Extremely valued for the price / quality ratio, the PRS SE series of guitars has just been enriched with three new models. SE Santana Singlecut Trem, SE Schizoid and SE Paul’s Guitar makes the budget catalog of PRS instruments extremely impressive.

PRS Santana Singlecut Trem was created as a result of an interesting coincidence. When Carlos Santana heard the TCI pickups, placed in the 2018 Paul’s Guitar model, he became a huge fan of the sound of this system. He asked for a personalized version of TCI, without the ability to disconnect the coils. In this way, the “S” TCI transducers were created and to take full advantage of their capabilities, Paul Reed Smith decided to look at one of Carlos’s beloved instruments to use it as an inspiration for the Santana Singlecut Trem. This instrument was specially made for the music model Gold Leaf Private Stock. On the Santana Singlecut Trem deck we can also find 24 frets, a 24.75 inch measure and a tremolo bridge. This instrument provides a scale of two full octaves, while giving the comfort of a guitar with a shorter measure.

PRS SE Schizoid is in turn an instrument designed for Jakko Jakszyk from the legendary group King Crimson. Jakko’s story may serve as a script of a good movie: when 11-year-old Jakko heard a neighbor’s song ’21st Century Schizoid Man’ by King Crimson, he became a lover of the group’s creativity. Who would have thought that many years later, he would be standing on stage himself, performing this composition! In 2019, the 50th anniversary of the legendary group falls and on this occasion PRS decided to release a limited edition of one thousand instruments based on the SE Standard 24 model.

PRS SE Paul’s Guitar, like other models in the series signed by Paul, contain the latest achievements in the field of guitar construction. The latest Paul series of guitars is equipped with TCI pickups, delivering unprecedented tonal versatility. The SE Paul’s Guitar model will be available in three different colors: Amber, Aqua and Fire Red.

Since its appear on the market, PRS Silver Sky has caused a lot of controversy! The instrument signed by the brilliant John Mayer is a reference to one of the most legendary constructions in the history of the guitar. Quite recently, this model has new color versions. Check them below!

PRS Silver Sky, John Mayer signature guitar, has four new color versions: Moc Sand, Orion Green, Dodgem Blue and Golden Mesa. This means that the number of available color options has doubled. The musician himself proudly presented new instruments on his Instagram account.

As Fall quickly approaches, the bitter winds bring with them a hope… of a new Private Stock Calendar release that is. Each fall for the past 16 years, the Private Stock Calendar has been unveiled to PRS fans worldwide. This year we have 13 new and unique Private Stock guitars all photographed in stunning detail and on display in the calendar. If you’re wondering how the PS Calendar project began, how the guitars are chosen, and what the overall process is like, we explore these questions in great detail below.

Q&A

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PRS: So, how did it all begin?

MQ: The idea of doing a calendar featuring PRS guitars had been batted around for a while in the early 2000’s. The more I thought about it, the more Private Stock seemed like the right subject matter. 

PRS: What makes Private Stock such a great subject for the calendar?

MQ: When I started thinking about the project, calendars featuring Ferrari and other high-quality car brands came to mind. They’re aspirational, people tend to look at these calendars and sort of daydream about the beautiful cars. Likewise, I think all of our guitars are incredibly beautiful. From years of working on them and playing them I knew that they were aesthetically pleasing from any angle. The advertising folks at BMW would do this thing where they’d show a headlamp or a stick shift in close detail and it was abstract and beautiful. You had the sense that they really cared about the details and therefore the whole car. And I find that true with PRS, the level of detail is incredible no matter what angle you look at it and I wanted to show it off. By nature, Private Stock guitars are more rare, they are custom instruments, so it seemed more fitting for the calendar.

PRS: What goes in to choosing the guitars for the calendar? How do you decide what makes the cut?

MQ: I photograph many of the Private Stock guitars we build either because it’s something we’ve never done before or that particular guitar caught my eye. I do this for two reasons: to have a reference for our company and to possibly use it for our calendar. When it’s time to outline the calendar I look through that folder and begin selecting the best. I like to show that we have diversity in Private Stock: basses, acoustics, differing body shapes, a variety of colors. I always gather more images than I need for the calendar and print a contact sheet for review – about 18 guitars.

