“The wood buyers didn’t think we would be able to use it. I went, ‘Oh no, that's going to turn into a ridiculous color’”: PRS turned unwanted wood into some of its best guitar finishes – including the one found on Paul Reed Smith’s go-to guitar

PRS Charcoal Phoenix.

PRS electric guitars are widely praised for their form and function, boasting unparalleled build quality and surgical-level precision, as well as elegant aesthetics that are headed up by some truly eye-popping finishes.

Emerald Green, Charcoal, Sub Zero Smokeburst, Tiger Eye, Faded Whale Blue… these are just some of the colorways present across the Maryland brand’s catalog, but as Paul Reed Smith himself has recently revealed, not all were created by design.