A Guide to Paul Reed Smith GuitarsBuying Guide

PRS Guitars was created by Paul Reed Smith in the mid-'80s, when the likes of Fender and Gibson were already incredibly well established and, in a relevantly short time, became a huge player on the guitar scene. Paul loved working with his hands (and still does—he’s very hands-on to this day), and spent years as a teenager and young adult learning how to build guitars and constantly improve on his designs.

After years of building them in his garage, he’d hang out at concerts and speak to the artists when he could and eventually got the likes of Carlos Santana and Al Di Meola to try his designs out and put a deposit down on one. This, alongside taking them to various guitar stores meant that Paul could start up a proper guitar company and was able to showcase a few of his guitars at the 1985 NAMM show. Fast forward to today and PRS have over 300 employees, they’ve got their own factory in Maryland and in Indonesia, and their guitars are played by beginners and professionals alike all over the world.

Because PRS don’t quite have the same heritage as some older brands, they’re a little freer to explore new territory. That said, their Custom 24 has since become an icon in the guitar world, alongside the Strat and the Les Paul. Their focus is on building instruments of an exceptionally high quality, regardless of the budget they’re building to. Obviously, inspiration has been taken from older guitars, but innovation has never been shied away from at PRS.

So, how can you find the PRS guitar for you? There are many different models out there, spanning nearly every price bracket. There are PRS guitars well-suited to beginners, as well as super high-end collector’s pieces. We’ll go through all of the ranges and explain what some of the phrases that you’ll often see in the guitar’s title mean. PRS do also make basses and amps, but here, we’ll just be going through their guitars.

A Word on PRS Pickups…

A lot of the time, when looking at the specs on a PRS guitar, you might see the pickups listed as 85/15 or 57/08 etc. With these, the first two numbers represent the year from which the original pickups being used as a basis are from—so for the 85/15s, this means they’re based on some of PRS’s original pickups from 1985.

The second number denotes the year that the newer versions were created—2015 in this case. So 57/08 means it’s a recreation of a 1958 pickup, made in 2008. PRS doing things how they do of course, they’re not looking to faithfully replicate old pickups, but more use them as a foundation to build and improve on.

The SE in PRS SE standard for Student Edition. They were introduced in 2000 as a line of guitars that showcased the great quality, sound, and playability associated with PRS, but at more affordable prices that were accessible to more people.

Some beginners look to the PRS SE series for their first or second instrument, but many of these guitars are just as well-suited to life on the road with gigging guitarists at any level.

The idea behind the SE Standards was to create a guitar that you didn’t have to fight against—one that would stay in tune, work for years and years, and would generally inspire you to pick it up. It’s fair to say they succeeded. These guitars are made to a great quality, and if it’s a new guitarist's first foray into the world of electric guitars, they’re not going to need to upgrade any time soon.

The PRS SE Standards are made in the same factory in Indonesia as the SE Customs, and they’re essentially as stripped back as they can possibly be without sacrificing tone, playability, or build quality. Unlike the SE Customs, not all of these guitars come shipped with a gig bag, and they do not feature a maple cap. They feature a solid mahogany body, so the tops on the SE Standards will be plain.

There’s then the age-old discussion of whether wood has an effect on the sound of an electric guitar—some say the maple cap lends a touch of snap or brightness. What can’t be overstated, however, is the importance of the pickups. The SE Standards all come fitted with great pickups; the same range found in the SE Custom guitars. Also, while setups can move whilst guitars are being shipped across the globe, these guitars—like all others made by PRS—usually come with a great, low action.

With the PRS SE Custom range of guitars, you start seeing more premium features. Each guitar comes shipped with a high-quality padded gig bag, and they all have maple tops. Again, there’s the sound debate, but each maple cap has a veneer showcasing a beautiful and completely unique pattern. If you walk into a music store, chances are, those PRS tops are going to be one of the first things you notice.

Like the SE Standards, they’re made in Indonesia to a high standard by some really skilled people that were taught by the folks over in Maryland. Whilst they bear the Student Edition moniker, they’re more than good enough to be taken on tour or in the studio. The pickups fitted in these guitars are based on those found in the US-built Core Line range, with a few tweaks to make them more affordable. But rest assured, they’re just as versatile and you still get all the clarity and punch that PRS is known for.

