Today’s announcements are focused across the PRS Guitars’ line up from Core to the SE Series and represent both electric guitars as well as a new amp.
The PRS Modern Eagle V Officially Joins the Core Lineup
The first Modern Eagle instrument was introduced in 2004 and represented the pinnacle of the Core manufacturing at that time. Previously only offered via limited runs, the PRS Modern Eagle V now continues that tradition in the core lineup with its innovative pickup and electronics system offering a vast array of highly usable, musical tones in one guitar. The Modern Eagle V utilizes a hum/single/hum (five-coil) pickup layout and features a 5-way blade switch that selects the pickups in intuitive groupings: treble, treble and middle, middle, middle and bass, and bass. There is a single volume and a push/pull tone control that activates both humbuckers when engaged, which allows players to access all three pickups simultaneously. Finally, the mini toggles allow players to individually separate the pickup coils, turning the humbuckers into true single coils. This electronics design provides a whole set of classic and new tones.
“Modern Eagle models have always been built to stand up to history while celebrating tonewoods and the discovery of new tones. The Modern Eagle V is a sophisticated instrument not only in its craftsmanship but in its electronic and mechanical design,” said Paul Reed Smith. “We’ve refined the pickup tones and are pleased to now add it to the Core lineup.”
The Modern Eagle V | Demo | PRS Guitars
Vintage-Inspired McCarty and DGT Models Come to the PRS SE Series
For 2023, PRS is introducing four new models in the SE Series: the PRS SE McCarty 594, SE McCarty 594 Singlecut, SE McCarty 594 Singlecut Standard, and the SE DGT (David Grissom Trem), and it’s no accident that these models are coming to the SE Series at the same time. The original McCarty design (released in 1994) was highly influenced by Grissom and was designed to infuse vintage specs in a reliable, modern guitar. In 2007, Grissom’s signature DGT model was released, which added a tremolo bridge, tweaked pickups, and a refined neck shape to the McCarty platform, creating a guitar that rivals Grissom’s personal vintage favorites. PRS recently released a three-part video series documenting the development of the SE DGT model, which can be seen on the PRS Guitars YouTube channel. These introductions continue the SE’s recent promise to bring more PRS DNA and value into the more affordable line.
“I didn’t just rubber stamp this. This guitar is something I have been very involved in and am really proud of. The SE Series is lightyears ahead of anything I could get my hands on when I started playing - it’s amazing how far the quality has come – and I am proud to be able to offer this guitar to more people.” - David Grissom
The SE McCarty 594 | Demo | PRS Guitars
Dustie Waring Limited Edition CE and Artist Model Updates
Dustie Waring’s signature PRS starts with the CE 24 platform and includes a satin-finished maple neck, maple fretboard, a slightly modified Pattern Thin neck carve, and (on this limited edition version) a hardtail bridge. The Between the Buried and Me guitarist finishes the model with his signature Mojotone Dustie Waring Gen 2 Tomahawk pickups that offer articulate, clear, high-output sounds.
“I tracked a whole record with this guitar. It performed amazingly and just had a different flavor from my Floyd model. There’s way more body – it definitely has a full sound. I’m able to use it for 99% of my session work in Nashville,” said Dustie Waring, Between the Buried and Me.
Periphery’s Mark Holcomb signature SE is also being updated with a new color – Holcomb Blue Burst – and all-new signature Seymour Duncan pickups. The new “Scarlet & Scourge” treble and bass pickups were designed to work with modeling amps in mind and bring full tone with slightly less drive, offering more articulation than ever. Zach Myers of Shinedown’s signature model is also getting a new spec, updating the scale length from 24.5” to PRS’s 24.594” scale length.
The DW CE 24 Hardtail Limited Edition | PRS Guitars
10th Anniversary of the S2 Series
The PRS S2 Series began in 2013 as a way to offer the fit, feel, and attention to detail of PRS craftsmanship in a fresh, straightforward design. Meaning “Stevensville 2,” the S2 Series was named for a second manufacturing line that was created inside the PRS Stevensville, Maryland shop that blended new manufacturing techniques with practiced quality control and workmanship to create instruments at a new price point for players. Over the last ten years, the S2 Series has grown from three to more than a dozen models and has become a powerful part of PRS Guitars. Today, the S2 Series is more integrated into a single production line with PRS Core and Bolt-On instruments.
