An extremely rare and unique 1988 Standard 24 with Moons in a Multifoil finish. Not many of these were produced, and they’ve become extremely hard to find — legend has it only twelve Multifoils ever came out of Paul’s factory.

You’ll notice a wonderful interplay of the colors green, purple, blue and charcoal gray as the Multifoil top moves in the light. This particular guitar has the factory option up-routed tremolo, Brazilian fretboard, Stamped T&B pickups, the all-important Sweet Switch and the original PRS metal-plated case.

The owner saw Argentinean rock star Gustavo Cerati playing this same guitar and spent ten years looking for one. At long last, he discovered the beauty for sale on-line and snapped it up. It’s been his Number One player ever since.

Signature Model #11 — Stamped T&B’s, Brazilian Board and just look at that ridiculously sick quilt top. As intended by Paul when he started the Signature Series, this guitar showcases some of the very best craftsmanship PRS — or any other guitar marker — has ever offered. There’s not an ’80′s Les Paul on Planet Earth that can touch what you’re looking at here. Sold privately by GP Guitars.

An incredible two-owner Vintage Sunburst Signature Model from ’89. This has got to be one of the most amazing quilt tops you’ll ever see on any guitar. As the story goes, the original owner purchased her from Paul himself, then re-sold it to the current owner around ’90 or ’91.

Second iteration T&B’s, Brazilian board, Birds, 10-Top stamped on the headstock — this stunning guitar represents the high-watermark in early PRS craftsmanship, which is exactly what Paul intended the Signature Models to do.

This is the first of two guitars custom built for renowned British guitarist Geoff Whitehorn (Procol Harem, Roger Waters, etc). As you might expect, wonderfully stripy Signature Model #377 has spent her life as a professional working and touring guitar.

Recently acquired by a British collector, she was sent back to PRS for a factory tune-up and had several worn out appointments replaced. The tuners were updated to new Phase II units and both trem blocks/bridges were replaced (the old trem’s knife edges were heavily worn).

The neck pickup is an original white-stickered Vintage Bass. The bridge pickup is a little more interesting — it’s marked “Deep Dish and Vintage Treble Together” on a hand-written label. Having never heard of any PRS “hybrid” pickups before, the owner assumes this must have been a custom wind done at Geoff Whitehorn’s request.

As you would expect, this Signature is voiced more towards the older/classic PRS sound. The Vintage Bass is very round and warm, but perhaps a little less defined than the more current production version. The “Deep Dish and Vintage Treble Together” isn’t quite as “in your face” as other early PRS treble pickups, but it’s still plenty hot with a very well defined ‘piano chime’ edge to the notes. As an extra bonus, the 5-Way Rotary is wired ’85-’86 style with the “9″ position having Paul’s trademark “cocked wah” sound.

Here’s a breathtaking one-of-a-kind Artist Relations ’90 Studio Model — the second guitar custom built for renowned British guitarist Geoff Whitehorn (Procol Harem, Roger Waters, etc). As you might expect, this Vintage Yellow tiger-striped beauty has spent her life as a professional working and touring guitar.

Recently acquired by a British collector, she was sent back to PRS for a factory tune-up and had several worn out appointments replaced. The tuners were updated to new Phase II units and the trem block/bridge was replaced (the old trem’s knife edges were heavily worn).

The #10 bridge pickup is powerful and well-defined. More P.A.F. oriented, it’s not as raw as a HFS of the same vintage. The single coils aren’t quite as powerful as modern Narrowfields, but they aren’t quite Strat-like either. Tone-wise they fall somewhere in-between the two.

Michael Reid (“M. Reid” as inked in the bridge cavity) is a lumber supplier who provided Paul with many of his choice maple tops. This one is clearly no exception — wickedly striped, 3-D play in the top, pretty much everything a PRS lover could wish for… and all in a Studio Model.

Here’s a beautiful example of an ’86 Goldtop Standard. The serial number is in the late 1900-range, making her one of the last ’86′s to roll off the line. The current owner is a long-time player/collector with an extensive treasure trove of vintage PRSi — he says this baby plays and sounds as good as anything in his collection he’s ever owned. All-original, killer Stamped T&B’s, Serial #6 19XX. What more could a PRS lover ask for?

A super-clean example of a 1987 Standard in Natural Mahogany. Stamped T&B pickups, Moons and beautiful Brazilian board. Serial Number 7 27XX.

Completely original. Two Owners. Vintage Yellow. Blue-lined case. Star in the neck cavity. Special Order One-Piece maple top.

That’s right — I said Special Order One-Piece Top. Ordered from Paul himself.

This is the type of ultra-rare time-capsule find many of us PRS lovers and addicts lay awake at 2 a.m. fantasizing about.

The original owner — a Nashville songwriter –ordered this 1986 Vintage Yellow Custom directly from Paul Reed Smith at the Virginia Ave. workshop. He didn’t want the Birds because he thought they were way too fancy. But one thing he was dead-set on getting was a one-piece rock maple top. Back in 1986 you could order one — for the whopping price of $100. Paul told him at the time it might very well be the last one-piece he would do because he was having so much trouble getting quality pieces of maple that size.

Sometime around ’90, the owner needed emergency funds and sold this beauty to the second owner — his cousin, an acoustic player who was helping him out with some quick cash. Since being shipped to him twenty years ago, this guitar has never been out of the house, safely stashed in storage in the Northeastern USA.

By his estimation, this ultra-mint Custom has only been played five or six times since then.

The condition of this guitar is factory-fresh dead-mint. The finish is so virgin it literally looks like Mike Deeley just inked the star in the neck cavity TODAY. She sounds fantastic in each of the five settings, with special emphasis on the “9″ Cocked-Wah position — which is a little beefier and less nasal-sounding than many others I’ve heard. This gives “9″ the heft and depth of the full humbucker, while still maintaining the secret-sauce, swirling cocked bite of Paul’s ’80′s innovation. A very unique sound.

So that’s the story — an immaculate classic instrument, stashed for two decades, rediscovered and retrieved from its time capsule, then sent rockin’ right into August 2011. A classic 2 a.m. laying-awake-in-bed PRS Collector’s fantasy brought vividly to life. Serial Number 6 12XX.

A screaming 1990 Custom with a crazy quilted Emerald Green “10″ top. She’s all original — regular neck carve, white-stickered Standard Bass and Treble pickups, gold hardware (including the pole pieces) and sweet switch, which was getting increasingly rare by ’90.

Not only is this quilt top killer as they come, but check out that fade! Emerald Green is known to fade over time, giving each of these guitars a unique color all their own. The fading process also brings out and enhances the mineral lines and maple figuring in the top which is often obscured by the darker original factory finish. PRS Aficionados LOVE the effect — however unintended. Serial Number 0 89XX. Part of the Ascendancy Music private collection.

