When did you first hear about PRS and what made you want to own one?

Being a lifelong fan of Santana, I can only imagine it was seeing him with one. I remember being a little sad that he stopped playing his Yamaha SG-175 (later developed into the SG-2000). I am a huge fanatic of top end MIJ Yamaha electrics (the most underrated, or rather unknown, guitars out there, some being indeed rare as hen's teeth. Nothing whatsoever in common with the mass produced, better known mid range stuff). We call ourselves "Yamaholics". On the HCEG forum of old, I was associated with Japanese Yamahas. But enough of this. I should leave it for the "introduce yourself" thread. :)
Back on topic, yes, I saw him with his PRS and I tried one in a store in Montreal many years ago. I remember the neck being huge!
 
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John said:
Fast forwards several years later, I delved into the deep end with the likes of death metal. Go figure.
Click to expand...
You're in good company... as you probably know, PRS have been Opeth's go-to guitars for the past 20 years.
 
I went into Washington Music Center (where Paul used to work) to buy guitar strings. My ex-wife saw a Whale Blue one on the wall and said “ooh, that’s pretty”. It was about 1987. I started seeing them in Guitar player, and cut out the original review, put it in a plastic folder, and just kept looking at it, knowing I had a mortgage, kids, and didn’t have the time to play much. Fast forward to 2007: I bought a used SE to use as a pit instrument. It didn’t cost much, but it smoked the LP Custom I was afraid to take to the theater gig. I started, buying, fixing, & selling one guitar after another to make enough money to get a USA one. I have that Whale Blue CE, and several of his cousins. I still have that original review, in a plastic folder. I don’t have any other brand of solid body.
 
I had heard of them through the famous players using them in the early 2000s, got to play a HB guitar they had in my local store and it was amazing, me and the guy there talked about how sweet it was.

10years later I’m doing a studio gig, I asked the engineer about a LP or something similar for a certain track, he said I could borrow his guitar, a black McCarty, no birds, worn, used, I played it all day it was great. Balanced, stayed in tune, comfy as a strat, I remember saying it was LIKE an LP but maybe a bit brighter and more open, so I liked it. I always found the LP to be a blunderbuss of mids and bottom end, too ‘big’ sounding.

A few months later I was in the local shop, they had a few months old Starla used (2008 guitar, this was 2009) and a Standard 24, tried both, took the Starla, it was like a Fender crossed with a Gibson, exactly what I was looking for, and it was a bargain. Amazing guitar, so much going on, the beautiful wood grain, one piece body, light weight, fat neck, buttery to play. I replaced the pickups; I liked the Starlas but I found the neck too boomy and the bridge too flat or compressed (lacking in punch), so I out in a PAF in the bridge (more punch) and a Firebird in the neck, (less hot, brighter) and it’s perfect.

I still have that guitar. Made plenty of cash playing it, everyone plays it and loves it, MEGA resonant and warm feeling, whole guitar throbs as you play. To me that’s the sign of a great guitar. Had it refretted in July. Great guitar.
 
This story may be a long but it has a happy ending

I feel like I've known of PRS virtually most of my life, I'm a huge fan of the band HEART and used to go and see them whenever they toured the UK. I have vivid memories of Howard and Nancy tearing up the stage and thinking that the Golden Eagle was possible even more beautiful than Nancy. After high school I got a job working for a british guitar company Gordon Smith through my step father who knew one of the owners, I been there about 6 months when I encounted my first PRS catalog the 1989 catalog (which I still have) I loved the models and colours but they were out of my price range and I had a sort of endorsement with Gordon Smith, I used their models almost exclusively during my band career (except for a custom SId Poole LP that my step parents got me for my 21st).

1994 I had a major bike accident that put me in hospital for nearly a year (I was told I'd never walk again and would probably never playing guitar again either, in the next few months I got out I got so frustated that I sold all my guitar related gear except a 1977 Marshall SS 30watt lead and my 1982 Gibson Spirit which I just couldn't part with (Wish I'd kept the Poole LP - there worth serious money now:(, then again so are the original Gordon Smiths) over the next 6 years I proved the doctors wrong and learned now to walk again but guitar playing seemed gone forever though I would still go and drool at the latest models in the local guitar stores.

