Paul Reed Smith Rejects PRS ‘Dentist Guitar’ Stereotype

In an Andertons fan Q&A reported on October 9, 2026, Paul Reed Smith addressed the long running joke that PRS makes guitars exclusively for wealthy dentists and doctors. He rejected the stereotype as outdated, although he acknowledged that it may have contained some truth in the late 1980s.

What Paul Reed Smith said about PRS prices

Smith opened with a joke that he had not realized PRS artists Carlos Santana and John Mayer were dentists. He then argued that the company has done everything within its power to make the SE line affordable.

The SE Silver Sky, launched in 2022, sits around the £800 price point. It became Reverb’s best selling guitar after its release and held that position until the Fender Player Telecaster replaced it in 2024. Smith also described the S2 range as affordable.

At the opposite end, Private Stock guitars cost between $8,000 and $14,000. Smith accepted that these instruments are beyond some players’ budgets, but defended their prices as a reflection of the time, energy and skill involved in producing them. He also noted that PRS did not appear among the first 10 guitars in a Sweetwater feature about the most expensive guitars.

Why the distinction matters to guitar players

PRS covers several price tiers rather than one luxury market. Most SE models come from Cort’s Indonesian factory and are presented as good value instruments, but the import line itself has a broad price range.

The SE NF 53 received recognition among electric guitars costing less than $1,000, while the SE Silver Sky remains around £800. The $1,999 Herman Li SE is an outlier at the higher end of the range. For players comparing PRS guitars, the series and model give a clearer picture of price than the name on the headstock alone.

(Compiled)