Two identical hang tags with different dates for new PRS Studio

So I stumbled on this demo video from Sweetwater, which features this exact guitar. The video was posted on February 17, 2021. Which means the guitar must have left the factory after the first tag from December 2020, and either went back sometime between Feb 17 and March 3, or for some reason PRS made a duplicate hang tag and sent it to Sweetwater. The serial number shows up at 1:31 on the video, so it is definitely my guitar. Does PRS send review models out which are then sent back to the factory? This is getting interesting!

 
Good eye there, Patrick! I wonder if something became un-perfect after the demo... like a small finish scratch somewhere, or a headstock ding, or some pickwear on the pickup cover... something like that. Back to the factory for a fixup and 2nd "final check" and it's good as new?
 
Question for OP... Did you buy it from Sweetwater?

Lots of guesses in my head, each as useless as the next. Best one... used for a demo, returned to PRS for inspection before being sold as a still-unowned guitar, both tags left as confusing but transparent evidence of the guitar’s history.

That your guitar was good enough to be put forth as an example of a model, and intended to inspire others to want one, speaks highly of the quality. I’m sure it’s a really nice one!
 
Patrick Montgomery said:
So I stumbled on this demo video from Sweetwater, which features this exact guitar. The video was posted on February 17, 2021. Which means the guitar must have left the factory after the first tag from December 2020, and either went back sometime between Feb 17 and March 3, or for some reason PRS made a duplicate hang tag and sent it to Sweetwater. The serial number shows up at 1:31 on the video, so it is definitely my guitar. Does PRS send review models out which are then sent back to the factory? This is getting interesting!

Click to expand...
Great detective work, Patrick! Someone should ask Shawn about this ...

Hey, @Shawn@PRS !!
 
Patrick Montgomery said:
So I stumbled on this demo video from Sweetwater, which features this exact guitar. The video was posted on February 17, 2021. Which means the guitar must have left the factory after the first tag from December 2020, and either went back sometime between Feb 17 and March 3, or for some reason PRS made a duplicate hang tag and sent it to Sweetwater. The serial number shows up at 1:31 on the video, so it is definitely my guitar. Does PRS send review models out which are then sent back to the factory? This is getting interesting!

Click to expand...
Possible it was damaged when the guitar was on its demo tour. Since it was a brand new model and guitar, they did not want to sell it as a demo, so they sent it for a factory recondition. After recondition it went through QC again, thus a second tag.
 
RickP said:
Question for OP... Did you buy it from Sweetwater?

Lots of guesses in my head, each as useless as the next. Best one... used for a demo, returned to PRS for inspection before being sold as a still-unowned guitar, both tags left as confusing but transparent evidence of the guitar’s history.

That your guitar was good enough to be put forth as an example of a model, and intended to inspire others to want one, speaks highly of the quality. I’m sure it’s a really nice one!
Click to expand...

I actually bought it from Dave’s Guitar Shop as a used guitar. I was calling places asking about preorders (when is it expected, how much down, etc) and they just happened to have this one which is exactly what I wanted! Good luck I guess.
 
SOLVED! (mostly) I think I have most of the backstory on this guitar now. After noticing that the guitar in the Sweetwater review was my guitar, I was able to get in contact with Don Carr who did the review. He told me that the guitar was a "marketing sample," which made its way to Sweetwater and likely other retailers for review as well. Don sent the guitar back to PRS after the review, and remembered the guitar looking very clean at that time. I then contacted the sales rep from Dave's, who told said that they did not get the guitar as "used" or "b-stock" from PRS directly, that PRS doesn't do that, and that it was sold to them by a customer. He speculates that after finishing its demo tour, the guitar found its way to PRS's AR department, where it was sold to one of their artist who sold it to Dave's. I have the name of someone to contact at PRS regarding this point in the timeline, but until then here is the guitars backstory:

  1. Finished in December 2020 as a Marketing Sample, where it got its 12-4-20 hang tag
  2. Sent out on a demo tour as a Marketing sample in early 2021
  3. Reviewed at Sweetwater by Don Carr in February 2021
  4. Sent back to PRS by Don
  5. Cleaned up in the PRS factory after its demo tour, where it got its 3-3-21 hang tag
  6. (Unconfirmed) Made its way to PRS's AR department and sold to a PRS artist.
  7. Sold to Dave's by the original purchaser in mid-late March 2021.
  8. Purchased by myself over phone before it was listed by Dave's on 3-30-21
  9. And going to its first gig this Saturday April 10!
Thanks to everyone who gave me your ideas/tips, this has been an interesting little adventure. Don was a pleasure to talk to, and told me about the demos. He also said that the Special SH he demo'd at the same time was amazing and a joy to play (maybe I need another of those too now.. ;)) I am waiting on a call back from a PRS employee regarding the AR department bit, but I feel good knowing the life this guitar had before it finally made it home!
 
