Paul Reed Smith Guitars Custom 22

2000 quilted amber 10 top w/ stoptail and birds. I give it 8 because I'm not fond of the lack of shine on the PUPs and tailpiece.

Wow. I own and have owned a lot of good to what I thought were great guitars. Nothing touches this thing for versatility and touch. It is so sensitive to the way I pick, strum or jackhammer on it. Every little nuance shines through the amp. It has really changed the way I play for the better and I look forward to many years of getting better with her. The variations between pickup settings is awesome as is the difference with volume and tone settings. I'm doing things with the volume knob I have always relied on effects for.

It's beautiful despite the cloudy PUPs and bridge. The neck is the best without question. My American Fenders, Gibsons, Parkers, ESP, Taylor and all the rest feel like sandpaper now. I bought it used and strung it with D'aD 10s. The G string seems a little off sometimes so I will try it with 9s as it was originally equipped next change.

I would definitely depend on it. The only reason to bring a backup would be a broken string but even that with the locking tuners might be a non-issue.

Don't know. But I live close to the factory.

I played a few PRSs while trying out the Line 6 XL 3 and fell in love with the complexity of the tones. My Les Paul was my old favorite and I plugged in an identical model at the store just for the side by side comparison. There is none. Even the SE models rock. I found an old Santana SE on Craigslist for a couple hundred and it was going to be my main guitar as it played like butter with big tone. Then I found the 22 at a good price--it's been a great year. With the exception of a Rickenbacker 12 I don't know what else a guy could want. I give an eight because the new price is still ridiculous and I want to keep Paul humble in that regard.

2005 model. Made in USA. 22 Frets, 25" scale wide fat neck, mahogany body with carved maple cap, mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard, moon inlays, solid black finish with natural flamed maple edge "binding". PRS Dragon 2 pickups, five way rotary switch, one volume, one tone. PRS trem bridge, phase 2 locking tuners. Came with a very nice form fitted hardshell case, vinyl covered with leather bound ends and handle.

The five way rotary switch was the only feature I wasn't completely sold on when I purchased the guitar. Completely clockwise (position 10) is the bridge humbucker. From there, counter clockwise, you get the outside coils in parallel, the inside coils in series, the inside coils in parallel, and finally the neck humbucker in full. I'll talk more about these tones in the sound section, but my only complaint about the guitar after a full year playing it is the lack of real tonal difference between positions 9 and 7, outside coils in parallel and inside coils in parallel. They do sound slightly different, but for my style (hard/indie rock) they are similar enough that I never use position 7 (inside coils parallel). It would have been better if they had wired it such that position 7 gave you both humbuckers full, in parallel. This would have given a completely new tone and added to the already wide versatility of the guitar.

I am a guitar modder, and have assembled quite a few parts guitars, modified others to the point where they were a shadow of their former selves, so take this paragraph with a grain of salt. I changed out a few components over the last year for various reasons. First, within the first 48 hours, I installed Dunlop straplocks. I do this for all my guitars. There wasn't necessarily anything wrong with the PRS strap buttons. second, this being my first floating trem guitar in about 15 years, I bought a Tremol-no and installed it to block the bridge and fix it in place. When I switched back and forth between Drop D and standard tunings, I would have to retune all the strings with the floating trem. I tried some stoptail PRS models but found the stoptail uncomfortable, and opted for a blocked trem instead. Third, all of a sudden last August I started having problems with breaking strings, so I put Graphtec Ferraglides on in place of the stock saddles. I have since only broken one string. Finally, my wife bought me some flame maple humbucker mounting rings for Christmas, which match the flamed maple edge binding and look very classy compared to the stock creme plastic rings.

Given a 9 for this category, because of the small complaint about the rotary. If I could give it a 9.5, that would be more accurate.

This guitar suits my musical style very well. I play with a medium amount of gain most of the time, and a majority of the time on the bridge pickup. I tend to do a lot of chord variations and tend to shy away from leads/solos, so the big thing for me is having clear and consistent string-to-string clarity while using distortion. This guitar delivers in that regard. I was strictly a single coil player for many years because I thought no humbucker guitar could give me the definition I desired to hear. The PRS delivers that clarity along with a fullness I couldn't get with single coils. Since all rotary positions are hum-canceling, I no longer have to deal with single coil hum.

As mentioned before, positions 9 and 7 are so similar that I only use position 9 out of the two of them. However, positions 10, 8 and 6 all give me useful tones as well. Having four very different and equally useful tones from one guitar makes for a very versatile instrument. Positions 9 and 7 are also slightly quieter in output than 10, 8 and 6, which makes for additional clarity under gain, but makes me avoid these settings while clean due to the slight volume drop. I have read many players use a small amount of compression to correct for this. It hasn't been much of an issue for me.

This guitar was made in May or June of 2005, but I bought it new from the store in December 2006. The guitar was in perfect condition, as was the case.

As far as finish flaws, the only thing I noticed was the finish had settled into the wood a bit over the year and a half it was in the store. With the correct lighting, you can see the figuring of the flame maple and how the finish has settled in differently depending on the figuring, if that makes sense. If this guitar was any color other than solid black (which shows every flaw and speck of dust), this wouldn't be noticeable. This certainly does not affect playability, nor can I feel it when rubbing a finger on it. Other than that, the finish is perfect.

I believe it was set up with 9s from the factory, and was very playable. I prefer 11s and had to do a setup on it after restringing. I had played more hardtail guitars before owning this trem-equipped model, and as such the trem added a degree of difficulty to the setup I was not accustomed to. But once I got everything correct, it played perfectly, and has continued to for an entire year with no adjustments.

The last remaining thing I haven't changed (but might) is the pickup height adjustment screws. They're a bit short, and in lowering the pickups, unscrewed it too much, dropping the pickup down into its cavity and forcing me to take all the strings off to put it back together. From the factory, there is a very narrow range between where the pickup drops off the end of the screw, and when the pickup is high enough that it contacts the strings during palm muting and such.

