2011 PRS Artist Stock #132 (Heather's Guitar)
This is a long story but I hope I was able to capture it. What you are about to read is fairly personal but I would like to share the whole story.
I realize that most people around here have already seen this video. Hell, a bunch of you were there for the actual conversation - but the story of this guitar is inextricably tied to this video. Before you watch it, let me set the tone. I was following Paul around the factory like a shadow trying to get him to sell me a set of 53/10 pickups. I just wanted the pups for guitars I already owned but Paul is in the business of selling new guitars, not new pickups, so he would just laugh and say, "buy the pickups and I'll give you a free guitar".
In previous years, Paul walked around the Experience randomly handing out pickups to people. The first year it was 57/08's. The 2nd year it was 59/09's. This was the 3rd year and 53/10's had just hit the scene. I was hoping to get lucky and score a set.
This conversation came about because I raised my hand in a crowded room and pleaded with Paul to SELL me some pickups to upgrade some of my old guitars. I didn't really know Paul at this time. I had met him a few times prior but I was just a guitar guy hanging with friends at the Experience. Anyway, as soon as I angled for the pickups, he went into sales mode (which he's good at). Then things started to unfold.
Now a lot of you may think that this story ends the following year but it doesn't. There was more in the middle.
Nothing thrills me more than meeting my friends at the Winter NAMM show each year. You may have seen my NAMM threads. You may have even seen me get my pee-pee slapped for posting pictures of the Vela before it's formal release. Yes... yes... dealers were already posting photos of it on FaceBook but my post is the one that got noticed.
Four months after this video was filmed, my wife, daughter, and I drove to Anaheim to spend the week at Disneyland. The plan was to spend the week enjoying some family time before my pals started showing up. Then we would do the NAMM thing before flying to Japan for a 3-week business trip. Three days before the NAMM show opened, Paul walks-in to have breakfast with a briefcase and an SE gig bag.
I said hello, introduced my wife and daughter, and invited him to join us for breakfast. As he sat, he handed me his SE guitar case and said "there is something very special in there." When I opened it, I sh!t bricks. This was the first time I (or just about anyone outside of the factory) had seen 408 pickups.
If you are a die-hard PRS fan then you understand the significance of a PRS with pickups that were totally designed by PRS. For once the guitar that came to fame splitting the difference between a Strat and a Les Paul was available with pickups that weren't designed by Seth Lover. Based on the Seth Lover design? Sure. But unique enough to be their own thing. These immediately reminded me of the P90 humbucker and P90 that Paul and John Ingram used to build for the Sorcerer's Apprentice guitars (which are killer-sounding instruments). Needless to say, I was head-over-heels in love with that guitar
With Heather sitting right there, I pulled out my wallet, handed Paul my American Express, and said "please sell me this guitar. Keep it as long as you need it and then ship it my way when you're done." He politely declined but I protested. I said "come one Paul. You're going to give this to a rockstar who may play it from time to time but you can sell it to me and it will be treasured in my family for generations." Still, he politely declined.
When he finished his breakfast, he tried to pay but I had already covered the bill. I was a Diamond member with Hilton (at the time) so everything was already paid for. He said "I'm the one who is supposed to buy YOU breakfast". He thanked me, hugged Heather and Eden, and left for work.
As he was walking away, without prompting, Eden (my daughter) softly said, in her tiny little voice "goodbye Mr. Smith". Her mother and I were totally gob-smacked. Completely left-field. Never saw it coming. He stopped dead in his tracks, paused, turned around, smiled the biggest smile, said "Goodbye Eden", then he disappeared into the crowd.
A few days later, Paul had a party at the hotel (prior to the start of the NAMM show) and Shawn invited a small group of us along. It was a grand time. Truly. While I was there, I took the time to photograph the guitar but was sworn to secrecy.
By Friday of that week, the news was out. Paul spared no expense bringing out all the players for the announcement of this instrument. The NAMM booth was standing-room-only and rock-stars were thick as thieves. Everyone was talking about the new pickups -- at the show -- on the internet. It was a big deal and I was thrilled for Shawn, for Paul, and for all the employees who make PRS guitars the best instruments on the planet.
When the dust settled, the guitar was given to Mr. Ricky Skaggs. I saw it coming. I am a businessman too.
That night, there was another party. Once again, everyone was there. There were legends in that room. And when I saw Paul, I jokingly jabbed "YOU GAVE IT AWAY
ALREADY?!?!?". I sometimes forget that I can come across angry when I'm not. Paul immediately jabbed back. Firmly. He's a lot of fun but he's also a bright guy with a sharp wit.
He tore into me pretty good. I had pissed him off. Sincerely. I reached out, grabbed his arm, softened my tone and said (as best I can recall) "oh, man... Paul... clearly I have upset you and I'm really sorry. I'm just being playful. I understand that you have a business to run and things like this are part of that process. Please accept my apology." He took a breath, said something along the lines of not letting my alligator mouth write checks my hummingbird ass can't cash - and walked away. I was so embarrassed. How could I have let this happen? Shawn turned to me, laughed, and said "wow man, you
really pissed him off." I left the party with a horrible knot in my stomach. I was in shambles. I hadn't felt anything like that since I was a kid.
The months passed and I slowly learned to live with what happened. I was in DC on business and stopped-in to the factory to say high to Shawn before meeting Mintzer for chili-dogs at Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street. Shawn was taking me up to the PTC to ogle one of Carlos' guitars when Paul passed us in the hall. He looked at me and all I could think to say was "don't hit me". Yes. That's what I said. He laughed and said "I'm not going to hit you". He shook my hand, said "nice suit", and was on his way. It was relieved to get that behind me - even though I couldn't manage a simple interaction without sounding like a 6th grader.
A few weeks later I get a call from Paul's secretary. She called to get info so she could buy Heather's plane ticket to the PRS Experience. I politely declined. She reminded me that Paul is a man of his word. Again, I declined. The truth was, I was Diamond Medallion with Delta airlines so I was flying first class (using Frequent Flyer Miles) and I didn't want to end up with me in 1st class and my family in coach and I sure wasn't going to allow someone else to foot that bill on my behalf. So Paul called me himself and said he wanted to buy the plane tickets. Once again, I politely declined the airline tickets and assured him my family was coming. He reluctantly accepted my refusal and said goodbye.
Then... the agenda for the PRS Experience is published. The main event, Friday night, is clearly printed for all to see. It reads as follows:
"Hans gets a divorce".
I read it twice and yelled "WHAT THE FU@K!?" I called Shawn for some explanation. Shawn laughed and said... "dude, I told you. You really pissed him off." Then he laughed again. I figured it was a joke but I couldn't be sure. As I said, Paul will roll-up his sleeves and verbally box you if you give him a reason. I didn't know what to expect.
The rest of the story ends with security guards grabbing me. They took a really long time to put me in a costume straight jacket. Then Paul brings out a guitar. He parades it around. He lets me smell it. I couldn't smell much of anything because the boys were busy pouring scotch down my throat. Then he graciously have the guitar to my wife and daughter after making them promised I can never touch it.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Like most stop-tail PRS guitars in our family, this one was upgraded with a Paul's Guitar bridge last time I had access to it.
![]-[@n$0Ma☩!©](/data/avatars/m/0/675.jpg?1595235761){kind=avatar}
