The PRS Single Cut series is probably the most controversial guitar ever made. To understand why this guitar is so controversial, we must first take a look at one of the most famous guitars ever made, which is the Gibson Les Paul. The Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar design which was made famous by Gibson and was first sold in 1952. The Les Paul design was the result of the collaboration between Ted McCarty and then famous guitarist Les Paul, hence the name of the design. Now, the Paul Reed Smith Single Cut design almost looks exactly like a Gibson Les Paul, minus the pickguard and other obvious features like the tone and volume knobs. Of course, the electronics design of the PRS Single Cut is very different from a Les Paul. To sum it up, the only thing similar between a Gibson Les Paul and a PRS Single Cut is the shape.
Gibson and PRS have been fighting over dominance in the market for years, but Gibson finally filed a lawsuit in 2000 against PRS, saying the Paul Reed Smith Single Cut guitar is a trademark infringement on Gibson's Les Paul guitar shape. Gibson won in a federal court but PRS filed for an appeal to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and won. The reason why I'm stating this is because this holds testimony to the quality of a PRS Single Cut guitar. Once you've played a Single Cut guitar, you will see that this guitar is a first rate instrument, enough for Gibson to be worried about their Les Paul model, that they sued PRS.
Single Cut models, particularly the SE series are made out of a mahogany body, maple top, a PRS custom stoptail, and a flame maple surface. The neck is Wide-Fat and is crafted from mahogany with rosewood fretboard and has 22 frets. The PRS specially used the humbucker pickups to produce a variety of great tones that would work with any music genre that you want to play. The neck has the traditional bird inlays and is made in a 25 inch scale length. The electronics comprise of a PRS designed tuners and has a "PRS" truss rod cover. The hardware used is nickel and the pickups are two PRS designed humbuckers, one treble and one bass. The two knobs are the tone and volume and it includes a three way toggle pickup selector. These features are typically what comprise a Single Cut guitar.
If you are wondering if the decision of the lawsuit was right or not, and if you want to know how a Single Cut compares to a Les Paul, then worry not. Once you've played a Paul Reed Smith Single Cut guitar, you will come to the conclusion that they are both completely different guitars. Even though they look a lot like each other, they are worlds apart. The Single Cut can give the more established Gibson Les Paul a run for its money any day of the week considering that Gibson has done almost nothing in the way of updating their Les Pauls recently.
A Paul Reed Smith Single Cut guitar is more suitable for a rock oriented guitarist because of the tone it produces. Most Single Cut players notice that the treble and bass humbucker pickup combination produces a fat sound that is best suited for classic or modern rock genres. Compared to a Gibson Les Paul, a PRS Single Cut guitar is less muddy and more precise. It isn't too boomy, since it has the perfect blend of treble and bass. The clean tone of a Single Cut is so neat that it almost doesn't matter which amp you plug it into. Once you pair this guitar with a good or at least decent distortion pedal, you will feel the crunch that isn't present on any other guitar in the market. Due to the sound that this guitar makes, you can easily switch from playing songs from bands like Metallica to songs from bands like Coldplay without having to change guitars. That is how versatile the tone of a Single Cut is.
The action, fit and finish of this guitar is virtually watertight right out of the box. Most guitarists who possess a Single Cut have identical observations. The action is incredibly smooth, considering that the neck is fat and wide. Guitarists who are used to fat and wide necks will not have trouble at all getting accustomed to the neck of a Single Cut. The finish is also wonderful and long-lasting as well. Although the guitar doesn't have a pickguard, you will on no account see scratches as a result of playing. The only downside that most guitarists see regarding this guitar is the tuners. Seeing as this guitar doesn't utilize the original PRS Locking Tuners, the steadiness of the tune isn't as high against say a PRS Custom 24 guitar. But that is just a negligible imperfection for this guitar. In general, this guitar is wonderful, action isn't excessively low that it makes string buzz. The fit is perfect that you feel at ease playing either standing up or sitting down, and it isn't as weighty as a regular Les Paul. The finish is a thing of magnificence that you will feel like staring at it for hours.
The Single Cut guitar is made to endure the test of time. This is one of the most durable guitars out on the market today. The electronics seldom get messed up and the wood that PRS uses to craft this beauty is very durable. You will hardly see any wear and tear on this guitar, even after three plus years of playing. The stock strap buttons are high quality, but to more meticulous guitarists, they may want to switch a more specific strap lock. It is also very reliable because of the accurate sound that it produces. Even if you gig with this guitar everyday for a year, you will still not need a backup guitar. That is how reliable and durable this guitar is.
The first impression that every guitarist gets from the PRS Single Cut is that 'it is just like a Les Paul, only it's a PRS', but once they get to play it and get up close and personal, they all begin to see that this guitar is more than just a Les Paul look alike. It is actually very different, apart from the shape. The Single Cut sounds way different from a Les Paul. Most guitarists even forget their LPs and use the Single Cut as their main axe because of the diversity of sound that it can produce, plus it also has a better feel in the neck. Most owners of Single Cut guitars say that if their guitar got stolen or lost, they would buy the same thing since it isn't pricey. That is also one of the advantages of a Single Cut. It isn't expensive; it's like getting a high end guitar for one fourth the price. Overall, this guitar is worth every penny that you spend on it. The tone is very diverse and very precise. It sounds as good as it looks which is basically PRS' trademark. It truly more than what you would expect from a Les Paul look alike.