I’ll pass this list of 18 to our graphic designer Mark Whitmire to look through, and I’ll also share it with our Director of Marketing and members from the Private Stock team. Together we’ll narrow the 18 guitars down to 13, then I’ll set out to pick the particular image of each guitar that will be used in the calendar design.

PRS: Is there something extra special about this year’s cover shot? How is the cover selected?

MQ: Well to me, this year’s cover guitar is just stunning. I am not usually a fan of blue guitars, they aren’t something I would typically choose to buy or play. However, when I saw this guitar, I thought to myself, “I want that!” – it takes your breath away when you see it. It has a great chevron top and it’s a McCarty 594 layout which is one of my favorite models. It sounds great.

PRS: What is the process like to photograph the guitars and actually design the calendar?

MQ: Everything begins with a tip from Eric or Tina, two of our Private Stock team employees. They’ll let me know if there is something special moving through the shop. I’ll go down and have a look, then I’ll borrow the guitar for an hour or so to photograph it. We have our own humble studio on premises that I use to photograph the Private Stock guitars.

Sometimes other employees at PRS will alert me to a calendar-worthy guitar. It’s cool because the employees are so proud of what we’re doing and what they are working on that they want to share it with others.

In the early 2000’s, for the first 3 or 4 calendars, I just did the layout.  In later calendars I began photographing the instruments in addition to designing the layout. Today, I just do photography and our talented designer Mark Whitmire does the layout. In my opinion the calendars today look better than ever because of his input.

PRS: When did you begin listing the specs of the instrument on the calendar, was that always there? 

MQ: It was a long time ago, but I think we were including specs on the earliest calendars. People ask us all the time about a guitar’s color or wood type so I think sharing the guitar’s details is part of the magic.

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The 2019 Private Stock Calendar makes a great gift for you or that guitar-crazed friend in your life, order yours today.

Michael Reed has been working with PRS for over thirty years, searching for the unique species of wood, which are later transformed into even more unique instruments. His cooperation with Paul Reed Smith goes back to the times before the PRS brand officially appeared on the market. It was Michalel who searched for PRS figured maple, used, among others, for the construction of the first instruments for Carlos Santanta himself.

According to the company tradition, after 30 years of work, the employee is entitled to the privilege of receiving the so-called “staff guitar”. Michael, having unimaginable experience in selecting wood, decided on the recovered wood ( “Reclaimed Limiteds” series made of demolished buildings from Brazil).

The wood from which this unusual guitar was made comes from a nineteenth-century ranch from Brazil, and the top plate was additionally decorated with the image of a great crest by the highly-praised Floyd Scholz. Reed decided to put up a violin-making work of art for an auction, from which the funds will contribute to the American Bird Conservancy, an institution that conducts numerous projects in the Brazilian Atlatinian Forest.

• Top: Solid Sitka Spruce
• Body: Ovangkol
• Body Shape: Angelus Cutaway
• Bracing: PRS Hybrid “X”
• Body Purfling: Tiger Acrylic
• Body Binding: Cream
• Rosette: Tiger Acrylic, Cream/Black
• Frets: 20
• Scale Length: 25,3”
• Neck: Mahogany
• Neck Shape: Wide Fat
• Fretboard: Ebony
• Fretboard Inlay: Birds
• Nut: Bone
• Acoustic Saddle: Bone
• Bridge: Ebony
• Tuners: PRS-Designed
• Electronics: Fishman GT1
• Accessories: PRS Hardshell Case

• Top: Solid Sitka Spruce
• Body: Ovangkol
• Body Shape: Tonare Grand
• Bracing: PRS Hybrid “X”
• Body Purfling: Tiger Acrylic
• Body Binding: Cream
• Rosette: Tiger Acrylic, Cream/Black
• Frets: 20
• Scale Length: 25.3”
• Neck: Mahogany
• Neck Shape: Wide Fat
• Fretboard: Ebony
• Fretboard Inlay: Birds
• Strength/Truss Rod: Adjustable
• Nut: Bone
• Acoustic Saddle: Bone
• Bridge: Ebony
• Tuners: PRS-Designed
• Electronics: Fishman GT1
• Accessories: PRS Hardshell Case