Library

Which Tonewoods Does The Paul Reed Smith 408 Feature On Models?

2025-09-04 00:53:20 175

4 Answers

Violet

2025-09-06 01:51:10

When I’m talking woods in a semi-technical way my brain goes straight to how each element shapes frequency response. With the PRS 408 models I’ve handled and read about, the most consistent recipe is mahogany for the body (good sustain and midrange focus) plus a carved maple top (helps with articulation and highs). Neck options usually land on mahogany or maple, and fingerboards rotate between rosewood, pau ferro, and ebony—each change nudges the tonal profile: ebony brightens and tightens, rosewood adds warmth and harmonic richness, pau ferro sits somewhere between the two.

PRS also offers limited editions and private-stock 408s where they swap in alder or swamp ash bodies or exotic maple tops—those swaps can shift the feel from thick and syrupy to a bit airier and mid-scooped. For practical picking advice: if you play metal or tight modern rock, the mahogany+maple top with an ebony board is hard to beat; if you want more vintage bloom, go for mahogany with a rosewood board or a lighter-bodied ash/alder variant. I always cross-reference the exact year’s spec sheet because PRS changes woods by run, and it makes a surprising audible difference.

Zachary

2025-09-06 03:20:45

I love how versatile the PRS 408 lineup gets with its woods. In short: mahogany bodies with maple tops are the most common, and fretboards can be rosewood, ebony, or pau ferro. Every now and then you’ll find alder or swamp ash variants and boutique runs with walnut or korina tops.

For me, the mahogany-plus-maple combo gives that satisfying balance—warmth and sustain from the mahogany, clarity and snap from the maple top—while the fingerboard choice tweaks the bite. If you can, try different board woods back-to-back and listen for the sustain and top-end sparkle; it really helps you pick the one that fits your playing vibe.

Uriah

2025-09-06 11:04:53

Gotta admit, I get a little obsessive about tonewoods, and the PRS 408 family is fun because it mixes familiar PRS combos with oddball specials. Typically you’ll see mahogany bodies with maple tops (flame/quilted maple for the prettier editions), mahogany or maple necks, and fretboards in rosewood, ebony, or pau ferro. That core mahogany+maple combo gives a nice balance: warm bottom, bright top-end.

Beyond that, PRS sometimes drops in alder or swamp ash for lighter-sounding examples, and private-stock runs can use walnut, korina, or other exotic tops. If you’re shopping, compare a rosewood board to an ebony one—ebony tends to give a snappier attack that suits aggressive playing, while rosewood smooths the upper mids. Personally I like the mahogany/maple with an ebony board for chunky rhythm and tight clarity when I crank the amp.

Ella

2025-09-07 11:58:04

Whenever I look at the PRS 408 lineup I end up geeking out over the wood choices more than the finish—there’s a clear PRS signature in the combos they use. Most of the regular-production 408s tend to pair a mahogany body with a carved maple top, and that maple can be plain, flamed, or quilted depending on the run. The mahogany gives the low end warmth and sustain, while the maple top adds attack and clarity, which is exactly why PRS loves that pairing.

For fingerboards you’ll usually see rosewood, ebony, or pau ferro across different models, and neck woods are commonly mahogany or maple. On some limited editions and private-stock pieces PRS has experimented with alder, swamp ash, walnut, or even korina tops—those are less common but show up if you’re hunting a specific year or shop model. If you’re trying to predict tone: think warm and rounded from the mahogany core, with spank and articulation from the maple top, and then the fingerboard wood fine-tunes the bite and feel. I always tell friends to play a few examples in person—woods matter, but so does setup and pickups, and the 408 family really rewards close listening.

View All Answers

Related Books

Claudette Reed

*Book 2 of The Fashion CEO novels* Stephanie Greene one of the few female CEOs in the city and a force to be reckoned with. The men in the industry try to bring her down with every chance they get, but she keeps showing them how she got her nickname of the "Baddest Bitch in Fashion." She has the support of her family behind her, along with her best friend Isaac, who has slowly been trying to win her heart for the last 24 years. When her company hits a financial crisis, she partners with Dominic Knight - the arrogant CEO of a menswear company, for a collaboration. They butt heads every step of the way, and he challenges her patience almost to the brink. She wonders if the partnership is worth the anguish, and tries to put him in his place, only to end up in his bed, much to Isaac's dismay. Trying to ignore following the footsteps of her father and prevent rumors of her sex life to spread, she tells Dominic to forget the whole thing and to keep things between them strictly professional, until two months later when she discovers that she's pregnant. What's going to happen in this love triangle? Will Dominic step up and take responsibility? And even if he does, will Stephanie, the fierce, independent businesswoman, let him in?

