Paul Reed Smith Guitars SC 250

I think you all know the features... Mine's all natural finish...
Think this is the most beautiful guitar made...or close... Don't judge by the photos you see... The rel thing's awesome

Well... Now, things become strange. Not the usuall PRS thing. I'm into rock/blues thing, and play through Laney VC15r, or Orange Tiny Terror. At first I thought the bridge pickup was too powerful for my taste. And it is, no doubt. Neck is really opposite, mellow and sweet. But on high gain settings, you don't get better than this. Well, I expected that...but I hoped for something more from this guitar. Guitar is very light, and for sure is hollow inside, although no data found on this. So I decided to treat it like a hollowbody guitar. If you use it like a 335, and play on both p-ups with volumes turned down a bit (or more) you can get amazing sounds. It gets so versatile, and then the mismatch of p-ups comes into effect. It can cover any style, and sound even almost acoustic. What I do is st the gain on the amp the way I like for lead on the bridge pickup, and from there I just use the pots. No pedals whatsoever needed. Real stuff! Of course for recording and gigging I'd use my Boss GT-8, but only for delays and stuff...
I compared it to my VOS 68 Les Paul Custom, can't say which one I prefer, they are different beasts... One more thing, pots and controls are great, unlike my Les Paul...

Set it up myself, and it can't get better than this. Finish is beautiful, spotless, I bought it because of the looks. But take care if you want to keep it like that. I knocked it once, with my Les Paul and I can see that the wood is so soft. I guess it'll have a lot of marks soon :) But, I don't care... Guess it'll age with me :)

I think finish will get shiny and polished and will wear a lot, but if you don't like that, buy some other guitar. But it'll work, had no problems with PRS guitars so far.

No idea... I do the work myself, so I don't need it.

Well here my opinions are divided. Sure I give it 10, it is beautiful, and it delivers what is supposed to,and it's worth the price, compared to many other guitars which cost the same or more. That's the thing I like about PRS, the guy has managed to produce constant quality on all american made guitars. Unlike Gibson or Fender (recently I bought a Strat and I've tried 87 of them and found the one I like and the right one...still it needs some adjusting).
On the other hand I have a Korean made PRS SE Custom that is amazing, regardless of the price. It's just different form this one, but not worse in any aspect. Yes, the parts are cheaper, and all that, but sound and playing wise not worse at all. So...value is a subjective ting, I guess...

PRS Singlecut 250, 25" scale, flamed maple 10 top, black cherry finish, 1 piece chambered mahogany back, mahogany set neck, PRS locking phase II tuners, PRS adjustable stoptail bridge.



I discovered that the bridge pickup IS 4 conductor, and thus able to be split. I have upgraded the neck pickup to a Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 pro, and added coil splitting on both pickups. I have also added tonepros locking studs for the bridge. This keeps the bridge stuck to the body for more sustain, resonance, and protection against the loose bridge during string changes.


This thing is a great quality, great looking, and great sounding guitar, designed with the modern rocker in mind.

STOCK - though it didnt originally have coil splitting options, the neck pickup is much clearer than normal neck pickups. It still has that sweet sound, but has this clarity on top that is perfect for cleaner playing. In the neck and the middle positions on the 3 way switch, this thing could cover clean electric playing well.

The bridge is very ballsy clean and distorted. I love its raw, powerful sound and kept it on the guitar. The only reason I switched the neck pickup out was because I preferred that thick, sweeter tone of a really thick vintage neck pickup like the duncan Alnico 2 pro. Plus it was splittable.


With my mods- Now that I can split the neck, and have a different pickup, this guitar is both distinct and versatile. In humbucker mode, you can go from a sweet lead, to a cleaner dual pickup thick sound, to a screaming bridge position. In single coil mode, you get the ballsy bridge position, kinda brash, a very clean and spanky middle position, and a clear, sweet neck position. Each tone is very distinct and useable.


I use Mesa Boogie amps (single rectifier 50 and a studio .22), and the high gain settings are great with this guitar. The bridge pickup is totally different from a regular custom 24 sound: the custom 24 has a powerful, punchy midrange tone. Very distinct. This guitar has a FULL SPECTRUM sound. Not midrangy, not too bassy, it just has a full, wide range of tones. VERY big sounding. You may want to add mid on th EQ to get more cutting through and punch, but this thing has POWER.

I bought on ebay, and the action, fit and finish was all great still. Played like butter pickups were adjusted, no neck problems. The finish is soooo sweet, but still you must be careful if you want to keep it flawless. little bumps could still crack the finish, just like any normal guitar. Top was bookmatched and finished perfectly.

First off, the case is heavy!!!!!! This thing is built like a tank, and really protects the guitar! Everything on this thing is solid. Something I enjoyed on this guitar over the singlecut trem models is that the 3 way switch is much more solid. It takes a little effort to switch positions, whereas on the singlecut trem its very loose and easy to accidentally switch pickups when you are strumming.