To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the S2 Series, PRS is offering two celebratory models: the 10th Anniversary PRS S2 Custom 24 and 10th Anniversary PRS S2 McCarty 594 Limited Edition guitars. These special models will retain the guitar’s standard specs and add a Cuban mahogany neck, mother of pearl bird inlays, and – most notably – USA-made PRS 85/15 and 58/15 LT pickups and electronics (respectively). PRS has been on an inspiring journey studying pickup tone and design for many years now. These pickups have been fine-tuned using their TCI process for rich, clear, and balanced tone. Only 2,000 total 10th Anniversary S2 Series instruments will be made.
The 10th Anniversary S2 Custom 24 | Demo | PRS Guitars
The PRS Sonzera Returns
Returning to the lineup after a brief reprieve, the PRS Sonzera is a moderately powered 20 watt 1x12 combo amplifier. The Sonzera offers mid-1960’s American-style tone with two independently controlled, footswitchable channels designed for maximum versatility. The Sonzera’s gain channel can be set as a boosted clean channel or with heavy distortion, and the spring reverb and built-in effects loop allow players to easily expand their tonal palette. This is a distinct amp in the PRS line up, which also boasts the Archon, HDRX, DG Custom, and MT-15 amplifiers.
“I am very happy to re-release the new Sonzera 20 combo with improved construction techniques, refined voicing, and fresh cosmetics. Their design inspiration draws from the purity and tonal beauty of vintage American reverb amps of the 60s. The two-channel design is currently unique to the PRS lineup in that the Gain channel is simply the Clean channel with additional gain stages and its own tone stack inserted for discreet lead voicing control,” said PRS Amp Designer, Doug Sewell. “The 12 to 35-watt classic American reverb amps were very inspirational to me as a beginning amp designer in Texas. I consider the Sonzera amps an homage to those early days, and it was especially satisfying and nostalgic to be a part of their development and production.”
The Sonzera 20 | PRS Guitars
For more information, please visit prsguitars.com.
It’s almost over, but there’s still time to win! Enter Stompboxtober Day 30 for your shot at today’s pedal from SoloDallas!
The Schaffer Replica: Storm
The Schaffer Replica Storm is an all-analog combination of Optical Limiter+Harmonic Clipping Circuit+EQ Expansion+Boost+Line Buffer derived from a 70s wireless unit AC/DC and others used as an effect. Over 50 pros use this unique device to achieve percussive attack, copious harmonics and singing sustain.
Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine is one of the loudest guitarists around. And he puts his volume to work creating mythical tones that have captured so many of our imaginations, including our special shoegaze correspondent, guitarist and pedal-maestro Andy Pitcher, who is our guest today.
My Bloody Valentine has a short discography made up of just a few albums and EPs that span decades. Meticulous as he seems to be, Shields creates texture out of his layers of tracks and loops and fuzz throughout, creating a music that needs to be felt as much as it needs to be heard.
We go to the ultimate source as Billy Corgan leaves us a message about how it felt to hear those sounds in the pre-internet days, when rather than pull up a YouTube clip, your imagination would have to guide you toward a tone.
But not everyone is an MBV fan, so this conversation is part superfan hype and part debate. We can all agree Kevin Shields is a guitarists you should know, but we can’t all agree what to do with that information.
This episode is sponsored by Fender.
Learn more: https://www.fender.com./
He’ll forever be remembered for his unparalleled mastery of the Telecaster, but Roy Buchanan kept an open mind when it came to his guitars.
Perhaps you’ve read something where an artist or a brand is dubbed “authentic.” It’s marketing hype that’s both real and manufactured, but I assure you it can be both a legit and important concept. The problem is when it gets used in the first person. Who judges whether something is authentic or not? Critics? Magazines? The internet? A brand itself? What does it mean to you? We often refer to things as the “real deal,” so is that the same? Not exactly.
