• PRS Tremolo System, Schaller/PRS locking tuners, low friction nut.

PRS: ‘85-'87. Evolved from pre-’85 all-mahogany guitar, became Standard in 1987.

CUSTOM: ‘85-current. The definitive original PRS. Figured maple top, 10 top option from ’87.

METAL: ‘85-’87. Heavy metal version of the PRS Custom with custom striped finish. Appeared on the cover of the first color catalogue.

SIGNATURE SERIES: ‘86-’90. The first ‘ultimate quality’ PRS, hand-signed by Paul Reed Smith and based on the Custom. Extremely figured maple top, bird inlays, only 1,000 made.

STANDARD: ‘87-current. See ‘PRS’.

SPECIAL: ‘88-’91. Developed for the ‘hard rock/metal player’. Wide-thin neck, tremolo routing for more up-bend, tone control, HFS Treble pickup, single coil Bass pickup (changed to Vintage Bass humbucker by ’89).

STUDIO: ‘88-’91. Same specs as Special but with standard neck profile, Hot Vintage Treble pickup and two PRS single-coils. The studio’s h/s/s pickup configuration offered as option until ‘97.

LIMITED EDITION: ’90-'91. Signature quality. Semi-hollow body with cedar, redwood, or maple top, gold hardware, tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece (trem not available). Signed and numbered, only 300 made.

ARTIST SERIES: ‘91-‘94. Replaced Signature Series. Inlaid headstock logo, wide-fat neck, exceptional woods including artist grade maple top, abalone bird inlays, special thin finish, tone control, Artist Series pickups. Semi-hollow, gold hardware and stop-tail options.

PRS ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC: '92. Mahogany Cutaway; mahogany back and sides, spruce top, rosewood fretboard, rosewood bridge and headstock veneer, natural finish, and optional gold hardware. Custom Cutaway; 3-piece figured maple back and sides, spruce top, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, Brazilian rosewood bridge and headstock veneer, bird inlays, abalone rosette, and optional gold hardware. Rosewood Signature; rosewood back and sides, master grade spruce top, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, Brazilian rosewood bridge and headstock veneer, bird inlays, abalone rosette, abalone trim around top, wooden marquetry backstrip, gold tuners and endpin, antiqued natural finish. Only 11 prototypes ever made.

DRAGON SERIES I: ‘91-‘92. First 22-fret PRS. Featured new PRS stop-tail (wrap over bridge), increased headstock angle, Dragon pickups, wide-fat neck and gold hardware. Dragon inlay on fretboard made from 201 pieces of abalone, turqoise, and mother of pearl. Limited edition of 50.

DRAGON SERIES II: '93. Specs as first Dragon. Dragon inlay on fretboard made from 218 pieces of gold, coral, abalone, malachite, onyx, and mother of pearl. Limited edition of 100.

CUSTOM 22: ‘93-current. Based on Dragon without the inlay. Left handed version offered in '99.

DRAGON SERIES III: '94. Specs as first two Dragons. Dragon inlay on fretboard made from 438 pieces of gold, red and green abalone, mother of pearl, mammoth ivory, and stone. Limited edition of 100.

STANDARD 22: '94-current. 22-fret version of the Standard.

ARTIST SERIES II (Artist 22): ‘94-‘96. As Artist but with maple bound headstock and fingerboard, 22 frets, stop-tail, gold-plated hardware. Semi-hollow, PRS tremolo options.

ARTIST LIMITED EDITION: ’94-'96. Only 200 made. As Artist Series II but with abalone purfling on neck, head, and truss rod cover, 14-Carat gold bird inlays. Inlaid mother-of-pearl and abalone eagle on head.

McCARTY MODEL: ‘94-current. First 100 signed and numbered. Wide-fat 22-fret neck, red maple top, thicker body, stop-tail, vintage-style tuners, covered humbuckers (changed to McCarty Series type in ’95 with coil-taps), tone control, 3-way toggle pickup selector. McCarty Rosewood ('98-current) with East Indian Rosewood neck. Left-handed version offered by ’99.

10^TH ANNIVERSARY MODEL: ’95. Only 200 made. Artist Limited Edition-style with wide-fat or wide-thin neck, engraved gold abalone birds, 22-fret ebony fretboard. Abalone bound headstock/fingerboard. Engraved eagle on head. Gold plated hardware including stoptail. Electronics as McCarty.

