Pratley SL Series Stage Acoustic Electric Guitar
SKU: PRSLSEMB
$1,299
- Handcrafted on the Gold Coast in Australia
- Layered Maple Back and Sides
- Solid Bunya Top
- Unique design and character while maintaining a classic appeal that will endure
Martin Pratley started building original acoustic guitars at the age of 19, drawing from the fine skills passed down by his woodworking father and Martin’s study in Industrial Design. Martin spent years building custom Stomp Boxes and Guitars, and in 2004, combining his wealth of knowledge, skill, and passion, launched Pratley Guitars.
Not long after the official launch, Martin brought about the design and production of the first Pratley Cajon’s. The proprietary On/Off snare design has proven its brilliant simplicity to this day and as such Pratley Cajon’s have made their place as one of the leaders worldwide.
In the years to come Pratley products have become common place in the Australian music scene, being seen in around 50 retail stores across Australia. The guitars themselves continue to go from strength to strength gaining prominence in Canada and securing artist endorsement from beloved Australian artists John Butler, Ash Grunwald, Tash Sultana and more recently Steph Strings, Jack Carty and Josh Teskey.
Why choose a Pratley Guitar
Internationally renowned, Pratley Guitars are handcrafted in Queensland, using stunning Australian tonewoods. The Pratley design is inspired, and the build is exceptional; with a uniquely created neck joint to enhance setup and playability and quality hardware as standard. Made for the Australian climate, Pratley’s signature bracing design means that the guitars can better tolerate fluctuations in humidity; ensuring exceptional performance in both dry and humid conditions.
The Tonewoods
Pratley Guitars have a real passion for using the native timber from our beautiful country. Using Australian tone-woods gives Pratley acoustic guitars a voicing that stands out among international brands.
Using local native timber species allows each Pratley Guitar to be much more environmentally friendly. Instead of importing timber from different countries all over the world, a number of premium tonewoods that grow within 4hrs drive of the Pratley factory are used. This combined with the fact that the Bunya soundboards come from trees that can be harvested after 30-40 years makes sustainability a big part of the Pratley Guitar ethos. (For example, Spruce soundboards often come from trees 200-400 years old).
Premium tonewoods you can find used in a Pratley Guitar are Queensland Bunya, Queensland Maple Silkwood, Tasmanian Blackwood & Queensland Silver Quandong.
The Fretboard
The unique tonewoods do not stop with the body of the guitar. Each Pratley Guitar has a fretboard made with either Johnstone River Teak or Wenge. Johnstone River Teak (JRT) is a topical hardwood similar to Indian rosewood in density & oil content. It makes a very stable fretboard that sits perfectly in the sweet spot of oily, hard, & with a good weight. It also holds frets very well. Wenge is an African wood that is beautiful and dark. It is tonally & visually amazing. This super hardwearing tone-wood is a great addition to the more expensive models.
The fretboard is also a floating fretboard with its end sitting just above the soundboard. Many companies compromise the soundboard geometry to create the correct angle to glue on the fretboard. Others machine the fretboard thin to thick to create the angle. Pratley Guitars keep the full thickness of the neck & fretboard through, past the last fret and then allow the fretboard to float above the top. Traditional stringed instruments such as violin & cello also do this as it allows the maker to focus on the voice of the soundboard without compromise.
The Neck
The neck carve is high performing with 2-way adjustable truss rod & twin torsion bars. Both Truss rod & torsion bars run across the 14th fret body intersection which prevents any hump forming. Having the truss rod & bars run the full length of the neck allows for a more even relief arc from 1st to last fret.
Pratley Guitars use a set neck joining method which means the full thickness neck is glued into a solid timber pocket. The natural taper of the neck when fitted into the pocket creates a wedge joint similar to a horizontal dovetail. Pratley have also eliminated the 'OLD WORLD' heel which came from the Spanish heel method of construction. Removing the heel has reduced weight and allowed greater access to fretboard. Each neck is carefully fitted and glued into the body pocket to maximise resonant transfer.
The Bracing
Using his Industrial Design background, Martin Pratley has developed the A-X top bracing pattern to prevent bridge roll (top belly-ing) while enhancing the articulation and sweetness of tone. The bracing is also made from premium quarter sawn Bunya and is designed in a way that improves resonant transfer between the top, sides & back. The backs also have a 4.5M radius dome joined with the sides using their proprietary laser kerf linings.
The Headstock
An optimised Scarf Joint Head Angle is used to provide a good string break angle and superior strength.
- Body Shape: Stage
- Back & Sides: Layered Qld Maple
- Top: Solid Queensland Bunya
- Bracing: Qtr Sawn Qld Bunya
- Fretboard: A Grade Johnstone River Teak
- Bridge: A Grade Johnstone River Teak
- Neck: Victorian Alpine Ash
- Scale Length: 25.5" (647.7mm)
- Frets: 20
- Fret Wire: Jescar (Nickel Silver)
- Nut: 44mm Wide Graphtech
- Saddle: Graphtech
- Bridge Pins: Black Plastic
- Tuners: Chrome
- Strap Buttons: Chrome
- Inlays: 1/4"(6.35mm) White Acrylic
- Rosette: 3mm Qld Maple
- Binding: None
- Finish: Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer
- Pickup: Fishman Presys II with Sonicore Pickup & External Battery Box
- Case: None
- Strings: Elixir Phosphor Bronze 12-53
The SL Series combines the beautiful tone of a Solid Bunya soundboard with the price of Layered veneer back. Although this is the entry level to Pratley acoustic guitars we have stayed true to our 3 major design principles of Tone, Feel and simple elegant aesthetics.
