Experience PRS 2020 Modern Eagle V £5,340
CONTACT PRS Europe PHONE 01223 874301 WEB www.prsguitars.com
What’s the Experience bit all about?
Every year since 2007, PRS Guitars has held an Experience event. This is basically a big shindig at the PRS factory in Stevensville, Maryland, where artists, distributors, journalists and customers can geek out over their favourite guitar brand. PRS also takes the opportunity to unveil special-edition guitars at event. This year’s Experience PRS was a special one as the company is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2020. But while the event had to be held online, COVID-19 hasn’t stopped the company releasing this limited-edition Modern Eagle V.
Just another pretty-looking PRS, then?
If this thing was any sweeter you’d be stirring it into your coffee. Seriously, though, there is more to this guitar than drop-dead gorgeous looks. Before we get into that, we should discuss the pretty bits…
That looks like a 10 top to me…
Yep, a big gold star for you. The figuring on the Modern Eagle’s maple top is as outstanding as you would expect from the ‘10’ designation. This is bonded to a mahogany back that, in turn, plays host to a neck carved from the same species of timber. The 635mm (25-inch) scale neck features a ‘Pattern’ profile that offers the feel of the guitars Paul Reed Smith built for the likes of Carlos Santana and Peter Frampton before he first opened his factory in 1985. Moving on, then, the Honduran rosewood fingerboard is outfitted with 22 frets and a flock of ‘Old School’ bird inlays. Hardware onboard includes your classic PRS Patented Tremolo vibrato unit and Phase III tuners with faux-bone buttons. Pickups here are TCI humbuckers in the bridge and neck positions, and a single-coil nestled in the middle position.
Wait a minute, TCI?
Take a glance at our Jargon Crunching box (below on the opposite page) to get the lowdown on these pups. Basically, these pickups are perfectly tuned to match this guitar. That’s according to PRS, natch, but punter feedback has also been very positive. We should also mention that PRS has developed a new nitro finish that is “thin, hard and clear”. This high-gloss finish has been available on many PRS models since the beginning of
2020.“You can immediately feel that it’s not taking away from the guitar’s energy,” says Mr Reed Smith.
I can see a bunch of mini-toggles…
Right. This is where the Modern Eagle V gets even more interesting. The wiring loom is silly with tonal options. It kicks off with your basic master volume, master tone and a five-way pickup selector switch. There are, as you’ve already spotted, three mini-toggle switches. Two of these separate the slug side-coils of the humbuckers to create TCI single-coil tones. The third switch alters the volume pot value from the 500k you’d expect to find on a humbuckerequipped guitar to the 250k you get on a Strat or Tele. This gives you another bank of tonal options. A push-pull function on the tone control allows you to access all three pickups simultaneously.
Sounds good. Better start saving…
Only 200 Experience PRS Modern Eagle V guitars will be produced in two finishes: Charcoal and River Blue. So you’d better get a wriggle on if you want to feather your nest with one of these rare birds.