
5 of the Best Stratocaster Alternatives at Every Price Point
Explore our Stratocaster alternatives at every price point, from budget Harley Benton to boutique Suhr— featuring authentic single-coil tone and beyond.
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Paul Reed Smith opened his first guitar shop in Annapolis, Maryland, then founded PRS Guitars in 1985 after years of building instruments for touring musicians by hand. The Custom, launched that first year, set the template PRS still builds from — a body shape drawn from both Fender and Gibson, bird inlays down the fretboard — and the Silver Sky, developed with John Mayer, has become one of the brand's most commercially successful models. PRS is now the third-largest guitar maker by sales worldwide, behind only Fender and Gibson, and builds electrics, acoustics, amps and pedals from Stevensville, Maryland. We've covered the Core and SE ranges alike, from Private Stock rarities to budget-friendly signature models. Here's what we've written about them.

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Core and S2 models are built at the PRS factory in Stevensville, Maryland. SE models are made overseas, currently in Indonesia and China, having previously been produced in Korea. The line name on the headstock or truss rod cover tells you which you are looking at.
Core is the full US built range with the most expensive woods and hardware. S2 is also US built but simplified to bring the price down. SE is the overseas built line and by far the most affordable. All three share PRS body shapes, so the differences are in materials, electronics and where the work is done.
It is a John Mayer signature model built around a vintage style single coil layout, so the comparison is fair and PRS has never pretended otherwise. The details differ: headstock shape, neck profile, pickup design and tuner layout are all PRS. It comes up constantly in our Stratocaster alternatives coverage.
PRS Guitars remains privately held and independent, with founder Paul Reed Smith still involved in the company.