PRS guitars
PRS (aka Paul Reed Smith) Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland. PRS Guitars was
founded by guitarist and luthier Paul Reed Smith in 1985. Paul Reed Smith Guitars is a leading manufacturer of high-end electric
guitars. PRS guitars, originally crafted for local guitar players, have become highly prized by musicians and collectors around
the world.
The bodies of PRS guitars are crafted of mahogany, with a maple top on most models. They often feature highly figured tops,
including flame maple, quilt maple, and figured maple creating the effect of tiger stripes. 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 include 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. Just to note,since 1995, most of there guitars have been CNC made guitars, noting that the guitars should be less expensive.
Inlay materials have included semiprecious stones; iridescent shells, including abalone and abalone laminates; gold; and even
unearthed ivory from an (extinct) woolly mammoth.
Nuts are synthetic; tuners are of PRS's 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 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 design does not however allow intonation to be adjusted to compensate for variations in
string thickness or drop tuning. Two other designs are the PRS vibrato, which resembles a vintage Fender Stratocaster unit but
with much better tonal stability due to less friction, and the more recent compensated wrapover tailpeice, which allows for height
and intonation adjustment.
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, Ralph Perucci) 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.
Prominent PRS players include Ted Nugent, Carlos Santana, Al DiMeola, and Alex Lifeson of Rush.