Now Available at Northeast Music Center!

PRS SE Swamp Ash Special 22 – Vintage Sunburst (S/N: CTIH0933151)

Includes PRS Padded Gig Bag

The PRS SE Swamp Ash Special 22 has a personality all its own. A resonant swamp ash body, bolt-on maple neck, maple fretboard and H/S/H pickup configuration give it the snap and immediacy players expect from this style of construction, while PRS electronics take the guitar well beyond the sounds of a traditional three-pickup instrument.

This updated version features a 5-way blade switch and push/pull coil-tap, giving you 10 pickup combinations from the two 85/15 “S” humbuckers and center AS-01 single coil.

Finished in classic Vintage Sunburst, this particular guitar pairs that modern versatility with a traditional look that really suits the grain and character of swamp ash.

At Northeast Music Center, we'd recommend the SE Swamp Ash Special to the player who wants PRS feel and build quality but needs a guitar capable of moving easily between powerful humbucker tones, bright single-coil textures and everything in between.

Highlights

• Vintage Sunburst Finish
• Swamp Ash Solidbody
• Bolt-On Maple Neck
• Wide Thin Neck Profile
• Maple Fretboard
• PRS Bird Inlays
• 22 Frets
• 25" Scale Length
• 10" Fretboard Radius
• PRS 85/15 “S” Treble & Bass Humbuckers
• PRS-Designed AS-01 Single Coil Middle Pickup
• 5-Way Blade Pickup Selector
• Push/Pull Coil-Tap
• 10 Pickup Combinations
• PRS Patented Tremolo
• PRS-Designed Tuners with Wing Buttons
• Nickel Hardware
• PRS Padded Gig Bag Included
• Serial Number: CTIH0933151

Swamp Ash, Maple & Bolt-On Response

The construction recipe is a major part of what separates the Swamp Ash Special from other guitars in the SE lineup.

A swamp ash body provides a lively foundation with strong definition, tight lows and plenty of natural attack.

PRS then pairs that body with a bolt-on maple neck and maple fretboard.

The result is immediate.

Notes have a crisp attack and chords retain definition, while the guitar responds quickly to changes in picking dynamics. There's enough brightness and snap to handle clean rhythm and single-coil-style sounds beautifully, but the dual humbuckers ensure there's plenty of authority available when you need it.

It's a distinctly different flavor of PRS.

Vintage Sunburst on Swamp Ash

Vintage Sunburst is a natural fit for this guitar.

Unlike a figured maple-topped PRS, the visual character here comes directly from the swamp ash body itself.

The sunburst lets that grain remain an important part of the appearance, with the warmer center transitioning into the darker outer edge of the body.

Pair that with the maple neck and fretboard, bird inlays and nickel hardware and you have a PRS that looks simultaneously classic and modern.

85/15 “S” + AS-01 Pickup Configuration

The electronics are where the SE Swamp Ash Special becomes much more than another bolt-on guitar.

PRS uses an 85/15 “S” humbucker at both the bridge and neck, with the PRS-Designed AS-01 Single Coil in the middle position.

The AS-01 incorporates both alnico and steel components—the inspiration behind the “AS” designation—and is designed to complement the output and character of the two humbuckers.

That gives the guitar a strong H/S/H foundation.

But the switching system is what really unlocks it.

10 Pickup Combinations

This updated version uses a 5-way blade selector combined with a push/pull tone control that coil-taps the humbuckers.

With the push/pull down:

Position 1: Bridge Humbucker
Position 2: Bridge Humbucker + Middle Single Coil
Position 3: Middle Single Coil
Position 4: Neck Humbucker + Middle Single Coil
Position 5: Neck Humbucker

Pull the tone control up and the humbuckers are coil-tapped:

Position 1: Bridge Coil-Tap
Position 2: Bridge Coil-Tap + Middle Single Coil
Position 3: Middle Single Coil
Position 4: Neck Coil-Tap + Middle Single Coil
Position 5: Neck Coil-Tap

That's 10 switch/control combinations available from a very intuitive layout.

Want the power of a bridge humbucker? It's there.

Need a brighter bridge-and-middle rhythm sound? You've got it.

Want the center single coil by itself? Position 3.

Looking for neck humbucker warmth? Position 5.

