The Signature PRS Tone

[Greywolf]

I'm lucky to have several and as mentioned early , they all sound unique . I do like Pauls over all philosphy and it applies well to each model in my experience .. "I want the bottoms to sound bright and clear and the top to sound warm and sparkly "

 

[JasonE]

You bring up good points and I sincerely enjoy the conversation. My point on live music was where I can’t see the guitar as that’s a dead giveaway. The way I could best describe it is there’s a mid range hump in like a 594 that’s different from a les paul and different from turning on a tube screamer or punching up the mids on a Marshall. In a mix especially in digitally recorded media all of this nuance gets swallowed up. I spent a long afternoon playing different high end guitars when I decided on my first PRS. I had my drummer buddy, his girlfriend and my girlfriend with me. The ladies didn’t play music and weren’t involved in the industry. They could hear the difference between the PRS and the Gibson and the Ernie Ball. Would they have heard a difference between the silver sky and a 60s strat? Probably not. But I mean a prs Custom 24 plugged into a rectifier was a tone that defined a generation. Tremontis rock tone has dominated the genre for more than a decade. Santana is legendary. While all those tones are different I find to my ears that they’re a more mid focused and “clear” (audio balance) version of what they’re based off of (gibson les paul classic with 500t, custom 24 vs les paul, etc). I agree most people would have no idea what instrument is being used on a blind play through in a mix and you can alter your tone via other parts of your signal chain. And good points on the gain too, it masks the tone with saturation.

I would say that pickups and setup are very important in this discussion as well. I don't notice a mid hump with my PRS guitars compared to other big brands I own. In fact, I have a couple that I would say have more of a low mid range punch to them that some of my other guitars don't necessarily have. I could probably even the playing field by changing the setups on them to get them closer.

Don't get me wrong, I am a PRS fan boy. I just recently started admitting that, lol. I have a pretty decent number of guitars and I realized that over 40% of them are PRS core guitars. That is pretty telling.

I have been playing guitar for over 4 decades. I have been in many bands and played many gigs. I have played guitars from a number of manufacturers over the years. I got my first core PRS in 2006. I have been hooked on them ever since. I liked them before then but couldn't afford to get one until then. I honestly was not thrilled with the tone of that first PRS. It is a Custom 22 and I had kind of a love hate relationship with the pickups. In 2009 I had the PTC put a set of 57/08 pickups in it. They were pretty new at that time. It transformed the guitar into something I like very much.

I have also been doing setups on guitars for almost as long as I have been playing. I got very lucky as a kid and had someone that was really good at setups show me how to do it. My Dad bought me the equipment I needed to start doing that at that time. I know the importance of a setup and what I can make a guitar do. There are some guitars I will buy sight unseen because as long as there are no manufacturing defects I know what it will be capable of.

These are the experiences that tell me that I honestly believe that PRS guitars don't really have any sort of signature tone. I would actually categorize them as the opposite. I can make mine sound like what I want them to sound like. The guitar I played the most in the last band I was in is a Single Cut Hollow Body with Piezo. We were mostly a country band with some classic rock thrown in. I played every song on that guitar. It has 57/08 pickups in it. I can use the bridge pickup and move my hand back toward the bridge and I can get a convincing Tele bridge tone out of it, well, good enough for a live show. I do that on a clean channel with a light compressor on it and it works very well. I can get many tones out of that guitar and it as acoustic tones on tap too.

 

[Headset]

I would say that pickups and setup are very important in this discussion as well. I don't notice a mid hump with my PRS guitars compared to other big brands I own. In fact, I have a couple that I would say have more of a low mid range punch to them that some of my other guitars don't necessarily have. I could probably even the playing field by changing the setups on them to get them closer.

Don't get me wrong, I am a PRS fan boy. I just recently started admitting that, lol. I have a pretty decent number of guitars and I realized that over 40% of them are PRS core guitars. That is pretty telling.

I have been playing guitar for over 4 decades. I have been in many bands and played many gigs. I have played guitars from a number of manufacturers over the years. I got my first core PRS in 2006. I have been hooked on them ever since. I liked them before then but couldn't afford to get one until then. I honestly was not thrilled with the tone of that first PRS. It is a Custom 22 and I had kind of a love hate relationship with the pickups. In 2009 I had the PTC put a set of 57/08 pickups in it. They were pretty new at that time. It transformed the guitar into something I like very much.

