By: Rick Landers
Lance Lopez – photo credit: Rick Landers
Experience PRS 2013 gets you drenched in all things guitar – live performances, conversations with world-class artists, guitar and amp clinics, facility tours, food and drink, and a chance to pick up a guitar and jam.
This morning was kicked off in Paul Reed Smith’s office for a lively conversation that will soon reach our interview pages.
We covered the management challenges of running a quality production business in times of economic challenge, teamwork and collaboration, process change, and the guitar distribution network.
We ended the interview with Paul picking up one of his PRS SE acoustics to highlight the tone and sparkle of the guitar and emphasizing its sonic boom, even at the low end.
And it’s always a treat to catch up with folks in the PRS family. High-end amp builder, Doug Sewell, was in the amp demo room with Texan guitar puncher, Lance Lopez. Lopez pulled the trigger on all three amps sitting behind him; a DG 30 Custom, a DG 50 Custom and a Dallas. The DG in the amp names calls out the name of Dave Grissom who worked with Sewell to develop the DG line of new amplifiers.
And there were a few Q&A sessions and performances with Paul, Dave Grissom, Emil Werstler, Davy Knowles, Martin Simpson, Brent Mason and Tim Pierce. Some raw bass power came from Jeff Beck bassist, Rhonda Smith, who worked bass lines for Paul and crew. Other musicians in the house were Gary Grainger, JJ Grey & Mofo, Nicky Moroch, Simon McBride, SOJA and Wyzard – talk about a group that can knock it out of the park.
Dave Grissom
Experience PRS is the time and place where new product is sold and the Maryland-based company highlighted its new S2 line-up at the event. The new S2 guitars were developed to keep costs down, but quality up in order to reach out to a new demographic that the company marketing hadn’t targeted in the past. Prices ranging from around $1,000 to $1,500 hit the mark. And the PRS quality we all expect from the company remains a high water mark for the S2 models.
Jack Higginbotham, President, PRS Guitars offered up, “We wanted a new guitar, at a new price point to attract a new customer. Stylistically, it appeals to a lot of indie players out there. We tried to not make it just another version of what we do. We’re looking to diversify our business and our customer base.”
The show goes on today until later this evening. SOJA just played a set that got the crowd enthused and wanting more. There are more clinics coming up, jam sessions, more demonstrations and a round up performance with a lot of the artists who showed up this weekend at PRS.
Davy Knowles
Paul Reed Smith
