The long-anticipated PRS SE DGT – the David Grissom Tremolo – finally lands in the UK. But just how does this dramatically more affordable SE version stack up to the classic Core model?
PRS SE DGT £979
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What You Need To Know
1 Another signature guitar from an artist we’ve never heard of? Well, Texas-based David Grissom has played with an A-list of artists over the years, including Buddy Guy, John Mellencamp , The Allman Brothers Band, Chris Isaak, Robben Ford and John Mayall. He’s been a PRS player since 1985 (the first year of the company’s production), and along with being the primary driver behind what was to become the PRS McCarty Model in 1994, David has had his own signature guitar since 2007. He also has a signature PRS amp, the DG Custom 30.
2 It looks like a PRS Custom with an extra knob… The now-classic double-cutaway PRS outline has been used since 1985 on the majority of the brand’s models, including the Custom. This SE DGT mirrors the USA Core model in many ways with its unique neck shape, bigger frets, an extra volume control and DGT‘S’ pickups.
3 Tell us about those moon inlays. Back in the day these were the standard inlays used on PRS guitars; the fabled bird inlays were an up-charge option. Today, along with this new Gold Top SE, the only other PRS model that offers moon inlays as standard is the Core DGT.
Early in 2022, PRS let slip that its teams were working on an SE version of the long-running David Grissom Tremolo (DGT). He might not have the A-list profile of the likes of John Mayer, but if you’re in the PRS ‘family’, David Grissom is a very important person. His input into the McCarty Model – appearing in 1994 as the first more vintage-aimed PRS guitar – is well documented and was, of course, the basis for his own signature model. Before his name was applied to the headstock, it was going to be called the ‘McCarty II’. That guitar was launched in 2007 at the Austin Summer NAMM Show and was followed by an all-mahogany Standard version in 2012.
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A decade on and while little seems to have changed, the DGT has been constantly tweaked in terms of finish, upgraded parts and pickups – like every continuing PRS model – and most recently PRS’s TCI process. Plugging in a 2021 Core-level DGT, it’s quite the old friend and we’re reminded of just why the model has been a cornerstone of PRS over the past 15 years. In today’s range the DGT is basically a McCarty (with its slightly thicker body and 22 frets) b
