Paul Reed Smith Guitars Custom 24 20th Anniversary

It rocks - check out the PRS website.

I fell in love with it the minute I plugged in. Sound is great. You can get a multitude of sounds and textures by "tweaking the knobs". It can go from a Strat-like sound to a Gibson-like sound. I say "gibson-like" because it definitely has it's own flavor, which to me is a cross between a Strat and a Les Paul. Deep power chords without the jangle of a Strat and singing leads like a Gibson.

You can play metal (Sabbath, AC/DC), prog (Rush), blues, Santana etc with this guitar. Probably even country too, but I think you really need a Telecaster for that.

Adding/Subtracting gain will dial in a variety of sounds. As an experiment I even played some slide guitar with it. Now it's the only guitar I play slide with. This guitar for slide sounds better than any other guitar I've got. The lead zips through the mix without sounding overly harsh or muddy.

I sat down at buffalo brothers http://www.buffalobrosguitars.com/ and asked about guitars like an SG. They didn't have any SG's at the time, but he said they just got this PRS in and opened the case.

Within minutes he had me plugged into a JCM 800 and a 4x12 cab. The minute I played the first power chord I knew. The guitar rocks! Very easy to play, light and fast neck. Sustains forever! It screamed through the JCM 800 and sounds awesome through my TSL 2000.

The setup and finish was immaculate from the factory. Never had any problems with it and PRS really seems to care about their product.

Seems very sturdy. The finish doesn't seem thin or cheap and probably could withstand a direct blow. The whammy bar inserts into the bridge, it doesn't screw in like Stratocasters, which is a GREAT feature because you'll never overtighten it. Doesn't slip out either.

It rarely slips out of tune and when it does it's hardly noticeable. That is the guitar is very articulate and it's easy to fine tune individual strings because you can hear when they are microtones out of tune.

The finish is spectacular Tiger striped "Santana" finish. Very colorful, bright doesn't seem to fade. Tough as nails.

I've had this guitar for 2 years and have never broken a string. Dive-bombs on the whammy bar not withstanding!

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing 25 years. I've owned them all: Fender Strats, Telecasters, Jap Strat, Mex Strat, Gibson Les Paul, Peavey EVH (crap), Gretsch Malcom Young.

This guitars plays like a dream. It SINGS! Definitely a keeper. It'll sustain a note forever. The neck is light and forgiving and it's very easy to play complicated passages. You can play almost any kind of rock with this guitar, very versatile.

PRS Custom 24 20th Anniversary. Beautiful Birds in Flight inlays that, being a Strat player for many years appealed to my Dire need for Double Dots on the 12th fret! Beautiful Top 10 flame maple, standard PRS Trem, which is possibly the best trem system I have ever used, can handle everything I throw at it (I am a Metal/Prog player so Dive-bombs and crazy whammy tricks happen and the Trem TAKES it!).
The pick-up selector, instead of a 3 or 5 way is a tone-pot which took some getting used to but as i have stupidly long fingers it means i can change pickups without any break in my stride and means that its almost impossible to accidentally change the selector while strumming (which happened alot on my strat)
Also came with a PRS Hardcase which is like a freakin' tank, its been bashed and still looks perfect! And there is NOTHING like opening it as it has brief-case style click-jobbies so it sounds like you Mean Buisness with it! tis coooool!
She was created the 18th November 2005 and was bought September-time 2006.

