NAMM 2025: PRS has continued its 40th anniversary celebrations by unveiling two new electric guitars – and it’s also rolled out upgraded specs, all-new pickups and fresh colorways across the rest of its catalog for good measure.
Paul Reed Smith’s firm has already dropped new-but-nostalgic builds as part of its birthday bonanza, including a semi-hollow SE Custom 24 model, and a luxurious McCarty model with an intricate 207-piece Dragon fretboard inlay. Now, it’s turned its attention to more everyman designs.
Indeed, the firm’s leader – whose opinions on the tonewood debate recently caused a stir – has affirmed “we do not want to spend our anniversary only looking back”, and so this latest drop is all about advancing PRS forward.
First up is a version of one of Smith’s earliest pre-factory creations, with a new PRS Standard 24 hitting the Core lineup. Featuring a “slinky” satin finish in Frost Blue Metallic, Pearl Black, Pearl White, or Red Apple Metallic colorways, it boasts a single-piece mahogany body, and all-new PRS DMO Treble and Bass humbuckers.
Notably, those pickups – which stand for Dynamic, Music, Open – are another new development, and will henceforth be the go-to ’buckers across PRS’s Core range. They’ve been developed after extensive “hands-on research into beloved vintage pickup models”, and benefit from “advancements in signal analyzation and tuning technology,” resulting in a unique vocal character and “wide open” sound.
Elsewhere, the new PRS Standard 24 ($3,500) features a thin mahogany neck, Smoke Black Phase III tuners with black wing buttons, a 24-fret rosewood fingerboard, a 25” scale, and a smoked black Gen III PRS tremolo. Its electronics comprise a five-way switch flanked by dials for Volume and Tone.
The second new model is the Swamp Ash Special ($2,899), which offers no reward for guessing its chief tonewood. It features a bolt-on maple neck for more “snap and twang”, and a smooth satin nitro finish for comfort.
Phase III locking tuners return, this time with unplated brass shafts and wing buttons. The guitar’s 22-fret rosewood fingerboard has a 10” radius, and, like the other newcomer, offers a 25” scale length and a Phase III trem.
The ‘Special’ tag relates to its humbucker, single-coil, humbucker configuration, except this time, that middle pup comes in the form of PRS’s nifty Narrowfield humbucker. It is voiced to sound like a single-coil – think Strat and Tele bite – whilst maintaining the hum-canceling benefits of a humbucker.
Another five-way switch has been employed here, but it goes one step further with two toggle switches to independently tap the treble and bass pickups. That means 12 different pickup configurations are available.
Away from the new builds, the firm has considerably advanced its Core lineup, which is getting a serious glow-up. All McCarty, Hollowbody, Special, and Studio models will feature McCarty III pickups – again, another recent development for this drop – while the aforementioned DMOs will be fitted in Custom 24s.
Selected models will also receive premium-grade dual mini EQ toggles, which act as tuned high-pass filters when in the up position. They were first introduced on the Private Stock John McLaughlin model in 2023 and work to “remove the shelved low-end, allowing the high frequencies through for more clarity and musical highs”.
These can be found on Custom 24-08, Modern Eagle V, and S2 Custom 24-08 models within the Core range.
Lastly, the S2 series and select Bolt-On models are being upgraded with Phase III tuners. They use a “handsome open-back design, highly usable gear ratio, and unplated brass shafts” to keep tunings secure. Smith believes heavy tuners can “rob the mid-range of a guitar”, and so they also benefit from both a lightweight construction and PRS’s proprietary wing button design.
There are also more colors to choose from, including Aurora Borealis and Black Gold on select Core models, and Egyptian Gold and Platinum Metallic on the Myles Kennedy signature Bolt-On.
Elsewhere, five new colors have been added to the NF 53 range, with Matcha Green and Jasper Smokeburst now on tap, while Mark Lettieri’s signature Fiore is now fitted with Lilac Satin, Hibiscus Satin, and Amaryllis Satin finishes.
Head to PRS for more information.
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