She’s completely original, with a striking maple top and one of the most beautiful fades of any PRS sunburst you’ll ever see. Just look at how the squiggly motion of the mineral lines in the wood perfectly compliment both the flame top and the color fade. Incredible stuff — yet just another day at the shop for PRS Employees in ’86. Serial Number 6 04XX.

Mike Deeley — one of the earliest PRS employees — recently said that he put the legendary STARS (see pic below) in the neck cavities to indicate which guitars Paul had signed off on. It was the only way he could reliably keep track of which had been approved and were ready to finish and sell.

The timeless beauty of an all-original ’88 Custom in searing Scarlet Red. This is exactly how she would have looked straight-off-the-rack back then — wonderfully dark and rich Brazilian board, stickered Standard Treble and Bass pickups, and the thing which forever sets these ’80′s Customs apart sound-wise… Paul’s utterly unique sonic invention, the Sweet Switch.

Say hello to a stunning double-digit Whale Blue Signature Model which recently resurfaced in Europe!

She came up for auction on eBay UK with the seller conveniently adding his phone number. Fortunately, the new owner saw the listing in the first ninety minutes, jumped on his cell, agreed on a price, then drove five hours straight-away to pick her up in person. Hey — when you see one of these precious Sigs come up, you’ve GOT to jump on it fast or some other wild-eyed PRS fanatic might just beat you to it!

The history behind the guitar was equally as colorful. Doug Chandler — the European PRS importer in the late ’80′s — brought it back from Germany for a well-known jazz artist living in the UK. Apparently, it was one of the first Sigs to make it overseas.

The jazz artist played her sparingly, then gave it to his son, who played it just long enough to ding up the headstock points before going off to college. And so there Signature Model #72 sat, cased and forgotten for over ten years.

Early in 2011, the jazz artist traded it to a music store that wasn’t into PRS. They called a long-time customer saying, “I just got a used Paul Reed Smith in, I think its called a Custom or something, do you wanna buy it?”

The store clearly didn’t recognize what they had, but their customer friend did and bought it on the spot for a deal so silly he wouldn’t even reveal what he’d paid. The lucky bastard kept it for a few months, then decided to move it to raise cash for another investment.

That’s when the eBay listing went up, and the new owner made his big move.

She’s completely original with zero fade — highly unusual for whale blue, but one of the few benefits of being kept in the dark for ten-plus years. All the hallmarks of the early Signatures are there — Brazilian board, sweet switch, and searing Stamped T&B pickups. And just check out the sick tiger-striping of that bodacious top!

Interestingly, there’s no handwritten “Sig #72″ on the back of the headstock. There’s long been a rumor that inking the Sig number wasn’t an automatic thing until the mid-100′s. Hard to say whether that’s strictly true, but there is zero evidence of any re-spray and the finish is nicely sunken into the guitar — one of the best ways to ascertain an older PRS’s authenticity.

Don’t miss the killer pic of the ink stamp on the original one-piece Mil-Com bridge. Doesn’t get any better or more original than that, PRS Lovers.

A straight-out-of-the-catalogue ’86 Vintage Yellow Custom 24. Clean as they come with all the attendant features — Brazilian board, Birds, Stamped T&B pickups, regular neck carve, sweet switch and — as a wonderful bonus — the original blue-lined case. Serial Number 6 11XX.

Legendary Signature Model #1 — an incomparable piece of PRS history. One of the most staggering tops ever to grace a Custom 24. Formerly belonging to James Bohannon, this beauty now resides in the PRS Archives.

This absolutely dead-mint, museum-quality ’86 came out of the factory with all the trademark ’85 electronics and appointments — copper-topped sweet switch, an ’85 coded volume pot and unshielded electronics cavity (SEE PICS BELOW). As a general rule most ’85′s don’t have stock shielding from the factory.

When it comes to the SOUND of this beauty, it’s simply outrageous. Position 9 — the “cocked wah” tone — with Sweet Switch “on” could serve as a Smithsonian exhibit for this unique vintage PRS sound. This guitar showcases Paul’s new-fangled Stamped T&B’s at their very best IMHO, and the guitar itself sounds outstanding acoustically, even without plugging in.

Pretty much you add the ’85 electronics to a dark, rich Brazilian board and beautifully ornate Birds and you end up with a Vintage PRS Dream Machine.

Know one of the best things about this guitar? You get to play an immaculate ’85 at ’86 prices. This same guitar, in exactly this condition, could command more than three times the price if it had a “5″ on the headstock. Thank God it doesn’t — because I’d never been able to acquire her.

Serial Number 400 is loosely considered the cut-off between ’85′s and ’86′s. That said, here’s an ’85 from top to bottom that, for whatever reasons, didn’t get inked and sent out until early ’86.

In the early days of Paul’s shop, getting guitars finished and shipped out to meet orders was a priority. Different guitars took different amounts of time to complete, so they did not begin and end production in any strict order. Holding up production for any one guitar just didn’t make any sense. This explains many of the anomalies regarding serial numbers, pickup selection, etc. during the ’80′s. Guitars were sent out whenever they were ready, and often carrying whatever parts were at hand.

Further, an ’85 VY Custom with a Serial Number in the 420′s has been confirmed out there. Like so many things in the days of Paul’s earliest guitars, there are no absolutes and wonderful idiosyncrasies appear over the years forever tantalizing PRS aficionados.

Another tantalizing glimpse into the early days of PRS history!

This Pearl White Pre-Standard is one of the first 20 guitars produced by Paul Reed Smith and his new company PRS guitars. The first twenty! She’s an absolutely outstanding example of the quality and craftsmanship these guitars would embody for players all over the world for the next 25+ years.

This baby really puts the PEARL in pearlescent white. Still all-original with a ridiculously rich Brazilian board and some of the finest Moon inlays you’ll ever lay eyes on. She’s an all-mahogany Hall Of Fame TONE MACHINE if there ever was one, and the original blue-lined case serves as the cherry on top.

An ’86 Scarlet Red PRS Custom in the low 500′s. Completely original — Stamped T&B pickups, sweet switch, Schaller tuners. This beauty has the original blue lined case and warranty card as well. The sound in the “9″ position has the classic ’86 “cocked wah” tone beloved by vintage PRS players. Serial Number 6 5XX.

It simply doesn’t get any better or more historic than this — 1985 NAMM 20 Prototype in iconic Vintage Yellow.

This is where it all began for vintage yellow addicts across the globe — the very first VY Custom 24 seen by the public. Paul created the NAMM guitars to generate interest and financing for his brand new company — Paul Reed Smith Guitars.

This hand-carved beauty sports prototype Schaller tuners with chrome wing collars and string-release direction arrows. The vibrato bridge was built by John Mann and has smaller saddle adjustment hex screws than on later production models.

