PRS SE Paul Allender (Purple Burst) Reviews

4.9/5.0 based on 4 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

Keegan Ludwig
from Springfield,Illinois
May 16, 2013Music Background:
Guitarist

AAA High Quality!!! Absolutely love this guitar!!!

I love this guitar it has everything you could want. It's beautiful! It has meg active pickups, which are a huge plus, and make a big difference. It stays in tune, plays extremely well, unsurpassed craftsmanship. It's retails for right under $1200 I only paid $750 brand new, with a complimentary 55 point inspection, 2 year warranty, and free tech support. Sweet water is the only place to buy instruments an accessories. Oh, and did I mention they shipped it for free as well? The best purchase I've ever made.

m. cunningham
from cedar hill mo usa
April 23, 2013Music Background:
been riding guitars since the sixtys

guitars have feelings too

as with my other three prs guitars,( total 2 se, 2 maryland) , the allender is flawless,beutiful, & sounds great ! the two emg pick-ups and JUMBO frets seem to make this more for the metal music, but i still get great sounding chords and leads for my milder, more laid back style. it will stay in my herd. although i don't play it as often as the nf3 or custom 24, i play it every week or so to stay familier with it. after all, guitars have feelings too! whether it's a se or maryland, you can always count on the high quality of PRS!

Mike Gibson
from palm springs, ca
January 20, 2013Music Background:
Pro musician

I'm reminded of the famous quote by Niccolo Paganini - I am not handsome, but when women hear me play, they come crawling to my feet.

Every day for the past ten years I've felt the sting of regret for selling my PRS Custom 22, but owning this guitar has erased that. My lovely and talented girlfriend, Susan, gave me this wonderful Christmas gift and I couldn't be more touched and pleased with it. It has the quality and features of a much more expensive American made PRS. The fretboard is like glass, the wide, thin neck is perfect and the guys at Sweetwater did an amazing job setting it up, the action is perfect. The deep purple finish looks like candy, I just want to put it in my mouth and suck on it.
Okay, that was a little creepy...anyway, it's an incredible instrument and an amazing value for the money. Snatch one up while you can!

T. Clyatt
from Clinton, MS
April 25, 2013Music Background:
hobbyist, student

Worth every penny!

At one time I did not think that PRS could make a metal guitar. I knew that PRS had a great reputation for quality in both their US and imported lines but, as a metal player, I never thought they were for me. Man, was I wrong!

I had looked at this model since it debuted several years ago but only recently decided to roll the dice and buy one sight unseen. Well, after a setup, I fell in love with it. I immediately bought two more with the last one coming from Sweetwater.

The newest one came in need of a personalized setup although Sweetwater made sure the guitar was set at factory specs. I do this on all my guitars anyway so no big deal. The fretwork on these guitars is excellent and you can get much lower action than these guitars ship with-and still little to no fret buzz. It's truly a nice fret job on par with many more expensive guitars. The sound is thick without being boomy and the mids cut through. Highs are well balanced too, nothing shrill or ice-picky. The EMG's on this guitar are splittable and allow you to go from Pink Floyd to Cradle of Filth instantly. Just pull up on the vol/tone and you have immediate single coil tones at hand.

The neck shape is PRS's wide thin which is a dream when combined with the very playable 25 inch scale. String tension is great and allows for easy bends.

The only issues with this guitar is the nut. If you change string gauges you'll have to file it a bit. Otherwise, the strings will sit too high and pinch in the nut and you'll lose tuning stability. I also recommend that you lube the nut with graphite or Carmex. It will help the strings slide better and stay in tune easier. This guitar came with the tremolo posts and claw screws lubed too, so that helps as well. My other two older models did not.

The inlays are well done and look great as a sinister take on the legendary PRS birds. It fits the dark demeanor of the instrument perfectly. However, there is still a sense of class with the guitar due to its classic lines, natural body binding and carved top.

Altogether, the PRS Paul Allender is a fantastic, flexible and diverse instrument that can cover any style-albeit with a menacing, high class attitude.

And, if you ever get to meet him, Paul Allender is a cool guy and he'll sign your guitar! ;)