Were Older PRS Guitars Better? What Changed Since the '90s

Short answer: older PRS guitars aren't better across the board, but they are different in ways you can measure and hear. A late-'90s or early-2000s Custom 22, Custom 24 or McCarty usually has a fuller neck carve, the old 5-way rotary switch, a poly-based finish and an earlier generation of pickups. A new one has more refined pickups, thinner finishes and a more consistent build. Which is "better" depends on which of those things you care about. And on the used market, the older guitars often cost a lot less.

I've had a lot of both eras on the bench. Here's what changed, where the old-PRS crowd has a point, where it's mostly folklore, and what I check before buying one.

What changed between a '90s PRS and a new one

PRS never had one big "before and after" year. Changes came in model by model, and that's why the forum arguments never settle. These are the milestones that matter to a used buyer:

• Factory. Paul Reed Smith opened his Annapolis shop in 1985 and moved to Stevensville, on Kent Island, in 1996. "Annapolis-era" and "pre-factory" guitars are collector territory. Most of the older PRS guitars you'll run into are Stevensville builds.
• Finish. Owners and dealers generally describe pre-2010 core guitars as having a polyester base coat under an acrylic-urethane top coat. In 2010 PRS announced its V12 finish, which it called thin, hard and resistant to weather checking. Around 2020 the core line reportedly moved to nitro top coats.
• Necks. The old names were Wide Fat, Wide Thin and Regular. PRS announced its "Pattern" carve in 2010 as an updated Wide Fat, and when the Custom 22 came back in 2013 it was offered with Pattern or Pattern Thin necks.
• Pickups and switching. The older guitars used HFS, Vintage Bass and Dragon-series humbuckers, usually through a 5-way rotary switch. The 57/08s came along in 2008, and the 85/15s debuted on the 2015 30th Anniversary Custom 24. Over the same period the rotary gave way to a blade switch or a toggle with a push/pull.

If you have a guitar in front of you and aren't sure which side of these lines it falls on, start with the serial number. Our guide on how to date a used PRS by serial number walks through it.

Where the old-PRS crowd has a point

The necks feel different

This one is real, and you can measure it. I measure every neck at the 1st and 12th frets. Here are three PRS guitars that came through recently:

The 1999 Custom 22 measured 22.0mm at the 1st fret and 24.0mm at the 12th. The 1999 McCarty Soapbar measured 21.8mm and 24.7mm. The 2025 CE 24 Wood Library with a Pattern Thin neck measured 20.8mm and 22.8mm. A millimeter or two sounds like nothing on paper, but your hand notices it right away. If you love a "Wide Fat" feel, the older guitars are a good place to look. If you want quick and slim, a modern Pattern Thin is the easier find. Our PRS neck profiles guide covers the current carves.

The rotary switch is more useful than it looks

Players who never owned one tend to write off the old 5-way rotary as a gimmick. The people who did own one tend to miss it. On the 2003 Custom 22 we had in, the rotary with the original Dragon II humbuckers gave several coil combinations between the two full-humbucker settings. That's a wider range than a 3-way toggle suggests. The downside is that it's slow to grab mid-song, and a worn rotary can be crackly. I always run through every position.

The look

Moon inlays, older bird designs and the understated late-'90s McCarty look have a real following. The 1999 McCarty Soapbar we listed had moon inlays, an engraved McCarty truss rod cover and a figured neck. None of that makes it play better, but it's a legitimate reason to want one.

Where the new guitars win

Pickups. This is where I disagree most with the "they don't make them like they used to" crowd. The older PRS pickups are good, and many players like their clear, punchy voice. Still, a lot of longtime PRS owners will tell you the 57/08, 58/15 and 85/15 generations are a clear step up, and I agree. Our PRS pickup decoder explains the differences.

Consistency. PRS guitars were well built in every era, and in my experience the bad ones are rare. But the newer guitars are more uniform from one to the next. If you're buying online without playing it first, that counts for something.

Finish feel. V12 and the later nitro finishes are thinner than the older poly-based finishes. Some players find the neck feels less "coated." This is a feel preference. I wouldn't promise it changes the tone.

Where it's mostly folklore

You'll hear that older PRS guitars sound better because the wood has "aged," or that anything cut on older machinery has more mojo. I don't buy it as a rule. When one guitar sounds better than another, it's usually the neck carve, the pickups, the setup and the particular piece of wood, not the year stamped on the back. Many of the longtime owners on the PRS forums say the same thing: a good guitar is a good guitar regardless of year. Buy the one in front of you, not the era.

What I check on an older PRS before buying

• Frets. A 25-year-old guitar may be on its second fret job or due for one. The 1999 Custom 22 had recently polished frets with plenty of life left, and the 2003 Custom 22 had just been leveled. Look for divots under the first five frets.
• Truss rod room. Make sure there's adjustment left in both directions.
• Finish edges. The older poly-based finishes tend to chip at the edges and the headstock tip rather than check. The 1999 Custom 22 had one small chip at the headstock tip, which is cosmetic. Owners also mention clouding on some older finishes and chipping along the fretboard edges.
• Original pickups. Swaps are common. Ask whether the originals come with the guitar. The McCarty above includes its factory pickups, which protects the value if you ever sell it.
• The rotary. Test every position, listening for crackle and dropouts.
• Tremolo condition on 24s. An older PRS trem that's been set up well is excellent. One that's been neglected needs attention. See our PRS tremolo setup guide.

For the full checklist, read what I check on a used PRS.

My take

If you want a big neck, a stoptail and the rotary sounds, an older PRS is often the better buy. For example, the 1999 Custom 22 Stoptail 10-Top on our bench weighs 8.25 lbs, has a spot-on setup and has no breaks or repairs. You'd have to go well past its price to get a new Core guitar. If you want a thin neck, the current pickups and a tremolo that's easy to live with, buy new or nearly new. Either way, play or measure before you trust an era's reputation. You can browse what's on the bench now in our guitars in stock. If you have an older PRS you're ready to move on from, our cash offer page is the quickest way to get a number.

FAQ

Are pre-2008 PRS guitars better?

Not automatically. They usually have fuller necks, rotary switching and older pickup designs. Whether that's "better" depends on what you want. Most longtime owners agree that build quality has been high in every era.

What's the difference between Wide Fat and Pattern necks?

PRS introduced the Pattern carve in 2010 as an updated version of the Wide Fat. Pattern Thin is the modern descendant of Wide Thin. The shapes are close relatives, but they aren't identical.

Do older PRS guitars hold their value?

Clean, original older 10-Tops and McCartys hold value well. Swapped pickups without the originals, heavy fret wear or refinishes pull prices down. Keeping the original parts and case matters.

When did PRS change its finish?

PRS announced the V12 finish in September 2010. Owners generally report a move to nitro top coats on core models around 2020. Before V12, most core guitars used a poly-based finish.