PRS always answers email questions, as long as they are serious. Other than that, I have not had the chance to get warranty help or anything.

I have been playing for 8 years, have had many guitars. I currently own this PRS 250, an Ed Roman Quicksilver (similar to PRS sound), and a Tacoma acoustic. This singlecut prs is exactly what I wanted in my arsenal. I was looking into all of the SC models, the original, the trem, and the 245 as well. The 250 had the options I wanted: fatter headstock, locking tuners, ballsy modern rock pickups, adjustable bridge, full thickness on the back (the SC trem is thinner). It does not have that distinct LP 24.5"scale vintage classic sound, but thats what I like about this guitar. It has a more modern tone, for that powerful 90's rock and up sound. Foo fighters, alter bridge, etc. The chambered body is lighter, but not THAT much lighter. They took just enough wood out to help your shoulder but keep sustain.


Rockin guitar. Definitely being underrated right now, and they are rare, so be on the lookout. Email me with questions andre.aklian@gmail.com

PRS SC250 Singlecut (BLK w/Bird Inlays). Bought new from Long & McQuade (Toronto) Feb. 2008. Wide-Fat Neck Profile. Intonatable stop-tail bridge (couldn't live without it... details later).

The reverse-LP control layout took a bit of getting used to, but it is such a small, trivial detail.

I had just purchased a Gibson LP Custom '59 VOS model: approx. $4,100 off-the-shelf. Took it home, played it for a week or so, and then took it back. For the price tag, the VOS LP didn't come close to the playability and quality I was expecting from Gibson. I had been hearing some questionable comments about their quality-control for some time, and after taking the LP back to the store, I opted to A/B some new Classic Customs and a few PRS Singlecuts.

I play Modern/Alternative/Progressive Hard Rock, and the PRS just screams through modern Hi-Gain amp rigs. I own a Mesa 3-CH Dual Rectifier (w/Standard Slant Cab), and a Diezel VH-4S (w/Front-Loaded Diezel speaker-equipped Cab). (Have also tried the SC250 with a Soldano Rig). The true test of a guitar's sound quality: PLAY IT UNPLUGGED. Rest your chest/torso against the body of the guitar. If you can feel the resonance and definition in every string as you strum the instrument, then you're onto something. It will sound even larger plugged-in to a great tube amp. I did this 'test' at the store when choosing between the new LP Classic Customs and the PRS, and by the time I plugged the SC250 into the floor-model Dual Rec. Head, it was ripping heads off and taking names.
Bypassing all of my external stompboxes and FX, plugged straight-into my amps, this guitar sounds like a chainsaw. The SC250 has VERY high gain output properties. Pinch-harmonics squeal effortlessly, and going from standard to drop-DGCFAD tuning with no setup causes no noticeable intonation issues. (Setup recommended, however).

Plugged direct into front of Mesa or Diezel rig(s) is such a joy. There is no hum what-so-ever, and switching from my 2003 LP Standard (outfitted with Tom Anderson H3+ PUP's, drop-tuned to C#), to the PRS results in minimal tweaking of the amp settings.

The SC250 is slightly brighter than my LP w/Anderson Humbucker, but the PRS also weighs less.

Compared to the newer Gibson LP models I've played (w/Chambered bodies), the PRS weighs a tad more, and sounds a bit clearer on the heavier strings.

My FX rig/Pedalboard consists of: Radial Loopbone>Tuner out>BOSS TU-2>Loopbone out>Ernie Ball VP-Junior 250K Passive>Radial Signal Buffer>Radial AB/Y>Mesa Dual Rec Head/Diezel VH-4S.

Loopbone Loop #1: BOSS EQ-7 Equalizer>BOSS CH-1 Chorus>BOSS NS-2 Noise Gate/Limiter>Loopbone Return

Loopbone Loop #2: BOSS DD-20 Digital Delay>Loopbone Return

The PRS clean is sparkling, and the 250 Treble Bridge P/U is just as at-home with leads as with chunky palm-muted "Lamb Of God" type-riffs.

I find I'm playing more of the SC250 and my older LP if collecting dust... ;)

Right off the shelf at the store, this guitar just slayed the LP Classic Customs. The paint and finish were spectacular, the frets were immaculately dressed, and there were no signs of post-construction trauma. The differences from the action of the PRS and the other guitars I A/B'd was glaring. The action of the PRS felt like home immediately, whereas the other guitars that I played felt a bit tougher and 'blunt' to the touch. The neck is perfectly crafted, and the profile was an absolute fit for me, (even though I had initially doubted my hands would like the feel of a Wide-Fat neck profile.

I have never played a guitar with better string control and 'feel' right off the production line. The SC250 totally had me as soon as I picked it up.

