Paul Reed Smith in 1986

noisepolluter

I really REALLY wish someone like him was in charge of Gibson.

I've never really taken to the PRSes I've tried - on paper they tick all the boxes but somehow they just don't do it for me. 

DrJazzTap

I watched a lot of videos of Paul on youtube before I bought my PRS. Have to admit, everything he said I completely agreed with.
 In one video the interviewer asks him a question which hints that the SE line of guitars, are budget instruments. You could see Paul was a bit narked by it. He responded by saying his goal was to produce a range of quality instruments aimed at customers who couldn't afford a US model.
Saying that the guitar has to be well built. Because if you are a beginner, nothing is going to stop you learning more than if your guitar has badly finished frets, is poorly made and doesn't stay in tune. He went on to say that the SE's are used by many Nashville session guys. And that the guitar has his name on it, and he takes enormous pride in that. Basically for him he's not hocking his name for the sake of it.
His enthusiasm and drive is refreshing. I know PRS guitars aren't for everyone, and some people think they are for dentists (which is fine, no hate on that). But it's like anything else if we all liked the same thing, then life would be very drab. Echoing what noisepolluter said , If all CEO's had as much passion as Paul then we'd have some killer guitars.

grungebob

I like him as an individual and you can feel his passion, I've developed a real liking for the custom 24 model that my SE fills nicely but I do now want a USA model badly as all my other guitars now feel like toys

Kerpunk

I never liked his guitars but I like him as a person. I wish I had his drive and tenacity.

not_the_dj

More of the actual interview:

Adam_MD

It'll be interesting in the future to see if prs become just another big company churning out their greatest hits or if they'll retain that drive and passion when he's no longer there.

guitargeek62

Oh wow, that's one of the pre-NAMM '85 prototypes where Paul had just about sorted the silhouette we (now) all know, but was still fooling around with 26-fret necks. You might have seen his "sorcerer's apprentice" pair which were closer to the Santana/Mira outline, and had a trio of P-90s instead. The one in the vid though is pretty much the Adam to the Custom 24... very cool. B-)

*edit* there's some amazing fashion, and dated playing in this one. More importantly, this vid features the direct inspiration for the West St limited model from around 2006;

http://youtu.be/i1I6z1sPMFw

DamianP

It confirmed a few things that I already knew.    

Right from the start, the success was the result of a large group of people working towards a common goal rather than simply the result of one mans efforts. 

  

Secondly that in the US they really do support their own.  

Their hard work and dedication was welcomed and supported both locally and nationally. He contacted dealers and they placed orders.  He contacted musicians, they played the guitars.  The press were interested and supportive.   Investors invested. (This is the really vital element shared by all similar businesses that have achieved success)

How much easier it must be to build a successful guitar making business in such an environment.  What a joy to work in such a supportive atmosphere.

People with the skill, the drive, the determination, the knowledge exist here in the UK in spades.   There is no shortage of truly world class guitar making talent here.   

For my own part I remain resolutely determined to build a UK based guitar manufacturing company to rival any.   I know it`s possible in that making the guitars is, relatively speaking, the easy bit.   

Congratulations to Paul Smith, to Bill Collings, to John Suhr, to BobTaylor.  They`ve all achieved incredible things.  None of them achieved those things alone.   They all had support both physical and financial.  They also benefitted from operating in an environment that genuinely wanted them to succeed.   

We can do what they have done here in the UK.   Really we can.       

Jeztone

We can but people hate out existing successes. Do the UK Media talk up Marshall amplifiers and how they are still (largely) made in the UK?

Of course they don't they worship at the alter of Dyson & Alan Sugar.

Britain likes sporting success and if your making money. Beyond that....

maltingsaudio

DamianP said:

It confirmed a few things that I already knew.    

Right from the start, the success was the result of a large group of people working towards a common goal rather than simply the result of one mans efforts. 

  

Secondly that in the US they really do support their own.  

