I recently bought an Angelus A40 at Sweetwater and this video was instrumental in motivating me to take a serious look at this guitar. I absolutely love it and have barely touched any of my others since getting this one home…including my Martin D-18 and older American Ovations. I love how this PRS feels when playing it. Size and playability are excellent and it sounds wonderful. Thank you for making these videos and your honesty.
I suspect the B&S are layered. From their website: "The PRS SE A40E pairs Ovangkol back and sides with a solid spruce top for full, lush tone." Each time tonewoods are mentioned, they specify a solid top but never say the B&S are.
Jeremy, I appreciate your honesty about the buzzing under the saddle. Did you get a chance to see what the problem was? On rare occasions, small issues get by the 55-point inspection - but more likely that the problem may have developed during shipping if the guitar got dropped or banged hard. That being said, it might have been helpful if you highlighted that Sweetwater will take care of any issues if there is in fact a problem. It would have also be great if you had explained what a customer should do if a rare problem arises and what Sweetwater typically does to resolve such issues at their own expense. This way new Sweetwater customers will feel assured about what Sweetwater does to take care of any rare issues. Hope this feedback helps when you see issues in future Sponsored videos. You should really state similar info for all videos whether they’re sponsored or not. If there’s an issue with any instruments/gear, how would it be handled by the retailer and/or manufacturer? These things always handled differently between retailers and manufacturers, so I think it’s an important and fair thing to address. Makes me also think you should mention retailer return policies, if there’s a manufacturer warranty and what it covers, the length of time to make claims, etc. That’s a really important subject.
I recently picked up a Guild M-120, all solid mahogany, small body, and it's pretty amazing. I went in to look at some other guitars of similar materials and size, but the Guild put them all to shame. Great guitar for about $700.
I have an early PRS Angelus (2013) and was surprised when I went to GC recently and checked the newer models. I was expecting a similar neck to the one I own and i was disappointed at how much "thicker" the necks are now. My 2013 is so comfortable and easy to play, which is why I was looking for another to keep in an alternate tuning. Maybe it was due to that preconceived notion prior to trying the new models, but I wound up passing on buying the new model as it just didn't feel right. That said, for the money, you can't beat this guitars. They look great, sound great, and come in several different wood combos and finishes. They punch above their weight class. The sustain you can get from the combined fan and X bracing is surprising. I should clarify and say I was checking out the A60E series, not the A40Es, but I believe the specs are the same other than different wood combinations. The hard shell cases are a big plus.
I picked up an A55E last year for 899 (unfortunately discontinued) that has the quilted maple back and sides with blue abalone birds and binding. Absolutely one of the most beautiful guitars I have ever seen, and definitely fits my playing style- I love it. The A40E is their entry level on the Angelus, so obviously, fewer aesthetic appointments, and different woods. Still, a great guitar. good video.
@@alinchitown7556 The A55E was a special run version of the A50E where all the specs are the same, but the back and sides are quilted maple. They look amazing by comparison- the matteo blue ones look like ripples in the water on a tropical beach. IF you haven't seen one, I recommend googling some pics.
The Godin family acoustics are great! Seagulls are sonically nice but necks are uncomfortable however the Art&Lutherie, Simon& Patrick and my fav the Norman labels are terrific and nice necks have you tried them? ( yes I’m Canadian:) )
Jeremy, what bothers me is almost all videos about "electric acoustic" guitars is they always mic them. I would like to hear them play through an amp. I have a Martin and Gibson J-45 and a few others and it's hard to get the twangy sound live. Just would like to see how they tweek here guitars and amps to sound good live. I watch all. your vids and you are the Guitar Hunter. thanks Greg
Great video 👌 can you please suggest top 3 guitars under usd 1000 for beginners? I am looking for not a big body and wide nut like 45 mm . What’s your opinion about Cort flow OC ?
I’ve owned the Tonare t40 (same exact guitar without the cutaway) since 2018 and I fall in love with it again and again. Baseline, it punches way above its weight, but through a simple preamp/EQ it wins against all guitars under $1000, and it was only $699 Also, Jeremy doesn’t mention this in the review but this guitar is braced very differently than most acoustics and the mad scientist Paul Reed Smith has done it again. Braced the same as their $15k Private Stock acoustics.