2002 I walked into a guitar shop in manchester and hanging there on the wall above the sales desk was the most beautiful guitar I'd seen a 2001 McCarty in Violin Amber - I would go and drool at this guitar daily but I still could get my hands to cooperate in playing, eventually the guitar sold and I got on with my life until In 2006 I managed to hammer out some cords on the old Spirit 1 since I have amassed a silly guitar collection totalling as high as 163 guitars and 31 amps at one point, I also put a new band together and we have a healthy gigging circuit but for the best bit I want to take a little step back.

I always loved Bernie Marsden era Whitesnake and in 2012 I got my first PRS SE - the BM Signature model, I had 2 Gibson Les Pauls, a 50's Tribute & a Classic Custom this SE blew them blow out the water and started my renewed fixation with PRS. Since then I have owned 9 SE's (of which I still own 4), a S2 Vela (sold) and and four core models. In 2017 my partner and I had a really rough year when she was diagnosed with incurable cancer - 7 moths of radio therapy and Chemo followed which took a tole on both of us (I'm terrified of hospitals - see history) but was by her side every day. the treatments ended in October, 1 month before my birthday and for being so supportive she wanted to buy me a guitar as a combined birthday / christmas present, we looked online I'd decided on a 2008 Gibson explorer, during the looking process we'd spotted a 2015 McCarty and she remember the story of the McCarty "unicorn" so heres me expecting a really nice 2008 explorer when suddenly this beautiful 2015 McCarty black gold arrives. This guitar is out of this world and along with a "you can't take it with you mentality would prompt me to by a 2006 CE24 Mahogany and a 2001 Core Standard 22 in the next 4 months, she'd also bought the explorer for Christmas.

Which brings me to the end of my history so far with PRS. In July 2018 I was in PMT in manchester to pick put a new SE Santana and the world cup was on, one of my friends works there (when you've amassed a collection like I did you make friends with sales assistants pretty quick) comes over and says that the manager has a 30% off all second hand gear while england are still in the tournament, jokinly I say I'm not interested unless theres a McCarty for silly money and he beckons me to follow him hanging there is a really nice McCarty that with the 30% discount works out cheaper than the SE Santana - the Santana stays and I now own a 2nd McCarty.

The following day another friend who works at PMT phones me about the McCarty, he'd been on his dinner when I was in and had just got chance to contact me. He tells me that the McCarty I'd just bought is the same one I used to drool over back in 2002. The store that he used to work for was Academy of Sound and one of the guys that was in his band also worked there & originally bought it, In time AoS were bought out by Sound Control who in turn were sold to PMT with most of the staff moving there as well. His band mate had just got a Private stock and decided to let the 2001 McCarty go.

I may not be quite at the level of playing I used to be but most people are too busy drooling over my PRSi to actually hear any mistakes.
A story is nothing witout pictures.





And the one that got away for 15 years
 
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Fullmoon 1971 said:
This story may be a long but it has a happy ending

I feel like I've known of PRS virtually most of my life, I'm a huge fan of the band HEART and used to go and see them whenever they toured the UK. I have vivid memories of Howard and Nancy tearing up the stage and thinking that the Golden Eagle was possible even more beautiful than Nancy. After high school I got a job working for a british guitar company Gordon Smith through my step father who knew one of the owners, I been there about 6 months when I encounted my first PRS catalog the 1989 catalog (which I still have) I loved the models and colours but they were out of my price range and I had a sort of endorsement with Gordon Smith, I used their models almost exclusively during my band career (except for a custom SId Poole LP that my step parents got me for my 21st).

1994 I had a major bike accident that put me in hospital for nearly a year (I was told I'd never walk again and would probably never playing guitar again either, in the next few months I got out I got so frustated that I sold all my guitar related gear except a 1977 Marshall SS 30watt lead and my 1982 Gibson Spirit which I just couldn't part with (Wish I'd kept the Poole LP - there worth serious money now:(, then again so the original Gordon Smiths) over the next 6 years I proved the doctors wrong and learned now to walk again but guitar playing seemed gone forever though I would still go and drool at the latest models in the local guitar stores.

