NEWS: Paul Reed Smith gives you free pickups. Kinda.

This was included in the Paul Reed Smith March newsletter:

Introducing the PRS Tech Center PLUS Free Pickups Offer!

That’s right! Any current PRS pickup pair of your choice including the coveted 1957/2008!

In response to numerous customer requests, PRS is pleased to officially launch the PRS Tech Center (PTC) to provide factory repair, set-up, electronics upgrades, refinishing, touch-ups and other services to the PRS family of players.

As a way of introducing PRS customers to our new PRS Tech Center (PTC), we’re offering a great opportunity to buy a (made-in-USA) PRS guitar and receive (2) PRS pickups of your choice, factory installed with set-up at our new PRS Tech Center!

We’ll GIVE you the pickups for your new PRS guitar or even UPGRADE your current PRS guitar! AND, we’ll do a basic set-up absolutely FREE.**

Here’s how it works:

Buy a new PRS guitar anytime between March 1, 2009 until August 31, 2009 from an authorized PRS dealer and receive a FREE pickup set installed for FREE including a factory set-up at our new PRS Tech Center (PTC) in Stevensville, MD!

You can UPGRADE either your EXISTING PRS guitar or the newly purchased PRS guitar to the pickups of your choice as long as you purchase a new PRS guitar during the program period.

When you purchase your new PRS, send the original authorized dealer receipt and completed PRS Guitars PTC SALES PROMOTION REDEMPTION COUPON (available from your authorized PRS Dealer) to the address on the coupon.

PRS will register your purchase and place your reservation at the PRS Tech Center. You can schedule your guitar for upgrade and set-up anytime for up to one calendar year from the date of purchase. Scheduling will be subject to PTC availability. The PRS Tech Center will contact you to provide shipping instructions and projected completion date.

Shipping to PTC is paid by customer with return shipping paid by PRS Guitars.
Any PRS pickup set currently available including the 1957/2008 humbuckers can be specified by the customer!

PRS set-up includes fret dress, truss rod adjustment, new strings, and intonation adjustment. Other adjustments or repairs can be done on a fee basis while we have your guitar at the PTC.

This promotion applies only to guitars purchased by U.S. domiciled end-users from continental U.S. authorized PRS dealers.

**Subject to compatibility with your PRS guitar’s existing switching and/or electronics system. Special requests will be considered on a charge basis.

CLICK HERE to see Paul Reed Smith guitars on eBay.

This is a pretty cool idea. As an Ibanez geek I'd love to see Ibanez do something similar (with Dimarzio pickups), although that's probably not very likely from a logistical point of view. This is a great way of helping users to customize their guitars in an 'official, PRS-approved' way, and it's gotta be good PR too.

NAMM 2009: Paul Reed Smith amps and pickups

Remember that awesome Paul Reed Smith amp that was released in about 1991? The reviews were overwhelmingly positive but the amp didn't last long, and it's taken until now for PRS to jump into full-time amp production again. 

Here's the press release from NAMM.

After nearly four years of close collaboration with master amp designer Doug Sewell, PRS Guitars introduces the highly anticipated PRS tube amp line at Winter NAMM.

"I met Doug Sewell at the Dallas International Guitar Show several years ago and needed an amp for that evening's performance, so I borrowed one of his and was floored," said Paul Smith. "We started working on this series and tried every conceivable component and circuit combination. Derek Trucks, David Grissom and several other known amp tone artists are now using this new amplifier line both live and in the studio. We're pleased to be working with Doug and to have him leading the PRS amp team."

Paying homage to both classic American as well as British amps, Sewell and Smith directed the PRS team to produce a line that covers the needs of varied playing styles while providing some uniquely different tonal possibilities.

The Dallas, Blue Sierra, and Original Sewell models make their official appearance at 2009 NAMM in Anaheim.

Producing clean tones that overdrive nicely, the Dallas harkens to the classic American reverb amps with more useable gain and slightly fuller midrange. Its percussive attack, sweet highs, and solid lows produce open, three-dimensional tone and huge sounding cleans.

Paul Reed Smith is also totally about pickups this year:

Paul Reed Smith acquired exclusive rights to the original pickup wire from the original machine used to make the most revered '50s era pickups in 2008, and 1957 was the year the humbucker was first commercially available, giving rise to PRS Guitars' newest and most exclusive pickup, the 1957/2008. The new PRS Sunburst Series™, the McCarty II, the Al Di Meola Prism and a limited run of solid body electrics introduced at Experience PRS 2008 are presently the only models that come standard with 1957/2008 pickups.

Three models are offered as part of a 1957/2008 Limited Run: the Custom 24, the McCarty and the SC 245. Limited to 750 guitars, the limited run and the new Sunburst Series™ are the only place outside of Private Stock where brand new "old style" McCarty PRS models are currently available.

Paul Reed Smith joked during Experience PRS 2008 and said, "Think of it this way. We're selling you access to these exclusive pickups and giving you a free guitar and case to go with them."