The PRS A40E is an astonishing acoustic built on all of what PRS have learned since they started making acoustic guitars back in 2011. Using ovangkol back and sides with a solid Sitka spruce top this is great all rounder guitar that can cover a wide range of styles.
Tonewoods
The A40E uses a tonewood combination of a solid Sitka spruce with ovangkol back and sides. Ovangkol is a similar tonewood to rosewood but doesn’t come with the sustainability issues and CITES import restrictions. Like rosewood, Ovangkol has a broad dynamic range but with slightly more midrange emphasis. This is complemented by the the Sitka spruce top which has a very balanced and consistent tone. It’s this combination of tonewoods that makes the A40E such a versatile guitar.
To get the most out of these woods PRS have used their own X/Classical bracing pattern on the top. This tweak to the bracing pattern results in more flexibility for the top to resonate which at the end of the day means more volume and a more defined, full tone that gets the best out of the locked down ovangkol back and sides.
All PRS SE acoustics have mahogany necks with ebony fretboards for great stability and resonance.
Angelus Body
The Angelus is PRS’s take on a classic cutaway body shape. It’s a comfortable mid-sized body that isn’t so large that it’s unwieldy to play and not so small that you don’t get a full sound when you want to start strumming. You also get great upper fret access thanks to the cutaway for when you want to hit those high notes. Like the tonewoods, this body shape lends itself to a wide variety of playing styles and genres.
Fishman Pickup
Every guitar in the PRS SE Acoustic range comes fitted with a Fishman GT1 pickup. This sits under the saddle of the guitar and feeds off to controls that sit just under the soundhole for quick and seamless changes while playing.
Bone Nut and Saddle
If you follow Paul Reed Smith at all you know his philosophy for building acoustic guitars. That it is a ‘subtractive’ instrument meaning that everything on the guitar isn’t adding more tone, or sustain, it is just subtracting less.
Anything that touches the string has the ability to subtract more sustain or tone from your guitar so they have made sure that these guitars are fitted with bone saddles and nuts for the best possible sound. You won’t find this on many instruments at this kind of price.
PRS Acoustics
Since 2011 PRS have dedicated a large department to not only creating great acoustic guitars but also innovating what we thought possible with the acoustic guitar. By going back and looking at some of the oldest available acoustic guitars to what the best of the best are making today, they have created a few innovations that make an incredible guitar.
From Private Stock to SE every acoustic they make is made with a purpose, nothing is done just because that is what everyone else does. They have thought through every combination of woods, shape, bracing, electronics to come up with what they feel is the best acoustic they can make at a price a lot of people can afford.
Specifications
Body
- Top Wood: Solid Sitka Spruce
- Middle Wood: Ovangkol
- Back Wood: Ovangkol
- Body Shape: Angelus Cutaway
- Body Depth at Neck Block: 3 19/32”
- Body Depth at Tail Block: 4 3/8”
- Bracing: PRS Hybrid “X”/Classical Bracing
- Body Purfling: Tiger Acrylic
- Body Binding: Cream
- Rosette: Tiger Acrylic, Cream/Black
Neck
- Number of Frets: 20
- Scale Length: 25.3”
- Neck Wood: Mahogany
- Neck Shape: Wide Fat
- String Spacing: 2 7/32”
- Fretboard Wood: Ebony
- Fretboard Inlay: Birds
- Fretboard Radius: 11.81″
- Strength/Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Neck Depth At The Nut: 7/8”
- Width of Fretboard at the Body:2 9/32″
- Width of Fretboard at the Nut: 1 11/16″
- Nut: Bone
Hardware
- Bridge Wood: Ebony
- Tuners: PRS-Designed
- Acoustic Saddle: Bone
- Strings: 12-53
- Included Accessories: PRS Hardshell Case
Electronics
- Acoustic Electronics: Fishman GT1

KORG G1 B AIR BLACK DIGITAL PIANO
K&M 210/6 MIC.STAND GRAY
HEADRUSH HRPRIME DIGITAL PEDALBOARD WITH LOOPER
FOCUSRITE CLARETT PLUS 2PRE
YAMAHA BB 234 RASPERRY RED
MEINL 16BYZANCE MEDIUM CRASH
AUGUSTINE 650467 CLASSIC RED IMPERIAL MEDIUM TENSION
YAMAHA CPX 700II BL
GRAPH TECH NUBONE LC-5000 F-STYLE GUITAR NUT FLAT/CURVED BOTTOM SLOTTED LUTHIER'S
YAMAHA U3 PROFESSIONAL UPRIGHT PIANO POLISHED EBONY
STAGG BX CHORUS
DADDARIO EJ12 80/20 BRONZE
YAMAHA YFL212 FLUTE
BOSS DB30 DR.BEAT METRONOME
YAMAHA THR5AH
KLOTZ ATJJ0300 TWINCABLE 3M
YAMAHA GC2 PE POLISHED EBONY GRAND PIANO 173CM
DUNLOP NC65 NECK CRADLE
ELECTRO HARMONIX POG2 POLYPHONIC OCTAVE GENERATOR
DADDARIO EXL110+
YAMAHA GB1K PE POLISHED EBONY GRAND PIANO
ERNIE BALL 7-STRING POWER SLINKY 11-58
PRS SE-SANTANA YELLOW
PROTECTION RACKET 2013R-00 FLOOR TOM CASE
ZOOM H4 ESSENTIAL AUDIO RECORDER 32 BIT 4 TRACKS
BOSS OS2 OVERDRIVE DISTORTION
KORG VOLCA BEATS
YAMAHA YPC 91MS
KLOTZ M1 MIC CABLE 5M FEMALE XLR-JACK
DADDARIO EZ890 85/15 BRONZE
TAYLOR 0,96 CLLOID 351 ABALONE 12 PICKS
KLOTZ M1 MIC CABLE 1M XLR-XLR
ERNIE BALL EARTHWOOD PHOSPHOR BRONZE ACOUSTIC 12-54
KLOTZ KIK 1,5M INSTRUMENT CABLE BLACK
STAGG K10-148 STANDARD BLACK NYLON BAG FOR KEYBOARD
K&M 12297 PIANO LAMP BLACK
YAMAHA MG16 XU MIXING CONSOLE
YAMAHA TRBX305 RED
K&M 16220 GUITAR WALL MOUNT WOODEN CORK
DADDARIO EJ11 80/20 BRONZE
K&M 17515 GUARDIAN STAND FOR 5 GUITARS
FENDER MULTI STAND 5
SCHALLER MACHINE HEAD ORIGINAL F-SERIES 70'S 6PCS LEFT CHROME
YAMAHA YFH 8310Z FLÜGELHORN
DADDARIO EJ39
K&M 17570 DUET GUITAR STAND
BOSS GEB7 BASS GRAPHIC EQUALIZER
YAMAHA AC1MII VN ELECTRIC ACOUSTIC GUITAR VINTAGE NATURAL 