The PRS guitar lineup features some of the most legendary and versatile guitars on the planet. The flagship model, the PRS Custom is an ultra-high-end, 25″ scale-length piece of art. Just take a look at this beauty! The price point and the shorter scale can alienate certain players, so PRS has a response. The PRS SE 277. This guitar takes the classic PRS Custom design, stretches it out a bit, and slaps a much lower price tag on it.

Let’s jump in and see what we’re working with!

Features:

– Mahogany Body

– Flamed Maple Top

– Maple Neck

– 27.7″ Scale Length

– Wide Fat Neck Shape

– Rosewood Fretboard

– ‘Birds’ Inlays

– 85/15 ‘S’ Pickuos

– 1x Volume/1x Coil Split Tone/3-Way Pickup Switch

The 27.7″ scale is obviously the most important feature on this guitar. Stepping away from the PRS usual of 25″, the 27.7″ scale caters to players who are looking to tune down without sacrificing optimum string tension. Perfect string tension is crucial for comfort and tuning stability. Check out our guide on ‘How to Pick Your String Gauge‘ for help with getting better tension!

Another big feature to be aware of is the ‘Wide Fat’ neck shape. This neck profile is similar to the ‘Pattern Thin’ that you’d find on the Custom 24, although it’s a bit ‘deeper’ and offers a warmer sound as well. Which brings us to tone!

Tone:

The PRS SE 277 features the PRS favorite Mahogany body and Flamed Mapled top with Mahogany neck and a Rosewood board. The wood combos and construction by PRS offers a really warm, smooth sound. The neck-thru construction/Mahogany combo makes for a really long sustaining guitar as well.

(If you want to read more about wood tones, check out our Ultimate Tonewood Guide.)

Similar to the higher end Custom 24, this guitar features the wonderful PRS 85/15 pickup set.

The bridge pickup is paired really well with the thick Mahogany body. It’s nice and bright with a very musical quality. It has a ton of harmonic character that helps it cut through the mix very well.

The neck pickup is one of my favorite neck pickups out there right now. It’s super smooth and helps to craft some of the sweetest blues tones ever. It comes off as a super fat, strap pickup.

I know what you’re thinking…. Why is this guitar a ‘baritone’ and sports some vintage pickups? Where’s the metal?!

Believe it or not, for being low output, vintage style pickups, these bad boys are extremely versatile. If we’re being 100% realistic, no they aren’t going to outdo some sweet Bare Knuckle Pickups or Seymour Duncan Pegasus pickups for playing modern metal. What they do really well is ‘radio metal’ styles like Breaking Benjamin and the like. I think I could comfortably play this guitar for just about anything though.

Build Quality:

Now, something to point out is while these guitars are built in Korean factories, they still have to pass PRS Quality Inspection upon entering the USA Factory. So while they might no be built by the amazing PRS luthiers, they generally are extremely consistent.

Something really neat about the SE series is that instead of using a tiny veneer top like many other manufacturers do on their cheaper lines, PRS actually uses a thick Maple top, then adds a Flamed Maple veneer to that. So while you’re not getting a huge chunk of flamed maple, but you’re at least getting a nice thick top.

The frets were pretty outstanding, as expected with PRS quality control. Maybe a few small scratches here or there, but no sharp ends or dings to be found. The neck feels amazing and the finish is superbly executed.

Overall, the SE instruments are some of the highest quality outsourced guitars I’ve ever played, and that says a lot. PRS makes sure these guitars go out without any flaws.

Final Verdict:

The PRS SE 277 Baritone manages to deliver the same wonderful sounds you’d expect from a high end PRS, while managing to add a few unique appointments and keep it all at $749.

The guitar is comfortable to hold for it’s long scale length and offers up some pretty satisfying comfort for playing in really low tunings. The tones delivered are immaculate and sound almost as good as some of the higher end CE and CU lines. Again, it’s not the best for super heavy, modern metal sounds, but it’s fairly versatile for just about anything else. You could perform a pickup swap if you want, but the included pickups are some of the sweetest on the market, so I don’t know if I would.

9-8-7

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This article was written by Zac Buras, our editor located in Louisiana.

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