PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo Electric Guitar - Black Gold Burst Reviews

I really love this guitar! So great to be able to go from mag pups to piezo by just turning the volume knobs. Or a combo of both! It's a go to for me. Really enjoy the versatility! I am very impressed with the acoustic tones. They are great through my Fishman amp but you can even get some good chime through your electric guitar amp. The fit and finish is excellent. I did buy some SE locking tuners to make it better for gigging. All in all, a fantastic guitar!

I bought this guitar about 2 months ago and it was great right out of the box!

It is a very versatile guitar!
I bought it for its acoustic capabilities... but I have been able to get great jazz clean tones from it. I've even gotten some down & dirty raunchy sounds from it as well!

I love this thing, it's worth every penny and continues to impress me every time I pick it up. My sales engineer Kenny was so helpful in helping me get this earlier than expected. Thank you!

First, want to thank Jonathan Pass for the time and help answering all my questions and help with the purchase. Truly a great representative of Sweetwater!

The PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo is an incredible guitar at this price point. Excellent craftsmanship, great feel, great sound and easy to play. I was a little worried about the "fat" Neck, but it's perfect. It's in between an acoustic neck and a thin electric. Wide enough to give you space, but thin enough to make fretting easy on the hand.

I couldn't resist the deal of $320.00 off and then some. First of all, I'd like to give a shout out to Cory, my Sales Engineer for sending this guitar to me next day shipment! Secondly, I am retired and I teach guitar and gig with my Bros in our 55+ community as much as possible; therefore, I could not reasonably justify busting out an extra four to six thousand dollars for a core model. I just don't perform as much as I used to. Don't think I didn't consider the wonderful PRS core models. I have known about and been a fan of PRS since the '80's. I know PRS and I'm originally from Maryland, the home of PRS. To add to the justification of buying the less expensive SE model --- I'm at the gig and when setting up, I leaned the case in a corner, went out to my truck and upon returning, the guitar, in case, had fallen to the floor. The case protected it beautifully. I said to my bass player, "Dude, this is why you don't buy a 5K or 7K core." LOL! My advise: If you have roadies to babysit your core model, or you are famous and endorsing the PRS, or you are an attorney or physician that plays "at" the guitar and it is part of your art collection, go for it, but if you are a weekend warrior as am I, the SE is absolutely worry free and terrific. I would classify it as a players, gig worthy guitar of fine quality.

I did not expect this axe to arrive the next day after talking to Cory. I waited overnight to open the box and when I opened the thouroughly nice hard shell case (included) I found it stunning. I did lower the action a bit, but those bridge screws are huge and the tool that worked the best was my large BBQ spatula which gave me the leverage and size I needed. I layed it upon a towel, placed a cloth on the top for protection, and went for a full turn. The fret work is so good that I was able to achieve a nice lowered action. For me, the pattern wide fat neck is a little chunky for my small hands, but completely and wonderfully comfortable and playable. I took it out on my Friday night gig the day I popped open the packaging. Donning two amps on stage to accommodate the Piezo and Humbuckers, all I can say is that this is the most fun guitar I've ever played and it sings like a bird. We play jazz, bebop, blues, country, folk, Steely Dan, everything and this guitar made playing those ol' tunes a whole new experience. I played Sleepwalk and it just sang so beautifully when executing bends, I thought I was 18 years old again with a new, hot girlfriend (If you know what I mean!).

The jazz sound was smooth and deep like a fine carved top jazz box and I've played plenty of those too. I was able to cruze out my licks with precision and such nice feel and snap. This guitar is inspiring to play and the neck is like driving a Cadillac or Lincoln whichever you want to argue over - "Forget about it". The Piezo acoustic guitar sound is not bad at all, but not quite as nice as the core; still, you could fool anyone with the acoustic guitar sound. Blending the two was an experience I never had before and I'm 67 years old. I've been at this since I was 12.

For this price and the fine service from Sweetwater, you'd be remiss to not buy this instrument if you are considering a PRS. Get this deal while it's hot and before they are gone. I dig this ax man and I think I have the ethos to opine, because I've been a guitar fanatic and player since Hector was a pup and he's a full grown old dog now! BTW, my wife digs the tootsy rolls in the Sweetwater candy pack.

Multiple guitars in one super light, gorgeous piece of art. Acoustic? Electric? Sure! Piezo sounds awesome direct into console and PAF-style pick-ups are a perfect compliment to the hollowbody. This thing is a tone-monster. Perfect for my solo gigs. It's like the thin version of a beautiful old jazz-box guitar that can also growl and rip into classic rock. Absolutely love it. Sweetwater's unbeatable customer service is always the icing on the cake!