The neck carve is completely unique to this guitar — it’s a little smaller than a Regular carve but with a similar shape. She has a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, Honduran mahogany body and a two-piece flamed maple top. The body and neck are finished in a Harley-Davidson color originally called “Brick Red”.

You’ll also notice there is no serial number on the back of the headstock because this was Paul’s handmade original prototype.

Here’s a great story from the current owner about how he landed this masterpiece –

“I got the guitar from a friend who received it from Paul after Summer NAMM (July ‘85 in New Orleans). He also bought a ‘57 Strat, and his wife told him that one of them had to go. He offered it to me a few months later, telling me that he had to have what he paid for it, which was $1,200.00 — a lot of money at the time.

After playing it, I knew that not having the guitar wasn’t going to be an option.

He told me that the guitar was a prototype, but I honestly didn’t care much about that. I just loved the way it felt and played. It was like the guitar was made for my hands! I was floored by the quality and the way it spoke to me. It took me a few weeks to come up with the cash, and I remember that I didn’t sleep very well until I had it. I’d never been so excited about a guitar before or since.

I knew right away that this Paul Smith guy was going to be a big player in guitar making. Having this guitar has really been a wonderful experience and I feel honored to own it.”

Paul himself said this particular guitar was “the finest example of the original guitar that exists in the world”. You won’t get any argument out of me or anybody else that loves PRS guitars.

An ’86 Custom 24 in glorious Royal Blue with original T&B’s. Recently offered at Internet auction.

An all-original Vintage Yellow ’85 Custom — the iconic PRS color from the iconic PRS year. This beauty was recently unearthed in Canada and appears to have been largely stored over the past two decades. She has a sweetly figured Brazilian board with moons and extremely warm-sounding stamped T&B pickups.

A close look at the volume pot (see below) shows the numbers “85″ in the sequence, identifying the pot as being from 1985. This holds true for all ’80′s volume pots — the year of the pot should match the year of the guitar if it’s original.

This beauty was of the first 250 Customs made and is certainly a fantastic addition to any serious collection. Serial Number 5 02XX.

A virtual museum piece — an immaculate ’85 Custom 24. All original, incredible top, with original case, paperwork, 1985 PRS Brochure and an extremely low serial number. Quite simply, it doesn’t get much better than this for those who love Paul Reed Smith.

File this immaculate 1988 PRS Signature Model under “Holy Grail”. I’ve owned and played many vintage PRSi and I must say this guitar qualifies as complete perfection. Everything is all-original and in perfect mint condition. She has a completely unfaded Vintage Yellow finish, wicked tiger stripe “10 top”, highly-figured Brazilian fretboard with stunning Birds and Second Iteration T&B pickups.

This guitar is so clean and the top so vibrant it’s like she’s rendered in Technicolor. Good Lord, just look at the pics. When you have her in your hands it’s like taking a time-machine right back to Paul’s shop in 1988. Both sound and feel are every bit as intoxicating as her killer looks.

Ever since meeting a young Paul Reed Smith at a Musicians’ Institute seminar he gave in Los Angeles, the owner of this all-original ’85 Vintage Yellow Custom had wanted to own one of Paul’s early classics.

The year of that seminar was 1985 — just prior to the historic NAMM show which would introduce Paul’s new company to the world. Paul brought along one of Santana’s guitars (with the Jamaican Flag paint job), one of Howard Leese’s and one of Al Di Meola’s to share with those in attendance. The owner said he could tell immediately he was looking at the next big thing in the American guitars — the quality and craftsmanship of what he was witnessing was undeniable.

In the early 2000′s his dream finally came true and he landed this ’85 VY masterpiece for his own. Everything is stock PRS — Stamped T&B pickups, Brazilian Board with Birds, one-piece Mil-Com trem and sweet switch. And she’s every bit as sweet now as she was when first rolling off the Maryland shop floor in ’85.

One more thing — the owner still has the original PRS catalog Paul handed out to the students attendng the seminar that day. It was that catalogue which ignited a love-affair with PRS lasting 26 years and counting.

Discovered while scouring the used inventory on a corporate music store website — the Sweet Switch having caught his eye — the lucky owner of this Emerald Green ’86 Custom with Moons may have scored himself the deal of a lifetime. Her asking price was a fraction of what she’s worth, and she turned out to be completely original and in killer shape with all the ’86 hallmarks — Sub-1000 serial number, Brazilian board, Stamped T&B pickups and Sweet Switch.

Like many early Customs, the top has a wonderful slight fade which accentuates the maple top. You can look right at what appears to be a dead area, shift the guitar half an inch and the flame pops out in wild combinations. Here’s the owner’s tone report –

“As far as tone, she’s just a tiny bit brighter than my 88 Standard, which I expected due to the maple top. She’s just a little bright for my Trainwreck, but she sounds HEAVENLY through my Plexi. I feel like the luckiest guy out there when I’m playing this guitar. I just love how familiar these old models are, but how they have their own totally different vibe than the later guitars. The feel of the T&Bs — where the notes and harmonics just leap off the fretboard — is incredible.”

Real-deal PRS History — this wonderfully faded Royal Blue ’85 Custom with Moons is one of the first 300 guitars Paul Reed Smith produced.

Recently acquired, this had been a one-owner guitar purchased showroom new in 1985. Entirely original, she’s seen almost no playtime in the two-and-a-half decades since and remains in “like-new” condition. Cosmetically, there’s not a ding, dent or mark on her, and the hardware is still factory clean.

Originally a deep Royal Blue with black back, she has undergone a classic early PRS fade, revealing the beautiful mahogany grain of the back, neck and even headstock. This deep fade is beloved by many a PRS collector for its unique and distinctive look.

The Brazilian fretboard is inlaid with tastefully ornate Moons, and you couldn’t find a cleaner example of the original “S” tuners with their telltale “Made in W Germany” stamp. Early Stamped T&B pickups and factory sweet switch are, of course, the cherries on top. Serial Number 5 02XX.

Vintage yellow ’89 Custom 24 with SICK maple quilt Ten-Top. Regular neck carve, sweet switch and choice Brazilian board. Recently offered at auction.

Another eye-popping Vintage Yellow masterpiece! This one’s a classic “tweener” — started in the factory in late ’88 and checked out in early ’89 — which explains the “8″ serial number in the pickup cavity vs. the “9″ on the headstock. Rule of thumb in dating these guitars is to go by the number on the headstock — making this officially a 1989 Custom 24, Serial Number 9 5XXX.

The owner originally purchased her from Progressive Music in Salt Lake City in March ’89. Brand new the price was $1540 US — which at that time was a fair amount of money for a new guitar.

