Guitar dealer · since 2018
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PRS Swamp Ash Special Black Ultra Flamed Neck (1999)
One owner from new · selected at Uli's Musik · McCarty pickups · only 3.3 kg
| Model | PRS Swamp Ash Special (bolt-on, USA) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 (per the PRS instrument passport, 15 April 1999) |
| Serial number | 715000 |
| Colour | Black, high gloss |
| Body | Swamp ash |
| Neck | Maple, bolt-on, nicely flamed |
| Fretboard | Maple with bird inlays |
| Scale length | 25" |
| Pickups | 2× PRS McCarty humbuckers (neck & bridge) + PRS Vintage Rail (middle) |
| Wiring | 5-way blade, volume, tone |
| Tremolo | PRS tremolo |
| Tuners | PRS |
| Weight | 3.3 kg |
| History | One owner from new · selected at Uli's Musik, Leverkusen |
| Included | Case, PRS instrument passport/first-owner certificate, hangtag — as pictured |
| Please note | The tab on the case's inner compartment is broken (see photo) |
One of the most flexible guitars Paul Reed Smith makes — the Swamp Ash Special.
This is the first PRS Swamp Ash Special in our shop, and a nice early one from 1999 with a single owner. It was picked out at the well-known dealer Uli's Musik in Leverkusen at the time, and you can tell. It brings together PRS precision and finish with the crisp, open character of a bolt-on and a light, resonant swamp ash body. The 25" scale sits exactly right between the Fender and Gibson worlds.
The deep black body shows off the classic PRS outline beautifully, and the inlays on that ultra flamed maple neck don't hurt either. A flamed bolt-on neck is a genuine treat on a PRS, and it's lovely and fast in the hand.
It's been played and shows the odd light mark here and there, mostly on the back — all well within what you'd expect from a cared-for player's instrument. The hardware has taken on a lovely vintage patina over the last 27 years, which gives it real character, and the frets are still in good shape.
A featherweight 3.3 kg makes for an extremely resonant, lively core tone with a fast response and that woody chime swamp ash is known for. Getting it to the amp are two PRS McCarty humbuckers at neck and bridge plus a single coil in the middle, and the 5-way turns it into a genuine all-rounder: warm, vintage-correct humbucker tones, bell-like quacky in-between positions and crisp single-coil twang. The PRS tremolo stays in tune even when you lean on it — a versatile weapon for stage and studio.
A light, quick and enormously flexible PRS from the sought-after Swamp Ash Special line. It comes from single ownership, complete with the original PRS instrument passport, hangtag and case (the tab on the inner compartment is broken, see photo). We're offering this one at a no-brainer price — a new example is over €3,300.
Price€2,190 VAT not outlined (§ 25a UStG)