Paul Reed Smith

Paul Reed Smith began playing guitar as a teenager. He soon designed his own style of guitar, which he built. At first he did not think about selling the instruments he was designing, but he did hope that one day he could give one of his guitars to Carlos Santana. Mr. Santana not only loved the guitar, he became the new company’s long time endorser. The PRS guitar has become an iconic instrument in the industry and Paul, always the supporter of new ideas, has often used his example to encourage young people to follow their dreams. As a student of the history of electric guitars, Paul discovered the name of Ted McCarty on several important guitar patents and sought to talk to Mr. McCarty. The two became friends and discussed the many changes that have occurred in the industry and guitar over the years as well as a new design for the guitar. The McCarty PRS model was introduced at the NAMM Show with both Paul and Ted on hand to premier the instrument.