The PRS custom 22 is probably one of PRS' chief products. This model was first created in the early 90's and is still one of the most popular guitars of PRS. Custom 22 is a name that PRS made to point out that the guitar has 22 frets. The PRS custom 22 has quite a few features, including a five way rotary pickup selector, one volume and one tone knob, a double cutaway shape, wrap around tailpiece, locking tuners, and the classic bird inlays. After a while some features were altered but most of the primary things still stay true to the first design. One variant of the custom 22 is the custom 22 Soapbar edition which has 3 fat single coil pickups. With the exception of that, the other conspicuous divergence of the Soapbar edition is the 5 way blade pickup selector. This custom 22 model is a limited edition and hasn't been built in large numbers compared to the regular Paul Reed Smith custom 22.
The gem which is branded as the custom 22 for some rationale is very preferred among guitar players. Lots of people say that it is for the reason that the guitar is excellent in terms of playability. Some say it is also because of the locking tuners that come with it, since it makes for a straightforward and stable axe to play. But nearly everyone loves this guitar because of its flexibility. The Paul Reed Smith custom 22 can produce many tones that would fit a range of music genres. You can play any kind of music from classic to hard rock, blues to jazz music and even the more soft pop tones. This is mostly because of the electronics installed in the guitar. Even though it has passive electronics in its design, it can still copy more or less any tone of any guitar out in the market. Some say it is similar to a Stratocaster at specific pickup settings, whereas others say it is much similar to a Les Paul at other settings. This is one of the advantages of having a 5 way pickup selector. You can pull off several diverse tones at a flip of a switch.
The earlier models of the PRS custom 22 have Dragon 1 pickups, while the later models have Dragon 2s. Although those two pickups are quite different, but they still do provide a very good tonal diversity for the guitar. A lot of people observe that the neck pickup produces a very fat and warm sound and can keep up with the pace of your guitar playing no matter how fast it is. That is why it's very ideal to play blues music using the neck pickup of the custom 22. The bridge pickup produces a very warm and bright sound that if you pack it up with a nice and decent high gain pedal, it produces a very good crunch sound very suitable with hard rock and metal music. You can appreciate the power of the Dragon pickups when set this way. If you set it up in the middle setting which uses both the neck and the bridge pickup at the same time, you can get a nice fat and warm sound ideal for classic rock and blues tone. Combined with a solid low gain pedal, you get a nice juicy crunch that you won't get from any other guitar. The only complaint of some guitar players about this guitar is the 5 way rotary switch. Some guitar players find it hard to switch settings using the rotary switch compared to the blade switch which is a lot easier. The bright side is that since the Paul Reed Smith custom 22 is very versatile, most guitar players don't really have the need to switch settings in the middle of a song, once they find the right settings.
A further good thing that guitar enthusiasts notice concerning a PRS custom 22 is the low action in the neck. Nearly all people say that they swear that the strings nearly touch the frets due to the very very low action position in the guitar. The strange thing is that in spite of the low action, guitar players can still do double bends and pinch harmonics with no difficulty and there isn't even a hint of a buzzing sound that is generated when the string hits the pickup. Rock guitarists even declare that the guitar is extremely shred-friendly in spite of the low action. The fit of the guitar is also astounding. The neck is very thin which is perfect for playing and the body is very light, bearing in mind the type of wood they use to make this guitar. People say that the custom 22 makes a Les Paul looks as if it's like a truck in terms of lightness. The handcrafted and custom-built neck makes for a very smooth and fast action that some people say it's absurd. The finish of the body is also brilliant and the paint job is wonderful. It truly emphasizes the wood that PRS uses in their bodies. This is in fact what sets PRS guitars apart from other guitars, at first sight. The amazing thing about a custom 22 is that it is already faultless when taken out of the box. There are hardly ever any adjustments that you need to make after you take it out of the box. The intonation is just right as well as the action, therefore making the playability of this guitar seamless.
The most prevalent observation of a guitar player about a Paul Reed Smith custom 22 is that it is very reliable and sturdy. The hardware looks as if like it was built to last a lifetime, even if you drop it on concrete, you will hardly see a dent in it. This makes for an exceptional guitar to gig with and you won't even need a backup guitar. PRS intended this guitar with the idea that once guitarists get this guitar, it would be the lone guitar that they will play with in their existence. One evident feature of the custom 22 is the strap button. It is fairly bigger than other strap buttons of other guitars which makes it harder to put the guitar straps on. The encouraging thing is that once the guitar strap is put on; it is not going to be removed accidentally, save of course if you take it off. This helps to steer clear of inadvertent dropping of the guitar when the straps come off since small strap button is small. It is PRS' own variation of a strap lock.
