PRS Guitars: The Best of Both Worlds
PRS stands for Paul Reed Smith, the founder of PRS Guitars. Today, PRS is one of the best-known and exclusive guitar companies around, endorsed by Peter Lindgren, Carlos Santana, Dave Navarro, Steven Wilson, Jimmy Buffett, Ted Nugent, and many more. But it got a humble start.
Paul Reed Smith was a college student at St. Mary’s College of Maryland when he made his first guitar. He continued after college, making one a month. He took his work backstage and asked musicians for critiques, refining his design.
According to PRS lore, Smith’s big break came when he got Carlos Santana to use one of his guitars. Santana thought the guitar sounded so good, it must be a fluke. So he ordered a second guitar. That one was also a fluke. So he ordered a third one—and decided Smith was the real deal.
PRS guitars are meant to find a middle ground between the two other leading guitar manufacturers: Fender and Gibson. Fender guitars sound bright, responsive and a bit twangy, while Gibsons have a rich, deep sound with a dark low range. PRS guitars offer the best of both worlds: a bright and responsive high range without twang, and a rich, warm low range that retains clarity.
PRS gives as much thought to aesthetics as to sound quality. PRS guitars are usually built of mahogany with a maple overlay stained in such a way as to emphasize the grain of the wood—often to give it a shimmering 3-D character. The company is known for using distinctive woods such as flame and quilt maple. Its Private Stock line features stone and intricate shell inlays.
Today, anyone can own a PRS guitar. While PRS traditionally makes high-end guitars for professional musicians, they’ve recently started offering a lower-end line in a price range more suited to hobbyists. Most of the guitars in this line don’t have the stunning finishes and high-quality tone woods you’ll find on a traditional PRS guitar. Still, it allows hobbyists to get a sound close to that of a true professional PRS—without paying what the rock stars pay.