Information about my PRS Custom 24, supposedly a 10-top 1990 Pre-Factory?

[Teppe]

Hello,
I've had this guitar for quite a while but I've never managed to quite get some good information about it. I've been doing some research online and i've only come to a possible conclusion that It might be a 10-top from 1990, which is Pre-Factory if I'm not mistaken. So now I'm coming here in hope that some of you may know more about PRS guitars than me. I'd be very grateful

I'm also very curious about the 2-way "bright switch", as I like to call it, which has replaced the tone knob. I tried looking it up on the web and found some people talking about it being a modification Santana came up with or something, and I've seen pictures of other 1990 models with the same switch. When It's "engaged" it is very bright sounding and has lots of definition and turing it off makes it very mellow sounding, kind of as if you have the tone knob at 5.
As for the color It is kind of dark blue, depending on the lighting, and very transparent, It must be a very thin layer of paint.

I have some pictures of it for you to look at. Everything on the guitar is stock as far as I know.

What I'm interested in knowing is;
- Name of the color
- Pickups
- That 2-way "bright" switch
- Is it pre-factory/1990 model
- Is it a 10-top
- Anything else worth knowing about it

 

[shinksma]

Well, the serial number seems to indicate 1990 - I cannot comment on whether the manner of marking it is typical of 1990, I'm not sure when they started to use the gold paint pen. I don't see a "10" stamp on the back of the headstock, but the top looks as good as or maybe even better than my (2002) 10-top. The winged tuners put it in the right ballpark for vintage.

Colors are hard - they can fade or darken over time. Could be just Matteo Blue. (Someone somewhere on this forum had a color chart from about that era...I won't be able to find the post, I'm sure...)

(and to beat a dead-horse, 1990 is pre-Stevensville, but the guitar was still built in a factory...)

 

[Faded]

-1990 is not pre factory.
-It is not a 10 top.
-Its called a sweet switch.
-Bass and Treble pickups (though they could be something else, check the backs for stickers)
-Nice guitar!

 

[Dutch]

Nice guitar. I just got a 2000 PRS Custom 24 10 Top in emerald green. I believe the back of head stock should have a 10 marked on top right corner from the serial #. Not sure if that's how it was done in the 90's. I'm a newbie to PRS, and loving it. Played Strats, Tele's and LP's most my life, at 52yrs. of age, I'm expanding my horizons. LOL

 

[rugerpc]

I think that might be Royal Blue or Whale Blue - it looks too dark to be Blue Matteo...

Also, Blue Matteo usually has a naturally finished back and headstock.

but - I could be wrong - I'm suffering from serious DAK syndrome this morning...

 

[AP515]

I think that might be Royal Blue or Whale Blue - it looks too dark to be Blue Matteo...

+1 I vote Whale Blue faded.
Not a 10 top
There is no such thing as "prefactory" after 85.
The HFS/Vintage set was available by 1989 so the pups may be either T&B's or HFS/Vintage (look on back).
Yes the Sweet switch was developed because of a request from Santana. He wanted to replicate the sound he heard when using a long guitar cable. The switch attempts to reproduce the added inductance and time delay.

 

[garrettb]

Blue Matteo wasn't offered until the 2000's and is much lighter with a natural back/neck. The guitar in the pics should be Whale Blue. Royal Blue had matching blue back/neck and no faux binding.

Take the pickups out when you get a chance. They should be labeled and there will be some markings in the body routs.

 

[DISTORT6]

Gray Black, perhaps? My GB Cu22 can look like that in photographs.

 

[JMintzer]

Whale Blue or Grey Black. Not Royal Blue, they have a transparent Blue back.

And it is a '90, on the "Old" Factory. But still a factory...

Back then, the "10" would be stamped into the wood by the upper point of the headstock.

Pups? T&B or HFS/Vintage. It''ll say on the back of them...

Hope this helps...