NGD: PRS 305

[JB_From_Hell]

More swapping and whatnot, and I landed this beast last night. Haven’t spent more than a few minutes playing it yet, but so far, I like it.

It’s pretty Stratty, but has its own thing going on. Alder body, maple set neck, PRS proprietary pickups, their classic trem bridge. No idea if the routes will fit anything else, but the 305 pickups seem very responsive to adjustment, and seem to suit their positions well.

 

[Kac]

Dang! That is pretty!! Congrats!!!

 

[playas]

Nice!

 

[GuitarStv]

The 305 was always the most interesting PRS guitar to me. How do the single coils sound compared to something more traditional like an SSL-1?

 

[beaubrummels]

Wow, that's beautiful! Nice configuration.

 

[PFDarkside]

Congrats!

I’ve always wondered how the 305, 409 and 513 sound and if some of those concepts could be rolled into a more standard setup.

 

[Masta' C]

The 305 was always the most interesting PRS guitar to me.

Agreed!

Congrats on the cool score, JB_From_Hell!

 

[JB_From_Hell]

The 305 was always the most interesting PRS guitar to me. How do the single coils sound compared to something more traditional like an SSL-1?

I played for about 10 minutes with my headphone rig last night (Mooer GE200), but my initial impression is they sound a little bigger than vintage pickups. It’s still very Strat sounding, but I’ll update that once I’ve spent some time with a real amp. More pics, too

 

[Ascension]

Pretty rare guitar and those and very nice. CONGRATS!

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Played through my Mustang on a clean patch based on an Orange something with just a hint of drive. I keep wanting to play early Beatles stuff on it, like “Day Tripper” or “Twist and Shout,” and it really cops those tones. What did they use then, Ricks?

It’s a little confusing to describe the tone. The Strat focus is there, with a lot of PAF bite in the bridge, and P90 mids in the neck and middle. Really, they’re kind of their own thing, and I’m really glad they don’t sound as Stratty as I previously thought. None of my other guitars sound anything like this, so it won’t be hard to justify keeping it around. Not to mention it’s a PRS, so it plays like butter and is super comfortable.

I’ve owned a lot of really cool guitars, but the 16 year old kid in me that was dying for a PRS is geeking out pretty hard to have two Core models now

 

[Demanic]

It's always good to have a guitar in your collection that sounds completely unique from your others.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

 

[Artie]

The flush-mount singles look sweet. I don't think I've seen that before. Nice.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Congrats!

I’ve always wondered how the 305, 409 and 513 sound and if some of those concepts could be rolled into a more standard setup.

They’re essentially just PRS guitars with different scale lengths, switching setups, and the radiused single coils.

I really want a rosewood neck McCarty, but I’ll be watching for a 513 or 409 for sure.

 

[Bogner]

Congrats on your new ride. It is a great guitar to have as it covers a lot of ground. A nice working mans guitar I like to call it.

 

[ErikH]

Congrats. Those are nice. A buddy of mine has a 513. He plays it a lot and gets all sorts of cool tones out of it. From Strat quack to humbucker fatness and everything in between. PRS did good with those.

 

[alex1fly]

Always like a white suit.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Always like a white suit.

It looks white in the pic, but it’s Frost Blue.

Got to play with some volume earlier. Used a ‘65 Deluxe with a little dirt setting on my Mustang, and it seemed a lot more Stratty than with the Orange patch.

Normally, I’m not really into the 2 and 4 positions, but they’re great on the 305. Way meatier than I’m used to, and interesting to note, the pickups are not rwrp. They’re real singles, so you do get some buzz, but it’s not overbearing at all.

Like every other PRS I’ve played, the pickups respond to dynamics really well, and are super responsive to the controls. Clean up really nicely, and the tone control is useful for the entire sweep.

Bottom line, I really, really like this guitar. A lot.