Paul Reed Smith Guitars

Up for auction is a beautiful 1993 Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 guitar with 10 top and bird inlays.  If you're looking at this ad you already know the value of these pre-factory, hand-made models and you also know they're getting more expensive with every year that passes.  I bought this 2 years ago from the original owner, and it is in wonderful condition.  There are a few surface dings and scratches as you would expect from a 17 year old guitar, but this one looks and sounds amazing.

The original owner had this guitar McCarty-ized, which was very popular in the mid nineties... this basically means the 5 position selector was removed and replaced with a 3 way toggle switch and the tone knob is a push/pull switch for single or humbucker tap.  The original switches are included as is the original hard shell case and tremelo bar.  The pickups are original.  (Please do not ask me to remove the pickups and photograph the pickup cavities... I did this on a recent auction and have subsequently been warned against doing so by several dealers, collectors and luthiers with significant knowledge about protecting the value of these guitars.)

I will try to answer any questions you may have, but everything I know about this guitar is included above.  I hate to see this one go, but my son is away at school and I no longer have time to do justice to all the guitars we own.  Good luck and happy bidding!

I'm posting this in response to a question about the "Pre Factory" label and when this applies:

My experience is that some of the PRS reps I've talked to in the past have rarely been able to provide much useful, or even accurate information. I once called and asked a few simple questions about a serial number on an older PRS and they told me due to a fire a lot of their records were lost. Some of their newer employees weren't even alive back then, nor do they know much of the history of PRS.  The term "Pre-factory," as it is commonly used today, refers to guitars made before PRS moved to the current factory location in Stevensville, MD. This move occured in 1995, so for most people who are collecting or looking at quality older PRS's, everything made in 1994 or earlier is considered "Pre Factory."  Of course you can easily identify these by serial number, but most collectors know just by looking at the headstock, the signature, and the smaller, more desirable heel on these models.

However, not everyone agrees to this use of the term Pre-Factory. Technically the Virginia Ave facility, where PRS guitars were produced between '85-'95, was still a "factory," but it was a very hands-on type of process.  Some purists, though,consider the term "Pre-Factory" to only apply to the '75-'85 models... those made by only a handful of early PRS employees.  Over the next few years as popularity and demand for PRS's increased, more automated steps were added to increase the production numbers.  Today, at least for collectors and those who know about value of PRS guitars, the "Pre Factory" term generally applies to any PRS guitar made prior to 1995... before they went to the large automated factory where guitars were bored with large "CNC" machines, with much less human touch.  Generally the older the model, the more valuable... especially those guitars from the mid to late eighties... with the early nineties models not far behind.  If you've never played one of these older models, I hope you have the opportunity sometime.  Today's PRS's are great guitars, no question about it... but these older models are simply in a league of their own.  You have to play one to appreciate the difference.  Hope that helps. Thanks.