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SKU PRS-CU24-35-BFAP

PRS Paul Reed Smith 35th Anniversary Custom 24 Artist Package Guitar, Blue Fade

$5,290.00
Free 2-Day Shipping

Player's Perspective

Music Store Live is proud to offer up this PRS Custom 24 which celebrates the 35 years that Paul Reed Smith has been in business making guitars. It all started with the famous meeting where Paul gave Carlos Santana one of his guitars. With his first big name artist on the roster, the rest was history. PRS's Artist Package series is as good as it gets without going into Private Stock territory. A quick look at the tight figuring on that top and you can see why. Part of the Artist Package upgrade is also an ebony fretboard for a bit of a snappier tone than what you'd get with rosewood.

Built on the foundation of the Custom 24, this 35th Anniversary version has a few features from the 24-08 and a few from the Paul's Guitar as well. The mini-toggles allow you to split each pick up so you can achieve combinations of single-coil and humbucking sounds. The pickups have been completely redesigned and revoiced and they sound awesome! They have the perfect amount of edge and bite to them so they can handle higher gain settings, but they also clean up beautifully and have that chimey and wonderfully musical and vocal-like quality that the PRS pickups are known for. They pack a good punch and will hit your pedals and your amp with some oomph, for sure. The nitro finish is also a great addition that will help this guitar only sound better and better over time the more you play it. It will allow the wood to breathe in a way that really does add some life to the notes.

Think of this as an upgraded and hot-rodded Custom 24. It's perfect for any collector who wants to celebrate PRS's legacy, or simply a player who's looking for something unique that plays like a dream, sounds amazing, and is different than the other Custom 24's out there.

Manufacturer's Description

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 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.

Pattern Neck Shapes

Neck shapes have always been a high priority for PRS and a hallmark of our quality. A guitar should feel comfortable, like "home," as soon as you pick it up, and the neck is paramount to that connection. These new neck shapes reflect modern tooling and programming that allows us to even more preciously shape and consistently reproduce our necks. The "Pattern Regular" neck shape is similar to the traditional PRS regular neck found on guitars made in the late ’80s at PRS’s former Virginia Avenue location.

Specifications

BODY

  • Model: 35th Anniversary Custom 24 Artist Package
  • Color: Blue Fade
  • Top: Flame Maple Artist Grade
  • Body: Mahogany
  • Binding: Natural
  • Finish: CAB Nitro

NECK

  • Construction: Set Neck
  • Fretboard: Ebony
  • Neck Wood: Mahogany
  • Profile: Pattern Regular - 1 21/32" width and 27/32" depth @ nut
  • Inlays: Birds
  • Scale Length: 25"
  • Radius: 10"
  • Frets: 24

ELECTRONICS

  • Pickups: 85/15 TCI Bass and Treble
  • Controls: Volume, Tone
  • Mini-Toggles: 2x Coil-Split
  • Pickup Selector: 3-Way Toggle Switch

HARDWARE

  • Bridge: PRS Gen III Tremolo
  • Tuners: PRS Phase III Locking w/Faux Bone Buttons
  • Hardware Finish: Hybrid

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Case: Black Paisley Deluxe Artist Hardshell
  • Serial #: 0307017
  • Instrument Weight: 7.9 lbs.

Overall Condition

Music Store Live is proud to be an authorized Signature Dealer for Paul Reed Smith. This 35th Anniversary Custom 24 is 100% brand new and is being sold with a full manufacturer's warranty. Photos are of the exact guitar you'll receive.

Our in-house guitar tech will inspect, test, set up, and clean all of our instruments on site prior to shipping. All of our instruments are guaranteed to be fully functional upon arrival.

Music Store Live is one of PRS's top independent dealers and is one of only a select few PRS Signature Dealers. If you still haven't found what you're looking for, we are more than happy to help you custom order your next Paul Reed Smith instrument. Our PRS experts can help guide you in purchasing a new SE, S2, CORE, Artist Package, or even your very own Private Stock guitar or bass. Call or message us for details!