tubortski":3n99hisr said:
Thanks for posting! Looks like one of a kind.
Long read ahead……………..
As far as I know this is the origin of the guitar and its finish.
PRS made a limited run of metal finish guitars in 1985, these are actually quite sought after but what most people don't know is the second part that they made the multi foil finish later on. I am not sure the exact dates of these but 1985 is close to "pre-factory", as in this is made in Paul's own workshop in Washington. Because these are even less of them in existence than the metal finish, they are lesser known and somehow disappeared off people's radar completely, even a lot of folks in the PRS forums have never seen it before, since it was only made once and it is not a colour in any production model, ever so you won't see it in shops, catalogue or as a colour option on their website. The only time you can get it really is if you go Private Stock and order one, although if you are going to do that, most people who normally pick out guitars with lots of flames on it instead so even that is seldom a finish people choose.
Skip forward 17 years later to 2012 PRS Experience they made a limited run of guitars with the same finish, although the website does not specify them doing a Stripped 58 in blue. So mine could be a one off during that time (it is dated 2012) but not listed as part of the PRS Experience.
http://www.prsguitars.com/swampashmulti ... ience2012/
When I bought it however I had no idea of any of the above, I was merely searching for a Les Paul as my next guitar (I already own a PRS Custom 24) so wanted something in a Single Cut and wanted a fuller tone. I tried a few Gibson but never got on with it, the nice ones seems to costs as much as my car, and one day on impulse I put in a deposit on a PRS Zach Myer SE, which is a semi hollow Single Cut (totally weird I know).
Anyway, there was a waiting list for these and while waiting for that to come into stock, this PRS popped up on the dealer's page on sale. So, between having second thoughts on the Zach Myer and deep down I actually wanting solid body single cut, so took a chance on this.
It has all the spec that I wanted in a single cut, Maple Cap, Mahogany body, solid not chambered, a 2 piece bridge (a lot of PRS SC seems to a wrapped around stop tail, which although nothing wrong with them as they are very good, I just want to be more traditional), a 3 way toggle switch, 4 knobs and the PRS 57/08 pick-ups. The pick-ups is another thing that is interesting if you are not a PRS fan.
Gibson as you know make their own wire and pick-ups for their guitars, and we all love to have a original Les Paul from 57-59 right? Especially the PAFs from that era. Well, the machine that makes the wire for those pick-ups have been retired decades ago…except PRS managed to track them down a few years back, what is more amazing is they got an exclusive with the people who own that machine and now get all the wires that comes out of that machine which is now used to make their pick-ups. So 57/08 refers to their homage to what a Les Paul would sound like in 1957, 08 is because it came out in 2008 originally (My Custom 24 has 59/09, the 59/09 is a little hotter). So these are essentially as close a replica pick-ups PAFS as you can get of the PAFs that was in the Les Paul back in 57. Made from the same wire that is made by the same machine. The magnets too has a similar story I am told but that part PRS are very tight lip about. The 57/08 are not sold separately, can only get them if the guitar comes with it, or you buy them second-hand (not sure why anyone would want to take them out but there you go) or you send in your guitar to PTC in Maryland and have it installed in your guitar but they would only put it in a PRS guitar so you can't send in a Gibson and they won't sell it to you as a spare part.
So what we have here is a 8.5lbs solid body Les Paul style guitar but with a PRS headstock and 24.5" scale, it plays better than any Les Paul that I've tried.
Here is a photo with my other PRS.