The internet is abuzz following the arrival of the PRS Tekton range – a new purpose-built metal guitar line that’s ushered in a new era for the brand.
PRS already has a stake in heavier waters, but the Tekton initiative marks a direction shift. The four flagship models are spec’d for a very particular style of guitar playing, designed exclusively for technical players of the highest caliber.
This new family could therefore make for serious competition against the market’s big guns. It might also represent the arrival of a new type of metal guitar.
Given it’s perhaps the biggest PRS launch since the Silver Sky, we asked the nearest handful of GW staffers for their reactions to the new lineup. Here’s what they had to say…
Stuart Williams – Deputy Reviews Editor
A strange phenomenon occurs with time. While the old clichés of Blues Dentists, Yacht Rock Lawyers and, er…Mixolydian Architects may follow PRS forever, there's another, parallel persona to the brand. Silverchair's Daniel Johns, Incubus' Mike Einziger, Wes Borland, and, of corse, Creed/Alter Bridge gunslinger Mark Tremonti are just a few players who planted a heavier flag in the ground for PRS.
Opeth, Mark Holcomb of Periphery, Karnivool's Drew Goddard and DragonForce shredder/end-of-level Guitar Hero boss Herman Li have continued that precedent.
I got to try the Tekton T briefly during the filming of Guitar World's video, and while I'm far from the technically adept target audience, it left me with an overall feeling of 'evolution'.
The PRS DNA is strong, particularly at first glance. There's the mirror-buffed nitro over a heavily-figured top, and the more subtle familiarities such as the Phase III locking tuners and two-point tremolo. But wait! No birds? No rare-breed shellfish? Nope. Instead, it's a streamlined, dare I say tasteful, design across the 'board.
Picking it up is where that body shape turns from a two-dimensional ‘It’s a PRS’ on paper, to a 3D ‘It's a PRS, but not like any other I’ve held.’ I'd sum it up by saying ‘svelte’.
At the shallowest points the carve feels thin and manoeuvrable, and the merging of the offset Vela and traditional Custom designs makes for something that is unmistakably a PRS, while feeling fresh and new.
Progression aimed at progressive players. Now for the shocker. Fans of those bands I mentioned earlier are themselves of dentist-ing, lawyer-ing and architect-ing age. So no, PRS probably won’t shake the preconceptions, but your dentist might well be a better sweep-picker than you’ve given them credit for.
Matt Owen – News Editor
Well, here’s something quite novel: a humbucker that’s been designed with modelers in mind. Are Full Range, Flat Response pickups now a thing? Perhaps ‘FRFR humbucker’ undersells the new Stylus pups somewhat. They still have their own character, but this is the first time we’ve seen a mainstream builder design a humbucker that’s engineered to get the most out of amp modelers and digital rigs.
PRS has a penchant for going above and beyond with its guitar designs, so it’s no real surprise that the firm has managed to develop something new in the pickup department. But I personally didn’t see this one coming.
They have a flatter output than most humbuckers, voiced for articulation and dynamic response while keeping some character to cater more to digital gear. So, like how an FRFR speaker won’t color your modeler tones, the Stylus pickups will supposedly give your digital rigs more room to shine through.
What does this say about PRS and the gear world at large? Well, it proves there are still areas to explore at a time when the playing field in the digital world has never been more level. Will other big brands and pickup makers take note and start dabbling in modeler-minded humbuckers? Time will tell.
Matt Parker – Deputy Editor
Am I the only one that was a little underwhelmed when I first saw these? I heard rumors of PRS making a big pitch for the modern metal market and I was excited to see what would happen when PRS’ talented luthiers were let off the leash with this kind of brief. After all, the prog and metal landscape is one where people won’t blink at a headless design, or one of Abasi Concepts’ UFOs.
Perhaps I should have known better, but to me, the Tektons seem to me less like a tectonic shift, and more like another honed and scraped, detail-orientated evolution of an already successful formula. That approach has obviously proven very effective for PRS, and there’s a significant risk with big swings, but a guy can dream.
I haven’t tried them yet (my colleagues who have got hands-on say they are stellar players) but aesthetics do count. So, if you’ve always wanted a sportier PRS that flips the birds, well, you’re in luck. But if you want to see what PRS can do when it takes off the tie at the office party – well, you might be waiting a moment longer.
Michael Astley-Brown – Editor-in-Chief
I always thought PRS was relatively well-positioned as a brand for heavier players, but the Tekton lineup takes its ergonomic cues from guitars that are far removed from the Ted McCarty lineage. Those back carves are closer to Ibanez and Ernie Ball Music Man than they are Gibson Les Paul. And ultimately, those are the players PRS will be targeting here.
Whether the price point will be too much to stomach is another question. I wonder if, like the Silver Sky, a more affordable model could be what pushes these into mainstream popularity. An S2 model at half the price could seriously shake up the market. Just sayin’…