I use this guitar live and have played about 30 shows with it in the last year. Shows can range from 30 minutes to two hours, depending on where we play and how many other bands are on the bill.

The longest tour we did was a nine show trip, during which I broke strings at three shows with no backup guitar. This was prior to switching to the Graphtec Ferraglide saddles as mentioned in the features section. I was incredibly frustrated with the string breakage specifically because we had limited space in the van and I opted not to bring a backup. The guitar had performed flawlessly prior to this, and string breakage has not been a problem since installing the Graphtecs.

I wear jeans pretty much all the time and the pocket rivets have cause some worming on the back of the guitar. Nothing through the finish, but obvious when looking at the back. No biggie. This guitar was meant to be played and that's a side effect of jeans on guitars.

There is a small piece of finish that flaked off on the bass side of the neck around the fourth fret. I don't know if it got knocked into something or what, but it's there. It isn't huge and does not affect playability. You going to gig with a guitar? Don't expect it to stay in mint condition.

After a couple hundred hours of play time, the frets are beginning to show very slight wear, and I mean very slight. I have worn out frets on guitars before, it took a few years. These frets seem like they'll last longer than that.

Aside from breaking strings (which I corrected), these are minor issues. The important thing is the guitar is stable, stays in tune better than any guitar I've ever had, the setup doesn't change when the weather changes, and I haven't had a single issue with any of the electronics going out on me. I feel confident with the guitar but since the string breaking problem, always bring a backup.

Haven't had to deal with customer support.

I have been playing for about 19 years, and currently own four other guitars. This guitar is my #1, and has been since the day I bought it. It was immediately my best playing and sounding guitar. My others are all Fender-style parts guitars, so the PRS was quite a bit different, but in a good way.

At first I had trouble bonding emotionally with it, and felt like since I hadn't assembled it or modded it significantly that it wasn't "mine". The more I play it, the more I like it and the more I bond with it. Admittedly, I was exceptionally nervous spending the kind of money I spent on it, having never paid that much for any single piece of gear previously. In hindsight it was a very good investment. It has changed my outlook on what a good guitar should be.

When I was shopping for this guitar, I played many others. I compared this to quite a few Gibsons (Les Paul standards, SG standard, Firebird) and the only one I thought came close was the Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul 1958 Historic reissue, which cost $1000 more. Surprisingly, another guitar which was similar in quality and tone was a $900 Epiphone Elitist Les Paul which was a great guitar but had a very skinny neck, and that's a deal breaker for me every time. My big hands need a fat neck. I also played several other PRS guitars, and when I was down to the final few guitars to choose from, one of the others was a PRS Standard 22 with the all mahogany body. The maple top of my Custom 22 added a brightness and snap to the tone that was more pleasing to my ears.

Great features; three tone/volume knobs allows for a wide range of sounds. Wish there was a 3 or 5 way selector on it. Mahogany top and maple back with a rosewood neck. Feels nice to play. Wide thin neck keeps my fingers off the other strings while scaling and I can get a nice firm hold on the frets. Very light and feels good and sturdy to hold in my arms. Wilkinson two-point vibrato bridge needed a bit of adjusting; the action got WAY too low past about the 12th fret. Just raised it up and it feels great. Dragon II pickups. The nut is superb on this thing. The finish is violin amber sunburst; glossy and beautiful.

No noise AT ALL unless run through a compressor. And then it is still very low on the buzz. I can pretty much run any sound I want. My laments are the same here on the lack of a 3 way selector; I could get even more sounds on it. I replaced the stock strings with D'Addario Chromes Jazz Light gauge and they allowed me to get an even warmer and wider range of tones. All this is with a crappy Behringer GMX110. I'm getting a VOX AC15CC1 at some point, and I bet it will sound like sweet heaven then. Again, I had to raise the action a bit to stop some string buzzing, but that's no big deal. 2-3 minute job.

The action was crappy; as I said before. The neck was wonderfully straight and the nut and intonation were spot on. I won't let the pickups detract from the rating because everyone likes theirs at different adjustments. All the hardware is top notch and I had no loose or misaligned hardware. The guitar is absolutely beautiful.

I don't do any live playing, so I can't comment on anything there. The guitar is very light, but it feels like titanium when you're playing it. Sturdy and reliable. All the hardware is easy to use and attached perfectly.

Haven't had to deal with them.

I've been playing for fours years. Again, I WISH WISH that this had a 3 way selector. I had that and three tone/volume knobs on my old guitar ( a crappy ESP Kirk Hammett thing; yeah, I've grown up) and I could almost get the same range as this one has without a selector. I could probably wail on a solo and then play warm, bassy jazz in an instant with a switch. It's still got an intense range, though. I love how pretty it is and how dead quiet the electronics are. I compared this to an '82 Strat and a sometime in the 90s Les Paul and I couldn't get over how well this thing just fit me. It's a blast to play. I would buy it again if it was stolen. I got an amazing deal on Ebay for it, but I would pay full price if it was stolen.

custom 22 with stoptail in quilted tortoise shell red with dragon 2 pickups. comes with a case, and if not for the quality of the pots, stoptail and pickups, this guitar would rate much higher

ok, before anyone gets mad at me, i just want you to know that i waited 3 years after i bought this guitar before i wrote this review so that i could completely try it out. the sound is horrible for a 2000 dollar guitar. i have played it through a hot rod deville, a valveking, and a mesa triple rec., but it can only achieve mid range tone. anything other than the mid range is very muddy at any volume or setting over 3. i know that the pickups can be upgraded, but after 2000 dollars, you really shouldnt have to buy anything else

the guitars action, fit and finish are incredible. it came from the factory tuned, polished, and the action was and still is perfect. although the sides werent perfectly bookmatched, i didnt pay for a 10 top so its not a big deal. paul reed smiths guitars flaws are not in their construction, but in their quality

this guitar has been pretty reliable. in three years ive only come across a loose plug, and as for durability it stands up well. i would gig with it as a backup, but not without backup

PRS customer support is awesome, and thats all that needs to be said

paul reed smith guitars are very fun to play, their feel is something that can only be achieved by their guitars, but the quality of their pickups and pots has to get better. the construction is flawless, but even the worlds greatest builder can only do so much with poor quality supplies.

