he Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 model is the finest guitar model PRS has ever built. It is the same guitar that Paul Smith brought to the trade show in 1985. It is the core of the PRS guitar line. PRS Custom 24 means that there are 24 frets on the guitar. The PRS Custom 24 has several basic features. The body is made of carved maple figured maple on the topwood and mahogany on the backwood. The neck has 24 frets in a 25 inch scale length. The neck is made of mahogany while the fretboard is made of rosewood. It comes with the signature bird inlays. The hardware is comprised of the PRS standard tremolo bridge and low mass locking tuners. The bridge pickup installed is their trademark HFS humbucker, while the neck pickup used is the Vintage Bass which is another PRS designed pickup. It has the customary volume and tone control knobs and a 5 way rotary pickup selector. The guitar also comes with gold hardware and not the basic chrome one. There are also other options that go with the Custom 24 like the top options. Instead of the carved figured maple, you can go with a flame or quilted maple or 10-top flame or quilted maple. You can also have a different option for the neck which is the East Indian Rosewood. This guitar is a set neck type.
A lot of people say that it is a very expensive guitar, but they also say that it is worth the price they paid. The features of the Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 alone can make your jaw drop, even more when you hear the sound this baby makes. Most guitar players who own PRS Custom 24s say that the tone that this guitar produces is amazing. The combination of the HFS pickup on the bridge and the Vintage Bass on the neck proved to be an awesome one. It has a thick and warm tone that is very suitable for classic rock, blues and modern rock genres. The good thing about this guitar is that since it has a 5 way pickup selector, you can easily achieve the tone you want. If you want that good Strat sound, you just have to switch it to single coil settings and it would produce a Strat like overtones. If you fancy the humbucker tones that a Les Paul produces, you just have to switch it to the humbucker settings and presto, you’ve got a guitar that sounds exactly like a Les Paul and some guitarists would even say a lot better for that matter. Other guitarists also say that the sound of this guitar whether clean or distorted is amazing, especially when it’s paired with a good solid tube amp. A lot of people also say that the Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 has an AC/DCish sound to it when set in a specific setting. But usually, the common observation of people who use this guitar is that the sounds that this guitar can make are limitless.
On the subject of action of the custom 24, people seem to only say one thing, and that is “great”. The reason is because the action of this guitar is truly perfect, even without modifications. The strings are set flawlessly, not excessively high and not excessively low and they are also spaced perfectly to steer clear of pick hitting them. The neck is thin but wide which presents for a silky smooth action. This is one of a small number of guitars that are already flawlessly setup in its factory condition. There just aren’t any flaws to be seen in a PRS Custom 24, and truth be told, that is the most frequent observation of any new owner of a custom 24 guitar. Most people don’t have to fiddle with the factory settings of the guitar even past years of use. The finish of the guitar is extraordinary, particularly when you acquire the flamed 10-top version. It is so magnificent that you’d think you were staring at an extremely stunning landscape. When you initially bring it out of the case, you will notice the evidence of PRS’ consideration to detail and excellence. Everything is flawless, from the paint to the fit.
Not only is the Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 gorgeous to look at, but it is also very durable and reliable. The hardware doesn’t seem like it will break for a very long time. The strap buttons are good, which provides a sort of lock for the strap. The locking tuners seldom get broken; in fact it never does, unless of course you intentionally break them. The paint finish seems like it will last a lifetime since it has a clear coat binding to protect it. It is very durable and reliable that even if you gig with it every day for a year, you still would not need a backup guitar. Technical and mechanical failures on this guitar are highly unlikely. This just proves that the quality of this guitar is first class.
The impression that guitar fans first get from this guitar is that it really looks expensive. Don’t get me wrong, it really is expensive, but anything that is this exquisitely made is sure to be worth more than the normal price of guitars. Owners of custom 24s usually say that it is worth every dime that they spent. Most of the time, the reason that they bought this guitar is that it is their dream guitar. From the bird inlays to the locking tuners, the HFS and Vintage pickups to the wide and thin neck, it is all that they ever look for in a guitar. The aesthetic side is just a bonus. Some owners would say that if the guitar was stolen or lost, they would hunt that poor soul down, ruthlessly and violently, considering the amount of money they spent to get that guitar. The larger percentage of custom 24 owners are usually in to classic rock. They say that the custom 24 is a great axe for classic rockers. Although this guitar is tonally versatile, it is best suited for classic rock guitar playing because of the fat and warm sound it produces. Paired together with a good distortion pedal, this guitar will do wonders. For a guitar like this, the only downside really is the price. Since this guitar is made of first class parts, it does jack up the price a bit. This is the only reason why there is hesitation for people to buy this guitar, otherwise if this was priced cheaply, I don’t think there would be any custom 24s left on shelves. Disregarding the price, this guitar is definitely a must for any avid guitar fan. It has everything in it, beauty, power, versatility and prestige. It is a PRS work of art.
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Paul Reed Smith playing one of his guitars at the annual Guitar Festival, Dallas, Texas.
- This article is about Paul Reed Smith, a luthier. For the article about the company that bears his name, see PRS Guitars.
Paul Reed Smith (born February 18, 1956), is a luthier and the founder and owner of PRS Guitars.
Smith graduated from Bowie High School in 1974.[1] He made his first guitar while at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and continued to build guitars after he finished college, making them one at a time, one a month. Together with another local, John “Orkie” Ingram, they formed the nucleus of what would become Paul Reed Smith Guitars.
Smith would often bring his guitars backstage at concerts, and eventually got his break when Derek St. Holmes, of the Ted Nugent Band, agreed to try out #2, the second guitar Smith had ever made. St. Holmes played the guitar for the first few songs of his set, and Smith told him that after he showed it to some other musicians, he would fly out to Detroit and give it to him. St. Holmes eventually sold the guitar for $200.
Smith then contacted Ted McCarty, former president of Gibson and creator of the Explorer, ES-335 and Flying V guitars, and McCarty became his mentor and adviser. The result of their collaboration was the current line of PRS Guitars, which include solid- and hollow-body guitars. The Private Stock line of PRS guitars are made utilizing a vast range of exotic materials including various stones, elaborately figured tone woods, and intricate shells for inlays.
Unlike Ted McCarty and Leo Fender, Paul plays the guitar in his own band, The Paul Reed Smith band.
References [edit]
- ^ Virginia, Terhune (January 03, 2013). “Bowie High grad, guitar maker and band perform at scholarship fundraiser Saturday”. Gazette.Net. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
External links [edit]
- Paul Reed Smith Talks Guitars – Guitar Jam Daily
- Paul Reed Smith Interview at Modern Guitars Magazine
- “Innovative Lives” at the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention & Innovation
- Interview With Paul Reed Smith at Sweetwater Sound
- Paul Reed Smith Music Musician Paul Reed Smith Recorded Music/CD’s
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