As i've said above my main playing is somewhere between the Metal and Progressive styles, however I NEED a really good clean sound in addition to Hella Distortion needs and this guitar does it all. Thanks to the Vintage Bass pickup I can get a very sweet sounding Strat-like sound (selector-pot on 6) but make no mistake it strat-y but DEFINATELY a PRS sound, it does not emulate any sounds, she makes them her own! the 7 and 8 positions are quite Acoustic sounding and again, very sweet but I rarely use them because the Number 9 Position is where its at for me. It is a very smooth sounding clean that rigs out beauifully, add the Digitech Whammy Deep Detune sound (think a Chorus with a dash of Flanger).
Heavy sounds are Incredible, on Number 9 it has a good amount of Go in it but is slightly lacking in Punch for my needs, however push that little selector-pot to Number 10 and the HFS (Hot, Fat and SCREAMS!) and you are in for a WORLD of High-Gain Love!! Its Definately Hot, it is a HUGE sound and man, do a full-tone bend on the 24th and she SCREAMS!!
All in all, yeah, a WELL deserved 10 sound!

The guitar is, frankly a work of Art, it is amazing to look at, the finish is amazing. Better than Fender (Which i was Very Impressed with), and SO much better than the c*** that Gibson are churning out nowadays.
The guitar was pretty well set-up from out the box, but no-where near perfect however after a trip to my Local Guitar Shop and my Trusty Guitar Tech (Wont let anyone else mess with my guitars, but the guy does INCREDIBLE work!) it played better than anything I have EVER played (and in 14 years thats a few guitars!). There was a slight fault out the box in the fact that there was a rather nasty Dink near the input jack, I am confident that this happened after it left the factory and before it got into my hands, but more on that later!

When I bought my Strat I never thought I would see a guitar with better build-quality, its built like a Tank, however PRS Suprised me by building an instrument that is built like The Earth itself, doesnt matter WHAT you throw at it, it sits there and goes, is that IT?! COME ON!!!
I will admit that even though it CAN handle and take ANY amount of abuse it does feel slightly fragile, maybe thats just because of the cost of it though heh.
The thing that stops a 10 here is the Trem, it IS outstanding, and the abilty to put the trem bar at any height and have it STAY there is great. However the material they have used for the trem is very easy to tarnish, how I palm-mute has meant that the bridge is pretty much half black which does detract from its beauty!

When I noticed the Dink (after i walked out the shop and opened her at home) i promply went into a state of mourning, emailed the guys at PRS UK who asked me to take the guitar back to where I bought it. They sent her back to PRS who fixed the problem, refinished that one bit and you really cannot Tell that there was anything there at all. They also gave me 2 free sets of strings and best of all, did it ALL for free!! Outstanding, plus they answered my rather dumb questions (like can the PRS Piezo system be put in the guitar, no?? Howcome???) without any quibles and very professionally (they gave me actual proper details instead of that they just couldnt, they basically treated me like i understood about guitars which was a refreshing change from the Treat-Em-Like-They-Fools! approach)

After 10 months I am still incredibly impressed with PRS, both the company and the guitars. I would have no hesitation of buying another PRS (if money allowed!!)
I have in total 14 guitars and the PRS is the Best without a doubt. The closest other guitar I own is the American Deluxe Strat (With a Fender Floyd system) which is the closest but still a million miles from the Sound of the PRS.
Even though there are a few small quibbles they are FAR FAR outweight by the pluses and definately deserves a 10/10 overall. Even if you dont buy it for the Stunning good looks, or the outstanding build quality you WILL get a great sound for any style.

I like the features - mine has a 10 top with a vintage yellow finish and the 20th anniv birds. I am pleased with the top, it is not too flamey to look ridiculous (like some PRS do in my opinion), but there is enough flame to give some visual interest. Nice. There is a Brazilian rosewood board as with all the anniversary guitars which looks much nicer than Indian boards used by other manufacturers. Incidentally - the card says mine was produced on the 13th November 2006, so does that make it a 21st anniversary?!

I love the sounds from this guitar and that is why I have given a 10. Clean, clean, clean. A really nice mix of humbucking and single coil sounds from those HFS and vintage bass pups. But it can get as dirty as you like when you crank the amp up. I know a lot of people use them for hard rock and metal, but I play more jazz fusion John McLaughlin type stuff and I am delighted with this guitar. I can't understand why a lot of people try to put them firmly in either the strat or Les Paul camp and say they're disappointed because they sound like neither - that's the whole idea. It's a PRS, neither a Fender, nor a Gibson.

