It's not a Fender, not an Ibanez, nor is it a Gibson...
Its a Paul Reed Smith(PRS). About some years back, Creed and now Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti collaborated with PRS to produce the award winning Mark Tremonti PRS signature series. This guitar is worth a bomb, made in the United States and comes in two colours: Black and Platinuim. Personally, I love the black one...like the one here..made in a solid one piece mahagony with a carved maple top.
TREMONTI PRS (US model)
Looking at it just makes my heart skip. It has the mother of pearl bird in lays all over the fretboard and comes with Tremonti pickups(the hottest offered by PRS).(see online for the specs) and has tremonti's name on the 12th fret. I love the head stock. i love the finishing...i love it, love it, love it...
Not everyone can afford this guitar, so in 2003, PRS produced the PRS Tremonti SE. This guitar is made in Korea abiding by the strictest standards and cost only a fraction of the price for the US version...making it affordable to more people(affordable here means it cost about rm2600 in Malaysia i think because it was reviewed in THE STAR). The fretboard is simpler, just having the pearloid dot inlays. The pickups used are the in house humbuckers. People usually upgrade to the tremonti pickups. Here's the picture of the Black and Platinum PRS SE.
Tremonti PRS SE black
Tremonti PRS SE platinium
Here is an excerpt of an article...
It seems that every year when awards time rolls around you can almost guarantee PRS guitars will be receiving an award for another fine contribution to the ongoing development of the electric guitar.2003 is no different and this year PRS have been honoured by Guitar Player magazine for the PRS Tremonti SE model. The Tremonti SE has received the prestigious 2003 Editors pick award for products deemed most innovative, technologically advanced and exquisitely rendered.
The winner is selected unanimously by every Guitar Player editor after a rigorous testing process. The PRS Tremonti SE met and surpassed their strictest standards credited with solid construction, great playability, mirror smooth finish, exceptional tonal variety and resonance.
The PRS Tremonti was reviewed and honoured in Guitar Players’s June 2003 edition.
Check out the PRS Tremonti at your local PRS dealer or email harv@elfa.co.nz for more info.
(http://www.elfa.co.nz/products_news.php?mfctr=PK)
Verdict
Although the USA Tremonti Model tops the three grand mark, from most proper PRS dealers you'd he looking at 'street' price of a couple of hundred pounds cheaper. Irrespective of the Tremonti association, if you want a real rock-out Singlecut, without the 'too pretty' maple top, this one(SE version) delivers the goods perfectly. Quite simply, the Tremonti is designed for high-gain voicings, and the adjustable Stop-Tail allows more latitude with heavier string gauges.(http://www.mark-tremonti.com/prsreview.html)
for more info, see : http://www.mark-tremonti.com/prsreview.html
But i recently discovered that Gibson sued PRS because these guitars look like les pauls. PRS lost the lawsuit and have dicontinued production of these awesome guitars. I don't know if there is hope...but these guitars are going to be collectors item soon. i grieve at it. Stupid Gibson.
If you don't know how a Gibson Les Paul looks like...here are some 3 pictures(comes in many different colours depending on model but i like black and red):
Gibson Les Paul Classic (blue back ground not that nice)
Gibson Les Paul Classic
Gibson Les Paul Standard (looks like the first picture, but it's not)
(These are Gibson Les Pauls and not Epiphones...don't be fooled)
Actually, Gibson Les Pauls are also one of the most awesome guitars ever made.(Tremonti also has Les Pauls). It cost a bomb...but the fat, thick, deep, menancing rock sound of those humbuckers is worth it. For me, I would like to own one, one day...
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