Founded in 1985, Paul Reed Smith Guitars began in a haunted attic workshop in Annapolis, where a young Paul Smith chased a dream built on curiosity, late-night experiments, and relentless hands-on craftsmanship. From his first hand-built guitars—tested onstage the moment they were finished—Paul refined every detail through player feedback, constant redesigns, and fearless innovation. Early support from icons like Carlos Santana and Al Di Meola helped propel PRS from a one-man shop to a fully formed company after Paul gathered enough dealer orders by personally driving prototypes up and down the East Coast.
What followed was a steady rise built on a simple philosophy: make extraordinary guitars. PRS blended precision engineering with old-world craftsmanship, using machines only where they improved quality and leaving the art to human hands. This approach created instruments known for reliability, elegance, and tone that inspires players to push their own boundaries. With a team where many are musicians themselves, quality control begins at the workbench—every craftsperson acts as their own inspector, carrying forward Paul’s obsession with improvement and discovery.
Now celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025, PRS remains committed to the same mission that ignited the company: never settle, never stop learning, and always build guitars with magic in them.
