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PRS 30th Anniversary “Then & Now”

PRS Guitars celebrate their 30th Anniversary with an interesting video entitled “Then & Now: A Look Back on 30 Years of Guitar Making”.

PRS 30th Anniversary

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The star of this video is no other than the company founder and namesake, Paul Reed Smith, with him providing inspiring answers to great questions that any fans of the brand and fans of guitars in general would certainly appreciate.

From its humble beginnings in 1985, Paul Reed Smith (PRS) Guitars is now considered as one of today’s top electric guitar manufacturers. We even ranked PRS as the 3rd best electric guitar brand, and I’m sure that guitar giants Fender and Gibson knows that this company is a serious competition that should not be taken lightly.

Now with 30 years of building and manufacturing experience, the company continues to expand and has recently been targeting the mid-priced electric guitar market, as well as the lower tier price ranges. Their main selling point still is their premium guitar line, which are currently being played by a wide variety of popular artists that include Carlos Santana, Alter Bridge, Blake Shelton, John Hyatt and many more.

The company provides a good introduction story: “In 1985, while the world was focused on the birth of the first .com, a new computer operating system called Windows and “Live Aid” concerts for famine relief, an Annapolis, Maryland guitar repairman that had been steadily making a name for himself by building and fixing guitars decided to take a bold step by creating his own namesake guitar manufacturing company called Paul Reed Smith Guitars.

It’s interesting how the video switches between the younger Paul Reed Smith, complete with his long curly black hair, and his present counterpart. In “Then & Now”, Paul is given the chance to respond and add further thoughts to an interview he did many years back. And his stories provide enlightening stories on the design philosophy and history of the brand.

Check out the 30th Anniversary video below:

One thing that is obvious from the video is Paul’s passion for making great instruments, with which he started the company. And it seems that last 30 years further fueled his passion, helping him as he continues to guide his guitar company to meet the demands of the ever changing and picky guitarists.

Paul Reed Smith concludes, “Since day one it has been our goal to craft the finest guitars and amplifiers possible and I’m extremely proud of what we’ve achieved over the last 30 years. But it doesn’t stop here. We will continue our journey, keeping the best of what we’ve learned while experimenting with new advancements and features.”

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PRS is part of our Best Electric Guitar Brands list!

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