85 Chapters

Mrs Smith

The narrative unfolds around Rachel West, the eldest daughter in a family with strong moral principles. Despite her high moral standing, she harbors unrequited feelings for James Smith, a man she desires but knows she cannot win. A one-night stand with James leads to an unexpected pregnancy, altering the course of Rachel's life. Rachel, aware of her condition, is compelled to become James Smith's wife. However, James, while respecting her grandmother's wishes, is far from pleased with the arrangement. Settling into the villa as the lady of the house, Rachel becomes a subject of envy and ridicule, particularly from her younger sister. As Rachel adjusts to her new life, her world is further complicated by the presence of James's concubine, Melody. Tragedy strikes with the death of Rachel's grandmother and Melody's sudden disappearance. The events take a darker turn when James accuses Rachel of murder and kidnapping, leading to her imprisonment. In prison, Rachel gives birth to twins but is denied access to them by James. She believes her children did not survive, adding to her emotional turmoil. A twist was introduced when a fire incident at the prison nearly claims Rachel's life. A Good Samaritan rescues her, offering a chance for redemption. She secures a job as a personal assistant, providing a glimmer of hope in her otherwise turbulent life. Simultaneously, James believes Rachel perished in the fire, unaware of her continued existence. The story leaves readers pondering Rachel's resilience and the potential twists that might shape her destiny. What fate awaits Rachel? Rachel's journey is marked by tragedy, betrayal, and an ongoing quest for redemption. As the narrative progresses, readers are drawn into the complexities of Rachel's relationships, her struggles against societal expectations, and the unforeseen events that shape her path.

Not enough ratings

49 Chapters

Reading Mr. Reed

When Lacy tries to break of her forced engagement things take a treacherous turn for the worst. Things seemed to not be going as planned until a mysterious stranger swoops in to save the day. That stranger soon becomes more to her but how will their relationship work when her fiance proves to be a nuisance? *****Dylan Reed only has one interest: finding the little girl that shared the same foster home as him so that he could protect her from all the vicious wrongs of the world. He gets temporarily side tracked when he meets Lacy Black. She becomes a damsel in distress when she tries to break off her arranged marriage with a man named Brian Larson and Dylan swoops in to save her. After Lacy and Dylan's first encounter, their lives spiral out of control and the only way to get through it is together but will Dylan allow himself to love instead of giving Lacy mixed signals and will Lacy be able to follow her heart, effectively Reading Mr. Reed?Book One (The Mister Trilogy)

9.7

41 Chapters

One Heart, Which Brother?

They were brothers, one touched my heart, the other ruined it. Ken was safe, soft, and everything I should want. Ruben was cold, cruel… and everything I couldn’t resist. One forbidden night, one heated mistake... and now he owns more than my body he owns my silence. And now Daphne, their sister,the only one who truly knew me, my forever was slipping away. I thought, I knew what love meant, until both of them wanted me.

Not enough ratings

187 Chapters

That Which We Consume

Life has a way of awakening us…Often cruelly. Astraia Ilithyia, a humble art gallery hostess, finds herself pulled into a world she never would’ve imagined existed. She meets the mysterious and charismatic, Vasilios Barzilai under terrifying circumstances. Torn between the world she’s always known, and the world Vasilios reigns in…Only one thing is certain; she cannot survive without him.

Not enough ratings

59 Chapters

Which One Do You Want

At the age of twenty, I mated to my father's best friend, Lucian, the Alpha of Silverfang Pack despite our age difference. He was eight years older than me and was known in the pack as the cold-hearted King of Hell. He was ruthless in the pack and never got close to any she-wolves, but he was extremely gentle and sweet towards me. He would buy me the priceless Fangborn necklace the next day just because I casually said, "It looks good." When I curled up in bed in pain during my period, he would put aside Alpha councils and personally make pain suppressant for me, coaxing me to drink spoonful by spoonful. He would hug me tight when we mated, calling me "sweetheart" in a low and hoarse voice. He claimed I was so alluring that my body had him utterly addicted as if every curve were a narcotic he couldn't quit. He even named his most valuable antique Stormwolf Armour "For Elise". For years, I had believed it was to commemorate the melody I had played at the piano on our first encounter—the very tune that had sparked our love story. Until that day, I found an old photo album in his study. The album was full of photos of the same she-wolf. You wouldn’t believe this, but we looked like twin sisters! The she-wolf in one of the photos was playing the piano and smiling brightly. The back of the photo said, "For Elise." ... After discovering the truth, I immediately drafted a severance agreement to sever our mate bond. Since Lucian only cared about Elise, no way in hell I would be your Luna Alice anymore.

12 Chapters

Related Questions

What Pickups Does The Paul Reed Smith 408 Come With Stock?

