Well we’re here, the final days of the last full cross-country Vans Warped Tour. Check out this blog as we honor the staff, artists, and fans that made the last 23 years of Warped so great.
For artists and fans alike, the Vans Warped Tour is a bit magical; there is really nothing like it as bands travel together to play in 38 cities in 46 days. As you can imagine, the schedule and sheer effort it takes to pull-off a traveling tour of this magnitude is grueling. We caught up with a few PRS artists on this year’s tour to get the scoop on what it’s really like.
Few understand life on the road better than guitar tech veteran Rene Martinez. Before landing his gig as the tech for blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, Rene spent years developing his skills as an instrument repairman. In this blog, Rene’s has a conversation with Paul Reed Smith about his past gigs and his current gig with John Mayer.
In a 2014 clinic at The Guitar Store in Seattle, Paul Reed Smith told the story of his first encounter with Carlos Santana. Watch the video here to learn the interesting backstory that led to their longtime relationship.
Another Experience PRS event is in the books! Get a recap of our 2018 factory open house event here!
Experience Day 1 was a success! New friendships we’re formed, new guitars were purchased, and our faces were rocked off by performances on the main stage. Check out some photos here!
Experience PRS 2018 is kicking off with a bang as we announce our newest limited run, the Private Stock McCarty 594 “Graveyard Limited.” Read the story behind this guitar here!
We’re only a few days away from Experience 2018, check out this blog for some cool information about this year’s event!
This is it, the final countdown. Artists and music fans around the continental US are prepping for the final full cross country Warped Tour. This year it’s kicking off in Pomona, CA on June 21st and wrapping up 46 days and 38 cities later in West Palm Beach, Florida. Check out this blog to see the PRS artists on this year’s tour!
The funky-tight rhythm section of Jamiroquai (aka. Rob, Paul, & Derrick), recently visited Headline Studios in Europe to lay down some jams with the newly released PRS Silver Sky. Give it a listen here!
Have you ever had a “how do they do that” reaction to a fade finish? If so, check out the videos in this blog post to see how the stain is applied!
Musician, guitar teacher, and YouTuber Tyler Larson (Music Is Win) recently sent his beloved SC245 10-Top to a fellow musician, YouTuber, and former PRS dealer, Phillip McKnight. Phil hosts a cool segment on his YouTube channel called, “Sharpen My Axe” where he overhauls and updates instruments to a new and beautiful working condition. Check out all the “axe sharpening” in this story!
Many gigging musicians get some butterflies in their stomach before each performance, but imagine the extra pressure when playing in front of tens of thousands. For these PRS artists, it’s just another day on the job. We chatted with 5 artists who work with some of today’s biggest pop stars. Learn how they landed their gigs, the gear they use, and what it’s like playing for high-profile artists.
The Berklee College of Music Gear Club meets regularly to discuss their favorite music related gear at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. The group got their hands on our recently released SE SVN and put together some great demos and review videos. Check it out here!
You may recognize John Bohlinger from the hundreds of gear reviews he’s filmed as Premier Guitar’s resident demo artist. John is a longtime fan/artist of PRS guitars, we took some time to ask him questions about his diverse and successful career as a guitarist living in Nashville. Check it out here!
Check out this blog to meet a few of PRS’ youngest endorsers! Age is no indicator of talent when it comes to these young players. each of whom undoubtedly has a bright future with guitar. Read our Q&A with Jon Dretto, Hayden Fogle, and Justus West here!
That’s it! Another NAMM show in the books, and this year was a great one. Check out this blog to get a recap of the PRS action at NAMM 2018.
It’s that time of year again as we trek to sunny Anaheim, California for the annual NAMM show! The National Association of Music Merchants or “NAMM” is a music industry trade show inaugurated in 1901. The show exists to support the music industry and show the world the latest innovations in musical products, recording technology, sound, and lighting. This week, tens of thousands will gather at the Anaheim convention center for a few days of business and music-filled fun. Check out this blog to see the new gear we will have with us at NAMM 2018!
