Folks, the current buzzword in the mean time: Tekton. These are PRS' new range of guitars aimed at the faster playing cohort. There are several models on offer; fixed bridge, whammy, FR whammy & 7-string extended scale. Looks like it's not a mere testing of the waters but a full blown consideration. I'm interested in the fixed bridge version but they don't offer solid colours for these. The most appealing version to me is this one pictured here.
Solid colours are available for the FR version, this green one is a member of the family. These days, I'm no longer into the whammy stuff. I don't bend my strings so whammy-ing is out of the question. I've turned into someone who legato his way through with lots of chromatics 😅
Lest we missed it, the Tekton has an
offset body design.
Thinking out loud:
- The fundamentals of the Tekton design were already manifested by the Vela & Chleo. Nobody would find this debut shocking
- The Tekton is a bolt-on make, which would appeal readily to the more aggressive / fast players. Jackson, ESP & Ibanez, the perennial shred favourites, had their models established in the bolt-on category so PRS doing a bolt-on to win over these players is the right move
- The FR version features an FR 1000 bridge, not an FRO. Implications: 1) Even PRS understood the 1000 version is good & reliable enough so no hesitations incorporating this into their guitars 2) Keeps costs down - also the reason no bird inlays are offered for the entire Tekton range
- Top carve isn't as deep as the core models, in fact, it's designed to incorporate some elbow relief so it's a smart consideration
- Thinner neck profile - manage expectations, please, it's not gonna be Ibanez thin. It's still within the PRS interpretations but that doesn't mean it won't be appealing
Pics: PRS
