PRS Paul Reed Smith Wood Library Special 22 Semi-Hollow Artist Package Guitar, Charcoal Cherry Burst, African Blackwood Board, Flame Maple Neck – 0274498

Player’s Perspective

As one of PRS’s Signature Dealers, we are able to have the distinct privilege of going to Maryland a few times a year to hand-select woods and pick out appointments for some unique Wood Library runs. For this run of Special 22 guitars, we took some specs directly from the Private Stock Super Eagle II while still coming in at about half of the price.

Some of the most notable similarities will be the stained flame maple neck and African Blackwood fretboard for tonewoods as well as the pickup configuration, which are all just like the Super Eagle II. There are some slight differences, but in short, this is a great way to get that Super Eagle sound and vibe without dropping over $10k+ on a guitar. With all that said, simply put, for as stunningly beautiful as this guitar looks, it also plays and sounds just as amazingly well. This is pure perfection!

It all starts with the body of a Custom 22. The neck pickup is right under the natural 3rd-order harmonic for a rich and lush tone full of harmonic content. The bridge pickup has some nice bite to it and can handle distortion really well without sounding thin or underpowered. But then PRS went ahead and added a Narrowfield middle pickup and they hollowed out some of the body. The result is a guitar that is more versatile while being able to achieve some smoother and warmer sounds along with slicing right through any mix and being all up in your face. And it’s all right there at your fingertips with just the flip of some mini-toggles, pickup selectors, and tone knobs. It’s a simple design jam-packed with lots of useful and extremely musical sounds.

You can still achieve bright and spanky sounds quite easily (check out John Mayer getting that high and trebly Jerry tone with his Super Eagle on any of the Dead and Co. shows!) but the top end won’t get harsh and ear-piercing thanks to the semi-hollow design. While it’s naturally designed to be heard and to stand out in a mix, you can also easily mellow it out for an almost jazzy kind of tone, if that’s what you’re after. Then there’s the middle pickup, which sounds like a single-coil with a bit of extra punch and no 60-cycle hum. It matches up well with the output of the humbuckers whether they’re in full power or split-coil mode and packs a lot of snappiness to go with it.

The subtle differences in tonewoods for this wood library run of Special 22’s will add to the overall brightness of the sound. The high mids and treble frequencies are enhanced with the combination of the neck woods. African Blackwood sounds remarkably similar to Brazilian Rosewood with that top end shimmer and sparkle to it that other rosewoods (and even ebony) miss out on. It has a warmth to it while still being very bright and snappy. Of course, the flame maple neck will also add some more brightness to the tone compared to a mahogany neck, for example. It all pairs together wonderfully for a sound that is crisp, defined, and extremely articulate. You end up with all of that semi-hollow goodness without ever running the risk of sounding muddy.

The build quality and versatility of this guitar are truly remarkable, as is its beauty. This is going to be a truly special and unique addition to any collection.

The foundation of this guitar is very much like a Custom 22, but this Wood Library version has some special features otherwise only available in an Artist Package or Private Stock build – hand-selected artist grade flame maple top, mahogany back, 22-fret 25” scale length hand-selected artist grade flame maple neck, and an African Blackwood fretboard. Along with the carefully chosen tonewoods, the versatile electronics truly carry it to new sonic territory. The bow around this pretty package is the gorgeous paisley hardshell case.

Pickup Switching Positions:
Position 1: Treble
Position 2: Treble and Middle
Position 3: Treble and Bass
Position 4: Bass and Middle
Position 5: Bass

Our in-house guitar tech will inspect, test, set up, and clean all of our instruments on site prior to shipping. All of our instruments are guaranteed to be fully functional upon arrival.

Music Store Live is one of PRS’s top independent dealers and is one of only a select few PRS Signature Dealers. If you still haven’t found what you’re looking for, we are more than happy to help you custom order your next Paul Reed Smith instrument. Our PRS experts can help guide you in purchasing a new SE, S2, CORE, Artist Package, or even your very own Private Stock guitar or bass. Message us for details!