PRS SE A265 & A270

The tone control has a wonderfully wide sweep on it, meaning you’ll be able to really fine tune your sound depending on your playing style, pick your using and the P.A. system you may be playing through.

PRS SE A265 & A270

MSRP (UK) £799 (US) $N/A

PROS:

Great features.

Quality tonewoods.

Excellent finishing.

Good playability.

CONS:

It’s a shame they’re a limited run.

SPECS:

Koa or Pau Ferro Back and Sides

Hybrid ‘X’ Classical Bracing

Fishman GT1 Under-Saddle Pickup

Guitar Interactive star rating: 4.5 stars

SE A265 & A270

PRS, known primarily for their high-end electric guitars, have over the last few years been bringing out some excellent, affordable acoustic instruments. In this issue, Phil Short checks out two particularly strong new limited edition models, the A265E and the A270E.

Both of these brand new limited edition guitars from PRS boast stunning features. A Fishman GT1 pickup, tucked away tone and volume controls, mahogany necks, ebony fretboards, solid spruce tops and of course, PRS’s famous bird inlays. There are a few differences between each guitar, some are aesthetic but there are also some significant tonal differences.

Aesthetically, the A265E has Ebony binding, abalone inlays, rosette and an abalone strip down the spine of the guitar. This model's back and sides are made from Pau Ferro, a relation to the rosewood family, giving the guitar a rich tone with plenty of sizzle in the top end. The guitar sounds crisp and clean, and will punch well in the mix of a live band.

It’s counterpart, the A270E has an acrylic Ivory binding and a beautiful golden ‘Ivory and tiger’ inlay around the edges of the spruce top and the rosette. The binding around the body and the neck and the bird inlays are also in the acrylic ivory rather than the ebony finish. This gives the guitar a lovely sense of continuity in its design.

This model boasts beautiful Koa back and sides, giving the guitar a chunkier, warmer tone than it’s brother. This guitar would be particularly well suited to solo artists and singer/songwriters who self accompany. The tone is thick and chocolatey, very pleasing on the ear!

Both guitars are a joy to play, with the perfect action height that makes chording feel very easy and comfortable right across the neck. The intonation is also set extremely well, no out of tune chords near the dusty end of the fretboard, a huge win in our book!

The Mahogany neck is beautifully finished and feels very comfortable in the hands. Thick enough to be solid and provide plenty of tone to the overall sound, but not so big that it feels cumbersome to play.

The Fishman GT1 pickup is also very well voiced, giving a very true representation of the guitars acoustic tone when plugged in - something all gigging guitarists are looking for in an instrument. The tone control has a wonderfully wide sweep on it, meaning you’ll be able to really fine tune your sound depending on your playing style, pick your using and the P.A. system you may be playing through.

Recording the guitars under the microphone reveals just how rich they both sound. Harmonic overtones are present in abundance, giving a real three-dimensional quality. They’ll sound fantastic on any recording session. Sadly they’re only a limited run, go and grab yours while you can!

For more information, please visit:

prsguitars.com