PRS Swamp Ash Special Trans Red, 2002

Built from 1996 to 2009, the PRS Swamp Ash Special featured a solid Swamp Ash body with the trademark PRS contouring, a 22-fret bolt on neck and a center single coil pickup.

Based on a built up, carved top block of Swamp Ash paired with a bolt on Maple neck, the PRS Swamp Ash Special is a straightforward model. A pair of humbuckers bracket a Seymour Duncan Vintage Rail single coil format pickup, with a pickup selector, master volume and push/pull master tone control providing coil tap options. The PRS vintage trem is installed, and at the head there is a set of PRS locking tuners. The Swamp Ash Special was available in various translucent finishes, including natural and the red seen here.

This PRS Swamp Ash Special dates to 2002 and was built at the PRS plant in Stevensville, Maryland. It’s in good condition with light play wear and light fret wear. Overall this example is in good clean shape and plays well.

The original hard shell case is included and contains the warranty card, hang tags, key and trem arm.

From the PRS Model History page:

“SWAMP ASH SPECIAL: 1996 – 2009, 2011-12. Swamp Ash Body, maple neck, rosewood board, McCarty pickups (1996-2007), Swamp Ash pickups (2008-2009), Narrowfield Pickups (2011-12) Seymour Duncan Vintage Rail middle pickup (1996-2009).”

Swamp Ash is a term often applied to lightweight Ash that’s grown in swampy or wet areas. It may specifically be Fraxinus Pennsylvania, also known as Green Ash, Red Ash, and Swamp Ash. Others suggest it’s Fraxus Nigra, or Black Ash. In any case, it normally has a weight of around 34 lbs/ft3 (545 kg/m3), or 2.8 pounds per board foot. Its resonance, light weight and porosity provide a wide frequency response with a bit of scooped midrange.
As an electric guitar wood, Swamp Ash was chosen by Fender for many very successful instruments from the 1950s.