The new Epiphone acoustics, Excellente, frontier, Texan, etc; are all solid wood and very nice with on board electronics. Down side no cases, Alvarez also has some really fine all solid wood instruments ( Masterworks)well under 1000.00 that are nicely appointed. One more that comes to mind is Seagull, a really fine Canadian built all solid wood guitar with a great price point. The big catch with most all of the under 1000.00 is getting one with a case included. All come with solid warranty coverage as well. Thanks Jeremy. That PRS (Or kinda) really sounds and looks good for what it is. 🎶
On Sweetwater, via the link provided in the description for this video, it says it has laminated Ovangkol back and sides. Which isn’t unreasonable to expect at this price point but it is important to make that clear. Now this video is two years old so perhaps it was all solid at the time of filming.
It seems like a really nice guitar. I do think that the back insides are actually laminated Ovangkol. I could be wrong? Maybe the new ones are all solid wood.
@@JeremySheppard that’s pretty good size misspoke. LOL ! Enjoy you videos very much. Just between me and you does it sound that good . For me the best sounding guitar under 1000 is the Epiphone hummingbird IBG. The playability is great. It’s sounds a whole lot better than my 2015 reimagined d-18 Martin or the 2013 hd-35 . The clarity of just plain old cowboy chords are full and rich . You should try one these out . Had two them ! First one my grandson more or less stole ! LOL . Second one sounds just like first one. I have nine acoustic guitars all over thousand and this is the pick I take when I go jamming with friends or at the local tavern gig on Thursday evening. $792.00 with 15% off at just about all the music shops.
@@JeremySheppard for sure you will get a bargain on your next SW purchase. Jest tell them you need a 56 point inspection. Since they miss the racket on the 55 point inspection. On the se a40
Those PRS SE Acoustics sound amazing and have a great feel. So much that I'm bound to trade in my made in USA, all solid wood Taylor 317e for a PRS SE T60e. I used to trick myself into thinking that solid wood back and sides we're always superior to layered/ laminate back and sides. Watching how Greenfield guitars are made with laminate sides helped me get over that misconception rather quickly.
@@bigmac51290 That is actually a complicated topic. I spoke to a local luthier and he said not all laminates are created equal. When it comes to factory made, yes laminates aren’t always as good (there are also exceptions). For example, Manuel Contreras of Madrid built guitars called “doble tapa” with two layers for the back; outer layer of rosewood and inner layer cypress or Spanish red cedar. Those guitars are sought after for their excellent sustain and volume. I have seen some doble tapas run for $10K. I had my local builder build me one with a similar concept and believe me when I tell you, no one can tell it’s technically a laminate back and sides. Mine isn’t a direct copy of a Contreras though, as mine is a nomex double top (which is also technically considered laminate). You can look into it, but nomex tops and Contreras “doble tapas” although laminates, are considered great techniques in the realm of lutherie
@@CarlosGonzalez-tx4cb I'm aware of nomex, my cousin who is classically trained has a double top cedar with rosewood sides and back. I've been drooling over double top Eastman steel strings for a couple of years. I have a Japanese all laminate Epiphone that I love, it sounds "better" than my all solid Alvarez, and all solid Recording King. But I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the top is extremely light. The issue is that the laminates in these mass produced guitars are not at the at the quality that we're talking about.
@@bigmac51290 exactly! It’s the quality of the mass produced guitars. My double top is Lutz Spruce with cocobolo back and sides with cedar on the inside. The back is in the style of Contreras, but the builder does it mostly because he said that cocobolo has a tendency to crack when you make it thin enough for back and sides. As for the Eastman, you gotta tell me how it sounds when you get one. I’m curious of what a double top can do when it’s an acoustic. I was in the market for an acoustic and I went with a Furch red deluxe. I thought about the Eastman double top, but I couldn’t find any to try and the only Eastman I ever tried was an Eastman grand auditorium, which wasn’t for me. Nothing with the guitar, but I couldn’t pull much volume out of it finger style. But I’m sure a double top OM would be a different story. Those tops are so light and responsive
You should have thrown in the Recording King RD-328, copy of a D28, or the RO-328, the RD-318. The TD-328 has a Adirondack spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides. Under $1000.
Yesterday I was at Guitar Center,and check this guitar it was amber red I think beautiful but back and sides maple abalone inlaid abalone birds, but it was$ 990.00 dollars.
