PRS Guitars for Dentists? Paul Reed Smith Hits Back at Long-Running Industry Stereotype

There's a long-running joke in the guitar industry that PRS guitars are made exclusively for dentists and lawyers. The underlying sentiment suggests that those who fork out $7,000+ for a high-end PRS McCarty are wealthy hobbyists, rather than hard-working touring musicians.

In a recent fan-led Q&A hosted by the prominent UK music retailer Andertons, firm owner Paul Reed Smith was asked about his brand's persistent reputation head-on. «Hey Paul,» wrote user Getthefunkout46, «why do you make guitars exclusively for dentists?»

It was a sharp, pointed question, and one that Paul Reed Smith embraced with a smile. However, he wasn't in the mood to simply laugh it off. He wanted to set the record straight once and for all, even insinuating that there are other major guitar firms far more deserving of that luxury affiliation.

«I didn't know Carlos Santana and John Mayer were dentists,» he first chuckled. Then the laughter quickly subsided as he addressed the point seriously.

«The question implies that only dentists and doctors buy the guitars. It's just not true anymore,» he stated. «I mean, there was a time in the late '80s when maybe that held some truth, but Sweetwater recently compiled a list of the most expensive guitars on the market. We weren't even in the top 10. We've done everything in our power to make the SE lineup genuinely affordable.»

He certainly has a strong point. Coming directly from Cort's massive and technologically impressive Indonesian manufacturing facility, most models in the SE line offer exceptional value for money. A prime example is the PRS NF 53 SE, which established itself as one of the absolute best sub–$1,000 electric guitars. The PRS Silver Sky SE signature model has also been selling like hot cakes worldwide. Meanwhile, Herman Li's signature SE model stands as somewhat of a premium outlier at $1,999.

Still, Paul Reed Smith isn't done pleading his case just yet.

«These S2s are really affordable,» he continued. «Look, you can say that to some people, a Private Stock's not affordable [at $8,000 – $14,000], but that's an awful lot of time and energy and skill level for what we charge for them. So I'm okay with it.»

Elsewhere in the Q&A, Paul Reed Smith was quizzed on tonewoods, having previously offered an interesting take on the debate, and had his first Greggs sausage roll. So it was quite the eventful day for him.

Furthermore, Paul Reed Smith has just been officially inducted into Guitar Center's RockWalk of Fame, following a heartfelt and moving speech delivered by John Mayer.