The PRS 513 in Orange Tiger is a premium American-made electric guitar designed to deliver an extraordinary range of sounds from a single instrument. Combining PRS craftsmanship, a beautifully carved figured maple top and one of the company's most innovative pickup systems, the 513 is a particularly versatile guitar for players who want the character of both single-coil and humbucking pickups.

The name 513 stands for five pickups and thirteen sounds, reflecting the guitar's distinctive electronics. Five specially designed PRS single-coil pickups work alongside a five-way selector and a separate three-way mode switch, allowing players to move between sparkling single-coil tones, articulate lower-output humbucking sounds and powerful high-output humbucker voicings.

Its carved maple top, mahogany body, mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard provide the familiar combination of sustain, warmth and clarity associated with PRS instruments. The slightly extended 25.25-inch scale length offers excellent string definition, while the PRS tremolo and locking tuners make it a versatile choice for expressive lead guitar.

Finished in the eye-catching Orange Tiger, this particular PRS 513 is presented in Very Good Pre-Owned Condition. It weighs 9.22 lbs (approximately 4.18kg), carries serial number 8129518 and comes complete with a hardcase.

For guitarists seeking an American-made PRS with exceptional tonal flexibility, elegant styling and a sophisticated switching system, the 513 is an appealing alternative to more conventional electric guitars.

At A Glance

Pre-Owned Condition Report

Very Good Condition

This PRS 513 Orange Tiger is presented in Very Good Pre-Owned Condition, indicating some cosmetic wear consistent with careful previous ownership.

The guitar's distinctive finish and figured maple top create a striking appearance, while its familiar PRS double-cutaway body shape combines attractive styling with practical playing comfort.

Specific scratches, marks, hardware wear or other cosmetic imperfections have not been individually documented. Please study the product photographs for a closer look at the condition of this particular instrument.

No modifications, component replacements or previous structural repairs have been reported. However, these details have not been independently verified, so the guitar is not being described as entirely factory-original.

Weight

The supplied weight makes this a comparatively substantial solid-body electric guitar, with a reassuring feel that may particularly appeal to players accustomed to heavier instruments.

Serial Number & Identification

Serial Number: 8129518

The serial number has been recorded exactly as supplied. Its complete manufacturing date has not been independently authenticated; therefore, a specific production year has not been assigned to this listing.

Hardcase Included

A hardcase is supplied with this guitar, providing useful protection for storage and transportation. The case has not been separately identified as the original PRS factory case.

What's Included

• PRS Paul Reed Smith 513 Orange Tiger Electric Guitar

• Hardcase

No additional accessories have been confirmed.

Service & Setup

The PRS 513 features a tremolo system, adjustable bridge saddles and a set neck with a truss rod, allowing appropriate adjustments to neck relief, string action, intonation and tremolo balance. When evaluating a pre-owned example, particular attention should be given to fret condition, tuning stability, pickup switching and the operation of the tremolo. Individual setup measurements and a completed test report have not been supplied for this guitar. Please note that guitar setups can naturally change over time due to fluctuations in humidity, temperature and environmental conditions, which may affect neck relief, action and overall playability.

Key Features

• Exclusive PRS 513 Pickup System: Five specially designed pickups delivering thirteen distinct sounds.

• Three Pickup Modes: Single Coil, Clear Humbucking and Heavy Humbucking.

• Five-Way Pickup Selector: Familiar switching positions for rapid tonal changes.

• Carved Figured Maple Top: Beautiful appearance with classic PRS construction.

• Mahogany Body: Warm fundamental response and impressive sustain.

• Mahogany Neck: Traditional set-neck design with a dedicated 513 neck profile.

• Rosewood Fingerboard: Comfortable playing surface with PRS bird inlays.

• 25.25-Inch Scale Length: A distinctive balance of string tension and articulation.

• 22 Frets: Suitable for rhythm and expressive lead guitar.

• PRS Tremolo: Smooth vibrato control for expressive performance.

• PRS Locking Tuners: Convenient string changes and stable tuning when properly set up.

• Orange Tiger Finish: A striking presentation that highlights the guitar's figured maple top.

• Very Good Pre-Owned Condition: A desirable example supplied with a hardcase.

Why You'll Love It

The PRS 513 is particularly impressive because it offers a level of tonal versatility rarely found in a conventional solid-body electric guitar.

Rather than relying on a familiar two-humbucker or three-single-coil arrangement, PRS developed a unique system capable of producing thirteen sounds from five pickups. This gives players access to a remarkably wide selection of tones without changing instruments.

From bright, articulate single-coil sounds to warm, rounded humbucking voices and powerful high-output distortion, the 513 can adapt to different musical styles, amplifiers and performance situations.

