Paul Reed Smith Guitars Custom 22 20th Anniversary

PRS Custom 22, 20th Anniversary, made in the USA 2005, a 22 fret bad boy, flamed maple top, mahoganoy body. Volume, tone and rotary pick up selecter. It has the wonderful PRS patented trem, and a set of Dragon 2 pick ups. The tuners are the PRS locking type which so far have worked great! Before getting this guitar I was not a fan of single coils (I'd never had or wanted any), but after playing with the coil tapping on this guitar I've realised how great they are, and they complement the humbuckers perfectly. The neck is wide and thin, feels great. The trem is also fanatsict feeling, more for suble 'country style' twitches rather than hardcore metal divebombs, it's a bit too stiff for that.

With the above mentioned coil tapping you can get a whole range of tones out of this beast, from punky/metal to blues/jazz, and you can even ska it up with the bridge humbucker twanging on full! Sound wise I cannot fault this guitar, true it's my first 'propper' guitar, but really I think the range of tones is incredible. It is maybe a bit to bright for full on grunge, but still - would a Cobain wanabee be swinging around a guitar with anything as cheerful as bird inlays?! There is no annoying hiss, and the volume control can be used to withstrain the sound a bit if needs be.

Factory set up - brilliant. Innotation was spot on. Pickups adjusted great, everything was spot on, absolutly no complaints there. Only this I would say is that the 5 way rotary pick up selelctor has 10 numbers on it! Which seems funny when everything else has so much care and attention. This is normal though, not a flaw with mine. Also I left it in my car whilst at work, and for some reason the locking screws on the tuners had some brown rust like gunk on them at the end of the day... it came off ok but not from the grooves, my fault I know, but seems strange (it wasn't hot or damp, and it defiently wasnt there before)... this gets a 10 anyway though, this guitar really is a thing of beauty and these are just little niggles!

If you can't depend on a PRS what can you depend on? I would feel confident about not needing a back up guitar at a gig, although I would take my old Epiphone SG400 (going back to that now would feel hideous!). This finish is rock solid, and all the components are top quatlity. Having said that I wouldnt wanna bash it aroud too much, and I don't think it would take the abuse some other guitars (a Les Paul for example) would.

Havn't dealt with them, the website support is great though if thats anything to go by.

I'm playing this through a Boss GT-8 and a Sessionette 75, which gives a fantastic twagy tone with this guitar. Compared to a Fender or Gibson, this PRS stands tall, wouldn't ever consider going to the 'dark side' now I'm playing this! I tried a few 22's before deciding on this one, they all feel a bit differnt and it's important to get the one that feels right. I've been playing for 7 years now, and to be honest I've been lazy playing for 6 of them, playing just punk rock etc and havn't learnt my scales or many chords that aren't outside of that scope, but just playing this guitar makes me actually want to learn this stuff! I won't loose it (I can't keep my eyes off it) and if it were stolen (or lost by someone else, or even scratched!) I'd spank them to say the least! Oh and the hard case it comes with is lovely, mine has a small knock already which annoyed me as I'm almost as proud of the case as the guitar itself! Comes with some spare tuner screws and a trem arm, to be honest PRS could include the cleaning cloth in the case aswell when you spend this much. Oh and the PRS strings sound great, I'd get them again. If only girls came this perfect (and mines pretty great too, although I think she preferred it when the PRS didn't make us a threesome)!

Custom 22 20th Anniversary Artist pack in dark cherry sunburst, tremolo, pickup switch rather than rotary control. Push-pull tone switch to change from single to double-wound and vice versa. All the usual Artist pack goodies : gold metal, inlaid signature etc. Leather case - which is remarkably heavy.

The inlaid line on the fretboard apparently looks like a broken string, so the other members of the band tell me.

I love the way this guitar looks. I had wanted a quilt finish, but the exact spec would have taken 3-4 months on a special order and cost lots more, so I got this one, and haven't regretted it for a second.