You better grab one of those PRR Se-P-20 ! None electronics- $300.00 Sweetwater for two more days . Hell of a deal . Want lose that much if you get tired of it
I’m not trying to be hostile, but there’s a uge mistake in this video: this guitar does NOT have solid back and sides. They’re laminated according the Sweetwater website and everywhere else. There are now a lot of guitars in the sub-$1000 price range that do have solid back and sides, such as Epiphone, Alvarez, Recording King, Fender, maybe Eastman. So I don’t see how this is a great value in comparison. Jeremy also said that he doesn’t like the neck. That said, it sounds nice in the video. And there’s are some advantages to laminates; they’re easier to take care of. But they’re usually less expensive than solid wood.
I went on a mission when my acoustic broke the day before a gig to find a new guitar. I played everything within 20 miles of my house. This was one of two guitars I really enjoyed playing. The other was a Taylor Academy 12. I went with the Taylor in the end because the PRS was made in China. The PRS is a better looking guitar, the Taylor is very plain. I just bonded with the Taylor, it may be simple but it sounds amazing.
You actually cant buy this cheaper under another brand. PRS signed a contract with them that they would ONLY make PRS guitars. This ensures originality and dedication to the builds. They treat them like a part of the prs family and actually give them credit on how well theyre built. Its not like other companies.
@@JeremySheppard Yeah, core tech makes a ton of brands. The only difference with PRS is they have their own dedicated facility from core tech. Everyone else gets made in a huge facility where as prs essentially has their own building with core tech and their own QC rules
It's hard to justify spending more than $500 on a guitar that has laminate woods with all of the all solid options nowadays. An argument could be made for the inlays, but Greg Bennett has all solid dreads and OMs that are around $500 with prominent inlays (the unmentionable Z company has their name and prices put on them.)
Cor-Tek guitars have made more guitars than almost anyone in the world. The whole Ibanez analogy to this acoustic is a non-thing. High quality guitars have been produced by this maker for years at amazingly affordable prices. Check out Corts Gold Edge acoustics, which, at $1700 compare with guitars twice their price. Also, Check out Phil McKnights talk with Jack Higgenbotham of PRS a couple of days ago about the Angelus. Very enlightening.
Strobe es no bueno. distracting. Otherwise, great job as usual. Different topic, I bought a Kickstarter guitar branded OMB (One Man Band). They have a website and are now in production. Average cost is $1K. The claim to fame is that you can make a guitar sound like a violin or piano (maybe a few other instruments). I had such a bad experience with them I have yet to bother figuring out how to use it. It has a Bluetooth connection to a pedalboard and app. I don't think I can sell it due to the terms under the Kickstarter campaign. But nothing says I can't send it to you for an evaluation if you're interested. Chinese made lamanent, Spruce (I guess) and Mahogany back and sides. Not sure if everything is lamanted or just parts. Let me know if you want me to ship it to you. Thanks, Brian
I have never cared for the PRS headstock - i would never call it iconic. I like it even less on an acoustic guitar. It is counter to the lines of the guitar. Just my opinion. I would look at an Eastman for a sub $1000 guitar.
Not a fan of outsourcing and branding in this way.... It may be an awesome sounding and playing guitar! I just don't like the twisting about thing.. maybe it's just me...
Get the heck out of here, why does that have a hard case? I have a silver sky that cost three times but that guitar cost and it came with a gig bag. Someone call Paul Reed Smith and tell him he needs to give more friendship to the $2.5k-$3.5k customer!
I made the mistake of buying a PRS SE acoustic and while it was beautiful, it was also one of the worst quality instruments I’ve ever owned. Enjoy it before everything falls apart and it becomes unplayable.
The PRS line fill a great niche. They are good sounding acoustics, but not the best. However, the specs that set it apart are the chunky necks and the smaller fretboard radius vs the competition (11.8 in vs 14-16in). It really closes the gap between electrics and an honest sounding acoustic
The Best acoustic guitars for under $1000 are Eastman guitars. Similar tone and sound to a Martin for a fraction of the price. If you can get over the “made in China” fact.
I would love to play an Eastman , I’ve heard great things about them. Unfortunately nobody within driving distance sells them. I particularly like the slope shoulder model I think it’s a 10sse?
Every PRS acoustic from the SE line that I have played seems like a pretty nice $400-$500 guitar that got kinda dressed up a little. I don’t hate them but I feel like there’s a lot of great stuff in that price range to compete with it. And even more if you take around $800-$1000 and shop for used stuff. There are still used Martin guitars that can be found for around $1000 that are very good. And PRS, well… I just don’t see anything really making me want to snap one up right away.
For under $1,000 you can get a great playing and sounding guitar from Breedlove. You can sometimes find a USA made all solid used Breedlove for around $1,000....then you REALLY have a fantastic instrument.