She came stock with unstickered “blank-back” Standard Treble and Bass pickups which were good and hot — 11K in the bridge and 8.5K in the neck. The treble pickup had the modified high E and B slugs to counter the brightness of some first generation T&B’s. (You can identify this production change by seeing if the E and B slugs have a trademark circular milling which gives them a different look and texture than the other pole pieces.)

Of course she has the classic early PRS rotisserie of sounds. The rotary is factory-wired in line with the second-generation schematic — so you have Treble Pickup only (Position 10), power-out-of phase/a.k.a the “cocked-wah” tone (9), inner (slug) coils of both humbucker pickups in series (8), “Strat” tone (7), Bass pickup only (6).

The “10” denoting a Ten-Top was impressed very faintly on the back of the headstock. The owner believes the smiley face in the bass pickup cavity is a modified question mark — meaning the guys in the factory may have been of two minds about her quality at one point — if you can believe that!?!?! Talk about high standards. Today she’s unquestionably a Ten-Top by even the most conservative standards.

True guitar porn of the highest order — an immaculate all-original ’90 Signature Model with screamin’ Vintage Yellow top. This baby is two-owner perfection, not a scratch or ding on her — quite literally kept under the bed for the better part of twenty years. Take a close look at the Birds here — some of the most intricate you’ll ever see on any PRS guitar. She’s Serial Number 0 7XXX.

Regular neck profile, white-stickered Standard Treble and Bass pickups, original case, original paperwork, original EVERYTHING. It’s gonna be pretty hard to beat this baby in terms of elite PRS Signatures — even assembled and checked off by the legendary John Ingram himself!

Stunning early ’86 Custom 24 in iconic Vintage Yellow. Under the hood the electronics are all ’85 — including date-correct volume pot and a copper-topped sweet-switch. The guitar is named Duval in honor of the owner’s father. She’s 100% original, killer top, colorful birds and the trademark PRS dark, rich Brazilian board.

Overall the condition is great with some honest play-wear — it alternated with the near-legendary Pearl White Standard “Casper” for live gigs over a period of years.

“I think it’s tone really opened up after a few hundred hours of live action — it’s got a lot more warmth than other early Customs I’ve played (It was a bit shrill in the beginning). I stopped taking it out when I got Spooky — Casper’s twin — because I do have to adjust my amp’s EQ between a Standard and a Custom, and it can be a pain.”

The very first purple PRS — a 1990 Custom 24 custom-built for Howard Leese of Heart who initially requested the color. Paul had never made a purple guitar before, and he liked it so much he added it the PRS color list. A rare HFS II pickup was installed in the bridge, an attempt by PRS to create a more “metal” sounding pickup.

Mint condition 1987 Standard in custom color Silver Pearl, which was only offered for a limited time at the end of ’87. She’s one of only a couple of these that have surfaced within the PRS community to date, and interestingly all are within fifty or so serial numbers of each other. This beauty is Serial Number 7 31XX.

This guitar has stamped T&B’s, a regular neck carve and all the original case candy. Where she particular excels is in the “7″ (crisp Strat) and “6″ (neck humbucker) positions. The stamped B neck pickup produces great P.A.F.-style tones, while the crisp Strat “7″ position has an outrageous single-coil squawk which would get the attention of even die-hard Fender players.

No worries PRS lovers — she also carries the trademark “Cocked Wah” sound in the hallowed “9″ position as well.

The Saga of Signature Model #243 –

April of 2010 I saw a Craigslist add for a “black gold” PRS guitar. The pic in the ad was extremely small, so I contacted the Pawn Shop selling it and asked if they could send better pics. The shot above is the first they emailed me. There’s no mistaking Vintage Yellow, and there’s certainly no mistaking a way-beyond Ten-Top. Immediately I thought to myself — could this be a Signature Model? No. No way. Then the last pic they sent came through –

So I’d stumbled upon an early Signature Model, and the sellers didn’t really understand what they had. I brought my girlfriend along to go check it out. The shop was located out in Pacoima, CA. Trust me when I tell you Pacoima’s not the best of neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley. But I was certainly wasn’t going to let an astronomical homicide-rate put me off a vintage PRS hunt.

What I never could’ve expected was that the neighborhood itself wouldn’t be a problem — it was the pawn shop and its Owners that scared the holy hell out of you.

When we walked inside, we were immediately eyeball-to-eyeball with two stocky bald Russian gentlemen. “I’m here to see the guitar?” I mustered up my most congenial middle-class smile.

Owner #1 responded by grabbing a cartoonishly thick length of chain and giving it a hard jerk. A monstrous pit bull — had to be 150 lbs. if it was an ounce — immediately bounded out beside him aiming a low growl our way. My girlfriend — a dog-lover all her life– unconsciously took a BIG step back towards the door. My first thought — Thank God I left my cash outside hidden under the trunk mat.

Having successfully threatened to dismember a young bougie couple, he put the case atop the counter. When I opened it I got a big-time vintage PRSi rush — the top was OUTSTANDING. But on closer inspection, it was quickly apparent this find was also a tragically battered beauty.

There were deep, nasty gouges pockmarking the headstock, neck and body without rhyme or reason — two huge chunks were missing from the playing surface of the neck, which are particularly noticeable when gripping it. The original tuners were corroded, dozens of random divots of clear-coat were missing pretty much everywhere, and the buckle rash beside the trem plate wasn’t just worn “down TO the wood” it’s worn “down UNDER the wood” — whomever owned this beauty had clearly played the ass off it and had worn a heavy belt buckle every single day of their lives doing it (which is a pretty scary thought itself).

And yet, it was still such a beautiful guitar. Paul’s craftsmanship and design still shone through despite the many hard years she’d seen.

The Russians never warmed up. Not a degree. They were outright rude. “Why are these guys so ANGRY?” I kept wondering. But I did manage to coax them into letting me take these pics.

There were some pretty funny moments. When I asked about the deep-dish buckle-wear the owner told me it was “Nothing… just a chip of paint that had fallen off.” When I asked if I could lift up and check out the pickups to make sure they were original he said — “Tell you what. You give me the money, I’ll let you check the pickups, and if you don’t like what you see I’ll give you the money right back.” Needless to say, I declined his extremely generous offer with a strained laugh, but I definitely wasn’t smiling.

The brief backstory I got was this was a one-owner guitar, and the guy had hocked it to here “dozens” of times over the years for quick cash. The Russians implied there was a drug habit involved, and given the shitty area, it made perfect sense. When I asked how they knew he wouldn’t be coming back like the many, many other times, the owners just gave me a strange look. Evidently they knew something that’d convinced them the days of bouncing this vintage beauty back and forth had come to and end. I didn’t push any further to find out what that was.