McCARTY STANDARD: '95-cuurent. Same specs as McCarty but with solid mahogany body. Only offered with stoptail bridge option.

CARLOS SANTANA MODEL: ’95-'98. Reproduces Santana’s original. First 100 signed and numbered. Pre-’85 shape and headstock (with eagle inlay) 24 ½" scale, 24-fret (11 ½" radius) fretboard, bird inlays, maple top (with paua shell purfling) Santana humbuckers, tone, twin mini-switches.

PRIVATE STOCK: '96-current. Non-production instruments. Each guitar is handmade for a specific customer and comes with a letter from Paul Reed Smith documenting the history of the instrument.

ROSEWOOD LIMITED: '96. 100 piece limited production run, PRS etched Tree of Life inlay on fretboard, truss rod cover, and headstock (mammoth ivory, brown lip mother of pearl, abalone, mother of pearl, paua, coral, and gold), 22-fret wide-fat East Indian rosewood neck, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, mahogany back, curly maple top, McCarty style body, McCarty electronics with gold plated nickel silver covers, gold anodized PRS stoptail and gold vintage tuners or gold PRS tremolo with gold PRS locking machines, leather/hardshell case, certificate of authenticity.

ARTIST III: ’96-'97. Mahogany back with exceptional maple top, 22-fret wide-fat or wide-thin mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, paua bird inlays, paua purfling on neck, headstock, and truss rod cover, Artist Series pickups, 5-way rotary, volume, tone, gold PRS stoptail and locking tuners, certificate of authenticity, leather/hard-shell case.

ARTIST IV: ’96-'97. Mahogany back with exceptional maple top, 22-fret wide-fat or wide-thin mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, etched 14 carat gold bird inlays, gold purfling on neck, headstock, and truss rod cover, original PRS etched gold bird inlay on headstock, McCarty electronics with gold plated nickel silver covers, gold PRS stoptail and locking tuners, certificate of authenticity, leather/hard-shell case.

GOLDEN EAGLE LIMITED EDITION: '97. Original carving by Floyd L. Scholz of golden eagle or bald eagle on a basswood body, 22-fret curly maple neck, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, engraved solid gold bird inlays, McCarty electronics, gold hardware, PRS stoptail bridge. Limited to 10.

McCARTY HOLLOWBODY: '98-current. Hollowbody; carved spruce top, carved mahogany back and sides, Hollowbody I; carved maple top with carved mahogany back and sides, Hollowbody II; carved maple top and back with mahogany sides. All models are 1 3/4" depth at rim, 3" depth at bridge, 22-fret wide-fat mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, PRS adjustable stoptail bridge, McCarty Archtop pickups with 3-way toggle. Piezo bridge pickup option added in '99.

McCARTY ARCHTOP: '98-current. Archtop; carved spruce top, carved mahogany back and sides, Archtop I; carved maple top with mahogany back and sides, Archtop II; carved maple top and back with mahogany sides and rosewood headstock veneer. All models are 2 3/4" depth at rim, 4" depth at bridge, 22-fret wide-fat mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, PRS adjustable stoptail bridge, McCarty Archtop pickups with 3-way toggle. Piezo bridge pickup option added in '99.

McCARTY ARCHTOP ARTIST: '98-current. Specs as Archtop II but with artist grade figured maple top and back, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, abalone bird inlays with 14k gold outline. Each guitar numbered on back of headstock.

McCARTY SOAPBAR: '98-current. As McCarty with 2 Seymour Duncan soapbar single coil pickups with 3-way toggle.

CUSTOM 22 SOAPBAR: '98-current. As Custom 22 with maple neck and fretboard, regular D neck carve, 3 Seymour Duncan soapbar single coils with 5-way blade selector

SANTANA II: '99-current. As Santana but features 3-way McCarty style switching and Brazilian headstock veneer.

DRAGON 2000: '99. Specs as McCarty. Brazilian rosewood neck and fretboard with no fretboard inlay. Dragon inlay on body made of 242 pieces of mastodon ivory, rhodonite, agoya, coral, onyx, sugilite, chrysacola, red, green, and pink abalone and paua. Limited edition of 50.

BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD McCARTY: '99. Specs as McCarty but with Brazilian rosewood neck and fretboard. Each individually signed and numbered.

