What started it all?

[Aldwyn]

I had been playing Lesters for several years, but found their weight to be daunting. I was sick of swinging a 10 pound ground around my neck for hours at a time (back when I was gigging, anyway).

So I went looking for something that sounded lester like, but weighed much less. Guitar Denter guy put a McCarty in my hands. Wasnt a big fan (though years later I would become a fan!). Another guy online said "Try out a CU22." I started shopping and bought one without playing it.. the store in NJ (No longer aorund) told me I could send it back if I didnt like it, so I figured, why not?

It started a love affair. That was 2002, I believe. I have had too many PRSi come through my stables to count or remember... but I have 9 currently. Started with one little CU22.

- Aldwyn

 

[pontaeri]

I picked up acoustic on a cheapie epiphone but switched to classical when a friend in college taught me to play (later I learned he's related to famous luthiery guild in Spain . . .) 5 songs. It was really moving that classical, but I always wondered about electric and I love the blues. I've hung out with bands and even sat in their practices and noodling around at music parties (everyone brings stuff in and plays no matter how good). First weapon was a heritage h150, powerful. But a tele was given to me, and I linked into that. Then came the dream. A Taylor 114, cheapie but for some reason whomever made it at Taylor really put her or his heart into it cuz it kicked arses or arsii of the 2K martins and taylors.

But fate was to change, as my church band needed / wanted a bass player and I was it. the band had one of those 'stars' a guy who started playing guitar and in 3 months he can challenge Joe S or Steve Vai (ok he's learned classical trumpet since he was a kid and has perfect pitch ears) but the guy won't or will not play lead. But I'm not great enough to play lead but I am at bass. But its cool because the guitar player can mess up and no one will hear him but if I mess up at bass

Then I saw a post on TGP how PRS is like Taylor of the electric world, so went with a Mira. Played one at GC but they said it was on hold for someone. Liked the playability but then realized why God had me play bass. I see tons of posts of people saying 22 is the way since they grew up fendering or gibsoning and can't adjust to playing a season of 24. But since I'm used to bass bombing, the 24 is a great fit (for some reason I can jump back on my tAYlor or classical and not flinch). Negotiating on ordering one ATM . . .

 

[László]

In 1991, I was doing an ad score, and had a client over who was a guitar player. When I laid down my electric guitar part, he said he liked my playing, but asked me why I hadn't considered looking into something he called, "Tone."

I thought he meant my old '65 SG Special, didn't realize he was talking about the sans-amp type thing I was using. He was a good client, so I figured I'd better get a new guitar. I went looking for a Les Paul, like others here, and the store's owner said, "We have this new line that you really should try."

I liked it a lot better than the Gibsons in the store, and walked out with a Custom.

Also a Mesa amp.

 

[Goldtop]

Back in the early to mid 80's I started seeing these writeups in music magazines about this new guy and the guitar company he had started. These were music and recording mags., not dedicated guitar mags. They usually included a small black and white picture of his guitar. Then, I began to see tiny eighth-of-a-page-sized ads in the backs of magazines, again with tiny black and white pics of a guitar, and a note at the bottom that said 'send $2.00 for brochure' or something along those lines. So I did.

In the mail I received a large folder-sized envelope with an eight page (plus center foldout) color booklet, a pricelist dated January 1st, 1985, and a list of dealers in America. Three models, and three available options. Amazing pictures. Beautiful colors and layout. The composition was incredible. This was (and still is IMO) a work of art. On the cover was a black guitar with odd stripes, controls in a line, and both phillips and standard adjustment screws on the vibrato tailpiece. THE 'Infamous' Metal.

I showed the brochure to some of the guitar players I hung around with, and to a man they hated it. 'Too showy!' 'Too fancy!' 'Waaaayyy too expensive!' And those birds? 'What is that, a guitar for chicks?' They actually laughed at it. They were ignorant and brutal, and they just didn't get it. In fact, for years I seemed to be the only one I knew of who appreciated PRS, and none of us had even heard one yet that we knew of. Where I lived then - the Texas panhandle - it was either Fender or Peavey. If you wanted to show off you had a Gibson. Beyond that, nobody cared.

There were two music stores in town, plus a tiny mom and pop or two. None of them had even heard of PRS guitars, so I ended up calling a dealer several hundred miles away in San Antonio. They wanted the full payment up front - around $1500.00 with the birds I HAD to have - and then it would be 'a long wait, probably six months at least'. I couldn't do that even if I had wanted to, so I was stuck. All I could do was wait and hope and save my pennies.