You don’t forget a good music festival. The arena sound, the big lineups, and the energy of thousands of fellow music fans. Each year, PRS teams up with “The Music Experience,” a traveling interactive musical instruments exhibit on-site at dozens of rock and blues festivals around the country. The Music Experience gives us an opportunity to meet music fans and share our love of great guitars and amps. Read more about it here!
Tom Walls joined the PRS team in 2008, and for nearly the entirety of his PRS career (10 years), Tom has been one of our SE guitar inspectors. Each day, Tom closely checks our SE instruments before they leave our shop and head to dealers around the country. Check out this blog to learn more about Tom, his hobbies, and the work he does at PRS!
Believe it or not, 2017 is drawing to a close, and following the release of our first wave of 2018 products, we thought it would be a great time to recap all of the wonderful product announcements and limited runs that have hit stores this past year.
We’ve made a list, and we’ve checked it twice. Here’s our curated collection of the best PRS accessories you can gift to that guitar-crazed friend in your life (or yourself)! While the busy holiday season quickly approaches, you can do your shopping right on the PRS webstore which we keep stocked with cool apparel, strings, parts, and guitar care accessories - all at great prices.
Check out the gift ideas below, all available directly from PRS! And pssst, grab the holiday-sale promo code at the bottom of the page!
Your guitar buying experience should be low stress! Having a great selection of PRS models in one place, paired with a knowledgable staff, will help you find the guitar of your dreams in no time. Check out this blog as we highlight a few of our dealers with a great selection of PRS gear in stock now (and just in time for the holidays!)
Big fans of PRS may know the incredible history and significance of our Custom 24 model. This iconic guitar was Paul’s tool to launching his young company in 1985, and remains today as our best seller. The Custom 24 has been played internationally by touring artists, gigging musicians, and aspiring players ever since. For 2018, we’re excited to release a new model based on the Custom 24 platform, one that offers a whole new range of tones. Meet the Custom 24-08.
Here at PRS, we love the idea of continually refining our craft, working earnestly towards the goal of building a better instrument for musicians to do what they love. With that comes our latest product offering, the 2018 SE Lineup. Check out this blog to dig into our updated models, and a few new ones as well!
John McLaughlin’s pioneering impact on the world of fusion guitar and for that matter, guitar in general, is difficult to put into words. John’s career began in the 1960’s and has now covered a span of more than 5 decades and resulted in over 20 albums. John has just departed on what will be his farewell U.S. Tour, and he’ll be carrying a Private Stock Double Neck PRS with him, read about the build here.
Recently, Paul and other members from the PRS team have been filming a series of Facebook live videos from inside our factory! Our goal is to give you a peek of the inner workings of the PRS factory and display our dedication to building the best instruments we can. Check out this blog to see the videos we have filmed thus far.
One of the coolest things about music is that it transcends generations - people of any age have the opportunity to enjoy and create music. The kids we’re highlighting today just so happen to be really good at it and at a really young age. Check out this blog post as we give a shout-out to kids who rock - and rock PRS guitars at that.
Recently, two members of the PRS team traveled to Markneukirchen, Germany to take part in a new and special guitar event called “GuitCon.” What is GuitCon? Find out here!
Have you ever heard of our popular PRS finish, “Trampas Green?” Check out this blog to meet the man behind it, Trampas Ferree, one of our stain employees here at PRS. He knows his way around staining guitars, but he also likes eating sushi and playing videos games too.
The “Private Stock Gallery” is a section of our website where we showcase a handful of the incredible guitars that our Private Stock team has recently built. We’ve just added three new instruments that you should check out, preview them here!
With the launch of the SE Santana model in 2001, a whole new breed of players and guitar lovers had access to PRS quality at a much more affordable pricepoint. To this day, SE guitars are revered as a sort of “boutique import” and played on stage by thousands of musicians around the globe. Jack Higginbotham served as PRS Guitars’ president during the time when our SE line was first introduced to the world. Below he explains the story and how our SE line came to be.
