loading
reading
writing
saving
searching
2010 25th Anniversary Paul Reed Smith PRS Model 305 - $2,950
QR Code Link to This Post
The 25th 305 comes with other celebratory features: the 25th Eagle on the rosewood-faced headstock, black/white Corian shadow bird inlays, 513/ DGT fretwire and a bone-coloured case: watch the dirt.
Sounds
Imagine a good Strat with increased low-end colour, smoother but still biting highs and a little added mid-range fatness. Then add in superb sustain, immaculate intonation and playability and an excellent in-tune vibrato system and you have a real 'supercar' version of Fender's finest.
Compared to the girth of a Singlecut, the 305 cuts, but is rarely ear-wearing. It has much of a good Strat's explosive twang on clean, reverbed amp tones, but whereas a Strat isn't always what you want for higher gained sounds, the 305 is more than happy.
The guitar cleans up very nicely (the volume control has PRS's typical treble bleed capacitor) and the tone control is, as ever, super smooth if you need to tame the highs. There's no lack of percussive bounce from the feel either.
Our only criticism is that, unlike many upper-market Strat-style guitars, the middle pickup isn't reverse-wound with reverse polarity to cut out hum on the mixed pickup positions. "You're the first to mention it," says Smith. "You're right and I'll fix it."
Built to the company's usual ultra-high standards this 25th Anniversary guitar certainly dishes-up a different flavour, or provides a different coloured crayon as Paul Reed Smith would have it.
The 305 doesn't just lean into the Fender camp, it sits right in front of the fire: an elite-level version of Fender's finest that will, by its design, not only give PRS fans that 'missing' sound but might also bring in players who like the idea of PRS, but need single-coil tones.
"The 305 has big, fat, open but a little darker single-coils," Paul Reed Smith tells us, summing up. "I've never been able to make a humbucker that sounded exactly like a single-coil… and this is interesting, some of the humbuckers on old '59 Les Pauls were so bright they almost sounded like single-coils - we don't make pickups that bright."
Our only dilemma is, between this guitar and PRS's other 25th Anniversary model - the Swamp Ash Special Narrowfield - which one we prefer, and with PRS's 2010 Experience just around the corner - usually the time when next year's models are announced - and the fact the 25th 305 is a limited run of 305 only, time is running out for us to choose. Don't say we didn't warn you!