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PRS Guitars

From Alfawiki
Paul Reed Smith Guitars
Company typePrivate
IndustryMusical instruments
Founded1 January 1985; 41 years ago (1985-01-01) in Annapolis, Maryland, United States
FounderPaul Reed Smith
Headquarters
Stevensville, Maryland
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Paul Reed Smith (founder)
ProductsElectric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers
Websitewww.prsguitars.com

Paul Reed Smith Guitars, commonly known as PRS Guitars, is a U.S.-based manufacturer specializing in guitars and amplifiers. Established in 1985 in Annapolis, Maryland, by entrepreneur Paul Reed Smith, the company began with Smith handcrafting instruments shortly after leaving college. Early clientele included renowned musicians such as Peter Frampton and Carlos Santana. PRS gained wider recognition through its Custom model and the Dragon series, subsequently adding the vintage-inspired McCarty line, the cost-effective SE series, and artist signature models for performers like Santana, Mark Tremonti, and John Mayer. The brand’s offerings also extend to acoustic guitars, bass guitars, and amplifiers. As of 2024, PRS ranks third worldwide in guitar sales, following Fender and Gibson. Its main operations are based in Stevensville, Maryland.

Early Years Before Factory Production

Paul Reed Smith (born February 18, 1956) crafted his first electric bass in 1972 during his time at Bowie High School. After a brief period at St. Mary's College of Maryland, he completed his first professional-grade electric guitar at 19 years old. Choosing to leave college, Smith established a repair and luthier workshop in Annapolis where he and his team built approximately one guitar per month. Among his initial customers were notable artists including Peter Frampton, Ted Nugent, Al Di Meola, Howard Leese, and Carlos Santana.

By 1984, Smith had developed distinctive design trademarks—melding elements from Stratocaster and Les Paul guitars—and introduced innovations such as birds-in-flight fretboard inlays and rotary pickup selectors. His "Custom" model made its debut at the 1985 NAMM Show, attracting sufficient preorder interest to justify opening a dedicated factory in Annapolis that same year.

Company Breakthrough

At its launch, Paul Reed Smith Guitars offered two factory-made models: the Custom and an all-mahogany instrument initially called the "PRS Guitar," which was renamed "Standard" in 1987. Demand escalated quickly, with production reaching 1,000 units by June 1986. Responding to professional market demands, Smith created the upscale "Signature" series between 1987 and 1991, establishing PRS as a premium brand favored by expert players.

In 1988, PRS broadened its range with the introduction of the "CE" (Classic Electric) models—more affordable guitars featuring bolt-on necks and alder bodies reminiscent of Fender designs. These models were manufactured until 2009 and reissued in 2016. The company also launched budget-conscious 22-fret "EG" (Electric Guitar) models in 1990 followed by the successful "EG II" in 1992, which marked PRS's first left-handed guitar offering.

In 1992, PRS unveiled the limited "Dragon 1" edition priced at $8,000; it featured elaborate fretboard artwork and new pickups that enhanced tonal quality. These advancements paved the way for the mass-produced Custom 22 model introduced in 1993. The "McCarty" model arrived in 1994 as a tribute to former Gibson president Ted McCarty, delivering a vintage-inspired tonal character. PRS secured its first official artist endorsement with a signature model for Carlos Santana in 1995. By 1996, the company relocated to its present headquarters in Stevensville, Maryland; launched its website; and began offering its exclusive "Private Stock" custom guitar service.

Expansion

Initially, all PRS guitars were produced in Maryland; however, in 2000, the company launched the more budget-friendly "SE" (Student Edition) series, which was manufactured in Korea by World Musical Instrument Co. Ltd. In 2008, PRS broadened its product line to include acoustic guitars. Despite facing economic difficulties, the brand introduced 20 new models in 2010, featuring anniversary editions and SE variants of popular instruments such as the Singlecut and Santana.

The S2 series was unveiled in 2014, presenting American-made guitars at a lower price point, including models like the Custom 24 S2, Starla, and Mira.

PRS extended its product range to amplifiers starting with the Archon model in 2007. The company later developed signature amplifier lines for artists such as Mark Tremonti (MT series) and David Grissom (DG Custom 30). The HDRX amplifier series is inspired by the iconic Marshall Super Lead amplifier famously used by Jimi Hendrix.

Among notable artist collaborations is the Silver Sky guitar, designed in partnership with John Mayer, which further solidifies PRS’s presence and influence within the market through strategic alliances.

