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PRS Guitars
Type	Private
Founded	1985
Founder	Paul Reed Smith
Headquarters	Stevensville, Maryland, USA
Area served	Worldwide
Industry	Guitar manufacturing
Website	http://www.prsguitars.com

PRS Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer, based in Stevensville, Maryland. PRS Guitars was founded by guitarist and luthier Paul Reed Smith in 1985. [1] Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... This article is about the year. ... An entrepreneur (a loanword from French introduced and first defined by the Irish economist Richard Cantillon) is a person who operates a new enterprise or venture and assumes some accountability for the inherent risks. ... This article is about Paul Reed Smith, a luthier. ... Downtown Stevensville A restored 1902 train station. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... Downtown Stevensville A restored 1902 train station. ... An engravers impression of Antonio Stradivari examining an instrument. ... This article is about Paul Reed Smith, a luthier. ... This article is about the year. ...

Construction

PRS Custom

Materials

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Wood selection plays a major role in crafting a PRS guitar. The bodies are crafted of mahogany, with a maple top on some models; their maple tops are graded according to their "figure", referring to the visual character of the wood. PRS guitars often feature highly figured tops, including flame maple and quilt maple. PRS necks are usually made from mahogany, although some models feature maple or Indian or Brazilian rosewood necks; fingerboards are made of rosewood. PRS's signature fret markers, are the lower end moons, and the higher end birds. The moons appear similar to standard dot inlays, but have a crescent more prominent than the rest of the dot. The bird inlays feature nine or ten different birds inlayed at the appropriate frets. Inlay materials have included semiprecious stones; all sorts of iridescent shells, including abalone and abalone-plastic laminates; gold; and even such exotic and costly materials as unearthed ivory from the (extinct) woolly mammoth. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... This article is about the timber. ... For other uses, see Maple (disambiguation). ... Guitar with flamed maple Flame or flamed maple is a type of maple in which the grain pattern of the wood has an abnormality that produces distinct lines known as flames. ... Quilt or quilted maple is a type of maple in which the grain pattern of the wood has an abnormality that produces a quilted look, often a water-like pattern. ... For other uses, see Maple (disambiguation). ... Rosewood refers to a number of richly hued timbers, brownish with darker veining. ... For other uses, see Fingerboard (disambiguation). ... Species Many, see species section. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Binomial name Blumenbach, 1799 For the rock band, see Wooly Mammoth (band). ...

Hardware

Close-up of the 3rd, 5th, and 7th fret bird inlays.

Nuts are synthetic; tuners are of PRS' own design, although some models feature Korean-made Kluson-style tuners. PRS guitars feature three original bridge designs: a one-piece pre-intonated stoptail, an intonatable stoptail, and a six-saddle tremolo with the saddles enclosed in to a chromed frame. The pre-intonated stoptail is unique to PRS and can be used because PRS manufacturing tolerances are so tight, guaranteeing that the distance between witness points will be within a few thousandths of an inch from guitar to guitar. This is a result of PRS.' CNC (robot-assisted) manufacturing process. For other uses, see CNC (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see robot (disambiguation). ...

Pickups

Pickups are designed and wound in-house; PRS is more secretive about magnet and wire type and construction than some aftermarket pickup manufacturers. PRS humbucking pickups have gone by many names, including HFS (Hot, Fat, and Screams); Vintage Bass; McCarty; Santana I, II, and III; Archtop; Dragon I and II; Artist I through IV; #6, #7, #8, #9, and #10, RP (after the initials of the designer) and Soapbar. Further adding to the obscurity, many of the above pickup types are actually a pair of pickups wound in opposing directions, one intended for the neck and one for the bridge position. Three magnetic pickups on an electric guitar. ...

Finishes

PRS is known for "popping the grain" on their figured maple topped instruments, a process that accents the '3D' quality of the maple through a multistep staining process. Finishes are transparent, translucent (often with bursts), or opaque and are automotive-grade polyurethane or satin nitrocellose, meaning that in some instances, the paints were intended for automotive use.

Current Manufacturing Methods

As demand grew during the mid 1990s, PRS had to switch from entirely hand manufactured and assembled guitars to partially automated manufacture and assembly. Bodies and neck blanks are now CNC (computer numerically controlled) routed, though sanding, assembly, and finishing are still done by hand. The main line of PRS guitars are designed and constructed wholly in the United States of America. This and the exacting standards of the PRS factory contribute to their price. Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized...

Non-American PRS (Student Edition or SE Models)

Main article: PRS SE Guitars

To keep up with demand, PRS introduced a new low-end budget line in the late 1990s. The Student Edition line, is manufactured in Korea and is notable for opaque finishes and lower quality tone-woods though some models also include figured maple veneers such as the Soapbar II. The PRS SE models are increasing in popularity among hobbyists, whereas the higher-end PRS models tend to be geared towards professional musicians. The Paul Reed Smith SE line of guitars are guitars designed for non-professional guitarists. ... This article is about the Korean civilization. ...