2002 I walked into a guitar shop in manchester and hanging there on the wall above the sales desk was the most beautiful guitar I'd seen a 2001 McCarty in Violin Amber - I would go and drool at this guitar daily but I still could get my hands to cooperate in playing, eventually the guitar sold and I got on with my life until In 2006 I managed to hammer out some cords on the old Spirit 1 since I have amassed a silly guitar collection totalling as high as 163 guitars and 31 amps at one point, I also put a new band together and we have a healthy gigging circuit but for the best bit I want to take a little step back.

I always loved Bernie Marsden era Whitesnake and in 2012 I got my first PRS SE - the BM Signature model, I had 2 Gibson Les Pauls, a 50's Tribute & a Classic Custom this SE blew them blow out the water and started my renewed fixation with PRS. Since then I have owned 9 SE's (of which I still own 4), a S2 Vela (sold) and and four core models. In 2017 my partner and I had a really rough year when she was diagnosed with incurable cancer - 7 moths of radio therapy and Chemo followed which took a tole on both of us (I'm terrified of hospitals - see history) but was by her side every day. the treatments ended in October, 1 month before my birthday and for being so supportive she wanted to buy me a guitar as a combined birthday / christmas present, we looked online I'd decided on a 2008 Gibson explorer, during the looking process we'd spotted a 2015 McCarty and she remember the story of the McCarty "unicorn" so heres me expecting a really nice 2008 explorer when suddenly this beautiful 2015 McCarty black gold arrives. This guitar is out of this world and along with a "you can't take it with you mentality would prompt me to by a 2006 CE24 Mahogany and a 2001 Core Standard 22 in the next 4 months, she'd also bought the explorer for Christmas.

Which brings me to the end of my history so far with PRS. In July 2018 I was in PMT in manchester to pick put a new SE Santana and the world cup was on, one of my friends works there (when you've amassed a collection like I did you make friends with sales assistants pretty quick) comes over and says that the manager has a 30% off all second hand gear while england are still in the tournament, jokinly I say I'm not interested unless theres a McCarty for silly money and he beckons me to follow him hanging there is a really nice McCarty that with the 30% discount works out cheaper than the SE Santana - the Santana stays and I now own a 2nd McCarty.

The following day another friend who works at PMT phones me about the McCarty, he'd been on his dinner when I was in and had just got chance to contact me. He tells me that the McCarty I'd just bought is the same one I used to drool over back in 2002. The store that he used to work for was Academy of Sound and one of the guys that was in his band also worked there & originally bought it, In time AoS were bought out by Sound Control who in turn were sold to PMT with most of the staff moving there as well. His band mate had just got a Private stock and decided to let the 2001 McCarty go.

I may not be quite at the level of playing I used to be but most people are too busy drooling over my PRSi to actually hear any mistakes.
A story is nothing witout pictures.





And the one that got away for 15 years
Click to expand...
Dude!
Love it.
 
Fullmoon 1971 said:
This story may be a long but it has a happy ending

I feel like I've known of PRS virtually most of my life, I'm a huge fan of the band HEART and used to go and see them whenever they toured the UK. I have vivid memories of Howard and Nancy tearing up the stage and thinking that the Golden Eagle was possible even more beautiful than Nancy. After high school I got a job working for a british guitar company Gordon Smith through my step father who knew one of the owners, I been there about 6 months when I encounted my first PRS catalog the 1989 catalog (which I still have) I loved the models and colours but they were out of my price range and I had a sort of endorsement with Gordon Smith, I used their models almost exclusively during my band career (except for a custom SId Poole LP that my step parents got me for my 21st).

1994 I had a major bike accident that put me in hospital for nearly a year (I was told I'd never walk again and would probably never playing guitar again either, in the next few months I got out I got so frustated that I sold all my guitar related gear except a 1977 Marshall SS 30watt lead and my 1982 Gibson Spirit which I just couldn't part with (Wish I'd kept the Poole LP - there worth serious money now:(, then again so the original Gordon Smiths) over the next 6 years I proved the doctors wrong and learned now to walk again but guitar playing seemed gone forever though I would still go and drool at the latest models in the local guitar stores.

