PRS SERIAL NUMBER LOOKUP SERIES

To do this, they use stripped-down features, imported parts, and a limited range of models.

PRS SERIAL NUMBER LOOKUP SERIES

PRS’s goal when they started the S2 series is to produce USA-built guitars at a third of the cost of their Core models. PRS S2 Guitars are made in Paul Reed Smith’s main factory in Stevensville, Maryland, USA.

S2 stands for ‘Stevensville 2’ and refers to a second factory line set up in their Stevensville factory. These guitars sit somewhere in between the SE and Core series in terms of features and price. The PRS S2 guitars are promoted as ‘reimagined’ shapes and styles. But there are reasons why a PRS SE can cost $900 and a PRS (Core) can cost $4000. They’re fantastic guitars and I enjoy playing my PRS SE SVN Seven String. That doesn’t mean PRS SE guitars are bad. It may look similar to a PRS Custom 24, but if you compare the two directly, you’ll notice an obvious difference in hardware, body contour, and overall quality. The above guitar shows a PRS SE Custom 24. While PRS SE guitars use similar designs as the Core series, the price and features are completely different. This means the final quality control and setup is done in the US rather than done overseas and being sent straight to stores. If you see a guitar without one of these stamps on the headstock, it likely means it is one of the series that was built in the US (or it’s a fake).Īn interesting note about PRS SE guitars is that while they are manufactured in South Korea or Indonesia, PRS set up each guitar in their US factory before shipping them to stores. PRS guitars built in Korea or Indonesia will clearly label both the country of origin as well as the company that manufactured the guitar. You can tell whether a PRS SE guitar was built in South Korea or Indonesia by looking at the back of the headstock. If it also costs PRS less to build guitars in Indonesia, you can expect to see more PRS guitars with Indonesia stamped on the headstock in the future. This likely gives PRS better quality in the end as they have more control over the build process. There aren’t other guitar brands being built in this factory, so all of the equipment and employees are focused on one specific series of guitars. The Indonesian factory is based in Surabaya and only produces PRS SE guitars.Ī big advantage to this factory is that it completely focuses on PRS SE guitars. In 2019, PRS set up a factory in Indonesia in partnership with Cor-Tek Musical Instruments Company (known for Cort brand guitars). PRS SE guitars were exclusively built in Korea for a very long time. World Musical Instruments Company manufactures guitars for a lot of different brands and their factory is based in Incheon, South Korea. The PRS SE guitars made in South Korea are built by World Musical Instruments Company then inspected and set up by PRS in the US before being sent to stores. Earlier models were all made in South Korea and most newer models are made in Indonesia. PRS SE Guitars are made in South Korea and Indonesia. The PRS SE model guitars are PRS’ budget range of guitars. The only thing on the back of the headstock will be the guitar’s serial number. While the back of the headstock on the other guitar series will show the country of origin, PRS Core guitars do not show this. Compare that to the 4 options available on the PRS SE Custom 24 and you’ll get an idea of the big difference in the different series. The PRS Custom 24 for example has 18 different options for finishes currently listed on the PRS website. One of the advantages of the Core series is that there are a lot more different finishing options compared to a lower series model. This is why only the higher-end PRS series are produced in the US. Maryland is a US state on the East coast and the PRS factory is located on Kent Island.Īs you might expect, building guitars in the US costs more than other countries where labour costs are lower.

PRS Core Guitars are made in Paul Reed Smith’s main factory in Stevensville, Maryland, USA. The PRS Core model guitars are promoted as high quality and are built in the USA. Let’s go through all of the above series of guitars as well as where they’re made.

PRS Private Stock: one-off custom guitars at the highest quality.

PRS Bolt-on: models built with a bolt-on neck.

S2 guitars are mid-range in price and features

PRS S2: S2 stands for ‘Stevensville 2’.

SE models are the budget range of PRS guitars

PRS SE: SE stands for ‘Student Edition’.

PRS Core: premium quality guitars at a high price point.

There is a big difference in price, options, and quality between some of the PRS series, so it’s worth looking at where each series is made and why.

There are a few different PRS models that sell for a very wide range of prices.

10.6 Related Guides and Lessons: PRS Guitar Models Explained

Prs serial number lookup