4 PAUL REED SMITH POCKET GUIDE

The date was early morning (for a Saturday) on Aug. 4, 2001. The fax machine at the Ranch office up the steps from my nearby bedroom began ringing, followed by printing a few seconds later. Slightly hung over (OK, perhaps a little understated), I wanted to go back to sleep, but more out of curiosity than anything else, I grudgingly dragged myself out of bed to look at the printout. Handwritten were six words – “Need help! Please call me ASAP” It was signed “Dave” and the letterhead indicated Dave’s Guitar Shop from LaCrosse, WI. Hmmm…..something important had to be up, so I gave Dave a call at his shop.

“Steve, Paul Reed Smith is putting on a clinic at 1pm today at the store. The problem is his flight has been delayed from the East Coast, and he’s going to miss his connecting flight from Minneapolis down to LaCrosse. Could you pick him up and drive him down?” I pondered this quick change of events briefly, then responded “Of course, Dave – for you, anything.”

Snapping out of the fog after a long shower, I got to the airport at the pre-determined time, drove into the arrivals area, and immediately saw Paul with his trademark black gig bag slung over his shoulder. I pulled up next to him in my new PT Cruiser, rolled down the passenger window, and deadpanned, “Understand you’re looking for a ride to LaCrosse.” He looked at me, smiled, and replied, “Oh, it’s you. Dave didn’t tell me who was coming.” So he put his guitar in the back (on top of my 1989 Custom 24 and Santana II), and then we headed towards LaCrosse.

Introductionby S.P. Fjestad

Paul Reed Smith (center) in his booth at a recent Dallas International Guitar Festival, along with authors Zachary R. Fjestad (r) and S.P. Fjestad (l). While Paul works his booth very well, he’s even better when he gets up on one of the stages and plays.

5INTRODUCTION

It was a nice day, and at first Paul seemed concerned about the route I was taking. After getting out of the metro area on Hwy. 52, we naturally started talking about guitars and amplifiers. He asked me what kind of amps I liked, and told him the Fender Super Reverbs did it for me. He replied with, “Interesting, I like Super Reverbs too.” We stopped at Wendy’s in Rochester for a couple of sandwiches to go, and not long afterwards, the two-hour drive was over and we were in front of the side door of Dave’s Guitar Shop. The first thing Paul did was put all the Wendy’s wrappers, napkins, and soda containers into a bag and placed it in an outside garbage can. After that, he was whisked away by Dave’s guitar tech and the PRS regional sales manager. When I got inside, they were expeditiously putting in some special “snake oil” tubes in a Koch amplifier. After being installed, Paul plugged in his Dragon I, and after playing a few licks that sounded closer to an electric violin, he grinned and commented, “It almost doesn’t sound like a guitar, does it?”

Going upstairs, the 150 or so seated guitar perverts were amped up and relieved when Dave Rogers introduced Paul, which was followed by a loud ovation. Nobody puts on a PRS clinic better than Paul Reed Smith. His unique and impressive skill set includes the inventiveness and inquisitiveness of Leo Fender, showmanship and a dramatic flair rivaling PT Barnum, eye-opening guitar licks many rock groups could use, and salesmanship that would make even a senior time-share salesman blush.

The clinic with questions afterwards was excellent but over far too soon.

For the publisher, the highlight of this PRS Clinic at Dave’s Guitar Shop was when Paul graciously signed the back of my 1989 Custom 24 PRS quilted 10-top which appeared on the cover of the 6th Edition Blue Book of Electric Guitars. A matching Singlecut is on the way!

6 INTRODUCTION

Imagine this – going to a free PRS Clinic, registering to win a new PRS guitar, then winning it and after Paul Reed Smith autographs the back of the headstock for you, he poses for an image! That’s exactly what happened, and this image proves it – Dave Rogers (r) from Dave’s Guitar Shop still thinks this PRS Clinic was one of the better store promotions he’s done.

Everyone went downstairs to Dave’s expansive showroom for an informal post-clinic gathering, where Paul graciously signed a lot of older PRS instruments that customers brought in (including mine), and one lucky attendee won a new PRS guitar.

Following the clinic, Paul joined the twisted crew from Dave’s Guitar Shop at the Freight House for a great dinner, where an animated Paul Reed Smith got in his share of digs. Afterwards, everyone went over to one of the bars in LaCrosse (there are plenty), where an informal jam finally wrapped up around 12:30. Paul flew out the next morning, I drove home, and looking back, the six word fax from Dave might have been the most important fax I had ever received.

The story isn’t quite over, however. On my next trip to Dave’s, I brought down my best Super Reverb for his amp tech to tweak. My instructions were simple – “When you’re done, make sure it’s the sweetest sounding Super Reverb on the planet, and ship it out to Paul Reed Smith.” About three weeks later, Paul calls me and says, “So what’s the scoop on the Super Reverb you sent me? Sounds great – how much do you want?” My reply, “It’s a gift.” For the first time since knowing him, Paul sounded confused and bewildered, and was actually at a loss for words briefly. I continued “Don’t worry about it. You ended up on the right square, and I had an extra one. Enjoy.”

7INTRODUCTION

Paul’s still using that Super Reverb at some of his local gigs, and we still talk about it to this day, and it sums up what I like about him. He’s a long-term guy who remembers and continues to appreciate the people who have helped him over the years on his amazing journey. He also has never tried to reinvent himself as his company grew. Paul Reed Smith remains the guitar industry’s best equipped leader and a visionary. I’m just glad to call him my friend.

Both Zachary and myself hope that you enjoy this Paul Reed Smith Pocket Guide. No other single book will provide you with as much information, history, and up-to-date values on Paul Reed Smith electric guitars, bass guitars, acoustic guitars, and amplifiers. Remember – high quality, digital images are available online at no charge for most of the PRS guitars listed in this text. To view these images, visit images.bluebookofguitarvalues.com. Good information never sleeps!

Don’t forget that the new 14th Editions of the Blue Book of Electric Guitars (1,360 pages) and the Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars (856 pages), in addition to the 4th Edition of the Blue Book of Guitar Amplifiers (752 pages) remain the bibles for the guitar industry. Visit bluebookofguitarvalues.com for more information, sample pages, images, and how to order our products – including books, CD-ROMs, and online subscriptions. Why guess when you can be sure?

Sincerely,

S.P. Fjestad Publisher - Blue Book Publications, Inc.

Paul Reed Smith at his best, which means a guitar in his hands. In this case, it’s a Santana SE model. PRS Guitars currently employs over 200 highly skilled workers, and its quality control standards are second to none.