CLASSIC ELECTRIC (CE BOLT-ON): ‘88-current. 24-fret maple neck, unfaced headstock, dot inlays, alder body, PRS Vintage pickups, tone control, 3-way toggle selector. Rosewood board, wide-thin neck options by ’89. Black headstock face and 5-way rotary switch by mid-’89. HFS Treble/Vintage Bass finalized by ’91. Maple top version- the CE Bolt-on Maple Top- added in ’89. Mahogany body from ’95 as well as stop-tail option.

EG BOLT-ON SERIES I: ‘90-’91. New squarer shape. Alder body, maple neck, 22-fret rosewood fretboard. EG3 s/s/s and EG4 h/s/s scratchplate mounted pickups. Volume, twin tones, 5-way selector, PRS tremolo, Schaller non-locking tuners.

EG BOLT-ON SERIES II: ‘92-’95. Rounder shape. Alder body, wide thin maple neck, 22-fret rosewood fretboard. Scratchplate mounted pickups in three formats, volume, tone, 5-way selector, coil taps, PRS tremolo, locking machines. EG bolt-on maple top adds three piece maple, ‘10’ option.

CLASSIC ELECTRIC 22: '94-current. 22-fret versions of CE Bolt-on and CE Bolt-on Maple-Top. Mahogany body from ’95 as well as stop-tail option.

SWAMP ASH SPECIAL: '96-current. Carved swamp ash body, PRS stoptail or PRS tremolo with locking tuners, 22 fret bolt-on figured maple neck and fretboard, abalone dot inlays, McCarty Bass, Seymour Duncan Vintage Rails, and McCarty Treble pickups, 3-way toggle, volume, push-pull tone (coil tap)

• PRS pre-amp
• 5 position rotary
• Deep & clear tone controls
• PRS hardware

BASS-4/BASS-5: ‘87-’91. Solid mahogany body, rock maple neck, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, moon inlay, 3 single coil pickups, 1 hum canceling; optional: bird inlay, gold hardware.

CURLY BASS-4/CURLY BASS-5: ‘87-’91. Maple top, mahogany back, rock maple neck, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, moon inlay, 3 single coil pickups, I hum canceling; optional: bird inlays, 10-top, gold hardware, quilted top.

SIGNATURE SERIES 4 OR 5 STRING: ‘87-’91. Signature maple top, mahogany back, rock maple neck, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, abalone bird inlay, 3 single coil pickups, 1 hum canceling; optional: gold hardware, quilted top.

CE BASS-4/BASS-5: ‘90-’91. Solid alder body, bolt-on rock maple neck, rosewood or maple fretboard, dot inlay, 3 single coil pickups, 1 hum canceling.

CE MAPLE TOP BASS-4/BASS-5: ‘90-’91. Maple top, alder back, bolt-on rock maple neck, rosewood or maple fretboard, dot inlay, 3 single coil pickups, 1 hum canceling.

The Vintage Bass: Stock neck position pickup on Custom 24s, Standard 24s, and CE 24s. This style humbucking has been on so many recordings that one couldn’t begin to list them. Round, fat tone to complement the HFS. Classic alnico pickup tone. All styles of music.

The Dragon Treble: Paul’s personal favorite, fat with zero loss of clarity. Fat, fat, fat with zero loss of clarity. Sounds great clean or high gain, the Dragon Treble has a powerful ceramic magnet combined with our highest number of turns. A huge sound. Blues, rock, and metal.

The Dragon Bass: This lower output pickup has a great combination of rich, warm bass with sweet "angelic" high end. The tone is perfect. Beautiful for solos and rhythm. The Dragon is also our best jazz pickup. Vintage alnico and vintage winding. All styles of music.

The Dragon II Treble: The nickel cover and many hours of tweaking resulted in a pickup with warm, McCarty like tones and a little more output to cover all modern styles.

The Dragon II Bass: A warm, toneful neck position humbucker with enough output for any style of playing.

The McCarty Treble and Bass: A unique manufacturing process taught to us by Ted McCarty, combined with vintage alnico magnet and special nickel silver cover give the McCarty its fat tone and warm, silvery treble. The bridge position has a few more turns on the coils to balance it with the neck position pickup.

The McCarty Archtop Treble and Bass: Stock on all McCarty Archtop & Hollowbody models. Carefully calibrated coils, different on bridge and neck versions, and alnico magnets give these pickups moderate output with a fat but well defined traditional "jazz" tone, which sounds ½ way between a 335 and a County Gentleman.