PRS and maple wood have had a long relationship that began in the late 1970’s when Paul began using unique and highly figured maple on his earliest instruments for artists like Carlos Santana and Al Di Meola. While many of our designs and processes have been tweaked over the years, our love of maple has not wavered. Check out this blog to see how our use of maple began, and how exactly we grade our maple tops.
Living Colour and PRS artist Vernon Reid have been busy following the release of their latest and first new album in 8 years, Shade. They recently took stage performing two hard-hitting songs as musical guests on Late Night with Seth Meyers, check out the performance here!
Pedals, preamps, mics, and more, Paul Reed Smith knows good gear. Take a peek inside of his home studio in this blog!
Voice of America is a U.S. government-funded international news source that serves as the United States federal government’s official institution for non-military, external broadcasting. They recently stopped by the PRS factory in Maryland to interview Paul Reed Smith and learn more about our Maryland manufacturing!
The Reclaimed Limiteds were announced in March 2017 as a limited order window. Admittedly, not even we were prepared for the overwhelming enthusiasm for these two new “reclaimed” offerings: the S2 Vela Semi-Hollow & CE 24 Semi-Hollow. Check out this blog for a look back at these unique guitars and an update on our wood supply!
Phew, what a tour. 38 cities in just 52 days! Check out some of the videos and photos from the PRS artists who were on the road for Warped this year!
The PRS bird inlays are one of the most recognizable trademarks of our brand, but you may be wondering, why birds? We chatted with Paul Reed Smith about the history behind his decision and why it has stuck with our company for 32+ years.
Recently, PRS artist Boscoe France joined up with members of the PRS team to film a series of videos highlighting our latest release, the McCarty 594 Soapbars. The setting? A circa 1700’s farm house, presumed to be the oldest building in Stevensville, Maryland, the township where the PRS factory is headquartered. Read more about the video shoot here!
The Vans Warped Tour presented by Journeys is the nation’s largest traveling music festival and has been connecting fans with their favorite bands since 1995! For the musicians on the tour, Warped is one of the most aggressive touring schedules one can experience, typically spanning 41 cities in 50 days. We took the time to chat with a few artists playing PRS on this year’s tour, and learn about their favorite parts of Warped, the gear they’re using, and more!
We interviewed 3 professional touring musicians to learn how they put their PRS CE 24 models to work. Check out this story to get an inside look at their favorite gear, musical inspirations, and more!
If you’re a high-level musician on the road, you’ve probably come to realize that a good guitar tech is an invaluable asset. They have the skills to keep your guitars, amps, & pedals working to their full capacity and they make sure you can focus on performing your best. In this blog we interviewed a few of these professionals to learn about their life on the road and get their tips on keeping your gear in tip-top shape!
Pickups are an important part of your guitar’s tone, but can often be misunderstood. In this blog, we are going to separate fact from fiction as we dig deeper into the construction of pickups and their specs.
Paul Reed Smith and our company believe that guitar building is an ongoing process of discovery. In the same way, we believe guitar playing is an ongoing process of discovery. And of course to be discovering means you need to be learning! In this blog post series, we interview music educators who love PRS and have built businesses that educate tens of thousands of musicians.
The Paul Reed Smith Tech Center (PTC) is in the business of making your guitar dreams a reality. In addition to standard PRS repairs and maintenance, the PTC specializes in making unique modifications to your guitar to meet your needs as a musician. The PTC job we are exploring today features an older limited-edition PRS model called the “Artist V.” Check out the work done by the PTC below!
For this behind-the-scenes look at the S2 Series, we interviewed 3 professional touring musicians who use S2 guitars at the heart of their gigging rigs. Below, get an inside look at their favorite gear, warm-up techniques, and more!
Interested in learning a few more chord shapes? Download or print this handy chord chart so you can keep your skills sharp!
If you want to prolong the luster and appearance of your guitar, a few simple guitar care practices will go a long way. We chatted with our PTC (Paul Reed Smith Tech Center) employees to come up with a few quick tips that will guide you in caring for that special guitar in your life. Read about it here!
