MusicRadar Verdict
We like it when Paul Reed Smith's brand turns its hand to metal and Washburn's loss is definitely PRS's gain.
Pros
- +
Awesome sustain and metal tones. Heavyweight construction.
Cons
- -
Sterile clean tones. That bloomin' logo!
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
The last time we looked at a Nick Catanese signature guitar it had 'Washburn' inlayed on its headstock. That guitar was a US Custom Shop model with a price tag of £2,199 and it was a peach.
Why, then, has Nick switched his allegiance to PRS? Well, according to the Black Label Society and Speed X guitarist, he wasn't asked to renew his contract with Washburn when it expired back in January 2009.
"Whack on the distortion and the bridge humbucker struts its stuff big time; notes seem to sustain forever."
While he was frankly miffed about the whole affair, Nick was soon able to console himself with a new relationship with PRS Guitars. We like a happy ending… And we love it when PRS gets its 'metal' on.
Most fans of the brand go ape for the figured maple tops and pretty bird inlays; we're more excited by the dark side of Paul Reed Smith's models. Nick's guitar fits the bill perfectly with its jet black finish, accented with red binding and pickup surrounds, and a thick mahogany body that not only makes the SE feel substantial, it also offers incredible sustain.
Playability is excellent, too, thanks to the 'wide fat' neck profile, jumbo frets and light gauge strings.
Plugging into our amp's clean channel, we're a bit taken aback by the blandness of the active bridge EMG 81. While raising the pickups helps a bit (EMG recommends that its pickups be set as close to the strings as possible), we'd still file both pickups under 'adequate' rather than 'inspiring' on a clean setting.
Whacking on the distortion, however, tells a completely different story. The bridge humbucker suddenly struts its stuff big-time, with pinched harmonics galore and the kind of sustain that would even impress a connoisseur like Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap. Notes seem to sustain forever, even at bedroom volume.
The neck pickup also responds well to filth. Playing lead licks above the 12th fret is inspirational. If your vibrato is up to scratch you're going to love this position.
Nick's new baby is a killer metal guitar that offers great playability and astonishing sustain. We're less chuffed with that silver 'Evil Twin' logo. It spoils the look and could discourage 'non-Nick fans' from giving this guitar a chance. Supply the logo separately, please, PRS!
Cosmetic nitpicking aside, though, you'd be hard pushed to find a better sounding metal guitar for this sort of money. OK, so the clean tones were uninspiring, but if metal is your business, this SE is a done deal.
"There’s plenty for us guitarists to learn – and ‘less is more’ is the overriding lesson": how to play like George Harrison on The Beatles' Abbey Road
“They didn’t like Prince’s bikini underwear”: Prince’s support sets for the The Rolling Stones in 1981 are remembered as disastrous, but guitarist Dez Dickerson says that the the crowd reaction wasn’t as bad as people think
“We are so unencumbered and unbothered by these externally imposed rules or other people’s ideas for what music should be”: Blood Incantation on the making of Absolute Elsewhere and how “Data from Star Trek” saved the album – and the studio
