PRS Announces Experience PRS 2012 Limited Edition Guitars and Amps

Stevensville, MD (September 18, 2012) – Specially appointed to commemorate the 6th annual Experience PRS event, this limited run of guitars is comprised of two models: the iconic Custom 24 and the innovative P22. The Custom 24 is the original PRS – the guitar Paul took to his first tradeshow in 1985. A perennial favorite with musicians, the Custom 24 has continually been updated through the years, while never losing its time-honored reliability, versatility, and appeal. The P22, introduced in 2012, is PRS Guitars’ first solidbody piezo-equipped guitar. Piezo systems allow guitarists to wield both acoustic and electric guitar tones in one instrument, making the P22 a new and versatile tool for countless musicians.

Special appointments for the Experience 2012 limited edition of the Custom 24 and P22 include: Artist grade figured maple tops, figured maple necks with premium Mexican ebony fretboards and truss rod covers, Macassar ebony headstock veneers, Artist bird inlays with the small “pre-factory” eagle inlaid on the headstock – green heart select centers with green ripple outlines, Experience PRS 2012 pickups with engraved covers, ten unique colors and an Artist case. One hundred of each model will be available worldwide.

Experience PRS 2012 Custom 24 Specs: Artist grade figured maple top, African mahogany back, 24-fret,  25” scale length figured maple neck with premium Mexican ebony fretboard and truss rod cover, Macassar ebony headstock veneer, Artist bird inlays with the Experience “Pre-Factory” Eagle inlaid on the headstock – green heart select centers with green ripple outlines, Phase III tuners (Hybrid hardware), PRS tremolo. Neck Profile: Pattern Regular.  Electronics: Experience PRS 2012 treble and bass pickups with “Experience PRS 2012” engraved covers, one volume and one push/pull tone control with a PRS 5-way blade switch.  Available in Autumn Sky, Bitchin’ Bev, Blue Crab Blue Burst, Bonnie Pink, Cherry Vanilla Burst, Faded Abalone Smokeburst, Jade, Livingston Lemondrop, Old Antique Vintage Natural, Solana Eclipse finishes.

Experience PRS 2012 P22 Specs: Artist Grade figured maple top, African mahogany back, 22-fret,  25” scale length figured maple neck with premium Mexican ebony fretboard and truss rod cover, Macassar ebony headstock veneer, Artist bird inlays with the Experience “Pre-Factory” Eagle inlaid on the headstock – green heart select centers with green ripple outlines, Phase III tuners (Hybrid hardware). Neck Profile: Pattern Regular. Electronics: 53/10 treble and bass pickups with “Experience PRS 2012” engraved covers, one volume and one tone control with piezo electronics. Available in Autumn Sky, Bitchin’ Bev, Blue Crab Blue Burst, Bonnie Pink, Cherry Vanilla Burst, Faded Abalone Smokeburst, Jade, Livingston Lemondrop, Old Antique Vintage Natural, Solana Eclipse finishes.

To complement the traditional Experience PRS Limited Edition guitars, PRS has spec’d a distinctive grouping of Experience 2012 amplifiers, including a 2 Channel “H”, an MDT, an HXDA, and a 1x12 Dallas Combo with Bugs Henderson mods. These amplifiers will be available in limited quantities at Experience PRS 2012 and available for order through September 30, 2012.

2-Channel “H” is customized with curly maple fascias in the ten exclusive Experience PRS finishes and five multi-foil finishes. Handmade in Stevensville, Maryland, the 2-Channel “H” has a modern “in your face” tone and features a proprietary Heyboer transformer. The unique lead channel offers powerful, smooth distortion with liquid sustain, while the clean channel has shimmering, clean highs and extensive headroom but can be overdriven at maximum settings.

Experience PRS 2012 Limited Edition 2-Channel "H" Specs:
- 6L6 Tubes
- Heyboer Output Transformer
- Global Reverb
- Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, and Bright Switch for each channel
- Lead and Clean Master Volume
- 4, 8, and 16 Ohm Selection – Two Output Jacks
- Fixed Bias
- Effects Loop (with send and receive level controls on the back panel)
- Footswitch – Controls channel selection and reverb on/off

Experience PRS 2012 facias colors: Autumn Sky, Bitchin’ Bev, Blue Crab Blue Burst, Bonnie Pink, Cherry Vanilla Burst, Faded Abalone Smokeburst, Jade, Livingston Lemondrop, Old Antique Vintage Natural, and Solana Eclipse.

Multi-Foil Colors: Aqua-Foil, Desert-Foil, Franken-Foil, Happy-Foil, and Solar-Foil.

MDT - Customized with curly maple fascias in the ten exclusive Experience PRS finishes. The goal of the MDT was to create an amplifier that could capture multiple iconic amp tones in one model. This amp takes British and high-design boutique American styles and marries them to a unique tweed-style tone stack. The result is an amp that produces singing, fat, orchestral tones. Don’t be fooled by the MDT’s minimalistic approach to controls and options; this amp’s tones are both complex and flexible. The gain of the amp has been carefully adjusted to draw out the notes from your fingers, but stays very musical and avoids extra noise, buzz, and compression.

