Paul Reed Smith EPIC WIN!

Hey All!

So I know you've all heard me rant about how great PRS guitars are - well, I just wanted to re-iterate the point.... As of today, I've finished up guitars on a brand new Hawk Nelson record - and I used PRS a LOT on this album!

During the rhythm guitar tracking, our best combination was my trusty PRS SC245 goldtop (which is my main live guitar) on one side, and a Gibson Les Paul on the other (thanks to Adam Agee of Stellar Kart - this LP was his!). I can't say enough about how comfortable, reliable, and consistent my SC245 is. It's definitely a lifetime keeper and favorite.

The photo of the goldtop was taken during the Winterjam Tour 2009. Like I said above, this is my go-to guitar for live shows. From the moment I first played it, there was always something special about it.

During the lead guitar tracking..... the two main guitars turned out to be a PRS Mira, and a PRS SE Custom Semi-Hollow.

The Mira has a woody tone to it, but it's still got plenty of bite. The mahogany body sans-maple-top is definitely a recognizable tone. The double-cut body lets me get higher up on the neck than any of my other guitars. Today I recorded a guitar solo with it for a song called "Crazy Love". The solo is so high up on the neck, I'm not sure it's possible for me to play it on any other guitar. I might just have to bring my MIRA everywhere with me for the sake of that song (cuz it's gonna be a big ol' single)!

Now, I've RAVED about the SE Semi-Hollow before.... but I've got to again. For lead guitars, this was the first guitar I'd go to 90% of the time..... It's bright and chimey and sits perfectly in that spot in the mix that I'm trying to nail. Beautiful.

I used it for all the shimmery bright lead tones on the record. I also recorded guitar solos for two songs, "Joanna" and "Tally Ho!" with this guitar. Look for some guitarmonies on "Joanna" - YES!

Incidentally, when I'm at home learning songs or writing guitar parts, this is the first guitar I go to. It's bright and clear, but still has plenty of body. When we're at home, it sits next to my desk for easy access anytime I need a great guitar to figure something out on.

This is an incredibly affordable PRS... I think they're $715 in stores? REALLY REALLY WORTH IT.

If you haven't seen it already, I did a video demo of the SE Semi-Hollow a while back. You can check it out here!

When it came to doing drop tunings, I tried a TON of different guitars. I generally try to keep guitars in standard tuning, because they tend to play and sound best there.... but sometimes a drop tuning is called for. For "Tally Ho!" I needed a guitar in drop C#.... but parts of the song are REALLY fast, so I need the tuning to be flawless. I didn't have time to be gentle or subtle with the performance of the parts.

When push came to shove, the PRS Chris Henderson Model performed the best in drop tuning. It was meaty and delicious, and stayed in tune great. Listen for it on all the rhythms in "Tally Ho!"

So there we are folks - a little insight on some of the guitars used on this upcoming Hawk record. I can't wait for you all to hear it!!

Jonathan