The Orange Tiger finish adds another dimension to its appeal, while the high-quality construction, comfortable neck and PRS tremolo make it much more than an exercise in innovative electronics.

For musicians who want one premium electric guitar capable of covering multiple tonal roles, the PRS 513 offers an exceptional combination of versatility and craftsmanship.

Detailed Features & Benefits

Carved Figured Maple Top & Orange Tiger Finish

The PRS 513 features the company's celebrated carved maple top construction, giving the guitar an elegant three-dimensional appearance while contributing to its distinctive tonal response. The Orange Tiger finish highlights the natural figuring of the maple and provides a vibrant alternative to more traditional guitar colours. Combined with the familiar PRS double-cutaway silhouette, carefully contoured body and decorative appointments, the guitar offers a striking visual character without compromising the practical design that has made American PRS instruments popular among professional players.

Mahogany Body & Set Neck

The mahogany back and set mahogany neck provide the foundation for the 513's warm, resonant tonal character, complementing the clarity of its maple top. This combination is closely associated with PRS's classic solid-body designs, producing a balanced response that works well across clean and distorted sounds. The set-neck construction also allows a comfortable transition into the upper registers, making the guitar particularly appealing for melodic playing, sustained lead notes and more technically demanding guitar styles.

The Innovative Five-Pickup System

At the heart of the PRS 513 is a specially designed arrangement of five single-coil pickups. Four of these are positioned in pairs at the bridge and neck, allowing them to function together for humbucking sounds, while the fifth serves as a conventional middle pickup. This arrangement gives the guitar a far greater range of available voicings than a traditional three-pickup instrument. The system was designed to offer authentic variations in pickup character rather than simply relying on basic coil-splitting, providing a particularly versatile foundation for players who require multiple sounds.

Thirteen Distinct Guitar Sounds

The 513's name reflects its ability to generate thirteen distinct pickup combinations, controlled through a familiar five-way blade selector and a separate three-way mode switch. The main selector provides bridge, bridge-and-middle, middle, middle-and-neck and neck positions, while the mode switch changes the configuration of the outer pickup groups. This arrangement allows musicians to explore traditional single-coil sounds alongside two different humbucking characters, making it straightforward to move between clean rhythm tones, classic rock crunch and more heavily saturated lead sounds.

Single Coil, Clear Humbucking & Heavy Humbucking

The three-way mode selector is one of the 513's defining features. Single Coil mode provides the brighter, more articulate response associated with conventional single-coil guitars, while Clear Humbucking mode introduces a lower-output humbucking character with additional clarity and openness. Heavy Humbucking mode provides a stronger, fuller response with greater output, making it particularly useful for driven amplifiers and more aggressive playing styles. Having these three operating modes available from a dedicated switch makes the 513 unusually adaptable without requiring changes to the amplifier or pedalboard.

25.25-Inch Scale Length

The PRS 513 uses a 25.25-inch scale length, slightly longer than the company's familiar 25-inch standard and positioned between conventional Gibson and Fender scale lengths. This provides a distinctive feel, with clear note attack, articulate low frequencies and a comfortable balance of string tension. The extra scale length is particularly useful for players who move between precise rhythm work and expressive lead playing, helping the guitar retain definition across its extensive range of pickup settings.

Rosewood Fingerboard & PRS Bird Inlays

The rosewood fingerboard provides a smooth, familiar playing surface, complemented by PRS's distinctive bird inlays. The original 513 specification features 22 frets and a specially designed neck profile, offering comfortable access across the fingerboard. This combination makes the guitar particularly suitable for musicians who alternate between chord-based playing and more demanding lead techniques, while the decorative inlays contribute to the elegant appearance associated with American PRS instruments.

PRS Tremolo & Locking Tuners

The PRS tremolo allows expressive pitch modulation ranging from subtle vibrato to more pronounced effects, while the locking tuning machines provide convenient string changes and contribute to tuning stability when the guitar is correctly set up. The bridge system is designed to balance responsiveness with reliable operation, making it practical for players who regularly incorporate tremolo techniques into their performances. Together, these components complement the guitar's extensive electronics, providing a versatile playing experience without requiring additional hardware modifications.

Professional Stage & Studio Versatility

The PRS 513 is particularly well suited to musicians who need a broad range of guitar sounds within one performance or recording session. Its single-coil settings can provide clean, percussive rhythm tones, while the Clear Humbucking and Heavy Humbucking modes cover progressively fuller and more aggressive sounds. This flexibility is especially useful for session players, function-band guitarists and musicians covering several genres, reducing the need to switch instruments whenever a different pickup character is required.

Who Is It For?

