Paul Reed Smith

Our friends at PRS and the incredible guitars, basses, amps, and effects they design & build mean the world to us, and Pitbull Audio has been very proud and privileged to be both a PRS Signature Dealer and one of the brand's top independent dealers for the better part of a decade now. Our time with PRS has seen so many amazing new releases and incredible instruments from their Stevensville factory pass through our San Diego shop’s doors, and we’re stoked to continue that partnership for years to come. Whether it’s a stellar SE Custom 24 or Silver Sky, a highly-figured 10-Top Core you’ve been eyeing, one of our signature Pitbull Audio Wood Library runs, or an exotic, out-of-this-world Private Stock, we’re your go-to stop for all things Paul Reed Smith!

PRS SE instruments have always been a hot seller here at Pitbull and it’s no secret as to why - they’re firmly in the upper-echelon of “bang for your buck”. Beyond just being great guitars period, they make the perfect beginner and intermediate-level instruments in particular - how we wish guitars of this level of superb consistency were around when we started playing! They use nearly all of the same tonewoods and specifications as the Maryland-built instruments, and do their best they can to squeeze every ounce of quality out of the very few spots where they do have to compromise. Even though they’re made overseas and are at an affordable price point, SEs still place a huge emphasis on things such as selecting lightweight, resonant pieces of wood and high-quality fretwork. For all you tone-chasers out there, we’ve found that the imported pickups such as the sweet single-coils in the SE Silver Sky or the 58/15 “S” sets in the SE McCarty range sound just as good or better as any pickup out there, regardless of the price point. Don’t sleep on PRS SE acoustics, either - we’ve been totally shell-shocked by how favorably they compare to other acoustic guitars under a grand!

The S2 & Bolt-On series, both made in Maryland, are the next level up in the PRS hierarchy, and while they may not have quite as high a price tag as the Core and above lines, they’re hardly a compromise in quality. Rather, they’re pretty much their own thing and fill their own niches. In addition to offering more accessible USA-made equivalents of PRS Core models such as the Custom 24 and McCarty 594, models exclusive to the S2 line such as the Vela and 594 Thinline offer unique feature sets and spec combinations that can’t be found anywhere else in the PRS catalog. Meanwhile, the Bolt-On series is home to the iconic CE 24 as well as PRS’ array of masterpiece takes on legendary vintage instruments, which include “S”-style offerings like John Mayer’s signature Silver Sky & Mark Lettieri’s Fiore and the new Myles Kennedy & NF 53 “T”-style models. All of these amazing guitars have quickly become shop favorites.

The Core line is the flagship of the PRS lineup, and where it all begins and ends for Paul and the gang. This series includes some absolutely phenomenal models such as the Custom 24, McCarty 594, Special Semi-Hollow, Paul’s Guitar, Hollowbody II, and Modern Eagle V. With specs, handmade build-quality, playability, and tone on par with any Custom Shop instrument on the market, these are simply some of the most elite production-line guitars that money can buy. We always have a steady supply of both the flashier 10-Tops as well as the slightly more understated standard models on order. Catering to hard-working session musicians, road warriors, and collectors alike, a Core is, like the name implies, the definitive PRS guitar.

The Wood Library and Private Stock lines are the stuff dreams are made of - for both us as dealers and for our customers. Our PRS buyers have had the incredible privilege to travel out to Maryland and work with the PRS team directly, where they select the woods and components and collaborate on the design ethos for our custom instrument orders. As you will see by browsing our catalog of in-stock Wood Library guitars, our exclusive Pitbull Audio runs tend to feature class choices such as fabulous “fade” gradient finishes, awesome tonewoods such as swamp ash, cocobolo, roasted maple, and highly-figured, one-piece quilted maple tops, and understatedly sexy Smoked Black hardware. And, as you damn well know if you’re a PRS fan, Private Stock is the cream of the crop - not just among PRS, but among all guitars and musical instruments in general. We’ve had some truly remarkable ones in our arsenal, from extravagant Hollowbody IIs built almost entirely from Brazilian Rosewood, Custom 24s with ridiculous stained Curly Maple fretboards, and axes with roasted Spalted Maple tops and exclusive “Glow” finishes.

Lastly, we’d be remiss to be Signature Dealers and not mention the amazing amps, effect pedals, and accessories that PRS has brought to the table as well. From the mainstay Archon to recent offerings like the Mark Tremonti MT and HDRX, PRS amps scream and sing as well as any boutique amp out there for excellent prices. Their most recent foray into effects pedals has yielded amazing results as well - Wind Through the Trees and Mary Cries are a couple of our favorites and one of the best flangers and compressors on the market, respectively!