Stunning and exceptionally rare 1993 PRS Custom 22 from the very first year of production, serial number 3 16896, complete with its original PRS documentation confirming the guitar's specifications and originality.

This appears to be an extremely early production example of the Custom 22. After extensive research through archived listings, vintage guitar dealers, PRS forums and other online sources, I have been unable to locate a documented production Custom 22 with a serial number lower than 3 16896.

Of course, this does not establish its exact production number among all Custom 22s ever made, but it makes this a particularly interesting example from the very beginning of the model's first production year.

Direct connection to the legendary Dragon I

The historical significance of this guitar becomes even more interesting when considering the origins of the Custom 22.

PRS officially confirms that the Custom 22 was introduced in 1993 and was based on the Dragon Series. The legendary Dragon I, introduced in 1992 and produced in only 50 examples, pioneered several features that would subsequently define the Custom 22: the 22-fret design, Wide Fat neck profile, PRS stoptail bridge and Dragon pickups.

In other words, the original Custom 22 represents the production evolution of the extraordinarily rare Dragon I concept.

This particular guitar retains much of that original Dragon DNA:

1993 – first year of the PRS Custom 22

Serial #3 16896

10 Top highly figured maple top

Cherry Sunburst

22 frets

Wide Fat neck profile

PRS Stoptail

Original Dragon Treble & Dragon Bass pickups — the pickups now commonly referred to as Dragon I

Gold hardware

Bird inlays

Original PRS locking tuners

Original PRS hardshell case

Original PRS documentation

The original PRS hang tag is particularly important, as it documents the guitar's original factory configuration, including serial #16896, Custom 22, Gold Hardware, 10 Top, Dragon Treble and Dragon Bass pickups.

Essentially the production descendant of the Dragon I

This is obviously not a Dragon I — it does not feature the Dragon's spectacular and extremely elaborate dragon inlay — but historically and technically it belongs to the very first generation of the guitar that brought the Dragon concept into regular PRS production.

PRS itself describes the Custom 22 as being based on the Dragon Series, making these earliest 1993 examples particularly fascinating from a historical and collector's perspective.

With its combination of first-year production, very early serial number, 10 Top, Birds, gold hardware, Wide Fat neck, stoptail and original Dragon pickups, this is about as close as a regular-production early PRS gets to the specifications and DNA of the original Dragon I.

An exceptional instrument not only as a guitar, but also as an interesting piece of early PRS history.

1993 PRS Custom 22 10 Top – Very Early First Year – Dragon I DNA – Original Dragon Pickups – Gold Hardware – Serial #3 16896