PRS SE Kestrel Bass

The PRS SE Kestrel Bass is one of the first two basses to ever come out of the company’s affordable SE product line.

PRS SE Kestrel

Related Feature:
PRS SE Kingfisher Bass

This new electric bass guitar is inspired by the classics with a PRS twist, featuring dual single-coils, vintage style aesthetics and familiar playability.

The SE Kestrel is Paul Reed Smith’s take on the familiar J-Bass style, featuring a double cutaway alder body with a vintage-inspired pickguard. Instead of just copying the J-bass like other manufacturers, PRS tweaked the shape and appearance, applying their brand of aesthetics and attention to detail.

An important distinction between this bass and other P-bass style instruments is the use of neck-through construction for the neck. This feature adds a modern and premium touch to the Kestrel, when compared to the typical bolt-on necks of other comparable basses.

The neck is crafted using 5-ply maple with walnut strips for increased durability and stability. It has a scale length of 34″ and has a 22-fret rosewood fretboard. PRS’ traditional bird inlays grace the fretboard, which has a nut width of 1.591″ and radius of 7.5″.

While the SE Kingfisher is equipped with humbuckers, the Kestrel features two singlecoil pickups, providing a different tonal option within the SE line. The Kestrel 4B ā€˜Sā€™ pickups are meant to reproduce the vintage voice of old bass guitars. Each pickup has a dedicated volume control while a master tone knob lets you roll of the highs.

The company describes the sound as “extremely punchy and focused, giving players the ability to walk a low-mid focused blues line, articulate a high-mid focused fretless part rich with harmonics, nail the scooped midrange and sweet top-end sound slappers favor, and wield a razor sharp blistering rock bassline”.

Hear the PRS SE Kestrel for yourself in its official video demo:

Another modern addition to this classic style bass is the Hipshot Transtone bridge, it lets you setup the strings through the bridge for a more traditional sound or through the body for more sustain. Hipshot HB6 tuners hold the strings in place on the headstock, which designed to look undeniably PRS.

Some online retailers are already pre-selling the PRS SE Kestrel for $749, available in black or tri-color sunburst. Head over to PRS Guitars for more information.

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