Artists who use PRS Guitars

Ted Nugent was the first big-name guitar player whom Paul Reed Smith persuaded to play one of his guitars.^{[citation needed]} Nugent has continued to play PRS guitars ever since.^{[citation needed]} Carlos Santana was another recipient of some of Paul Reed Smith's early instruments. Santana's unusual 24-fret, 24½"-scale signature model was one of PRS' earliest special models. Alex Lifeson of Rush has used PRS guitars since 1990 and continues to use them today, in addition to other brands. Mike Oldfield has also used a Custom 24. Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth uses Custom 24s and Custom 22s. Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree uses a Custom 22. Theodore Ted Nugent (born December 13, 1948) (a. ... Carlos Augusto Alves Santana (born July 20, 1947), is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-born American Latin rock musician and guitarist. ... Alex Lifeson, OC (born August 27, 1953), is a Canadian musician, known as the guitarist for the rock group Rush. ... Look up Rush in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Michael Gordon Oldfield (born May 15, 1953 in Reading, England) is a multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music and more recently dance. ... Mikael Ã…kerfeldt (IPA: ) (born April 17, 1974, in Stockholm, Sweden) is a highly influential Swedish musician, best known as the current lead vocalist of progressive metal band Opeth, and former lead singer of death metal band Bloodbath. ... Opeth are a heavy metal band from Stockholm, Sweden. ... Steven Wilson (born Steven John Wilson on November 3, 1967 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England) is the lead guitarist/singer/songwriter and the founder of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. ... Porcupine Tree is an English progressive rock band formed in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England by Steven Wilson. ...

Legal Issues

In 1998 PRS released their "Singlecut" guitar, which bore some resemblance to the venerable Les Paul, Gibson Guitar Corp filed a trademark infringement against Paul Reed Smith. An injunction was ordered^[1] and PRS stopped manufacture of the Singlecut in 2000. Federal District Court Judge William J. Haynes, in a 57-page decision ruled "that PRS [Paul Reed Smith] was imitating the Les Paul" and gave the parties ninety days "to complete any discovery on damages or disgorgement of PRS's profits on the sales of its offending Singlecut guitar."^[1] The Gibson Les Paul is a popular solidbody electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s. ...

In 2005, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed the lower court decision and ordered the dismissal of Gibson's suit against PRS.^[2] The decision also immediately vacated the injunction prohibiting the sale and production of PRS’s Singlecut Guitar. Paul Reed Smith Guitars announced that it would immediately resume production of its Singlecut guitars.

Paul Smith, the founder of PRS, stated "We are delighted that the appellate court affirmed what we and the industry have long known: the PRS Singlecuts are musical instruments of the highest quality that would never be confused with a competitor’s product."

Gibson tried and failed to have the case reheard by all twenty-four Sixth Circuit judges (denied in December 2005)^[3] and then by the United States Supreme Court (denied June 2006),^[4] which was their last chance to have their original injunction upheld. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States...

In the litigation, Gibson alleged that concert goers in a smoky concert hall might not be able to differentiate a PRS Singlecut from a Gibson Les Paul. The appellate court rejected that trademark theory out-of-hand, emphasizing Gibson’s concession in court arguments that “only an idiot” would confuse the two products at the point of sale.^[5][6][7]

Partial List of PRS Guitar Models

A more extensive list is available at the PRS website. Many of the listed guitars are available with an option of stoptail or tremolo bridge; the finish options are complicated and depend on the model.

• Custom 22
• Custom 22/12
• Custom 24
• SC245
• SC250
• SC250 Satin
• McCarty
• McCarty II
• McCarty Korina
• McCarty Soapbar
• Mira
• Santana II and III
• Johnny Hiland Model
• Dave Navarro Model
• Mark Tremonti Model
• 513 (mahogany neck)
• CE22
• CE24
• CE22 Alder body
• Ce24 Alder body
• Standard 22
• Standard 24
• Standard 22 Satin
• Standard 24 Satin
• Corvette Standard 22
• Hollowbody I, II and Spruce
• Hollowbody I Singlecut
• Hollowbody Singlecut Standard (all mahogany body)
• Singlecut Trem
• Singlecut Trem Satin
• Singlecut Trem Modern Eagle
• Swamp Ash Special
• Santana SE II
• Soapbar SE II
• Soapbar SE II Maple
• SE Custom
• Singlecut SE
• SE EG
• Tremonti SE
• SE One

Limited editions

• Signature model
• Limited Edition 1989, 1990 Semi-Hollow Body Tune-O-Matic
• Mark Tremonti Tribal
• Artist I, II, III and IV
• Dragon I, II, III, 2000, 2002 and 2005 Double Dragon
• Rosewood Limited
• Golden Eagle
• 20th Anniversary
• Brazilian Limited model with Brazilian Rosewood fretboards
• Custom 22 semi-hollow body
• Custom 24 and 22 with Indian Rosewood neck
• Private Stock, one-off instruments built to custom order
• 1986 Single Pick-up 24 Fret Standard
• Corvette Z06 Edition
• Singlecut Semi-Hollow (no f-holes)
• SCJ (jumbo hollowbody with Bigsby tremolo)

Discontinued models

• 513 Rosewood (Brazilian rosewood neck)
• Custom 22 Soapbar
• McCarty Standard
• McCarty Soapbar Standard
• Modern Eagle (ME)
• SE Soapbar
• Santana I
• Santana III
• Santana SE
• McCarty Archtop
• Singlecut - replaced by SC 245 and SC 250 in 2007
• All Left-handed models

Notes

References

• Burrluck, Dave (2002) The PRS guitar book Backbeat Books, San Francisco, CA, ISBN 0-87930-712-9, originally published as The PRS Book in a limited edition of 6,000 by Balafon Books, London, in 2000.

External links

• PRS Guitars - official company website
• 2005 Paul Reed Smith Interview
• 2005 Peter Wolf Interview - Director of Sales & Marketing for PRS Guitars
• PRS Factory Tour Video
• PRS photos including the PRS Dragon Serial Number 1 PRS Dragon Photos