PRS 40th Anniversary: Custom 24 & McCarty Dragon Unleashed
Paul Reed Smith celebrates four decades of PRS and unleashes a Custom 24 and a new Dragon
2,8 / 5,0 | 
The PRS 40th Anniversary is being celebrated with the release of the 40th Anniversary Custom 24 and the ever-so-bling McCarty Dragon.
PRS 40th Anniversary
PRS 40th Anniversary
Paul Reed Smith officially started PRS Guitars in 1985, so the PRS 40th Anniversary is upon us to celebrate four decades in the guitar-making business; they are releasing these two exceptional guitars.
As you would expect from PRS, both models are high-end and made with premium wood and hardware.
40th Anniversary Custom 24
This PRS Guitars special edition Custom 24 is limited to just 400 pieces.
The 40th Anniversary Custom 24 features a mahogany body and neck with a beautiful Artist Grade flame maple carved top. It’s got that classic PRS vibe with a retro top carve, old-school bird inlays, and a vintage-style headstock.
DMO
But what sets this guitar apart is the new Treble and Bass DMO pickups (DMO stands for Dynamic, Musical, Open). These pickups, designed by PRS, deliver a wide-open vocal tone that’s perfect for any style of music.
Ziricote
Other features include a Gen III tremolo, Phase III locking tuners with wing buttons, and a Ziricote fretboard and matching headstock veneer.
Limited Run
The Custom 24 launched PRS, and this 40th Anniversary model combines many original design specifications with the latest PRS DMO pickups (it is the first model to use them), so it has possibly the best of both worlds.
It is a fantastic-looking guitar, and it comes in high-gloss nitro Tiger Eye and Sub Zero finishes.
Each guitar comes with a hand-signed certificate of authenticity.
- PRS 40th Anniversary Custom 24 Tiger Eye at Thomann
- PRS 40th Anniversary Custom 24 Sub Zero at Thomann
40th Anniversary McCarty Dragon
The 40th Anniversary McCarty Dragon is essentially a masterclass in fine detail and follows a long lineage of PRS Dragon models, all with a similar school of thought. PRS has not held back, and this ultra-intricate design will impress many.
A Dragon’s Roar
PRS’s iconic McCarty model, introduced in 1994, marked the brand’s foray into vintage-inspired, 22-fret guitars. The 40th Anniversary Private Stock McCarty Dragon takes this legacy to extraordinary heights.
Ultra Detailed
This limited-edition instrument, crafted with meticulous attention to detail, boasts a thicker mahogany body, a stop tail bridge with brass inserts and steel studs, and a pair of McCarty III pickups. These pickups deliver a warm, clear, and open tone, capturing the essence of classic guitar sounds.
But the breathtaking dragon inlay, designed by renowned fantasy artist Jeff Easley and executed by the skilled artisans at Aulson Inlay, truly sets this guitar apart.
Composed of over 200 pieces of precious materials like Blue Pacific Opal, Brown Scale Juma, and various Mother of Pearl varieties, the dragon stretches across the Gaboon ebony with Pale Moon ebony insert fretboard, its scales shimmering with life.
As Jaime Aulson Myers, Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Aulson Inlay, notes, “I feel fortunate to have worked on PRS Dragons since 2002. Being part of this endeavor has made me feel connected to something greater.”
Only 165 of these extraordinary instruments were produced, and the 40th Anniversary Private Stock McCarty Dragon is a work of art in its own right. Maybe not the guitar for your local blues jam night.
This post contains affiliate links and/or widgets. When you buy a product via our affiliate partner, we receive a small commission that helps support what we do. Don’t worry, you pay the same price. Thanks for your support!
This might also interest you