The only word to describe a custom 22 guitar for most guitar players is perfect. Their impression of a custom 22 guitar is that it can handle anything you want from it. The versatility of the tone it produces is very remarkable, that is why it is perfect for any type of music that you want to play. You can seldom find a guitar that can do that. Owners of custom 22 guitars say that if their guitar is stolen, they would hunt the thief down and get it back with interest and more. That is how much they value a custom 22. For professional musicians, it gives you what you want from it, night in and night out. It is truly what a guitar should be.
The gem which is branded as the custom 22 for some rationale is very preferred among guitar players. Lots of people say that it is for the reason that the guitar is excellent in terms of playability. Some say it is also because of the locking tuners that come with it, since it makes for a straightforward and stable axe to play. But nearly everyone loves this guitar because of its flexibility. The Paul Reed Smith custom 22 can produce many tones that would fit a range of music genres. You can play any kind of music from classic to hard rock, blues to jazz music and even the more soft pop tones. This is mostly because of the electronics installed in the guitar. Even though it has passive electronics in its design, it can still copy more or less any tone of any guitar out in the market. Some say it is similar to a Stratocaster at specific pickup settings, whereas others say it is much similar to a Les Paul at other settings. This is one of the advantages of having a 5 way pickup selector. You can pull off several diverse tones at a flip of a switch.
The earlier models of the PRS custom 22 have Dragon 1 pickups, while the later models have Dragon 2s. Although those two pickups are quite different, but they still do provide a very good tonal diversity for the guitar. A lot of people observe that the neck pickup produces a very fat and warm sound and can keep up with the pace of your guitar playing no matter how fast it is. That is why it's very ideal to play blues music using the neck pickup of the custom 22. The bridge pickup produces a very warm and bright sound that if you pack it up with a nice and decent high gain pedal, it produces a very good crunch sound very suitable with hard rock and metal music. You can appreciate the power of the Dragon pickups when set this way. If you set it up in the middle setting which uses both the neck and the bridge pickup at the same time, you can get a nice fat and warm sound ideal for classic rock and blues tone. Combined with a solid low gain pedal, you get a nice juicy crunch that you won't get from any other guitar. The only complaint of some guitar players about this guitar is the 5 way rotary switch. Some guitar players find it hard to switch settings using the rotary switch compared to the blade switch which is a lot easier. The bright side is that since the Paul Reed Smith custom 22 is very versatile, most guitar players don't really have the need to switch settings in the middle of a song, once they find the right settings.
A further good thing that guitar enthusiasts notice concerning a PRS custom 22 is the low action in the neck. Nearly all people say that they swear that the strings nearly touch the frets due to the very very low action position in the guitar. The strange thing is that in spite of the low action, guitar players can still do double bends and pinch harmonics with no difficulty and there isn't even a hint of a buzzing sound that is generated when the string hits the pickup. Rock guitarists even declare that the guitar is extremely shred-friendly in spite of the low action. The fit of the guitar is also astounding. The neck is very thin which is perfect for playing and the body is very light, bearing in mind the type of wood they use to make this guitar. People say that the custom 22 makes a Les Paul looks as if it's like a truck in terms of lightness. The handcrafted and custom-built neck makes for a very smooth and fast action that some people say it's absurd. The finish of the body is also brilliant and the paint job is wonderful. It truly emphasizes the wood that PRS uses in their bodies. This is in fact what sets PRS guitars apart from other guitars, at first sight. The amazing thing about a custom 22 is that it is already faultless when taken out of the box. There are hardly ever any adjustments that you need to make after you take it out of the box. The intonation is just right as well as the action, therefore making the playability of this guitar seamless.
The most prevalent observation of a guitar player about a Paul Reed Smith custom 22 is that it is very reliable and sturdy. The hardware looks as if like it was built to last a lifetime, even if you drop it on concrete, you will hardly see a dent in it. This makes for an exceptional guitar to gig with and you won't even need a backup guitar. PRS intended this guitar with the idea that once guitarists get this guitar, it would be the lone guitar that they will play with in their existence. One evident feature of the custom 22 is the strap button. It is fairly bigger than other strap buttons of other guitars which makes it harder to put the guitar straps on. The encouraging thing is that once the guitar strap is put on; it is not going to be removed accidentally, save of course if you take it off. This helps to steer clear of inadvertent dropping of the guitar when the straps come off since small strap button is small. It is PRS' own variation of a strap lock.
The only word to describe a custom 22 guitar for most guitar players is perfect. Their impression of a custom 22 guitar is that it can handle anything you want from it. The versatility of the tone it produces is very remarkable, that is why it is perfect for any type of music that you want to play. You can seldom find a guitar that can do that. Owners of custom 22 guitars say that if their guitar is stolen, they would hunt the thief down and get it back with interest and more. That is how much they value a custom 22. For professional musicians, it gives you what you want from it, night in and night out. It is truly what a guitar should be.
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