9 rather than 10 because the pickup switch is not so easily accessible as the traditional Les Paul placing, and the push-pull on the tone is not ideal to pull out with sweaty fingers.

Fabulous rich sounds - as soon as I took it to the first rehearsal, everyone in the band could tell the difference (had previously been playing US Standard Strat and Les Paul Studio). Lighter sound than the Les Paul, bu so versatile. The tone control is useable and the choice between single/double wound pickups makes a real difference. Magical.

Simply can't fault the finish. I'm no expert, but it appears flawless. Came perfectly set up for me with 9s straight out of the case. Has a genuine quality feel - everyone who's picked it up and played it comments on that.

I've bought this guitar to play and gig with. It had better last, I'm not spending this much money again ! I'll always have a backup guitar at a gig, but that's common sense, not a reflection on the PRS. No signs of anything other than a long life ahead of it. It's not fair to rate it after 3 months, but I have high expectations.

No comment. I think the PRS website could be improved enormously but that's because I'm in Marketing !

Have been playing on and off for 32 years. Have no pretensions to being good at it, but am lucky enough to be able to buy this beautiful guitar. Other guitars are US Standard Strat 1990 and Gibson Les Paul Studio (1992) plus an Ibanez electric acoustic. I'm going to sell the Les Paul because I can't see myself using it now that I've got the PRS. Lovely guitar (Les Paul that is) but very heavy !

I wanted three things from this guitar - great (stunning) looks; great sound and good to pick up and play. It's delivered on each of these. I can't honestly imagine a significantly better guitar.

If it were stolen or lost, once I had got over the mourning period, I'd be straight out for another. I don't think I'd hesitate for a second about replacing it.

I have a custom 22, 10 top, stop tailpiece, 5 position switch.

It does everything, dont need to carry a les paul and a strat.

Beautiful guitar

Very well made. Equal to or better than my Gibsons and Fenders.

never had to call.

i have played for 42 years, I have a 59 Les Paul reissue and a recent issue Les paul premium + (the 70s and 80s stuff was crap so i passed them off to someone who appreciated them) and a Strat. This guitar compares quite nicely is light easy to play great tone and sustain and looks like a million bucks.

2005 Custom 22 adorned with the Artist package. Paul Reed Smith wanted to do something extra special for the 20th anniversary edition guitars besides the birds in flight inlay pattern very special all of the 20th Anniversary Artist package customs would receive special highly figured Brazilian rosewood headstocks & fretboards some actually pulled from the private stock pile.WOW and of course the extremely high Artist/Private Stock grade figured top, all Gold hardware and the custom 22's have the Dragon 2 pickups. My 20th anniversary Artist is in Blue Matteo extremely amazing color changes in different lighting situations looks beautiful onstage! and presented in a Leather and Gold Artist Presentation Case

Produces a Thick, Fat and Juicy Tone! I play in a top 40 cover band requiring many different sounds everything from blues,country,modern rock & metal. Guitar sounds great with all my amplifiers Mesa 2:90/Triaxis Rig, Mesa Recto half stack & Line 6 Flextone 3 XL.

Action was set a little high for my taste requiring me to have my guitar Tech do a setup. But the perfectly bookmatched Artist/Private Stock grade top made me smile & the insanely high figured Brazilian rosewood headstock and fretboard had me slobbering. So I can overlook the setup

PRS quality goes without saying I have played them for years with no issues of course I always add strap locks.

I have used customer support in the past they are extremely helpful probably the best I have ever dealt with!

I have been playing guitar for 20 years and playing PRS guitars for 16 of them. This is by far one of the finest PRS guitars I have ever played. I initially purchased his guitar as an investment I own a 10th anniversary PRS as well and I have been offered triple what I paid for it. But I started playing this guitar and bonded instantly this is my main go-to guitar in the studio and @ bigger live shows.



These 20th Anniversary Artist Customs are special not just because of the highly figured Brazilian Rosewood and special birds in flight inlay pattern.