Patrick Montgomery said:
SOLVED! (mostly) I think I have most of the backstory on this guitar now. After noticing that the guitar in the Sweetwater review was my guitar, I was able to get in contact with Don Carr who did the review. He told me that the guitar was a "marketing sample," which made its way to Sweetwater and likely other retailers for review as well. Don sent the guitar back to PRS after the review, and remembered the guitar looking very clean at that time. I then contacted the sales rep from Dave's, who told said that they did not get the guitar as "used" or "b-stock" from PRS directly, that PRS doesn't do that, and that it was sold to them by a customer. He speculates that after finishing its demo tour, the guitar found its way to PRS's AR department, where it was sold to one of their artist who sold it to Dave's. I have the name of someone to contact at PRS regarding this point in the timeline, but until then here is the guitars backstory:

  1. Finished in December 2020 as a Marketing Sample, where it got its 12-4-20 hang tag
  2. Sent out on a demo tour as a Marketing sample in early 2021
  3. Reviewed at Sweetwater by Don Carr in February 2021
  4. Sent back to PRS by Don
  5. Cleaned up in the PRS factory after its demo tour, where it got its 3-3-21 hang tag
  6. (Unconfirmed) Made its way to PRS's AR department and sold to a PRS artist.
  7. Sold to Dave's by the original purchaser in mid-late March 2021.
  8. Purchased by myself over phone before it was listed by Dave's on 3-30-21
  9. And going to its first gig this Saturday April 10!
Thanks to everyone who gave me your ideas/tips, this has been an interesting little adventure. Don was a pleasure to talk to, and told me about the demos. He also said that the Special SH he demo'd at the same time was amazing and a joy to play (maybe I need another of those too now.. ;)) I am waiting on a call back from a PRS employee regarding the AR department bit, but I feel good knowing the life this guitar had before it finally made it home!
Click to expand...
Good sleuthing!
 
Patrick Montgomery said:
SOLVED! (mostly) I think I have most of the backstory on this guitar now. After noticing that the guitar in the Sweetwater review was my guitar, I was able to get in contact with Don Carr who did the review. He told me that the guitar was a "marketing sample," which made its way to Sweetwater and likely other retailers for review as well. Don sent the guitar back to PRS after the review, and remembered the guitar looking very clean at that time. I then contacted the sales rep from Dave's, who told said that they did not get the guitar as "used" or "b-stock" from PRS directly, that PRS doesn't do that, and that it was sold to them by a customer. He speculates that after finishing its demo tour, the guitar found its way to PRS's AR department, where it was sold to one of their artist who sold it to Dave's. I have the name of someone to contact at PRS regarding this point in the timeline, but until then here is the guitars backstory:

  1. Finished in December 2020 as a Marketing Sample, where it got its 12-4-20 hang tag
  2. Sent out on a demo tour as a Marketing sample in early 2021
  3. Reviewed at Sweetwater by Don Carr in February 2021
  4. Sent back to PRS by Don
  5. Cleaned up in the PRS factory after its demo tour, where it got its 3-3-21 hang tag
  6. (Unconfirmed) Made its way to PRS's AR department and sold to a PRS artist.
  7. Sold to Dave's by the original purchaser in mid-late March 2021.
  8. Purchased by myself over phone before it was listed by Dave's on 3-30-21
  9. And going to its first gig this Saturday April 10!
Thanks to everyone who gave me your ideas/tips, this has been an interesting little adventure. Don was a pleasure to talk to, and told me about the demos. He also said that the Special SH he demo'd at the same time was amazing and a joy to play (maybe I need another of those too now.. ;)) I am waiting on a call back from a PRS employee regarding the AR department bit, but I feel good knowing the life this guitar had before it finally made it home!
Click to expand...

I spoke to the Director of Sales at PRS, and he said he remembered this guitar. He said when they were getting it ready, they had put the green stain on it but not the burst. When they realized it didn't have the burst, Matt Eriza himself put it on, which is pretty cool. This was before they sent it out as a sample. He also said it might have been re-cased when it got back from its demo tour, when it might have received the extra tag. He also thought that it was probably sent to a retailer, rather than the AR department. Whoever bought this and sold it to Dave's gave up a gem, that's for sure... lucky me!
 
What a sweet guitar!

I have an AR guitar as well, built by the Private Stock people. It's my understanding that the ones that get sent to artists for evaluation are the nicest sounding examples they can conjure up. Mine certainly qualifies, as I'm sure yours does, too.

The AR team has someone who sets up the guitars to make sure they're absolutely perfect and play well. Super-nice person, by the way.

Point is, they don't go out to artists unless they're the best of the best, and that includes the setup. When the guitars come back, they get the first-class treatment, polishing, etc. The same is true of the NAMM guitars (which I've also been lucky enough to own).

So, yeah, you lucked out!
 
Faded said:
Perhaps it was completed in 2020, but then held back for some reason. To go back through finishing or something and then issued a second card upon its second completion.
Click to expand...

I have a guitar with two hang tags for this exact reason (albeit, a Gibson, not a PRS).
 
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