Since the '80s, there have been many legendary players looking to PRS for their signature sound. Paul loves working with like-minded artists and the PRS SE Signature range is reflective of many of those partnerships. Whilst a lot of these artists have and play US-built versions of these guitars, rest assured, every aspect of these SE models have been signed off on by both Paul and the artist in question.

Recently, PRS stepped into the world of SE hollowbodies. It’s a fairly small series for now, but these guitars are built to an incredible quality and come in at a great price. If you want the classic PRS sound and comfort with a slight twist, then take a look! They utilize 58/15 ’S’ humbuckers, so they’ve got a slightly more vintage, late-'50s kind of sound, and they even come shipped with a hard case.

The PRS S2 series is the entry-level for American-made PRS guitars. They’re built in the same factory as the flagship Core Line models using quality materials. The idea behind S2 (Stevensille 2, where the PRS factory is located) was to have another production line utilizing new manufacturing techniques and slightly altered designs to bring players US-built guitars at a lower price point. You’ll usually find that with a PRS S2, you’ve got everything you need, and nothing you don’t.

Most of the S2s are fitted with pickups found within the SE range, and though you’ll miss out on things like body binding and super fancy tops, that’s what helps keep costs down while retaining very high build standards. Some view S2s as stripped-back and raw—they’re ideal for gigging musicians who need a reliable, quality guitar that offers great value for the money. They also look great when they’ve had a bit of natural wear occur from life on the road.

The Bolt-On series is all US-made and is fairly similar to the PRS Core Line in terms of quality and craftsmanship. As the name suggests, all these guitars have bolt-on necks as opposed to set necks.

There are only three base models in here: the CE24, the Silver Sky, and the Fiore Mark Lettieri signature. The CE24 is fairly similar to a Custom 24, though the bolt-on neck construction does alter the sound slightly. The other two models are completely different and showcase PRS’ willingness and ability to constantly explore new territory.

The PRS Core Line is PRS' flagship range of guitars. Combining high-quality parts and wood with incredibly skilled craftsmanship, the Core Line guitars represent everything that is quintessentially PRS. There’s a wide range of guitars in the Core Line, covering vintage and modern specs, as well as quite a few signature models from some of the biggest players in the world.

From the Core Line, you can expect to see some absolutely incredible tops and beautiful, unique finishes. You’ll also find the pickups that provide the inspiration to those found in many of the SE and S2 models, like the renowned 85/15s and the vintage-voiced 58/15s.

All the pickups found in Core Line PRS guitars have a wide frequency range and replicate everything from down-tuned lows to searing top-end really clearly. You’ll find that you get an incredibly crisp and clear sound, with all six strings nicely balanced.

You might see a PRS guitar listed as being a "10 Top." Put simply, this means that the maple cap on this guitar has been graded as one of the highest to enter their factory. All the wood that gets brought into the PRS Maryland factory is graded, so if they want to use a particularly nice piece of maple for a guitar then the builders can find it easily.

Whilst the quality of the maple isn’t likely to affect the guitar’s tone, it does make a big impact on its appearance. So if you’re looking for a particularly eye-catching guitar, then a PRS 10 Top could be the one for you.

Artist Pack PRS guitars usually feature different and often exotic wood combinations. You’ll see things like an ebony fingerboard instead of rosewood, or a body made from swamp ash, as well as some incredibly beautiful figured tops and some one-off finishes.

Everything on an Artist Pack guitar will be very highly-graded, and you still get all of the premium electronics and pickups seen on the Core Line guitars. They might also switch some pickups around, so you might see a Custom 22 fitted with 85/15s, like you’d normally see in a Custom 24.

There are so many different options available, and each little change will make that particular guitar unique, resulting in some incredibly special instruments that you’ll want to hold onto for years to come.

All PRS guitars, right down to the entry-level SEs are great, however, the PRS Private Stock collection really is the crème de la crème. The idea behind every Private Stock guitar is to create something that’s truly one-off and special. They’re made by a very select group of luthiers, who are assigned to building only Private Stocks, and they have a vault of their highest-graded wood to use.

This results in finishes that are genuinely outstanding. PRS sources some of the most beautifully figured, flamey, and just generally striking wood in the world—the best of that is reserved for use on Private Stocks. You might even find a few that utilize their very limited supply of Brazilian rosewood.

You can get them to create a guitar to your own specifications, but they do make their own special creations, in small numbers. You can often find these guitars used on Reverb as well.