10 Top

As PRS's reputation grew, so did the demand for guitars featuring exquisitely figured maple tops. Paul Reed Smith designated maple with deep and consistent figuring as "10 Tops," positioning these instruments at a premium price level. These exceptional tops are reserved for high-end Artist Package and Private Stock guitars. The grading of these maple tops may change throughout production due to alterations that occur during carving or staining. While purely cosmetic, the 10 Top guitars play a significant role in PRS’s market positioning and remain some of the most coveted pieces in their lineup.

Fretboard inlays

One of the hallmark design features of PRS guitars is the birds-in-flight fretboard inlays, first created by Smith for a guitar made for Peter Frampton in 1976 before PRS officially launched. Drawing inspiration from his mother’s enthusiasm for birdwatching and a bird reference book he acquired for design purposes, Smith crafted intricate bird motifs. The smaller inlays on the upper frets are particularly intricate and were originally hand-cut from pearl piano keys.

The birds represented include species such as the peregrine falcon, northern harrier, ruby-throated hummingbird, common tern, Cooper's hawk, kite, sparrow (depicted landing), storm petrel, hawk (landing), and perched screech owl. Over time, these designs have evolved to incorporate solid, hollow, and more artistic variations, contributing to PRS’s distinctive brand identity and product differentiation.

Hardware

PRS guitars feature synthetic nuts and proprietary tuners designed by the company; some models also utilize Korean-made Kluson-style tuners. The brand offers three original bridge configurations: a one-piece pre-intonated stoptail bridge, a vibrato system, and a wrapover tailpiece. The vibrato bridge was developed in collaboration with guitar engineer John Mann as an enhancement of the classic Fender design, incorporating cam-locking tuners that allow extensive pitch modulation while maintaining excellent tuning stability.

Pickups

PRS develops and assembles its pickups internally, focusing mainly on humbuckers, while certain models incorporate pairs of single coils wound in opposite directions for the neck and bridge positions. A distinctive rotary pickup selector enables five tonal variations, blending the robust sound typical of Gibson-style humbuckers with the bright, bell-like character of Stratocaster-style single coils. The standard treble and bass pickups utilize magnetic pole pieces combined with a rear feeder magnet to authentically reproduce single-coil tones when split.

Aimed at the hard rock segment, PRS created pickups such as the Chainsaw and Hot-Fat-Screams (HFS), originally introduced on the Special model. In 1998, an electronics enhancement kit was launched to upgrade instruments made before 1993, featuring lighter tuner buttons, nickel-plated brass screws for saddles and intonation adjustments, a simulated tone control, and wiring with high capacitance.

In 2012, PRS unveiled the 408 pickups for the 408 and Paul's Guitar models, showcasing innovative coil-splitting technology that preserves output volume without drop-off. PRS also maintains an exclusive arrangement to source wire from the same manufacturing machine that produced wire for vintage Les Paul and Stratocaster pickups during the 1950s.

Some PRS guitars have incorporated Lindy Fralin pickups, particularly in models like the EG II and selected Custom 22 versions.

Product series

PRS offers multiple product lines varying by price point, quality level, and manufacturing location; these are listed here from entry-level to premium.

  • SE / Student Edition: Engineered for budget-conscious players, SE models are predominantly produced in Korea or Indonesia. Cost-saving measures include using maple veneers instead of solid tops and multi-ply maple necks, featuring a "Wide Thin" neck profile distinct from the higher-end "Pattern Thin" design.
  • S2: Positioned in the mid-tier range and built at the Stevensville facility alongside Core models, S2 combines American and imported components. This line features cleaner aesthetics with design modifications such as asymmetrically beveled tops and includes both reinterpreted classics and new designs.
  • Bolt-On: Produced in Maryland, these guitars utilize bolt-on neck construction and include models equipped with single-coil pickups like the Silver Sky. All CE series guitars share this bolt-on neck design.
  • Core: Representing PRS’s American-made standard production line, Core encompasses early designs and delivers superior craftsmanship just below Private Stock.
  • Private Stock: The brand’s highest-level custom shop service offering bespoke instruments representing the pinnacle of PRS craftsmanship.

Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle was Paul Reed Smith's inaugural guitar featuring a maple top, crafted from wood reclaimed from a dresser over three centuries old. This early "pre-factory" instrument bore resemblance to a double cutaway Les Paul Junior but included two humbuckers, a carved maple top, vibrato bridge system, abalone purfling, a darker mahogany neck, mother-of-pearl eagle headstock inlay, and a scale length of 24.5 inches. Originally built for a client who ultimately declined to purchase it, the guitar was sold to Howard Leese of Heart based solely on a photograph. The Golden Eagle's design significantly influenced Carlos Santana’s signature guitar models. Leese later obtained the subsequent Golden Eagle #2 model which featured only a bridge pickup.