Feels good, plays good, sounds good, looks good - glad I got it! I find it particularly useful when I use it with my Digitech Trio + pedal. I can put an acoustic rhythm in the looper and then play electric lead over it with just the one guitar.

This instrument is very easy to play and the tomes it produces are a sweet. I wish it was not made in China, but other than that I am very happy with my purchase.

I wanted a guitar that I could practice with acoustically to not disturb other people in the house and have a piezoelectric pickup. I also have a Peavey jf-1ex I use for gigs and "quiet" practice. One day, my wife passes by my music room while I'm strumming the PRS unplugged, and she says to me "your new guitar sounds very different than the black one, it sounds warm and friendly to me". I understand that it isn't a fair comparison, but her remark (truly a non musical person) demonstrates the quality PRS puts into their products. There is a richness in the PRS tone that carries over to the pickups and the piezo. I use a Line 6 Spider V 240 which has a separate switchable tweeter that allows the piezo to really shine and and with the flick of a switch, still have humbuckers sound great, and you can blend them!! I think PRS hit the sweet spot in all three tonal areas. Both guitars' action are set to .070 - .050, however, again unfair, but the PRS playability is simply inspiring.
I'm still figuring this guitar out, but I'm pretty sure the Peavey (a really solid axe) will be up for sale soon.

I am still a satisfied Sweetwater customer. They never let me down with fast/free shipping, personal contact before, during, and after the sale and they did not let me down. This PRS guitar not only sounds sweet with the piezo and dual Humbuckers with a neck with great playability, but it is also a beautiful work of art. I love it.
There were several aspects of this guitar that interested me, however the fact that it was make in China created some discomfort. The abalone inlay, wood binding, additional piezo pickup, and high gloss finish sold me on this instrument.
After researching the PRS management of their overseas guitar builders made me feel better about ordering this guitar. I have been a customer of Sweetwater for years and knew that they would check the instrument before shipping (55-point Guitar Inspection). Thanks to PSR and Sweetwater for creating a situation to manufacture and sell a beautiful quality instrument for a financially friendly price point.

This is as nearly perfect as you can get. I play in a duo thru a Princeton and a 1000watt 12" PA speaker with Trace Elliott preamp. Tweaking the preamp gets a great acoustic sound. If you blend them together it sounds HUGH. I love this guitar.

It looks great...it Plays great...it sounds great...what's not to love? It sounds good on any style of music from country to rock to jazz. Thanks again Jeff.

It is definitely my most favorite guitar to play now. Separating the acoustic and the electric guitar to two amps is a game changer for me. And if thats not enough you can get the acoustic and the electric at the same time? Wow! Thank you Paul Reed Smith and thank you Sweetwater for the all the good stuff and the treatment you give your customers. And Lindsey is the bestest!!! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

I have had this guitar a few weeks now and it is everything I hoped it would be. Being a solo guitarist/vocalist, I mostly play acoustic guitar and have 12 gauge strings on most of the acoustic guitars I use at gigs. Recently I have been having some strain issues with my left hand and I started looking for an electric guitar that would provide the lower tension of 10 gauge strings but still have some of that familiar acoustic sound. My hollow body electrics were okay but still sounded like an electric guitar.
It took some getting use to as well as adjusting the settings on my preamp. Like others here have said, it is so nice I find myself playing it more and more.
This guitar is absolutely beautiful to look at. The construction, fit and finish is impressive. It is incredibly light and comfortable to play. The tonal variations you can get with the three pickups is very cool.
Using just the piezo, it sounds good but it does lack some of the depth and fullness of a good acoustic electric guitar, but it definitely has an acoustic sound once you get it dialed in. I replaced the stock strings with a Monel 10 gauge set with a wound G and that enhanced the acoustic sound. (The next time I change strings I will try some nickel-bronze with a wound G.) The sound difference between the PRS SE piezo and an actual acoustic with a piezo is something a guitarist will notice but a typical person in the audience will never think about. The PRS piezo definitely has an acoustic sound.
Then there is that ability to blend in the humbuckers with the piezo for a really different sound. Plus you can turn down the piezo and use the humbuckers to play it like a straight electric guitar.
This guitar is definitely worth the price and it is a lot of fun.

