"Bonni Pink"

1994 Paul Reed Smith Custom 22.

This PRS 'Custom 22' weighs just 7.20 lbs., and has a one-piece, PRS-shape offset asymmetrical double-cutaway  mahogany body with an amazing sculptured, two-piece figured-maple top. The top graduates from jet black on the outside to a wonderful Bonni Pink curly pinstripe. There is a 3/16 inch 'band' of plain maple which starts at the tip of the treble-horn and goes all the way round to the neck on the bass side. The back, sides, neck and headstock are all finished in black. One-piece mahogany PRS-shape glued-in neck with a wide nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches, a wonderful thick profile and a scale length of 25.00 inches. Single-action truss rod. Back angled three-on-a-side non veneered headstock with gold "Paul Reed Smith" signature logo on face. Black plastic truss-rod cover secured with one screw. Individual Schaller/PRS 'Rotamatic' locking tuners with half-moon metal buttons. On the back of the headstock, written in gold marker is the serial number "4 17957". Ten inch radiused rosewood fretboard with inlaid Abalone 'bird' position markers and 22 jumbo frets. One PRS "double-black" Dragon 'Bass' Humbucker in the neck position and one PRS "zdouble-black" Dragon 'Treble' Humbucker in the bridge position with outputs of 7.97k and 18.30k respectively. The pickups are uncovered as usual. One volume control, one tone control, and one five-way pickup selection rotary control. Black plastic barrel-shape "Speed" control knobs. Nickel-plated PRS (wrap-over) stop-tail. Inside the bridge pickup cavity, written in blue pencil is "17957 / Bonni Pink / Black Burst / Black Back / 22 FW  Poss. "10". On the back of the guitar the triangular balck plastic control cover is secured by three screws. This amazing guitar is in mint (9.50) condition. Complete with the original hang-tag, inspection card, warranty, truss-rod adjustment tool, allen key (for the tailpiece) and two case keys. Housed in the original three-latch, rectangular black hardshell case with black leather ends and black plush lining (9.25).

This is a Custom made guitar in the very rare "Bonni Pink" color and has the most spectacular neck that one can ever wish for. The fretboard has abalone 'bird' inlays as opposed to the standard Custom 22 'moon' inlays.

It is quite simply one of the most strikingly beautiful guitars the we have ever seen.

Produced from 1993 onward the Custom 22 model features a "one-piece mahogany wide-fat set-neck, rosewood fingerboard, moon inlays, 22 frets, signature logo on headstock; chrome-plated locking tuners. Solid mahogany PRS-shape body with figured maple top; sunbursts or colours. Two humbuckers (Dragon Treble and Dragon Bassuntil 1998: Dragon ll Treble and Dragon ll Bass from 1998) with nickel-plated covers. Three controls (five-way rotary pickup selector, tone, volume). Nickel-plated PRS Stop-Tail. Options include… bird-inlays; wide-thin neck." (Dave Burrluck. The PRS Guitar Book, p. 150).

"Love 'em or hate 'em the Paul Reed Smith Bonni Pink, because of it's rarity has to be one of the most collectible guitars on the market today. The color was named after longtime Paul Smith friend and associate, Bonni Lloyd. If you work for PRS for a length of time you can have a guitar built to your own specifications. Bonni asked that her guitar be painted to match her Chuck Taylor Converse tennis shoes, which were Pepto Bismol pink. A pink color was finally derived that matched her shoes and was eventually applied to PRS models ranging from the CE to the Signature. Here's Howard Leese's story of the Bonni Pink that Paul Smith made for his daughter.:  "In 1990, I saw the first "Bonni Pink" at NAMM. Bonni Lloyd was Paul's secretary at the time. My daughter's name is "Bonnie", and she was a year old at the time. I wanted to get her a Bonni Pink guitar. I had recently acquired the second guitar Paul ever made, a Les Paul Special style axe with wooden pickup covers. It was a little crude, but I knew Paul was trying to get back a few of the old guitars for his archives. He made this guitar in High School. So I told Paul he could have it back if he made a guitar for my daughter. This guitar was under the bed for 16 years, until Bonnie was 17 and could play well enough to really dig it. it is in museum condition, dead mint. H.M.L" (Vintage Rocker Forum).