Mine is a 2001 Custom 22 Tremolo in Emerald Green. It has a nice thin neck which feels almost as though there is no lacquer on it - unbelievably fast. It has no volume control for the pups, which is a bit unusual, but I never use them on my other guitars anyway... the pickup selector is a little confusing, but it just takes a bit of getting used to.

I play Rock/Blues and a bit of Indie/Folk... I also have a PRS SC250 which I use for my rockier songs, but this guitar is *perfect* for quite strumming and slow blues. It is very bright, (like most PRS's), and is also very thick and warm. My favourite two sounds on this guitar are the coil tapped clean, (9 on the pickup selector), which is actually quite a twangy sound like a strat and strangely artificial, and at first I didn't like it much, but now I absolutely *love* it and use it every time I plug in. I also like the bridge pickup distortion, which isn't to heavy, but is a nice bright, clear tone.

Awesome set up, I use this with 9's, which I don't do on any other guitars, but it suits this one perfectly. Beautiful finish... I actually prefer the gloss models WITHOUT a ten top because you can see the natural swirls in the wood and the detail in the grain. The finish looks 3D on this, it really is lovely. The gloss on the body is lovely... it feels like glass, but doesn't seem to pick up fingerprints very easily, which means I don't have to spend every second cleaning it, and it still looks great!

I would use this live over my SC250 because it is a little more versatile and it is *very* light and easy to play. It has lasted a long time, and doesn't seem like stopping any time soon.

Haven't needed them, but I'm sure they would be great.

My favorite thing about this guitar is the neck, (which is also true for my other PRS), and it is SO easy to play... the frets melt away like butter into your hand and you wind yourself playing better than you though you could... I've had professional amp builders and guitar techs play it and just say: "Holy shit, where can I get one?" It is by far the easiest guitar to play that I have ever tried. And I just can't get enough of that coil-tapped clean! It is the perfect guitar to write music on. I have heard a few times about the quality drop in these models around 02/03 due to the company upscaling their production line, so you may not get the same experience from a new model, but my personal experience with this guitar has been amazing and I'm definately sticking to PRS's from now on!

I have a trem model, with three-way switcing and push-pull coil taps.The advantage here is that when playing live you can tell at a glance what combination is selected, and change sounds in a second. The next plus is the trem, which is smooth and returns to an in-tune setting with no effort and no worry. Overall tuning, compared to any of the several Gibsons I have owned, is impeccablly rock solid, and stays this way all the way up the neck. Again, this is a great asset when playing live, and the confidence it offers allows me to take risks which on any other guitar would be foolhardy.

For its tuning stability alone this guitar deserves a 10.

And there is the neck, fat,wide,and beautiful to the eye, leaving plenty of space for the fingers and just the most perfect piece of engineering possible - it puts the amateur efforts of Gibson and Fender to shame. For once I have the feeling the my guitar has ben designed by a guitar player for other guitar players, not by a penny-pinching corporation which thinks that string tension is what holds up a bikini.

Guitarists - like all boys, small or big - want to know they are up to the mark, and that they are not losing out to oher boys. They spend their money on "comfort-guitars", so that no matter how mediocre their playing, they will have the "sound" of a recognised guitar hero. Guitar companies exploit this six-string anxiety by offering guitars that recreate that "sound".

PRS are a different trip; you define the sound.

I play through Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Mosfet edition into a vintage 1966 Fender Deluxe Reverb, and through a Digitech RP 350 into my laptop. The PRS travels from Neil Young grit and grind to Bill Frisell soundscapes, and most points in between. Mostly it just sounds like me playing - and that, after 30 years of trying to sound like somebody one else, is the point, the whole point, and nothing but the point.

Irreprochable.The best of the best.

Built as like a Rolls Royce. 'Nuff said.

Never called them.

I have lost a lot of money buying and selling Gibsons in the vain search for one that both sounded good and played in tune all the way up the neck without having to have a guitar-tech on call.

Not all PRS are the same; I did not get on with the the Custom 24 or the Hollowbody. They were excellent guitars, but not for me. The Custom 22 is, in my opinion, the best, most hassle-free guitar available, and not even too expensive when compared with the prices being asked for Custom Shop products from other manufacturers.

22 custom whale blue 10 top with birds..

Now I have had 3 other PRS guitars over the years and I really never got on with them. I needed a twin humbucker guitar for my next recording and I was just ready to buy a Gibson VOS SG when this popped up. For some reason I get on very well with this PRS, seems like everything just works well on it. the neck is fat and has a slight V shape, and the dragon II pickups have a great smooth voice. I just started recording with it, and I gotta say its a champ. Fast speed picking, super fat crunch stuff and even sweet blusey rhythms.
Dont get me wrong I still like my custom made Tele better, but for what this brings to the table its hard to beat. I think it blows the VOS SG away in tones and feel..

PERFECT.

dont really know...feels solid.

dont know, and dont want to know...

I build custom Fender style guitars all bolt on types, so when I needed a set neck twin humbucker I had to shop around. Never thought I was gonna get another PRS. To me its just a great all around guitar. its not a Fender or a gibson, but sits like something special in a mix...excellent really.

All the specs have alrady been covered mine is a 2006 in whale blue.

Pretty versatile axe, does not sound as deep as I would like it to, but still pretty good. Has a nice bite and a good clear clean sound. I run it through a marshall tsl601 combo and sounds pretty good. My advice is, dont buy it though, I put my hands on a brand new Dean USA top of the line Hardtail, and it just killed this guitar. The sound of the hardtail is much more articulate and clear, and the duncans have more punch and depth than the PRS, but to each his own. I turned around and sold mine and bought 2 Deans for the money. The dean is twice the guitar at half the price, pretty cheap on ebay, works for me.

