PRS SE Kestrel Bass

This is not a technical breakdown of this guitar, but it is just my opinion.

I have two other PRS guitars, and when I saw that PRS had a bass guitar newly on the market I thought it would be nice to add it to my collection. I don’t understand why more guitarists are not using these instruments, see my PRS SE Santana hub too. I ordered the Tri-colour, Sunburst which is very traditional in look, and anyone who remembers the early Fenders will recognise it.

Like all guitarists one guitar is never enough, I think that I’m making up for all those hours I spent as a kid staring wistfully into music shop windows.

The first thing I think that hits you about the range of PRS guitars is the look and finish of the instrument. The Kestrel is modeled along the lines of the classics Fender basses either the Jazz or the Precision, both of which I’ve owned in the past.

It may look like a Fender at first glance, but the contouring of the back is far more comfortable than the Fender.

It feels light and comfortable as soon as you put it, and you know that you are going to enjoy playing it. Although the SE range is made in Korea, the design and quality are as good as the American built instruments. They are designed in Maryland, and have an Alder body with a Maple and Rosewood neck with 22 frets. All the hardware is by Hipshot, apart from the pickups.

The neck is made from 5 ply Maple and Walnut strips. It also has the very traditional ‘Bird Inlays’ which gives it that distinctive PRS look. The neck shape is quite flat at the back allowing the player to get more of a grip of it.

The Kestrel has two single pickups its big brother the Kingfisher has humbuckers, which give it a mellower tone and cuts out any hum from the electrics.

SE 4B 'S' Treble (PRS-Designed Singlecoil)

SE 4B 'S' Bass (PRS-Designed Singlecoil)

The pickups: provide an amazing range of sound from slap to deep growling rock and I think will cover pretty much, what ever a player needs from the instrument.

The bridge manufactured by Hipshot, allows the strings to be threaded through the guitar body or attached to the tail. I’m not sure how much difference it really makes, but I think that perhaps you get a better resonance of them when they are through the body.

Body Wood Alder

Number of Frets 22

Scale Length 34"

Neck Woods 5-Ply Maple with Walnut Strips, Neck-Through Construction

Fretboard Wood Rosewood

Fretboard Inlays Birds

Neck Shape SE Bass
Depth at .5 fret: .792"
Width at nut: 1.591"
Width at end of fretboard: 2.500"
Fretboard radius: 7.500"

Bridge Hipshot TransTone

Tuners Hipshot HB6

Hardware Type Chrome

Electronics Passive

Treble Pickup SE 4B 'S' Treble (PRS-Designed Singlecoil)

Bass Pickup SE 4B 'S' Bass (PRS-Designed Singlecoil)

Controls Two Volume Controls and One Tone Control, pickguard mounted

Strings 45-105 Gauge

In conclusion, I like this addition to my guitar collection and I think it will be a favourite for years to come. I’m 65 and I still enjoy music, but most of all I enjoy playing music.