I spent several months shopping for a new guitar in the $1K-$1.3K price range, overlooking this one because it was above my budget. But once I played one, nothing else that I considered compared to it. Three main factors are important to me: tone; playing comfort; build quality. This PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo checked all of those boxes and then some. It's mag. pickups are clear and articulate, accented by it's airy sound chamber. But blend in the piezo's and this guitar magically comes alive with a vibrancy that is as unique as it is addicting. (I've since ordered an acoustic amp. to highlight the piezo's which should also give me a stereo effect to it's tones.) Not only does it balance nicely while playing, but the neck feels as comfortable as your favorite pair of well worn shoes. (It is a bit wider than most, but only required a minor adjustment in my fretting hand.) In the quality department, the materials and workmanship are impeccable. I'd prefer to buy American, but there is no way I could afford this guitar if it were built stateside. And it certainly doesn't suffer in any department by being build overseas. I've got the Black Gold Burst and it's absolutely gorgeous to look at. I played a blue on in a store and it was also very pretty (even more attractive than pictures on the web). This is a "high end" guitar at a reasonable price point for the seasoned guitarist. Although a significant investment, no doubt it will yield a lifetime of enjoyment.

I've waited almost two weeks to write this, because I wanted to let the guitar acclimate and stabilize. I just want to play more with this guitar in my life. I play it through a Bose L1 Pro 32 for both outputs, a looper with the piezo and my pedalboard out of the pickups. It's just fun. The guitar is so responsive, and is a true delight to play. It has such a plethora of sounds, and with a little imagination I've been able to get any sound I'm looking for.

The piezo through the Bose is nothing shy of spectacular. No, it isn't as pure as my acoustic, but its a STRONG %80 of the real deal. That is enough for me, and mind you, this PA system picks up every nuance.

The 58/15 "s" pickups are some of the best sounding Humbuckers that I have ever had the privilege to use. Very capable of many tones that I have chased, and has re-shaped my own no doubt. Very clear, responsive, and the presence is there along the whole journey of the volume and tone knobs. It just seems to do what I tell it too without leaving me wanting. If anything, it has truly left me surprised.

I am so grateful PRS offered this to the public. Maybe someday I will enjoy a core model, but until then I am so satisfied with my set up. Shout out to Cristian Good. We don't even have to talk when I order things from Sweetwater, I just have faith in this dude and the company as a whole. Keep rockin' everyone, and If you are on the fence about this guitar, find one and play it. A real treat.

I had my eyes on this model for a while and went to Sweetwater to try it out when I saw they were in stock again. I have been playing a Taylor 110 plugged into a PA at gigs and this PRS piezo sounds MUCH better than the Taylor piezo. Plus the humbuckers sound great with some drive, and mixing the signals really opens up a lot of possibilities. The neck and fretwork are excellent. The binding is beautiful. I was a little concerned getting an import PRS but the craftsmanship is superb. This guitar is a great value especially with the included hard case.

The guitar needed some extra setup to get the action and intonation dialed in but it was certainly playable right after purchase. I've only had it for a month and it's already my favorite and will be my main rig for a while.

I got the peacock blue and I can't stop admiring how pretty this axe is….flame top and back
Flame maple binding on all edges
Fret work is extremely well dressed
I was surprised how hot these 58/15 pickups are …clear and proud….I like it better than my core bc the tone is very clean without the muddy
Sound the core model can wander into
Playability is easy
Switching and blending the piezo gives this 2 guitar 3d sound
Really thrilled with this guitar

I love the tone and the ease of play. I own the other major brands (Gibson, Fender, & Ibanez) which are also great. However, PRS is second to none.
I have been doing business with Sweetwater for a few years. I trust them because I know they will always do the right thing with me.
My salesman Mike has always been friendly helpful and profession.

This is one of the most versatile guitars I've ever owned/played. The combination or the magnetic pickups and the Piezo system is outstanding. When I play the Piezo through an acoustic amp it sounds better than my Taylor. I also love the ability to send the Piezo to a separate amp from the magnetic pups. Playing both together is like having 2 guitarists in the band.

As for the rest of the guitar. The playability and neck feel are fantastic. The aesthetics and attention to detail with all of the bindings, tone woods and finish are top notch. Something I would have only expected from a domestic build.

My sales engineer Dave Hoffman was on the money when I asked him what he recommended in a budget hollow body. First thing he suggested was the PRS especially with the Piezo. He was very reassuring that the SE line was built with the highest quality standards and he was right.

