Paul Reed Smith is one of the biggest names in electric guitars, but it should come as no surprise that they're building impressive acoustics, too. After years of prototyping, PRS rolled out their acoustic lineup in 2009, and they've expanded their acoustic designs to the made-in-Asia SE series. Just like the electric SEs, the acoustic SEs are known for exceptional build quality but affordable price tags. All PRS acoustics capture the feel and stylings of PRS electrics, so they're great crossover instruments for electric players.
The PRS SE T60E pairs Ziricote back and sides with a solid Spruce top. Its Tonare Grand body shape falls somewhere in between a mid-size guitar and a dreadnought, borrowing the best tone qualities from each. It has a comfortable, approachable feel and thunderous tone, well suited for picking and fingerstyle playing. Under the hood, a Fishman GT1 pickup system delivers dynamic, organic tone when you plug in. This electronics system is powered by an undersaddle pickup, and a soundhole mounted preamp has easy-to-access volume and tone controls.
This 2021 PRS SE T60E shows some signs of play and use, but it is in nice shape all around (see photos). The neck feels a lot like a full C electric neck—playable and fast, but not a narrow toothpick. The current setup is excellent, and it includes its original hardshell case. One note—the controls for the pickup create a little noise when you play hard. We've done our best to mitigate it, but it's an unfortunate deficiency of the pickup design. When you play lightly, it's not noticeable, but if you dig in hard and the guitar is at just the right angle, there is occasional unwanted rattling.
The PRS SE T60E is an elegant guitar, too. Most guitars at this price point have basic appointments, but the SE T60E has Maple binding, Abalone top border, and an Abalone rosette. But don't worry, PRS has cut the corners to allow for the fancy details; the SE T60E has a solid Sitka Spruce top, a bone nut, a bone saddle, an Ebony fretboard, and an Ebony bridge.