2002 I walked into a guitar shop in manchester and hanging there on the wall above the sales desk was the most beautiful guitar I'd seen a 2001 McCarty in Violin Amber - I would go and drool at this guitar daily but I still could get my hands to cooperate in playing, eventually the guitar sold and I got on with my life until In 2006 I managed to hammer out some cords on the old Spirit 1 since I have amassed a silly guitar collection totalling as high as 163 guitars and 31 amps at one point, I also put a new band together and we have a healthy gigging circuit but for the best bit I want to take a little step back.

I always loved Bernie Marsden era Whitesnake and in 2012 I got my first PRS SE - the BM Signature model, I had 2 Gibson Les Pauls, a 50's Tribute & a Classic Custom this SE blew them blow out the water and started my renewed fixation with PRS. Since then I have owned 9 SE's (of which I still own 4), a S2 Vela (sold) and and four core models. In 2017 my partner and I had a really rough year when she was diagnosed with incurable cancer - 7 moths of radio therapy and Chemo followed which took a tole on both of us (I'm terrified of hospitals - see history) but was by her side every day. the treatments ended in October, 1 month before my birthday and for being so supportive she wanted to buy me a guitar as a combined birthday / christmas present, we looked online I'd decided on a 2008 Gibson explorer, during the looking process we'd spotted a 2015 McCarty and she remember the story of the McCarty "unicorn" so heres me expecting a really nice 2008 explorer when suddenly this beautiful 2015 McCarty black gold arrives. This guitar is out of this world and along with a "you can't take it with you mentality would prompt me to by a 2006 CE24 Mahogany and a 2001 Core Standard 22 in the next 4 months, she'd also bought the explorer for Christmas.

Which brings me to the end of my history so far with PRS. In July 2018 I was in PMT in manchester to pick put a new SE Santana and the world cup was on, one of my friends works there (when you've amassed a collection like I did you make friends with sales assistants pretty quick) comes over and says that the manager has a 30% off all second hand gear while england are still in the tournament, jokinly I say I'm not interested unless theres a McCarty for silly money and he beckons me to follow him hanging there is a really nice McCarty that with the 30% discount works out cheaper than the SE Santana - the Santana stays and I now own a 2nd McCarty.

The following day another friend who works at PMT phones me about the McCarty, he'd been on his dinner when I was in and had just got chance to contact me. He tells me that the McCarty I'd just bought is the same one I used to drool over back in 2002. The store that he used to work for was Academy of Sound and one of the guys that was in his band also worked there & originally bought it, In time AoS were bought out by Sound Control who in turn were sold to PMT with most of the staff moving there as well. His band mate had just got a Private stock and decided to let the 2001 McCarty go.

I may not be quite at the level of playing I used to be but most people are too busy drooling over my PRSi to actually hear any mistakes.
A story is nothing witout pictures.





And the one that got away for 15 years
Click to expand...
Wow... amazing.
 
Beginning in 2002, NICKELBACK
(yea yea, no comments from the peanut gallery. Go smoke yourself.)
Then later Ted Nugent.
Mostly Nickelback's fault though,
...and the chick I hung out with back then who got me to listening to Nickelback before all the bubblegum stuff which came out later.
 
Fullmoon 1971 said:
This story may be a long but it has a happy ending

I feel like I've known of PRS virtually most of my life, I'm a huge fan of the band HEART and used to go and see them whenever they toured the UK. I have vivid memories of Howard and Nancy tearing up the stage and thinking that the Golden Eagle was possible even more beautiful than Nancy. After high school I got a job working for a british guitar company Gordon Smith through my step father who knew one of the owners, I been there about 6 months when I encounted my first PRS catalog the 1989 catalog (which I still have) I loved the models and colours but they were out of my price range and I had a sort of endorsement with Gordon Smith, I used their models almost exclusively during my band career (except for a custom SId Poole LP that my step parents got me for my 21st).