Very happy with this choice and thanks to the entire (sales, luthier's, shipping) Sweetwater team for recommending and delivery high quality gear.

I got this guitar 3 days ago and can't stop playing it. I also have a Fender Ultra and Taylor Academy. This guitar is the best of both worlds and even better. While the acoustical unplugged sound is not that of acoustic guitar, it is plenty loud enough to practice that way. The other day my wife texted me from across the house through several closed doors, "Am I going to have to listen to that from now on?" She sure didn't say that while playing my Fender. Also means she thinks I suck and need to practice more.

On to quality of this foreign made PRS. As I said, I have a Fender Ultra which is considered their higher end American made guitars. While the fret work and pickups are great, the guitar was poorly set up (got from local store) the tremolo back was sticking about 1/2 up from guitar and the frets had a horrible buzz. I paid to get it reworked and set up to fix it. This was not the case with the PRS. Out of box the guitar was amazing with a quick tune. Impressive for the cheapest line of PRS'. Makes me wonder why I would ever need to buy or want a core PRS. Well, if Paul wants me to have one I'll take it off his hands! /wink /wink Sweetwater /wink!

The pictures do not do the guitar justice. It is so much more amazing in person. I like just touching it before I go to bed. You know a slight tickle of the F holes as a nigh cap. Only thing I didn't care for was that the pickups seemed a bit loose. I think that is because it is a full Hallowbody so not much holding them in place. Just used to solid body mounting. I'm can't knock PRS for that. Locking tuners at a $ price tag would've been nice.

All-in-all PRS has an amazing guitar and if I ever get another guitar (which my wife said no I don't need another one) it will definitely be PRS.

As for FedEx, they suck! Here is a picture of the box after I got it from those Neanderthals.

I called my sales engineer, Chris Mosely,(more bout him later), and asked him how long it would be before he could get one and he told me for the black and gold it would be September 2022, so we put my name on the list.
Lo and behold Chris called me early May 2022, and told me he got his hands on an early one and did I want it?
I said yes, and haven't, and won't look back.This is one great looking axe. Great color, beautiful binding, just all around sweet looking guitar. Okay, now we play it. Plays perfect, sounds great. I ran the pick-ups through a
Mesa-Boogie, and the Piezo through a Fishman Loudbox. Wow, what sound.This thing is PERFECT!
Now for Chris Mosely. Great Guy, He remembers everything I'm interested in, And calls me When he has something I want. Friendly as can be. All round great guy. And of course Sweetwater's 55 point inspection, and free 2 day shipping. Sweetwater and Chris Mosely are the best.

This guitar is beautiful and sounds great. Fit and finish is excellent. Smallish lightweight. The piezo by itself sounds as good plugged in as any acoustic/electric I have, or dang close, and I have Matins, Taylor's and a Hummingbird. The only thing that sounds better is the single coil Seymour Duncan Woody in the sound hole (single sounds better than humbucker, imo). That's plugged in, can't compete unplugged, of course. The 58/15s are really sweet too but I've only had it for just over 24 hours so I've really been mainly playing with the piezo side. This is a pretty unique electric. I bought a T5 years ago which was supposed to be what this is. It just wasn't. Now I can sell it. Much thanks to Ian Lemberg at Sweetwater for making this possible since this thing was on serious backorder. Great service as usual.

This is one fine instrument. The 58/15 pickups are well-balanced and impressive. The piezo's acoustic tones are very authentic. I would challenge anyone to distinguish the acoustic tone from a plugged-in acoustic guitar. The true hollow body must have a lot to do with that. Sweetwater's service was great, and Nick Graham did a great job as usual in handling the order. Having the guitar pleked and setup was well worth the extra funds. It brought this production guitar to a hole new level. It is perfect!

Brian Loney, my sales engineer, really went above and beyond! When he learned of my woes, he reached out to see what he could do.
Long story short, Sweetwater had me send them the guitar for a full fret repair and setup.
Now, this guitar not only sounds great, but plays like a PRS! I'm sure Paul would really be proud of this guitar - Smooth as silk, wonderful tone, and looks like a million bucks!
Thank you Sweetwater, Brian Loney and his team, and the great techs who worked on my guitar.
As you can see, the guitar now has a 5-star rating - and that doesn't seem to do it justice.
Anyone who wants this model PRS, or any other guitar for that matter, can buy from Sweetwater with full confidence that they will be glad they shopped at Sweetwater first!
Thanks again, everyone, for the best service after the sale of any music store in the industry.