However, I do have a slight reservation about the selector switch used to get those nice sounds. It's tough to use if you're rushing, and I can't imagine you'd want to do too much fiddling about in a song. Easier and safer to leave it in position until the song ends. No Eric Johnson for me then !!

Beautifully put together. This guitar is more nicely finished than any Fender or Gibson I have owned and that inlcludes custom shop guitars from both manufacturers. The finish quality and attention to detail is exemplary.
I did put 10's on and lower the action - not that it was bad from the factory, more that I like a really low action. I set it to almost its lowest setting on the trem and there is no fret buzz whatsoever. This guitar almost plays itself. Fantastic.

This guitar is very nicely put together and I would depend on it without hesitation. The strap buttons are nice and chunky so not much danger here of the guitar hitting the deck, thankfully... The finish is quite thin but from what I understand too thick a finish robs the guitar of some of its sound quality. Anyway the odd scratch or dint here or there will give it a bit of character !!!

A lot of people on this website seem to have had bad experiences with the PRS customer service department, but not me. I have sent them emails on three separate occassions (admittedly, not very difficult ones - stuff like serial number verification etc) and have had a response literally within 10 minutes. Shawn Nuttall's the guy. Excellent!

As you can probably tell - I really like this guitar..... It's a belter and I will keep it for a long long time.

The main thing I want to say here goes out to UK buyers. DO NOT buy a PRS from any dealer in the UK!!! Take some time and get one from the US and SAVE YOURSELF A LOAD OF MONEY. At least while the exchange rate is this good anyway... I got standard insured shipping for $130 and it arrived safe and sound within 2 weeks. I paid for it on credit card (which I believe gives you some protection) and I am now the proud owner of a lovely PRS having saved probably seven hundred pounds over what I would have paid in the UK, even taking into account the VAT and customs. Just go to the PRS website, find the US dealers and check out their websites - send them an email and go from there. Honestly it couldn't be easier!!!!!!

I read some reviews about the pickup switch and how some people dislike this feature but I like it my self and I think it is a great feature. I owned many guitars, Gibson Les Paul custom, Standard, Studio, American Strat, Fat, Jackson Custom, Ibanez prestige???s and many others but no other guitar can deliver this type of versatile sound!, modern stunning look and exceptional finish. I love the way this Nick feels and plays. Very smooth!

This guitar give me the sound of any style that I play and more. The metal sound is very rich and distinguished. Meantime you can get a very nice blues or Jazz sounds by going u with the pickup switch. No doubt that this guitar has a very UNIQUE sound combantion
You can hear a pure American start, Les Paul, modern guitar sound from the Dragon Nick pickup which is priority PRS sound. Overall this guitar has the best sound I ever heard of all other guitars. This guitar can give the feel and sound of any style of music that I wish to play.

Although most guitars with 24 frets has some problems with setup and action specially between the 21 and the 24th fret. This guitar was ready to rock out of the box.

No issue with my guitar what so ever. It has a very atractive and stunning look.

Never had to deal with them

I have been a professional musician for fifteen + years and I played every style of music from Metal to Jazz and this guitar satisfies my all my needs.

My guitar has an excellent finish and all of the components are fit well. The fretboard is smooth and the inlays are executed well (not something I can say of some of it's competitors in this price range).

All of the wood is beautiful - but since each guitar is different, you need to make that decision in person. There's no sence in buying a beautiful guitar ifd it doesn't play well or sound good.

My 24 has a "Black Cherry" finish, and I really like how you can see the grain in the mahogany back and neck. The rosewood fretboard and headstock overlays are very nice, as well.

The PRS HFS and Vintage Bass pickups look good and sound good.

The tremolo is much simpler to adjust than a Floyd Rose and works very well. Mine came set up perfect from the factory.