Earlier this month we released the “Reclaimed Limiteds”, a batch of our CE 24 & S2 Vela models redesigned with semi-hollow bodies and beautiful reclaimed Brazilian wood. Learn about the story behind these models here!
In the summer of 2014, we introduced SE basses to the world for the first time with the launch of the SE Kestrel and SE Kingfisher. In this blog post, we revisit these versatile basses and compare their features.
“Missed Connections” are our way of making sure you have a second chance to see all of the great limited run guitars that we make - often in small batches! This missed connection features a unique limited order-window guitar that recently ended, check out the S2 Vela Satin Limited here!
Paul Reed Smith and our company believe that guitar building is an ongoing process of discovery. In the same way, we believe guitar playing is an ongoing process of discovery. And of course to be discovering means you need to be learning! In this blog post series, we interview music educators who love PRS and have built businesses that educate tens of thousands of musicians.
For this behind-the-scenes look at the S2 Series, we interviewed 5 professional touring musicians who use S2 guitars at the heart of their gigging rigs. Below, get an inside look at their favorite gear, greatest (and worst) moments on stage, their songwriting approach, and more!
Today, Tuesday February 28th, millions around the world celebrate “Fat Tuesday.” We decided to play off the name Fat Tuesday, to bring you “Tat Tuesday!” Check out this gallery of devoted PRS fans and their PRS tattoos!
“Missed Connections” are our way of making sure you have a second chance to see all of the great limited run guitars that we make - often in small batches! This missed connection features a unique limited order-window guitar released last year, the “CE 24 Standard Satin” Check out this blog to get a closer look at this limited run and find a dealer who still has one in stock!
Our 32nd year at the winter NAMM show has drawn to a close. Catch a recap of the action here!
It’s that time of year again as we trek to sunny Anaheim, California for the annual NAMM show! The National Association of Music Merchants or “NAMM” is a music industry trade show inaugurated in 1901. The show exists to support the music industry and show the world the latest innovations in musical products, recording technology, sound, and lighting.
Ready to put a fresh set of strings on your guitar? Check out this blog for some tips and tricks from one of our very own “Paul Reed Smith Tech Center” employees!
2016, what a year! Dozens of great PRS events around the world, countless relationships with new artists, and a big list of new product releases to help you find your musical voice. Join us for a look back at our product releases over the past year!
2016 has certainly been a busy year for our Private Stock department! Join us in taking a look back at all of the 20th anniversary models we released!
Paul Reed Smith and our company believe that guitar building is an ongoing process of discovery. In the same way, we believe guitar playing is an ongoing process of discovery. And of course to be discovering means you need to be learning! In this blog post series, we interview music educators who love PRS and have built businesses that educate tens of thousands of musicians.
2016 is a special year because it celebrates the 20th Anniversary of our custom shop, affectionately known as Private Stock. For this anniversary year, Private Stock has brought back the “Guitar Of The Month” program - a new experimental guitar design will be released in small numbers each month of 2016! Recently, we released the November Guitar Of The Month!
The PRS “McCarty” was born from a passion for vintage tone. Since the introduction of the original McCarty model in 1994, the McCarty lineup has expanded as our company has evolved. Today we are armed with a greater understanding of vintage instruments, more research, and new models that push us towards our goal of building a perfectly modern, “vintage” instrument. Read about the journey here.
We’ve made a list, and we’ve checked it twice. Check out this blog for some great holiday gift ideas for that guitarist in your life (or for yourself)!
Last month we released the 2017 PRS SE Series,today we are excited to show our 2017 Core and S2 Series electric guitar line up! Check it out in this blog post1
Paul Reed Smith and our company believe that guitar building is an ongoing process of discovery. In the same way, we believe guitar playing is an ongoing process of discovery. And of course to be discovering means you need to be learning! In this blog post series, we interview music educators who love PRS and have built businesses that educate tens of thousands of musicians.
For our Private Stock department’s 20th Anniversary, we’ve brought back our “Guitar Of The Month” program! A new experimental guitar design will be released in small numbers each month of 2016! Learn more about the October Guitar Of The Month in this blog post!
