The Custom 24 is the original PRS…the guitar Paul Reed Smith took to his first tradeshow in 1985. A perennial favorite with musicians, this model features a V12 finish, your choice of a Pattern Thin or Pattern Regular mahogany neck (with a rosewood neck option), and uncovered 59/09 pickups wired for our redesigned 5-way blade switch, which offers a dual humbucker option for the first time (see switching positions below).

For 2012, its revered uncovered 59/09 pickups are being updated with new, contoured bobbins that arc with the strings for a more spread out, open tone. First seen on PRS Collection instruments, these bobbins are a continuation of Paul Reed Smith’s quest to continually tweak and refine the company’s instruments in subtle ways with the goal of culminating in a more musical instrument always in mind.

“Originally, humbucking pickups were covered to combat electrostatic and electromagnetic hum. As the years passed and the covers came off, there was a gap between the pickup and the pickup ring. These new bobbins not only provide extended low and high end, they look like they were meant to be uncovered and in a ring.?- Paul Reed Smith.

Pickup Switching Positions:
Position One: Bridge humbucker
Position Two: Bridge humbucker with neck singlecoil, in parallel
Position Three: Bridge and neck humbuckers
Position Four: Neck singlecoil with bridge singlecoil, in parallel
Position Five: Neck humbucker

V12
Finish should enhance the look, sound, and feel of a guitar by accentuating the wood’s inherent beauty and feel without hindering its natural resonance. And PRS Guitars?new “V12?finish does just that. Introduced at Experience PRS 2010, “V12?is a very thin, hard, and clear finish that will not crack or react with thinners. After roughly 12 years in development, it is halfway between acrylic and nitro but with a classic feel all its own. “PRS models with this new finish feel like old instruments,?said Paul Reed Smith.

Pattern Regular Neck Shape
Neck shapes have always been a high priority for us and a hallmark of our quality. A guitar should feel comfortable, like “home,?as soon as you pick it up, and the neck is paramount to that connection. The new “Pattern Regular?neck shape is similar to the traditional PRS regular neck found on guitars made in the late 80’s at PRS’s former Virginia Avenue location.
This new neck shape reflects modern tooling and programming that allows us to even more precisely shape and consistently reproduce our necks.

Pattern Thin Neck Shape
Neck shapes have always been a high priority for PRS and a hallmark of our quality. A guitar should feel comfortable, like “home,?as soon as you pick it up, and the neck is paramount to that connection. The “Pattern Thin?neck is an updated version of PRS’s traditional Wide Thin neck. This new neck shape reflects modern tooling and programming that allows us to even more precisely shape and consistently reproduce our necks.

Now Available with PRS Artist Package
The PRS Artist Package is an exclusive platform for PRS core electric guitars that offers expanded features, options, and colors on select models. The guitars built through this program are the most distinctive instruments available from the PRS Core production line. Available for the first time since 2008, the PRS Artist Package has been updated with exceptional tone woods, including an artist grade (flame or quilt) maple top, select mahogany back, premium Mexican ebony fingerboard, ebony headstock veneer with inlaid signature, and ebony truss rod cover.

This is the first time outside of the Private Stock program that PRS is offering Mexican ebony, a wood which, once oiled, turns a beautiful, deep chocolate brown. New artist bird inlays (green abalone with green ripple outlines on Mexican ebony and ebony fretboards / green abalone with black lip mother of pearl outlines on maple fretboards), V12 finish, and an artist case are also included.