Professional & Session Guitarists: The thirteen available sounds make the PRS 513 particularly attractive to players covering several musical genres or recording multiple guitar parts.

Classic Rock Guitarists: Its humbucking modes provide rich sustain, strong midrange and expressive overdrive for rhythm and lead playing.

Blues Guitarists: The single-coil and lower-output humbucking sounds deliver responsive tones suited to dynamic playing.

Funk & Pop Players: Bright single-coil settings offer the articulation and clarity required for clean rhythm work.

Progressive Rock Guitarists: The wide range of pickup combinations makes it ideal for complex arrangements and songs requiring rapid tonal changes.

PRS Enthusiasts & Collectors: The 513's distinctive electronics and American-made construction make it an interesting addition to a collection.

Playing Styles & Applications

The PRS 513 is suitable for blues, classic rock, hard rock, funk, pop, indie, progressive rock, fusion and modern guitar music.

The Single Coil mode is particularly effective for articulate clean playing, rhythmic chord work and lightly driven blues sounds. Clear Humbucking provides fuller tones without excessive output, making it suitable for expressive leads and classic rock.

Heavy Humbucking delivers a more powerful signal for saturated amplifier settings, sustained solos and aggressive rhythm playing.

For recording musicians, the 513 provides an excellent way to capture contrasting guitar sounds from the same instrument, making it practical for layering parts without constantly changing guitars.

How It Compares

PRS 513 vs PRS Custom 24

The PRS Custom 24 features a more conventional two-humbucker design, typically with a 25-inch scale length and 24 frets. The 513 has 22 frets, a slightly longer scale length and its distinctive five-pickup electronics offering thirteen sounds. The Custom 24 is an excellent choice for players who prefer a traditional PRS layout, while the 513 is especially appealing to guitarists seeking extensive tonal flexibility.

PRS 513 vs PRS 408

The PRS 408 was also developed to provide a wide range of sounds from a single instrument, using a specially designed four-coil pickup system capable of eight configurations. The 513 takes a different approach with five pickups, a dedicated middle pickup and thirteen available sounds. Players who enjoy traditional five-way pickup selection may find the 513 particularly intuitive, while the 408 offers an alternative approach to combining single-coil and humbucking tones.

PRS 513 vs Fender Stratocaster

A traditional Fender Stratocaster uses three single-coil pickups and a five-way selector, offering the bright, articulate character associated with classic Stratocaster playing. The PRS 513 can produce similar categories of single-coil tones while also offering two distinct humbucking modes. Its mahogany-and-maple construction, different scale length and PRS tremolo create a different overall playing experience, making it attractive to players seeking greater variety within a single guitar.

PRS 513 Heritage

The PRS 513 originated in the mid-2000s as an ambitious attempt to create one electric guitar capable of covering a particularly wide tonal spectrum.

The original 513 Rosewood featured a Brazilian rosewood neck and fingerboard, while the later standard 513 adopted a mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard.

Its five-pickup electronics distinguished it from conventional guitar designs and demonstrated PRS's commitment to developing innovative solutions for professional musicians.

Rather than relying solely on traditional humbucker splitting, the 513 system was developed around dedicated pickup construction and switching modes designed to deliver several different tonal personalities.

The result was one of the more distinctive models in the American PRS range, especially appealing to guitarists who value versatility, sophisticated electronics and high-quality construction.

Technical Specifications

The following specifications reflect the standard American-made PRS 513 design. The precise production year and any custom options fitted to this individual guitar have not been independently confirmed.

Understanding the PRS 513 Switching System

The main five-way selector chooses the pickup position, while the second three-way selector determines the operating mode. The following table illustrates the available sounds.

Because the middle pickup operates as a single coil in every mode, the system produces thirteen unique sounds, rather than fifteen.

Power Requirements

The PRS 513 uses passive magnetic pickups and does not require a battery or external power supply.

The guitar connects to a suitable amplifier, effects processor, DI system or audio interface using a standard ¼-inch instrument cable.

🎵 Fair Deal Music Expert Verdict ★★★★★

The PRS 513 Orange Tiger is a fascinating electric guitar that combines the outstanding construction of an American PRS with one of the most versatile pickup systems the company has produced.

Its thirteen sounds provide an unusually broad selection of tones, moving from articulate single-coil clarity to full, powerful humbucking sounds through a straightforward switching arrangement.

The carved figured maple top and vibrant Orange Tiger finish give the guitar a distinctive appearance, while the comfortable neck, slightly extended scale length and PRS tremolo make it highly capable across a wide variety of playing styles.

This particular guitar is presented in Very Good Pre-Owned Condition, with serial number 8129518, a weight of 9.22 lbs and a hardcase included.