There are few things more frustrating than a guitar that constantly falls out of tune, and as a company we know this! We want you to spend more time rocking than tuning, so we go to great lengths in our factory to make sure you get a stable and reliable instrument. However, once the guitar is yours, there are a few best practices you’ll need to abide by to keep your guitar playing in tune for all its days. Learn more in this blog post!
For our Private Stock department’s 20th Anniversary, we’ve brought back our “Guitar Of The Month” program! A new experimental guitar design will be released in small numbers each month of 2016! Learn more about the September Guitar Of The Month in this blog post!
As a musician, you want an instrument you can trust. A guitar that can take a beating but keep on giving, stay in tune when it matters, and sound incredible. You want it to look good and make your playing feel effortless. Oh, and you don’t want to spend your life savings. Meet the 2017 SE lineup.
Recently, we teamed up with our pals at Sonicbids to host a special contest for rising artists. The prize? The winner’s choice of one of our S2 or SE guitars. The only catch is that the winners had to tell us what they thought about the guitars after they got them in their hands! Check out the reviews here as winners Nick and Jack discuss their new PRS instruments.
This November, the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix Arizona is celebrating the unparalleled combination of imagination and artistry in inlaid guitars. Opening November 5, 2016, the exhibit “Dragons and Vines: Inlaid Guitar Masterpieces” will present a collection of instruments featuring stunning inlay design created by the greatest contemporary North American inlay artists, luthiers and collaborators and highlighting the works and private collection of Larry Sifel (1948-2006), Pearl Works founder and PRS Guitars’ longtime inlay partner.
The “Periscope Guitars” are instruments hand-spec’d by Paul Reed Smith in our Private Stock wood vault via live streaming video on Periscope. It’s a fun collaboration with the video viewers as we choose the specs together! Watch the video and see the finished 4th & 5th “Periscope Guitars” here!
Some of the most unique guitar building and experimentation takes place in our Private Stock department. When customers and dealers come up with ideas, our Private Stock folks get inventive to make it happen. Connecticut based dealer, Brian’s Guitars approached us with an idea for a zombie-themed guitar, we brought it to life.
You don’t forget a good rock festival. The arena sound, the big lineups, and the energy of thousands of fellow music fans. That’s why PRS teams up with The Music Experience, a traveling interactive “rock star” exhibit on-site at dozens of rock festivals around the country. Learn more about our involvement with The Music Experience and where we’re heading in this blog!
Music education is important, no doubt. As guitar builders, we see ourselves on the continual road of improvement and discovery and in the same way, guitarists and musicians undergo this journey as well. That’s why we partnered with The Entertainment Institute (TEI) during this summer’s Warped Tour. Get the recap here!
If this is your first time hearing about it, the “Periscope Guitars” are instruments hand-spec’d by Paul Reed Smith in our Private Stock wood vault via live streaming video on Periscope. It’s a fun collaboration with the video viewers as we choose the specs together! Watch the video and see the finished 3rd “Periscope Guitar” here!
For our Private Stock department’s 20th Anniversary, we’ve brought back our “Guitar Of The Month” program! A new experimental guitar design will be released in small numbers each month of 2016! Learn more about the August Guitar Of The Month in this blog post!
In this blog post, we hand the reins over to Bobby Kittleberger, the founder and editor of Guitar Chalk and a contributing editor at Guitar World. If your guitar playing leans towards the world of rock and you’re wondering which PRS SE guitar would be a good fit, let this article be your guide!
“Instruments Made Out of Instruments” is a video created by a long time musician and fan of PRS using strictly raw guitar materials. Watch the video and read a Q&A about the recording process here!
It’s been one month since we released our latest SE signature model, the SE Mark Holcomb. This now popular model brings a number of unique specs to the PRS lineup, influenced largely by our collaboration with Mark and understanding his musical style and taste. If you’re curious about the SE Mark Holcomb, hear from Mark himself in this Q&A session as we discuss specs, tones, and much more!
