Your top three models or special runs produced?

RedGuitars

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Prompted by my comment on a Ted for sale ad elsewhere, where I said the Ted McCarty 24.5 run was one of the best ever by PRS. Someone else commented that the Ted's were THE best run ever produced.

They would definitely make my list.

This ain't easy but I'll go with:

1. Modern Eagle 1
2. Ted McCarty 24.5
3. McCarty trem


Ain't easy because I don't actually own any of these, but have owned all of them (multiple of #'s 2 & 3).

My current models are also close - Siggy Limited and Custom 22 semi-hollow.

Also under rated (IMO) are the Swamp Ash 513, NF3, and the Swamp Ash NF models.

Yours?
 
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Mine are purely theoretical, since I don't really own too many special runs, but:

1. Private Stock Singlecut Archtop
2. SC-J (Singlecut-Jumbo Thinline)
3. Holcomb
4. 30th Anniversary Custom 24

Were any of the NF3 or Swamp Ash Studio or any of those limited runs? I'm also hankering for one of the Brazilian series -- either the Brazilian Series McCarty or the Brazilian Rosewood McCarty or perhaps the Brazilian Series Custom 22...
 
Top 3 "intentionally limited" production models:

Mira 245
KL1812
Custom 24 30th anniversary (any edition!)

Top 3 overall:

Starla
HB12
Vela
 
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Gen 1 SC
Alder CE24
Cu24 with Rotary.

In no particular order.
 
Here are the standouts I've owned. It's really, really hard to narrow the PRSes I've had down to three that I think represent PRS' best efforts, so basically I went with the ones that give or gave me the biggest emotional/musical inspiration:

1. McCarty Singlecut. I've already posted a ton about how much I love this guitar; it is the personification of vintage style greatness. I might prefer its low-turn 57/08s to the 58/15s on the McCarty, but it's sure close either way.

2. 20th PS Anniversary Ltd. Most beautiful sounding guitar I've ever played/owned; a very special and unique instrument with a great voice. Has the 594 scale neck, it feels great. I love the Paul's 408s, plus this has the Narrowfield middle pickup and the locking Gen III tremolo that stays in tune incredibly well. The thinner maple top and thicker mahogany body give it a different (creamier?) voice than the Paul's guitar.

3. Artist V/CU22 Soapbar (tie). Both of these are under-appreciated, but are fantastic instruments. Naturally, I no longer have either one, as is typical of my modus operandi. The Artist V is one of the most toneful humbucking pickup guitars I've had, and the CU22 Soapbar is one of the coolest rock machines I've played.

I have a 594 on order, but haven't played one yet, so I can't include it. Based on clips I've heard of these, I suspect it'd make the list.
 
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Im only listing ones I have owned so

1) Modern Eagle 2
2) 408
3) tough on either 513 or a CU22 or 24
 
DC22 - have been loving mine recently (just modded it too, but don't worry, I've decided against putting a 3rd pickup in it... unless I find another narrowfield....)
CU22 Soapy - loved mine, but had too much tonal overlap with my other guitars
SAS NF - really like what mine did. Then I took a router to it, and then an intonation screw fell out and I don't play it (have some on the way from John Mann)
 
I'm gonna stick with the standard PRS body shape and scale length. I've never liked their single-cut design, and the alternate scale lengths have never done much for me, either. That's not a knock on them, it's just that I have other guitars with those scale lengths which I like better than any comparable PRS. That applies to semi- or mostly-hollow guitars as well.

So I'll start with a nod to the original Custom -- PRS established a strong recipe from the start -- from there, here are three models/runs that resonated loudly with me:

1. The original Modern Eagle. Paul came by the booth where I was working at the 1998 summer NAMM show to check out a Budda amp. (I was working for Klein Guitars but we shared a booth with Budda Amplification) He had his personal guitar in tow, which was the amber Dragon guitar with the Brazilian rosewood neck. I heard Paul play it, and played it myself. My reaction, which I shared with Paul, was, If you made a production version of that, I'd still be playing your guitars. Yea, verily, it came to pass with the 2004 Modern Eagle. I bought one from the second production batch and happily played it for a bunch of years. It's now been superseded by a couple of guitars, but that's the way things go with PRS. They're always looking to raise the bar. As am I.

2. The DGT model. Obviously not a limited run, but it did three really important things IMHO:
a. added a second volume control to a traditional McCarty-recipe PRS
b. implemented some truly PAF-style pickups that worked great in conjunction with that guitar chassis
c. made the McCarty Trem [sic] into a standard production model
Oh, and I really REALLY like the DGT neck carve as well.

3. The first Collection Electric. That raised the bar in a major way. When I first got mine, I wrote Paul and said, This is like going from regular TV to high definition TV. Paul responded by calling me up and we talked for the better part of an hour about what he was trying to accomplish with that guitar. IMHO, a whole lot of the great stuff they've done since then evolved from that guitar.

In terms of what I personally own, all three of the guitars mentioned here passed through my hands and moved on after I learned what I needed to learn and tweaked the recipe for my own specific purposes/needs. The PS KingsleyDGT is basically a cross between a Modern Eagle and a DGT. And the terra cotta McCarty Trem [sic] is basically my personal version of the Collection Electric I. Oh and of course there's Miss April, which is basically a super-hot version of the DGT. :)
 
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