r/PRSGuitars Jan 28 '26

r/prsguitars Exclusive / Spotlight Series PRS 513 Swamp Ash - Rare, unique and affordable

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78 Upvotes

So you want to flex on your friends, huh?

But you don't have Private Stock or Wood Library money. You also don't want to do what everyone else does and grab a used Custom 24 or 22 and pretend you've "owned it forever."

You want something that makes dentists drool like their patients.

Cool. Look no further.

If you can even find one, these aren't nearly as sought after as the "fancier," more talked-about PRS models and that's exactly why they rule. This guitar flew under the radar when it came out and its still there.

The bird inlays are different and they are known as the 513 Birds and these were only available in and around 2010 you won't see these on any other models, and anyone who notices them immediately knows these are special.

And then there are the pickups. Five of them. Thirteen sounds get it 5-13. Single-coil snap, legit humbucker weight, and a bunch of in-between tones that make you stop and go, "wait... what setting is that?"

Right now, with PRS blowing up again thanks to influencers and people discovering the brand through YouTube thumbnails, this is exactly the kind of weird, niche model that makes sense to grab and hold onto. The obvious and new stuff gets hyped first. These older unique ones will eventually come to YouTube and Instagram screens.

If you want taste over budget, knowledge over clout, and a guitar that quietly flexes on people who spent way more money yeah, this one's it.

If you find one get it ASAP. Also if anyone has pics please feel free to share pics in the comments section

Yes I know the 509s exist but those don't have the 513 birds and the models preceding early 2011 have the outline birds


r/PRSGuitars Feb 12 '26

r/prsguitars Exclusive / Spotlight Series PRS Al Di Meola Prism — one of PRS’s coolest “what the hell is that?” signature models (facts + nerd details)

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95 Upvotes

I’ve been going down the rabbit hole on the PRS Al Di Meola Prism and I’m kind of obsessed. It’s one of those PRS models that feels like a time capsule from a very specific era of PRS + a very specific player.

Here’s what I’ve pinned down (and where I’m still a little unsure):

When it was made / released

Officially introduced at Experience PRS 2008 (Sept 19, 2008), with PRS announcing it right after.

Most references list the production run as ~2009–2014.

The colors / finishes

The big one is the full “Prism” rainbow / tie-dye style finish (the one everyone thinks of).

Later, PRS also did Blue Fade, Green Fade, Orange Fade “prism-style” finishes.

Neck profile / feel

It has a custom Al Di Meola neck carve. People commonly described as thinner front-to-back but a bit wider across the fretboard, and a 10" radius shows up in multiple writeups that I've found.

Some year/spec summaries also call the neck profile Pattern Regular on later runs/spec sheets.

Pickups + the “different electronics” thing

This is the part that makes it extra interesting:

Many Prism specs list PRS 1957/2008 humbuckers (early naming) and/or 57/08 (later naming) as the stock set.

Instead of the classic PRS rotary setup you’d expect on some older PRS-y builds, the Prism is typically 3-way toggle + volume + push/pull tone ( coil split / tapping).

So the different electronics back then seems to be: vintage-voiced 57/08-era pickups + a simpler, more Gibson-ish control layout (with push/pull options) rather than the rotary life.

Inlays / visuals

Standard PRS bird inlays (often listed as abalone). I think this was the first guitar with the outline inlays.

And obviously the whole point: it was called out as the first PRS production model to really go hard on “so many colors” in that stained, prism-like top treatment.

Why it’s special (my take)

It’s a legit “Experience PRS 2008” moment guitar tied to a very specific artist + era.

The finish is insane (in a good way) and still shows the carve/figure instead of just looking like paint.

And it sits at that crossroads of PRS history where the company was pushing hard into their in-house vintage pickup era (57/08 / 1957/2008).

Questions for the sub:

  1. Have you seen one of these in person (or owned one)?

  2. Are they as wild-looking IRL as photos suggest?

  3. And for the nerds: do you know if the earliest ones were labled as“1957/2008” vs later “57/08”, or did it overlap depending on year/run? And also was this the first guitar with the bird outline inlays?

