Thursday, October 27, 2011

Paul Reed Smith Single Cut: A Look-Alike Electric Guitar That is Without a Doubt Like Nothing Else.

By Erik Robel


The PRS Single Cut model is perhaps the most controversial guitar ever crafted. To comprehend why this guitar is so notorious, we have to first take a look at one of the most well-known guitars ever built; the Gibson Les Paul. The Les Paul is a solid body guitar model which was released by Gibson and was first put on the market in 1952. The Les Paul model was the product of the cooperation between Ted McCarty and then renowned guitar player Les Paul, therefore the name of the design. Now, the Paul Reed Smith Single Cut model more or less looks like a Gibson Les Paul, sans the pickguard and other noticeable features like the knobs. Also, the electronics wiring of the PRS Single Cut is extremely unlike a Les Paul. In short, the only similarity between a Gibson Les Paul and a PRS Single Cut is the shape. Everything else is different.

Gibson and PRS have been struggling for supremacy in the market over the years. Gibson finally filed a grievance in 2000 against PRS, alleging the Paul Reed Smith Single Cut guitar as a trademark breach on Gibson's Les Paul guitar form. Gibson triumphed in a federal court, but then PRS went for a petition to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and succeeded. The motive for discussing this is that this provides proof to the value of a PRS Single Cut guitar. Once you've held a Single Cut guitar up close, you will distinguish that this guitar is a first class one, sufficient for Gibson to be bothered about their Les Paul model, that they filed a lawsuit against 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 appropriate for a rock oriented guitar player because of the sound it makes. The majority of Single Cut players perceive that the treble and bass humbucker blend produces a fat tone that is best fitting for classic or modern rock genres. Against a Les Paul, a Single Cut guitar is less muddy and much more precise. It isn't too boomy, since it has the ideal mix of treble and bass. The clean sound of a Single Cut is so precise that it more or less doesn't matter what amp you plug it into. Once you plug this guitar to a good or at least respectable dirt pedal, you will instantly hear the crunch that isn't there on any other guitar released in the market. Because of the sound that this guitar produces, you can effortlessly switch songs from bands like Metallica to songs from more pop sounding bands like Coldplay without having to change guitars. That is how flexible the tone of a Single Cut is.

The action, fit and finish of this guitar is nearly flawless right out of the box. Most guitarists who own a Single Cut have the same observation. The action is very smooth, even though the neck is wide-fat. Guitar players who are accustomed to fat and wide necks will not have any trouble getting used to the neck of a Single Cut. The finish is also marvelous and durable as well. Even though the guitar doesn't have a pickguard, you will never see scratches due to playing. The only drawback that most guitarists observe about this guitar is the tuners. Since this guitar doesn't use the patented PRS Locking Tuners, the stability of the tune isn't as high as compared to say a PRS Custom 24 guitar. But that is just a minor flaw for this guitar. Overall, this guitar is perfect, action isn't too low that it produces string buzz. The fit is ideal that you feel comfortable playing either standing up or sitting down, and it isn't as heavy as a standard Les Paul. The finish is a thing of beauty that you will want to stare at it for hours.

The Single Cut guitar is made to last a long time. This is one of the sturdiest guitars out in the market these days. The electronics hardly ever get messed up and the wood that PRS utilizes to make this beauty is very tough. You will barely see any deterioration on this guitar after say 3 years of constant use. The stock strap buttons are high-class, but to more detailed guitarists, they may feel like switching to a more particular strap lock. It is also very dependable because of the precise sound that it makes. Even if you perform with this guitar daily for a year, you will still not require a backup guitar. That is how dependable and sturdy 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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