When it came down to money, the owners predictably wanted too much for it — twice what I calculated it was probably worth. I bounced the pics off PRS expert John Ingram and he said fixing her up was out of the question, she was best bought as a weathered but high-end PRS “player”. Believe me, I considered it for a long while. But the angry Russians were intractable on the price and end of the day I simply couldn’t justify that kind of cash for a guitar in such disrepair.

Later, in September of 2010, Rick at Garrett Park got turned onto her by a friend. He acquired the piece, cleaned her up nicely without attempting any repairs, and offered her for sale. I know initially due to the condition he was having trouble moving Sig #243 — a very rare predicament for Rick — but ultimately it was sent to England and then flipped to a long-time PRS aficionado.

She really was a flawed beauty in the best sense, just a striking guitar that had undertaken a hard road since leaving Maryland back in ’88. God only knows what that axe witnessed over those 22 years — I think it’s a safe bet a lot of it wasn’t legal.

The great news is that the current owner LOVES this guitar and has given her a wonderful new home. He sent these recent pics and included a quick tone report –

“Sound wise it’s mellower than many vintage Customs and the sweet-switch seems to roll off more treble and to produce less “honk”. Pickups are running 10.15K treble and 8.4K bass. Treble pick up has the milled E and B slugs which serve to warm the pickups up. All of this is great for me — I prefer it to most of the Customs I’ve heard.

Probably fate I ended up with it — what are the odds a guitar from the U.S. I liked and was thinking of buying ended up 1) in England and 2) with someone I’d sold another PRS to. Once the owner found out I knew Sig 243 and really liked it he promised to sell it to me for what he’d paid next time he was looking to raise some cash. Sure enough, he bought an ’86 and sold me the Sig.”

Another piece of Paul Reed Smith history — an immaculate vintage yellow ’85 Custom with a sub-350 serial number.

Until it’s recent sale, this was a one-owner guitar bought right off the shelf from a Detroit music store. It was there the original owner discovered a brand new line of guitars called “Paul Reed Smith” and quickly fell in love. Then on December 23rd, 1985 he went back to the shop to buy one. He’d only saved enough for the all-mahogany Pre-Standard, but the salesman convinced him the more expensive Custom was really the guitar to have. Together they worked something out and he got an incredible deal on the iconic classic you see here.

Serial Number 5 03XX is in IMMACULATE, untouched condition, even though the original owner claims to have gigged it in a wedding band. It’s still paired with ALL of the original accessories and paperwork, right down to the hangtag and the original receipt. The flame top is very unique, ghosting on the sides and popping in and out dramatically when rotated in light.

Brazilian board, wonderfully ornate birds, all-original stamped T&B pickups, sweet switch and electronics, and smartly finished in iconic PRS vintage yellow — this is one of the original Paul Reed Smith Dream Machines, and when he unleashed them in 1985 it forever changed the face of the guitar world.

In February 2011, seller Rick Hogue arranged to take the new owner to the PRS factory and have the guitar signed by Paul himself. When Paul opened the case he said quite simply — “Wow….look at that.”

An outstanding Vintage Yellow ’89 Custom with stunning birdseye maple quilt top — a pattern also known as “popcorn” to many. HFS and VB pickups with original sweet switch make this player sound as smoking hot as she looks.

An outstanding early ’87 Custom 24 in Tortoise Shell with a first-rate quilt top. This is a two-owner guitar that’s travelled from Maryland to Germany and now the UK. Completely original with stamped T&B’s and classic Brazilian fretboard. You’ll notice the trademark cracking of the original amber knob on the five-way rotary which is extremely common for these guitars.

The “Ten-Top” designation wasn’t used until the end of 1987, but with its sublime quilt this guitar certainly would have qualified. Serial Number 7 21XX.

A killer 1987 Custom 24 in iconic Vintage Yellow. Brazilian board, Birds and a wicked one-of-a-kind quilted top in dead mint condition make this one a true keeper. Serial Number 7 18XX.

Originally purchased from a German collector, she now resides in Spain. The current owner kept the original Stamped T&B pickups but replaced them with Dragon I pickups in ’91. Dragon I’s are considered by many to be the best hard rock/heavy gain pickups PRS ever produced. On a vintage maple-topped guitar like this, the combination sounds absolutely spectacular.

An ’87 with a fantastic Tortoise Shell flame 10-Top with Moons. Pickups are non-original HFS Treble and Vintage Bass with gold pole pieces. This beauty is currently being offered by Jim’s Guitars in PA. Serial #7 25XX

An original Bud Davis Employee “Metal” guitar. This is believed to be the last production metal guitar and one of only two with Bird inlays — the other belonging to Ted Nugent. Absolutely pristine mint original condition. Serial #7 18XX

Here’s a wild 1987 Silver Pearl Standard — Silver Pearl was a custom color only offered for a brief time in late ’87. She’s one of only a couple of these that have surfaced within the PRS community to date, and interestingly all are within fifty or so serial numbers of each other.

This guitar is obviously a PLAYER — and the aging process has definitely deepened her distinctive metallic look. The electronics aren’t original — the pickups have been replaced, the volume pot is not date correct, the wiring was altered and she’s missing the original trem plate (see pics below). Currently being offered by The Fellowship of Acoustics in the Netherlands.

A tantalizing taste of PRS history — one of the first forty Customs ever to emerge from the floor of Paul’s shop. This pristine ’85 with Moons is absolutely all original — pickups, knobs, wiring, electronics, tuners — we’re talking strictly time machine stuff here. The solder joints could not be more virgin or untouched.

Some of the very earliest PRSi have the 7 and 8 pickups instead of the T&B’s. Legend has it the factory stamping tools would wear out the T and B letters sometimes, so they would substitute the 7 and 8 numbers from the same stamping tool instead. Here we see a 7 matched with a B. The 7 and 8′s are absolutely identical to the T&B’s in terms of sound and materials used.

One of only 400 ’85′s produced — and God only knows how many of those were Vintage Yellow Customs — this beauty encompasses everything that makes the earliest PRSi so highly sought after. Serial Number 5 00XX.

Near-mint 85 Custom 24 in classic Vintage Yellow with a ridiculously low serial number. Flamed maple “ghost top” changes figures as you view the guitar from various angles. Original blue-lined case and beautifully figured birds. On top of all this, she sounds INCREDIBLE. One of Paul Reed Smith’s early masterpieces.

This is the third of four Banana Yellow Pre-Standards to surface — an incredible one-off which was part of the Winter ’86 NAMM show. She came off the line in November 1985, Serial Number #5 02XX

This is a one-owner guitar which has been HEAVILY gigged for 25 years, and shows it. The owner remembers the pickups being very early Stamped T&B’s that are clearly hand-wound with irregular magnetic bars, lots of goo and some heavy black cloth tape applied to hold it all together.

