Paul Reed Smith Mira - PRS Guitar Review

One of the newest lines from renowned guitar manufacturer Paul Reed Smith, the PRS Mira is a stunning, versatile and fairly economical model that will satisfy guitarists from a variety of genres. This instrument is light weight, carries a punch when it comes to tone, and is one of the best road guitars you will find.

I had the chance to test drive one of these back in 2009 when PRS was first introducing all of their new lines of guitars.  For whatever reason this guitar caught my eye from the moment I saw it, and today I own the original that I first grabbed.  Its amazing some of the new features PRS has added, and the Mira is an excellent demonstration of how the manufacturer continues to innovate.

The first thing you will notice about this PRS is that it has brand new Mira pickups, which are dual coiled humbuckers that also come with a coil tap switch for greater tone versatility. What this means is that you can switch between 2 active pickups to 1. It’s almost like having a Les Paul type tone and the vintage single coil feel of a Fender with the same guitar. This is an especially nice feature if you’re playing a lot of different styles. I personally go with the single coil setting when playing more bluesy type stuff, and then crank out the full magnetic when going heavy.

In terms of materials, the Paul Reed Smith Mira is made out of beautiful Mahogany, with a rosewood fret board with an excellent feel. Obviously PRS takes the effort to insure you’re getting the highest quality of wood, and the tone is directly reflective of this aspect.

One interesting aspect of the Mira is that Paul Reed Smith added almost every conceivable time saving feature they could think of.  You have locking tuners for ease in changing strings, and with the pick guard you also get added protection for the mahogany body. Overall the PRS Mira is very light weight, although still durable. This is one of the big reasons why I recommend this guitar for the road – it’s equipped to handle the abuse and is light enough to lug around. 

The guitar is setup perfectly, and almost never gets out of whack for me. You’ve got 24 frets to work with, and the playability for me personally has been absolutely great for the past 2 years. It’s got the pedigree of a PRS, so I guess this fact shouldn’t shock anyone. 

If your looking to sample the sound quality of a PRS Mira, the best way is to wander into your nearest Guitar Center and plug in.  If that's not in the cards for you, then fear not - there are plenty of online reviews in Youtube.  Below is one of my personal favorites, as it really demonstrates the power of the Mira.

Probably my favorite aspect of the PRS Mira is the overall look and style of the guitar.  It’s a high gloss finish, and comes in a number of different color combinations.  The red and black model I have pictured almost gives the feel of a Gibson SG, and people often confuse it live.  As with many PRS guitars, there are Bird inlays that really put the icing on the cake.  Mine even has an owl on the 22^nd fret.

If you’re looking for an awesome sounding guitar to take with you on the road, or even to local gigs with your band, I highly suggest picking up a Paul Reed Smith Mira. It will carry a high price tag, usually coming in the $1500-$2000 range; however that’s really a steal compared to more expensive PRS pro ready models like the Custom or McCarty.