What was Your 1st PRS?

[Big Mike]

Mine was a late 80's CE alder body in electric blue with a maple fingerboard. Had "PRS Electric" livery on the headstock. Wish I still had that one.

I had a black one with maple board. Fun guitar.

 

[Boogie]

Since I was so rude as to omit a pic, here’s my apology...

 

[gush]

97 Custom 22 bought new in 97.

Dragon 1s???

 

[gush]

My first was a 2000 McCarty, it was a gift from my wife.

She had one of my friends get me started on what guitar I'd like to own. I had said a prs McCarty.

She found one used in great condition at a dealer on the west coast. Got it home without me knowing about it. Tricky girl.

I've got it the way I want it now.

8515 neck 5909 bridge push pulls on vol and tone pots. Prs adjustable bridge. Mann locking kluson tuners and rosewood bling everywhere.

My first guitar I purchased was G&L Nighthawk 1983. Still have it.

 

[Steven Lafferty]

This was my Anniversary present from my wife.

https://imgur.com/vk6jFbI

 

[Jacoby]

I traded an Ibanez AF-120 for a PRS SE Zach Myers about a year ago. Initially, the guitar didn't quite inspire me. I knew the guitar was really nice, but it just didn't feel great in my hands. I planned on trading the green machine away recently, so I put some new strings on it and all of a sudden the magic happened! I haven't been able to put it down!! What an incredible guitar!! This may be the beginning of a PRS addiction! I am definitely not going to trade this one away now.

 

[Gigi]

Someone mentioned seeing the PRS review in Guitar Player magazine in the 80s...that probably set the hook. However, I didn’t even consider buying one until 2001. Heck, at the time, I had a whopping 3 guitars...what the hell would I need with another guitar??!! A Les Paul, a Super Strat, and a regular Strat. Well, Mrs. B came up with the great notion that she wanted to buy me a “nice Christmas present...you know, one of those guitars you like...how much are they?” Me: “umm, with tax, probably $4k-$5k. Are you sure?” “Yeah, go pick it out but you can’t have it until Xmas day”. A few weeks later I had my Teal Black ‘01 Custom 24 10 Top, which was a PRS poster child. Couldn’t play it for 6 weeks! (I visited it whenever she left the house, which was rare with 2 kids 9 and 10 years old. It was torture!)

Still have it and it sits in my forever collection (I guess that’s just about everything I own).

the more i hear your stories, the more i think i am born on the wrong side of the world.
someone has a spare wife?

back in topic my first one was my 2005 standard 24, bought used from ebay uk in january 2008.
the second one was the 2012 swamp ash special NF, that one in my avatar, bought new in 2016

 

[UnGauGeD]

Bought my first ever PRS in 2008. A red CU22 followed by my second which is the whale blue one piece top SC.

Never really bonded with CU22 because of the 5 way rotary switch though. Regretted selling the whale blue.

Amazing how much PRS has evolved over the years. Kudos to Paul Reed Smith for the ever constant improvements.

 

[InTooDeep]

I bought my first in probably about 2007. I had a couple of nice guitars made by schecter that I decided I could live without to buy a PRS! It was a 1999 CE24 I bought off eBay. I loved the color although the figuring wasn't too spectacular. The frets were a bit worn, and the bridge knife edge seemed a bit dull. But it felt and sounded just right!

Please excuse the poor quality picture! This. Was back when a 4 megapixel point and shoot digital camera was really fancy! Then it was only on facebook and I had to screenshot it and post it here! I tried to edit the color back to what it looked like in person.

I sold the guitar after about a year once I was really sure I liked the CE24. I decided to buy one that checked all my boxes, then mod it haha!

 

[CandidPicker]

1994 CE22 Stoptail(?). Rotary knobs, Dragon II uncovered pickups. Tortoise Shell maple non-10 top, natural binding, natural mahogany back.

Owned that for several years before discovering a guitar shop in Groton, CT where I learned about almost every possible PRS option within reason you could upgrade to without doing the PS thing, which is where I eventually meandered towards...and away from after 10 years...

