Sage
Guitarchaeologist
- Joined
- May 23, 2012
- Messages
- 462
I finally did it, I finally made the trek to Maryland to tour the PRS factory and select tonewoods for a Private Stock build. Since I have family in the area I scheduled a few days to visit with them, but yesterday I headed out to Stevensville and had an incredible experience.
I contacted Brian's Guitars a few months ago to get the ball rolling, and Brian and his sales manager Graham set up the meeting with Tina, Paul Miles, and the rest of the crew, and they met myself and another customer at PRS headquarters. Wood selection came first, and with Brian and Paul's help I was able to find exactly what I came looking for.
This will eventually become a Custom 24 Semi-Hollow with a wide-thin neck, stoptail, single f-hole, and an arched maple top *and* back. The tonewoods are not particularly exotic, but they are definitely top shelf; at the upper left is a Peruvian "sinker" mahogany neck blank, selected with the assistance of Paul Miles, who showed me what to look for. To the right of that is an ebony fretboard blank, the darkest and most uniform I could find, in order to provide ultimate contrast with MOP J-birds with Paua centers.
Arranged below the neck pieces are the lightest-colored piece of African mahogany I could find (in order to better take stain/toner on the sides of the guitar to match the top), an ebony headstock overlay (which actually had some subtle figuring which doesn't really come through in the above photo), then this 2-piece quilted maple top, which Brian discovered and I instantly fell in love with:
I believe I looked at every piece of quilted maple in the vault and this one was definitely the winner. It's going to look absolutely incredible in Purple Mist.
The other 2-piece maple set was chosen for the back. The large figure dead center in the bookmatched set was a bit too distracting for the top, in my opinion, but I think it'll make an excellent back.
I'll be getting a matching backplate to keep that beauty intact.
After that, we were given a guided tour of the factory by Shawn@PRS, and I have to say there is no better face for the company. Shawn was so hospitable, patient, generous with his time and knowledge, and just downright nice. A super cool guy that I'm very glad to have met.
We did get to see PRSh a couple of times throughout the day, and even got to watch him test out some Private Stocks that were getting his seal of approval to go out. At the end of the day he joined us for a drink at a nearby restaurant/bar, and even signed my copy of the PRS book for me. I can honestly say I'm as much a fan of this guy as I am of most of the musicians I admire, so this was a really special moment for me.
A perfect end to a perfect day. I don't think I could have asked for anything else. It was like being a kid at Disneyworld for the first time.
Thanks to Brian and Graham for setting this adventure up for me, and thanks to Shawn, Tina, Paul Miles, PRSh, and everybody else I met who made this such a memorable experience, one I don't think I'll ever forget.
I contacted Brian's Guitars a few months ago to get the ball rolling, and Brian and his sales manager Graham set up the meeting with Tina, Paul Miles, and the rest of the crew, and they met myself and another customer at PRS headquarters. Wood selection came first, and with Brian and Paul's help I was able to find exactly what I came looking for.
This will eventually become a Custom 24 Semi-Hollow with a wide-thin neck, stoptail, single f-hole, and an arched maple top *and* back. The tonewoods are not particularly exotic, but they are definitely top shelf; at the upper left is a Peruvian "sinker" mahogany neck blank, selected with the assistance of Paul Miles, who showed me what to look for. To the right of that is an ebony fretboard blank, the darkest and most uniform I could find, in order to provide ultimate contrast with MOP J-birds with Paua centers.
Arranged below the neck pieces are the lightest-colored piece of African mahogany I could find (in order to better take stain/toner on the sides of the guitar to match the top), an ebony headstock overlay (which actually had some subtle figuring which doesn't really come through in the above photo), then this 2-piece quilted maple top, which Brian discovered and I instantly fell in love with:
I believe I looked at every piece of quilted maple in the vault and this one was definitely the winner. It's going to look absolutely incredible in Purple Mist.
The other 2-piece maple set was chosen for the back. The large figure dead center in the bookmatched set was a bit too distracting for the top, in my opinion, but I think it'll make an excellent back.
I'll be getting a matching backplate to keep that beauty intact.
After that, we were given a guided tour of the factory by Shawn@PRS, and I have to say there is no better face for the company. Shawn was so hospitable, patient, generous with his time and knowledge, and just downright nice. A super cool guy that I'm very glad to have met.
We did get to see PRSh a couple of times throughout the day, and even got to watch him test out some Private Stocks that were getting his seal of approval to go out. At the end of the day he joined us for a drink at a nearby restaurant/bar, and even signed my copy of the PRS book for me. I can honestly say I'm as much a fan of this guy as I am of most of the musicians I admire, so this was a really special moment for me.
A perfect end to a perfect day. I don't think I could have asked for anything else. It was like being a kid at Disneyworld for the first time.
Thanks to Brian and Graham for setting this adventure up for me, and thanks to Shawn, Tina, Paul Miles, PRSh, and everybody else I met who made this such a memorable experience, one I don't think I'll ever forget.