1994 I had a major bike accident that put me in hospital for nearly a year (I was told I'd never walk again and would probably never playing guitar again either, in the next few months I got out I got so frustated that I sold all my guitar related gear except a 1977 Marshall SS 30watt lead and my 1982 Gibson Spirit which I just couldn't part with (Wish I'd kept the Poole LP - there worth serious money now:(, then again so are the original Gordon Smiths) over the next 6 years I proved the doctors wrong and learned now to walk again but guitar playing seemed gone forever though I would still go and drool at the latest models in the local guitar stores.

2002 I walked into a guitar shop in manchester and hanging there on the wall above the sales desk was the most beautiful guitar I'd seen a 2001 McCarty in Violin Amber - I would go and drool at this guitar daily but I still could get my hands to cooperate in playing, eventually the guitar sold and I got on with my life until In 2006 I managed to hammer out some cords on the old Spirit 1 since I have amassed a silly guitar collection totalling as high as 163 guitars and 31 amps at one point, I also put a new band together and we have a healthy gigging circuit but for the best bit I want to take a little step back.

I always loved Bernie Marsden era Whitesnake and in 2012 I got my first PRS SE - the BM Signature model, I had 2 Gibson Les Pauls, a 50's Tribute & a Classic Custom this SE blew them blow out the water and started my renewed fixation with PRS. Since then I have owned 9 SE's (of which I still own 4), a S2 Vela (sold) and and four core models. In 2017 my partner and I had a really rough year when she was diagnosed with incurable cancer - 7 moths of radio therapy and Chemo followed which took a tole on both of us (I'm terrified of hospitals - see history) but was by her side every day. the treatments ended in October, 1 month before my birthday and for being so supportive she wanted to buy me a guitar as a combined birthday / christmas present, we looked online I'd decided on a 2008 Gibson explorer, during the looking process we'd spotted a 2015 McCarty and she remember the story of the McCarty "unicorn" so heres me expecting a really nice 2008 explorer when suddenly this beautiful 2015 McCarty black gold arrives. This guitar is out of this world and along with a "you can't take it with you mentality would prompt me to by a 2006 CE24 Mahogany and a 2001 Core Standard 22 in the next 4 months, she'd also bought the explorer for Christmas.

Which brings me to the end of my history so far with PRS. In July 2018 I was in PMT in manchester to pick put a new SE Santana and the world cup was on, one of my friends works there (when you've amassed a collection like I did you make friends with sales assistants pretty quick) comes over and says that the manager has a 30% off all second hand gear while england are still in the tournament, jokinly I say I'm not interested unless theres a McCarty for silly money and he beckons me to follow him hanging there is a really nice McCarty that with the 30% discount works out cheaper than the SE Santana - the Santana stays and I now own a 2nd McCarty.

The following day another friend who works at PMT phones me about the McCarty, he'd been on his dinner when I was in and had just got chance to contact me. He tells me that the McCarty I'd just bought is the same one I used to drool over back in 2002. The store that he used to work for was Academy of Sound and one of the guys that was in his band also worked there & originally bought it, In time AoS were bought out by Sound Control who in turn were sold to PMT with most of the staff moving there as well. His band mate had just got a Private stock and decided to let the 2001 McCarty go.

I may not be quite at the level of playing I used to be but most people are too busy drooling over my PRSi to actually hear any mistakes.
A story is nothing witout pictures.





And the one that got away for 15 years
Click to expand...

Great story! Love it! May you play them in good health for many, many years.
 
Don't remember exactly when, but it was definitely a Carlos Santana thing. Likely an interview in Guitar Player Magazine sometime in the 80's. I new I had to have one after playing one. Again, not sure exactly when but it would have been early 80's. Friends and I went to the big city to see a concert, because we had to go to the big city for such things, and before the show we stopped at a big city music store. They had one on the wall and I just stood looking at it afraid to even ask to play it. The sales guy comes up and asks "You wanna play it?" Incredulously I replied "Can I?" He took it down and plugged me in. My first immediate thought was "no wonder Carlos is so smooth." Of course, being a runny nosed, punk, high school kid I wasn't even close to being able to afford it. But the sales dude was cool for letting me play it knowing he wasn't going to get a sale out of it.

