PRS SE DGT (David Grissom Signature)

About the PRS SE DGT (David Grissom Signature)

The SE DGT mirrors its USA Core counterpart - already documented elsewhere in this project - more closely than most SE-versus-Core comparisons in PRS's catalog, built around a mahogany body with maple top and a mahogany neck carved to the same DGT profile Grissom calls identical to his own 2010 instrument. The pickups aren't a repurposed stock SE humbucker: PRS built dedicated DGT 'S' versions tuned to Grissom's own alnico 2, low-output vintage specification, measuring 8.7k ohms at the bridge and 7.6k ohms at the neck - numbers that land this firmly in low-output territory rather than the hotter voicing common on many SE-tier humbuckers. The control layout carries over a deliberate, non-standard choice from the Core DGT - bridge pickup volume sits closest to the picking hand rather than the more common neck-first arrangement - alongside a push-pull master tone for coil-splitting and a treble-bleed circuit on the volume pots, a detail that keeps high end intact when rolling volume down, uncommon at this price point. Where PRS did cut cost is hardware and finish refinement: the tremolo is a molded rather than precision-machined unit, and body carving and inlay work are simpler than on the Core version.

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Sound character of the PRS SE DGT (David Grissom Signature)

The bridge pickup delivers a clear, full-throated tone with airy top end and surprisingly robust bass response for a low-output humbucker, landing somewhere between Mark Knopfler and Albert Lee in character according to one detailed review - well suited to thick, driven blues-rock tones. The neck pickup leans smooth and creamy, geared toward blues and jazz phrasing, while the split mode pushes both pickups toward a Gretsch-like single-coil character that keeps more low end than a typical coil-tap and works especially well pushed into overdrive.

What owners of the PRS SE DGT (David Grissom Signature) say

Owners generally describe the guitar as playing well above its price point, with the neck profile and treble-bleed circuit drawing specific praise even from players experienced with multiple Core DGTs. That said, feedback isn't uniformly glowing: one owner returned their unit over a combination of weight (around 3.6kg/8lb) and imperfect fret-end finishing, while another who kept theirs noted they ended up swapping some electronics, framing it candidly as an imported budget PRS rather than a Core-equivalent product. A player who has owned several Core DGTs directly confirmed the SE version sits a real step behind in build refinement - simpler top carving and inlay work specifically - while still calling the overall construction quality good.

Playability & handling of the PRS SE DGT (David Grissom Signature)

Playability is described as top notch, with fret finishing singled out as near-immaculate and comparable to guitars costing roughly twice as much. The one adjustment players need to make is the reversed volume-control order - bridge pickup closest to hand rather than neck pickup - a deliberate carryover from Grissom's own preference that takes some acclimation time for anyone used to standard PRS wiring, but isn't described as a functional downside once learned.

Recommended accessories & strings for the PRS SE DGT (David Grissom Signature)

The coil-split push-pull brings genuinely Gretsch-like single-coil textures into reach while keeping more low-end weight than a thinner-sounding tap, and pairs particularly well with overdrive pedals rather than needing a fully clean signal to sound convincing. Given the treble-bleed circuit's job of preserving high end as the volume knobs roll down, this guitar rewards actively riding the volume controls mid-performance rather than leaving them maxed out.

Technical data for the PRS SE DGT (David Grissom Signature)

Price history for the PRS SE DGT (David Grissom Signature)

Cheapest seen: 650 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 1.299 EUR

The history of the PRS SE DGT (David Grissom Signature)

The SE DGT brings PRS's Indonesia-made SE line to a model that, in its USA Core form, grew out of a decades-long collaboration between Paul Reed Smith and David Grissom - background already documented for the Core DGT elsewhere in this project. Rather than approximating that guitar with off-the-shelf SE parts, PRS built this version around dedicated, Grissom-spec DGT 'S' pickups and his specific neck carve, treating the SE DGT as a faithful, cost-reduced reproduction of a specific artist's working guitar rather than a loosely DGT-branded SE model.

About PRS as a manufacturer

Built as part of PRS's Indonesia-made SE line (background on the line's origin is documented for the SE Custom 24 elsewhere in this project), the SE DGT stands out within that line for how directly it reproduces a specific USA signature model's identity - dedicated pickups and the artist's own neck carve - rather than applying a generic SE spec sheet to a familiar body shape.

Notable players & recordings featuring the PRS SE DGT (David Grissom Signature)

David Grissom, the Austin-based guitarist the model is named for, is documented in full alongside the Core DGT elsewhere in this project (work with John Mellencamp, Joe Ely, Storyville, and The Dixie Chicks). No additional, SE-specific professional endorsement could be verified for this exact budget version.