My dream guitar!!! Completed 12th January 2006 to be exact :) 20th Anniversay Custom 22. All features standard on a PRS Custom 22 with the following options:
- Trem bridge
- Flame maple top (about a 7/10 I'd say)
- 20th Anniversary "Birds-In-Flight" fretboard inlays
- 20th Anniversary truss rod cover
- Wide-Fat neck (comfy, but warm and sustains well)
- 5-way rotary pickup selector
- Whale Blue finish (sexy...)
It's fairly light (about 7lbs) and very well balanced when you put it on (unlike my Les Paul which pulls you down on one end). The most comfortable axe I've played. Great contours.

Giving it a 10. Just the right amount of features - not to little that you don't get what you pay for, and not too much that you need to have a rocket science degree to operate it.

B-E-A-U-TIFUL! Everything I had dreamt a PRS to sound like. I play mainly rock, blues, alternative and contemporary Christian. I'm playing through a Traynor Custom Valve 40-watt combo with a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, Boss reverb/delay, wah and chorus. It's pretty quiet and buzzes only under high gain settings and under some lighting.

Acoustically, it's well balanced and clear. PRS's seem to have a slightly "hollow" quality about their tone, which I like for less heavy material. When plugged-in this baby is so sweet and so clear, which must be a result from the maple top and thinner mahogany body. The Dragon II pickups just sing angelically and there's heaps of sustain for a trem guitar. There's so much character from these pickups I could cry. Certainly more vintage sounding.

There's a lot of variety with the 5 way selector. Positions 1 (treble), 3 (middle), 5 (bass) give you that similar to a Les Paul. Positions 2 and 4 are Strat-like in sound, reminiscent of the "inbetween" positions, but have a noticeable drop in output (as you get on most coil taps). 4 is thicker sounding than 2, but less clearer.

Perfect 10.

PRS are the best in terms of factory setup from what I've seen from the guitars I've purchased brand new. Action, bridge floating trem height, pick up height, and neck relief were all set up well. People may wanna tweak it to their taste, but mine is fine with me. I couldn't find any flaws. This baby was perfect out of the box.

Guitar is well built and seems durable for something that is not as "chunky" as a Les Paul. The hardware and finish are high quality and don't get dirty easily. And when they do get dirty, cleaning them is not a hard job. Strap buttons are big and tight, so they're pretty safe, considering this axe is relatively light. I would fully depend on this, but I always have my Les Paul around when I need to drop D or have more grunt.

9 - they need to invent hardware that doesn't tarnish :P

Have dealt with them on several occasions. Very prompt, quite informative and treat customers well. I used to own a PRS Korean-made SE, and they treated me no different to an owner of a USA made model from what I've heard. The warranty is life-time as you'd expect.

8 - could be more informative about certain questions.

I've been playing 8.5 years and I also own a Les Paul Classic, a Yamaha CPX-8 Compass and a couple other acoustics. This guitar has basically lived up to my expectations as my good friend has a Custom 22 and I hear it just about every week and have played it a few times. If it were stolen or lost...I would have to kill the thief (as you do), but will probably have to get a brand new Custom 22 (but sadly 20th Anniversary models are out of production). I pretty much was looking for a good middle ground between a Les Paul and a Strat - the sorta middle ground sound that would be my main sound, and this guitar had been it for many years.

So yes, this is a top versatile axe that will cover everything from rock to jazz and inbetween. Great clear vintage-like tone with heaps of character. However, it won't replace your Les Paul or Strat...this is the perfect middle ground.

2005 20th Aniv. Custom 22, 5 way selector, 22 fret Wide FAT Neck carve - Abalone bird inlays - Dragon II Treble & Bass pickups with covers, Mahogany body, Flamed Maple Top Whale Blue, PRS 14:1 Phase II low mass locking tuners, 22 fret - PRS stoptail.

Sound is perfect, You can D tune the guitar and it can still produces a nice thick growl... 5 way selector is great for selecting different tones. Using this guitar with a Marshall JCM 800 1/2 Stack. I have no complaints.

