PRS electric guitars are known for their super-sleek designs and practically perfect cosmetics, characterized by pristine finishes and unblemished aesthetics.
However, if recent comments made by Mark Tremonti are anything to go on, it’s possible the PRS catalog could soon receive a vintage-inspired shake-up.
Speaking in the new issue of Guitar World, the Creed guitarist teased some of the upcoming projects he and Paul Reed Smith have been discussing, and one of them is a rather notable replica of his Charcoal Burst PRS single-cut.
However, it wouldn’t just be a factory-finished, clean-out-of-the-box recreation of the guitar; it would be a like-for-like reissue of the real deal – scrapes, stickers, war wounds and all.
“We’ve also talked about doing replicas of my Charcoal Burst with the Dimebag sticker,” Tremonti teased, “beaten up so they look like mine. We’re always discussing things.”
The fact the guitar would be “beaten up” is rather telling, especially considering PRS has yet to enter the market of artificially aged guitars. In fact, the only relic’d PRS guitars you’ll find are unofficial DIY jobs.
Examples of those include the Stevie Ray Vaughan Number One-style Silver Sky and Zach Myers’ custom pink Silver Sky.
The Silver Sky is a popular canvas for relic’ing (most likely due to its Stratocaster vibe) and back in 2019, a US retailer offered an unofficial custom aging job for $400.
So, clearly, there is demand for artificially aged PRS guitars – even if the brand’s USP is geared the other way – and Tremonti may have given the first inclination they could become a reality.
A few caveats before we get too excited. First, “discussing” a beaten-up replica and actually doing one are completely different things. However, given the fact Tremonti is one of PRS’ oldest and most loyal champions, he probably holds considerable sway when it comes to OK-ing projects.
Second, even if PRS did do a relic’d Tremonti replica, there’s no guarantee this will extend into the company’s standard catalog. Not only that, Tremonti’s Dimebag guitar is, at best, rather modestly aged, and so a replica wouldn't require any drastic relic'ing.
So, don’t expect a Murphy Lab-style PRS offshoot any time soon, but the fact Tremonti and Smith are actively engaged in such discussions is still rather intriguing.
Pick up the latest issue of Guitar World at Magazines Direct, which features the full interview with Mark Tremonti.
Elsewhere in his GW interview, Tremonti revealed that one of Creed's biggest hits was written spontaneously live on stage in front of 4,000 people.
