Neck Shapes

Hi everyone. When I started working on the Rules of Tone, the goal was to build “magic” instruments, and the neck is definitely paramount to that. From the moment you pick up a guitar, the neck should feel very comfortable and strong. This has to do with many factors, including wood choice, wood drying, dimensions, ratios, and our attention to detail. Today, I’d like to focus specifically on neck shapes. We currently offer Pattern, Pattern Thin, and Pattern Regular neck shapes on our Core electric models. These came about through a new method we have to design, program, and cut our necks.

When I started building guitars, I carved all necks by hand. Then, when we started production, we went to a duplicarver and finally to CNC machines. With each progression, PRS neck shapes became more and more consistent, but we were still starting with a hand-carved neck which we then programmed to be duplicated. Now, our R&D department has software that we use to digitally create a neck to the exact specifications we want at every point, and from this digital rendering (the starting “pattern”), we are able to program our CNC machines to create great neck shapes. It’s a new tool that helps us to get to the same end: a strong, precise, and very comfortable neck. By achieving that, we hope that when you pick up a PRS it feels like home to you.