Action is perfect for my hands. I cannot play thin neck guitars, Washburn, etc etc. It just doesn't feel right, My hands are kinda big. Pick-ups wee just right outta the box, sounds and settings were just fine.

You can definately play this guitar live. Hardware is up to snuff. I'd bring along my PRS Tremonti USA, not as a back up, I'd do it just to switch around when I'm playing live. Hey, why not bring 2 kick ass guitars, right?

never had to call them in the 4 years that I've been dealing with PRS Guitars.

I've been playing for 2.5 years now. If it was stolen I'd get another one, after I beat the person to death who stole it. I just like this guitar and everything about it, it's my style. Fabulous flamed maple top... great sound, great action, great feel, Hell it's a Paul Reid Smith! Need I say more???

22fret medium size neck, not to thin, but not at thick as I'd like it. I'd say [ about the size of a 60's profile Gibson neck? ]. I don't know what else to compare it to. I bought the guitar used at Sam Ash so I'm going by what I see and feel. Not what the hang-tags or paper work with the guitar says! There is none! At any rate its a stop-tail/bridge. Not sure the exact term PRS use's. Its a 10 top done in Orange, Abalone dot inlays. [Ya I know I like the birds to] But it is what it is. [used] The guitar is in mint condition. There are brand-new guitars at Sam Ash that are NOT in as good as condition as this PRS. 3-way toggle, 5-way rotary, tone/volume knobs. Dragon pups on the 22fret, w/gold-covers, and all gold hardware. Looks very nice with the Orange flame. Locking [prs] tuners. I think thats about it for Features.

Fantastic. First of all I wanted a 22 fret PRS. I owned a 24 fret before and didn't care for the tone as opposed to the 22's. But I bought that CE-24 for a VERY good price used so I jumped on it. Second I really wanted a Hollow-Body II with the Piezio option. There was/is one in the store, I really liked the feel/weight of the Hollow II, the neck was super hence it was wide/fat. The guitar sounded good, but NOT as good as this 22-20th! Matter of fact this is/was the best sounding PRS in that store that day. HANDS-DOWN, and not only I thought so, but EVERYONE there listening. Also thought so. I wanted that Hollow-II believe me. Birds, 10-Top, Vintage Burst, Piezio, Coil-Splits, weight/neck. Man I wanted that guitar. But at last REALITY was in the driver's seat. The 20th sounded the best and it was VERY noticable with the amp on Clean setting. I demo'd it at the store through a Peavey-Joe Satriano head and a Fender Twion-Reverb 65 re-issue. I play through a real 67 Twin-Reverb. Anyway the guitar sounds awsome, Articulate, well balenced, and full. The Hollow sounded a little [THIN]. I like the straight up neck and bridge humbucker mode's the best. But all FIVE rotary positions are without a doubt very useable.

The guitar was set up dead-right from the store. Like I mentioned it is a second-hand guitar. So I doubt this is the factory set-up. Probly the last owners or Sam-Ash tech set it up. But the intonation is perfect, action is nice and low without any fret-buzz. What else can you ask for. The finish on the guitar is flawless, I mean it is drop-dead nice! I even kind of like the dot-inlays on this guitar. Birds are cool but the dots are a Vintage Vibe thing. And I agree with the fellow who submitted the thread below. If you can'tr set-up your own guitar? You really ought to think about what your doing playing! Factory set-ups fall between a certain spec, where close is good enough. So..some-times there right sometimes there not! I ALWAYS set-up and tune my own axes. Matter of fact I do ALL THE WORK on my guitar. EXCEPT fret-jobs. Which I don't believe in. I don't change all the frets on a guitar. I prefer to change the one's that are bad! Then file the new one's to match the old. Bur back to my PRS. Ya I wanted that Hollow II, but I couldn't in good conscience pass up this guitar. It is superior to anything I own or have played exept a Gibson ES-135 that is my main axe. [That is a story in itself] blows away my 335 and Hamer Newport Pro. Talk about freak Gibson's This is one! But it is a fantastic guitar [PRS]. I had a so-so feel about PRS since the CE-24 I owned. I wanted to like them, they are unreal to play and look at. But the tone just wasn't there on that CE-24. This 22-20th made me a believer on PRS. The TONE is there, matter of fact, it is a tone monster!

