PRS SE Hollowbody II - Overview and Best Prices

PRS SE Hollowbody II Review
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  • 1 Prices - New from $1,199 >
  • From PRS's 2020 SE series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 25"'' scale
  • 10" Fretboard Radius
  • Beveled Maple Top with Flame Maple Veneer top
  • Mahogany body
  • Mahogany neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: PRS 58/15 S (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: PRS 58/15 S (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Speed knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • PRS Adjustable Stoptail bridge
  • Wide Fat Set neck
  • 22 Medium Jumbo frets
  • PRS Designed Tuners tuners
  • Weight between 6lbs (2.7kgs) and 6.15lbs (2.8kgs)
  • Side-By-Side Comparison
Show Specs
PRS SE Hollowbody II Specifications
PRS SE Hollowbody II
General
Brand: PRS
Year: 2020
Configuration: HH
Strings: 6
Made in: Indonesia
Series: SE
Colors: Black Burst, Tri-Color Sunburst
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Top: Beveled Maple Top with Flame Maple Veneer
Type: Hollowbody
Body Material: Mahogany
Bridge: PRS Adjustable Stoptail
Neck
Neck Joint: Set
Tuners: PRS Designed Tuners
Fretboard: Ebony
Neck Material: Mahogany
Decoration: Birds
Scale Size: 25"
Shape: Wide Fat
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.86'' (21.8mm) - 12th Fret: 0.96'' (24.4mm)
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo
Fretboard Radius: 10"
Nut: PRS Propietary
Nut Width: 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: PRS 58/15 S (Humbucker / Passive)
Neck Pickup: PRS 58/15 S (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 3
Knobs: Speed
Pickup Mods: Coil Split
Volume Controls: 1
Tone Controls: 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No
Hardware Color: Nickel
Show Diagram
PRS SE Hollowbody II pickups switch and push knobs diagram
PRS SE Hollowbody II's switch options

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 70
Sound 72
Build quality 61
Value for money 68
Overall Score 68
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
PRS SE Hollowbody II
  • Expensive Wood
  • PRS Propietary Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Coil Split Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $850, which means that the PRS SE Hollowbody II costs around 41% more than the competition. It might be due to it having additional features, but know that you can find cheaper similar alternatives. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in Indonesia.

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User Reviews & Feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

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Tuning stability

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Neck speed (thickness)

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Neck access to high frets

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Neck profile shape

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Fret edges

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Often Compared With

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Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the PRS SE Hollowbody II's construction favors people with relatively big hands.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The PRS SE Hollowbody II meets 3 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's not recommended for complete beginners. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

PRS SE Hollowbody II
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Locking tuners

Videos

The SE Hollowbody II | PRS Guitars
PRS SE HOLLOWBODY II PIEZO - A Dream Guitar From PRS!
PRS SE Hollowbody II. A review and noodle.
PRS SE HOLLOWBODY II CHARCOAL BURST (2020) - PRODUCT REVIEW
The SE Hollowbody II Piezo | PRS Guitars

How Lightweight is it?

We found that the PRS SE Hollowbody II weighs between 6lbs (2.7kgs) and 6.15lbs (2.8kgs). This was recorded from some online retailers that publish the weight of the instruments they sell.

Playability

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the PRS SE Hollowbody II's 25" scale length compared to other common sizes:

PRS SE Hollowbody II Scale Length Comparison
PRS SE Hollowbody II's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is the scale found in most PRS guitars, and it's right between the length of most Stratocasters and Les Pauls.

The scale length will affect the separation of the frets, the string tension, and even the tone of the guitar. The longer the scale, the more separated the frets are, which makes it a bit harder to move fast on the fretboard. Also, the higher tension of the strings will make them feel stiffer, so bending will require more strength. However, a longer scale also allows you to lower the action of the strings and make them closer to the fretboard, which makes them easier to press. Finally, the tone will also sound brighter with a longer scale.

A 25'' scale makes all of this feel right between a Stratocaster (longer scale) and a Les Paul (shorter scale).

Don't forget that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge.

More with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

PRS SE Hollowbody II Neck Profile
PRS SE Hollowbody II's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

The PRS SE Hollowbody II's neck thickness is approximately 0.86'' (21.8mm) at the first fret, and 0.96'' (24.4mm) at the twelfth.

These measurements were taken either from the official PRS website, or, in case this information wasn't provided, by researching multiple online marketplaces and forums where owners of this model have posted their measurements.

It has a Vintage type neck. This is a type of vintage neck, so it's thick and has a wider grip than most modern guitars. This is a very particular type of neck that usually only people with a specific taste for vintage guitars will like. We recommend you try this in person before buying if it's your first vintage neck. You might end up absolutely loving it or hating it.

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

The PRS SE Hollowbody II has a 10" fingerboard radius.

Here's an image comparing this fretboard radius to other popular choices:

PRS SE Hollowbody II Fretboard Radius Comparison with Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul
PRS SE Hollowbody II's fretboard radius compared to others

This is slightly flatter than the typical modern Stratocaster, but not by a lot. This radius will make it comfortable to play chords without muting strings accidentally. However, when compared to Strats, the extra .5 inches radius will make it slightly more comfortable to play solos without sacrificing too much chord playability.

Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the PRS SE Hollowbody II has the same radius across the board.

More with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

25'' Scale Length
Vintage Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
10'' Fretboard Radius
25'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
10'' Fretboard Radius
25'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
10'' Fretboard Radius
25'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.656'' Nut Width
10'' Fretboard Radius
24.5'' Scale Length
Vintage Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
11.5'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

PRS SE Hollowbody II Nut Width
PRS SE Hollowbody II Nut Width

The PRS SE Hollowbody II has a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688''). This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Frets

The PRS SE Hollowbody II has 22 frets. Even though 24 frets has become really popular, there's still a good reason to get fewer frets; the pickup at the neck position will be further away from the bridge. This makes the neck pickup achieve a warmer tone. You might want this if you're playing Jazz or similar genres.

However, if you don't care about the warmer neck pickup, more frets will always be better. It's always nice to have the option to play higher notes if you want to.

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

More with the same amount of frets:

Fret Size

PRS SE Hollowbody II Fret Size Comparison
PRS SE Hollowbody II's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The PRS SE Hollowbody II's frets are Medium Jumbo size. These sit somewhere between a Jumbo and a Medium fret. They're not quite as tall as a full Jumbo, so you'll still feel the fretboard, but you won't feel it as much as with medium frets. This is a good size if you want to make it easy to press the strings but would also like a little bit of ''feedback'' to know when to stop pressing so the notes don't go out of pitch.

More with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 55
Playability 70

Tone

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany Body, Neck
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony Fretboard

Mahogany Body and Neck: This is the type of wood found in many top-of-the-line guitars, so that's a positive point for the build quality. This red-looking wood Mahogany is found in Africa and Central America and has great sustain and a warm tone due to its high density. The downside about this type of wood is that it's relatively heavy.

Ebony Fretboard: This is one of the most expensive woods there is, which is why it's mostly used for fretboards. It is dense, heavy, highly resistant and comes in a really dark color that gives any guitar a classy touch. Tone wise, it helps the high side of the spectrum and provides good sustain.

More made with the same wood:

Pickups

This guitar comes with pickups from one of the top brands: PRS. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.

These are passive pickups, so you can expect a rounder sound and a moderade level of output.

The PRS SE Hollowbody II's configuration is HH. With this pickup combination, you'll get warmer tones and more output than using single coils. Humbucker pickups cancel the noise that single-coil suffer from, which also results in a warmer tone. This pickup combination isn't only for high-gain music like Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. Their warmness is also popular for Jazz, Indie, R&B, Blues and more.

More with the same pickups

22 Frets
Fixed Bridge
PRS 58/15 S Bridge Pickup
PRS 58/15 S Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
PRS 58/15 S Bridge Pickup
PRS 58/15 S Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
PRS 58/15 S Bridge Pickup
PRS 58/15 S Neck Pickup
22 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
PRS 58/15 S Bridge Pickup
PRS 58/15 S Neck Pickup
22 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
PRS 58/15 S Bridge Pickup
PRS 58/15 S Neck Pickup

Versatility

It comes with the popular 3-way switch that is present in most guitars. For more versatility, players tend to prefer a 5-way switch, although it all depends on what you want to use your guitar for.

It has a Coil Split option. It allows you to 'split' or turn off pickup coils to get even more tones in combination with the pickup selector. When used with humbucker pickups, it'll reduce the output and increase their clarity, turning them essentially into single-coil pickups.

What music genre is it good for?

As a 6 strings, Hollowbody guitar with HH configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Jazz or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.

Sound Score

Pickups 90
Sustain 70
Versatility 59
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 72

Build Quality

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The PRS SE Hollowbody II is made in Indonesia. Many people prefer the quality of an Indonesian guitar over a Chinese. Respectable brands like Epiphone, Ibanez and Schecter are building in this country because of the great quality and lower price. Some people like to compare them to the ones built in Japan during the 80s, when Japanese guitar makers made a name for themselves.

Bridge

PRS Adjustable Stoptail: The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.

More with the same type of bridge:

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the PRS SE Hollowbody II has a PRS Propietary nut. PRS uses a synthetic material that is self-lubricating and fairly strong. This is good for playability and tuning stability. The tone is not as bright as with TUSQ nuts, and it's also not as resistant, but it's still a good quality nut.

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This guitar has a Set neck joint. This type of neck joint consists of using different pieces of wood for the neck and the body of the guitar. Both pieces are then glued together. This is more expensive to make than a bolt-on neck, but it's cheaper than a neck-through guitar. Some people believe that this gives more sustain than a bolt-on neck due to both pieces having a 'better connection' than with bolts. Still, it's something difficult to prove.

However, this type of neck joint does have the disadvantage of not allowing you to easily swap the neck for another. This makes this type of neck joint less mod-friendly.

More with the same build:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 48
Features 60
Quality Control 75
Build Quality 61