The PRS Single Cut series is probably the most controversial guitar ever made. To understand why this guitar is so controversial, we must first take a look at one of the most famous guitars ever made, which is the Gibson Les Paul. The Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar design which was made famous by Gibson and was first sold in 1952. The Les Paul design was the result of the collaboration between Ted McCarty and then famous guitarist Les Paul, hence the name of the design. Now, the Paul Reed Smith Single Cut design almost looks exactly like a Gibson Les Paul, minus the pickguard and other obvious features like the tone and volume knobs. Of course, the electronics design of the PRS Single Cut is very different from a Les Paul. To sum it up, the only thing similar between a Gibson Les Paul and a PRS Single Cut is the shape.

Gibson and PRS have been struggling for supremacy in the market over the years. Gibson finally filed a grievance in 2000 against PRS, alleging the Paul Reed Smith Single Cut guitar as a trademark breach on Gibson’s Les Paul guitar form. Gibson triumphed in a federal court, but then PRS went for a petition to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and succeeded. The motive for discussing this is that this provides proof to the value of a PRS Single Cut guitar. Once you’ve held a Single Cut guitar up close, you will distinguish that this guitar is a first class one, sufficient for Gibson to be bothered about their Les Paul model, that they filed a lawsuit against PRS.

Single Cut designs, specifically the SE series consists of a mahogany body, maple top, a PRS designed stoptail, and a flame maple veneer. The neck is wide-fat and is made of mahogany with rosewood a fretboard and has 22 frets. The PRS specially designed humbucker pickups create various tones that would fit any music style that you want to play. The neck has the customary bird inlays and is set up in a 25 inch scale length. The electronics include PRS designed tuners and has a “PRS” truss rod cover. The hardware is made of nickel and the pickups consist of one treble and one bass PRS designed humbucker pickup. It has one tone knob, one volume knob, and a three way toggle pickup selector. These features are the general norm of a Single Cut guitar.

If you are wondering if the decision of the lawsuit was right or not, and if you want to know how a Single Cut compares to a Les Paul, then worry not. Once you’ve played a Paul Reed Smith Single Cut guitar, you will come to the conclusion that they are both completely different guitars. Even though they look a lot like each other, they are worlds apart. The Single Cut can give the more established Gibson Les Paul a run for its money any day of the week considering that Gibson has done almost nothing in the way of updating their Les Pauls recently.

A Paul Reed Smith Single Cut guitar is more suitable for a rock oriented guitarist because of the tone it produces. Most Single Cut players notice that the treble and bass humbucker pickup combination produces a fat sound that is best suited for classic or modern rock genres. Compared to a Gibson Les Paul, a PRS Single Cut guitar is less muddy and more precise. It isn’t too boomy, since it has the perfect blend of treble and bass. The clean tone of a Single Cut is so neat that it almost doesn’t matter which amp you plug it into. Once you pair this guitar with a good or at least decent distortion pedal, you will feel the crunch that isn’t present on any other guitar in the market. Due to the sound that this guitar makes, you can easily switch from playing songs from bands like Metallica to songs from bands like Coldplay without having to change guitars. That is how versatile the tone of a Single Cut is.

The action, fit and finish of this guitar is nearly flawless right out of the box. Most guitarists who own a Single Cut have the same observation. The action is very smooth, even though the neck is wide-fat. Guitar players who are accustomed to fat and wide necks will not have any trouble getting used to the neck of a Single Cut. The finish is also marvelous and durable as well. Even though the guitar doesn’t have a pickguard, you will never see scratches due to playing. The only drawback that most guitarists observe about this guitar is the tuners. Since this guitar doesn’t use the patented PRS Locking Tuners, the stability of the tune isn’t as high as compared to say a PRS Custom 24 guitar. But that is just a minor flaw for this guitar. Overall, this guitar is perfect, action isn’t too low that it produces string buzz. The fit is ideal that you feel comfortable playing either standing up or sitting down, and it isn’t as heavy as a standard Les Paul. The finish is a thing of beauty that you will want to stare at it for hours.

The Single Cut guitar is made to endure the test of time. This is one of the most durable guitars out on the market today. The electronics seldom get messed up and the wood that PRS uses to craft this beauty is very durable. You will hardly see any wear and tear on this guitar, even after three plus years of playing. The stock strap buttons are high quality, but to more meticulous guitarists, they may want to switch a more specific strap lock. It is also very reliable because of the accurate sound that it produces. Even if you gig with this guitar everyday for a year, you will still not need a backup guitar. That is how reliable and durable this guitar is.

The first notion that every guitar player gets from this guitar is that it is just a Les Paul copy. But once they get to examine and play it up close and personal, they will start to see that this guitar isn’t just a Les Paul replica. It is in fact very different aside from the shape. The Single Cut sound is very different from a Les Paul. Most guitar players even disregard their LPs and use the Single Cut as their primary axe because of the variety of sound that it can make, plus it also has a superior feel in the neck. Most owners of Single Cut guitars will say that if their guitar is stolen or lost, they will buy the same one since it isn’t expensive. That is also one of the plus of a Single Cut. It isn’t costly; it’s comparable to getting a high end guitar for just a quarter of the price. Taken as a whole, this guitar is worth every dime that you splurge on it. The sound is very diverse and very accurate. It also sounds as good as it looks; which is essentially PRS’ mark. The Single Cut is more than just a Les Paul look alike, it’s in a class of its own.

The PRS Single Cut can be a controversial electric guitar. To make sure you have all the data about a Paul Reed Smith Single Cut, and take a look at these sites before you buy one.

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