Pull the tone control and another set of leaner, brighter coil-tapped sounds becomes available.

It's an extremely useful system for a player who regularly moves between different musical styles.

From Rock to Country – And Plenty Between

The Swamp Ash Special doesn't feel designed around one genre.

The full humbuckers provide enough body and output for rock, blues and overdriven lead work.

The middle pickup and coil-tapped combinations open the door to brighter clean sounds, funk, pop, country and rhythm work.

And because the swamp ash/maple construction has so much natural definition, the guitar responds particularly well when switching between those different pickup voices.

Rather than simply having “a lot of sounds,” those sounds have genuinely different personalities.

That's the important part.

Wide Thin Neck & 25" Scale

The Wide Thin neck profile gives this guitar the familiar fast and comfortable feel that has made the shape so popular with PRS players.

The 25" scale length sits between the traditional longer and shorter electric-guitar scale lengths, providing a comfortable balance of string tension, articulation and bending feel.

A 10" radius maple fretboard with 22 frets makes the guitar equally comfortable for chords, rhythm playing, bends and lead work.

Classic PRS bird inlays complete the look.

PRS Patented Tremolo

The PRS Patented Tremolo adds yet another expressive option.

Whether you're adding gentle movement to chords, subtle vibrato to sustained notes or more noticeable pitch effects, the tremolo works naturally with the guitar's responsive bolt-on construction.

PRS-Designed tuners with Wing buttons complete the hardware package.

Specifications

Body

• Construction: Solidbody
• Body Wood: Swamp Ash
• Top Carve: Shallow Violin
• Finish: Vintage Sunburst

Neck

• Neck/Body Assembly: Bolt-On
• Neck Wood: Maple
• Neck Construction: Scarfed
• Neck Profile: Wide Thin
• Fretboard Wood: Maple
• Fretboard Radius: 10"
• Scale Length: 25"
• Number of Frets: 22
• Neck Width at Nut: 1 11/16"
• Neck Width at Body: 2 1/4"
• Neck Depth at 1/2 Fret: 13/16"
• Neck Depth at 12 1/2 Fret: 57/64"
• Fretboard Inlays: PRS Birds
• Truss Rod: PRS Double-Acting

Hardware

• Bridge: PRS Patented Tremolo
• Tuners: PRS-Designed Tuners with Wing Buttons
• Hardware Type: Nickel
• Nut: PRS
• Truss Rod Cover: “Special”

Electronics

• Bridge Pickup: PRS 85/15 “S” Treble
• Middle Pickup: PRS-Designed AS-01 Single Coil
• Neck Pickup: PRS 85/15 “S” Bass
• Controls: Volume & Push/Pull Tone
• Pickup Selector: 5-Way Blade
• Push/Pull Function: Coil-Tap
• Available Switching Combinations: 10

Additional

• Strings: PRS Classic 9–42
• Tuning: Standard E–A–D–G–B–E
• PRS Padded Gig Bag Included
• Serial Number: CTIH0933151

A PRS for the Player Who Needs More Than One Sound

The SE Swamp Ash Special 22 succeeds because its versatility doesn't come at the expense of simplicity.

You've got three pickups.

One volume.

One push/pull tone.

One 5-way blade.

And from that straightforward control layout you can access everything from full bridge and neck humbucker tones to middle-pickup sounds, H/S combinations and coil-tapped textures.

Combine that electronics package with a swamp ash body, bolt-on maple neck, maple fretboard, Wide Thin profile and PRS tremolo, and you have a guitar that feels lively, immediate and ready to cover a tremendous amount of musical ground.

For the player moving between rock, blues, country, pop, funk, clean rhythm work and lead playing, this is exactly the kind of versatility that can make one guitar earn a permanent spot at the front of the collection.

And the Vintage Sunburst finish gives this particular example a timeless appearance that lets the natural character of the swamp ash remain part of the show.

As a longtime PRS dealer, Northeast Music Center understands the differences between the original 3-way Swamp Ash Special and this updated 5-way version. We're happy to help answer questions about the switching, pickups or how this model compares with other PRS bolt-on guitars.

This individual PRS SE Swamp Ash Special 22 in Vintage Sunburst, serial number CTIH0933151, is available now from Northeast Music Center and includes its PRS padded gig bag.