U.S.-Made PRS vs. Korean PRS: What’s the Difference?

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What makes a Korean PRS guitar different from a PRS guitar built in the United States?

As most guitarists know, PRS guitars are made in the U.S. at Paul Reed Smith’s factory in Stevensville, Maryland. But in the Nineties, the company introduced a more affordable line of Korean-made PRS guitars, dubbed SE, that offer many of the features found on U.S.-built guitars at a lower price point.

So what are the differences?

Phillip McKnight scratches the surface of the matter by comparing the U.S.-made Custom 24 to the Korean-made SE Custom 24. He looks at features, quality differences, build, options, and all other pertinent specs.

What does he discover? Check out the video and see for yourself.

When you’re done, visit Phillip’s YouTube channel for more of his great and informative videos.

Christopher Scapelliti
Christopher Scapelliti

Christopher Scapelliti is editor-in-chief of Guitar Player magazine, the world’s longest-running guitar magazine, founded in 1967. In his extensive career, he has authored in-depth interviews with such guitarists as Pete Townshend, Slash, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Elvis Costello and Todd Rundgren, and audio professionals including Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott. He is the co-author of Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, a founding editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine, and a former editor with Guitar World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Maximum Guitar. Apart from guitars, he maintains a collection of more than 30 vintage analog synthesizers.