A Closer Look at the 1985 PRS Serial Number 5

In April of 1985, PRS Guitars formally began operations in our first ever factory in Annapolis, Maryland. Led by Paul Reed Smith, a small team of employees familiarized themselves with their tools and began constructing 20 un-serialized guitars to take to the 1985 summer NAMM show - a music industry trade show where new companies (like PRS) could introduce themselves to the world.

^ Inside the first PRS Guitars factory located on Virginia Ave in Annapolis, Maryland. Paul Reed Smith worked with his father to plan and organize the layout of equipment for guitar building.

The NAMM show was a success with PRS taking orders from dealers to build the first 'official' serial numbered guitars.

^ A photo of the first PRS Guitars NAMM booth in 1985. Paul and PRS staff met with guitar dealers around the country to give them a hands-on experience with these never before seen instruments.

Following the successful NAMM show, it was time for Paul and the PRS team to get to work building guitars and fulfilling the orders from dealers. One of the first 5 guitars, Serial #5, found it's way back to the PRS archives and we're fortunate to still have it in our possession today.

This 1985 Vintage Yellow "Custom" model features a familiar combination of curly maple, mahogany, and rosewood - similar to what you would see today on a modern Custom 24.

Some of the quickly apparent differences are its 5-way rotary pickup selector along with a sweet switch, wing collar tuning pegs, and a less severe headstock angle. Despite improvements over the years, this 1985 guitar shares a strong similarity to many current PRS instruments.

Modern PRS pickups and tuning machines have evolved significantly since 1985 as Paul and our team continue to refine the function and sound of our guitars. We're proud to have Serial #5 in our archives to honor where we began and to appreciate the 40 year journey our company has been on!

Below, Marc Quigley (PRS Archivist and Brand Educator) shares more similarities and differences between this 1985 Custom and a 2025 Custom 24: