OK, first the guitar. Full specs and details and more pics on the PRS website: https://www.prsguitars.com/index.php/ac ... el/se_a40e.
There are three guitars in the Angelus series (the cutaway; the non-cutaways are called Tonare and while I believe they are the same materials/construction I didn't play any of those; I was on a mission for a cutaway). They all have solid sitka tops, ebony fretboard/bridge, bone nut/saddle and the PRS bling. They differ in back/side material. The 40 is ovangkol, the 50 is maple and the 60 is ziricote. All of these models have layered backs and sides, none are solid. At the beginning of my shopping adventure, I definitely wanted solid back and sides. After playing a bunch of guitars, this one and a few others really showed me that just having solid back/sides does not mean it will have a better tone. I'm sure many (post?) solid back/sides axes might sound better than many (most?) layered axes, but there are definitely some layered ones that sound great. This is one of them.
Fit and finish out of the box was extraordinary. I didn't notice a single blemish anywhere. It was flawless. No smudges, no chips or streaks in the binding or anything else the rosette is beautiful (IMO the whole damn thing is gorgeous). No sharp frets, no uneven frets, no buzz anywhere on the neck. The action was set surprisingly (but really comfortably) low. It needed a tiny truss tweak to intonate, but like 1/8 turn on the rod. It was exceptional out of the box.
The neck is the reason I bought the guitar. I'm not sure how to describe it, and I'm not experienced enough to say that it's a 'slim D' or a 'shallow U' or any of that mess. It feels exactly - and I mean exactly - like the neck on my Gretsch 5622. It took zero effort for my fingers to learn the neck. It just always falls right in underneath where my fingers want it to be. I really don't know how to describe it except to say that the first time I played it, it felt like a guitar I already owned and already knew. This actually turned out to be a surprise for me. Another of my preconceptions when I started shopping was that whatever I was going to buy would have a 1 3/4" nut. This is 1 11/16. Lots of the Breedloves I played were 1 11/16 too, and I liked those necks as well. I played a few different versions of this guitar, and the necks were consistent across the models I played (disclosure: I played the A40 and A50 before purchase, I never had a chance to play the A60).
As far as how it sounds, it is glorious. I specifically wanted a grand performer/auditorium/concert kind of cutaway because I think that shape projects well and has really good low end (my only other acoustic is a parlor sized and while I like how it sounds, it's not exactly an authoritative guitar). I don't particularly care for the dread shape, it just doesn't sit right for me. The cutaway was the compromise I wanted, and the PRS delivers. On the rare nights I choose to annoy my wonderful bride, it easily has enough volume to drown out the television. If I'm digging into it, two other people can't have a conversation in the same room. It has the goods. There is also a remarkably sweet top end to it (as you probably expect the A50, with the maple back/sides, was somewhat brighter and sharper in the top end but still very nice to my ears). It's rich and while the bass is indeed present, it never overpowers the top end. On the website, they go to great lengths to describe how it has a hybrid bracing system, with partial classical bracing and partial x bracing. Again, I'm not experienced enough to be able to talk intelligently about various bracing types, but the guitar sounds great. Chords are clear and articulate. It's very responsive to pick dynamics - it's frankly very responsive to changing pick; Jazz III's produce more volume, clarity and (to my ears) a bit more top end; a softer pick seems to bring out more low end.
It comes with a Fishman GT1. I plugged in the day I opened it to make sure that it works. It does! I haven't plugged it in since. I have no idea if the pickup is good/bad/indifferent.
It comes with a hardshell case. Not the nicest ever, but definitely not a piece of garbage. They are made in China, but the quality is exactly what you'd expect from PRS.
They usually list for $750 (the 50 was a little more, like $779 or something; the 60 with the ziricote back is like $1000 which is why I didn't cry when I couldn't find one to play). On Black Friday, they went 25% off at Adorama with free shipping. I jumped. I did have to pay sales tax, but the whole thing worked out to like $630 something shipped, new with a hard case. A good deal in my opinion, and an exceptional value. Pics or it didn't happen:
One additional word on my shopping search. I mentioned this in another thread yesterday, but in my opinion we are living in a wonderful time for gear. When I started shopping, I thought I knew what I wanted. I spent about 6 months shopping around (covid made it somewhat difficult to drop in at most shops so it took a while). I'd say I played 40 or 50 different models on my adventure. Again, almost everything I played was in the cutaway, auditorium shape and roughly between $500-1000.
I played a TON of really, really good guitars. More than one of the other guitars I played were wonderful, and I'm sure if I'd bought them I'd love them too. Specifically, the Alvarez Artist Elite (which I posted about here while I was still shopping and almost bought two or three times) was fan-damn-tastic. I really don't understand why I did not buy this guitar. It's actually cheaper than the PRS. Loved it. This was the first laminated sides/back guitar that really blew me away sound-wise. This was the one that opened me up to layered back/sides in the first place. There was a used Martin GPC (just a little bit north of my price target) that killed. I can never keep track of which model Breedlove is which, but they have a cedar topped concert size that just about knocked me over.
If you're into spending a little less, both Breedlove and Alvarez make excellent guitars in the 300-500 area. Also, the Eastman PCH was great for just about $300.
I also played a bunch of guitars that were obviously great guitars but for some particular reason not for me. All the Yamahas in that range sounded very good, but I couldn't get next to the necks. The D'Angelicos I played felt good in the hand but I did not love the tones. And obviously the king of this kind of guitar is Taylor. I couldn't find a single Taylor under $2500 that I liked. The x14 and x12 models are obviously quality guitars, but for some reason they never tickled my ears. Oh well.
I am now in the PRS club. This will almost certainly not be my last PRS.