Hands down there is no comparison between PRS and Gibson. The PRS is the same money as my standard but as well built as my Class 5 custom shop. They are definitely very good in quality control since these are factory mass produced. The kicker though was again, my Hartail, the finish and feel and all around just staughtered the PRS. I know I sound like a dean commercial, but for how cheap they are on ebay, you owe it to try one, they are by far the best guitars for the money out there, that is one man's opinion, and just trying to spread the word.

Had it for about 6 months, so really did not have time to evaluate.

Never dealt with them.

Been playing 8 years, own two strats, two les pauls, 2 hardtails, and a washburn cutom shop. The PRS is definitely better than all in terms of quality except fot the dean, and comes in third in tone after the dean and the class 5 paul.

Beautiful Custom 22, trem, single vol and tone controls, coil tap. Laminated maple figured top, March 2004 (pre lawsuit with Gibson idiots), birds.

Well this is the second PRS I've had (first was a soapbar model, goldtop). Old AC30's with some Boss stompers (what you see is what you get, immediate tweaking, I can't use all in one multi effects units, too hard and sterile sounding - ALL of them). I use a H&K Replex for echo - the best tape loop simulator out there in my experience.
I've tried hard to like this guitar, but to me all PRS's are sterile. Great build etc but too damn cold for bluesy or vintage tones. So replace p/ups (PRS #6's)? No way - not on a guitar this price range and it's not that easy on a PRS anyway. The #6's are very ordinary sounding, the bridge p/up way too compressed sounding - I say this after 25 years of all sorts of great guitars. So yet again I find myself in G and F land. HOWEVER - there are some great giggable guitars out there without the big names (Orville, Greco etc) - I now build my own Teles with different p/ups and switches - much better value.

Perfect looks. But the trem does NOT stay in tune, a la Strat. Yes, it's better but only just. The PRS locking tuners are very good but ugly! Action is subjective.

I think this would stand up to hard road use. It seems well made and because it is so beautiful you would protect it. I just get the impression PRS's are factory standard, they all feel the same. Way too clinical, you have to work with a Tele/Strat/335 etc - this is a cold beast. I don't like the heel but the neck is good.

Don't know. I think most CS is pretty poor these days.

Overall I don't think this is great value for money or a good investment new. I think PRS's look weird on tall guys, almost like 3/4 scales. Do yourself a favour, ignore the bling and name, try a few other guitars from Asia before you decide. Like Gibson, I think PRS is generally overpriced and kind of riding the name. I just don't get the "thing" with these guitars......I've got 20 at the moment, and I can honestly say that whilst unique looking, they are "over designed" to the point of making a casual play an issue ("Shit I dinged it" ville). Good luck to those fans, but not for me.

My PRS is a 2005 model Custom 22 (non-10 top) in Matteo Blue with stoptail bridge. It has the bird inlays and a set mahogany neck with a "wide thin" carve. The body is a double cutaway, solid Indian mahogany bottom with an American maple top. It has the PRS 10:1 low mass locking tuners. Mine has the 3-way toggle with push/pull tone pot for single-coil tones. Equipped with Dragon II pickups.

Good features, although in retrospect, I kind of wish I picked a floating trem. No biggie, though; I have a EBMM JP model for my trem tricks. I knocked down the features to a 9 because there is no piezo option on PRS solidbodies (as there are on Ibanez, EBMM, etc.), and it would be a welcome improvement.

My musical style is rock/prog/metal. I play everything from Counting Crows to Dream Theater. It suits these styles well, although the guitar seems better suited for "regular" rock and roll over high speed prog-shred.

I am running this guitar through three amps: a VOX AC-30 CC 2x12, a Line 6 Spider III 2x12, and a Fender Roc-Pro 1000 head and accompanying 4x12. I use a Boss ME-30 multi effects processor for effects.

The guitar is definatley not noisy in humbucker mode; however, with the coil-tap pulled up, you get the usual 60-cycle hum from single coils. The guitar ranges highly in tone from a big, fat neck pickup, to a thinner, tighter bridge pickup. With the 3-way toggle and coil-tap the guitar produces every magnetic tone possible from two humbuckers. Six configurations in all.

The guitar has a naturally thick, full tone, more along the lines of a Les Paul than a Strat... most likely from the set mahogany neck in a mahogany body. I see alot of complaints on this board that PRS guitars don't have a sound identity. My answer is: "of course they don't!" They are a new brand of guitar, a mix between the bests of Fender and Gibson. The result is a guitar that has a sound all it's own. I like this unique sound and find it better than any of my Strats or any Les Paul I've ever played.

I have to say, I like the neck pickup alot. It is my 2nd favorite neck pickup behind the DiMarzio Air Norton. I like the Air Norton a little better because the low-end on that pickup is cleaner than the Dragon II. The Dragon II has an excellent clean tone at the neck position, but with distortion, the low end muds up quite a bit when playing quickly on the lower strings.

The bridge pickup... ehhhhh... not bad, but not my favorite, either. It's just average. It's only a medium output humbucker and I usually prefer something hotter in the bridge position like a Steve's Special, Evolution, or D-Sonic. The Dragon II is very bright and middy, even for a bridge pickup. If I numerized the values, I'd say: 4.0 Bass / 7.5 Mid / 6.0 Treble. I feel this pickup works very well for more "classic" tones, e.g., Led Zeppelin. It can do some more modern alt-rock and punk sounds, too; however, for prog-metal, e.g., Dream Theater, this isn't your pickup. Besides output and high mids, the Dragon II bridge pickup also lacks harmonics. Again, this is OK for playing alt-rock, classic rock, or punk, but for metal, progressive or fusion, this pickup just won't cut it.