 

[Dana-L]

1990 Whale Blue Custom purchased new at Apple Music in Portland, Oregon.

 

[Jacoby]

1990 Whale Blue Custom purchased new at Apple Music in Portland, Oregon.

Apple Music is the best! I haven’t been there in years!

 

[Steven Lafferty]

1990 Whale Blue Custom purchased new at Apple Music in Portland, Oregon.

Extemely nice color. Love that deep blue. Very very nice

 

[GuitarsN'Watches]

My first PRS was a custom 24 10 top with a faded whale blue finish. I bought it in 2012 at a local Sam Ash. To me it was the first time seeing one in person and i instantly fell in love with the color/ feel. Nevertheless i ended up selling it a few years later but definitely a guitar of dreams.

 

[Dana-L]

Apple Music is the best! I haven’t been there in years!

Sadly, Apple closed up shop a few years ago. Kelly was always good to me. He was a master at identifying great brands to sell in his stores. I bought a Mesa/Boogie Mark III combo from him a year or so after I got this PRS and they are a fantastic pair. I still have both and one day maybe I'll do a video demonstrating the fantastic Gbsn/Fndr/Mrshl tones they can elicit.

Portland Music became a PRS dealer after Apple closed and they hosted Paul Reed Smith himself for a wonderful evening of guitar love. It was a pleasure to meet Paul and I even managed to cop an extended feel of his personal guitar. He graciously signed the backplates of three of my older models and some other of my PRS goodies. Truly a gentleman.



-Dana

 

[Dana-L]

Extemely nice color. Love that deep blue. Very very nice

Thank you! I have relished owning and playing it for most of my life (!).

It's always been case-stored and the color has not faded since new, so far as I can tell.

I've used Gerlitz wax and fingerboard conditioner on it for nearly 30 years now. Harvey Gerlitz had a small shop in Salem, Oregon in the mid-80's and was one of the original PRS dealers. I was a college student at the time and didn't have the cabbage to buy a PRS from Harvey before he closed but he was the one who planted the seed. Great guy and his solid advice and products has stood the test of time.

-Dana

 

[Phil M]

An EG bolt-on that I bought new in 1995. It was just an OK guitar but I had an accident with it. It was an almost total loss and after a failed a attempt to repair locally, I sold the neck, case, bridge and pickups a few years later.

I didn’t try PRS again until 2007 when I got a ‘93 Custom 24 with a sweet switch. Sold it and tried a couple others like a Special 22 and CE-22. I finally got the “right” PRS in early 2016, a new Custom 24.

 

[Jazzedout]

1992 Custom... Still with me...

 

[Slartibartfarst42]

Mine was a surprise purchase as I wasn't looking for another guitar at all and thought I was happy with what I had (a Jackson Soloist at the time). My wife was dragging me around the shops in Birmingham and I called into a guitar shop to relieve the boredom. I found a used PRS SE Custom 24, 25th Anniversary Edition in yellow and being curious, I gave it a quick try. I was absolutely blown away as it was superb and when I left the shop, I'd bought the guitar.

I eventually sold that guitar and I've regretted it ever since as it remains probably the best guitar I've ever owned but in my defence, it started my love of PRS and now I play nothing else. While I'd love a core PRS, I have neither the money or, more importantly, the talent to justify such an expense so I've always stuck to the SE range and always stuck to the Custom 24. At the moment I have a purple one with a Floyd Rose and a whale blue one with a standard trem. The only thing I ever do to the guitars is change the pickups to ones made for me by Jaime at The Creamery and once that's done, they're everything I need in a guitar. I have no desire at all to own any other brand ever again.

 

[TooHipGottaGo]

My first PRS was a 2018 Tremonti SE. It's the only one have. I wanted the full Tremonti but the wife thought moving here to Vegas and getting a new house was more important. Couldn't argue with that. I also bought the matching MT15 amp head. I still can't play like him but damn I can chug like a bunch of drunk college kids. I do own other guitars that I also enjoy playing but this is the most fun to play at extreme levels. Oh and did I say it chugs?!?!?! I'll post images as soon as I get to my 3 post limit. I love some of the guitars you guys are posting up. Makes me want to buy more.