I have also been doing setups on guitars for almost as long as I have been playing. I got very lucky as a kid and had someone that was really good at setups show me how to do it. My Dad bought me the equipment I needed to start doing that at that time. I know the importance of a setup and what I can make a guitar do. There are some guitars I will buy sight unseen because as long as there are no manufacturing defects I know what it will be capable of.

These are the experiences that tell me that I honestly believe that PRS guitars don't really have any sort of signature tone. I would actually categorize them as the opposite. I can make mine sound like what I want them to sound like. The guitar I played the most in the last band I was in is a Single Cut Hollow Body with Piezo. We were mostly a country band with some classic rock thrown in. I played every song on that guitar. It has 57/08 pickups in it. I can use the bridge pickup and move my hand back toward the bridge and I can get a convincing Tele bridge tone out of it, well, good enough for a live show. I do that on a clean channel with a light compressor on it and it works very well. I can get many tones out of that guitar and it as acoustic tones on tap too.

You have a long and cool history with music. I get the passion in your tone. PRS guitars are definitely versatile and setups certainly play into the sound of the instrument. I appreciate the thoughtful posts and agree that the 5708s are awesome

 

[JasonE]

You have a long and cool history with music. I get the passion in your tone. PRS guitars are definitely versatile and setups certainly play into the sound of the instrument. I appreciate the thoughtful posts and agree that the 5708s are awesome

I realized after I typed that reply that I have actually been playing for 5 decades this year. Wow, how time has flown. Man, I am old..

 

[CivoLee]

Personally, I think the idea that each guitar must have its own "signature tone" is kind of outdated. I don't want to sound like I'm playing a particular guitar to people; it invites gear judgements and takes the focus off the music.

 

[ViperDoc]

I was at Experience when they debuted the 594 live onstage, I could not believe my ears. I felt it in my chest, it was divine. It led out so hard, PRSh had a maverick moment there. Dave Grissom was onstage playing his DGT as well, and together they just f6cking launched into outer space, man. Just unbelievable.

The classic tones have long ago been minted. Meanwhile, PRS is able to make a single guitar that rivals any of those in build quality, sustain and playability, as well as honor many of those tone prints in a single axe with a simple change of the controls. Unless you're playing a 513, and then it's a Rubik's cube of a switch, but what the f7ck CAN't that thing do???? Seriously!

Perhaps the most famous PRS tone is thanks to Carlos Santana. Who sounds like him, with just his guitar and a cable into the front of a Mesa Boogie? NOBODY. That is as fresh and nude a rock tone as you'll find today, and it screams, it sings, it cries, it moans, it weeps, it bleeds, it f7cking prays to the skies above, and the classic makers can't do sh1t about it. They can only wish they could. Best damned guitar tone on Earth, man. PERIOD.

#BECAUSE594BITCHES!!!!

 

[SteveGlitch]

I think so....

I mean... I put new pickups in my Santana SE and even though they are Peter Frampton pups, I can still hear Santana's vibe shining through more. I think the body shape, neck, string sitting and everything else play a role into giving PRS guitars a signature thing. This really isn't any different from Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Ibanez, etc. No matter the pickups you use, you'll still get the vibe of the brand. Perhaps more/most importantly is what's unseen- what's under the hood?

The wiring can play a big role and PRS seems to have some pretty complex and character laden wiring. Of course having a decent amp helps your ears separate brands as well too.

 

[firefunkrevival]

The recent PRS hate threads had me thinking...

Is there even such a thing?
Can your mind's ear hear it?
Can you identify one in the mix?

For some reason, my mind's ear always goes back to Jen Turner(Natalie Merchant-Tigerlilly).

I'm not throwing shade on PRS at all; I am most definitely a fan.

I think most haters are traditionalists; they are used to, what their used to. They hate on what they can't pigeonhole.
With me, I've always strived for and admired things people cannot pigeonhole.

This isn't meant as another PRS hate thread...
More of a, 'what does the PRS tone mean/sound like to you' kind of thing.

Thoughts?

