New PRS Guitars: NAMM Show 2011

By: Staff

As usual, PRS Guitars came to the 2011 NAMM show with a bunch of big surprises up their sleeves, and the crowd that gathered to be the first to hear at the PRS press conference was not disappointed. As well as launching several new signature acoustics, amps and a Dweezil Zappa model, the company has several new solidbody models on display at this year’s NAMM show.

Let’s hear what Paul Smith and David Grissom have to say about some of the great new guitars that PRS is launching at the 2011 NAMM show.

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Paul Reed Smith

“So, for those of you that don’t know, we just came out of our 25^th anniversary and we have a complete new product line. To that end, there are about 32 new models.”

Custom 24

“We have a new Custom 24 model. The original Custom 24 came with built with a rotary switch or a toggle switch, and we’ve changed it so we have to start a whole new guitar now. This is our new Custom 24 and that’s a very special 5-way slide switch on it instead of a rotary. This is about half the sales that we do with these customs and we changed it, new rings, new finish new pickups new switches new inlays new everything.”

PRS Guitars NAMM 2011

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Ja-15

“This is our new hollowbody inspired by a D’Angelico instrument that was played in Frank Sinatra’s band. Paul Jackson Jr. and PRS got together to do this model. This is our JA-15. This was released at our open house, I think this is one of the best things that we make, check it out. Once again, we have a complete new product line. “

PRS Guitars NAMM 2011

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The Studio

“We have a new guitar called The Studio. We are very back ordered on something called narrowfield pickups and this has two of those. It’s hard to release a new pickup because, unless it’s a Strat of Humbucking pickup, pretty much people don’t want to look at it, but this is going very well for us with these narrowfields.”

PRS Guitars NAMM 2011

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Santana SE

“Our premier endorser, Carlos Santana, we update his model all the time. I want to show everybody the new Santana model and we also have a Santana SE.”

PRS Guitars NAMM 2011

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DGT

“One of the best instruments we make is the DGT [David Grissom Trem] and we updated David’s guitar with new knobs, new rings, new finish, new colors, new inlays, we’ve modified the neck shape sizes. Did you want to talk to everybody about your experiences with this new guitar?

PRS Guitars NAMM 2011

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David Grissom

“It’s hardy. I don’t have a whole lot of experience with it, because I played it for the first time when I got here two days ago. It’s kind of my dream guitar and I’m really happy to have some new finishes on it, new colors that we can offer.

The beauty of working with a company like PRS is, whenever I go out and do a clinic, or play a gig like this, I never ever bring my own guitar, because I know with the consistency of build that I can just grab a guitar off the wall and go. So, it took 25 years to get my dream guitar realized, and I’m so grateful to be working with the talented company of people here.

But, I also want to say a word about the amplifiers and that is that, 25 years with the guitar and in the last two years I’ve gotten to the point where these amplifiers are pretty much the only thing I’m playing through. And I think that it’s been very difficult for people to believe, that a company that makes guitars this good can make amplifiers that are on the same level.

And inevitably it comes down to listening with your ears rather than your eyes, which a lot of people do. But, working with Doug Sewell is like the same experience working with Paul Smith, they both listen.

They both take input and it’s been a real pleasure and I’m just real blown away by the amplifiers and the fact that they can still can turn out guitars like this consistently, really knocks me out, so it’s a real honor and pleasure to be here and to be here with these wonderful musicians.”

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