The Artist Treble: Sounds clear and full with tons of tone. This bridge pickup is built similar to the Artist Bass with extra turns for added warmth. Blues, rock, and jazz.

The Artist Bass: Driven by vintage alnico, this neck pickup has a unique and beautiful tone. The winding is a little hotter than our Vintage Bass. A favorite of Paul’s. Blues, rock, jazz.

DH Treble: DH stands for Dann Huff – studio guitarist from the band Giant. Dann’s tone is "giant" – a wide, modern sound, grinding and powerful while retaining the clarity and audibility of each note. Hot alnico for modern rock.

David Grissom: David gets a tone all his own. This pickup combines alnico magnet types for a big Texas sound. With a vintage Marshall and a 4x12 cabinet and the gain on 6, look out!

Vintage Treble: This is our Artist Bass pickup built for the treble position. A clean, clear treble pickup for the discerning guitarist. Vintage alnico and vintage winding. Country to rock.

HFS II: Powerful humbucker with "metal" bass, solid mids and smooth highs.

Standard Treble: Classic sounding humbucker with extra bite.

Standard Bass: Classic sounding humbucker with extra bite.

1. Position 1: HFS Treble Bridge Humbucker
2. Position 2: Both Humbuckers
3. Position 3: Vintage Bass Neck Humbucker

1. Position 4: HFS Treble Bridge Single Coil
2. Position 5: Both Single Coils
3. Position 6: Vintage Bass Neck Single Coil

1. Position 10: Treble pickup—PRS Dragon II Treble pickup. Fat and powerful with definition
2. Position 9: Outside coils—deep and clear
3. Position 8: Series single coils—warm version of the "in between the treble and middle pickups"
4. Position 7: Parallel single coils—crisp version of the "in between the treble and middle pickups"
5. Position 6: Bass pickup—PRS Dragon II Bass pickup—warm bass, sweet highs

1. Position 4: Dragon II Bridge Single Coil
2. Position 5: Both Single Coils
3. Position 6: Dragon II Neck Single Coil

3-Way Toggle, Master Volume, Push-Pull Tone Pot

PUSH-PULL DOWN POSITIONS

        1.    Position 1: Bridge Humbucker
        2.    Position 2: Both Humbuckers
        3.    Position 3: Neck Humbucker

PUSH-PULL UP POSITIONS

        1.    Position 4: Full Bridge Humbucker and Middle Pickup
        2.    Position 5: Neck Single Coil, Middle Pickup, and Full Bridge Humbucker
        3.    Position 6: Neck Single Coil and Middle Pickup

1. Position 1: Bridge Humbucker
2. Position 2: Both Humbuckers
3. Position 3: Neck Humbucker

1. Position 4: Bridge Single Coil
2. Position 5: Both Single Coils
3. Position 6: Neck Single Coil

1. Position 10: Treble Pickup—PRS Hot Vintage—hot, sweet bridge position
2. Position 9: Treble single coil and middle
3. Position 8: Middle—PRS single coil
4. Position 7: Middle and Bass
5. Position 6: Bass—PRS single coil

1. Adds sweetness to the tone of all positions
2. Pull up to activate

NOTE: Single coil pickups manufactured by Seymour Duncan Research

1. Push down for hum/single/hum
2. Pull up for all single coil sounds

1. Push down for hum/single/single
2. Pull up for all single coil sounds

1. Push down for normal tone control
2. Pull up for midrange control

1. Volume: Self explanatory
2. Deep Control: Adds depth below normal "Bass"
3. Clear Control: Adds clarity, not fret noise
4. Pre-Amp Bypass Switch: If the battery goes dead (approximately 200 hrs. life), you can still play
5. Internal Jack Switch: Unplug jack cord to turn off battery

It's really critical that the opening to the cam be properly aligned before you start. The string (any of them) must fit all the way in so that it's seated fully in the opening, and extending more or less directly toward the top of the headstock; this can only be done by rotating the tuning peg with the tuning knob until the string is in the right position. Do this without allowing the cam to lock. Once this is done, follow these steps.

1. Insert the string fully into the cam slot and pull excess through by hand with light tension.
2. While holding pull through tension on the string, bend the excess end 90º toward the middle of the headstock at the point where it exits the cam.
3. Use the thumb of the same hand being used to hold the string in position to apply pressure on the cam wing toward the top of the headstock.
4. Use your free hand to turn the tuning knob to concert pitch while continuing to hold backpressure on the cam wing.

