Steal the Show with Our Sweetwater-spec’d Semi-Hollow
Featuring custom appointments and finishes unavailable on off-the-shelf PRS models, the PRS Wood Library Special Semi-Hollow was spec’d from headstock to strap pin by Sweetwater’s team of guitar experts. A hollowed-out ash body sets this PRS apart from the Special Semi-Hollow pack, offering a striking visual and sonic contrast to the quilt maple 10-Top. The neck is also comprised of highly figured maple, then topped with an ebony fingerboard and 22 smooth-playing frets. What’s more, the triple pickup configuration of dual McCarty III humbuckers and a middle-position PRS Narrowfield pickup harnesses every tonal drop from the Wood Library Special Semi-Hollow’s world-class tonewood outfit, then pushes it over the edge with a host of switching and splitting possibilities. Finally, in traditional PRS fashion, the Wood Library Special Semi-Hollow boasts top-of-the-line hardware, including a smooth, stable Gen III tremolo system and Phase III locking tuners.
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Dual-coil power, single-coil clarity
The Wood Library Special Semi-Hollow brings forth an onslaught of classic tones thanks to its complement of proprietary PRS pickups. Stationed at the bridge and neck, respectively, are split-coil McCarty III treble and bass humbuckers, which were first seen on the limited-run Private Stock 40th Anniversary McCarty Dragon guitar. The McCarty III neck pickup delivers plenty of rich, full-bodied vintage warmth. Throaty but clear, the McCarty III bridge pickup conversely produces a crisp, chimey, clean tone that’s easy to pull grit from with the Volume knob or aggressive pick attack. When overdriven, the tone of both pickups thickens while remaining articulate, perfect for complex chords or searing lead lines.
Clarity-packed Narrowfield middle pickup
PRS’s Narrowfield, deployed in the middle position of the Wood Library Special Semi-Hollow, is a remarkable pickup that delivers the best characteristics of a humbucker, a P-90, a traditional single-coil, and a mini-humbucker. Technically, the Narrowfield’s dual coils classify it as a humbucking design, while its svelte form factor is reminiscent of a mini-humbucker (with which, perhaps not surprisingly, it shares certain tonal characteristics). Mini-humbuckers have long been prized for their ability to maintain clarity in overdrive conditions while bucking the hum.
Switch up your sound
The Wood Library Special Semi-Hollow is equipped with two mini-toggle switches that split the pickup coils for sparkly single-coil tones. Meanwhile, a 5-way pickup selector switch delivers spanky reverse-polarity tones in positions two and four. The immense flexibility of the Special Semi-Hollow’s unique pickup and switching arrangement gives you an instrument that can serve up any electric guitar sound you could ever need for a live gig or studio session.
Pattern profile neck for optimized playability
The PRS Wood Library Special Semi-Hollow is spec’d with PRS’s Pattern profile neck. A hallmark of PRS quality, neck shapes are, of course, critical to your playing experience. Perfected after years of prototyping, the Pattern neck is an updated Wide Fat neck style based on neck shapes Paul Reed Smith designed in the 1970s and ’80s for Carlos Santana, Peter Frampton, and Howard Leese of Heart. Fast and comfortable, the Pattern profile always feels just right. In reality, most electric guitarists employ a combination of thumb-over and thumb-behind fretting-hand positions in their playing, and the Pattern profile lets you switch seamlessly between the two.
PRS Wood Library Special Semi-Hollow Features:
- Custom-spec’d Special Semi-Hollow, sporting exclusive features and finishes unavailable on standard PRS models
- Semi-hollow ash body and maple 10-Top team up to deliver traditional electric guitar tone with extra sustain and “air”
- Gorgeous figured maple neck and PRS Pattern profile provide a pleasing amount of heft, with a shape based on Paul’s pre-factory profiles
- Ebony fingerboard with 22 frets in a comfortable radius for effortless playability
- Dual McCarty III humbuckers deliver vintage tones updated for the modern player
- Middle-position Narrowfield pickup produces tones reminiscent of classic mini-humbuckers
- 5-way pickup selector and independent bridge and neck coil split switches supply endless tonal experimentation
- Smoked black Phase III locking tuners and Gen III tremolo system