Overall, I am satisfied with the sound of the guitar. I love the Dragon II neck pickup, but the Dragon II Bridge leaves something to be desired. This guitar has a more vintage, classic air about it, and gets tones in that genre more easily; although, it could fake some modern metal sounds with some tweaking of your amp. Overall: 8.

The factory setup on this guitar was excellent, and I wouldn't expect any less from a small, boutique manufacturer charging $2k for an instrument. The pickups are properly adjusted for their position. The top, although not a 10-top, has a high degree of flame and seems well matched. I have had this guitar two years now and have not found a single scratch, snag, or flaw of any kind. The craftsmanship is exceptional. Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, and even Ernie Ball should all take a page out of Mr. Smith's book. The cheapest PRS guitars are better crafted than the most expensive Gibsons, Fenders and Ibanezes currently coming out of production.

SOLID. That is the one word I would use to describe every aspect of this guitar, both in sound and build. This thing is built like a tank. The glued-in set neck could take decades of on-stage "helicopter" moves before a problem would develop. The finish is thick and would take a real hit to damage. The strap buttons are large and will keep your strap from coming off. I would absolutley gig, and have gigged, with this guitar without a backup. I've never had a problem. The hardware is well built, but tarnishes quickly. Just get some liquid metal polish from your local Home Depot and it will clear right up to factory shine. Same with finish: it is high-gloss so it picks up fingerprints fast, but get a guitar polish from Guitar Center and you're back to factory condition.

I've never had to deal with PRS customer service, and if I had to guess, probably never will. If this guitar has anything, it's craftsmanship and reliability.

I am 24 and have been playing guitar for 10 years. I also own a 2000 Fender American Strat, 2005 Fender American Telecaster, Taylor 714ce acoustic, and my other baby, a 2006 Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci Signature Model. I wish I would have gotten a tremolo on this instrument, but it's not the end of the world. I also wish PRS would include more piezo options on their solidbody guitars. If this guitar were stolen or lost, I'd kill somebody. It has fantastic playability, great sound, and awesome craftsmanship. I would buy another in a heartbeat.

Compared to my EBMM JP Signature Model, this guitar is more "classic." They're both fantastic guitars, but for different sounds. The JP is great for modern sounds: It has fantastic DiMarzio aftermarket pickups (which I prefer to the Dragon II's), slicker 24 fret unfinished neck, super-low shred-friendly action, and a nice trem. The PRS is great for classic sounds: It has middier, lower output pickups, high-sustain stopbar tailpiece, stiffer 22 fret neck, and fatter sound from the tonewoods.

The PRS is a GREAT guitar for all alt-rock, punk, and classic rock sounds and a good guitar for modern sounds. Overall: 9/10.

-Gloss finish, Blue Matteo top, natural gloss back, neck & headstock.
-Standard PRS shape (double-cut with carved top).
-PRS Stoptail bridge (fixed) with PRS 14:1 locking tuners.
-Wide-Fat neck profile with 10" fretboard radius.
-Mahogany neck set-in, with Indian rosewood (standard) fretboard.
-1 piece figured maple top.
-22 medium frets
-1 volume control, 1 tone control + 5-way pickup selector.
-2x Dragon II humbucker pickups (passive) with coil splitting.

I play many styles of music, mainly Rock. The sound is very diverse, and is great for smooth warm tones, but can be made to scream with clear crisp highs.

I use a Hughes & Kettner - Trilogy amp (EL34 powered) and makes this guitar pull even more tones. The coil splitting option, adds to the huge range of sounds available from this guitar.

In full-humbucker mode, these pickups are relatively quiet. With distortion, there is some noise in single-coil mode (as expected).

I feel as though this guitar might be a little too fat sounding, when played through a less suitable amp. EL34 powered amps really complement the higher frequencies of this guitar.

The maple top on this guitar is 1 piece, unlike most figured maple top guitars. The pattern of this maple isn't perfectly consistent across the entire top, but I think it looks more interesting and prefer this top over a bookmatched 2 piece top.

The setup of this guitar was excellent. Setup with PRS 9-42 guage strings as standard, this not only plays and sounds great, but holds its tune well also.

I havent had this guitar long, but have had experiance with PRS guitars, and have more confidence with PRS guitars than any other brand.

Never had any problems.

I have been playing for over 10 years and have owned 80 guitars, 40 amps and various effects etc.

I prefer the the Wide-Thin neck carve option, as I play a bit of lead.

I love the smooth lead tone, and the warm clean tones this guitar produces.

I don't like the 5-way pickup selector, as it takes a lot more effort to switch than the optional 3-way toggle with push/pull coil tap. The 5-way also has 1 less configuration available than the 3-way with push/pull coil tap.

I have gotten rid of almost all of my non-PRS guitars, as they are best suited to me and my playing style.

I find the 25" string scale, is great for doing bends and holding the guitar's tune.

ok sound is 6 of 10 to get the best sound remove electronics replace with gibson 500t the hottest. 496r in the neck. then play on 8 at the most . all gibson guitars sound potentially great they make the most in the world and can make a log sound good. try it you will believe. prs has the best woods and finish , only the 500 and you will shine.it brings the sound uot of that flasy log. to save the most cash they will cut hdwe first!!!

some very minor finish blems , but well worth it for the best sound to build up. when u replace pots BEWARE11 YOU CAN DELAMINATE TOP FINISH BY SEPARATION WHEN U PUSH THE SHAFT THRU!!

WEARS WELL frets xcan last, if u refret use stainless

never needed it

this is the best ax to own because , on a 22, there is a tonal node under the neck pu , where ihe 2 octave is this is known as a rock neck. sorry 24s i also have a 24 cus the neck is thinner at nut , easy to play but base tones are less than the 22. i use a mesa nomad or rivera or bule angel setup; 22-classic cry baby -ibanez cs9 w mij-another one-ibanez (maxon) ad9 custom modded to MILKY WAH) SPECS -BLUE ANGEL. UNBELIEVEABLE TONES.

