The Earliest PRS Artist Prototype…

1990 Paul Reed Smith Artist Series 'Thoroughbred' Prototype - Michael Reid.

This unique, late 1990 PRS 'Artist Series 'Prototype' was the first of the series and was specially made for Kent Sonenberg of Thoroughbred Music of Tampa, Florida. Featuring a thirteen inch wide, one-piece PRS-shape offset asymmetrical double-cutaway mahogany body with a carved two-piece, vintage yellow 'fine fiddle-back curl' maple top. One-piece mahogany glued-in neck with a scale length of 25.00 inches. Single-action truss rod. Back angled three-on-a-side non veneered headstock signed in gold marker pen "Paul Reed Smith" and small "r" in a circle" on face. Back of headstock with "0 0985 / Thoroughbred / Artist Series /#1[of]1" written in gold marker. Also on the back of the headstock just above the 'D' tuner is a "10" stamped in blind. Single-layer black plastic truss-rod cover with one screw. Individual Schaller/PRS 'Rotamatic' locking tuners with half-moon metal buttons. Ten inch radiused Brazilian rosewood fretboard with Abalone 'bird' inlays and 24 jumbo frets. One PRS 'Vintage Bass' Humbucker in the neck position (with rectangular white label "Vintage Bass" on the underside) and one PRS 'HFS Treble' Humbucker in the bridge position (with small white label "HFS" on the underside) with outputs of 8.34k and 14.12k respectively. The 'double-black' pickups are uncovered as usual. One volume control, one five-position rotary pickup selector switch, and one 'mini' two-way 'sweet switch' tone filter. Black plastic barrel-shape "Speed" control knobs. PRS 'Tune-O-Matic bridge with six individually adjustable metal saddles, separate 'stud-bar' tailpiece. All hardware gold plated. Inside the neck pickup cavity (on the neck tenon)  written in black marker is "12 4 90 / See Schedule" and inside the bridge pickup cavity, also in black marker is "08985 / Mike Reid / Yellow / [indecipherable]". This amazing guitar is in mint (9.50) condition. Housed in the original three-latch, rectangular black hardshell case with black leather ends and black plush lining (9.25). Complete with the original "PRS PROMO" packing list [#19091] made out to Kent Sonenberg c/o Thoroughbred Music and dated 12/28/90, which states "PRS Artist Prototype 8985 / 1/1 / Michael Reid Vintage Yellow / Birds / Gold Hardware/Stop Tailpiece / Wide-Fat Neck / Case". Also present are the original instructions and owners registration card.


The five position Rotary-Hybrid Pickup System works as follows:
Position 1. Treble pickup -- PRS HFS Treble pickup. Hot, fat and screams…
Position 2. Outside coils -- deep and clear…
Position 3. Series single-coils -- warm version of the "in-between the treble and middle pickups"…
Position 4. Parallel single-coils -- crisp version of the "in-between the treble and middle pickups"…
Position 5. Bass pickup -- PRS Vinatge Bass pickup -- warm, with tons of character…

The PRS Artist l guitar was in production from 1991-1994. The guitar featured a "one-piece wide-fat set-neck, Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, abalone bird inlays, 24 frets, inlaid signature on headstock, chrome-plated locking tuners. Solid mahogany PRS-shape body with 10-plus maple top. Special "thin" finish. Colours: amber:dark-cherry; sunburst; indigo; teal black. Two humbuckers (Artist Treble and Artist Bass). Three controls (five-way rotary pickup selector, tone, volume). Nickel-plated PRS vibrato. Limited edition of "under 500". Options included semi-hollow body; gold hardware; PRS Stop-Tail bridge; quilted maple top; Studio Package; humbucker/single-coil/humbucker." (Dave Burrluck. The PRS Guitar Book, p. 148)

"In the fall of 1980 Paul Reed Smith made a fortuitous contact, with one Michael Reid. "Somehow he'd got my number from a lumber dealer nearby who said I had some curly maple," remembers Reid, "so I sold him a little bit".
"When you meet Paul you rarely forget him. He was nothing like anyone I'd ever met before. I don't say that in a disparaging way: he's just an unusual guy. He was so intense and direct. He knew exactly what he wanted and didn't mince his words. He was laying all these lines on me about guitars he had to make and who he'd made guitars for. This was very shortly after he'd used a friend's dresser drawer-fronts for curly-maple tops. I Think the maple that I initially supplied him was for the first Santana guitar." At that time Reid was making reproduction furniture. Now he buys the majority of PRS's wood for the company. "I started off as 'the maple guy'. But now I'm responsible for getting hold of all the wood Paul needs." (Dave Burrluck. The PRS Guitar Book, p. 52)