4 Answers2025-09-04 08:01:57

Okay, this one pops up a lot in forums and it’s a fun little detective hunt: the pickups in a Paul Reed Smith 408 aren’t a single immutable thing across every guitar — PRS tends to outfit different runs and models with different PRS-wound humbuckers. If you’ve got a Core or Private Stock 408, it will most likely have PRS’s proprietary humbuckers that lean toward the ‘58/15’ or ‘85/15’ family depending on the era and voicing requested. SE or more budget-oriented runs often get PRS-designed bridge and neck humbuckers that are made to be versatile, sometimes with coil-split capable wiring. If you want to be precise about a specific instrument, the easiest routes are to check the spec sheet for your model year on PRS’s site, look at the paperwork that came with the guitar, or pop the control cavity and note any stamped pickup markings or pot wiring colors. Oh, and measuring DC resistance with a multimeter helps too — it’ll tell you whether you’ve got a hotter modern humbucker or a lower-output vintage-style winding. Personally, I like digging through old PRS catalogs and serial-number posts to pin down exact pickup names when a spec list isn’t handy.

Who Originally Manufactured The Paul Reed Smith 408 Pickups?

4 Answers2025-09-04 13:02:46

I was digging through my old PRS catalogs the other day and got into a nerdy spiral about pickups — the PRS 408s are a fun bit of history. Those pickups were originally produced in-house by Paul Reed Smith's operation in the U.S. They were a PRS-branded design conceived by Paul and his team and built at the Maryland shop during the period when PRS made most of their own magnetic hardware. Over time PRS shifted some production and sourcing — SE and some later versions of PRS pickups were made overseas or with outside partners — so people sometimes get mixed up and think a company like Seymour Duncan or another well-known maker built the 408s. But if you’re talking about the original 408 pickups that shipped with U.S.-made PRS instruments, they were PRS-made, reflecting the company's hands-on approach at the time. That little provenance nugget makes them feel more grounded, at least to me.

Can The Paul Reed Smith 408 Handle Drop Tunings For Metal?

4 Answers2025-09-04 08:32:52

Totally—my 408 has seen everything from classic rock crunch to down-tuned sludge, and with the right setup it absolutely handles drop tunings for metal. When I switched to drop D and then lower (drop C/B), I bumped string gauges, had a tech tweak the intonation and truss rod, and swapped in locking tuners. That stabilized the low end and kept the strings from flopping around. The 408's neck and bridge hold up nicely; the main work is getting proper tension and intonation. For aggressive chugging I also preferred a higher-output humbucker to keep the low notes tight and present through distortion. If you plan to live in really low territory (drop A or below) often, consider either a baritone setup or a 7/8-string instrument. For casual or occasional lower tunings though, heavier gauged strings, a solid setup, and maybe a noise gate will get you a thick, focused metal tone. I still love how versatile the 408 is after that tweak.

How Does The Paul Reed Smith 408 Sound Compared To A Custom 24?

4 Answers2025-09-04 23:03:41

Honestly, the first time I put a set of ears on both guitars back-to-back I was struck by how differently they inhabit the same musical space. The Paul Reed Smith 408 felt like a more modern, punch-forward instrument to me — thicker low end, a bit more grind when you push the amp, and a focused attack that sits nicely in a mix. Notes feel compressed in a pleasing way, so high-gain chords chime without getting woolly. By contrast, the 'Custom 24' sounded airier and more balanced: sweeter mids, bell-like harmonics on clean tones, and more open high end. Sustain on the 'Custom 24' sings in a way that encourages melodic leads and nuanced dynamics. If you like heavy rhythms, palm-muted chugging, or a guitar that tightens up with distortion, the 408 leans toward that modern, aggressive vibe. If you prefer shimmering cleans, singing lead lines, or something super versatile for blues, rock, and everything in between, the 'Custom 24' will reward you. Play both through your amp and through a pedal chain — the 408 reacts brilliantly to pedals that tighten and saturate, while the 'Custom 24' shines with gentle overdrive and reverb. For me, choosing between them usually comes down to what songs I want to play that night.

Why Do Players Prefer The Paul Reed Smith 408 For Rock Music?

4 Answers2025-09-04 14:39:42

Honestly, the first thing that hooks me about the Paul Reed Smith 408 for rock is how effortlessly it sits between crunchy rhythm and singing lead. On stage I like guitars that don’t fight me: the 408’s construction gives a solid, sustaining foundation so when I crank gain the chords stay tight and the leads bloom without getting woolly. The pickup voicing tends toward clarity in the midrange so power chords cut through a drum-heavy mix, while single-note lines still sparkle. Playability matters too — the neck shape and balanced weight let me move across the fretboard fast during long sets, which makes playing riffs from classic rock to modern alt much less tiring. The switching layout feels intuitive when I need quick tonal changes between verses and solos. All this makes it a favorite when I want one guitar that can cover diverse rock styles without constant setup tweaks — I can dial it in, plug into my amp or pedalboard, and it behaves. It’s the kind of guitar that keeps me smiling during both practice and live nights, and that reliability makes me reach for it first.