She has all the appointments of the first wave of Paul’s wonderful new guitars as they were just being introduced. Regular neck carve, moons and Brazilian board — which has bathed in enough lemon oil over the years to darken it to an almost ebony color. Note the black tone knobs rather than the amber ones found on the other existing yellow Pre-Standards.

The 5-way switch is the only thing not completely stock. The original one cracked into two pieces, right down the middle while being played. The owner says he hated switching it out, but a working guitar for a musician is obviously better than a broken one. That’s what Paul intended afterall — for these beauties to be PLAYED.

An absolutely stunning example of a first year Custom 24 in iconic Vintage Yellow. There were only 400 PRS guitars produced in 1985, and this textbook low-number ’85 has everything one could wish for — museum-quality top, killer Brazilian board with beautifully figured Birds, sweet switch and the original regular neck carve.

The electronics are non-original and she presently has a Stamped T pickup in the bridge and a white-stickered Vintage Bass in the neck. This piece of PRS history is being offered by Jim’s Guitars in PA. Serial Number 5 02XX.

Here’s a spectacular piece of PRS history — Signature Model #6. Custom built for a former PRS Rep, this guitar is in absolutely pristine condition. The Vintage Yellow finish is completely unfaded and she has all the original appointments typical of an early ’86– first iteration T&B pickups, highly figured Birds, an artist-grade flamey maple top and even the original blue-lined PRS case.

A one-owner guitar for the first 24 years of its existence, this stunning beauty was recently sold on consignment by Martin Music. Safe to say, the new owner scored themselves the deal of the century.

Built in 1986, this Explorer-styled instrument is an extremely rare one-off — hand-made at the PRS factory for Billy Gibbons and signed and dated by Paul Reed Smith himself. Pearl white lacquer finish across the body and neck, one bridge pickup (which I assume is a Stamped T), one volume knob. Part of Billy Gibbons’ private collection.

The Metal Models are some of the rarest of all PRS guitars. This beauty was made in the beginning of ’86 and features T&B pickups, early black-bottom sweet switch, original case, Schaller tuners and the original bill of sale from August 1986. A one-owner guitar which is an absolute museum piece.

A really sweet ’86 Vintage Yellow Custom with Moons. All original, Sub-500 Serial Number, Brazilian Board with ’85 electronics — ’85 volume pot, unshielded cavity, and the Copper-topped Sweet Switch. Several of the earliest ’86′s have been found to be essentially ’85′s electronically once you get under the hood.

A stunning example of the fading process of the Royal Blue finish found on vintage PRSi. There is an iridescent quality to the fade which offers a variety of colors depending on the angle from which you view the top — the charcoal flames near the pickups turn blue at different angles, and you get a variety of natural and amber highlights which emerge as well. Just a killer example of why PRS aficionados love the look of faded Royal Blue.

She has a regular neck carve, highly figured Birds and Brazilian board. All the electronics are original and she has the legendary Stamped T&B’s which came with these guitars.

A super-clean low-number ’86 Pre-Standard. Mahogany body, original stamped T&B’s and an unfaded Fire Red finish. If you look closely at the electronics cavity, you’ll see where the switch switch was routed out for a tone switch at some point in the past — a very common change found on older PRS. The original sweet switch has been restored here, taking her back to vintage PRS tone goodness.

Many PRS aficionados prefer the overall sound of the all-mahogany Pre-Standards to the brighter sounding Custom 24′s — a debate between PRS lovers that’s not likely to end anytime soon.

Super early ’86 Custom in classic Vintage Yellow with a ridiculously beautiful ONE PIECE TOP. That’s right — one glorious slab of flamey maple from Paul’s stash. You certainly don’t see too many tops like this one anywhere… and she’s in all original mint condition.

Minty Pearl White 1986 Pre-Standard Serial Number 6 07XX. Original sweet switch, T&B’s, Moons and Brazilian board. Story goes that this 86 was most likely made in 85 and was held back because of a problem PRS was having in the application of the pearl white paint. Hence the pot code of the 38th week of 85 stamped on the pot.

This ’86 has the early all-mahogany/T&B sound highly sought-after by PRS aficionados. A wonderful example of an all-time Paul Reed Smith classic.

A textbook 1986 Paul Reed Smith Custom 24, Serial Number 6 08XX. Birds, killer Vintage Yellow top, Stamped T&B’s, everything all-original right down to the solder. It doesn’t get any cleaner or more classic than this.

Pristine Pearl White 1986 Pre-Standard with original T&B’s, Moons and Brazilian board. Sold by Garrett Park Guitars.

An ’86 Custom 24 with Moons and a really nice buttery top. All stock, all-original, with one smaller chip on the headstock sanded down and repaired.

An extremely rare 1986 Baby Blue Standard known as “Smurf” by owner Roberto “T-Bone” Céspedes. What makes her so special? Her Brazilian board has BIRDS instead of moons.

Birds are much harder to find on the early Standards/Pre-Standards. Standards were the less expensive models and Moons were essentially stock unless you upgraded to the Birds option for an extra $200. Today that $200 translates into perhaps a $1000 or more difference in price for vintage Standards and several thousand dollars difference for Customs. The iconic PRS Birds are always prized most highly by collectors.

Roberto reports that Smurf is an extremely fast player with an ultra-smooth chocolate Brazilian board. Best of all, this is a working guitar, played and recorded regularly, not buried in some collector’s closet somewhere. Twenty-five years later, Paul’s innovative new design for the working musician has never sounded better.

An all-original 1986 Custom 24 in classic Vintage Sunburst with Moons. Despite being gigged on a regular basis, this beauty is still in pristine 9/10 condition. The original Stamped T&B pickups don’t take any prisoners, but are surprisingly robust and toneful when backing off the volume.

A fourth Banana Yellow Pre-Standard has surfaced out of Florida. She’s 100% original with regular neck carve, Stamped T&B pickups, sweet switch and — perhaps best of all — she’s in Mint Condition.

Nobody is exactly sure how many Banana Yellows were produced, but the color is EXTREMELY RARE with only four guitars in this finish being on public record. Serial Number 6 13XX. Owned by Garrett Park Guitars.

An ’86 Pre-Standard in the extremely rare Banana Yellow finish, Serial Number #6 14XX. There is speculation that PRS may have only produced between four and twelve Banana Yellow Standards — as of today, only four Banana Yellow finishes have surfaced. Two of these belonged to Hansen Guitars.

An absolutely top-drawer late ’86 Custom 24 with Moons, Serial Number 6 15XX. Purchased new in ’86 from Chandlers in the UK, this is a completely original, mint-condition, two-owner guitar with a eye-popping Brazilian board and buttery striped maple top. The current owner inherited her in 1989 and she’s been with him ever since.

A stunning example of a 1986 Custom 24 in Vintage Yellow. She has one of the most intensely figured Brazilian boards with Birds you may ever see on an early ’80′s Custom and a killer flame Ten Top to match.