Our 513 and 408 models both fall into a sort of “specialty” category here at PRS. While both instruments are 22 fret models with our custom body shape, they become strikingly different when you break down their electronics layout. Check out this blog post to gain some insight into how each model works and what makes them beautifully unique.
For our Private Stock department’s 20th Anniversary, we’ve brought back our “Guitar Of The Month” program! A new experimental guitar design will be released in small numbers each month of 2016! Learn more about the July Guitar Of The Month in this blog post!
Playing music for a living and traveling the country sounds awesome, but what about those other little details of life on the road? Get the scoop directly from artists here!
“Missed Connections” are our way of making sure you have a second chance to see all of the great limited run guitars that we make - often in very small batches! This missed connection features a unique limited edition guitar released last year, the “58/15 Custom 24.” Check out this blog to get a closer look at this limited run and find a dealer who still has one in stock!
Last night, the Alternative Press Music Awards were broadcasting all across the country and PRS was a part of the action, learn more about the award show here!
Recently, Brett Berhoff, a contributor for the Huffington Post visited our factory to sit down with Paul Reed Smith and get a behind-the-scenes look into what we do. You can find out more about his article here!
Our custom shop, known as “Private Stock,” is in the business of making guitar dreams a reality. Recently, a customer ordered a double neck PRS, in this blog post you can see some photos of it being constructed in our woodshop!
Another summer means another Warped Tour! If you haven’t heard of Warped Tour, we’ll help get you up to speed, check out this blog post!
It’s been about a month since we released our newest core model, the McCarty 594, and the feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive! This model incorporates some old tricks Paul Reed Smith learned from his late mentor Ted McCarty, as well as a few firsts for a PRS core model. Learn more about the McCarty 594 here!
For our Private Stock department’s 20th Anniversary, we’ve brought back our “Guitar Of The Month” program! A new experimental guitar design will be released in small numbers each month of 2016! Learn more about the May Guitar Of The Month in this blog post!
Every once in a while on our blog you’ll see a post titled “missed connections.” It’s our way of making sure you have a second chance to see all of the great limited run guitars that we make - often in very small batches! This “missed connection” features two special guitars we made for our 30th Anniversary, the “Vine” McCarty & Custom 22. Get a closer look here!
A vast amount of work goes into the production of a PRS guitar, but today we are going to focus in on just one step in the process, body sanding. If you’ve ever wondered how we do it and why there’s so much attention to detail, hopefully this blog will provide some answers!
When most people think of the pinnacle of PRS quality, they think of our Private Stock department - a small team of luthiers in our Maryland shop crafting build-to-order instruments for individual customers. When Paul Reed Smith assumed direct leadership over Private Stock in 2009, he conceptualized a unique idea for the department. Paul’s idea was to create the Collection Series, a limited set of instruments built with the best of the best Private Stock materials and with specifications laboriously designed by Paul himself. Read more about the collection series in this blog post!
Vintage Guitar Magazine recently reviewed our McCarty model for their June 2016 issue! Check out the full review here!
Every once in a while on our blog you’ll see a post titled “missed connections.” It’s our way of making sure you have a second chance to see all of the great limited run guitars that we make - often in very small batches! This “missed connection” features the Private Stock 30th Anniversary Custom 24 - a small batch run of only 60 pieces worldwide! Get a closer look in this blog post and see where they’re still available!
For our Private Stock department’s 20th Anniversary, we’ve brought back our “Guitar Of The Month” program! A new experimental guitar design will be released in small numbers each month of 2016! Learn more about the April Guitar Of The Month in this blog post!
When you want to rock, you don’t want anything getting in the way. Here at PRS we want you to be able to trust your gear so that you can focus on the fretboard. Check out this blog post to see a few of our favorite rigs for metal and hard rock!
Back in July of 2015, we announced the release of two metallic colors for our S2 lineup, Egyptian Gold Metallic and Ice Blue Firemist. In our constant effort to keep things fresh and continue innovating, we’re now offering two brand new metallic finishes to take the place of Egyptian Gold Metallic and Ice Blue Firemist. Check out the new colors in this blog post!