Experience PRS 2012 Limited Edition MDT Specs:
- EL34 Tubes
- Heyboer Output Transformer
- Global Reverb
- Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, and Bright Switch for each channel
- Lead and Clean Master Volume
- 4, 8, and 16 Ohm Selection – Two Output Jacks
- Fixed Bias
- Effects Loop (with send and receive level controls on the back panel)
- Footswitch – Controls channel selection and reverb on/off

Experience PRS 2012 Colors: Autumn Sky, Bitchin’ Bev, Blue Crab Blue Burst, Bonnie Pink, Cherry Vanilla Burst, Faded Abalone Smokeburst, Jade, Livingston Lemondrop, Old Antique Vintage Natural, Solana Eclipse.

HXDA - customized with curly maple fascias in the ten exclusive Experience PRS finishes. The HXDA uses the PRS 25th anniversary amp as a platform, underscoring the flexibility of the 25th while capturing the iconic tones of late 1960’s/early 1970’s rock. The Cinemag output transformer proved to be the perfect match for the desired component specifications and the addition of three switched (that essentially control the amp’s brightness and gain) add even more tonal flexibility by making key components “lead” specs. These specifications, along with the internally bridges bass and treble channels and the HXDA and bass controls, allow considerable tonal variations from bright and crunchy to fat and smooth. With this amp, PRS has achieved a tone equal to the revered smooth, fat, singing, slightly less gainy tone of the 1960’s and 1970’s holy grail amps.

Experience PRS 2012 Limited Edition HXDA Specs:
- 22 “Winged C” EL34 Power Tubes
- 3 JJ 12AX7 Pre Amp Tubes
- Cinemag Output Transformer
- Front Controls: Input, HXDA Gain, Bass Gain, Treble, Mid, Presence, Master, and 3 HXDA Switches
- Rear Controls: Mains Fuse, Power Switch, Standby Switch
- 4, 8, and 16 Ohm Selection – 5 Output Jacks
- Fixed Bias with Bias Test Jacks and Bias Adjustment Pot

Experience PRS 2012 Colors: Autumn Sky, Bitchin’ Bev, Blue Crab Blue Burst, Bonnie Pink, Cherry Vanilla Burst, Faded Abalone Smokeburst, Jade, Livingston Lemondrop, Old Antique Vintage Natural, Solana Eclipse.

Dallas 1x12 Combo with Bugs Henderson Modifications – a newly spec’d amplifier, offered in Paisley with a Black Gold curly maple fascia.  Dallas-based blues guitarist Bugs Henderson played with everyone from BB King, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was also a dear friend to Paul Reed Smith and PRS Guitars. For a limited time, PRS is offering the PRS Dallas with Bugs Henderson modifications. This amplifier is a 50 watt 1x12 combo with brilliant cleans that can reach a healthy distortion when pushed. Because the foundation of the amplifier is clean, it takes pedals well. Across the spectrum, the Dallas offers sweet highs, solid lows, and modest midrange tones. The Henderson mods add a custom tone circuit for extended high-end, taking this already articulate amp to soaring tonal territory.

Experience PRS 2012 Limited Edition Dallas 1x12 Combo with Bugs Hen­derson Modifications Specs:
- 6L6 Power Tubes
- Top Controls: Input, Bright, Volume, Reverb, Treble, Middle, Bass, Master
- Rear Controls: Power Switch, Standby
- 4, 8, and 16 Ohm Selection – 5 Output Jacks
- Fixed Bias with Bias Test Jacks and Bias Adjustment Pot

In 1985, PRS made a small number of guitars with painted pinstripes dubbed “metal guitars.” The second generation in this theme, made in the later 1980’s, used a metallic color coat and was dubbed “Multi-Metal.” While the finish was still wet, it was blotted with a latex glove to give the guitars a more textured and interesting finish. These guitars are a notable part of PRS history.

To honor that history, forty “Swamp Ash Studio Multi-Foil” guitars were made for Experience PRS 2012, again using a metallic color coat that is blotted to give each finish individual character.

The Swamp Ash Studio is an updated take on a single-single-hum guitar with PRS’s proprietary Narrowfield pickups in the middle and bass positions and a 57/08 humbucker treble pickup. This pickup configuration is paired with a 5-way blade switch, making this an extremely versatile guitar that is perfect for the studio or the stage. The swamp ash body provides clear bell-like highs, pronounced mids, and strong lows, and the bolt-on neck is lightly sealed for a natural, comfortable feel. For the nostalgia, the tone, and just because they look cool, these guitars are not to be missed.

This run of instruments is comprised of five multi-foil colors: Aqua-Foil, Desert-Foil, Franken-Foil, Happy-Foil, and Solar-Foil. A special thanks to Paul Boyd in the Finish Hall for embracing the project – the Finish Team had fun with these!

Specs: Swamp Ash body, 22-fret, 25” scale length rock maple neck and maple fretboard with bird inlays, Phase III tuners, and PRS tremolo

Neck Profile: Pattern Regular

Electronics: 57/08 treble humbucker with Narrowfield middle and bass pickups. One volume and one tone push/pull tone control with 5-way blade pickup selector

Multi-Foil Finish Options: Aqua-Foil, Desert-Foil, Franken-Foil, Happy-Foil, and Solar-Foil

For more information:
www.prsguitars.com