I have been enjoying my PRS Hollowbody II Piezo - Black Gold Burst almost too much. I had been waiting for over three months to grab one as soon as they were available at Sweetwater. I selected one with a beautiful figured top and back, AAA flames. I was hoping it would have the warm and sweet tone I had been looking for (it does) but was concerned about the "wide fat neck" being uncomfortable for my hand. I have not been disappointed, the neck feels much like an old vintage Les Paul I have. I love the Abalone bird inlays on the ebony fingerboard and the 58/15 "S" humbucker pickups are responsive to the touch. A note will sustain indefinitely using my Fender Princeton, tweed with upgraded 12" speaker, which I also purchased from Sweetwater some time ago. The ability to play the magnetic pickups using two outputs at once is nice. I have not used the Piezo pickup much yet but it does sound good. It really does exceed my expectations as I have never purchased a guitar made in China. They did a great job with this one. Hardshell case is well built with a snug fit. Shout out to Nate Burkhardt at Sweetwater for his help.

This guitar is a joy to play and sounds great. It would be a great buy at any price. At the price it sells for, it is all the more so. I've barely picked up some other pretty nice guitars (which cost a lot more) since having the SE HB II Piezo. The long name that isn't conducive to more shortening is the only drawback. But I didn't take any stars off for that. Well done, PRS! And a shout out to my Sales Engineer, Jake Trethaway. He was pleasure to deal with and was great with his communication.

I'm pleased with the purchase of my PRS on several levels. The tone, the setup and the beauty of this guitar is without flaw! My first PRS and I'm satisfied I made this choice. Sweetwater was incredible to work with and they will continue to see more of my business Geoff, my Rep is a terrific and knowledgeable perdon

I am a fan of the PRS SE line of guitars. I own a SE Custom 24, a SE Custom 22 Semi-Hollowbody, a SE Custom 24 Floyd Rose and now a SE Hollowbody II Piezo. After only 10 days spent with this latest guitar, it has become my favorite.

PRS in my opinion has taken the art and science of guitar making to levels unmatched by Fender and Gibson. Obviously, PRS is much smaller than these massive companies, but they have managed to grow to the number 3 manufacturer of guitars in the US, and their quality and manufacturing procedures are the reason why they have grown so quickly. Paul's dedication to always improve his guitars and their tone, how easily they play and how beautiful they look has filtered down from his excellent core instruments produced in Maryland to the SE factories in Korea, Indonesia and now China.

Three of my SE guitars were produced in Korea at World Musical Instrument, and this factory has gained a good reputation for doing quality work. I was curious to see how moving from WMI to Cor-Tek Musical Instrument would affect the quality of the guitars, but I am happy to see that this instrument manufactured in China is just as good as my other three guitars built in Korea. From watching videos of the manufacturing processes in these factories that make the SE line, it is easy to see that the CAD-CAM processes that go into the core instruments and the wood selection, drying and assembly procedures necessary to create an exceptional instrument continue at the factories in Asia.

Make no mistake, the SE line is not at the same level of perfection you get with a core instrument made in Maryland. The wood selection is not as premium, the finishing is not as precise, but the physical traits that make a PRS guitar a PRS are present in the SE line. The construction is always top-notch. The necks and fingerboards are constructed exactly as they should be. The nut is fitted and filed to perfection (this model comes with a bone nut). The frets are level, seated perfectly and the ends are filed smooth, and the guitar can be adjusted to suit the most demanding player that requires a nearly straight fingerboard with just a minimum of neck relief and the lowest playing action. With this foundation, I have modified my other SE guitars with upgraded pickups, switches, potentiometers and capacitors, and tuning machines to get them closer to the core instruments. With this SE Hollowbody II Piezo, the only changes I saw as necessary was the addition of PRS SE locking tuners, Dunlop strap locks and the addition of a 180pF Treble Bleed capacitor on the volume control. I also spent a few hours polishing the frets with 2400, 4000, 8000 and finally 12000 grit Micro-Mesh pads. This type of labor-intensive work is one reason that a core guitar is much more expensive than a SE guitar.