PRS CUSTOM 22
- Cherry Amber
- Volume/Tone
- 5 Way toggle
- Great Hard case
- Locking tuner
- Livetime Warranty
- Bird Inlays
- Dragon II Pick-ups 2
- Whammy/Tremelo Bar
- Wide Fat Neck
- Pick up covers
- 22 Frets
all you need really the case is really good but i'd expect for that money some strings polish jacks picks anything really like you get on #100 pound + Fenders and Gibsons. but guitar wise it has all you need...

At first i thought this isnt that good then i had to get used to the toggle switch .
The clean sounds are 10 out of 10 really come into there own with the middle pickup switch.
The dirstortion is also amazing The lead tones are amazing with sustain and ring and the chords are clear but can be really heavy and chugg which is great also the other notes of the chord are prominent as well as uspposed to just the lowest note like on other guitars.

The action is perfect guitar comes with 9's which i havent changed yet but the action low but without any buzz which is just what you want.
the fit is great everything is grear i noticed the toggle switch cover can be taken off very easy which i don't like.
the fiish looks great not my fav the cherry burst but never the less looks great only slight defect i found was that the end of the freat board closest end to the pick ups has splillig of glue or varnish but i'm nit picking you cant even see it really.

I always go to gigs with back ups but i love two of these.
But i know PRS'S are very good.

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Looks great, Sounds great but the real swinger was that i thought my amp Marshall AVT275 had a $%^& sound with my other guiatrs ESP'S and Prs SE's but with this.. &^%$ it really sings, least now i dont have to save for a new amp now i can just save for another PRS now.. :)

Pretty impressive specification including licking machine heads (a little fiddley) gorgeaous maple top etc

Great tone and sustain

Action superb

had mine for 3 years now - still A1 and stunning. I get it serviced regularly at Guitar Mania (fantastic shop in Poole) where i bought it from. They are excellent guys and really do a good job of looking after my beauty.

I've heard PRS are a bit expensive for spares here in the UK, but so far everything that it has need has beeb taken care of by Guitar Mania.

Been playing for around 25 years and still learning (arne't we all ?) I love my PRS and although I have other guitars (Strat, Tele) I just couldn't bring myself to buy a Gibson. The build quality of PRS vs PRS is no comparison, PRS will always win hands down.

1996 PRS Custom 22 10-Top Quilted Maple in Vintage Yellow on Mahogany Back and Neck, Rosewood Fretboard with Bird Inlays, Fixed Bridge, 1 Volume, 1 Tone, 5-way Rotary Switch and 2 Dragon Pick-ups (the originals, not Dragon II's). Stunning to look at, a real pleasure to play - absolute butter - Two Big Thumbs Up!

This guitar is by no means a Les Paul "clone", as many may consider PRS Custom 22's to be. The sounds are by far much more complex and the 5-way rotary switch delivers a pretty good variety of sounds from the two Dragon humbuckers. All sound good, all are useful and I find I can pretty much cover any style of music while at the same time addying its own sound to familiar ones like Strats, Teles and Les Pauls.

The Bridge pick-up is plenty hot and a bit nasal sounding, but just enough to get you hooked without being overpowering over "your own" tone. Great power cords as well as full lead tones are available in plenty.

The neck pick-up is deep and round without any mushiness, even when I play it with plenty of bass in the EQ section and a closed-back cabinet (I play through both a THD BiValve with a 2x12 Marshall 1922 with Celestion Vintage 30's) and a small Laney VC15) - Great "Woman" Tone.

The 3 Combinations in between give you twanginess and more clarity and with the amps clean and a little reverb sound absolutely wonderful - the kinda sounds that inspire you to create new music and explore unknown sonic territories.

All in all, a great sounding guitar in every sense!

I bought mine used and it's 10 years old. The guitar was very well taken care of by its previous owner and it's in mint condition, yet the neck is nicely broken in without being "spent out", with the frets having plenty of life left in them.

The intonation right out of the box was perfect. I use extra light gauge strings and the playability throught the entire fretboard has proved to be effortless, with all notes sounding well in every fret and every string.

This guitar also has a characteristic that I never had in any other guitar: EVERY string has what I call its own "Zone" in the fretboard, although it's different for each string. This "Zone" is when the string goes into feedback after a few moments of sustain. I'm not sure if this is something particular of this guitar specifically or every PRS, but it happens with every pick-up and combination and it's specially satisfying when playing solos, either using the bridge or neck pick-up. Very easy to get hooked on it!

Finish-wise, the guitar is 10 years old, but it's finish is still in perfect condition, aside from the minor nick here and there, although nothing noticeable unless you actually llok for it.

I'd have to say it will not only hold its own very well, but probanbly become ever better with age, like all great guitars.

I initialy bought this guitar to re-sell it - I bought it in the US, but live in Italy and these are very expensive here. However, after just a few minutes of playing it I decided to keep it...

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To me the price paid has a very high cost-benefit ratio. Here's why:

I've been playing for almost 30 years, since I was a little kid and have owned a lot of guitars over the years. The only two I kept since the begining are my 1991 Ibanez S (check out my review of it) and a Takamine E-30 Classical (check out my review of it) - if you've been playing for a while, then you know what I mean when I say that some guitars just become part of you and your sound.

Well, I feel the same about this guitar. Same feeling I had with the Ibanez and Takamine and didn't with so many others, no matter how expensive or "notorious".

At the same time, this one is it for me PRS-wise. I feel it covers all the ground I need and I'm fully satisfied with it.