Fast forward to late 2001 and I finally had the opportunity to get one. Quick warning, somewhat melancholy, sappy story to follow. Early 2001 my mother passed away. I am a huge momma's boy so it hit me hard and I didn't deal with it very well. Many months later my dad gave me some money. He told me it was from one of my mom's life insurance policies that he decided to divide up among the kids. It wasn't a huge amount but at that time in my life it was a significant amount to have in a lump sum. There were bills to pay but that wasn't the right thing to do with the money. My mom and dad were both very insistent upon their kids learning music. In fact, if it wasn't for them I likely wouldn't have started playing the guitar. The greatest gift they ever gave me was music. So I decided I was going to buy a guitar with the money. At the time I only had 3 guitars. An Ovation acoustic 12 string my wife (now ex) bought me for my birthday, the Peavey T-60 my parents gave to me on my fondest Christmas that started this whole guitar journey, and a Charvel Model 6 my dad bought me for a graduation present. I immediately knew what I wanted, a PRS. So I headed down to Guitar Center and went straight to their small collection of PRS's. Played them all and walked out with a purple 2001 McCarty. Besides being a great playing and gorgeous guitar, it is also the last gift I received from my mother. So that guitar holds a very special place in my life. It also started what has turned into a love affair with the McCarty line.
 
1991 because of 1 man, Jim Matheos..
Parallels was released and my ears instantly fell in love with the guitar sound.
Looked in the linear notes of the ALBUM and I saw he was playing PRS guitars, What is a PRS guitar?
Then this video was released and I saw a PRS for the first time (Great song, Gotta Love the Seinfeld Puffy Shirts)
Then around 1993 he started playing a Whale Blue Custom 24 and that was it for me, I promised myself 1 day I will own a Whale Blue PRS.
Finally in 2000 after saving everything I could for almost for 2 years I purchased my first PRS, a Whale Blue Custom 22 10 Top.
In 2010 I opened my own guitar store for the sole purpose of carrying Paul Reed Smith Guitars..
So I say Thank You Jim Matheos for introducing me to the finest guitars ever made and for providing me with the direction that led me to where I am today,
In my own guitar store where everyday I am surrounded by Paul Reed Smith Guitars!!
 
The 1st 10 seconds of the music video One Last Breath - Creed.
1099.jpg
th_1Creed-OneLastBreath.jpg

Video opens zoomed in on Tremonti's fingers and bird inlays. Then zooms out to him playing this awesome tribal painted Singlecut on top of a mountain. Best PRS ad ever! That was like the summer i picked up guitar. had a $200 ESP/LTD at the time, the $2500 Tremonti was a bit out of reach though! it was about 5 years later I got my first PRS.
 
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My dad, who is a hobby drummer, helped put PRS on the map for me. As a young guitarist, I'd look at strats and Les pauls wishing I had one and somewhere along the way my dad asks about PRS because he'd seen Alex Lifeson play one instead of the double neck of LP. I thought they looked cool and all but it wasn't until I heard Santana for the first time thinking "that sound, that groove, I want all of THAT." I started obsessing over PRS when I was maybe 13 and saved up enough money to get an SE Custom (there was no 22/24 fret distinction at the time.) Eventually I bought a custom 24, then a hollow body, and a McCarty. And I still feel some need to get another. All thanks to my dad who doesn't even play guitar.
 
jak3af3r said:
My dad, who is a hobby drummer, helped put PRS on the map for me. As a young guitarist, I'd look at strats and Les pauls wishing I had one and somewhere along the way my dad asks about PRS because he'd seen Alex Lifeson play one instead of the double neck of LP. I thought they looked cool and all but it wasn't until I heard Santana for the first time thinking "that sound, that groove, I want all of THAT." I started obsessing over PRS when I was maybe 13 and saved up enough money to get an SE Custom (there was no 22/24 fret distinction at the time.) Eventually I bought a custom 24, then a hollow body, and a McCarty. And I still feel some need to get another. All thanks to my dad who doesn't even play guitar.
Click to expand...
When I was 13, so was PRSh.

 
The guys at my local guitar shop is a dealer and kept telling me how good they were, I wouldn’t listen. I got my “dream guitar” a sunburst 58r Les Paul, well after owning it a year I decided to try a Prs. Went with the custom 24 in 2014, my Les Paul mostly stays in it’s case
 
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