The 58/15 S pickups have been a complete surprise. While a bit hotter in output than expected, they are clear and articulate in all gain settings and I see no need to replace them as they fit this guitar extremely well. In fact, I was really surprised at how well this guitar handles gain. I can get my tone - which is between a late 70's classic rock tone to something similar to a Steve Lukather lead tone - with very controllable feedback. This guitar really sings unlike anything I have played, and the "woody" characteristic tone comes through when the amp is set for clean or distortion. You can get smooth singing tones from the neck humbucker, classic hollowbody tones from selecting both pickups and backing off the tone control, as well as great crunch and lead tones from the bridge humbucker - all with clarity and note definition. This guitar sounds amazing!

When you add in the Piezo output, it takes this guitar into new territory. It does a decent job replicating a Piezo-equipped acoustic guitar when plugged into a full-range amp/speaker combo, but you can get really beautiful sounds by adding a touch of Piezo output to the magnetic pickups which allows you to add a little extra presence to your tone. This guitar sonically is the most flexible guitar I have played. I may pick up one of the modeling acoustic guitar preamps to see if I can get a more convincing acoustic guitar tone from the Piezo system. (This would be an excellent demo for Sweetwater!) I added the Treble Bleed capacitor because I felt that the neck humbucker was a bit dark when the volume was rolled off, and the 180pF value used by PRS on so many of their guitars has worked well in this application as expected.

In summary, I could not be more pleased with this guitar. If you ever had your eye on owning a PRS Hollowbody II, but didn't think you could justify the price, this is an amazing guitar and an excellent value.

Ok, I wanted a guitar that had the Piezo and magnetic pick-ups that would allow me to do stereo through two amps. I also wanted it to play like an electric guitar, not an acoustic. I tried the Godin A6 Ultra which is a very nice guitar and excellent craftsmanship, but it still felt like an acoustic guitar to me. A well made, good quality acoustic, but still had that "stiffness" and pressure an acoustic requires.
I watched a youtube video about this PRS hollow-body Piezo and immediately fell in love with it. My biggest concern was that it was made in China.
When I received the guitar ( that came with a nice hard-shell case ) I went over it with a fine tooth comb looking for sub-par quality issues and did not find a single one ! A while back I bought the Koa Epiphone Les Paul custom pro that is made in China and it was flawless as well. I have never seen such high quality work before coming from there.
So the fit and finish is top of the line with flamed maple bindings throughout including the neck. The maple edging on the F-holes is perfect as well. The Piezo sounds as much like an acoustic as any I have heard, and is crystal clear with superb tonal quality. The 58/15 humbuckers sound just like my semi-hollow PRS custom 22 allowing smooth soft tones, good rhythm tones in between , and screaming lead tones as well. The pick-ups are actually a bit hotter than I expected which is a good thing in my opinion.
The overall appearance will blow you away and looks like a guitar costing 2~3 times the price. The high ratio tuners feel and work very well and remind me of a standard grover. A bone nut , ebony fingerboard , and gorgeous bird inlays not only looks great, but plays good and stays in tune very well.
The archtop design is superb and very confortable to play. It also makes for a very lightweight guitar with no neck-dive at all. It has sufficient resonance to play un-plugged to noodle around, but with the awesome sounds it is capable of why would you ?
If I had any complaint at all, it would be the wide-fat neck just doesn't feel as good to me as the thinner neck on my PRS semi-hollow 22, but being a full hollowbody I do understand they wanted a beefier neck profile.
The wide-fat neck is plenty comfortable and reminds me of my old Gibson SG with the bigger C profile. It isn't a "baseball bat " by any means like some older Gibsons , but just a tiny bit thicker than my hands prefer. The thicker neck is definitely not a deal breaker though, just a preference, as it is still comfortable to play.
Do not be concerned about this being made in China as this is a finely crafted guitar with a beautiful fit and finish. The quality control where PRS has these built is top notch and rivals anything from Indonesia or Korea, and a fair bit better than the MIM Fender.