This is my dream guitar, and in August I finally got a chance to play and OWN my dream. It's a 2004 model, and (of course) it's a USA model. As the name suggests, it's a customised, 22 fret guitar, with an awesome array of controls to help you nail any sound. Mine was a trem model, which is probably more common than the stoptail. I bought the bog standard model, meaning no Birds, no 10-top, and no McCarty controls- just a beautifully figured maple top (nice piece of flame), elegant Moon inlays, and a 5-way selector switch. I'd have loved a Brazilian Rosewood neck, but as I was on a budget, I stuck with a finished mahogany neck and an Indian Rosewood fingerboard. I opted for the Wide-Thin neck instead of the Wide-Fat, as I wanted a more Strat-like playing experience. Atop the elegant headstock sit PRS/Schaller Phase II tuners, which lock the strings (and very well indeed). With the guitar I got a PRS Hardcase, a lovely information booklet about the products I could buy from PRS, and a few packs of Silicon gel to absorb any moisture.

I was pretty miffed when I was told that my #1700 guitar (NO OPTIONS) did not come with a strap, or cable, or even free picks! I'd have thought that at that price, you'd expect some creature comforts... I'm stuck with a Fender strap in the meantime.

This was the real reason behind buying this guitar. Boy, so many sounds, and all of them ABSOLUTELY fabulous. The Dragon II pickups really do shine, with the bridge humbucker providing a pretty hefty lead sound, which is bright and clear. The neck humbucker is beautifully shimmery and bell-like, with plenty of bass, but is still lovely and clear. The middle position delivers a great Strat sound, but with the punch of a humbucker. A great in-between if you can't decide. It's the 2nd and 4th positions on the 5-way rotary switch that make this guitar, however. People who have both a Les Paul and a Strat generally get frustrated that they can't get the same sounds from the same guitar, but where the 1st, 3rd and 5th positions give a Les Paul sound, the 2nd and 4th positions give great Strat sounds. Legendary. If anyone wants a beautiful-sounding guitar (unplugged or jacked in) then you NEED this guitar in your life.

Yet another reason to buy this guitar is the feel. Straight from the factory, the guitar plays like a dream. The neck is slim, the 'board is smooth, the body of the guitar nestles up against you like a loved one. Just sublime. Everything was perfectly done- the pickups were even, the top was beautifully matched, there were NO finish flaws (unlike some of the guitars on display...), and everything gleamed, polished to perfection. It's one of those guitars that can never really look bad, it's that beautiful. Most things about the guitar had a solid feel to it, like it would survive a nuclear blast. I say most things, because the speed knobs I have feel quite cheap and tacky, they're the same ones you get on Epiphones and Staggs, for heaven's sake! Otherwise, it's a fabulous guitar.

This guitar really does cut the mustard live. Coupled with my amp, it's a real force to be reckoned with- the sound cuts across the room/hall with the sharpness of a newly-whetted kitchen knife, and the general feel that it would survive an air raid really inspires confidence when you're playing- nothing can go wrong with this guitar. I would recommend you get the knobs tightened up and the control knobs changed before you gig, just for that extra security blanket feel...

The strap buttons really are something else. Fender provide straplocks that loosen over time, and Gibson just give you crap that fall off after a few months hefty playing. So far, the finish has taken an awful lot of crap, and still gleams after a spit-wipe. I have a feeling I could trust this guitar more than some of my friends! I'd happily go on stage with just this, and maybe another PRS (just in case I feel like a change of maple top halfway through).

PRS really do have an excellent customer service. They're friendly, and you get really do get a personal response, as you speak to REAL people, not robots. More companies should employ these types of staff- knowledgable, friendly, and above all, human.

I've played for 6 years, and own quite a large collection of guitars. I wish I had asked for more goodies with the guitar, because they're REALLY tight. I'd definitely buy another PRS if mine was stolen, but they're all unique, so it might not be the same. If PRS are anything to go by, it would be better. I love the fact that it's so beautiful to play, to listen to, to look at. It's perfection embodied in a guitar. I just love the fact that you can sound like anyone on it, but you CAN find your own sound.

I can't find another guitar to compare this to, I've never experienced something so versatile or beautiful in one package... except for higher-end PRS's ;).

Buy this guitar if all you want is one of the best-looking, -playing, and-sounding guitars on the market today. They're all unique, all beautiful. Don't wait another day!

I have a 1996 paul reed smith custom 22 with a 10 top,it is vintage yellow,tremelo with the prs locking tuners.It has a rotory 5 position switch.the pickups are dragon II in the neck position and semour dunken in the bridge. the neck is a wide thin with bird inlays.

I use an old mesa boogie MKII model amp with a EV speaker. the guitar kicks well with the bridge pickup but i'm not real satisfied with the other settings of the 5 way switch.I've been thinking of changing it to a sweet switch. for thirty years i've used a les paul and i find this prs cufortable to play but not as good sounding as my old pauls.

This guitar sat in it's case for 10 years before i bought it, and when i picked it up it was perfect. the finish was nice with no flaws and set u p was just how I like it.

I've played out with it and it seems like a keeper.Nomater what kind of guitar i bring i never go out without a backup guitar.

this guitar has to keep up with a first string lineup.my main guitars are 35 to 45 year old gibson les pauls.So far it feels good but the gibsons sound better overall.Ive been playing for 37 years and 35 of that was in bands and studios, so this is a good guitar, but most PRS out there are expensive so anyone looking for a good guitar should try different brands for the sound thier looking for before forking over big bucks.

It's a 1999 PRS Custom 22 Left Handed. Apparently it's made of mahogany with a flame maple top. The top is painted gold....my girlfriend suggests it's more of a nicotine colour, it's certainly not as nice as a Gibson goldtop.. The treble cutaway is dressed away so the back wood colour can be seen form the front which looks ugly.
It has 2 humbuckers (MR Smith is pleased to call them Dragons!), a tone & volume control and a 5 position rotary knob to select various combinations of pickups (eventually!!) It has a non-intonateable wrap round stop tailpiece. It came with PRS locking tuners with ebony buttons ( which didn't match the nickel hardware) and ugly looking locking levers. I swapped these for mini-schallers which were an exact replacement.
The rosewood fretboard has dot inlays & silver side inlays. For some reason there is no double inlay at the side of the 12th fret (though there is on the front) unlike all my other guitars.
The asymetrical headstock bears a rather cheap-looking facsimile of the Smith signature which is raised & doesn't look too durable.On the back of it the serial number appears to be written in felt marker pen which just looks cheap.
A reasonably smooth neck (though nowhere near as good as a MusicMan)but with rather an intrusive heel.
The neck is apparently a fat wide neck, it came with a PRS case (much the same as any other case) and I paid ?1000 for it on EBay.

