PRS SE Santana

review
PRS SE SANTANA, SE CUSTOM 24 AND SE TREMONTI
116
Guitarist december 2016
SE Tremonti Custom
The third main PRS shape landed PRS
in a whole lotta trouble back in the early
Noughties, and while it’s always been an
artist favourite, the Singlecut has ebbed
and flowed in the USA Core line and has
actually been more visible at this SE level.
That said, before this reshuffle, there were
five Singlecut models in both lines, and
from the initial raft of new SE models that
drops to three: the 245, the Zach Myers and
this Tremonti model.
It’s an all-round bigger depthed and
weightier piece, but that’s the point –
certainly for artists like Mark Tremonti.
Its single-cut with vibrato mix remains
pretty unique (there’s no Stoptail option
here, unlike the USA model), and like the
other models here, we get a pickup change
from those 245 humbuckers of the previous
model to the SE Tremonti pair fitted here:
you got it, Korean-made versions of Mark
T’s USA-made signature pickups. The
toggle-switch is Les Paul-style on the upper
shoulder, although the four-control layout
is different to the classic Gibson drive: the
two controls closest to the bridge are the
pickup volumes (the neck pickup volume
is the highest); the outer two controls are
the tones. Like the Santana, there are no
coil-splits, but, again, the humbuckers are
four-conductor if you want to get out that
soldering iron.
The Tremonti is not only noticeably
heavier, but thicker, too, at just under 57mm
– pretty much the same girth as the USA
model. Earlier SE Singlecuts were a lot
thinner. Compare that with the Custom,
which measures just under 49mm, and
the Santana, which is just under 47mm in
depth. So, while the maple caps are pretty
similar in thickness (on average 13.7mm),
the Tremonti’s additional depth comes
from the extra approximately 9mm of its
mahogany back.
Sounds
Aside from its very slightly ‘long neck’
strapped-on feel, compared with a Strat,
for example, the 24-fret Custom remains
one of the most comfortable feel-at-home
guitars money can buy. The volume control
falls under your fingers, and the pickup
switch and tone lie in the arc of your hand.
The vibrato might not have the locking
tuners of the USA models, but with the
usual string stretching you can’t ask for
more, and there’s a crisp, clear ring to the
unplugged resonance coupled with the sort
of neck feel and setup that disappears – you
just get on and play.
The Santana, by comparison, has a slight
neck pull strapped on, but it is far from
unbalanced and feels a little more compact.
In addition, you do notice that it has the
trimmest weight of our trio. The unplugged
response of the Santana is very similar to
the Custom and the neck feels subtly, but
noticeably, fatter in the hand.
The Tremonti might be the weightiest on
test here, but having used an early Singlecut
of similar weight for years, it does feel
like home to this writer. It’s very centred
on the strap, less feline than the Custom,
and there’s more than a hint of extra sonic
depth, even before we plug in.
Of course, we’d like to say that we can’t
hear any difference between our reference
2016 USA McCarty and this SE Custom,
but that would be a fib. Initially, the Custom
seems a little under-powered until we
notice the pickup heights are much lower
than the quite closely placed 58/15s on our
McCarty. Evening those up makes a real
difference and we close the gap a little.
This new Custom certainly retains the
chameleon-like character of the USA model
and there’s a relaxed midrange that doesn’t
dominate: gritty rhythm tones falling easily
into a classic rock genre, while the neck
sounds fluty, expressive and definitely
in the PAF-alike ballpark. The coil-splits
sound a little thinner than those on the
USA model. If you want more diversity,
this could be a good thing. Conversely, they
sound a little thin with a little more edge
and brittleness, especially on cleaner amp
tones. Comparisons aside, this is one of the
best-sounding SEs we’ve played, especially
after tweaking those pickup heights and
installing some heavier strings.
The Santana’s voice is different from
the off with the bridge pickup hitting our
amp hard. Switching to a dirtier amp voice,
there’s plenty of Santana-esque mid-focus,
a very sight ‘cocked wah’ tonality that
sounds fat and fruity. It’s less of a favourite
for cleaner voices, lacking a little fluidity,
whereas both the McCarty and to a lesser
extent the SE Custom sound very creamy
and more musical. In a more gained
environment, though, like we said, there’s
a lot to like about the vibe, feel and sound
of this one.
The Tremonti has arguably the most
Gibson-esque voice, certainly in the neck
position where the extra lows created by
the construction bring in a quite familiar
sound that’s at once bluesy and jazzy
and – surprisingly perhaps – old-school:
‘classic’ might be a better world. Kick in the
bridge, however, and prepare to rock! It’s
a powerhouse that, like the Santana, has
plenty of midrange poke – it loves gain but
still retains a bite. Of course, a single-cut
The Tremonti has the
most Gibson-esque
voice, certainly in the
neck position where
the extra lows created
by the construction
bring in a sound
that’s at once bluesy
and jazzy and old-
school. Kick in the
bridge, however,
and prepare to rock!
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT414.rev_prs.indd 116 27/10/2016 17:42