Soon after that, pictures started showing up in magazines of famous players with PRS guitars. In a Circus or Hit Parader or maybe Creem, I saw a picture of Heart. I've always thought Ann Wilson was AMAZING! That VOICE and that WRITING and that LOOK! A GODDESS! I still feel that way. But this particular picture was just of Howard and Nancy onstage somewhere. It was a bad angle and I could only see a little of the body, but it looked like Howard was holding a PRS! (I can tell you, if had been a picture of Ann holding a PRS I would have needed a doctor, but that's another story for another place and time.) :lol: Around that time, Heart and Eddie Money came through on tour. I went to the show, but my attention was all on Ann! Guitars took a bit of a backseat that night...

A few years later, I managed to find a Custom in the want ads of the paper. I bought it and had it quite a while, but I finally had to sell it when I got laid off and was out of work for over a year. It was a long time before I was finally able to get another PRS, but I had to part with it too.

So, in my rambling way here, I suppose my answer to the original question is, it was one of the very early guitars Paul made, either by himself or with a small group of people that started it all for me. The one(s) in those ads first caught my eye, then it was whatever Howard Leese had at the time. Maybe even The Golden Eagle. But I think it's important to note that it was the total of it all that made - and still makes - the difference. The woods and hardware, the workmanship, the art and colors of that first brochure, how articulate and thoughtful Paul was in those small writeups and interviews. The attention to detail every step of the way... Everything about this was different. Better. It still is in my opinion. If I could, I'd love to be able to move to Maryland and work at PRS Guitars. I think it would be an honor. (I know that may sound like I'm sucking up, but I'm speaking from the heart. Folks are free to make of it whatever they like.)

Goldtop

 

[GroovyTubes]

I actually hated the PRS brand for a bit (i know, please don't smite me) because the only ones i'd played were at guitarcenter, mistreated and misused.

the only 'high end' guitars I liked were EBMM JP's.


...then I grew up realized the beauty and quality of a PRS

 

[cwhenke]

An emerald custom on the wall in a guitar shop in St. Louis when I was in college. I took a PRS catalog and lusted after ever guitar in there. First thing I bought after graduation and had money was a PRS.

 

[jimfisher]

Gibson Les Paul...

I went guitar shopping with a buddy, planning on buying a Lester.

I left w/a CU-22... Go figure...

But to my defense, it was a bit "smokey" in the guitar store... :lol:


Jamie

Jamie,

That sure seems like a long time ago! Mine was a CE22 which I didn't keep long because I didn't know what a WT neck was at the time. Wonder if Carlos is still working at WMC?

Jim

 

[JMintzer]

Gibson Les Paul...

I went guitar shopping with a buddy, planning on buying a Lester.

I left w/a CU-22... Go figure...

But to my defense, it was a bit "smokey" in the guitar store... :lol:


Jamie

Jamie,

That sure seems like a long time ago! Mine was a CE22 which I didn't keep long because I didn't know what a WT neck was at the time. Wonder if Carlos is still working at WMC?

Jim

Fall of '99...

Yes, Carlos is still there. I helped my oldest daughter's boyfriend pick out an SE Single Cut a few months ago. Carlos gave him a great deal...


Jamie

 

[jignant]

1995 and a sunburst CE22 changed my guitar life forever. Perfect weight, pickups that covered overdriven tones so well and cleaned up so nice. A tremolo that worked perfectly and a myriad of rotary induced tones. That hard rock maple neck with it's satin finish that glides behind a fretboard that felt TRULY like an extension of my hand. That was it. Took it home and it has been my number one since. PRS ARE my number one and the guitar player in me thanks PRS and company for giving me tools that let me concentrate on performance and not on gear. I am four PRS deep now days with an 07 McCarty in STRONG at number two. Nothin' says play me like a Paul Reed Smith guitar!



The un modded, gigged like crazy and never going anywhere ONE:

 

[László]

I still remember sitting in that "Mom & Pop" shop back in 1991; of course, there was no GC in Michigan back then, and most guitar shops were small to moderate in size. The drawback, of course, was that the choices were generally fewer, but in a way, that meant you could really concentrate on a few guitars at a time. You'd visit now and again to see what they had, and when you found your match, it was a wonderful thing.

The shop I found my first (and second and third!) PRS in was called Pontiac Music and Sound. The owners were really nice folks - I'm sure that Paul would remember them (though at some point before they closed they lost their PRS contract). I remember the owner's excitement in telling me about this new line of guitars (PRS).

After playing a few of the Gibsons I originally went in to check out, the PRS felt like butter in my hand. And the sound - absolutely wonderful with a then-boutique Mesa amp. It was instant love.

Every so often I read posts on various forums talking about how much prettier or better the old ones were - I don't agree. Yes, they were nice. But memory can be a funny thing; when I look at some of my old pictures, it's easy to see that the new ones are every bit as nice in terms of wood figure, and when I listen back to some of my old recordings, I do think the new ones are improved in terms of tone -- though it's hard to beat a guitar whose wood has aged for 25 years or so, recordings let you hear back to when the guitar was new. That's not a bad thing.