The 5-way switch take a bit of getting use to, but the variety and quality of sounds that come out of this guitar are worth it. (You can choose a three-way toggle switch and coil splitters, or other controls with a U.S. made PRS guitar.)

The combinations of humbucking and single coil selections allow a wide variety of sounds.

I play mostly blues and classic rock, and it fits the bill perfectly. It's much more versatile than a guitar with 2 humbuckers and no coil splitting capabilities.

I only needed to adjust the string height and intonation a little to suit my taste. Other than that, it played well right out of the box.

The neck is smooth, the frets are well dressed, and the action is fast.

Overall, much nicer than some other brands I tried in a similar price range. It doesn't look or feel "factory" at all.

I have gold hardware on mine and, although it looks great, it will probably show wear fairly soon (like the gold hardware on my LP did). Of course, that was my choice.

The tremolo design, locking tuners, and are and graphite nut are nice. It stays in tune even after severe dives.

The original strap buttons are oversized, but I replaced them with Schaller strap locks (because I use them on all my guitars).

I'm really impressed with the overall build quality and don't expect any major problems in the long run.

PRS offers support information on their website. Still, I wish there was a printed manual with the guitar.

I've haven't heard anything but favorable reports on the warranty service at PRS. That's not bad for a 20+ year old manufacturer.

Still, I wouldn't have bought it if it didn't come with the lifetime warranty.

With all the inlay work, select wood, gold plating, etc. this is more of a "collector grade" guitar than one that is simply painted. If you're interested only in how it feels and sounds, both can give you excellent performance. However, compared to the prices of the leading competitor's "custom shop" and "artist series" guitars, the PRS is actually a good value. I don't see anything skimped on just to save a few dollars.

There are many "fakers" out there, but the original PRS is still the best.

Beyond all the glitter, this guitar offers performance. To a collector, that might not make that much difference. But, to a musician - it's what is really important.

Made 2005 to celebrate 20th anniversary in USA
Black Cherry, carved flame maple top with mahogany back, 8 lbs
24 fret - regular width - 25" scale length mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard and green ripple abalone 20th Anniversary bird inlays with brown lip mother of pearl wisps. 9-42 strings. Black anodized ?20th? truss rod cover
PRS Tremolo. Stays in tune pretty well (much better that my old strat).
PRS 14:1 Phase II low mass locking tuners. These are great. Really easy to change strings and tuning is very stable.
HFS treble and Vintage bass pickups (Humbuckers with coil taps)
Volume and push/pull tone control with 3-way (McCarty) toggle pickup selector
Including case + candy

I play at home for my (but not necessarily my wife's) pleasure. I like a lot of music through to 60-00s but play mostly 60s blues-rock.
Until last year I only played my stratocaster, then I bought a couple of Gibsons (Flying V and Les Paul). The Fenders and Gibson sound is all over rock. I was looking for a guitar with a different, more "modern" sound, and so the PRS.
The pickup arrangements are versatile, with humbucker or single coil sounds (via coil taps). The PRS has plenty of harmonic overtone when driven or crystal clear as required.
However, these sounds are not the same Les Paul or Strat sounds.
I'm not sure how to describe the difference but I can hear every note of a chord played on the PRS giving a "wide" (?) kind of sound. A chord played on a Les Paul sounds more focussed, more like the combination of the notes rather than the sum of it's parts (and therfore the crunch).
I use the PRS with a Crybaby-> Boss OC-3 -> Boss DS-2 -> Electro-Harmonix Pulsar -> Electro-Harmonix Small Clone -> Fender Hot Rod Deville.
Humbucker sounds are quiet, single coils a bit noiser (but not as noisy as my strat)

The guitar was well setup by the factory. I haven't felt the need to change anything.
The top is bookmatched and dramatic. While not a 10 top the flame jumps out when looking from any angle.
The finish is outstanding. I can't fault it with the work on the neck being especially fine.

