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PRS SE Angelus Alex Lifeson Signature

Paul Reed Smith Guitars introduces the SE Alex Lifeson signature acoustic-electric, featuring a thinline body design.

PRS SE Alex Lifeson

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This guitar carries over the same appointments as the Private Stock Alex Lifeson acoustic model, but with a thinner body depth than the company’s standard Angelus acoustic design.

Best known for his prog-rock guitar work with the iconic Canadian band Rush, Alex Lifeson is now associating with the PRS brand even more. This time co-designing a signature acoustic-electric model for the company’s affordable and accessible SE line of instruments.

According to PRS, the thinner body of this guitar makes it lighter and easier to play, but at the cost of decreased volume and tone. To alleviate the downsides of having a thinner body, PRS applied their own hybrid bracing system that combines classical and X bracing design to improve the top’s resonance and warmth.

The top of the guitar is crafted from solid spruce, a favorite by guitar builders and players alike. For the back and sides, PRS guitars went with Dao wood, which is an affordable alternative to mahogany that grows in southeast Asia. Interestingly, this mahogany alternative looks really nice and adds an earthy appeal to the instrument.

PRS SE Alex Lifeson

The neck of the guitar is still made from mahogany, topped by a rosewood fretboard with 20 frets. Scale length is pretty much standard at 25.35″, bone nut is 1.66″ and string spacing is set to 2.19″. To ensure that you don’t mistake the SE Alex Lifeson for something built by another maker, PRS equipped the guitar with their distinct “birds in flight” inlays.

If you need to go louder, you can always plug the guitar into an amp or PA system, via the built-in undersaddle pickup with volume and tone controls accessible at the sound hole.

Alex Lifeson said, “I was very pleased when PRS presented me with my SE Angelus acoustic, a beautiful guitar of stunning quality. It was in response to the challenge of building a guitar that shared the integrity and attention to detail that the Alex Lifeson Private Stock Angelus possesses in a package more broadly accessible. The SE Alex Lifeson Thinline is that model. Carefully selected materials, expert craftsmanship and a smart approach to concept resulted in a guitar that is beautiful to look at and rewarding to play.”

Check out the official video demo:

The introduction of the PRS SE Alex Lifeson Acoustic coincides with Rush’s R40 LIVE 40th Anniversary Tour, which will be visiting 34 cities throughout North America this summer beginning May 8 in Tulsa, OK and finishing August 1 in Los Angeles, CA.

The new PRS SE Angelus Alex Lifeson is currently available for preorder and priced at $799. For the complete specifications and other details, head over to PRS Guitars.

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