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PRS SE Swamp Ash Special Electric Guitar - Iris Blue

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Swamp Ash Body, Maple Neck, Maple Fingerboard, 2 Humbucking Pickups, and 1 Single-coil Pickup - Iris Blue
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$849.00

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PRS SE Swamp Ash Special Electric Guitar - Iris Blue
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Swamped with the Soul of Rock ’n’ Roll

The PRS SE Swamp Ash Special represents an exquisite collision between value and versatility! PRS builds a small run of Swamp Ash Special electric guitars every few years, which makes them a fun find for collectors as well as a chance for players to explore sounds that won’t apologize for being adventurous. The SE Swamp Ash Special combines the hearty, soulful character of a swamp ash body with the tonal range of three pickups (two 85/15 “S” humbuckers and one single-coil AS-01) and the heightened expressive power of a PRS Patented tremolo. An unembellished maple neck makes playing the Swamp Ash Special a visceral thrill. The “Wide Thin” neck carve keeps your fretwork silky-smooth, and, on top of being comfortable, the maple fingerboard gives your initial note attack an extra dash of bright, peppery zing. Between classic tonewoods and ample pickup options, guitarists at Sweetwater find the Swamp Ash Special is ready for countless genres — jazz, blues, hard rock, heavy metal, pop, and more. How does PRS do it? Find out with a SE Swamp Ash Special electric guitar of your own while supplies last!

Related Videos: SE Swamp Ash Special Electric Guitar - Iris Blue

Distinct swamp ash sounds

The PRS SE Swamp Ash Special pairs nimble pickup selections with a body carved from one of the most nimble tonewoods: swamp ash! Swamp ash grows only near the banks of the Mississippi River, the same central and southern heartlands that birthed the blues and rock ’n’ roll. Because its roots grow directly in water, it is the lightest species of ash available, with incredible balance, resonance, and dynamic response. When played politely, swamp ash strikes an ideal balance between brightness and girth. Played aggressively at loud volumes or with distortion, swamp ash reveals a gnarlier side characterized by midrange bite and snarl that cuts through any mix. One of the finest tonewoods known to humankind, swamp ash is becoming harder to come by — thankfully, PRS’ stockpiles have kept this tonewood icon available to all.

PRS-designed pickups

Enticing pickup trios have been a hallmark of the Swamp Ash Special over the years. This new SE version carries on this tradition with two potent 85/15 “S” humbuckers and a single-coil AS-01, a combination that packs enough range for hot Nashville twang, mellow jazz, driven hard rock, and more. The 85/15 “S” humbuckers are retooled versions of Paul Reed Smith’s original pickups. You can expect sweet, vintage-tinged harmonics and chunky humbucker warmth, but with output and inflection optimized for modern gear and tastes. The AS-01 pickup in the middle position offers a brighter, more crisp alternative to humbuckers and is a natural fit for classic styles such as country rock or the blues. The AS-01 blends a conventional alnico magnet with steel alloy, resulting in a fuller single-coil body that responds well to player dynamics and volume knob placement. Moreover, a push-pull pot lets players get single-coil style tones from the 85/15 humbuckers, bringing the total number of pickup

Tone details

The Swamp Ash Special aims for streamlined appeal, but its pickups and 3-way switch offer more tones than meet the eye! Players can explore six different tone combinations, including timeless favorites inspired by classic 3-pickup guitars.

Mix and match single-coil and humbucker tones with the PRS SE Swamp Ash Special!

PRS SE Swamp Ash Special Electric Guitar Features:

  • A fan-favorite limited-run release now available as an SE series model!
  • Versatile, value-packed with classic tonewoods and 3 pickup options
  • Solid swamp ash body balances brightness, girth, and sustain with memorable flair
  • Bolt-on maple neck with a “Wide Thin” carve combines vintage support and modern comfort
  • 22-fret maple fingerboard plays effortlessly and adds zing to note attack
  • Versatile HSH pickup configuration with 2 85/15 “S” humbuckers and 1 PRS-designed AS-01 single-coil pickup
  • 3-way pickup switching, plus push-pull tone control — 5 total pickup voicings to explore!
  • PRS Patented Tremolo system and PRS-designed tuners

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Electric Guitar Buying Guide

