Violin Amber Limited Edition PRS Artist Series lll.

1997 Paul Reed Smith Artist Series lll (Amber Flame Top).

This PRS 'Artist Series lll weighs 7.60 lbs. One-piece 13 inch wide, 1 5/8 inch deep South American mahogany solid body with a two-piece carved 'flamed' violin amber maple top. One-piece South American mahogany glued-in neck with a nut width of 1 11/16 inches, a scale length of 25.00 inches and a wonderful medium-to-thick profile. Back angled three-on-a-side veneered headstock with PRS 'signature' logo inlaid in Paua. Back of headstock with serial number "7 33461" and "#295" in gold marker pen. Rosewood truss-rod cover with Paua purfling and Paua "Artist lll", secured by one screw. Individual Schaller/PRS 'Rotamatic' locking tuners with half-moon metal buttons. East Indian rosewood fretboard with Paua side purfling and 'bird' inlays and 22 jumbo frets. One PRS 'McCarty Bass' Humbucker in the neck position and one PRS 'McCarty Treble' Humbucker in the bridge position with outputs of 7.65k and 8.54k respectively. Cream plastic pickup surrounds. One volume control, one tone control and a three-way pickup selector switch. Gold plastic barrel-shape "Speed" control knobs. PRS wrap-tail 'stud-bar' tailpiece. All hardware gold plated. Inside the neck pickup cavity is a large "B" and the serial number "A58TB / 33461.1 in black marker and a small yellow circular label with "11.3. / JW" in ink. Inside the treble pickup cavity in blue ink is written "33,461 / Violin Amber / Sunburst / Art. Ser. lll / 22 FWF". This beautifully made guitar is in mint unplayed (9.50) condition with the original paperwork and the PRS truss-rod adjustment tool. Housed in the original three-latch, rectangular black hardshell case with black leather ends and black plush lining (9.00).

This is a variant Artist lll with two PRS McCarty humbucking pickups and a three-way pickup selector switch instead of the usual fPRS 'Artist' humbuckers and the five-way rotary switch - alas it did not come with the signed PRS certificate of authenticity.

The PRS Artist lll guitar was in production from 1996-1997. The guitar featured a "one-piece wide-fat set-neck, East Indian rosewood fingerboard, Paua bird inlays, 22 frets, inlaid signature on headstock, gold-plated locking tuners. Solid mahogany PRS-shape body with quilted 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). Gold-plated PRS Stop-Tail. Limited edition of "under 500". (Dave Burrluck. The PRS Guitar Book, p. 148).