Watch This Rare 1986 Interview and Factory Tour with Master Luthier Paul Reed Smith

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“Give us a couple of years, we will be right there with Fender and Gibson" - the then-little-known Paul Reed Smith.

For a long time, PRS Guitars has enjoyed a reputation for being one of the leading brands in the industry.

However, back in 1986, only a year after the company was founded, PRS was still just one of hundreds of small guitar makers trying to find their way in an already-crowded market.

The video below features a rare interview with master luthier and company founder Paul Reed Smith from that time.

The clip offers interesting insight into the birth of the company and shows the lengths Paul would go to as he built a client list that included Carlos Santana. It also includes a tour of the factory in Annapolis, Maryland, plus some interesting shots of the man himself performing live on stage.

“Give us a couple of years, we will be right there with Fender and Gibson," Smith says. Over 30 years on, it's interesting to see how right he was.

Jonathan Graham is an ACM UK graduate based in London studying under the likes of Guthrie Govan and Pete Friesen. He is the creator of ForgottenGuitar.com, a classic-guitar media website, and is completing his debut album, Protagonist, due for release in 2016. Updates also can be found at Graham's YouTube channel.

Jonathan Graham
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