❌SOLD❌ PRS Swamp Ash Special Trans Whale Blue, 2006

Built from 1996 to 2009, the PRS Swamp Ash Special features 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 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.

This PRS Swamp Ash Special sports a very attractive Translucent Whale Blue finish. It’s a great looking finish, but the name choice brings to mind Ford’s 1969 ‘Freudian Gilt’, otherwise known as ‘Bright Gold’.

This guitar dates to 2006 – likely early in the year, perhaps January – and was built at the PRS plant in Stevensville, Maryland. It’s in good clean condition with minor play wear. Finish and fret wear are light.

A hard shell case is included.

From the PRS Model History page:

“PRS 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 Pennsylvanica, also known as Green Ash, Red Ash, and Swamp Ash. Others suggest it’s Fraxinus 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.