Inspired by Paul's Personal PRS
Paul’s Guitar was designed from the ground up for one of the world’s foremost experts on everything tone — Paul Reed Smith himself. This guitar is essentially a production version of Paul’s personal #1 instrument, sporting a time-tested tonewood combination of an incredibly warm-sounding slab of mahogany capped with a beautiful piece of carved figured maple for optimal clarity. Next, the rosewood-on-mahogany neck is carved into a robust PRS Pattern profile, then finished off with rock-solid PRS Phase III locking tuners. To achieve the most versatile sounds possible from a single guitar, Paul chose to outfit his signature 6-string with a pair of PRS TCI pickups — an innovative soap bar-style pickup that delivers both true single-coil spank and mellow humbucker power. Finally, Paul’s guitar sports a 1-piece stoptail bridge with brass inserts for superior string-to-body resonance and full, rich sustain. It may be "Paul's Guitar," but you'd be hard-pressed to find a guitarist who wouldn't want to make it their own!
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Tone-enhancing PRS 1-piece Stoptail bridge
While PRS instruments are renowned for their cutting-edge hardware, Paul chose a humble 1-piece Stoptail bridge for his signature instrument. Why? Like many guitarists, Paul believes that the simplicity of a 1-piece bridge mounted directly into the body with brass inserts results in superior resonance and sustain — an opinion supposedly shared by his mentor Ted McCarty, the man who invented the wraparound bridge’s initial incarnation in the ’50s. However, unlike the original uncompensated design found on so many vintage guitars, the Stoptail bridge found on Paul’s guitar features a compensation shelf and curved string slots for dead-on intonation across the entire fingerboard.
Time-tested PRS Pattern neck for playing comfort
The PRS Pattern neck is an exceptionally comfortable profile inspired by one of Paul’s earliest pre-factory shapes: the Wide Fat Pattern. It’s a slightly substantial neck that never feels too hefty, with a fast feel and carve that perfectly conform to the natural bend of your hand while moving up and down the neck. It's a favorite among Sweetwater guitarists of all stripes, and Paul’s clearly also a fan — this is his signature model, after all — but it’s also been endorsed by legendary guitarists such as Carlos Santana, Peter Frampton, and Howard Leese of Heart fame.
Single-coil sparkle and humbucker might
What’s better, single-coil sparkle or humbucker power? Well, if you’re Paul Reed Smith, you don’t have to choose: Paul’s guitar comes loaded with a pair of PRS TCI pickups that defy coil categorization. Two mini switches allow you to flip each pickup between humbucker mode and a true single-coil operation, providing players with both open, airy cleans and full-range humbucker snarl in a single design. Take it from Paul himself: “This guitar has clear, spanky single-coils when you split the pickups, but a very full soapbar quality when they are in humbucking mode. It’s just beautiful.”
PRS Paul’s Guitar Electric Guitar Features:
- Designed from the ground up to Paul Reed Smith’s personal specifications
- Mahogany body provides a warm tonal foundation, while the carved figured maple top imparts incredible clarity
- Mahogany neck carved into the robust PRS Pattern neck shape for exceptional playing comfort
- Gorgeous rosewood fingerboard studded with PRS Brushstroke Birds inalys
- Fully compensated PRS Stoptail bridge with brass inserts provides superior resonance and sustain
- Dual TCI pickups allow you to harness the power of full-range humbuckers and chimey true single-coils in a single design
- Rock-solid PRS Phase III Locking tuners for top-class tuning stability
- Nitrocellulose finish allows the guitar to resonate to its fullest potential
