRS finishes will feel right at home, as it feels and looks just like my older core line guitars. The beveled top is a smooth transition from the sides of the body onto the top, which was a relief for me. I'm a carved top fool and was concerned about the feel of the flat top with a bevel in comparison to my other guitars.
The neck shape is pattern regular, a little smaller than my "wide-fat" Custom 22s, but familiar and comfortable. It's definitely not a wide thin, nor would I want it to be personally, but don't think baseball bat. Think refined and "in the middle" of big and small. Most players should be able to get along with this size and shape without much fuss. The fret dressing is top notch with no issues or inconsistency to be found through out. Bending is smooth throughout and the frets are crowned beautifully.
Moving beyond the neck, the tremolo system is similar in design to the core line and operates in the same fashion. I've always been a huge fan of this particular tremolo, as it allows a little bit of float without the nightmare of a locking nut style system. The arm is slipped into a plastic bushing with adjustable tension via a set screw and the whole system is stable and functional out of the box.
Now, the sound. The Custom 22 Semi Hollow comes equipped with PRS #7 pickups, three way blade and a single volume/push-pull tone arrangement. I find this basic arrangement to be my personal favorite, as I'm an "wide open controls" kind of player. It's easy and intuitive to get where I want to go, with the occasional pop of the push-pull for flavor. I find that this particular guitar takes the classic neck tones and gnarly bridge tones of the typical Custom 22 and adds more bass response, rounds the highs for a glassy top end while maintaining the signature vocal mid range of the original guitar. No sustain was lost in the creation of this monster either. It rings for days and while a bit more feedback is present in the semi hollow vs. it's solid cousin, It's very controllable and musical in nature. I find myself tinkering with the cusp of feedback quite a bit when soloing on this guitar.
To sum it up, I play everything from clean bluesy and alternative styles to modern hard rock and metal and I find the tones with ease in this guitar. It's very quickly become my main stage guitar for Meliora's primary tuning, as well as a go to for writing and jamming around the house for everything else."
A heads up front shot!
On stage, being the monster she is!
If you guys and gals want more shots, just ask and I'll happily have a little photo shoot with it with any requested angles and close ups you might want.
"So I was recently granted the opportunity to play a new guitar by PRS Guitars prior to its release to the public. I've had a few weeks to really put it through the gamut of what I do and I wanted to take a few moments to discuss my feelings and observations for those interested in the new Semi Hollow PRS line of S2s.
The guitar in question is a PRS S2 Custom 22 Semi Hollow in Blue Crab Blue Smokeburst. As expected, the fit and finish is top notch. PRS used their prior finish mix from the pre-2011 core line, which is a glassy poly based finish that is high luster and finely buffed to a sheen. Those of you accustomed to "dipped in glass" PRS finishes will feel right at home, as it feels and looks just like my older core line guitars. The beveled top is a smooth transition from the sides of the body onto the top, which was a relief for me. I'm a carved top fool and was concerned about the feel of the flat top with a bevel in comparison to my other guitars.
The neck shape is pattern regular, a little smaller than my "wide-fat" Custom 22s, but familiar and comfortable. It's definitely not a wide thin, nor would I want it to be personally, but don't think baseball bat. Think refined and "in the middle" of big and small. Most players should be able to get along with this size and shape without much fuss. The fret dressing is top notch with no issues or inconsistency to be found through out. Bending is smooth throughout and the frets are crowned beautifully.
Moving beyond the neck, the tremolo system is similar in design to the core line and operates in the same fashion. I've always been a huge fan of this particular tremolo, as it allows a little bit of float without the nightmare of a locking nut style system. The arm is slipped into a plastic bushing with adjustable tension via a set screw and the whole system is stable and functional out of the box.
Now, the sound. The Custom 22 Semi Hollow comes equipped with PRS #7 pickups, three way blade and a single volume/push-pull tone arrangement. I find this basic arrangement to be my personal favorite, as I'm an "wide open controls" kind of player. It's easy and intuitive to get where I want to go, with the occasional pop of the push-pull for flavor. I find that this particular guitar takes the classic neck tones and gnarly bridge tones of the typical Custom 22 and adds more bass response, rounds the highs for a glassy top end while maintaining the signature vocal mid range of the original guitar. No sustain was lost in the creation of this monster either. It rings for days and while a bit more feedback is present in the semi hollow vs. it's solid cousin, It's very controllable and musical in nature. I find myself tinkering with the cusp of feedback quite a bit when soloing on this guitar.
To sum it up, I play everything from clean bluesy and alternative styles to modern hard rock and metal and I find the tones with ease in this guitar. It's very quickly become my main stage guitar for Meliora's primary tuning, as well as a go to for writing and jamming around the house for everything else."
A heads up front shot!
On stage, being the monster she is!
If you guys and gals want more shots, just ask and I'll happily have a little photo shoot with it with any requested angles and close ups you might want.
