PRS Guitars has named Jon Croft as Acoustic and Amplifier Sales Manager. In his new post, Jon will be responsible for all acoustic and amplifier sales activity and will work with the PRS team to develop compelling products while addressing market needs and opportunities. Jon will report directly to Jim Cullen, National Sales Manager of PRS Guitars.

PRS Guitars is pleased to announce the new Private Stock Alex Lifeson Thinline acoustic guitar, new for NAMM 2014. While the craftsmanship and attention to detail are very consistent with other PRS Private Stock acoustics, this instrument embodies some new design elements that take the instrument in a unique direction. The Alex Lifeson signature PRS acoustic is slightly thinner than the company’s Angelus Cutaway and Tonare Grand and is constructed in such a way that it lends itself to louder stage volumes and the rigors of the road.

The PRS Private Stock department is one of the largest custom guitar shops in the USA. With examples in the Smithsonian, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in leading instrument collections world-wide, the Private Stock department of PRS is a place where customers and dealers can turn instrument dreams into reality. These instruments can become timeless works of playable art that can increase with value over time and reflect not only the superior craftsmanship of the PRS Private Stock team but also the artistic vision of the owner.

In 1985, PRS Guitars introduced the Custom 24 guitar which has ultimately been said to have “ushered in a second golden era of guitar making.” Years later in 2005, the Stevensville, Maryland manufacturer expanded their imported SE line of instruments with the SE Custom 24 model, which is made to PRS’s exacting specifications at a more affordable price point. Just as the PRS Custom offerings have expanded inside of the company’s Maryland-made Core line of guitars, the SE line has now broadened to three distinctly different Custom 24 models: The classic PRS SE Custom 24, the popular SE Custom 24 7-String (introduced in 2013), and the new SE “Floyd” Custom 24 (new for 2014).

PRS Guitars is proud to announce that the complete series of PRS S2 electric guitars, including the newly introduced S2 Singlecut and S2 Custom 22, will make their official début at the 2014 Anaheim NAMM show. Built at PRS Guitars’ Maryland facility by skilled craftsmen, the S2 Series is considered one of the most significant product launches in the company’s history. The S2 series offers the quality, sound, and playability that appeals to long time PRS fans while a more accessible price point helps to attract a new audience of musicians.

PRS is pleased to announce the addition of six new translucent maple top colors to its US-made Core electric guitar and bass line: Aquableux, Blood Orange, Faded Whale Blue, Obsidian, Violet, and the color name that raises the most eyebrows - Leprechaun Tooth.

In the world of high-gain amplifiers, modern players demand aggressive overdriven tones and ample headroom with sparkling cleans. The new PRS Archon amplifier offers all of the above in a high-design 100/50-watt package (via a half-power switch). Greek for “ruler” or “lord,” the Archon has already earned the endorsement of several top artists, including Dustie Waring (Between the Buried and Me), Fredrik Åkesson (Opeth), Mark Tremonti (Alter Bridge and Creed), Emil Werstler (Chimaira), and Zach Myers (Shinedown).

A record 3,000 people swamped Paul Reed Smith Guitar head- quarters in Stevensville, Maryland for this year’s Experience PRS, the guitar maker’s combined trade show, party, and open house.

PRS Guitars is proud to officially announce the 2014 Collection Series by Private Stock. Introduced in the fall of 2011, the PRS Collection Series is made up of a very limited number of instruments each year that are made with the most prized components in the company’s possession, using PRS’s most exacting methods. Paul Reed Smith, along with the Private Stock team, designs and oversees all aspects of production, including the selection of all woods.

The readers of The Nashville Scene have spoken and voted Rich Eckhardt as Best Instrumentalist in Nashville in their 2013 Readers Poll.