Haven't gigged with it yet, but it feels extremely sturdy and well-built. I imagine it will be a favourite live guitar of mine for some years to come.

The strap-buttons are a bit of a gripe, (they're non-locking standard PRS oversized), so I'll have to change those out with Schallers.

Like I said earlier, I haven't touched my LP Standard in almost a month...

Have heard great things. Never had to deal with them.

Compared to the new LP's I had my eye on, this smashed all my preconceptions of what a great playing guitar should be. Plus, it was a good $200 cheaper than some of the inferior LP's that I tried!?

I've been a Gibson endorser for years, (even bought them for friends and family), and for the longest time, had one of those mindsets that are widely-touted; "If it's not a Gibson, why bother?!".

I find I am now eating my past sentiment... for lunch AND dinner.

Even my bandmates noticed a HUGE difference the first time I brought the SC250 to rehearsal. Major tone, and easy-as-pie to play. It cuts through a mix, and I feel generally more inspired when I pick it up.

If I could justify parting with my older LP Standard, I would replace it with another SC250, but I think I like having the tonal flexibility of both guitars. I think I just got lucky on the LP, as I have seen others from 2003 and beyond that don't hold a candle to mine.

Regardless, I am now officially a PRS convert.

If you're looking for the 'definitive', this may just end your quest.

I bought a 2007 SC250 Artist Package in Blue Matteo, after owning a 2001 Custom 22 Trem and finding that to be the best guitar I have ever played... The SC250 features new rewired pickups, hand crafted neck, gold hardware and bird inlays.

I play Rock/Blues and the guitar is really perfect for that... It has a really sharp, fast attack and an incredible amount of distortion. I really couldn't say which of my PRS's I prefer, because the Custom 22 has a *lovely* clean sound when I coil-tap the pickups which the SC250 can't replicate, but I'm not complaining - This is an astounding guitar tonally. It is very bright with distortion, and very clear... even though it has a Les Paul-esque body, it is not the cliche Les Paul tone... it is more modern and clear. It is exactly what I wanted, and expected from PRS.

Beautiful set-up, brilliant pickup adjustment (I have uncovered pups), and let me just say that I have seen PRS Dragon 2000's, ($40,000 +),in shops before, and this guitar is still the most stunning I have ever seen. Flawless, there is not a single detail wrong... I really cannot believe that this thing was made by hand... Even for a PRS, this thing is astounding.

Live playing? For sure... PRS have a reputation from performing artists for their playability both live and in the studio, and I have used this to record, and I have to say it is a perfect guitar for it. The hardware is beautiful and the finish has not rubbed off at all.

I haven't dealt with PRS personally before, but I imagine they would be great.

As I stated before, I also own a Custom 22, and I sold my Gibson Custom SG for this guitar, and all I can say is that I'm absolutely amazed that I can get this guitar for around the same as that SG - there's no comparison in quality, tone or appearance. I love the playability above all... it is unparalleled by Gibson Custom Shop, Fender Custom Shop, and various other high-quality guitars I have played... the neck is very fast, considering it is quite fat, and you really can feel the grain f the wood beneath your fingers as you play... The Brazilian rosewood in this neck is the best neck-wood I have ever felt. If you are looking at buying one of these, TRY IT OUT... nobody in their right minds could say no to one of these once they have seen them in the flesh.

-2007 orange satin finish on a carved maple top; mahogany body and neck, with a rosewood fingerboard with birds.
-Singlecut body style (like a Les Paul); two humbuckers (the bridge pick-up is HOT), with separate tone and volume controls; three-way toggle (all like an LP, except the position of the volume/tone controls differs slightly).
-PRS's new adjustable stop tailpiece, with separate, adjustable saddles for each string. This means you can jump up to heavier strings than usual on a PRS, and still maintain perfect intonation.
-25.0 inch scale length, with a wide/fat neck (10in radius); 22 frets.

Coil taps would have been nice, to take it that step farther.

I play a little bit of everything and the guitar does very well. It's a darker guitar than the PRS double-cutaway guitars. The body is about 1/2 inch thicker than Singlecut Trem models and a little more than my CE-24. It doesn't translate into much more weight, though.

I'm playing through a THD BiValve 30 watt head and THD 2x12 closed cab, an HBE Power Screamer (for a tiny touch of drive and an occasional boost), Keeley modded DS-1 Distortion, Keeley modded CE-2 Chorus, Line-6 DL-4, and BBE Sonic Maximizer.

The bridge pickup is very hot. It's great for that push over the top when soloing, but can be overwhelming. I roll off the volume a notch,then kick it up when needed. The extra output is great for pushing the amp to saturation.

All were flawless. I'll bring the action down just a slight bit. It was great from the factory and most people probably wouldn't change it at all.

All the inlay is perfect; the frets are perfectly dressed.

