PRS steps into heavy music with the Tekton, a fast, bolt-on solidbody built for technical players.
In the words of PRS themselves, the Tekton isn’t just a new model, it’s a flag planted for an entirely new family of guitars. After a bit of time with the Tekton, it’s easy to see what they mean. This is a purpose built heavy metal machine specifically designed for fast, technical players and it’s going to open PRS up to a whole new market.
At first glance, it’s clear this is still unmistakably a PRS, but one that’s been reworked from the ground up with speed and precision in mind. Featuring a slim solidbody construction with a figured mango top over a mahogany back, the Tekton (shown here in a striking Bloodstone Red) carries a shallow violin carve that gives it just enough visual sophistication to separate it from the pointy-headstock crowd, without sacrificing an ounce of playability. It’s a guitar that looks like it belongs in a boutique showroom and plays like it belongs in the pit.
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Crafted with a maple neck featuring PRS’s scarfed construction and a double-acting truss rod, the Tekton’s Modern “D” neck shape is definitely a highlight. Measuring 49/64″ at the first fret and opening out to 27/32″ by the twelfth, it’s slim enough for rapid-fire technical playing but retains enough substance in the hand to avoid feeling flimsy. A nut width of 1 11/16″, widening to 2 1/4″ at the body, gives plenty of room for precise fretting without the string spacing feeling cramped. This is bolted, not set or through-neck, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s a budget concession, this is a deliberate choice built for snappy attack, articulation and sturdiness.
A 25.5″ scale length and 16″ fretboard radius round out a neck built squarely for speed, and the ebony fretboard feels fast and smooth. Twenty-four PRS Jumbo frets, crafted from stainless steel, promise a level of durability that nickel frets can’t match over years of aggressive bending and fretting. Offset dot inlays and blue Luminlay side dots keep things visually clean while still practical on a darkened stage, and the inlaid signature headstock logo is a tasteful touch of prestige without veering into ostentation.
Hardware-wise, the Tekton is fitted with a PRS Two-Point Tremolo bridge, engineered to maximise the transfer of string vibration through the bridge and into the body for improved tone and sustain, while giving players full access to a whole world of vibrato techniques. It’s paired with PRS’s Phase III Locking Tuners, finished in a sleek smoked black that matches the rest of the hardware. These aren’t just there for tuning stability, PRS has engineered them for improved tone transfer, and the result is a guitar that feels louder and more alive before you even plug in.
Of course, the real story here is the electronics. This model features its very own set of PRS Stylus pickups in both the treble and bass positions, controlled via a single volume knob, a push/pull tone control, and a three-way blade pickup switch. These pickups are engineered specifically to deliver clarity in every position, whether run clean or thoroughly overdriven, and whether plugged into a valve amp or a digital modelling rig. That versatility is immediately apparent, there’s a tightness and articulation to the low end and the top end stays defined without ever sounding harsh. Overall, the focus is on a fairly flat EQ profile to suit any situation or setup.
In the bridge position, the Stylus pickups deliver a tight, aggressive attack that’s perfect for palm-muted riffing and high-gain rhythm work, with plenty of definition left in the note even under heavy distortion. Flip to the neck, and things open up into a rounder, more articulate voice, still retaining enough bite to avoid sounding muddy or hollow — a real achievement for a pickup this versatile. Splitting the coils via the push/pull tone control opens up an entirely different character again, offering shimmering, single-coil-adjacent tones for cleaner passages without losing the fundamental PRS voice underneath.
The Tekton also comes strung with PRS’s own Signature strings in a 10-46 gauge, tuned to standard EADGBE, and ships with a PRS Premium Gig Bag .
Other notable features include a high-gloss nitro finish on the body with a satin nitro finish on the neck, a Tekton-branded truss rod cover, and a choice of six striking finishes beyond the Bloodstone Red seen here, including Slate Blue, Imperial Topaz, Black Tourmaline, Violet Tourmaline, and Fuchsia Aura. It’s a genuinely gorgeous instrument, and one that doesn’t sacrifice an ounce of technical playability for the sake of looks.
Overall, this is a very special guitar. Right out of the gate, the figured mango top, sleek smoked black hardware, and truly innovative Stylus pickups put it well ahead of anything else in PRS’s lineup for technical, high-gain players, not to mention the exceptional feel and versatility on offer. It’s clear a tremendous amount of thought went into making this the ultimate modern player’s PRS.
This is PRS proving, once again, that they’re capable of stepping outside their comfort zone without losing what makes them special. If you’re an advanced player who’s always admired PRS’s build quality but never quite found a model that matched the demands of heavy music, the Tekton might just be the guitar you’ve been waiting for.
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