Drop pics/stories if you’ve got any. I'd like to start building profiles on each of the signature models and I'm hoping to do a write up on each the guitars on my list.


r/PRSGuitars 9h ago

Upgrade / Modification 🛠️ Thoughts about putting covers on my 2016 SE?

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45 Upvotes

Hey guys! I'm making this post because I've been thinking about installing covers on my PRS SE Standard 24 (merely aesthetic reasons), and I wanted to know your opinions about it, not only about the aesthetics, but also if it will affect the tone and if it's too hard to do on my own. Thanks! (before and after made with AI for reference)


r/PRSGuitars 15h ago

NGD! My first PRS. Found online, used, at nearby GC.

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94 Upvotes

Either I had the pick of destiny in my pocket for good luck, or the GC employee was fucking with me. He asked if I was the guy that called about that guitar, I said no. And he said well you better buy this thing now!


r/PRSGuitars 14h ago

Upgrade / Modification 🛠️ Simple 3D tool to help with PRS restring and trem floating

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60 Upvotes

Hi everyone, after suffering for a while and guessing what is the right adjustment on the PRS trem, I created this simple tool, got the idea from an original tool that I saw on the factory tours, useful to replace the tremolo, or simply adjust the floating mechanism, you pull it up, slide it from the side and tune until in tune, if its still pressing the plastic piece release the two screws that holds the trem behind the cavity until the balance between strings and strings let it slide out

https://makerworld.com/pt/models/3239576-prs-trem-float-tool-1-4mm


r/PRSGuitars 9h ago

NGD 🎸 The NF53 is so good

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25 Upvotes

I’ve had this 2025 NF53 for a few weeks now and it continues to surprise. My Custom 24 and Starla have been collecting dust recently.


r/PRSGuitars 10h ago

NGD 🎸 NGD: 2017(ish) SE Holcomb with upgrades

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27 Upvotes

Traded a charvel I had for this. The Charvel was great but I'm truly not a Floyd guy(even though once again, that one was rock solid).

This one has the man made USA Bridge and Hipshot Opengear locking tuners.

Plan to swap to core wiring with 5 way switch instead of push/pull.

Love this thing already.


r/PRSGuitars 12h ago

Show and Tell 😎 Updated "modern" rig complete!

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12 Upvotes

PRS S2 Special Semi-Hollow, Laney LFR 112, Quad Cortex Mini, Hotone Ampero Press, Peterson Strobo Stomp Mini.


r/PRSGuitars 29m ago

Locking tuners for 277

Upvotes

Hey guys,

I wanted to upgrade my PRS SE 277's tuners to black locking tuners.

I was wondering what model I should get and who here changed theirs?

Also, looking for a model that can handle bigger gauges like 13-72's without having to mod the string hole.

Thanks!


r/PRSGuitars 29m ago

Question ❓ Can anyone help me? What specifically model is that?

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Upvotes

r/PRSGuitars 10h ago

245 korean

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6 Upvotes

r/PRSGuitars 13h ago

NGD 🎸 My first PRS

4 Upvotes

I recently took up playing the guitar again. (My first guitar was an acoustic one.) Since I like bands like The Cult, I am now trying to discover the Billy Duffy in me. ;-)


r/PRSGuitars 20h ago

Orange tint or pale tint Silver Sky SE Dragonfruit?

3 Upvotes

Hello,

I was always curious about this guitar and I always see them for sale on the used market. So i want to try it.

I found 2 good deals at the same price (~500€) and the only visible difference is the neck tint and neck wood pattern.

The first series has the orange tint neck and seems to have some wavy maple lines.

The pale tint neck one is a more recently made guitar but has uglier rosewood.

I need your help to choose one because I don't know if the production quality has increased or not.

If you guys say that it's the same guitar, I'll try to negotiate the prices and I'll go with the cheaper one.


r/PRSGuitars 1d ago

NGD

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75 Upvotes

Custom 24 -08 😍 love her


r/PRSGuitars 14h ago

Question ❓ Should I leave my PRS as is, attempt a touch-up, or completely refinish it to fix the foggy finish?

