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The Latest Breaking News from Paul Reed Smith

“The Custom 24 has been our flagship design. Updating the 24-08 version for our 40th anniversary allows it to ‘sing’ in a beautiful voice of its own”: PRS's new semi-hollow stunner brings enticing updates to one of the company's very first models

Keeping its 40th birthday party going, PRS has added both visual and sonic upgrades to one of its foundational designs

Guitar World

“These things work for me and I am finding out a lot of other guitar players like ‘em too”: Paul Reed Smith loved his Charcoal Phoenix so much that PRS has released this rare bird in strictly limited numbers

This collectible stunner was inspired by the John McLaughlin Private Stock signature model and has been thoroughly road-tested by the PRS Guitars founder

MusicRadar

“Smith has road-tested this guitar, refining its design and tone”: The PRS Charcoal Phoenix is Paul Reed Smith’s personal guitar of choice – and it’s already starred onstage next to John Mayer

The new, limited-edition beauty sprung from Paul Reed Smith’s desire to create a stoptail-equipped variation of John McLaughlin's signature Private Stock PRS

Guitar World

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“Paul Reed Smith and I grew up on the same street. He knew I was finishing guitars and one day asked for help. Eventually we needed somebody to head up the factory. He said, 'You’re it’”: How Joe Knaggs became one of America’s most respected guitar makers

Having cut his teeth working at the PRS factory, rising from finishing assistant to production manager and head of Private Stock, Knaggs built his brand from the ground up. Here’s his story…

Guitar World

“You talk about PRS and some say, ‘They’re too nice.’ What’s too nice? You want that special vibe that only tuning every song can give you? You want bad intonation?!” John Mayer pays tribute to Paul Reed Smith at PRS Guitars’ exclusive anniversary show

10 years since his first phone call to the firm, the guitar hero hailed the iconic guitar builder as “the hidden member of everyone’s band all the time”

Guitar World

“When I was a teenager, I had a dream about a guitar with a dragon inlaid down the neck. That dream has since become an important part of our history”: How Paul Reed Smith created the ultimate Dragon for PRS Guitars’ 40th Anniversary

Debuting PRS’s “throaty” new McCarty III humbuckers, the Private Stock 40th Anniversary McCarty Dragon is a work of art and a triumph of engineering – and, says Smith, it’s built to play

Guitar World

NAMM 2025: “We do not want to spend our anniversary only looking back” – PRS unveils “roadworthy workhorse” Standard 24 Satin asSwamp Ash Specialmakes comeback, announces big updates to pickups, hardware and electronics

PRS makes an impressive start to its 40th anniversary year with two high-end electrics, hardware upgrades for S2 and select Bolt-on models– and what about those DMO humbuckers?

MusicRadar

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“A stunning tribute to an iconic design”: PRS preps for its 40th Anniversary with two new models – unveiling all-new features and an intricate 207-piece Dragon fretboard inlay

A luxurious Dragon fingerboard and vintage specs combine with all-new pickups for a pair of guitars that look forward and backward in equal measure

Guitar World

“It sold for $937,000 to an anonymous buyer who, we assume, doesn't play punk rock for a living”: From Joe Strummer’s Tele to Johnny Ramone's Mosrite, here are the iconic guitars behind the sound of punk – and the modern-day equivalents you can buy today

The filth, the fury, and '80s Fernandes Strat copies – these guitars, amps, and effects defined the sound of some of rock's greatest, and most rebellious, bands

Guitar World

“The CE has been with us since the very early days of PRS. I love celebrating this model”: PRS radically upgrades its CE range with dashing new tonewoods – and an expansive pickup switch that has never been seen in the lineup before

Choose from Black Limba and Swamp Ash variants, as a PRS mainstay gets some choice cosmetic and tonal updates

Guitar World

“John Mayer had Paul build a guitar for him for the Dead & Company. He wanted one guitar all night. I thought, ‘Let’s see if I can get back to that’”: Keith Urban on working with PRS on a ‘do-it-all’ guitar build –and why SRV is still number one

Country icon reflects the feeling of bonding with a single instrument – and says you should give up playing and become an accountant if you’re missing his special ingredient

Guitar World

“I’ve seen some unplayable instruments made in this country. I’ve also played some real gems not made in the US”: Paul Reed Smith explains why the country a guitar is made in doesn’t matter