Check Relief -- Press down at the first fret and the last fret and measure from the top of the 11th fret to the bottom of the low E string. That would be your relief that you can alter with the truss rod. Most folks look for just about a credit card or a business card in there. Adjust by tweaking the truss rod nut about a 1/4 turn at a time, letting the guitar sit for about a few hours to adjust each time. Good thing is once you get this set for your taste - most likely will never have to do it again as long you keep the same gauge strings on.

Check The Nut -- Fret on the third fret and tap the string between your finger and the nut. Listen for a distinct "ping". Hear it? Then all is well. Don't hear it or does it sound more like a "bonk"? Then get thee and thy guitar to a tech to check it.

Check Action -- Take a machinist ruler (Home Depot and $5 gets you one) and measure from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the string and do this for each string. I personally prefer 5/64" or 6/64" on the low E, then 5/64" for the A, 4.5/64" for the D and G, and 4/64" for the B and high E strings. Personal taste dictates this to a major degree along with playing style, etc. On the wraparound PRS bridge, it is really easy - you just adjust for the low E and then the high E and *poof* done. Do this with the guitar in playing position.

Check Intonation -- Unless you have a strobe tuner, the only other half affordable tuner I would even consider using is the Korg DT-7. My opinion. Adjust the intonation by matching the tuning of the open string against the same note fretted at the twelfth fret. Do this in playing position. If the fretted note is too sharp as compared to the open string, move the saddles back. If the fretted note is too flat as compared to the open string, move the saddles forward. This becomes somewhat of an art after you have done it for a while; I tend to like the b and high e strings slightly sharp (by about 1 or 2 percent for my ear and my playing). Perhaps it is my own Buzz F. System?

Pickup Adjustment -- Fret the guitar on the last fret and use your handy machinist rule to measure from the top of the adjustable pole piece to the bottom of the string. The way I like to do it is adjust the low E and high E strings to 8/64" (aka 1/8") when they are just about flat inside the bobbin. So I just turn the screw (like the bridge screws, use the proper sized screwdriver and go SLOW!) to just about flatten them with the top of the pickup, but not quite. Adjust the overall pickup height, then do the same measure and adjust but just with the fretted string and the adjustable pole piece on the other strings and pole pieces. Using this method, you get the pole pieces matching the radius of the neck and yields the sound I like to hear and play with. Start with this and "tune in" your favorite sounds for your ear and your playing.

NOTE: This was a reply from Brian Meader at Washington Music Center, a PRS dealer, on a thread that talked about members who felt that PRS wasn't doing enough to keep folks informed about their orders.

I have posted on this subject before, but apparently nobody remembers, so let me try to dispel some rumors and clarify some things:

1. PRS does not make guitars in batches. Every day, they have a build mix, in which they build a mixture of all of their models. They don't just build Customs, then move to McCartys, then Singlecuts, etc. Each day they build a mix of all of the models, which they adjust from time to time based on demand.

2. Neither your dealer, nor the factory, can give you a status of a current guitar order while it is being built. HERE is why (please everyone pay close attention):

here is the chain of events:
1. you place order with your dealer for a guitar with certain specs (model, color, bridge, inlays, options, etc.)

2. your dealer places the order with PRS's sales department for your guitar with it's given specs.

3. PRS's sales department creates a request to to production for a guitar with it's given specs. (stay with me on this one) PRODUCTION DOES NOT KNOW WHO THE ORDER IS FOR. The production department only interfaces with the sales department, not individual dealers.

4. Production builds a guitar with your specifications. (yes, it can take more than one attempt, as not all woods will take all of the stains, sometimes wood blocks that look like 10 tops loose their figure in carving, etc.)

5. Once production has finished a guitar, they give it's specs on the list of completed guitars for that day back to the sales department. Again, they don't know who the guitar is for, sales just gives them the order for a set of specifications and they make it.

6. The sales department matches the specs. of the completed guitars to the (STAY WITH ME) Oldest existing order in the system for said specs.

7. PRS ships the guitar to the dealer who had said oldest order.

The reason that they do it this way, and why they can't track individual guitars is very simple: They want to make sure that each completed guitar goes to the oldest order in place for it.