Is The Paul Reed Smith 408 Worth Buying Used Today?

4 Answers2025-09-04 23:09:10

Okay, here's the practical take: if you find a Paul Reed Smith 408 used at a sensible price, it's absolutely worth strong consideration. I’ve played a handful of PRS instruments over the years and the brand’s build quality and attention to setup are real — necks tend to be comfortable, fretwork is usually excellent, and finishes hold up. What matters most buying used is condition and setup: check neck relief, fret wear (look for flat spots or deep grooves), functioning electronics (pots, switches), and hardware rust or stripped screws. Ask if it comes with the original case and any receipts or service history. Try it through an amp you know and listen for buzzes and dead frets. Play open chords, bends, and dive into the higher frets; make sure intonation and trem functionality (if it has one) are solid. If you’re buying online, insist on high-res photos of the neck heel, fret ends, headstock, and the cavity wiring. Price-wise, compare similar-year listings and factor in a professional setup cost if needed. If it plays well and the price is right, a PRS tends to age like wine — a used 408 can be a very satisfying buy that keeps giving.

What Is The Resale Value Of A Paul Reed Smith 408 Right Now?

4 Answers2025-09-04 11:33:53

Okay, diving straight in — if you’re trying to figure out the resale value of a Paul Reed Smith 408 right now, I’d judge it mostly by condition, year, and finish rather than a single magic number. In my experience browsing Reverb and eBay and chatting with folks on guitar forums, a typical Core/standard 408 in nice, played-but-well-kept condition tends to land in the roughly $1,200–$3,500 range in the US market. Mint examples with original case and paperwork, rare figured tops, or limited-run finishes can push toward the high end of that band or slightly beyond. Conversely, heavily worn, modified, or older models with fretwear or electronics issues often sell for much less — sometimes down near the $800–$1,200 area. If you’ve got a Private Stock, artist-signature, or an especially rare finish on your 408, expect collectors to pay a premium; those can easily jump into the $4k+ territory depending on provenance. My go-to tips: search completed listings on Reverb/eBay for your exact model and finish, note sale prices (not just asking prices), and factor in buyer fees and shipping when deciding your own price. Photograph everything, list specs plainly, and you’ll get a much better result than a vague guess — I learned that the hard way with a previous guitar flip.

Where Can I Find Vintage Paul Reed Smith 408 Listings Online?

4 Answers2025-09-04 05:09:51

If you're hunting for a vintage Paul Reed Smith 408, I usually start at the obvious online gear marketplaces and work outward from there. Reverb and eBay are my go-to for listings — they both have filters for year, finish, and price, and you can saved-search alerts so you get pinged when something pops up. I check seller feedback carefully and ask for close-up photos of the headstock, neck heel, and cavity routing. For older guitars those details tell you a lot. Beyond the big sites, I poke around specialized classifieds and forums like The Gear Page, PRS Forum, and regional Facebook groups. Dealers who specialize in vintage instruments sometimes list on their own sites or on Instagram, and Japanese sites like Yahoo Auctions and Rakuten can surprise you with well-preserved finds if you're okay using proxy services like Buyee. I always budget for shipping/insurance, and if the serial looks unusual I ask for warranty cards or original receipts — provenance matters more than you think.

Which Tonewoods Does The Paul Reed Smith 408 Feature On Models?

4 Answers

Related Books

Related Questions

What Pickups Does The Paul Reed Smith 408 Come With Stock?

Who Originally Manufactured The Paul Reed Smith 408 Pickups?

Can The Paul Reed Smith 408 Handle Drop Tunings For Metal?

How Does The Paul Reed Smith 408 Sound Compared To A Custom 24?

Why Do Players Prefer The Paul Reed Smith 408 For Rock Music?

Is The Paul Reed Smith 408 Worth Buying Used Today?

What Is The Resale Value Of A Paul Reed Smith 408 Right Now?

Where Can I Find Vintage Paul Reed Smith 408 Listings Online?

Popular Question

Can Bible Reading Levels Be Adjusted For ESL Learners?

Is Emma Watson Pregnant

Is 'Good Will Hunting' Based On A True Story?

When Was Fumble Book First Published?

How Do BTS Competitions Help Fans Connect With Each Other?

Which Sites Offer Pdf Book Download For Free Without Registration?

Who Wrote 'Tennis Lessons' And What'S Their Background?

Are There Official Wings Of Fire Dragon Art Books Available?

How Do I Listen To Audiobooks On Kindle Unlimited While Driving?

What Islands Did Gol D Roger Crew Visit During Their Voyage?

Popular Searches More