Experience PRS Journal
ARE YOU
EXPERIENCED?
BY JOE COFFEY
PAUL REED SMITH GUITARS
Joe Coffey is back from Experience PRS
with the lowdown on the new Starla, PRS
acoustics, and, yes, even PRS amps.
There’s a new benchmark for gaug-
ing whether or not a manufacturer
has a noteworthy following—the
success of their celebration event.
Just imagine the risk involved with
throwing a big party where the
brand faithful, endorsers, dealers,
media types, company big wigs and
worker bees gather in the name of a
gear brand.
A piddly attendance would be an
embarrassment. The opposite—hun-
dreds or even thousands of people
coming together to check out new
products, listen to music, mingle
with artists, tour the factory and
maybe drink a little beer—would
galvanize a community of users while
perhaps making an impact in the
larger scheme of things.
Paul Reed Smith accomplished this
feat with his second year of hosting
Experience PRS in Stevensville, MD.
More than 1300 people showed
up for the event, some of them
from as far away as Japan, Canada,
England, Mexico and Australia. The
artist roster included tone hounds,
chop wizards, big stage vets and
notable up-and-comers. For two
days, PRS fans shuffled between
clinics, performances and hang time
with David Grissom, Al Di Meola,
Mark Tremonti, Howard Leese, Paul
Jackson, Jr., Johnny Hiland, Pat
Travers, Kenny Greenberg, Nicky
Moroch (David Sanborn), Bugs
Henderson, Jim McCarty (Cactus) and
many other notable artists. Paul Reed
Smith sat in often and fired off his signature meaty string bends that showcase
what his PRS tone is all about.
The festivities kicked off with a private
party at Paul’s house that featured Ricky
Skaggs, his Kentucky Thunder right-hand
man, Cody Kilby and Celtic virtuoso Tony
McManus picking on new PRS acoustic
guitars in Paul’s living room.
It was the new gear, however, that truly
stood out at the event. PRS officially
released three guitars: the Starla, the Al
Di Meola Prism and the Modern Eagle
II. PRS also announced a limited run
of three guitars decked out with the
company’s new 1957/2008 pickups: the
SC 245, the Custom 24 and an old-style
McCarty. The 1957/2008 pickups, or the
5708s as they are already being referred
to, are engineered for vintage tone.
During a media briefing, PRS Director
of Sales and Marketing, Peter Wolf,
explained that the 5708s in the three
limited run guitars were made from
exclusively obtained wire that was also
used in PAF-era pickups. The company
obtained exclusive rights to wire from
the actual machine that made that wire.
They are using that wire to make wire
for 5708 pickups that are in other new
models.
The company wasn’t afraid to show off
a number of new products it is already
building, some of which are due for offi