EH what can I say, Its not a Stratocaster. Its a beautifull PRS guitar. You have to take care of them. But it will last as long as anything else out there, Gibson, Hamer etc etc. But it won't take a beating like a Strat will!

PRS is good, I know from my last PRS!

I've been playing since 67, And was playing live, onstage by 68! I've been at this a long time. I don't care WHAT the name is on a guitar. I care about the feel/tone. Its build quality, and the action. As of now you really have to look at guitars, there are many many quality guitars for low-dollars now. Wasn't like that when I first started playing. USA products were FAR superior to anything else out there. Now its a different story. USA in general still rocks. But there are some quality instruments being built overseas now! I love Fender, Gibson, Hamer! Now I added PRS to a quality list. But believe me there other great guitars than the one's mentioned, But this PRS is the bomb. I couldn't be happier with a guitar! Over all a fantastic guitar. If you are in the market for a PRS. A/B this guitar to the one you are set on purchasing. You may be surprized. I know I was!

See PRS web site...I give it an 8 simply because as far as features
go..it has what it needs. This one is AmberBurst with a stop tail

The sound is amazing...played numerous PRS guitars and this one stood out as having that extra special sound. The sound is full and rich,
this guitar sings..but can also get dirty with a certain growl usually
missing in PRS's

This is where I have to vent a little...this guitar was perfect, no flaws at all. I get tired of reading reviews about action set up and all the other nonsense that gets posted. Aside from obvious flaws, guitars are set up a certain way at the factory..add in shipping and sitting in wharehouses, sometimes things need adjusted, quit blaming manufactures and start nailing the dealer. They should take the time
to make sure the guitar is set up good. Not EVERYONE likes the same action setup...if your buying a high end guitar like this and don't know how to do a proper set up yourself...then you need to take up bowling. PRS has some of the best quality control in the buisness.

The quality on their production guitars far supasses most manufactures custom shop guitars...except Jackson...their pretty damm good. Even that blowhard Ed Roman cannot argue with their quality.

And for the most part I agree with Roman's many rants...
Bottom line is does the thing sound good....

You will find that about 9 out of 10 PRS sound very good...compare that with about 1 out of 10 gibsons....

And finally ..everyone complains about PRS using cheaper parts...well hello McFly.....they all do...try to keep a Gibson in tune...and I love Gibsons, its just that you have to search so hard to find that special one that works...I recently played a 57 gold top reissue..
it sounded like someone stepped on a cat..my wife, who is not a musician..can tell the difference between what sounds good and what sounds bad...
So those of you who bang PRS because its not a Les Paul..well your right its not...but its still a great guitar with superior quality control.
And for those who complain about action and all the other stuff..why are you buying a guitar that isn't 100% to your standards...keep searching until you do.
Alot of times..that guitar that isn't set up perfectly to your liking
or just because its not in tune when you pick it up..could be the jem
your looking for..
Take the time to learn to do it yourself....I have yet to meet a salesman who really knows how to set up a guitar..remember their salesman not techs...and honestly..its not that difficult

I am sure this will withstand live playing..I don't throw my stuff around. I don't know many guitars that can take being dropped on the headstock..So dont.
I would never gig without a backup..unless your stupid.
And those of you who complain about the finish wearing off....remember
people pay lots of money for that worn look..if it has a thin finish
then consider yourself lucky....guitars sound better without all that gunk..even PRS is starting to offer guitars in a thinner laquer

Never had to deal with

Been playing for about 15 years....
The customer needs to be informed..keep in mind salesman do not know
everything..get on companies websites and look at specs...really check a guitar out..look at the fretboard..play it unplugged..you can tell more about a guitar that way. If it sounds good and acuoustical
then you know when plugged in you got a winner.