NGD - Paul Reed Smith 7 String (Maryland made!)

  • Thread starter Thread starter th3m1ke
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th3m1ke

th3m1ke

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Over the last few years I have become quiet the fan of PRS' tech center (PTC). Last year I had a custom 22 completely refinished, and a tremelo piezo installed and it came out amazing! PTC aside, I have been wanting a 7 string for quite some time from PRS but could never quite afford to go PS so my friend Hans and I were tossing around ideas and wound up discussing the logistics of transforming a 12 string to a 7 string. I'll spare you all the details, but that's what we did with this guitar!!!

You can check out the build thread here.

I received the guitar a day or two ago and have been playing it NON stop. Since it was a conversion, the string spacing on this guitar is a little tighter than your typical 7 string, although not by much. After 5 minutes, I've fully adjusted and completely used to it and not for nothing, I think the smaller spacing has made me more accurate!

The finish is a custom color - it's their Jet White with a "contour burst" and white binding. The pickups are Bareknuckle Black Hawks that have been tweaked and run through PRS' 408 switching system (hence the mini toggles). We had to go with a blade pickup design and this fit my requirements as I've heard it was great split.

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Tone report? You want a tone report? BAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMM. There's your tone report. Plugging it in and ringing out was like a truck crashing into the side of my face. It sounds MASSIVE, yet very clear and precise. I was a little curious about how the low B would sound on a shorter scaled 7 and I have to say that I have nothing but praise! I ran it through my Fractal at home for a few days and loved how it sound, but once I got to the studio I ran it through a 5150 and an FJA modded Peavy preamp and it made my hair stand. The coil splitting is fantastic and gets some of the most amazing tone's I've ever gotten before. Would you believe me that I got a nice, quaky strat sound on this guitar... because I did!

Again the notes are clear, the feel is tight but comfortable and the sound is huge. The bridge, which was custom milled by the PTC, is awesome. Super sturdy with great sustain and a comfortable feel.

The finish of this guitar is factory fresh - but you knew that. It literally looks like something that has been in production for years. We were originally going to go with Jet white only and a black back but Dave from PTC suggest the contour burst and I knew I had to go for it. I never really liked silverburst guitars but this just strikes me right in the heart. The clear looks like the guitar is encased in glass.

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So to wrap it up, this project was amazing to be a part of and I am beyond grateful I somehow conned them into accepting it! :rofl: The guys at the PTC are some of the most talented and creative people I've ever met. A lot of guys I think still have a hang up on PRS guitars and think they are just collector items and while it is true that they make some amazing pieces, you can also call them up and talk to customer service instantly. You can email them and have a response within an hour. You can send your beat up PRS to the PTC and have it adjusted, lightly modded or a piece of full blown insanity (a la this!).

I will also try and record some video clips for the curious but I'm pretty busy right now so it might have to be in the near future.

I'd like to thank everyone at PTC for making an absolutely, insane, one off. Specifically Skitchy who really over saw ever detail of the project and made it come to life. This guitar doesn't look like it was modded, but was straight from the production line and I couldn't be happier. PTC is seriously one of the most talented group of guys in the game.
 
Dude that's insane. Way to innovate. I never in my life would have thought of turning a 12 into a 7. Looks way classy too. HNGD!
 
It looks amazing and I am sure it feels the same.
PRS classicism combined with modernity
 
Thanks guys! It was definitely a crazy concept but once PTC figured everything out and confirmed it would work, I wasn't worried at all. It definitely turned out great - I cant believe how clear the low B sounds on the shorter scale either.
 
That is seriously one of the coolest guitars I've ever seen!
Congrats!
 
Badronald":3vc8uv6f said:
That is seriously one of the coolest guitars I've ever seen!
Congrats!

Thanks man! I still can't get over how well it came out either :rock:
 
THAT is awesome. How much did all that cost, though? Wouldn't it have put you back in the price range of a custom shop instrument anyway?
 
Thanks guys! All the credit goes to the PTC team at PRS. From pickup swap, to floyd install, to complete refinish - these guys rock!
:rock:

richardt4520":2qgwgubj said:
THAT is awesome. How much did all that cost, though? Wouldn't it have put you back in the price range of a custom shop instrument anyway?

While I can't discuss price - in short - since I play PRS, it was worth it to do this but more importantly, I like working with the PTC guys. Thats my team! Last year I had a custom 24 that was completely refinished, as well as installing a tremolo piezo system and new pickups. They are definitely the mad scientists of the company and its awesome! :thumbsup:
 
A few people had questions about the finish so I tried to capture the whiteness of it. Still not 100% but hopefully this gives you a better idea. Again - its jet white with a contour burst.

Tried to play around and capture the color today - not bad!

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This is, for lack of any other words that come to mind, absolutely off the fuckin' chain coolness and awesomeness!!

Wow man. Like - serious WOW'factor here. Congrats on EVERYTHING about this guitar... This is sooooooooooooooo envy worthy :thumbsup: :salute:

By the way, how you diggin' them Blackhawks??
Peace, and mega congratz!!!
Mo
 
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