Another truly new guitar - PRS Mira

When it rains, it pours... seems like every time I buy or sell something, it turns into a buying/selling spree where no less than 15 pieces of gear change hands (actually, it's closer to 25 this month, but who's counting?). Months like this, I swear I keep ebay/Paypal and Fedex in business!

So the latest guitar acquisition (another legitimately new axe) is a Paul Reed Smith Mira in Vintage Cherry with bird inlays. The Mira was introduced late 2007 at the PRS Experience event and was formally released for 2008 at Winter NAMM. It, like the recently-acquired 513, is considerably different than most of the PRS Custom models I've got around here: For starters, it's got an all mahogany body with a different body shape (kinda like a Les Paul DC) and pickguard mounted controls. Electronics include two Mira humbuckers (supposedly similar to the new PRS SC245 humbuckers without covers), volume, tone, 3-way blade, and mini-switch for coil splitting (vs. the typical PRS push-pull tone pot). This particular Mira has the wide-fat neck profile and PRS adjustable bridge (atypical for the Mira model). Unlike the 513, however, this is the least expensive American-made guitar that PRS manufactures. As such, it sports a much simpler (cleaner) design and feature set, with the same top-notch tone, playability, and attention to detail that the more expensive PRSi offer.

So how does it stack up? Pretty favorably, overall... At first I didn't know quite what to think... the pickups had a definite Gibson-esque voicing, and the setup and intonation (as shipped, at least) left considerable room for improvement. But after spending a bit of time to tweak the setup/intonation, I've been playing the Mira almost non-stop for the past few weeks. Why? It's a killer player... it's very light, very resonant, easy to get around, and sounds unlike anything else I own. Net, exactly what I was hoping for.

Before I forget (ha... not likely), here are a few pics of the Mira...





What's next? I'd still like to get my mitts on a McCarty Korina or Singlecut Satin/Trem. But I've pretty much blown the guitar budget for 2008, so I need to unload a few items first. Looks like I'll be spending tonight posting stuff on e-bay. :)

--B