The PRS advertising notes that PRS smell good. It's true. Don't know what it is but they smell like vanilla.

While it's not as tough as something like a telecaster, there are plenty of musicians playing PRS live. The finish and components are well made and of high quality, with the expection of the pickup surrounds, which look a bit fragile and cheap. Apparently the tremolo bushes need to replaced periodically.
I expect the guitar to last for years.
This is the only guitar I haven't changed to straplocks. The standard strap buttons seem OK and safe.
Once upon a time, musicians could only afford one guitar. I seem to recall Hendrix having to replace strings during live shows in the early days. Years ago I often played live with one guitar. I had no option. Nowdays, I would probably bring a couple of guitars to any gig (because I have more than one) but would rely on the PRS without a backup if I had to.

I haven't had any problems with the guitar so I don't know how good the warranty would be.

I did contact PRS twice for info about the guitar. I both cases I got responses within a copule of days.

I've been playing off and on since 1969. I didn't really set out to buy this guitar. I was looking for a custom guitar maybe Les Paul and hadn't really seriously looked at a PRS. $4250 seemed like a cheap price for a custom with birds in OZ. I started out thinking it was a good price rather than looking at the sound, action or finish. It took a while to get used to the sound but I'm now hooked.

I don't think I will ever spend this much money on a guitar again. So I would be heart broken if I were to lose this one. If I could afford to buy another PRS I would get it in USA (where prices are much cheaper).

I love the feel, sight, smell and sound of this guitar. It is my best instrument, easy to play and flatters my meager ability.

In summary, the PRS is not a single replacement for a Fender or Gibson guitar. However, it is a great guitar for original material and modern guitar sounds. I say life is short, buy a PRS, Fender and Gibson.

Mine is ultra nice perfectly book matched quilt 10-top in Private Stock grade beauty.
Gold machines with deep Royal Blue color.
My jaws dropped when I opened the case.
This is my last and cheapest PRS, but in terms of beauty really exceels over everything I saw.
24th Anniversary birds are perfect, as well as, Brasilian Rosewood fingerboard.

I never liked PRS 24, but this one is really something you need to appreciate. Sound is not thin or bright as on majority of 24s. Due to lucky combination of woods it has lot of articulation and depth. Very good for distorted and solo sounds.
After playing Modern Eagle for 6 months I expected much weaker sound from 24, but it's different not weaker.

Perfect

I think it will live very long.

Overall this is very special PRS Custom 24. I am very lucky with this one, but I think this particular one is better than average Custom 24. I think it was ordered as Private Stock, but for some reason sold as standard guitar.
Great.

PRS Custom 24 20th Anniversary model, made in USA in May 2005. 24 frets, volume, tone and 5 position selector switch, tremolo bridge, locking tuners, 20th anniversary bird inlays on a Whale Blue 10 top. My only wish is that I got the McCarty electronics option, with the push-pull tone control to split the humbuckers. The 5 positions give great tone, but I'd like more control. A ten position switch perhaps??

I play rock, alt. country and blues, and it sounds great for all. The 5 position switch limits your tonal palette in a way, but with the 5 you have you get great sound. Tweak the tone control and you've got plenty of bite or nice smooooth distortion. This guitar made me want to sell my Les Paul on eBay.

Right out of the case, this guitar was near perfect. The action was low, there were no flaws other than a tone knob that had been cracked during shipping - when I opened the box there was a big dent/crack in the case right above the guitar body... I pulled the guitar out and it was unharmed, save the cracked knob. Replaced that and it is now perfect again. This is a '10' top, I've got an older Custom 22 10-top which is truly a 10... I'd say my 24 is a 9.5 top. Subjective, but there it is.

I have a few other PRS and some Fenders, the PRS guitars are built to play. They cost more, but they are not toys... The guitar is solid, the finish is durable, everything is tight, there are no electronics issues. Nice big strap buttons so it won't fall off, stays in tune, and oh the tone... I've got a 1999 McCarty, and I noticed that most of the intitials on the guitar's build tag were the same. Not built by newbies, but seasoned craftsmen.

