The Private Stock Custom 24 Retro model balances several of Paul Reed Smith’s original design elements from the late 1970’s and early 1980’s with modern techniques and PRS design specifications.
One constant over the history of PRS is change. As music lovers, musicians, and guitar builders, we spend every day listening, analyzing, debating, and evolving. This model celebrates a poignant moment in our history but does not fail to consider everything we have learned between then and now.
Like Paul’s original designs, the Custom 24 Retro has a more exaggerated body carve and scoop, a thicker mahogany back, and a smaller original-style heel. The headstock shape was modeled after the 1984 Custom that Paul used to get orders to start the first PRS factory. Other specifications include a 24 fret, 25” scale length neck with a “pre-factory” inspired carve, PRS old-style birds and “pre-factory” Private Stock eagle inlays, curly maple bound fretboard, high- gloss nitro finish, PRS locking tuners, and a paisley hardshell case. The electronics for this model include a volume control and 3-way toggle pickup selector, but have been updated with a push/pull tone control that activates the sweet switch feature found on Customs from the 1980’s.
Top Wood | “Pre-factory” Style Carved Figured Maple |
Optional Top Woods | Quilt Maple One Piece Top Matching Maple Headstock Veneer |
Back Wood | McCarty Thickness Mahogany |
Number of Frets | 24 |
Scale Length | 25" |
Neck Wood | Mahogany |
Optional Neck Woods | Mahogany |
Neck Shape | "Pre-Factory" Pattern Regular with "Original" Heel & Headstock |
Fretboard Wood | Figured, Maple-Bound Brazilian Rosewood |
Optional Fretboard Woods | African Blackwood Brazilian Rosewood (subject to availability Cocobolo East Indian Rosewood Ebony Figured Maple Ziricote |
Inlays | Green Ripple "Old School" Birds |
Headstock | Mahogany Headstock Veneer with Pre-Factory Headstock Eagle |
Treble Pickup | Uncovered 85/15 |
Bass Pickup | Uncovered 85/15 |
Bridge | PRS Tremolo |
Tuners | PRS Phase III Locking Tuners |
Hardware Type | Nickel |
Controls | Volume & Push/Pull Tone Control (Push/Pull Activates Sweet Switch), 3-Way Toggle Pickup Switch |
Default High-Gloss Nitro Finishes:
(Add a Smoked Burst To Any Color For No Upcharge)
Optional High-Gloss Nitro Finishes:
Add a Smoked Burst or Micro Burst (Burst Around Entire Guitar), “Glow” or “Dragon’s Breath” Affect To Any Color For No Upcharge