1985+ Paul Reed Smith Custom 24

Paul Reed Smith built his first handmade guitar as a project for a college music class in 1975

After dropping out of college, Smith opened his own repair and luthiery shop in Annapolis, Maryland, played guitar in bands, and, with help from a handful of employees, built about one guitar per month by hand between 1976 and 1985

Early customers of Smith’s custom builds included Peter Frampton, Ted Nugent, Al Di Meola, and Howard Leese of the band Heart

Carlos Santana, now one of PRS’ long-time endorsers, was a tougher sell. Santana had Smith build him four guitars before he was willing to endorse Smith as a gifted guitar maker starting in 1982

Paul himself states that he built less than 100 guitars prior to 1985 when the Annapolis factory opened. The majority of those guitars were solid mahogany and only about 20 instruments had the figured maple tops that PRS is so widely known for today.

 

PRS Timeline

• Smith officially launched PRS in 1985 and moved into a small factory in Annapolis with a $500k investment led by Warren Esanu, with the first production model becoming what is known today as the Custom 24
• In 1988, PRS introduced its more affordable Bolt-On series known as classic electric (CE model) which were discontinued in 2009 (In 2016, the CE line was reintroduced)
• In 1996 PRS moved to a new factory in Stevensville, Maryland, launched its website, and introduced its Private Stock custom-build service
• In 2001 PRS introduced the SE line of Korean-made guitars
• In 2009 PRS began selling amplifiers and acoustics
• In 2013 PRS rolled out its mid-priced, U.S.-made S2 line
• PRS now produces about 13k US made guitars per year in its Maryland factory, and imports another 30k SE models from Korea

The PRS Custom 24: A Short History

1975-83 Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 10 Top  “Pre-factory”  VG $12-55k > $

The models made personally by the company founder in his “pre-factory” days have entered the realm of true collectible

Those with maple tops draw greatest interest

1985 Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 10 Top (1st “Factory Year) 

• Only 400 guitars shipped in 1985 ~were these all-mahogany Pre-Standards
• first factory-made PRS Custom 24s used Brazilian Rosewood fretboards
• The Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 is the company's flagship model – the first guitar that Paul brought to Winter NAMM in 1985 and still among PRS' best-selling instruments
  • 1985-90 Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 10 Top https://reverb.com/p/paul-reed-smith-custom-24-10-top-1985-1990
  • 1985-90 Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 https://reverb.com/p/paul-reed-smith-custom-24-1985-1990
  • 1985-2014 Paul Reed Smith Standard 24 https://reverb.com/p/paul-reed-smith-standard-24

The SE Custom 24 | PRS Guitars

• The SE Custom 24 is a modern classic with roadworthy durability, addictive playability, and a wide array of tones, making it a perfect workhorse guitar.  New for 2021, the SE Custom 24 has an updated shallow violin carve that more closely matches its Maryland made counterpart. 
• Played by internationally touring artists, gigging musicians, and aspiring players, the SE Custom 24 features a maple top with shallow violin carve, mahogany back, wide thin maple neck, rosewood fretboard with bird inlays, and the PRS patented molded tremolo bridge. Its versatile sounds come from the 85/15 “S” pickups paired with a volume, push/pull tone control, and 3-way blade pickup selector.
• The SE Custom 24 brings “The One That Started It All” to the high-quality, more affordable SE Series.

 

The Mach Five Guitar is a 2023 Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 Quilt Top SE  SN CTIF047739

The SE Custom 24 Quilt | Demo | PRS Guitars

Inspired by PRS’s flagship Core Custom 24, the PRS SE Custom 24 Quilt, features a beautifully figured quilted maple top and headstock veneer.  With a 24-fret, 25” scale length, wide thin maple neck, 85/15 “S” humbuckers and a 3-way blade switch with push/pull coil split tone control, the SE Custom 24 Quilt is a stylish workhorse suited for every sort of player.

BODY

• Body Type Solidbody
• Body Shape Original 1985 PRS Custom
• Body Material Mahogany
• Top Material Quilted Maple
• Top Carve Shallow Violin   
• Body Finish Gloss
• Color Black Gold Burst

NECK

• Neck Material Mahogany
• Neck Shape Wide Thin
• Neck Joint Set Neck
• Radius 10"
• Fingerboard Material  Rosewood
• Fingerboard Inlay PRS Birds
• Number of Frets 24
• Scale Length 25"
• Nut Width 1.6875"
• Nut Material  PPS Plastic

HARDWARE

• Bridge/Tailpiece PRS Molded Tremolo
• Tuners PRS Designed

 ELECTRONICS

• Neck Pickup PRS 85/15 "S" Humbucker
• Bridge Pickup PRS 85/15 "S" Humbucker
• Controls 1 x master volume, 1 x master push-pull tone
• Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch

The First & Second Guitars That Paul Built | From The Archives | PRS Guitars

The Two Guitars That Launched PRS | From The Archives | PRS Guitars

The Guitar That Launched PRS

1985 Paul Reed Smith Custom 24

Model History – PRS Guitars

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