My preference is a singlecut with good sustain. I would consider a doublecut such as the DGT though.
The reason the majority of PRS bodies are double cutaways is ergonomics. They balance really well, they reduce the weight a little and the access to the upper neck is easier.
The overall sound is similar to a Les Paul if the pickups are based on humbuckers and the body is a mahogany with maple cap and the neck scale is 24.245. Over the years Gibson wandered through variations of the pickups and construction so there’s no one definitive “Les Paul” sound anymore, and as a result the various PRS fall into the same ballpark as long as the neck and pickups and construction are similar.
The DGT sounds an awful lot like a late 50s Les Paul because of the pickups and body wood, but with a bit more upper end clarity. Grissom and PRS talk about how they spent years fine tuning the sound adjusting the pickups but I think the final sound is still tied to the body and neck also. Those particular pickups are only available on that model; it’s a special combination that works really well. Grissom was very influenced by Duane Allman, and this guitar really comes close to that sound.
The SC245 is much closer to the typical Les Paul design and sound. I bought mine because I wanted a “Les Paul” with the PRS balance and neck profile, I wanted a good PAF sound, and I’m a sucker for bound necks.
It has the 58/15 TM pickups which do a good job, good enough that I’m not inclined to replace them. The guitar has a bright sustained sound when unplugged, probably because it’s a stop tailpiece. The bridge pickup tends to feedback which I suspect is due to the springs so I’m going to switch to surgical tubing during the next string change.
All that is to say that PRS has a bunch of different guitar models that fit in the Gibson/Les Paul sound and they can all work depending on your concept of how a Les Paul sounds. I love the feel and consistency and quality of their work, the sound is easily as good as any of the Gibsons I used to have, and I am entertained by the quality of the wood they use for even the “average” core guitars.
Years ago I had several ES guitars, including an early 345 with PAFs, and wanted to find something with that softer sound, and got a good deal on a used PRS Special 22 Semi-hollow. It has the 58/15 MT pickups and is right up there with the DGT as a favorite. It’s much lighter but still gets the 335 sound, almost a Les Paul sound, but sounds very much like a Strat when I split the pickups.
I have two other PRS, a Studio with the two Narrowfield pickups and a Humbucker, and a 509. They’re more Strat-like, but again, they’re really a pleasure to play.
I haven’t had an urge to buy any more PRS. I’m actually thinning my herd, slowly, and will be selling my Fender Strat and a Strat-alike I built, both being replaced by the Xotic I mentioned elsewhere and the last three PRS I mentioned above.
