PRS Private Stock 40th Anniversary Dragon

Since 1992, PRS’s Dragon series of instruments have represented the very peak of the brand’s artistic capabilities. The Private Stock 40th Anniversary Dragon rings in four decades of PRS innovation with an ultra-limited-edition run of these lauded guitars, with only 165 models made worldwide! We’d be remiss to start anywhere other than this guitar’s exquisite fingerboard inlays, which comprise over 200 pieces of multicolor mother-of-pearl, blue Pacific opal, and brown scale juma to form a stunning multicolor dragon that stretches from the height of the gaboon ebony/pale moon ebony fingerboard to the very truss rod cover. The body is all classic PRS, featuring a lightweight mahogany foundation and a gorgeous Private Stock figured maple top that offers a sharp visual contrast to the fingerboard’s flair. Moreover, the Private Stock 40th Anniversary Dragon introduces all-new McCarty III pickups into the mix. Finally, you get a top-of-the-line hardware package to ensure pristine playability, including a PRS Stoptail bridge with brass inserts/steel studs and Phase III non-locking tuners. Guaranteed to go down as one of PRS’s finest 6-string creations, the PRS Private Stock 40th Anniversary Dragon elevates the electric guitar into a museum-grade artistic masterwork.

Of all the innovative models in PRS history, the Dragon series of instruments is the most ambitious that Paul Reed Smith has dreamt up so far. In fact, “dreamt” is no exaggeration here — Paul says that the original idea for a guitar with a dragon inlay on the fingerboard first came to him as a teenager, long before the proper technology was available to craft a pattern so intricate.

In 1992, Paul was first able to bring the dragon to reality with an ultra-limited run of 50 instruments. As you might expect, the model instantly became a collector’s piece. For more than three decades following the arrival of the first Dragon guitars, PRS has periodically released variations of the model, with each series boasting a wholly distinct dragon-themed inlay package. And while many of the PRS Dragon models have modified Paul’s original Dragon-themed-fingerboard idea with complex body inlays and other distinct designs, the PRS Private Stock 40th Anniversary Dragon harkens back to Paul’s dream with a gorgeous gaboon ebony fingerboard emblazoned with a 200-piece Dragon inlay.

More than 200 pieces of intricately arranged inlays comprise the PRS Private Stock 40th Anniversary Dragon’s titular figure, stretching from the 22nd fret all the way up to the truss rod cover. It’s an undeniably attention-demanding design and an utter masterwork of craftsmanship that perfectly embodies Paul’s uncompromising and adventurous approach to guitar building. Consisting of blue Pacific opal, brown scale juma, and a captivating color palette of mother-of-pearl pieces, the Private Stock 40th Anniversary Dragon is guaranteed to join its mythical predecessors as one of the most collectible and sought-after 6-strings in PRS history.

The PRS Private Stock 40th Anniversary Dragon is spec’d with PRS’s Pattern neck profile. A hallmark of PRS quality, neck shapes are, of course, critical to your playing experience. Perfected after years of prototyping, the Pattern profile is an updated PRS Wide Fat neck style based on neck shapes Paul Reed Smith designed in the 1970s and ’80s for Carlos Santana, Peter Frampton, and Howard Leese of Heart. Fast and comfortable, the Pattern profile always feels just right. In reality, most electric guitarists employ a combination of thumb-over and thumb-behind fretting-hand positions in their playing, and the Pattern profile lets you switch seamlessly between the two.

Deep in the bowels of PRS’s Maryland-based facility, the Private Stock vault contains the finest tonewoods imaginable. In the words of PRS, the vault is akin to “a wooden candy store.” From intensely figured maple to ultra-rare species like koa or cocobolo, more than 20 types of wood lie in wait to form the foundation of a special instrument. Once the buyer selects the wood, an elite team of PRS luthiers painstakingly lavish their skills on each and every aspect of the guitar’s production. Finally, each Private Stock instrument is inspected and signed by Paul Reed Smith himself before being sent to its new owner. Built by the finest craftsmen using only the finest materials, Private Stock guitars are genuinely the best of the best that PRS has to offer.

General:
Model: Dragon
Special Release: 40th Anniversary
Number of Strings: 6
Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed

Body:
Body Type: Solidbody
Body Shape: PRS Doublecut
Body Material: Mahogany
Top Material: Private Stock Figured Maple
Body Finish: High Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Color: Burnt Chestnut

Neck:
Neck Material: Ziricote
Neck Shape: Pattern
Neck Joint: Set Neck
Radius: 10"
Fingerboard Material: Gaboon Ebony with pale Moon Ebony Insert
Fingerboard Inlay: 40th Anniversary Dragon Design
Number of Frets: 22
Scale Length: 25"
Nut Width: 1.687"
Nut Material: Bone

Hardware:
Bridge/Tailpiece: PRS Stoptail with Brass Inserts and Steel Studs
Tuners: PRS Phase III Non-Locking, 18:1
Electronics:
Neck Pickup: PRS McCarty III Humbucker
Bridge Pickup: PRS McCarty III Humbucker
Controls: 1 x volume, 1 x tone
Switching: 3-way toggle pickup switch