Check out three 35th Anniversary models and several updates to its Maryland-made guitar lines, including TCI-tuned pickups, a new nitro finish, as well as significant updates to the McCarty family.
Stevensville, MD (October 23, 2019) -- 2020 will mark PRS Guitars 35th Anniversary, and the celebration has already started with recent introductions to the SE Series and new artist model announcements. Today, PRS Guitars is pleased to continue that celebration with the addition of three 35th Anniversary models and several updates to its Maryland-made guitar lines, including TCI-tuned pickups, a new nitro finish, as well as significant updates to the McCarty family of instruments.
Celebrate the PRS Sound: 35th Anniversary Custom 24 Models
PRS Guitars is celebrating 35 years of guitar making and innovation with three new 35th Anniversary Custom 24 models in its Core, S2 Series, and SE Series line ups. Designed around the guitar that started it all, the Custom 24, these limited-edition models capture the foundational elements of the iconic PRS model and add the musical functionality of the Paul’s Guitar, creating a new, versatile platform. The 35th Anniversary Custom 24 models feature TCI (or TCI “S”) treble and bass pickups that are paired with two mini-toggle switches that allow players to put either or both pickups in humbucking or true single-coil mode. The clarity and unique tone of these vintage-inspired pickups is both big and nuanced, so players can easily find their sweet spot.
“35 years…it’s special what is going on at PRS right now, and we wanted to capture that by celebrating the guitar that helped put us on the map: the Custom 24. These models have new special pickups and switching system, and they sound and play great. The humbuckers are balanced, and the single coils are musical and full,” said Paul Reed Smith.
It’s All in the Details: TCI-Tuned Pickups and Nitro Finish
Paul Reed Smith is known as a man who studies history, scrutinizes the details, and never stops applying what he learns to his own instruments. It is that passion, care, and tenacity that has permeated PRS Guitars’ culture and led to the constant evolution of PRS products. Last year, PRS announced TCI (tuned capacitance and inductance) pickups on the Paul’s Guitar. But, TCI is more than a pickup, it’s a process. That process has now been applied to all PRS pickups offered on our Core line of instruments, with the exception of a few artist Signature models.
“TCI stands for Tuned Capacitance Inductance. When you wind a pickup, the coils are capacitors, resistors, and inductors simultaneously. Our more refined ability to be able to tune those factors is what we have incorporated into TCI pickups,” said Paul Reed Smith. “To our ears, the results are very musical. We are very proud of how far we’ve come in the understanding and making of pickups. It’s been a fun process.”
In preparation for shipping 2020 models, PRS is also updating the finish system in their Maryland factory. PRS has been known to tweak its finish formulations and processes, always looking to provide a great sounding, feeling, and looking guitar while maintaining a repeatable, quality-driven manufacturing process. This new nitro finish is a variation of PRS’s Private Stock high-gloss nitro with a cellulose CAB basecoat. The resulting finish is thin, hard, and clear – all qualities that help make a resonant, musical instrument that feels great.
“When you pick up a guitar with this finish, you can immediately feel that it’s not taking away from the guitar’s energy. It’s feels organic - like a classic, vintage guitar; it’s clear and does not hinder the figure or color of the instrument, and it sinks very little over time.” said Paul Reed Smith.
PRS has begun phasing in this new finish on Core and Bolt-on guitars – all models in these series will be receiving this new finish as of January 1, 2020.
A Return to Roots: The McCarty Family
The McCarty model was first introduced in 1994, embodying the most up-to-date findings from PRS and looking back to the golden age of the guitar. As part of the company’s 35th Anniversary updates, the McCarty family of instruments is going back to its roots. Along with the TCI pickup and finish updates already mentioned, the McCarty will once again feature a one-piece stoptail bridge (the adjustable stoptail bridge will remain an option) and vintage-style tuners. It will also now feature a bone nut. The remaining McCarty instruments (including the McCarty 594, McCarty 594 Singlecut, and McCarty 594 Hollowbody II) will also be updated to vintage-style tuners (they already come standard with two-piece bridges and bone nuts).These updates further align the McCarty family and capture the vintage essence that the McCarty model has always promised.
“One of my sayings is that everything that touches the string is God – well, that’s really the bridge, the nut, and the tuners. So when we went after the McCarty model, that’s where we looked. These updates make a huge difference in the tone. The guitar sustains longer and the tone has more character,” said Paul Reed Smith. “The puzzle pieces all fit together, and there is no compromise to the integrity of the instrument. We’re very happy.”