Anyway, forgive me for rambling. The world has changed a lot since I got started with these guitars, our tastes have evolved as players, and even the number of guitars that players often have is vastly different (people have more stuff now!).

So there are things I miss about the old days, but there's lots to really enjoy now, too.

 

[Zilmo]

Howard Leese. I whacked a big hole in an '85 of his (number 152 I think) and ended up buying an '87 Custom in faded Emerald Green from him.

 

[RickO]

It all started for me some 26 years ago, when an old dealer friend took me into his office to let me check out a guitar that he got from a guy named Paul Smith at ‘85 Summer NAMM in New Orleans. He’d just purchased a ’57 Strat, and his wife informed him that one of the guitars had to go. He offered it to me, saying that he had to have what he paid for it…$1,200.00. It was an original prototype of the PRS Custom. My life changed that day. I have been in love with these guitars ever since. Oh, I did buy the guitar by the way.

 

[solacematt]

The first time I heard of PRS was in '98 when I saw Incubus at Ozzfest and started reading up on them afterwards. The guitarist Mike had a guitar that, to me looked like the one Slverchair's guitarist Daniel Johns used.
In 2001 my mom took me guitar shopping to Sam Ash where I was intent to buy a Gibson Black Beauty. Being a fan of Silverchair, Creed, Incubus, and Nickelback I kept eyeing the PRS guitars hanging on the wall behind the accessories counter. My mom said I should just try one out if I'm so curious. I said I didn't think I should because I couldn't afford it. I tried out a very dark black cherry standard; It kind of broke my heart so the sales person said I should apply for their card. I ended up getting approved for an amount that the sales guy said he never saw a kid my age get approved for, so I got the PRS and was a happy happy player

 

[vchizzle]

My first PRS was a CE-22. It was war torn, abused and poorly put back together .The pickups were dead, the neck was rough due to dings and it was marked up to distract you from its gorgeous top and stain. I sold it, but didn't let that experience take away my desire for another PRS.

Years later I was able to aquire a Custom 24 10 top and well - it's been all down hill since then....

:shock: I'm in love.

 

[goldengate06]

In 1994 I was in the Army and stationed at Schofield Barracks on Oahu. I took guitar lessons at Hot Licks guitar shop in Aiea. I went in for my weekly lesson and immediately my eyes locked onto a blue PRS CE3 hanging on the wall. Since I was a Soldier I knew I could never afford a new PRS guitar. Much to my surprise the shop owner said it was used. I plugged it in and immediately fell in love with the guitar. I've been a die hard PRS freak ever since. No other guitar in my collection of over twenty guitars plays like it or sounds like it. It has a wide thin neck (much thinner than the new ones) and I installed a Dragon pickup in the bridge, which sounds killer. I've played it so much in the last 18 years that I've worn the finish off of the back of the neck and had to replaced the frets twice. It is my desert island guitar. When I was in the Middle East I even had dreams about playing it. Geeky, I know, but true.

 

[11top]

When the Beatles first hit the US scene around '63, I had to get a guitar. I was relentless with my mom and so we ended up at the local music shop. The choice came down to a blue metalflake Magnatone or a '63 strat.
Uh huh.............................I chose the blue metalflake. In reality, it's likely that I wouldn't still have the strat anyway.
The first new guitar I bought that I still own was purchased in 1976. I still have it:

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

Ohhh... are we talking about what started our entire guitar obsession? Not just our PRS obsession?

In that case... a Ventura Les Paul Black Beauty copy. I miss that guitar.

 

[docbennett]

Back in 2004 I finally decided that, well in advance of my 50th Birthday, I was finally going to get my dream guitar. I sold all my gear to afford a 2000 CU24, ten top, birds, amber. Got it from "Guitar Rez" and was thrilled with it.

This guitar was a game changer for me. I was finally able to coax the tones out of it that my prior instruments could not yield.

The rest is history. The 2000 CU24 is long gone. The only "production" CU24's I currently own are a couple pre-standards, a '94 Metal refinished by Larry (Paintguy) and the recent 2011Tree of Life editions in both colors. I have a lot of diversity in my collection, and they all get played regularly.

 

[Brian]

Originally?

The McCarty.

Reason?

Versatility.

 

[RJLII]

A year or so ago I had occasion to play a McCarty and it really changed things for me. It was perfect. I've been on a low intensity hunt for the right one since.

Last week I had one more or less fall in to my lap. A 2009 Korina Soapbar with a Brazialian board, Abalone Birds, Zhangbucker P90s, and an upgraded PRS adjustable compensating bridge. It's nearly weightless, sounds great, and is a joy to play. Love the wide/fat neck carve, although being used to Historic Les Pauls it's one of the thinner necks in my stable. All indications are I'm the fourth owner, and I can't understand why someone would let this guitar go.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8011/7258 ... f988_k.jpg

This won't be my last PRS