I’ll say this, I’ve played primarily fender for a long time. I’ve avoided Gibson for different reasons, mainly the feel and weight. There are a few pups I like from Gibson, mainly the ones that give you that Derek trucks feels. I also enjoy a good set of p90s and have them in an epi Les Paul that sounds and plays better than most Gibsons I have played. That being said, when I played a PRS about 2-3 weeks ago, I was blown away by the tone of the 58/15 LT pick ups. The ease of the set up, the way the notes rang instead of muddied up, I think it has a tone that appeals to someone who appreciates the sound of fender but likes a little bit of the Gibson sound while sounding like neither entirely. PRS was not even an option until I played that a few weeks ago. Now I just got a message and it’s out for delivery today and I’m sitting in my house waiting for it’s final descent into my jam room… and as @dmatthews quoted petty, “the waiting is the hardest part.”

 

[Aahzz]

I agree to a certain extent; so, just change guitars in the "chain".

Does a Strat not have a idealized signature sound? A Les Paul? A Tele? No matter the chain...?

What is the idealized 'tone' of a PRS?

The inability to describe it, is what I'm getting at, in a way. The haters want homogeneous...

Which PRS? There have been so many models over the nearkly 40 years they've been in business, why try to boil down to one signature tone for the entire brand? With GIbson, you have SG tone, Les Paul tone, 335 tone...Fender has Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster, and so on. I never understand why I've seen so many people (not just you, OP ) try and define the tone of the entire brand.

My favorite PRS is the Vela. It doesn't sound like a Custom 24, which doesn't sound like a McCarty 594, etc. It sounds like a Vela - bright but not harsh, superb definition in chords, chimey to twangy depending on where you pick and the rest of your chain. It's the Vela's signature tone, not the brand's.

 

[RickP]

They have the high end of a dentists office and the low end of a lawyer‘s office, of course.

Seriously, each model family has their own sound to me. I like how they fit into the signal chain here.

 

[deathworlder]

Which PRS? There have been so many models over the nearkly 40 years they've been in business, why try to boil down to one signature tone for the entire brand? With GIbson, you have SG tone, Les Paul tone, 335 tone...Fender has Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster, and so on. I never understand why I've seen so many people (not just you, OP ) try and define the tone of the entire brand.

My favorite PRS is the Vela. It doesn't sound like a Custom 24, which doesn't sound like a McCarty 594, etc. It sounds like a Vela - bright but not harsh, superb definition in chords, chimey to twangy depending on where you pick and the rest of your chain. It's the Vela's signature tone, not the brand's.

I honestly wasn't trying to attribute a certain tone to the entire brand; rather the opposite. But I can see how my posts might be construed as such. I sometimes 'argue' from a contrarian point-of-view, even if I don't agree. It elicites responses I normally would not get...especially in an echo chamber(PRS forum).
So...thank you for your response...and everyone's responses in this thread. Good stuff...

 

[Gtrbldr]

Which PRS? There have been so many models over the nearkly 40 years they've been in business, why try to boil down to one signature tone for the entire brand? With GIbson, you have SG tone, Les Paul tone, 335 tone...Fender has Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster, and so on. I never understand why I've seen so many people (not just you, OP ) try and define the tone of the entire brand.

My favorite PRS is the Vela. It doesn't sound like a Custom 24, which doesn't sound like a McCarty 594, etc. It sounds like a Vela - bright but not harsh, superb definition in chords, chimey to twangy depending on where you pick and the rest of your chain. It's the Vela's signature tone, not the brand's.

Nail --> head.

a telecaster does not sound like a strat, jazzmaster etc. So that means there is no Fender sound, and by extension there is no PRS sound either. However i yet have to hear a PRS that does not sound "verzorgd" as it is called in dutch. In this context that translates to something between "neat" and "cared for". So that might be it.

 

[Huggy Love]

Outside of Carlos plugged into a Mesa it's really hard to quantify a distinct PRS sound because the product line over the years has been so varied in design and components, unlike the clear difference between the bite & edge of a bolt on Fender, and the thick, rich tone of a Les Paul.

I had to go back to that Natalie Merchant album to hear what you're talking about, and yes once you mention it, I can hear it, but PRS artists are so wide and varied that I can't say that moderately overdriven tone is the signature sound. Especially when we have PRS players from Carlos, Lifeson, to Grissom, Mayer, to Tremonti, Holcomb, covering such a wide range of tone.

 

[GGJJGG]

Bryan Ewald’s playing on the videos.