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape SE Doublecut
  • Body Material Swamp Ash
  • Body Finish Satin
  • Color Iris Blue
  • Neck
  • Neck Material Maple
  • Neck Shape Wide Thin
  • Neck Joint Bolt-on
  • Radius 10"
  • Fingerboard Material Maple
  • Fingerboard Inlay Birds
  • Number of Frets 22, Nickel
  • Scale Length 25"
  • Nut Width 1.6875"
  • Nut Material PRS Proprietary
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece PRS Patented Tremolo, Molded
  • Tuners PRS Designed Tuners, 18:1
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup PRS 85/15 "S" Humbucker
  • Middle Pickup PRS Designed AS-01 Single-coil
  • Bridge Pickup PRS 85/15 "S" Humbucker
  • Controls 1 x volume, 1 x tone (push/push coil-tap)
  • Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings PRS Classic, .009-.042
  • Case/Gig Bag Gig Bag
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 112886::IB:

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5

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Great, Versatile, and Beautiful: PRS SE CE Swamp Ash Special Guitar

First off, there is a reason why these guitars fly out the door as fast as they come in, and that is because they are a fantastic guitar, and even more so at this price level. Beautiful appearance, great build quality, plays and sounds excellent. Between the switching push pull tone pot you can get a variety of great sounds from humbucking powerful to single coil Strat-ish sounds. What is nice is that this guitar craves no pickup upgrades at all. All the tones are stellar. I have heard criticisms that you cannot isolate the middle single coil, but with all the pickup selections, it really does not seem to be a deficit in tones available and did not leave me wanting. No doubt the wiring can be modified to do so if desired.



The ash body has such nice figure and the wood is well matched so that it takes effort to see that the body is more than one piece of wood. Sweet! The maple finger board plays really nice and gives the sound a nice brightness and spank. Fret work was excellent. No high frets and perfectly finished. The Iris Blue makes the abalone bird inlays really pop against the maple neck! This guitar is certainly a looker!!!



The guitar is made at the Cor-tek Musical Instrument Company LTD, Indonesia, under the license and supervision of PRS, and has been making quality guitars for more than fifty years. Needless to say, the build quality is excellent. Once the guitar enters the USA PRS plant it is inspected again for quality control, and ultimately Sweetwater checks it again with its 55 point inspection. Sweetwater also goes the extra yard in shipping the PRS box again inside another huge highly padded box. As expected the guitar was speedily shipped and arrived perfectly.



Once I had the action dialed in to a nice low level the playability was excellent and effortless. Tremolo stays in tune quite well also. As can be seen in the photos, I did a couple of upgrades. First I installed genuine PRS locking tuners which were drop in and a snap to install. Then I added a custom inlaid truss rod cover that matches the style of the guitar. Next came bird inlaid control knobs and finally Schaller S Strap locks with a nice blue leather matching strap.



Simply put, PRS makes great guitars on all their lines, and this guitar is no exception. I also own a PRS Core model Custom 24 10 top in striking blood orange which is an amazing guitar. This PRS SE CE Swamp Ash Special can sit proudly alongside as both are beautiful, well playing instruments. In fact the PRS SE CE Satin previously reviewed can accompany both of these guitars as it is as well fantastic, and also chronically sold out for the same reason! The only downside is that the PRS SE CE Swamp Ash Special checks in at a hefty 9lb 6oz and is just a tad bit heavy for my 70 year old bones, especially when compared to my PRS SE CE 24 Standard Satin checking in at a very comfortable 6lb 14oz. The difference of 3 lb 8 oz was instantly noticeable when I first picked up the guitar.




In conclusion, the PRS SE Swamp Ash Special is truly a beautiful fine playing guitar that can be genuinely enjoyed and passed down from generation to generation. Personally, I would buy this guitar only from Sweetwater, so my advice is not to wait! Get yourself on the list already, yeah?!!!
by Chuck Billera from Port Jefferson Station, NY on
Music background: Retired Old Man, Musician: Guitar, Bass

Value

The value you get is notable here even amongst the SE line. Really unique tones, can do a lot. Sweetwater customer service is best in the industry.
by Alex from Florida on

Get it, NOW…Before they are gone!