I play stuff from pop through pop/rock to blues. I use it with a Gibson Goldtone15 or a Peavey Classic 30 or sometimes via Boss ME-5 into the PA.
It has some pretty good sounds, I like the position 5 bridge humbucker, the position 4 for rhythm and the neck humbucker for a warmer sound. The sounds don't match a Gibson or a Fender but they're a reasonable compromise of the two.

It arrived set up pretty well for a 5 year old guitar ( I don't think the previous owner had played it much). A nice low action.
The pickup selector knob is a nightmare....to get from the bass P/U to the treble involves 4 changes and 4 loud thumps....not really feasible on stage.
The neck feels pretty smooth, though again my MusicMan Silhouettes are twice as good with none of the hype

The nickel plating has started to tarnish since I got it,the strap button are huge.....this might give a feeling of security but since I had to enlarge the strap holes to fit it on we really aren't any further forward.
I would not use this guitar live, the pick-up selector knob gives no indication of where you are (brown figures on an amber background.....even if you could remember what each one means!!)and I suspect that it would be hard to use with sweaty fingers. Also the band doesn't need to hear a loud thump through the amp when I change positions.
I guess since it was in A1 condition after 6 years the previous owner didn't think it was gigable either.

I sent them an e-mail asking them to sell me a t-shirt & some new tuners. They refused and referred me to their European distributors. I live in Spain & their Spanish distributors gave no answer to 6 e-mails. I am from the UK but their UK distributor's website is unobtainable. I went back to PRS with this info & basically they told me to shove off. Contrasts VERY poorly with my experience of ErnieBall or G&L

Been playing a long time, own lots of other gear.
If it were stolen I'd use the insurance money for a fender Strat & a Gibson SG and never miss this thing.
I quite like the lead sound and the rhythm isn't bad, but it has too many design flaws. The original tuners were a nonsense, the P/U selection system is the least user friendly ever. I had a 2 humbucker Gordon Smith which has a 3 position selector & pull-up knobs for coil taps. Much simpler. Also the basic PRS shape just is NOT rock & roll. Doesn't look the part & doesn't seem to balance properly on a strap either.
I must confess I don't understand a lot of the reviews on here who give a 10 for sound "but I replaced the pickups with EMGs" and a 10 for durability "but I'd never take it out on a gig" etc. etc. Are these kind of comments REALLY helpful???

violin amber rap around, flamed mahogany, dragon IIs, 4 way rotary pick up slector, locking tuners...all the normal PRS stuff (which is not normal to other guitars).

i play every type of rock. punk, alt, metal, blues. it has a great, rich, full tone. i personally think that the dragon IIs are very well balanced. there is an old saying "the answer is always some where in the middle" and i think that holds true to the dragon IIs.

you can buy hotter pick ups, but to me this guitar just sounds professional.

i play through a dual rec and an orange ad30htc and it accents both amps very well. i recently bought the orange and was thinking of selling until i got the PRS. this guitar really brings out the warm tone of the orange.

no need to even have this section for a PRS. they do a great job of setting up the guitars at the factory. it comes out of the case ready to play.

the finish on this guitar is gorgeous, it plays "like butter", everything is first class

everything is solid. of course, i dont have any scratches on it yet...so i am still protective of where i play it. once i get that first scratch on it...ill feel better about playing it live.

i guarentee you it wont fall apart

i havent dealt with them directly

ive been playing for 4.5 years now. this is my first high end guitar. i have had epiphones, agiles, and a strat.

there is certainly nothing wrong with those guitars, but after i played the PRS...ive realized that i will never touch those other guitars again. so, they are going on ebay.

like i mentioned above...i play through the dual rec and the orange and the PRS sounds wonderful through both. everybody and their mama has heard a PRS through a dual rec, but check out the orange amps sometime.

if it were stolen...i would buy one again eventually...cant afford to right now of course

if i lost it...then well...that would make me a huge dumb--- for losing a 2000 dollar guitar. :)

it was either a custom 22 or a les paul standard for me...and i went with the custom 22 because I believe that the craftsmanship and dedication is stronger with PRS than with Gibson. some les pauls are the best guitars ever made and then again some les pauls are on par with their epiphone little brothers.

i remember a few years ago gibson was selling the "gibson 2s"...well, the "prs 2's" get cut up and the customer never sees them.

it all comes down to personel preference though.

as far as rating the value. i first wanted to put a 10 because it is a great great guitar...however, lets be honest...we all know the mark up for these guitars (for every brand) is extremely high....EXTREMELY high.

is a PRS 1500 dollars better than an agile? no, its not. however, thats the price you pay to get one of the best guitars made today.

2004 PRS Custom 22 Trem.
10 top Flame
Wide fat neck
Mahogany back and neck with rosewood fretboard and moon inlays
McCarty switching w/ Dragon II pups, locking tuners, killer trem.
Purple transparent Chevron flame "10" top. Most beautiful guitar I have ever owned. "Dipped in glass" finish, all the standard accesories, etc etc.

I've had it over a year now, and waited to do the review. The honeymoon never ends!!

I play all styles of music, and this guitar has been my go to for everything. Hands down the best guitar I've owned, and I've owned EVERYTHING!! Nails the David Grissom style tone, blues, roc, jazz, hit the coil tap, and I can even get convincing country tones. Phat and warm, with a great clean crisp high end. Use it with Dr Z amps, HBE and Xotic Effects pedals. Can't think of a dislike. It's perfect for me.