She’s all stock down to the original Stamped T&B’s, one-piece Mil-Com tremolo and sweet switch. The full humbucker “10″ position sounds much warmer than many ’86′s I’ve heard and she has the wonderful “cocked-wah” tone “9″ position in spades. A sensational guitar from Paul’s second year. Serial Number 6 16XX

1986 Custom 24 Serial #6 16XX. Near-mint, Vintage Yellow, very subtle 3-D flame top, cavity plate signed by Paul Reed Smith

Vintage Yellow 1986 Custom 24 with First Iteration T&B’s. Interestingly, the serial number is outside normal ’86 parameters but both headstock and bridge cavity authenticate it as an 86. Pickups, pots and switch switch codes are all period correct. Has Mike Deely’s “star” insigna in the neck pickup cavity and “15″ in the bridge cavity.

A rare ’87 Custom with factory-original gold hardware. Even the stamped T&B’s shipped with gold pole pieces. A fantastic, wide-open sounding guitar which is completely untouched and original. Serial No. 7 18XX.

A Vintage Sunburst ’87 Custom with an outright killer quilt top — as 3-D as it gets. Stamped T&B’s are the cherry on top.

Textbook 1987 Electric Blue Pre-Standard with a nicely figured Brazilian board and Stamped T&B’s. Electric Blue was a custom color in ’87 which cost an additional $50.

This guitar is a CLASSIC example of why ’87 is my favorite year for PRS Customs. Paul simply turned out an amazing number of Vintage Yellow Cu24′s with killer tops, regular neck profiles to die for, and the holy grail Stamped T&B pickups.

This two-owner gem was one of the earliest PRS guitars imported into Germany and currently resides in the U.K.

This is just a KILLER piece of wood — one of strongest sounding ’87′s I’ve ever had the good fortune to plug in. The “9″ position is crazy loaded with that early cocked-wah tone and the 10-Top is an obvious winner.

It has First Iteration Stamped T&B pickups and the original early style wiring as found on the 1985 models. It also has a beautiful Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard and highly figured bird inlays. This is one of the earliest examples of a PRS to feature a 10 stamp in the pickup cavity.

All stock, the usual stamped T&B pickups, sweet switch, and an etheral Vintage Yellow top. This is only a two owner guitar with all the paperwork and warranty stuff. It has “10-top” handwritten in the pickup cavity.

Wonderful two-owner ’87 Vintage Cherry Standard with Moons in brand new condition. Very lightweight (7.5 lbs) the mahogany top with stamped T&B’s give her a smoother, warmer tone that just kills. Has the ’85/’86 style wiring (“cocked wah” sound in the “9″ position). Backplate and trem cover had never been off, truss rod never touched. Case is near-mint as well. There’s no fading to the color at all — which implies she must have lived mostly in her case since ’87. She still had the original strings on her when the current owner got her.

This 1987 Magenta Pearl Standard is known as “Maggie” by owner Roberto “T-Bone” Céspedes. She has a highly figured Brazilian rosewood board, beefy mahogany neck and the original smoking pair of first iteration Stamped T&B’s. A true player’s guitar, Maggie has been professionally refretted and set up by the legendary John Ingram.

Signature Model #26 from 1987. All original, T&B’s and one of the most intense quilt tops ever seen. This Custom 24 is simply breathtaking, and offers a prime example of the unsurpassed craftsmanship of Paul Reed Smith’s Signature Series. Formerly sold by Centerville Music.

An unidentified ’87 Custom 24 with figured Birds a wild flame top.

Complete perfection — Signature Model #81 in Vintage Yellow, Serial Number 7 2XXX. All original, mint condition, stamped T&B’s, regular neck carve and an OUTSTANDING top — even by Signature standards. This is a textbook example of the incredible workmanship Paul and PRS were turning out in the mid-to-late ’80′s.

A stellar example of a faded Tortoise Shell finish on a highly sought-after Signature Model. Low serial number, one-of-a-kind quilt and all the early attributes, including the first iteration Stamped T & B’s and the 5-way with the “cocked wah” sound. Every bit as much a player as a looker.

An ’87 Signature Model with an exceptional quilted top. Standard neck carve, Brazilian Rosewood fretboard, T&B pickups. This guitar has its original case and all the original PRS paperwork.

Even calling this Emerald Green ’88 Signature “jaw-dropping” may not fully do her justice. Her wicked quilt top could clearly stand toe-to-toe with any other PRS quilt out there, her condition is a perfect 10/10 mint, and if all that wasn’t quite enough for you, she’s finished in oh-so-rare Emerald Green — a completely UNFADED Emerald Green. Any PRS lover will tell you that’s a pretty hard trifecta to beat.

She’s packing Stamped T&B pickups along with Sweet Switch and a rich, dark Brazilian board with Birds. If you were only able to own one Signature in your entire life, this mind-blower would certainly make it onto anybody’s short list.

1988 Whale Blue Custom 24, Standard neck carve, Second Iteration T in the bridge and a blank bottom B in the neck.

Here’s a classic vintage yellow ’88 Signature Model with a world-class chevron maple top. Blank back pickups (Standard Treble and Bass transitioning between the stamps and the stickers), a nice dark Brazilian board and a rare black back finish with gold appointments from the tremolo to the pole pieces.

This guitar is a perfect example of the top-of-the-line craftsmanship and first-grade materials PRS insisted on using to create the hallowed Signature Model Series, meant to represent the very best PRS guitars had to offer. Serial Number 8 51XX.

Officially known as the “Classic Electric” when launched in June 1988 at the Summer NAMM show in Atlanta, Georgia, this model became the “CE” for the 1989 production year. This was because Hartley Peavey had objected to PRS’s use of the word “Classic” as he had an amp line called the Peavey Classic Electric at the time. This is why it only says “Electric” on the headstock face.

Only about 250 guitars like this were made before becoming marketed as the CE24. She has a maple neck with a regular neck carve, unpainted headstock, rosewood fretboard and a one-piece alder body without visible seams.

The guitar’s pickups are somewhat of a mystery. The PRS hangtag lists them as Vintage Treble and Vintage Bass — but the pickups themselves have no stamp or ID whatsoever. All solder joints are original and the classic gray PRS wire is used, so they are undoubtedly original to the guitar. Controls include volume and tone and a 3-way toggle switch which was later changed to the 5-way rotary switch.

HERE’S HOW YOU DATE A CE MODEL — Using this guitar #8 7XXXX

“8″ for the year (1988)… “7″ for the model number (CE)… Then “XXXX” for the actual serial number of the guitar itself.