The Stage model body is a mid-size shape that fits in between the concert models and the Mini OM models.
We are always proud to use sustainable Australian native tone-woods and the SL series continues that tradition. The neck is plantation Victorian Ash which has great strength to weight and stability. The back & sides are made in Australia from high quality Australian tone-wood veneers and the soundboard is 'A' grade QLD Bunya.
The SL series acoustics are available with or without pickups.
General
Logans Pianos offers Australia wide shipping on all products on our website and our Burwood store. The vast majority of our orders are eligible for free, or $8.95 flat rate shipping. For more details, see below.
We will always do our best to make your order as fast and easy as possible. In most cases, we will process and ship your order next business day.
For a variety of reasons, sometimes this is not possible. In these cases, we will always notify you by email or phone of the expected lead time the following business day.
International shipping is available for many of the products on our website using courier shipping. See below for details.
Tracking Your Order
You will always be notified by email or phone once your order has been shipped, and will be able to track it using the provided shipping information here.
Returns
If you are looking for our returns policy, please click here
Delivery Options
Logans are pleased to offer a variety of delivery options to our customers so you can choose the shipping method that best suits your needs.
In most cases, you will receive your order in 2-5 business days from the time of your order, but we ask that you allow up to 14 days for delivery, to account for unexpected delays.
Free & Flat Rate Shipping
Most orders over $199 qualify for free shipping.
orders under $199 are eligible for $8.95 flat rate shipping To NSW, VIC and ACT, or $15 flat rate shipping to all other Australian states.
Small products such as books, strings and small accessories may be sent with Australia post, and may not include a tracking number. If tracking is important to you, please choose courier shipping to ensure you will be able to track your order.
We have send tens of thousands of books and accessories in this manner, and very rarely have issues. If your product arrives damaged, or has not arrived within 14 days, please contact us as soon as possible, and we will replace it free of charge.
Acoustic Pianos, Digital Pianos with a shipping weight of over 80kg, and other products that require specialist delivery services or installation are not eligible for free or flat rate shipping.
Orders to Western Australia do not qualify for free shipping.
In Store Pickup
Most products can be picked up from our Burwood store. If you choose this option at checkout, please wait for us to confirm your products are ready for pickup before pick it up.
We are able to arrange curbside pickup/click and collect on customer request.
Courier Shipping
Logans are pleased to offer shipping by the following couriers:
- Australia Post
- Startrack
- Couriers Please
- TNT
- UPS
- Clipper Parcels (Sydney Only)
In most cases, the fastest, cheapest and best options to your location will appear at checkout, allowing you to choose the courier and rate that best suits your needs. Sometimes, rural and remote and international areas will not calculate shipping. This doesn't mean we can't ship to you, or even that it's going to be particularly expensive. Generally, we recommend you use flat rate shipping in these cases, but if this is not appropriate, or available for you, please contact us, and we will discuss your options with you.
Digital Pianos Delivery & Setup
Digital Piano delivery and setup is available in the Sydney Metro area for the cost of $150. Surcharge will apply for stairs, or other difficult delivery.
Additional surcharges apply to deliveries outside of the Sydney Metro area, and will need to be scheduled in advance. Please contact us for an obligation free quote.
As you will have to be home to show the carriers where to set up your piano, we will call to schedule your delivery at a time that is convenient for you.
Acoustic Pianos Delivery
Logans only work with the best speciality piano carriers in the business - Dragon, Goninans & Perfect Moves. This ensures that your piano will arrive not only undamaged, but in tune & well regulated as well. As you will have to be home to show the carriers where to place your piano, we will call to schedule your delivery at a time that is convenient for you.
- Delivery to Sydney metro area is free to ground level, +$60 for each flight of stairs.
- Charges apply to deliveries outside of the Sydney Metro area, and will need to be scheduled in advance. Please contact us for an obligation free quote, or select "Post-paid Piano Shipping" at checkout, and we will call you the following business day to discuss your shipping options. Delivery of pianos outside of Sydney Metro is subject to the scheduling of our long distance shipping partner, Perfect Moves. Typically, this means your piano will be delivered within a month of purchase.
Indicative prices for Melbourne/Brisbane Metro
Upright Pianos: $660
GB1 or GC1: $770
C3 or smaller: $880
C5 or smaller: $990
C7 or smaller: $1190
Pre-Orders & Out Of Stock
Out of stock or new release products will generally be available for pre-order. If you pre-order a product online, we will contact you using the details provided your order to give you an ETA the next business day. For most products, this will add less than a week to the delivery time for your order.
In the case of new release products, or some specialty items, lead times can be up to six months. If you would like to know the ETA of a product before pre-ordering, please contact us by email, phone, or using the chat widget and we will give you an ETA.
In all cases, you can cancel a pre-order for a full refund within 30 days. Standard refund conditions apply. Click here to see our refund policy
*=Note that selecting this option means your shipping costs are not included in the price of your order, and will need to be paid prior to delivery.