One piece bodies?

[Daniel Elam]

Do all USA PRS have one piece bodies? I bought a CE24 and it looks like one piece. Just curious.

 

[Jazzedout]

If you mean the core USA PRS, I believe most are one piece mahogany body with 2 piece maple tops. Swamp ash bodies are 2 or 3 piece.

 

[Tone-y]

My sample of one guitar has a one piece back

 

[veinbuster]

All of mine have one piece backs.

 

[FunkyFreeman]

As far as I have been seeing US-made PRS guitars, from S2 to PS that come with mahogany wood for bodies, are all 1 single piece back. PRS keeps doing this without informing in their website and I don’t know why.

I’m not sure PRS could keep this tradition forever as the wood sources become scarcer and costs get higher every year. While most competitors have been using multi-piece body wood for decades.

 

[bodia]

If you mean the core USA PRS, I believe most are one piece mahogany body with 2 piece maple tops. Swamp ash bodies are 2 or 3 piece.

Yep, this.

 

[21Hemispheres12]

Anyone know why swamp ash and korina are 3 piece bodies? I’m assuming it has something to do with a more limited source for those woods.

 

[garrettb]

Anyone know why swamp ash and korina are 3 piece bodies? I’m assuming it has something to do with a more limited source for those woods.

For ash, it comes down to the size of the trees. They don't grow nearly as big around as mahogany, so it's rare to get trees big enough to make wide enough boards.

For Korina (Gibson's made-up name for Limba) it's because it only uses specific parts of the tree. Limba grows quite big, but Korina (a.k.a White Limba) is only the parts that have a uniform, light appearance. It's rare for those portions to be wide enough for a guitar body. Black Limba (same exact thing, just darker color) is a little easier for 1-2 piece bodies because people will accept a wider variation in color and figure.

 

[tdarian]

I have a 2008 Korina McCarty that has a one piece body. The majority of them were 2 or 3 pieces.

 

[dmatthews]

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Book-matched top?!