Paul Reed Smith began making top-of-the-line guitars in Maryland in 1985. At the time of publication, the guitars are being made in the United States and South Korea. To properly identify a model, locate the model number and determine which country the guitar was made in. The information for making this determination is contained on the front and rear sides of the guitar headstock, and in the serial number. One exception is the signature models, such as the Santana I and Santana II guitars. In addition to model numbers these guitars have artwork on the fretboard showing a soaring bird. Determine the Model and Country of Origin Examine the front of the headstock for the model number, which appears there in large letters.

Serial Number Year-Code Prefix All guitars and basses have serial numbers which start with a year prefix. The prefix is the last one or two digits of the production year, and it applies to all models below.

This identifies the model of the guitar. Look for the word 'Korea' on the front and on the back side of the headstock. If it appears on either side, the guitar is a South Korean-made model. Examine the serial number on the back of the headstock for the letter K. The K indicates that the guitar is a South Korean-made model. Determine whether the serial number is handwritten or is a graphic reproduction.

A handwritten serial number indicates that the guitar was made in the United States.

Hi Everybody, I'm looking to but my first real guitar (i.e. Gak grigorjev teoriya i praktika perevoda otveti. Not a cheap import). Reclaime file recovery ultimate.

I've decided on a used early 1990's PRS CE24. It seems like a versatile guitar that isn't too expensive and that might actually increase in value over time. So I'm looking at this eBay auction and the guitar seems in good condition, but a couple of things strike me as odd.

Nickel covers - I don't think I've seen any other pre-1995 CE24's with a nickel cover. Although the're easy enough to put on. The seller said they are the original pickups (even though I asked if they were the traditional HFS/Vintage Bass combo).

Three-way toggle switch - Again, I've only seen these with a 5-way rotary switch. Serial Number - the serial number looks to be a 1990. But the seller is representing it as a 1993.

Could he/she just be confusing it with when they bought it? I tried to figure out the production date using PRS's web-site here: Here's the link to the auction which includes the S/N: Any help would be greatly appreciated. Regards, Stang. Hmm, I have a PRS CE22 I bought around the mid 90s and it did indeed have uncovered pickups. Mine has Dragon p'ups and the other one I tested that day had the bass and treble p'ups and I believe they were also uncovered. And mine does indeed have the rotary switch.

I don't know how to date a PRS guitar, but mine has a S/N of 6713089 Edit: According to this, I guess mine is a 1996 And the 24s were of course the same animal, just the extra frets were different. Mine had a figured top and birds as extras.

Stock PU's would have been Vintage Bass in the neck and HFS in the bridge back then.and they would NOT have been covered. And it should have been 5-way. My guess.if the guitar is real deal, it's been modded. There are three different neck carves from then.the Standard (the original 24-fret neck carve.1-5/8' nut and very much a Fender C shape neck profile).Wide Fat (1-11/16' and a Gibson-esque carve) and Wide Thin (1-11/16' and thinner, Wizard-esque), so you might want to see which one you prefer of the bunch. I had a '93, it's the one guitar I kinda regretted selling, but it was useless to me stock.I hated the PU's, they sounded sweet in a hi-gain amp, harsh in my more vitnage ones. So, if i had kept it, I would have gutted it. Thanks Wyatt, The mods are what I was figuring.

My amp is based on the Fender Tweed Deluxe circuit. Too bad there isn't a guitar rental place where I could bring it home an try it out for a while Stock PU's would have been Vintage Bass in the neck and HFS in the bridge back then.and they would NOT have been covered. And it should have been 5-way.

My guess.if the guitar is real deal, it's been modded. There are three different neck carves from then.the Standard (the original 24-fret neck carve.1-5/8' nut and very much a Fender C shape neck profile).Wide Fat (1-11/16' and a Gibson-esque carve) and Wide Thin (1-11/16' and thinner, Wizard-esque), so you might want to see which one you prefer of the bunch. I had a '93, it's the one guitar I kinda regretted selling, but it was useless to me stock.I hated the PU's, they sounded sweet in a hi-gain amp, harsh in my more vitnage ones. So, if i had kept it, I would have gutted it. Thanks Warrior, I'll give them a call tomorrow. The one reason I think it's a 1990 vs. 2000 is because it has the small neck heel, not the 'devil heel' of the newer ones.

It's a 2000, according to the PRS website (first number is a 0). The following number is either a typo, or dates to 1990. If you're set on pursuing this, you should give PRS' tech line a call during business hours and ask for a photo of the serial next to a handwritten card with today's date. If I were remotely interested in doing a deal with a 0 feedback seller over ebay on a high-end instrument, this would be a bare minimum.