This is the new main gigging guitar for the rock band. If my past PRS guitars are any indication, this one should be great (I'm still gigging with my first--a '92 CE-24).

I never gig without a backup (guitar or amp head), and still won't.

I've not had any need for support with this guitar, yet. In the past, PRS has been responsive and helpful. I'm sure they will continue to be so.

I've been playing for 22 years and have owned many guitars (Fender, Gibson, Guild, G&L, Godin, Epiphone, Dano, Martin, Taylor, Avalon, etc), amps (Bad Cat, Fender, Kelemen, Crate, Peavey, Line 6, etc), and effects (too many). My tastes and styles have changed over the years. I have moved away from single coil guitars, though I still like to be able to coil tap on occasion. If this guitar had a coil tap, it would be completely perfect for me. As it is, it's the best of this style of guitar I've played, AND it's price is pretty amazing, considering the quality. Hands down, it outperforms every LP and Warrior I've tried.

I wasn't sure about an orange guitar, but the satin finish and quality wood makes it look worn down/cool. I think I'm OK with it.

Carved Maple Top, Mahogany Neck, Ten Top Flame, Emerald Green
22 Fret, 25" Scale Length
Locking Tuners
Wide Fat Neck

Using With Various amps from Fender to Hiwatt to Mesa.

This guitar is a dream to play. I personally like the Wide Fat neck, and the guitar feels solid. This is a departure for PRS in that it isn't a chimey thin sounding guitar like the Custom 24s (though I like those a lot too). This is a HEAVY sounding guitar. The new SC250 pickups are a bit of a puzzle. The neck pickup is a BIT thinner than say a Les Pauls, but I really like that. It cuts through instead of ever sounding muddy, and it cuts because it's voiced well, NOT because it's a THIN sounding pickup at all.

The bridge PU is a bit of a mystery I still don't have a good handle on. It's very high output, and upon first plugging this guitar in, my immediate impression was that in comparison to other humbucking style guitars, Les Pauls, C24s, etc, it was on the dark, thick side. When you play clean stuff, it sounds very nice, big and thick without being too dark. It's when I started playing it through some modeling software (Line 6 AMP FARM in Pro Tools) that I found it very dark and too thick, using MESA and Marshall presets. While I know software amps generally are a pale shadow of the real thing, they are close enough to perhaps suggest a problem if you hear something you just hate, especially presets you have successfully used with other guitars. So I ordered a WCR bridge PU as a replacement and took the guitar down to a shop to leave it for the work. While there, I plugged into a Mesa Stilletto and a Mesa F50. On both amps, the guitar sounded great, and didn't sound so dark anymore. So I aborted changing pickups and I've kept the factory PU at the bridge. When recording clean or semi clean sounds the guitar just sounds HUGE. Beautiful with tons of sustain. I still have a feeling that I'd love to go ahead anyway and try a pickup swap just to get a little more brightness out of the bridge. If I do, I'll update this review.
I still give it a ten on sound because it really is a beautiful sounding guitar.

The guitar came setup great. The workmanship is just stunning all around. Emerald Green is not my idea of a good time but these guitars have been hard to get as they are fairly new as of this writing, and that's the only one they had in. I'm getting used to it. It is really artfully made and the ten top is stunning. Love the locking tuners, and the neck was straight as an arrow.

A major guitar by one of my favorite manufacturers. I'm a Les Paul fan too, and I almost bought a 58 LP Custom Shop model, but I really like the way the PRS feels and the modern locking tuners better. Made like a fine race car. Every bit as much sustain as the LP, but definitely a big, and different sound than the LP, although definitely more like a LP than any other previous PRS.

I've emailed PRS several times and always got a prompt and courteous reply. I think the warranty is one year but I'm not worried about it.

I have been playing since the Sixties, and have been through too many guitars and too much gear to list. I have a Fender Mex Strat which cracks me up every time I play it, it was the best 400 I have EVER spent, it sounds as good as the Custom Shop Strat I had some years back, I don't know how Fender did that. I laugh every time I hear a playback with that Strat on it, because it just plays and sounds great. I also own a Gibson Songwriter Acoustic, Fender P bass, ESP Eclipse, and Spector bass. Most of my time is spent going between the Strat and the PRS. I play everything from clean to alternative/metal sounds, as I am a music producer that records all types of music on a daily basis. I do not play out, this is only for studio work.

The only thing I wish this SC250 had was the ability to coil tap the pickups for some variation in sound, the SC250 pickups can't be tapped (according to PRS).

The only thing I didn't like on the guitar was that it was shipped with the knob CLOSEST to your little finger acting as the volume control for the NECK pickup. I'm on the bridge pickup much more than the neck and want to be able to reach down and do volume swells from time to time with my little finger. So I did have the wiring switched so this would be possible.