PRS INTRODUCE THE TEKTON FAMILY

Since day one, PRS Guitars has been built around a combination of player feedback and our experience as guitar makers. Listening to musicians while continually refining our craft has helped us create instruments that serve as tools for a wide range of players. Over the years, PRS has heard a growing call for more modern guitars. Guitars with thinner necks, longer scale lengths, flatter fretboards, stainless steel frets, and pickups that work with digital rigs. Welcome: The PRS Tekton Family.

The Tekton family is made up of four models: Tekton (hardtail bridge), Tekton T (2-point tremolo), Tekton SVN (7-String model), and Tekton “Floyd” (Floyd Rose 1000 Series trem).

PRS GOALS
“When we started this project, we had a goal of serving the most discerning, technical players. That led us to a basic set of specifications. Some were easier to determine, like a 25.5” standard scale length and 26.5” scale length 7-string model. Some were debatable, like whether we should include a 16” or 20” fretboard radius. Some were clear but we knew would take some work, like new body and neck shapes and purpose-built pickups so these guitars could stand on their own and feel at home to the players we are working for.”

“This is not introducing a new model to us. We are planting a flag for a whole new family of guitars.”

BODY AND NECK
For the body shape, we started with a Vela, some whiteout, and pencils. We cut some fat from the Vela and combined it with our classic Custom body shape – first on paper, then on the computer, then we cut a few bodies. We didn’t nail it on the first shot, but we refined it until we were happy. The final body shape incorporates an exaggerated scoop for easy access to the upper frets and a comfortable belly carve. The neck shape followed a similar path – we came close on the first shot, but with refinement, we were very happy to design a neck that was thin but with a more “D” shape to it so it doesn’t feel like a cramped, uninspiring stick. In the end, we have the thinnest body and the thinnest neck we have made in standard production. The neck features hormigo strength rods – similar to the carbon fiber rods we have used in acoustics and most recently in the Chleo signature model. These rods not only help with the stability of the neck, the added strength and rigidity also make for a more resonant instrument. Note: the string spacing was also an important factor. The spacing on the Tekton models is the same as the PRS Silver Sky and Fiore, which is a bit wider than PRS’s traditional spacing. This helps players with sweeping arpeggios and more precise pick attack. We tooled up new pickup bobbins to match this spacing.

Through the design process, we obviously leaned on our experience. We were also able to host “listening parties” on both coasts of the USA with artists – current PRS artists as well as friends. Their initial feedback was very reassuring with the main request being to add inlays (the prototypes had none). So, the fretboard has a new, simple inlay design for PRS: offset dots. We also included Luminlay side dots so players can easily keep their place on the board. Artist feedback also led us to being fully confident in our choice of a 16” fretboard radius. Finishing off the neck, we have stainless steel frets. This may cause some fun kerfuffle in the comments. We did need to retool to bring this material into production, but if we want to satisfy the player we are aiming to serve, it was a necessary investment.

STYLUS PICKUPS
With the “structural” pieces in place, we moved on to voicing new pickups. Our goals were to make a set of aggressive but clear pickups that sound good together and on their own in every position as humbuckers or split. We also wanted them to sound good through both tube amps and digital rigs, so while not flat-response by any means, they do have a flatter output than many of our other humbuckers to keep some character while catering more to digital rigs. Magnet-wise we landed on Alnico 5, and the output of the six- and seven-string pickups averages around 13 (treble) and 11 (bass) DC resis-tance. That is lower output than some industry pickups aimed at this genre, but that brings more clarity and should pair with digital rigs better than higher-output pickups.

HISTORY & DEVELOPMENT: PRS TEKTON

WHAT’ S IN A NAME?
To be honest, naming things is hard. You make a list of options – most of them are already in use. You keep going until you find something original that works. We are very happy with the names for both this new family of guitars and the pickups; they both speak well to who we are and what guitar players are doing when they pick up an instrument (respectively).

Tekton: (Ancient Greek) meaning artisan or craftsman – in particular a woodworker, carpenter, or builder.

Stylus: an instrument used for writing.

FINAL THOUGHTS FROM PRS
Like many of you, we see guitars every day. Up close and personal. So when something making its way through the shop causes a stir, we pay attention. Between the new body shape, the unique figure of the mango tops, and a new color palette, the Tekton lineup had the shop floor buzzing. Many employees were going out of their way to talk to engineering and product teams, commenting on how excited they were and asking lots of questions. As the prototypes started to hit casing, we had several employees ask to take one home to playtest. They are guitar players – they are all of our customers. We listened to their experiences.

Our business is built on listening. It is what brought the Custom 24 to the market in 1985 and what has allowed us to design such models as the PRS Chleo, Silver Sky, Fiore, McCarty, DGT, and now the Tekton family. In the end, while we aren’t reinventing the wheel here, this process has felt much more like launching the S2 Series than launching a guitar model. So many people here contributed to designing and fine-tuning these guitars and making sure they would run through the shop successfully. We hope the Tekton lineup serves the modern player as they write, record, and perform their music