Their hard work and dedication was welcomed and supported both locally and nationally. He contacted dealers and they placed orders.  He contacted musicians, they played the guitars.  The press were interested and supportive.   Investors invested. (This is the really vital element shared by all similar businesses that have achieved success)

How much easier it must be to build a successful guitar making business in such an environment.  What a joy to work in such a supportive atmosphere.

People with the skill, the drive, the determination, the knowledge exist here in the UK in spades.   There is no shortage of truly world class guitar making talent here.   

For my own part I remain resolutely determined to build a UK based guitar manufacturing company to rival any.   I know it`s possible in that making the guitars is, relatively speaking, the easy bit.   

Congratulations to Paul Smith, to Bill Collings, to John Suhr, to BobTaylor.  They`ve all achieved incredible things.  None of them achieved those things alone.   They all had support both physical and financial.  They also benefitted from operating in an environment that genuinely wanted them to succeed.   

We can do what they have done here in the UK.   Really we can.       

I really admire your goal but I cannot see a new global guitar manufacturer emerging anywhere simply because there is no place left to go with the guitars design. The templates have been set by Fender Gibson et al.. PRS was the last practical  design to emerge so we are just left with companies improving on a theme which in my opinion wouldn't grab the attention of the mass market globally. Remember PRS alone produce 48,000 guitars a year http://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2013/03/27/paul-reed-smith-guitars-chasing-perfection-profits/ peanuts compared to Gibson and Fender.

Also bear in mind the Patrick Eggle story, I hove no doubt they could have at the time got to a point to rival PRS had PRS not got an injunction to stop their sale in the US under the protectionist laws.

Would be very nice to be proved wrong though

>-

Loobs

As much as PRS guitars do nothing for me, apart from maybe the DGT, that was a very cool video. Insane drive and tenacity, indeed. 

guitargeek62

You guys might appreciate these pages on the PRS Japan website (link), I'm not sure why they don't put them on the USA/Global one too?!

1984 Sorcerer's Apprentice

One of the earliest examples of the classic PRS doublecut (1984), albeit with 26 frets and a locking trem.

Loobs

The Santana shape is much nicer IMO. 

guitargeek62

maltingsaudio said:

Also bear in mind the Patrick Eggle story, I hove no doubt they could have at the time got to a point to rival PRS had PRS not got an injunction to stop their sale in the US under the protectionist laws.

First I'd heard of that, have you got any background/sources? Seems likely enough but I'm surprised I'd not read it elsewhere before!

Loobs

No way. Eggle's designs aren't nearly as good as PRS's. The company has no identity. 

usedtobe

While I'm not a massive fan of his guitars (a bit fancy for my taste, and the one proper PRS I've played wasn't really for me) I quite like the guy, and I like what he's trying to do. I do like the se one, though, strangely enough. .

maltingsaudio

guitargeek62 said:

maltingsaudio said:

Also bear in mind the Patrick Eggle story, I hove no doubt they could have at the time got to a point to rival PRS had PRS not got an injunction to stop their sale in the US under the protectionist laws.

First I'd heard of that, have you got any background/sources? Seems likely enough but I'm surprised I'd not read it elsewhere before!

Couldtn't find any reference on internet to quote but I was an Eggle dealer at the time I do remember an interview in Guitarist around the time in which Paul was complaining about being rivalled by his own designs if you have a few days and a pile of old guitarists you should be able to find it look around 94/5/6 

Loobs said:

No way. Eggle's designs aren't nearly as good as PRS's. The company has no identity. 

We are talking almost 20 years ago a lot could have happened in that time had the company made the sort of profits PRS did

Loobs

Yeah, but it didn't. 

guitargeek62

Just consider the difference in exchange rates back then, the pound was a lot weaker so any imports of Eggle's would have (presumably)  made them unreasonably expensive compared to a home-grown option from Maryland, and we all know how much the average American loves to buy from the U.S.

The only way Eggle could have become competitive, would have been to dominate the European market first and drive up demand in the States.

Loobs

I really don't think that Eggle's designs were nearly as good.