PRS Guitars S2 Custom 24

Monster Tone and Incredible Value

Back in 2013, Paul Reed Smith shook up the guitar world yet again with the S2 series of guitars. For years, Paul had dreamt of building American-made PRS guitars that were accessible to the average guitar picker without sacrificing the impeccable build quality and spectacular sounds that built the PRS name in the first place. A lofty goal, certainly, but the PRS team delivered the goods when they unveiled their new creations.

The main goal of the S2 series was to build dependable, versatile guitars that played well and sounded gorgeous without bank-busting prices. To say that they succeeded is an understatement. PRS's S2 guitars play like butter coated in Crisco, and they speak with rich, full voices that work wonders live and in the studio. For working musicians, they are inspiring tools that can handle grueling gigs and sessions with great aplomb. For beginners and hobbyists, they are sweet-sounding guitars that play easily and enrich the music-making experience. And, they're also a great way to dip your toes into the wonderful world of PRS for the first time!

However, focusing on the incredible value the S2 series provides sells these guitars short, because they also look gorgeous! They sport simple, elegant finishes with subtle, stylish cosmetic appointments that will ensure you walk with a little extra swagger in your step with your S2 slung over your shoulder.

The bottom line is simple: if you're looking for a reliable, sweet-looking guitar that sounds magnificent, stays in tune, and plays like a dream, you should browse our selection of spectacular S2 models. We're sure you'll find one that will help you make all sorts of joyous noise!

The PRS That Started it All

The story of the PRS Custom 24 is so closely intertwined with the PRS origin story that it’s impossible to separate the two. Paul Reed Smith is a revered figure in the guitar industry nowadays, but back in the early eighties he was building one guitar a month in an attic while gigging regularly around Maryland. To sell his guitars, he’d show up six or seven hours early before big arena shows, make friends with the roadies, and try to get backstage to put them in rockstars’ hands. Once, at a Ted Nugent show, he pretended to BE a roadie as he sprinted past security with guitars under his arms towards the motor city madman.

Though many artists were a bit skeptical of Paul at first, his guitars quickly won them over. In 1985, Paul had accumulated enough prestige to attend his first NAMM show. He only had two guitars to show, but they were so impressive that he was able to get enough orders to secure a hefty investment and build a brand-new workshop.

One of those guitars was a yellow dual-humbucker equipped guitar with a mahogany body, a figured maple top, and a 24-fret neck. It had looks that evoked classic guitars of the past, but it was its own animal entirely. This was the first Custom 24: a guitar so inspiring that it helped launch a guitar juggernaut.

To get people to pay attention back in the early eighties, Paul said he had to build guitars that looked prettier, played faster, and sounded better than anything else.

Now, almost four decades later, the PRS Custom 24 continues to set new standards in fit, finish, tone, beauty, and playability. Though Paul has enhanced the Custom 24 many times over the years, each of these guitars still carries that original spark of creative energy that led Paul to bum-rush his way past roadies back in the early eighties. We’re proud to showcase these exceptional S2 Custom 24s, and we know they will inspire you to no end.