Gibson and PRS have been fighting over dominance in the market for years, but Gibson finally filed a lawsuit in 2000 against PRS, saying the Paul Reed Smith Single Cut guitar is a trademark infringement on Gibson's Les Paul guitar shape. Gibson won in a federal court but PRS filed for an appeal to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and won. The reason why I'm stating this is because this holds testimony to the quality of a PRS Single Cut guitar. Once you've played a Single Cut guitar, you will see that this guitar is a first rate instrument, enough for Gibson to be worried about their Les Paul model, that they sued PRS.
Single Cut models, particularly the SE series are made out of a mahogany body, maple top, a PRS custom stoptail, and a flame maple surface. The neck is Wide-Fat and is crafted from mahogany with rosewood fretboard and has 22 frets. The PRS specially used the humbucker pickups to produce a variety of great tones that would work with any music genre that you want to play. The neck has the traditional bird inlays and is made in a 25 inch scale length. The electronics comprise of a PRS designed tuners and has a "PRS" truss rod cover. The hardware used is nickel and the pickups are two PRS designed humbuckers, one treble and one bass. The two knobs are the tone and volume and it includes a three way toggle pickup selector. These features are typically what comprise a Single Cut guitar.
If you are wondering if the decision of the lawsuit was right or not, and if you want to know how a Single Cut compares to a Les Paul, then worry not. Once you've played a Paul Reed Smith Single Cut guitar, you will come to the conclusion that they are both completely different guitars. Even though they look a lot like each other, they are worlds apart. The Single Cut can give the more established Gibson Les Paul a run for its money any day of the week considering that Gibson has done almost nothing in the way of updating their Les Pauls recently.
A Paul Reed Smith Single Cut guitar is more suitable for a rock oriented guitarist because of the tone it produces. Most Single Cut players notice that the treble and bass humbucker pickup combination produces a fat sound that is best suited for classic or modern rock genres. Compared to a Gibson Les Paul, a PRS Single Cut guitar is less muddy and more precise. It isn't too boomy, since it has the perfect blend of treble and bass. The clean tone of a Single Cut is so neat that it almost doesn't matter which amp you plug it into. Once you pair this guitar with a good or at least decent distortion pedal, you will feel the crunch that isn't present on any other guitar in the market. Due to the sound that this guitar makes, you can easily switch from playing songs from bands like Metallica to songs from bands like Coldplay without having to change guitars. That is how versatile the tone of a Single Cut is.
The action, fit and finish of this guitar is virtually watertight right out of the box. Most guitarists who possess a Single Cut have identical observations. The action is incredibly smooth, considering that the neck is fat and wide. Guitarists who are used to fat and wide necks will not have trouble at all getting accustomed to the neck of a Single Cut. The finish is also wonderful and long-lasting as well. Although the guitar doesn't have a pickguard, you will on no account see scratches as a result of playing. The only downside that most guitarists see regarding this guitar is the tuners. Seeing as this guitar doesn't utilize the original PRS Locking Tuners, the steadiness of the tune isn't as high against say a PRS Custom 24 guitar. But that is just a negligible imperfection for this guitar. In general, this guitar is wonderful, action isn't excessively low that it makes string buzz. The fit is perfect that you feel at ease playing either standing up or sitting down, and it isn't as weighty as a regular Les Paul. The finish is a thing of magnificence that you will feel like staring at it for hours.
The Single Cut guitar is made to endure the test of time. This is one of the most durable guitars out on the market today. The electronics seldom get messed up and the wood that PRS uses to craft this beauty is very durable. You will hardly see any wear and tear on this guitar, even after three plus years of playing. The stock strap buttons are high quality, but to more meticulous guitarists, they may want to switch a more specific strap lock. It is also very reliable because of the accurate sound that it produces. Even if you gig with this guitar everyday for a year, you will still not need a backup guitar. That is how reliable and durable this guitar is.
The first impression that every guitarist gets from the PRS Single Cut is that 'it is just like a Les Paul, only it's a PRS', but once they get to play it and get up close and personal, they all begin to see that this guitar is more than just a Les Paul look alike. It is actually very different, apart from the shape. The Single Cut sounds way different from a Les Paul. Most guitarists even forget their LPs and use the Single Cut as their main axe because of the diversity of sound that it can produce, plus it also has a better feel in the neck. Most owners of Single Cut guitars say that if their guitar got stolen or lost, they would buy the same thing since it isn't pricey. That is also one of the advantages of a Single Cut. It isn't expensive; it's like getting a high end guitar for one fourth the price. Overall, this guitar is worth every penny that you spend on it. The tone is very diverse and very precise. It sounds as good as it looks which is basically PRS' trademark. It truly more than what you would expect from a Les Paul look alike.
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The PRS Single Cut can be a controversial guitar. To be sure you have all the possible data about a Paul Reed Smith Single Cut, and check out at these sites before you buy one.