The day is finally here. I just returned home from the candy land by the Chesapeake Bay. I didn't sleep a wink last night being so nervous about my first trip to the Vault for my first PS build. I had been looking at every forum post, watching every youtube vid I could find, going over the build in my head over and over but at 10am it became real. I met Brian in the lobby and he led me upstairs towards the Vault and I felt my heart begin to race with each step. I have never been to Disneyland but this must be what it feels like to a child. I soon was standing in the room I had only seen in youtube videos at 720 definition...now I was face to face with what looks like a guitarists dream world.
Brian introduced me to Tina and the three of us began to talk about my build. I explained to them how the reality of the day had me a bit nervous and they both invited me to just enjoy myself and have fun creating. Brian had already pulled some beautiful pieces of quilt and curly maple for us to look through for selecting a top. Both he and Tina took the time to explain the differences in the grain patterns of East Coast versus West Coast maple and explained the importance of selecting a top specifically based on how the Northern Lights stain I selected would take to the grain.
Once I selected the top I felt a sense of relief, now I was at ease and really starting to have fun. At this point Paul Miles came in and warmly greeted me, I must admit it was kind of like meeting a celebrity. Paul and Brian then took me over to the area in the Vault to pick out a back and a neck blank. I originally had specd Indian rosewood for the neck but Paul Miles showed me a beautiful fiddle back mahogany that paired perfectly with the ribbon hog that I selected for the back. After I picked out the fingerboard and headstock overlay we sprayed everything down and I finally saw the core foundation of what my guitar would be. Around this time the man himself walked in with a big smile on his face. "Isn't this fun"? he said. I couldn't stop smiling. Here I was having the same feeling I had in 1995 as a teenager getting my first real guitar, a purple CE-24 and now I'm in the same room looking across the table as Paul Reed Smith himself is inspecting my selection with a look of approval on his face.
Paul Miles, Tina, Brian and myself discussed all of the final details with the neck profile, hardware, electronics, pickups etc and then I looked over inlay options as the final step.
The specs for the final build are: DG Stoptail in Northern Lights, East Coast curly maple top, ribbon mahogany back, fiddle back mahogany neck with an African blackwood fingerboard and headstock overlay, "594" Pattern Vintage neck profile with DGT frets, 58/15LT pickups with DGT electronics, and "Old School gold MOP inlays for the fingerboard as well as the PS eagle on the headstock.
I can't begin to express how great the experience was doing this. Brian and Corey at Brian's guitars have been fantastic to work with from the initial concept to the build. Paul Miles and Tina were comforting, patient and kind making sure I enjoyed myself through the whole experience. And to the man himself, thank you for not only creating the finest guitar on the planet but also hiring such a great team of gifted and caring people who make the ordinary customer feel like a rock star. Also thanks to all my forum friends for chiming in anytime I need opinions and advice. What a great PRS family we have here. All the best.
-Evan
