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A BRIEF HISTORY OF PAUL REED SMITH


Paul Reed Smith (b. Feb. 18, 1956) began making guitars in his high school woodshop class. Paul's early designs were loosely based on classic designs, such as the Gibson Les Paul Junior. Smith's designs soon evolved into a body that took the best of classic Gibson and Fender stylings and morphed them into one that looks and feels comfortable to both camps. PRS also made improvements in the areas of pickups, tremolo tailpieces, and overall "playability" that began to get the luthier's works into the hands of noted artists.

Paul was more than an accomplished woodworker. His tenacity and persistence led to instrument sales that created aditional industry buzz and brand recognition. In Smith's own words:
"I remember hanging out at the local concert arenas for six or seven hours before a show to make friends with the roadies. With a backstage pass in hand, I'd peddle my guitars to the stars. One night in ten I'd make a sale. Carlos Santana, Al Di Meola, Howard Leese, and other well known players agreed to check one out. I made deals. If someone gave me an order, made a deposit, and then didn't love the finished guitar, I'd give them their deposit back even if I couldn't make my rent the next day."
1985 was a pivotal year for Paul's small Annapolis, MD, company. Armed with preorders for 50 instruments, PRS began crafting what would become the Custom 24 (initially called the Custom). Other models soon followed, including the Standard (1987), Special (1988-91), Studio (1988-91), and CE series (1988).

1994 saw the move into a larger factory located in Stevensville, MD, with more output capacity based on an increased use of automated equipment. PRS instruments still require an amazing amount of hand work, however. Wood selection, body and neck gluing, final sanding, staining, application of several coats of lacquer to produce the famed "glass" instrument finish, assembly of hardware, setup, and final inspection and play testing are all performed by hand. The company expanded to 22-fret production models in 1993, producing a number of models including the CE-22 (1994), Custom 22 (1993), McCarty (1994), and the Santana model (1995).

2008 saw yet another factory expansion, with the Stevensville, MD, facility quadrupling in size. The larger factory area allows PRS to produce a more diverse variety including not only electric guitars, but also acoustics and amplifiers. The new facility also houses the PRS Museum and an operation started in 2009 that repairs, refinishes, and modifies existing PRS guitars for customers.

In a relatively short time, Paul Reed Smith has taken his rightful place in history alongside such famous names as (Leo) Fender and (Orville) Gibson. PRS instruments are favored by musicians and collectors the world over, due to their beautiful appearance, ease of play, and gorgeous sound. Whatever the future holds for PRS, you can bet that the musicians of tomorrow will treasure his creations for generations to come.