The real deal can be something that is what it purports to be—like a working cowboy. But if you see his hat brand in a store in New York, is that authentic? If you think this is splitting hairs, you might be right. We’d like to think that when we choose a guitar to play, our desire for playability and sound is at the forefront of the decision-making process, and mostly it is. But that blacked-out, pointy axe with the studded strap just won’t fly in your bro-country cover band, so you glom onto a paisley Telecaster, even though it doesn’t feel as good to you. Does this make you authentic? Personally, I’d love to see some chicken pickin’ on that pointy fiddle. Busting down barriers and breaking rules is the spirit of expression and creativity, and that’s authentic.
There’s no shame in honoring tradition and nodding in reverence to your influences, but you don’t have to bow down so low that you can’t be yourself, too. I used to think I was a “Gibson guy.” To a large extent, I still am, but many of you know my love of the Strat and Tele. My music room is full of other brands that I adore and use for certain applications. I believe that you have to use an instrument, effect, or amplifier to get what you need for the situation you’re in, no matter what the social connotation is.
“If Roy freaking Buchannan can rock out on a Les Paul or a Hamer Standard, you can break some rules, too.”
One night in the late 1970s, I answered the phone at the Hamer Guitars factory, mostly to see who on Earth would call at that late hour. To my surprise it was Roy Buchanan, the original master of the Telecaster. He wanted to chat about our Sunburst model that was fairly new to the market. His questions revolved around scale length, fretboard width, fret size, and weight. When I asked why he was interested in our guitar when he was known for playing Telecasters, he told me that he already had one of our Explorer-shaped Standard model guitars! I found this even more puzzling than the fact that Roy Buchanan had cold-called our office at night. Roy went on to say that in the studio he used a lot of different guitars, including a Les Paul with P-90s that he liked a lot. He used the Tele onstage, he said, “because people expect me to do all those Telecaster things.” He didn’t ask me to ship him a guitar for free or inquire about an artist discount. He said he’d check one out at a dealer. I recommended one near him, and we said goodnight. I began to wonder if it was a crank call.
I’d forgotten the whole episode until recently, when I saw a newspaper photograph of Roy Buchanan with his young daughter, Jennifer. I thought about how happy they looked and how sad it was that his death had stolen that little girl’s father from her. And right there in that photo, he’s playing that Hamer Standard. I’m not gonna lie and say that I didn’t cry.
So there it is, folks. If Roy freaking Buchanan can rock out on a Les Paul or a Hamer Standard, you can break some rules, too. I’m certain that he was most comfortable onstage with that beat-up old Tele, but it wasn’t his only love. It’s just the one that people think of when they imagine the authentic guy.
Songwriters often say they strive for connection through authenticity in their music and lyrics. And at the very core, that’s what it’s about—human connection. If you love that cowboy hat and live in Philadelphia, I’m not going to criticize you—just go ahead and wear it, dude. It’s about wearing the hat for its intended purpose, not putting it on to hope it makes you authentic.
Introducing the Martin M-6 and M-7 Johnny Marr signature guitars, featuring a unique seven-string configuration to honor Marr's sound.
The standout feature of the Martin M-7 is its unique seven-string configuration, adding an octave G string to the mix. This design delivers Marr’s unmistakable jangle, making it perfect for replicating the lush, intricate sounds of his most iconic tracks. Also available as a standard six-string model, the M-6, and designed in close collaboration with Marr, these guitars feature a genuine mahogany neck with a full-thickness profile and slightly thinner width at the nut for a unique feel, allowing for fluid transitions and complex chord structures.
Wide like a Jumbo with the thickness of a 000, its Grand Auditorium (0000/M) body size ensures plenty of comfort and projection while offering a precise distinction between the treble and bass. Equipped with LR Baggs Anthem electronics, these guitars ensure your sound is perfectly captured on stage or in the studio with volume, mix, mic level, and phase controls.
“I've now got my own signature guitar that makes me sound like in the studio when I've put this really great old compressor on it with a great mic and a little hint of the high string in there,” says Marr. “All of these things that I do on record using a few guitars, I've all got it in the one guitar that I can carry around with me, and if I go play with a pal or go and guest with someone, I sound like me.”
Marr’s history with Martin guitars is storied – his beloved 1971 D-28 has been the backbone of several classic Smiths songs, including “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” and “Cemetry Gates.” The M-6 and M-7 pay homage to that legacy while ushering in a new era of sonic possibilities. A hardshell case and exclusive Souldier™ strap are included.
For more information, please visit martinguitar.com.