This is one of those guitars that you do not run across very often. It's special. Right away, it speaks to you and opens up creative and sonic spaces that you don't get to visit often enough. I opened the box and played non-stop for over 8 hours (after waiting the requisite 48 hours to open the box, of course). Setting the price aside for a second, plug this guitar into a tube amp, set all the dials where you like them and close your eyes and just play it clean. THAT is where the magic happens. The resonance, the clarity, the sustain, the airy harmonics - play whatever comes to mind first and just listen. The grin that you will unconsciously find yourself wearing is the reason we play. Now dial in a smidge of your favorite effects (just a smidge) and hear how the tone of the guitar assimilates the effect into its own qualities? That is special and rare at any price. This is the moment that you realize you just got a once in a blue moon deal because it was $. It legit sounds like a 3K plus guitar. There will not be many of these on used sites when they are out of production - players will hold on to them. It is that good.

Beyond that, the fit and finish is perfect, or so close to it you can't tell it's not perfect (it is a PRS). The finish is superbly done, the inlays are immaculate with no gaps, the nut is cut perfectly. The setup on mine out of the box was excellent - I have some personal preferences that I will change - but exceptional setup as it came (Thank you Sweetwater!)

I wanted to mention the neck separately because I had real reservations about the neck prior to its arrival. It is not a compound radius and it doesn't have stainless steel frets so I was concerned that it might not play as well as it could. I was wrong - the neck is fantastic. The satin/unfinished back feels plush when making runs up and down the neck. The fret work was as precise as a carrier landing. Utterly no sprout, smooth and velvety feeling on both sides of the fretboard. The 10in radius on the 25 inch scale length just works and makes the neck feel so much faster that a compound radius isn't even missed. Also, S-type guitars have a 10in radius but the shape of this neck is slightly more substantial in all the right ways - the peak of the curve on the back of the neck fits precisely in the thumbpad to first joint making it a pleasure to play. Lastly, the revamped heel joint is so comfortable to play with in the upper fret area. I first saw this on the PRS Fiore and loved it then - this costs less than a third of that guitar.

The tonal options with pickup configurations is the icing on the cake. There are 6 distinctly different tones to choose based on switch and pot positions. Strangely there isn't a way to isolate to just the middle single coil - a mod I may make by adding another push-pull pot - but the choices are logical and distinct.

There were just a couple of nit picks: I do not love the location of the volume knob - I prefer it further back towards the jack. I wish the middle AS-01 could be isolated and played. Both are solvable and not showstoppers.

You will not regret purchasing this guitar - I highly recommend this guitar over some of my WAY more expensive guitars.

A big shout out and thank you to James Masterson for just making it happen, putting up with questions and being my gear guru. He clearly is passionate in what he does and it shows. Sweetwater is simply the best at what they do.
by Damon Porrill from Alabama on
Music background: Playing guitar for 44 years, musical tastes are jazz, rock, blues, flamenco and classical

Huge BANG for the buck!

You know you have a great guitar when you pick it up and it just feels so comfortable, and plays effortlessly. PRS obviously makes some of the best guitars available, and their SE line, while much less expensive, are still made extremely well. I have purchased many high end guitars, and wanted to try this PRS SE Swamp Ash Special. I am so happy I did! The build is excellent, and the finish is beautiful (I chose the Iris Blue color). The satin finish on the neck adds to the comfort of the "wide thin" neck profile, that just happens to be perfect for my preferences. The variety of sound options with the three pickup configuration, and the push-pull knob for coil splitting just adds more layers of awesomeness. If you are considering this, I highly recommend it - for me it hits many marks that are important to me, and suit my preferences, and the price just can't be beat!!
by Patrick Mautner from Torrance, CA on
Music background: Guitar player for decades with music produced in my home studio, and streaming no most platforms.

A Thing of Beauty

Huge thanks to Mike Singer for assisting me with picking out a strikingly gorgeous guitar; even better in person than in pictures. Sounds real nice, even without an amp. Set up is spot on; maple neck equals ease of play. So looking forward to making some sweet tones.
by David G from South Bend, IN on

You don't even have to play guitar to know that PRS instruments are in a league of their own. With their exquisitely figured tops and premium appointments, each PRS is a playable work of art. But it goes way deeper than the surface. Every time Paul visits Sweetwater, we get a deeper look at his amazing instruments. We've even hosted several PRS Custom Shop events, complete with Paul's personal Wood Library! Whether they're his most affordable SE electric guitars, top-quality acoustics, or amps, it's always amazing to see what PRS comes up with. What's more, we keep a ton of PRS guitars in our amazing Guitar Showroom, so the staff at Sweetwater can get hands on with all of their latest models. We'd love to tell you all about them.

See also: Solid Body Guitars, PRS, PRS Solidbody Guitars
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