Though the provenance of a guitar can have a huge sway on its price and perception, the PRS founder himself has leapt to the defence of overseas builds

Guitar World

“I would use the semi-hollow and get a lot of comments about it. And I’m like, ‘Well, you can’t buy one. It was made in Private Stock, and it’s just a one-off’”: PRS has teamed up with David Grissom for a new DGT Semi-Hollow – but it’s seriously limited

The DGT Semi-Hollow is limited to 200 models worldwide, and hand-signed by both PRS founder Paul Reed Smith and David Grissom

Guitar World

“Paul was like, 'Good God, what are you asking for?' I'm like, 'I'm just asking for a little struggle!'” Keith Urban is working with PRS on a new Tele-style guitar – and he wants to break the company's rules

The country rock great's go-to guitar since 1989 has been a Fender Telecaster called Clarence, but John Mayer has inspired him to join the PRS ranks – and he's working on a T-type like no other

Guitar World

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MusicRadar

“You plug into a great Dumble and it is this awe-inspiring warm feeling you get”: Mark Tremonti reveals how he bought one of his sweetest-sounding Dumbles at a swap meet and explains why they are the holy grail of tube amps

The Alter Bridge and Creed guitarist is the proud owner of four Dumbles, confessing that he now has a whole room dedicated to amps and he'll just go in there to look at them

Guitar World

PRS has dropped its objection to Gibson’s Theodore trademark – but the dispute continues outside of the courts

The McCarty-era sketch that Gibson recently brought to life has caused ruptures with the McCarty estate

MusicRadar

“When it comes to building guitar necks, there’s a quick way to do things and there’s a right way to do things”: Ever wondered how PRS makes its necks? This video walks you through a process where every detail matters

This behind the scenes video shot from the factory floor at PRS's factory in Maryland documents a meticulous build process in which there are no shortcuts

Guitar World

“It’s used for fence posts in Guatemala, and somehow that has given it a low-class reputation on the internet”: Paul Reed Smith says the materials used to make a guitar absolutely do make a difference – but not for the reason you might think

The six-string scientist has once again stressed that certain woods do in fact change the tone of your guitar, and he's drawn attention to an oddly spec'd custom build to prove it

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Guitar World

“We’ve also talked about doing replicas, beaten up so they look like mine”: Mark Tremonti says a relic’d recreation of his Dimebag-stickered PRS is on the cards – could artificially aged PRS guitars become a reality?

PRS has yet to officially release a relic'd guitar, but that could all be about to change

Guitar World

“‘I’ve never picked one up and it’s never moved me’ – that’s not fair”: Paul Reed Smith hits back at critics who say PRS guitars are “too perfect and have no soul”

The guitar engineer designs some of the finest instruments money can buy – but for some, they're just “too good”

MusicRadar

"'I’ve picked one up and it didn’t move me' is fair comment. But 'I’ve never picked one up and it’s never moved me' - that’s not fair": Paul Reed Smith takes on the PRS doubters

Paul Reed Smith addresses criticism of PRS guitars as ‘too perfect'

Guitar World

“Paul Reed Smith wanted to do something, but I had to explain it was my dream as a kid to have an Ibanez signature. Paul said he’d do anything to make it happen”: Herman Li on his switch to PRS – and the perils of shredding on waterslides

Paul Reed Smith wanted to do something but I had to explain it was my dream as a kid to have an Ibanez signature. Paul said he’d do anything to make it happen

Guitar World

“He preferred what was readily available – and affordable. And when he measured responses, he didn’t really see differences between woods”: Leo Fender didn’t think tonewoods made much difference to solidbody guitar tone

The electric guitar pioneer used pine, alder, ash, poplar, mahogany and more, but apparently deemed the tonal differences negligible

MusicRadar

“The lesser amount that the guitar shuts the string down the better the guitar is”: Paul Reed Smith explains what makes a good guitar – does yours pass his test?

There are all kinds of factors that go into making a great guitar but the PRS Guitars boss explains how telling good from bad can be as simple as taking out a stopwatch

Guitar World

“John had to send a text with a photo of a piece of paper, where he scribbled, ‘Yes, it’s me!’” Before the Silver Sky was built, John Mayer cold-called PRS to discuss working on a guitar together – but the phone operator hung up on him

Session pro Tim Pierce recounted the tale on his YouTube channel, recalling how one of the most popular guitars of this generation got off to a rocky start

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