So I saw the video demo by Bryan Ewald first on the PRS Facebook page. Then the articles started showing up. Reverb started posting some of the early batch. I alerted Sweetwater and Justin Dunbar was able to help me select a fantastic sample. These are amazing guitars. I am a bit of made in China snob since my last bad experience with the PRS SE Angeles AE60E – cracks by the nut, contaminated finish, and real bad neck set. This guitar does not reflect any of my past quality issues with Chinese made guitars. PRS got it right with this guitar. I had passed on a beautiful PRS Hollowbody McCarty with piezo that I saw decades ago at Lighthouse Sound. The guitar was light and just felt right. Why I walked away from that one I will never know. So here was an opportunity to purchase a similar guitar with similar features. The SE is definitely a heavier guitar than the McCarty but not objectionable. Guitar and included hard-shell case were well packed unlike other PRS retailers try and save money by not double boxing and throwing away the PRS box. The case is a nice hard-shell case with very good padding and rigidity. They could have used a nicer storage door tab but it is functional. The case ships with two pieces of foam that cradle the headstock from impacts. For a Chinese made case it was well done. The guitar's finish was well done with only one microscopic dimple that I am only able to see. Frets were well dressed and my micro-fiber cloth was hard pressed to sang anywhere on the fretboard. Abalone (yes the real deal) inlays were well done. Nut was cut and set properly. There was just miniscule neck relief and no buzzing what so ever. There were no tools marks on the fretboard like my Gibson Standard and Classic exhibited. The flamed maple purfling was awesome. The purfling was even installed in the S holes. Unlike my recent Gibson Les Pauls, the trim around the neck was even and well applied. Yeah …. look at the flamed maple purfling! Top wood exhibited a beautiful AAA flame. Back was more like an AA and half but still awesome. Again not a big fan of the back of the neck and body sides being black but that must be part of the cost cutting. PRS tuners held in tune very well. One tuner had a little bit of play which a tightening would likely solve. Guitar was a real player … real easy playing with access to the upper frets. The piezo was nicely executed and could be blended with the magnetic pickups for a fuller sound. As with all hollow-body electric this guitar will get feedback squelch if gain is not keep under control. Very happy with this purchase … five stars … workmanship wise this guitar beat my Gibson Les Paul Standard and Classic. Nice job on these Paul! Thanks again to Justin for helping to make this happen. I knew the minute that I saw the video that these would be flying off the shelves … Sweetwater sold out in just two days during Gearfest. Booyah!

I watched a ton of videos on different products ranging from $400-$5,000 for a guitar like this. Many were just too big (like traditional archtops), or had hollow sound, or just looked funky.

This thing is gorgeous. I love how Sweetwater lets me pick the one I want directly to ensure the grain pattern and such. I believe I got the best of the bunch they had (looks wise).

I had one small issue where there was a small chip in the finish over the binding in one of the f-holes. It's not horrible, but I hope it doesn't cause issues in the future.

This baby sounds as good as it looks. Everything from twang to rich jazz. The acoustic straight sound from the piezo is decent. Not perfect as my Breedlove American Series, but pretty darned good for what it is. The blended sound is unique and very cool.

The quality, fit & finish is amazing. Tone for days.
Beautiful to look at as well.
Plays fantastic!!!!
The case is not quite the quality I was hoping for.

Ok, we all know that's not true, but this one has me thinking that! Great sound, plays like a dream & with both humbukers and a Piezo, it's an extremely versitile guitar. It can go from Sweet acoustic sound to screaming electric rock and everything in between.

I've been watching reviews on this for a while, and always admired the PRS for their beautiful wood finish. So, the stars aligned, and money was set available, now my collection is complete.
Delivery was fast and no adjustments needed... SW did a fine job in sales, setup and delivery. I know why they are number 1 in the country!

I've wanted a PRS for a long time, but really couldn't justify another guitar just to have a PRS. When the SE Hollowbody II Piezo came out and I saw the demos, especially the ones from Worship Tutorials and Robbie Calvo, I knew I would eventually have to have one!
I had been waiting weeks to find one - they are obviously very popular. When I saw a DEMO unit become available at Sweetwater, I jumped on it. I called the sales engineers to confirm it was still available and bought it. 3 days later it appeared on my doorstep.
It was cosmetically stunning. I plugged in, tuned up, and started in on a tune. At that instant I understood why it was returned to Sweetwater. Bending a string, the fretboard felt like a cheese grater. It appears this one snuck out of the factory without having the frets polished after leveling and such. The sanding marks were still in the frets!
The instrument tone was so good, I didn't want to return the guitar, so I went to Stew-Mac and got supplies for polishing frets. I waited almost a week for the supplies and then a couple of extra days polishing the frets myself.
NOW the instrument is wonderful.
I thoroughly enjoy playing it. I use the Worship Tutorials "MagPie" preset in my Helix Floor and it sounds better than my acoustic guitar! The hollowbody tone really shines through with the humbuckers too.
I only wish it had a vibrato tailpiece or bridge because I play a good bit of Chet Atkins style, so I use this for everything I don't need a vibrato for.
I definitely recommend this guitar. The YouTube demos can be believed!
If the frets had been right, I would have given this guitar 5-stars.