Here’s an ’88 PRS Curly Bass with a really sweet Whale Blue finish. Set neck, Birds, 10-Top stamped on the back of headstock. A very unique sounding instrument with the stock onboard active EQ package. Serial Number 8 905XX

A beautiful example of an ’89 Curly 4 Bass, Serial #9 904XX. Mahogany body with Blue finish, maple top, maple neck, and a Brazilian rosewood fretboard with bird inlays.

There are three PRS single-coil pickups and a hum-canceling coil in the rear of the body. Controls include Volume, 5-way Selector, deep and clear EQ controls and an active circuit bypass switch.

Signature Model #343 from 1989. All-stock with a stunning near-chevron top in Vintage Yellow. From the collection of Bottoms Up Guitars.

Immaculate 1989 Signature Model #352 in Vintage Sunburst. This one-owner guitar was purchased factory new from Rockin’ Robin Guitars in Houston in 1989. The store receipt is for $2291.67.

Everything is original, the electronics have never been touched — in fact, the owner is unsure which pickups he has because he’s never even bothered to pull them and look. Meticulously stored and cared for, short of a discovering a time machine you’re unlikely to find a cleaner example of an ’89. Look at the pics — simply spectacular.

Vintage Sunburst 1989 Signature #508 purchased new in Maine in Janurary 1990. The owner went in to buy a second-hand Les Paul only to find it sold — but the owner convinced him to buy this Sig from a new company called Paul Reed Smith. Talk about a lucky change of plans…

The guitar is all original except for the pickups. The original T pickup died and the set was replaced with Bare Knuckle Crawlers. This guitar has done 20 years of solid gigging and it only gets better with age — a true testament to its maker and heritage.

An all-original ’89 PRS Studio Model in fantastic condition. Opalescent Pearl White finish, with an early HFS humbucker and two Frailin single coils in the middle and neck positions. Studio Models are unique guitars which offered a different sound palette for PRS players from ’88 to ’92.

Who says you don’t find incredible deals anymore? One lucky Birds and Moons member recently scored this immaculate ’89 Pearl White Standard for a song. She was purchased 21 years ago by the original owner, and then sat virtually unplayed since then. The current owner stumbled upon her for sale and pulled the trigger — taking home as clean an ’89 as you’ll ever see.

Original sweet switch (which is awesome to find on an ’89), stickered Standard Bass and Treble pickups, and a nicely figured fretboard. You can really get a sense of the pearlescent finish in several of the body pics. Pretty nice score, right?

1989 Vintage Sunburst Custom 24 with original gold hardware and 10 Top. Original HFS and Standard Bass pickups with factory gold pole pieces.

Here’s a really sweet 1989 Grey-Black Custom 24. Discovered on a business trip to Chicago, the guitar had EMG pickups but also came with all the original electronics, case and even a PRS T-Shirt. The present owner restored it to stock with the white-stickered Standard Treble and Standard Bass pickups and she’s being residing in Germany ever since.

1990 PRS Limited Edition #136 of 300. Serial Number #0 82XX. Vintage Sunburst finish in immaculate condition with rare maple top. Owner still has the original invoice and hang tags.

The Limited Edtion Series ran from 1990 to 1991 and included Signature grade woods, semi-hollow body with cedar, redwood or maple top, gold hardware, tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece (only a few tremolo equipped guitars were made) and each guitar was signed and numbered. Only 300 of these guitars were produced.

Signature Model #499 in the ultra-collectable Bonni Pink finish which has almost completely faded from the top. All original, stickered T&B’s, sweet switch and a beautifully figured Brazilian board. The top is a one-of-a-kind knotty quilt which fully displays the artistry of the Signature Series.

As many Sig owners will testify, these instruments seem to be on a level all their own, exceeding even the incredible standards PRS sets for every guitar they produce. The owner says this 7 lb. beauty packs more wallop than even his ’77 LP Custom.

Here’s a picture-perfect time piece — a 1990 Vintage Sunburst Custom 24 with an exceptionally 3-D flame 10 top. She’s loaded with factory original HFS and Vintage Bass pickups, Birds, Brazilian board, sweet switch and a Wide Thin neck carve. Pretty much this guitar is everything you could want in a ’90 Cu24. Serial Number #0 94XX.

1991 Signature Model #934 with an exceptional Vintage Sunburst quilt top. The finish is as vibrant as the day she left the factory, and she’s been kept in perfect “time capsule” unplayed condition her entire life.

She’s carrying stock HFS and Vintage Bass pickups, Brazilian Board and Sweet Switch. These highly sought-after Signature Model Guitars have come to symbolize the high watermark of Paul Reed Smith craftsmanship found during the collectibile early years. You’d be hard-pressed to find one cleaner than this.

Signature Model #672 with a killer quilt top in classic Vintage Yellow.

Spectacular Vintage Yellow Signature Model #753. Currently sporting custom wood knobs in place of the stock amber originals.

A one-hundred percent original ’91 Whale Blue Custom 24 with 10-top, Serial Number 1 10XXX. White stickered HFS/Vintage Bass pickups, sweet switch, a very light and highly figured Brazilian board with bird inlays. This is a two-owner guitar and a real player — she has plenty of mojo with a few nicks and dings from years on stage, and sounds incredible.

If you look closely at the top, you can see the finish starting that classic whale blue fade along the grain — a highly sought-after look every vintage whale blue owner cherishes.

A killer 1991 PRS Artist Series I, Serial #1 11XXX. Check out that ridiculous amber quilt — you just don’t see many like that from any era. South American mahogany neck, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, Artist Series pickups and that insane big leaf maple top. Finally check performed at the PRS factory by Bonni Lloyd herself.

A textbook Custom 24 from March of ’91 with a custom Black Cherry finish. Near-mint condition, 100% stock with a rare sweet switch alongside an early HFS/Vintage Bass combo. Serial #1 10XXX. This guitar is a perfect example of early PRS right-off-the-rack excellence. Currently residing in Italy.

Near-mint 1992 PRS Artist Series I #286, Serial Number #2 14XXX in a beautiful amber finish. This guitar has a phenomenal quilted maple top, highly-figured Brazilian board and a Wide-Fat neck profile. Recently offered at auction.

The Artist Series replaced the Signature Series and ran from 1991 to 1993. It included an inlaid headstock logo on rosewood headstock overlay, wide-fat neck, exceptional woods including Artist Grade maple top, abalone bird inlays, special thin finish, Volume and Tone control with 5 way rotary, Artist Series pickups, semi-hollow body, gold hardware and stop-tail options.

Near-mint all-original 1992 PRS Custom 24 in Tortoise Shell with a ridiculously quilty “10″ top, Serial Number 2 131XX. The electronics are original and completely untouched, HFS/Vintage Bass pickups, and she has one of the most beautifully figured Brazilian rosewood boards and birds you’ll ever seen. Currently this killer Custom resides in Greece.