For full specifications and demo videos on all new PRS models, please visit www.prsguitars.com, and for more information on PRS Guitars 35th Anniversary, including a timeline highlighting the company’s 35-year journey, please visit www.prsguitars.com/35.
Come celebrate in person! PRS Guitars will be hosting their biannual open house event, Experience PRS, on May 8-9, 2020. Save the date and stay tuned for more details. Follow @prsguitars on social media to join the conversation.
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It’s almost over, but there’s still time to win! Enter Stompboxtober Day 30 for your shot at today’s pedal from SoloDallas!
The Schaffer Replica: Storm
The Schaffer Replica Storm is an all-analog combination of Optical Limiter+Harmonic Clipping Circuit+EQ Expansion+Boost+Line Buffer derived from a 70s wireless unit AC/DC and others used as an effect. Over 50 pros use this unique device to achieve percussive attack, copious harmonics and singing sustain.
A 1000-watt speaker cabinet crafted for musicians who demand power and precision. Sunn Amps intends to reinvent the standard 4x12 configuration with the introduction of this new cabinet.
The Sunn Amps DoomBox is built to accommodate both guitar and bass, offering an impressive 1000-watt handling capacity—making it the first commercially available 4x12 cabinet with such high power handling. With four specially designed 12” drivers rated at 250 watts each, this cabinet provides clean, unrestrained sound levels that can maintain power integrity across all frequencies, ideal for high-volume performances.
Inspired and developed using feedback from artists and bands who rely on the depth of lower tunings and high volume genres, the DoomBox was engineered to meet the unique demands of professional musicians looking for a robust, high-efficiency cab that can translate the raw power of their sound without compromise.
Premium Craftsmanship and Materials
The Doom Box cabinet is crafted from solid finger-jointed Baltic Birch plywood, ensuring both durability and tonal clarity. Each cabinet is constructed by hand in the U.S.A. using original 1930s machinery, the DoomBox reflects Sunn’s historic commitment to quality, contrasting with some of the mass-produced, MDF-based cabinets on the market today. The cabinet’s aluminum basket, ferrite magnet, and custom Sunn weave Tolex with a custom grill design complete its professional-grade build.
Technical Specifications:
• Power Handling: 1000W
• Inputs: 1 x ¼”
• Impedance: 8 Ohm
• Drivers: 4 x Sunn 12S250
• Construction: Marine Grade Baltic Birch
• Dimensions: 29.25” X 30” X 14”
• Weight: 107 lbs
• Price: $2399.00
With clear low-end punch, even sound response, and ample air movement, the Doom Box ensures that every note reaches the audience with clarity and power. This cabinet is a game-changer for musicians who need high-performance, road-ready equipment that enhances their unique sound.
Does the guitar’s design encourage sonic exploration more than sight reading?
A popular song between 1910 and 1920 would usually sell millions of copies of sheet music annually. The world population was roughly 25 percent of what it is today, so imagine those sales would be four or five times larger in an alternate-reality 2024. My father is 88, but even with his generation, friends and family would routinely gather around a piano and play and sing their way through a stack of songbooks. (This still happens at my dad’s house every time I’m there.)
Back in their day, recordings of music were a way to promote sheet music. Labels released recordings only after sheet-music sales slowed down on a particular song. That means that until recently, a large section of society not only knew how to read music well, but they did it often—not as often as we stare at our phones, but it was a primary part of home entertainment. By today’s standards, written music feels like a dead language. Music is probably the most common language on Earth, yet I bet it has the highest illiteracy rate.
Developed specifically for Tyler Bryant, the Black Magick Reverb TB is the high-power version of Supro's flagship 1x12 combo amplifier.
At the heart of this all-tube amp is a matched pair of military-grade Sovtek 5881 power tubes configured to deliver 35-Watts of pure Class A power. In addition to the upgraded power section, the Black Magick Reverb TB also features a “bright cap” modification on Channel 1, providing extra sparkle and added versatility when blended with the original Black Magick preamp on Channel 2.
The two complementary channels are summed in parallel and fed into a 2-band EQ followed by tube-driven spring reverb and tremolo effects plus a master volume to tame the output as needed. This unique, signature variant of the Black Magick Reverb is dressed in elegant Black Scandia tolex and comes loaded with a custom-built Supro BD12 speaker made by Celestion.
Price: $1,699.