Know Your PRS: TREMONTI

Welcome! In this edition of ‘Know Your PRS’, I’m going to talk a little about the PRS Tremonti model. The PRS Tremonti occupies a pretty unique space within both PRS’s catalogue and in electric guitars in general. I’ll tell you what makes it special, why you might want one and what ranges it is currently available in. If you’ve been curious to know more about this range of guitars, then I hope you’ll find everything you need here in this article!

Now, grab your guitar tuners because we’re going into Drop C# territory!

Mark Tremonti is one of the most significant hard rock guitarists of the last 30 years. As a founding member of Creed, Tremonti became one of the biggest pre-millennial guitar heroes, bringing his post-grunge mastery to a world of nu metal and standing out quite gloriously as a result. He became famous for his riffs, songwriting and, in particular, his tone. Tremonti’s guitar sounds have always been exceptional, sometimes utilising a multi-amplifier setup with a bass amp included for that lethal low end thump.

Creed have split and reformed over the years, but Mark’s main band is arguably Alter Bridge, the hard rock outfit that is essentially three members of Creed with singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy in place of Creed vocalist Scott Stapp. Alter Bridge have enjoyed a longer career than Creed, and are perhaps the group most associated with Tremonti today.

In Creed’s early days, Tremonti was a Les Paul player. Once introduced to PRS guitars, he still wanted to retain something of the Gibson’s style and sound. At the time, PRS made a few ‘Singlecut’ models, which was their take on the Les Paul, and it had landed them in some legal circumstances with Gibson. Ultimately, PRS won the lawsuit and have been able to create single cutaway guitars ever since, which is a good thing because that’s what Tremonti wanted for his signature guitar!

As Mark says himself, "I jumped at the idea to play one of PRS’ guitars. PRS was one of those guitars that I could never afford in high school or college and had always wanted to play one." PRS actually initially sent him a McCarty model, which is a few degrees closer to Gibson’s specs than a regular Singlecut. Though instantly loving it, he knew he’d need a few adjustments in order for it to become ‘his’ guitar. He needed different pickups and a neck that better reflected his experience as a metal guitarist, and these were all included in the PRS Tremonti guitar, which has never been out of production since its introduction in 2001.

In fact, the PRS Tremonti model differs from the Singlecuts is a few specific ways:

• Tremonti models often (almost always, in fact) have PRS tremolo systems. The tremolo models often have slightly thinner bodies, though they are still chunky for PRS! Stoptail models are also made available in the PRS Core range.
• Special Tremonti neck carve, which sits somewhere between the old ‘Wide Fat’ profile and today’s ‘Pattern Thin’ carve. This has evolved over the years to reflect Tremonti’s changing preferences.
• Custom voiced pickups, overwound and aggressive for his metal-influenced style.

I had the good fortune of catching up with Mark a few years ago prior to an Alter Bridge show. We talk about a variety of topics - including his guitars - in this exclusive Mark Tremonti Interview.

PRS have made the Tremonti model available in several of their ranges. 

PRS SE Tremonti: the most affordable Tremonti is still a fearsome proposition, featuring a flame veneer top, extra routing in the body for tremolo up-bend and a set of Tremonti ‘S’ pickups, made in Indonesia to the blueprint of the US units. It’s affordable, beautiful and impressive.

PRS Tremonti (Core model): The definitive Tremonti, available with and without tremolo. These are pretty exceptional instruments, and we occasionally have them in eye-catching finishes such as Aquamarine (with a natural back), which allows the guitar to have a special identity of its own whilst still looking like a serious rock machine! Core guitars have everything you’d expect in a ‘full fat’ PRS, including a glossy nitrocellulose finish and a wonderfully carved ‘violin’ top.

PRS Wood Library Tremonti: Tremonti fans will occasionally be able to buy PRS Wood Library models, which are specially specc’d in limited runs by selected dealers such as guitarguitar. These guitars are made with unusual timber combinations, and are not part of the standard production cycle. Special!

PRS Private Stock Tremonti: Private Stock guitars are essentially custom shop guitars. There are no specific production models, because the whole idea is that you can specify your own preferences for materials, specs and hardware. Private Stock Tremonti guitars are rare, of course, but they do exist, and are suitably astounding.

Obviously, fans of Mark himself - and his bands Creed and Alter Bridge - will automatically love these guitars. They are designed specifically for that music, so there is no better tool to use if you’re a fan.

But that’s only a small area of the potential attraction for such a powerful and versatile guitar. One area in which I’ve seen lots of guitarists use a single cutaway guitar with a tremolo is in prog rock. Robert Fripp loves his Fernandes LP copy with a Kahler trem; Steve Hackett swears by his Floyd Rose-equipped Burny LP; and Alex Lifeson of course has a signature Gibson Les Paul that has a Floyd, too.

As for PRS themselves, Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson has long since been an advocate for the PRS Singlecut with a tremolo. Both of Opeth’s guitarists make use of various PRS guitars including Singlecut models with tremolos. Mikael Akerfeldt even had a limited edition signature model like that, and it’s now a rare and much sought-after instrument!

So, it seems to me that almost all of the top prog legends use this type of guitar. PRS make some of the best examples of these that are available anywhere, so my money would be going in this direction for sure, particularly if my brand of prog was on the heavier side. It’s simply the right guitar for the music, and with both Fernandes and Burny now unavailable, these are both a cut above AND available to buy.

In fact, at time of writing (September 2026), PRS only offer single cutaway guitars in the McCarty and Tremonti ranges, so it’s ‘vintage’ or ‘contemporary hot-rodded’ if you want one.

Like almost all PRS guitars, the Tremonti models are gorgeous to look at. I feel like that goes without saying these days: they are well known for their physical beauty. But that continues onto the feel of these guitars: they are dialled in almost forensically to deliver a comfortable, rewarding and dynamic playing experience. If you love rock music and appreciate great quality, then I feel that you owe it to yourself to investigate the PRS Tremonti, whether that is a Core model, an SE or a Private Stock model.

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