Santana

Santana first encountered a PRS guitar in 1976 and made extensive use of one when borrowing Leese's Golden Eagle #2 during the recording of the album Zebop!. In 1980, Smith crafted a custom maple-topped guitar specifically for Santana, initiating a long-term collaboration that enhanced PRS's reputation and established a blueprint for future artist signature models. Official Santana signature guitars began production in 1995, including the Santana II model featured on the Supernatural album. To meet consumer demand, PRS later introduced the SE series as an affordable option within the Santana signature lineup.

Custom

Introduced in 1985, the 24-fret Custom was PRS’s inaugural production guitar, combining design elements inspired by both Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul models and featuring a 25" scale length. It incorporated a redesigned headstock, PRS’s patented tremolo system, a "sweet switch" tone filter, and a distinctive five-position rotary pickup selector. Starting in 1993, an optional stoptail bridge became available; in 2011, the rotary selector was replaced by a five-way blade switch. The Custom’s fusion of classic styling with contemporary innovations made it popular during the superstrat era. After the introduction of the Custom 22—a streamlined version based on the Dragon 1—the original model was renamed "Custom 24." Both variants evolved over time to include features such as piezo pickups, soapbar pickups, and Floyd Rose locking tremolos.

Dragon

Building on the Custom’s success, PRS unveiled the highly decorative "Dragon 1" in 1992, distinguished by an elaborate dragon inlay running along the fretboard. Limited to just 50 pieces and priced at $8,000 each, this model was aimed more at collectors than regular players. The Dragon was PRS’s first guitar with a 22-fret neck and a "Wide Fat" neck profile; it also introduced the "Stoptail" one-piece wrap-over bridge, humbucker pickups named Dragon Treble and Bass with covers, and a steeper headstock angle. These design choices enhanced tonal quality and influenced the 1993 release of the mass-market Custom 22 without dragon inlays. Subsequent iterations—the Dragon 2 (1993) and Dragon 3 (1994)—featured increasingly intricate inlays, with production limited to 100 units each. In 1999, the Dragon 2000 showcased complex body contours and a three-dimensional dragon inlay; only 50 were made. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History acquired a Dragon 1 in 1996, acknowledging its cultural importance. PRS commemorated milestones with new Dragon editions including a double-neck model for its 20th anniversary in 2005 and planned a tenth installment for the series’ 40th anniversary in 2025.

McCarty

Early on, Paul Reed Smith developed a mentorship relationship with former Gibson president Ted McCarty. Although McCarty did not personally design the guitar bearing his name, Smith credited him as an inspiration behind its creation. The McCarty model departed from typical PRS designs by featuring a deeper body, slimmer headstock, and a three-way toggle pickup selector; later versions incorporated push-pull coil-splitting switches. Guitarist David Grissom contributed suggestions that influenced some of its features.

Singlecut

PRS introduced the Singlecut model in 2000, which bore a strong resemblance to Gibson’s iconic Les Paul guitar. While many manufacturers produced Les Paul-style guitars industry-wide, PRS’s market presence made the Singlecut a significant competitor. This led Gibson to file a trademark infringement lawsuit claiming that PRS had copied its Les Paul design. In 2004, a federal court issued an injunction stopping Singlecut production after ruling it infringed on Gibson’s trademark. However, this decision was overturned in 2005 by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which dismissed Gibson’s case and allowed PRS to continue producing the Singlecut without modifications. The legal battle underscored important issues related to design trademarks within the guitar industry. Some collectors now refer to their instruments as "pre-lawsuit" Singlecuts to differentiate them in the market.

Silver Sky

The PRS Silver Sky, developed in collaboration with company founder John Mayer as his personal signature instrument, merges a Fender Stratocaster-inspired body design with PRS’s distinctive headstock and their iconic birds-in-flight fretboard markers. After concluding his Fender endorsement in 2014, Mayer partnered with Paul Reed Smith to create this new model. Upon its debut, the Silver Sky rapidly became one of the market's top-selling guitars, although it drew some critique for its similarity to the Stratocaster. This led Guitar World to describe it as a "phenomenon... the guitar that 'broke' the internet."

Artists

Italicized names indicate musicians who have signature models with PRS.

External links

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