PRS introduced its first-ever parlor acoustic guitars, the SE Parlor series, last spring, And ever since, the range – available in pure acoustic (P20) and acoustic-electric (P20E) incarnations – has been garnering accolades across the guitar landscape.
The new, compact models boast all-mahogany construction and PRS’s hybrid ‘X’/classic bracing for increased top vibrations, with the P20E iteration adding in a Fishman GT1 pickup system with undersaddle pickup and soundhole-mounted preamp, with volume and tone controls.
There’s also wide-fat mahogany necks and 20-fret ebony fingerboards with bird inlays, as well as vintage-style tuners with butterbean buttons and bone nuts and saddles.
The SE Parlor is available in three elegant satin finishes with herringbone rosettes and accents (there’s also a limited-edition Powder Blue version), and the guitar sounds and plays as good as it looks.
But don’t take our word for it – virtuoso bluegrass picker Sierra Hull put an SE Parlor P20E through its paces, and the results, as you can witness in the above demo, were spectacular.
“I really love the parlor size,” she says. “I have small hands, so anytime I can play a small instrument that’s super comfortable all the better. Especially if I’m sitting around writing songs or just working up new tunes.
“If you’re looking for an inexpensive travel guitar to throw in a gig bag and go, this is a great one to check out,” she concludes.
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And indeed, the SE Parlor is practically a steal, coming in at just $499 for the P20 and $579 for the P20E.
For more information, head to PRS Guitars.
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Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.
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