I am really impressed with this guitar. I haven't been able to find a single flaw in the finish or workmanship. I typically avoid Chinese manufacturing as much as I can, and I don't know how this compares to it's American counterpart exactly, but there are several features I prefer on this model: Magnetic pickups on both outputs, Ebony fingerboard, and Bound neck & f-holes. I understand that that the body is laminate rather than solid, but it is a gorgeous and versatile guitar that plays well and sounds great. I'm not a huge fan of the piezo acoustic sound, but it will work in the mix in a pinch, and it's a nice feature to have, but I really appreciate being able to send the magnetic pickups through two separate lines, and that was a major selling point for me. Hardshell case is very nice, but opens easily when "locked". It's hard to find anything to complain about. I own a couple custom shop guitars and numerous USA guitars from Fender, Gibson, and PRS, and this one is right up there with the best of them.

Needed a little work, but now it's great! I now love this guitar. It sounds great and after $150 stop at my repair shop, it's perfect. I replaced the nut with a Graphtech XL and the upper frets (12 and up) needed a leveling, re-crown, polish and, also the fretboard was real thirsty for some lemon oil. Thus the reason for the 4 instead of the 5 stars. Awesome full sound and sustain, a lot like an ES335, but about 2 lbs. lighter, a bit smaller and thus more comfortable. If you haven't try running two cords; the electric to the amp and the piezo to the PA or acoustic amp, it's worth the trouble. Just full and beautiful. Sounds good mixed for the lighter tunes and pickups only for the crunchy stuff. Very versatile. Good job Paul!

This guitar checks all the boxes of what I have been looking for. A warm and fat jazz sound with comfortable form factor. I have played more comfortable guitars (which is why I didn't give it 5 stars) but it comes darn close to be at the top. And the price is pretty reasonable too. As always my sales rep Ben Cameron was extremely helpful and took time to answer all my questions. Very much appreciate Ben and Sweetwater. You have a life long customer!

Low E string buzzes no matter what, unless I leave the action high which takes away the fun of playing longer than 3 songs. I just got this guitar and it may definitely need some but work.

I've purchased many Guitars over the years. I have never written a negative review about any of the guitars I've purchased. Each had pros and cons but for the most part they were all what I expected them to be and performed as I believed they would. I must say, everything about the PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo Electric Guitar is awesome with the exception of the battery. The first time I went to change the battery was during a gig. We cut our set short because I was able to reduce the number of guitars I use to just one because of the amazing tonality and playability of the PRS Hollowbody II. I was happy to just carry one guitar that achieved the dual sounds of acoustic and electric guitar in just the one guitar. I open the battery compartment and the battery sled comes tumbling out and disconnects from one of the wires. Oh NO! Now what? The electric part of the guitar still worked but the Piezo pickup for the acoustic portion was toast. I got through the gig and called my sales rep at Sweetwater. They were fantastic. They took the guitar back and they swapped it out for a new one. OK, I'm thinking that the one I had was a mis-manufacture and that I would receive one with a different battery compartment setup. Nope, the new one is exactly the same. I'm living in fear of having the same thing happen again. What I don't understand is why PRS would allow for such an integral part of the Piezo experience to be constructed in such a shoddy manner. They have offered up an affordable hollowbody guitar that plays and sounds fantastic with the power source literally dangling by two thin wires. Had they bundled the wiring and capped off the solder points (connections) so that they had a bit more of a secure connection and elongated the wiring, that would have been better and made battery exchange much easier and secure, even if it was still dangling. To me, the fact that they are not doing this makes me really reconsider whether PRS is continuing to maintain the usual high-quality standard of the past.

2 new ones right out of the box. 1st one, Battery would discharge without the guitar plugged in. Done in 5 days. Number 2, Bridge pickup, not piezo, would not work with the switch in that position. I like what the guitar can do, only configuration out there like but, PRS needs to get their act together, I expected a lot more from them. Also, having to wait for replacements, the lack of stock. I am going to try a third, we will see.

this thing is way over rated..after you play it for even a few minutes youll get over the fact that its pretty and awkward. yea you can play any thing on it just like any other guitar just not nearly as smooth or easy. then ya have that dam made in China sticker staring at you laughing. SC = [student edition]+, much cheaper quality plus that neck is FAT AND WEIRD..more fat wierd frets but look oh so pretty. do you want a pretty OVER PRICED guitar for $ that has china all over it? then is the guitar for you.