I would use this on its own and not bring a backup. But then it's more fun to bring a couple extras, isn't it?

As I said above, the case was heavily damaged (thanks, FedEx) but the effect on the guitar was minimal - a cracked knob. The retailer sent me a new case the next day, free of charge. I sent an email to PRS about the knob asking how to buy a replacement, and two days later two of them were in the mail. That is pretty slick.

I've been playing for about 20 years, I own a PRS McCarty, PRS McCarty Soapbar, PRS Hollowbody Spruce, '78 Fender Tele Deluxe, Fender Nashville Tele, Fender Tele Custom, Fender Strat, Epi Casino. The McCarty is my favorite, this is #1.5.

I wish it had the McCarty switching, which is an option I didn't pay for (my bad). I love the wide/thin neck, the way the guitar feels in my hands, the smooth tone... it just feels like a guitar should feel, that's the best I can put it.

If this were stolen, or lost, I'd hunt it down. Failing that, I'd buy another one.

Custom 24, 20th anniversary, trem, wide-thin, HFS-Vintage Bass, moon inlays, grey black. Not a ten top, but really nice quilted maple top, with flame on the edges. It's got all the features one could ask for.

I bought it sight-unseen at Musician's Friend. I got really lucky and got one just like I wanted. Really light body and wicked sound. I was blown away by the clean sound. These pickups sound great with a Marshall amp, a little mid-rangy but cut through a mix real well. I put 10-46 strings on it and set it up with lower action, now it really sustains and plays like a dream. I never want to set it down. I knew these guitars were good, but I have never owned one so I am very proud of it. I did find one spot on the neck that notes died out very quickly on. However, I found that all the PRS's I tested did this around the 12 or 13th fret on the G-string. No big deal, I can work around it.

PRS guitars have the best fit and finish of any production guitar that I've owned, just amazing how careful they are to make sure they ship them in emaculate condition. I don't think many guitars come from the factory with a set-up that is easy to play. You have to take it to someone to set it up to your individual style. Once it is set to your playing style, you won't put it down, you will be addicted!

The hardware all seems tight, and well adjusted. The neck joint and guitar in general seems very tight and stable. Wouldn't worry at all about gigging it extensively.

I've emailed them a few times, got VERY prompt and thoughtful responses to my questions.

played 20yrs. Own Marshall 100W stack, Parker and Schecter guitars. This thing just rings true in all aspects. I have read a lot about how the production of them is machinized now and so they aren't as good. I compared it with a pre-95 Custom 24 that a friend owns...it held it's own and then some. Sounded just as hot when overdriven, and sounded even better than his on clean channels. VERY happy with this purchase.

This anniversary model is a 2005 Custom 24. It has a book matched maple top, that looks like a ten top. Standard controls, master vol. and master tone, push/pull, w/ a 3-way switch, whic I like better then the 5-way knob. Two humbickers, standard for the 24. The finish is the usual mirroed job PRS does. My is Emerald Green. Locking phase II tuners.

Sounds like every other PRS I have, fantastic. I just plug right in a Line 6 AX2 and use it on various settings. Again the PRS quality is great.

The guitar was in tune right out of the case. The action great. The finish is emerald green and book matched. PRS quality again came through.

This guitar, like my other PRS guitars, will keep on kicking. Live playing or sitting around, PRS makes a quality guitar. The chrome hardware is great. This guitar I can depend on lasting my life time.

I have only use CS once. I sent them a congrats for the 20 years of service. Out of the 11 PRS guitars I own, not one needed warranty work or service.

Again, this Custom 24 anniversary model rocks! The quality is typical PRS standards. The woods and finish are great, as always. If any of my PRS guitars were stolen I would replace them. I sorry that the guy below got such a rotten guitar and was wondering if it was that bad, why did he buy it?