For players who want one premium instrument capable of covering the roles of several different guitars, the PRS 513 is an especially interesting choice.

Best Suited For: Experienced, professional and session guitarists seeking exceptional tonal versatility and American-made PRS quality.

Customers Usually Upgrade From: PRS Custom 22 and Custom 24 models, Fender Stratocasters, conventional dual-humbucker guitars and other premium solid-body instruments.

Most Commonly Paired With: Versatile valve amplifiers, overdrive and boost pedals, delay and modulation effects, and professional pedalboard systems.

Our Tip: Start in Single Coil mode to familiarise yourself with the five-way pickup selector, then switch to Clear Humbucking and Heavy Humbucking without changing your amplifier settings. This is one of the easiest ways to appreciate the substantial tonal range of the 513 system.

Showroom Advice: The guitar's 9.22 lb weight is worth considering if you regularly perform long standing sets. Its extensive switching system, however, makes it particularly appealing to musicians who would otherwise need several guitars to cover different sounds.

Why Buy Pre-Owned From Fair Deal Music?

Buying a pre-owned PRS 513 from Fair Deal Music provides an opportunity to own a distinctive American-made electric guitar with a sophisticated pickup system and high-quality construction.

Our experienced team understands the importance of accurate condition descriptions, technical information and honest advice when purchasing premium pre-owned instruments.

This particular PRS 513 is presented in Very Good Condition and comes complete with a hardcase.

For players exploring more unusual PRS models, the 513 provides a particularly rewarding combination of traditional craftsmanship and innovative electronics.

Why Buy From Fair Deal Music?

When you buy from Fair Deal Music, you're choosing one of the UK's most established, independent family run music retailers since 1987.

Based in Birmingham, we specialise in new, used, vintage and collectable guitars, along with amplifiers, effects pedals and professional audio equipment.

Our musician-led team offers knowledgeable advice and personal service to help customers make informed decisions about their equipment.

Customers benefit from an established independent retailer, competitive pricing, secure online ordering, UK delivery options, part-exchange services and the opportunity to discuss premium guitars with experienced staff.

Part Exchange – Trade In. Trade Up. Save More.

Fair Deal Music buys and part-exchanges a wide range of musical instruments and equipment, including PRS, Gibson and Fender guitars, acoustic instruments, bass guitars, amplifiers and effects pedals.

Your existing equipment could help towards the cost of this PRS 513 Orange Tiger.

Contact our team for a no-obligation valuation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What condition is this PRS 513 Orange Tiger in?

This guitar is presented in Very Good Pre-Owned Condition, indicating some cosmetic wear consistent with careful previous ownership.

What does 513 mean?

The name refers to five pickups and thirteen distinct sounds.

Does the PRS 513 have five separate pickups?

Yes. It has five specially designed single-coil pickup units, with two pairs arranged to produce humbucking sounds.

What are the three pickup modes?

Single Coil, Clear Humbucking and Heavy Humbucking.

Can the guitar produce Stratocaster-style tones?

The Single Coil mode offers bright and articulate sounds suited to many of the same applications as a Stratocaster, although the guitars have different construction and tonal characteristics.

Can the PRS 513 produce heavy rock sounds?

Yes. Heavy Humbucking mode provides a stronger output suitable for overdriven amplifiers, distortion and sustained lead guitar.

What is the difference between Clear and Heavy Humbucking?

Clear Humbucking provides a lower-output, more open character, while Heavy Humbucking offers a fuller, stronger response.

Does the guitar have a tremolo bridge?

The standard PRS 513 features a PRS tremolo system. Its precise fitted hardware should be confirmed against the individual guitar.

What is the scale length?

The PRS 513 uses a 25.25-inch scale length.

How many frets does it have?

The standard model features 22 frets.

What wood is the body made from?

The standard PRS 513 uses a carved maple top with a mahogany back.

Is the neck made from Brazilian rosewood?

The standard 513 features a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard. The earlier 513 Rosewood was a separate model with a Brazilian rosewood neck and fingerboard.

Where was the PRS 513 made?

The standard PRS 513 is an American-made model.

What year is this PRS 513?

The exact production year has not been independently confirmed. Its serial number is 8129518.

How much does this guitar weigh?

This particular guitar weighs 9.22 lbs, approximately 4.18kg.

Does it come with a hardcase?

Yes. A hardcase is included.

Does the 513 require a battery?

No. Its passive pickup system operates without a battery.

Is the PRS 513 suitable for recording?

Yes. Its extensive selection of single-coil and humbucking sounds makes it particularly useful for recording different guitar parts and musical styles.

Can I part-exchange another guitar towards this PRS?

Yes. Fair Deal Music considers guitars, amplifiers and other musical equipment for part exchange.