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PRS P245 – NAMM 2015

PRS Guitars introduce the P245, a classic style single-cutaway electric guitar with built-in LR Baggs/PRS piezo system.

PRS P245

This versatile instrument expands on the familiar short scale dual humbucker configuration by adding plugged-in acoustic tones that you can blend or separate as you prefer.

If you are mainly playing electric guitar and require minimal acoustic sounds, it would be impractical and at times impossible to quickly move to your acoustic and then swap back to your electric – especially if you’re doing it within a single song. For this reason, guitar manufacturers have been looking for ways to provide a one guitar solution that can effectively cover both electric and acoustic guitar duties reasonably well.

The P245 from PRS tries to do just that, adding modern acoustic piezo pickup technology into a traditional electric guitar. PRS worked together with LR Baggs to get convincing acoustic sounds built-into their electric guitar, resulting in a flexible and practical instrument.

Like other piezo equipped electric guitars, the P245 has two output jacks to separate the two signals. You can plug the humbucker and piezo output separately to different amps, allowing for setup flexibility. This means that you can have your regular electric guitar tones plugged into your existing rig, while having the acoustic guitar sound plugged straight into a separate preamp or even straight to the PA.

For even more flexibility and efficiency, PRS also made it possible to have both the acoustic and electric tones mixed into a single signal. A special blend control knob is provided to combine the sound of the 58/15 humbuckers and the LR Baggs piezo pickup, giving you the same two sonic options while plugged into a single amp or rig.

Note that the addition of the piezo pickup is just a bonus, the electric guitar aspect of the P245 is not in anyway compromised. The company adds, “The P245 is one of the first models to feature the new 58/15 treble and bass pickups, which were personally designed by Paul Reed Smith. 58/15’s are a vintage style pickup with exceptional clarity and focused midrange. These pickups paired with a shorter 24.5” scale length and 22 frets, give the P245 a truly classic voice that is imminently recordable and gig-ready.”

The guitar’s body features the familiar combination of figured maple top and mahogany back. The neck is also made from mahogany, topped by a rosewood fretboard with bird inlays. Both the neck and body feature vintage style binding. Other features include nickel adjustable stoptail bridge, Phase III locking tuners, master tone and volume knobs, and a 3-way toggle switch.

Upgrade options are also available, you can upgrade to a P245 Artist Package that features Artist Grade flame maple top, Artist grade neck and fingerboard woods, and the choice of gold, hybrid or nickel hardware.

PRS Guitars National Sales Manager Jim Cullen concludes, ““Simply put – this guitar has it all… vintage appeal with a modern twist, the feel and reliability needed for live performances with the versatility and breadth of sounds needed for the most demanding studio sessions.”

The P245 is expected to start retailing within Q1 of 2015, available in a wide variety of colors including: Antique White, Azul, Black, Black Cherry, Black Gold Burst, Blood Orange, Charcoal Burst, Faded Vintage Yellow, Faded Whale Blue, Gold Top, Gray Black, Honey, Jade, Royal Blue, Scarlet Red, Tortoise Shell, Vintage Sunburst and Violet.

The P245 will be on display for the first time at the upcoming winter NAMM show in Anaheim from January 23-25 in PRS’ show room 210A/B. Head over to PRS Guitars for further details.

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