Why is this hard you ask? Here is why. Say 5 dealers order the same guitar in vintage yellow, at 5 different times. Say that the first guitar being run for the oldest order won't take the vintage yellow stain, and has to be started over. In the old days, that order would get pushed back, and the store that had the oldest order might get their guitar 3rd, or 4th, or 5th. Now, since the guitars get matched to their orders at the time of completion, the dealer with the first order gets the first one, the second gets the second, third gets the third, etc.

Also, say for instance dealer number 2 cancels their order before completion, dealer number 3 can now move up and take the 2nd one that is completed.

It is done so that the person with the oldest order gets their guitar first. Because of this, individual guitars are no longer able to be tracked, because they are not matched up until they are completed.

Honestly, Gibson can't track an individual guitar, (other than custom shop, which of course you can track a Private Stock guitar) Fender can't track an individual guitar, etc.

Is it frustrating to not know where your guitar is in line, YES. Would it be nice to be able to know where it is in the construction cycle, YES. Does it mean that you shouldn't buy a PRS guitar? I don't think so. IF you have to have something immediately, or need to know exactly where your guitar is at all times, you probably would be best served to try and find one in existing dealer inventory, that way there is no waiting and no worry about where your order is. IS it a life or death situation, NO.

Understand that PRS has NOTHING in stock at the moment. Understand that PRS has over 9,000 guitars on backorder at the moment. Understand that PRS makes on the order of 800 guitars in a month. (so if they stopped taking orders today, it would take them almost a year to build everything on backorder). Each month this year they have set a new record for total number of guitars built, but each month they have taken 1 1/2 times as many orders as guitars that they have built. Demand is at an all time high. All of that means they are swamped, and are doing the best they can to get guitars built as quick as possible, but they can only build a certain number of guitars a day.

Most of the forum dealers (ourselves included) have been doing a lot to bulk up our stock orders (guitars ordered for the store that are for general stock, no special orders for customers) so that we can have more guitars in stock, so that end user customers have more guitars to choose from in stock, as opposed to having to order them, so as to eliminate the wait time and other order hassles.

Also, I'll say this clearly so that everyone understands:

IF you are placing an order for a new PRS, expect a wait time of 10-12 months. Some run longer, some run shorter. IF you are ordering a quilt maple 10 top, quilt maple artist package guitar, or a quilt maple double 10 top/back, your wait time estimate goes out the window. There is no solid ETA for quilt, as it all depends on wood availability.

If any dealer is giving you an estimate that is earlier than this (3-6 months, 4-6 months, etc.) they are not giving you accurate information, and just trying to make the wait time seem not too bad, so as to get your order. Of course, this just upsets most people when their order runs longer than this, and I guess those dealers figure they can put the blame on PRS.

I hope this clears this up for everyone.

As always, just my humble 2 cents.

Brian from WMC

Now onto the real topic...1pc Brazilian necks.
Right off the bat you can see that this has never been strictly true. there's always been the two ears added on. But aside from that, what is meant by one piece and two piece?

For the series of Brazilian neck McCarty's that was made a few years ago many of the necks had to be constructed with a glue joint running lengthwise from headstock to heel. This is what I would call two piece without any question. A few private stock necks have been built the same way but the majority have not. What Joe Knaggs is calling "two piece" necks these days is something entirely different. The neck starts out as one blank of rosewood that is plenty wide but not quite "deep" enough from front to back. Smaller hunks of rosewood are glued [epoxied actually] on at the heel and the back of the headstock early in the process. It's hard to tell exactly how much of these add on pieces will remain in the finished product but generally it is a wedge shaped bit on the back of the headstock usually extending from the D and G string tuning peg holes to the tip and a very thin veneer left on the heel. [As a side note, the PRS Archtop has always had an add-on block glued to the heel]. Occasionally one or both of these added on bits will mill away completely during the normal manufacturing process. Technically this would be a 2 or 3 piece neck blank [or 4 or 5 piece one if you count the ears] and so we can't really call it a one piece neck. But, as was expressed earlier, they are essentially one piece where it counts. From the tuning pegs right down to the neck joint. Especially when compared to the ones with the lengthwise seam. At some point PRS will no doubt be forced to use even smaller pieces of this dwindling resource and will have to return to the lengthwise construction method but for now any private stock Brazilian necks will be made as I've just described.

One more note...PRS is not cutting these blanks smaller to get more necks out of them. They've actually come to us already cut at this size and we've just had to deal with it. It's simply a question of doing this or not offering them at all.