Paul Reed Smith 305

2009 25th Anniversary 305 Model. 3 single coil pickups, five way blade switch. Glued in neck with rosewood fingerboard. Alder body. Floating tremolo. Locking tuners. Poly finish with PRS 25th Eagle on headstock. Came with PRS 25th Anniversary case.

This is where the new 305 let me down. The single coil pickups are unfortunately not your traditional sized single coil, so if you don't like the tone, you are out of luck. Short of routing the top of the body, you won't be able to swap these pickups out for another single coil. I unfortunately found the pups to be lacking. When compared to my other PRS and Fenders, this one came across as stale and very compressed sounding. Definately try one out against your main axes before you buy.

This instrument was superbly built, something I've come to expect from PRS. An overall simple and gorgeous presentation of wood and craftsmanship. The guitar was set up perfectly from the factory.

Didn't own long enough to form an opinion.

PRS usually shines in this department, however it's become a bit more lax in recent years as their volume has gone up.

In a couple decades of playing I've owned more guitars than I can remember. I'm a fan of trying out new models and this was one I was looking forward to greatly. In the end however, I was extremely disappointed with the tone of the pickups. They greatly paled in comparison to whatever I put them up against in the same price range. The fact that you cannot swap these pickups without doing some serious routing to the body made my decision for me. I returned it. It's not a guitar you should purchase online without a demo prior.

Made in 2009 in the good old US of A. Carved alder body, maple neck, 22 fret rosewood fingerboard. 3 x 513 single coil passive pick-ups- 5 way switch (Strat-style). Phase 2 locking tuners. Adjustable tremolo bridge. Mine is a beautiful Mc Carthy Tobacco Sunburst.

This guitar looks great. An instant classic. Sounds very much like a Strat, but has that true PRS "dipped-in-glass" feel and vibe. Using it through a Mesa Boogie Mark V 1x12 combo. The single coils easily cut right through the mix. Be advised that they are a little noisy. Like many/most single coil Strat-type axes, this one is subject to the 60 cycle hum. I have taken care of the issue with the ISP G-String Decimator which does a fantastic job of eliminating the noise without any effect on the tone of the guitar whatsoever. The noise is my only dislike about this guitar. However, the pros easil outweigh the cons. This guitar is a beauty. Perfectly set-up from the store (Thanks Maken' Music-Chicago). I just can't put it down! Not a single flaw in the workmanship or finish.

No flaws whatsoever. Perfectly set up. Pick ups perfectly adjusted.

This axe will easily withstand live playing. No need for a back-up at a gig unless you want a different style sounding guitar (i.e., humbucker-equipped) in your arsenal. This beauty will not scratch easily thanks to the heavy-duty finish.

Called PRS to discuss the hum problem and was immediately connected to a friendly and knowledgeable tech person who was glad to discuss the problem and offer solutions.

I have been playing 35 years and have over a dozen high end guitars in my collection. This axe (my third PRS) is definitely one of my favorites. It is about time that PRS put out a true single-coil type guitar. Better late than never though. If lost or stolen I would most certainly replace it. My only wish would be that PRS designed single-coil pickups that were noiseless (Yes, - it is possible PRS guys- DiMarzio Area-T's, and Fender Noiseless are but two manufacturers of such pickups). Aesthetically this guitar is beautiful. One of the alluring qualities of this guitar is the wider single 513 pickups. If you think you can replace the 513's with a noiseless pick-up you can forget it. The cavity routings are completely different than what a typical single-coil pickup would fit into. All that beigh said though, I am extremely pleased with my purchase.