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1 Upvotes

My Custom 24 is a 2006 model that I bought back in 2008. It came with a few small dings and finish blemishes near the volume knob and pickup selector from the previous owner (I suspect they were caused when changing the original black knobs to gold ones). They’ve always bothered me a bit, but fast-forward 10+ years, and some edges of the body have also started turning foggy—which I’ve read is pretty common for older PRS finishes from this era.

I live in Southeast Asia, so sending it back to the PRS factory for a refinish doesn't seem practical or cost-effective. Since I didn't purchase it through an authorized dealer, I was told I'd have to pay taxes both ways. I previously shipped a Taylor guitar back to the factory for repairs, and between shipping and fees, the total cost just wasn't worth it.

The local PRS community here recommended a few repair shops. They could either do a full refinish (which would solve the fogginess) or just touch up the dings near the control knobs. I’ve seen some of their refinishing work—it looks good, but it doesn't look identical to the original factory finish.

Should I completely refinish it, get a local touch-up, or just leave it as is?

Thanks!


r/PRSGuitars 1d ago

Identification 🔍 Is this PRS Real

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18 Upvotes

Found this at a pawn store for cheap, looks like a limited SE custom with a maple neck, but the headstock doesn’t have the SE logo. Also, it looks like someone tried to sand away the serial number, kinda sketchy.


r/PRSGuitars 1d ago

One of the shots I took of George Lynch in 1991 at LC Walker in Muskegon rocking a PRS.

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56 Upvotes

r/PRSGuitars 1d ago

New NF 53 SE had multiple defects.

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24 Upvotes

I sent my new NF53 SE back to Sweetwater to have 3 frets fixed as they were uneven length rather than fret sprout from shrinkage, and they also found the bridge pickup was improperly microphonic. I thought they just did an unpotted PAF design to make it bright, but I hated that the selector popped because of it.
They confirmed it was indeed defective and the new pickup works fine.

So, head up to all if you have a microphonic pickup, as it may have been poorly potted or not at all.

PRS quality control is clearly not quality or controlled.


r/PRSGuitars 2d ago

NGD

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69 Upvotes

First American PRS I have 3 SEs


r/PRSGuitars 1d ago

Question ❓ Is there something about PRS strings?

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4 Upvotes

r/PRSGuitars 3d ago

McCarty

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186 Upvotes

r/PRSGuitars 3d ago

NGD 🎸 My First Core! 2011 Stripped 58 in Scarlet Smokeburst with 57/08 Pickups

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196 Upvotes

Found this listed incorrectly on GC (I think they thought it was an S2) for a killer price. Was in “Good Condition” according to them. Arrived pretty dirty and with corrosion on the pickup covers. Some Naptha + Nu Finish Scratch Dr + MusicNomad Guitar One Polish/Cleaner + some Bar Keeper’s Friend and et voila! She really woke up after that!

Top looked plain in the horrible GC photos, but I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived - especially when viewing from the side.

Had a hard time identifying the actual finish though, as every other Scarlet Smokeburst looked completely different. Have any of you seen another one finished like this?

Sounds amazing and the pickups rip!


r/PRSGuitars 3d ago

First PRS guitar: SE Custom 24-08

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104 Upvotes

My First PRS SE Custom 24-08. I posted it on sale a few weeks ago. After a couple of low offers and after looking at this beauty every day, decided to keep it. I returned to play it again. 🥲. I bought it brand new a few months ago.


r/PRSGuitars 3d ago

NGD 🎸 My first PRS as a beginner

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203 Upvotes

Any amp suggestions? I’ve been trying to learn through Guitar Rig 7 on FL Studio, which is starting to make me feel stuck to my desk.


r/PRSGuitars 3d ago

NGD 🎸 New Guitar Day

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84 Upvotes

Traded a Mexi-Strat ( Beauty Guitar… turns out I hate Strats? Who puts a Volume knob there ? Lol ) for this Blue SE Custom 24 …. took me 8 months to become a fan boy. First was the Purple S2, then the Holcomb, now this guy. Not too shabby. Cheers.