PRS CE24, cherry sunburst, made in USA 1990. Ambitious young luthier Paul started making guitars under his own name in 1985, showing up at that year's NAMM show. It was initially a pretty small operation, so by 1990 when this beauty was made, they had 45 staff at a facility in Annapolis MD. They moved to a larger facility in 1996, where they still are today, with well over 300 staff. All that to say: this is an early example of the model, and it was made with an incredible amount of love, care and precision. The CE models have long been practical with working players, for good reason, which means older examples like this usually have a long list of mods and repairs. This one, though, has the original case, original docs, no mods, and a slick 9/10 condition.... heck. The first thing I noticed when I pulled this out of the case is the top: the flame maple is so three dimensional and rich, it looks unreal. The super thin gloss finish is in great shape and lets the bright colours pop beautifully. Then I plugged it in: oh boy. Being an alder body with a bolt on neck, the sound is a little more raspy and gritty than a Custom 22 or 24, which can have such a smooth sound they can almost lack teeth. This certainly has some teeth though: it's got a snappy attack, heaps of clarity and sweetness in the top end, open mids with lively dynamic responsiveness and a girthy, assured low end. Straight into a dirty Vox-style amp and I was in heaven: creamy fullness meets growly sizzle; it's hi-fi but in a very warm way. The rotary switch has a bunch of fun options too, you can get all manner of really usable tones out of it, perfect for genre-hoppers or long set warriors. At 3.55kg and with a fast, rounded smooth neck, it's an easy player; surely this will be a busy player's fast friend for both studio and live work. Now friends, our buddy Paul is getting old. This cash is almost exactly what you'd pay for a new CE24, and I'm going to go on ahead and let you guess which one will be worth more cash in five years. Yep, you guessed right.

Model: Paul Reed Smith CE24
Made: USA, 1990, Annapolis Maryland facility
Serial: 072886
Finish: cherry sunburst over flame maple, gloss nitro
Body: alder, solid flame maple carved top
Neck: maple, rosewood board, 25" scale, 10" radius, bolt-on join, pattern wide shape
Weight: 3.555kg
Mods: none
Pickups: original Dragon Treble/Bass passive humbucker x2, rotary switch
Accessories: original case and docs

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has minor dimples on the end, top edge and back near the low E tuner, plus minor scuffs around some of the posts on the front. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, very minor dimples on the back only. The back has light scuffs around the neck plate, near the jack and along the belly carve, dimples along the back edge and elbow area. The sides have minor dimples on the top horn and elbow area and light scuffs near the jack. The front has patina on the bridge, minor dimples around the knobs, light scuffs in the elbow area and back edge and some light play wear on the horns.
Overall: excellent condition (9/10)

Playing Condition Notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh 10/46 Moonshiners strings.
Fret Life: 9/10, very minor wear only