Paul Reed Smith 'Limited Edition'
Very Unusual One-Piece 'Tiger Stripe' Cedar Top

1991 Paul Reed Smith Limited Edition (24 frets).

One of the earliest numbered "Limited Edition" guitars featuring a thirteen inch wide, one and three-quarter inch thick, one-piece PRS-shape offset asymmetrical double-cutaway solid mahogany body with a carved one-piece, vintage sunburst 'tiger stripe' curly cedar top. One-piece 'wide-fat', mahogany glued-in neck with a nut width of 1 11/16 inches, a scale length of 25.00 inches and a perfect medium profile. Single-action truss rod. Back angled three-on-a-side headstock with "1 11607" and "Limited Edition/ # 4/300" written on the back in gold marker. Single-layer ebony truss-rod cover secured by one screw. Individual Schaller/PRS 'Rotamatic' locking tuners with half-moon metal buttons. Ten inch radiused Brazilian rosewood fretboard with abalone 'bird' inlays and 24 original medium-jumbo frets. One PRS humbucker in the neck position (with rectangular white label "Limited Edition Vintage Bass" on the underside) and one PRS humbucker in the bridge position (with rectangular white label "Limited Edition Vintage Treble" on the underside) with outputs of 8.10k and 8.48k respectively. The 'double-black' pickups are uncovered as usual. One volume control, one tone control and one five-position rotary pickup selector switch. Gold plastic barrel-shape "Speed" control knobs. The potentiometers are stamped "583 9116" (CTS April 1991, the last two numbers obscured by solder). PRS combined bridge/vibrato tailpiece with six individually fully adjustable saddles. All hardware gold plated. Inside the neck pickup cavity (on the neck tenon) written in black marker is "7/30/91./AB/Jeff". Inside the bridge pickup cavity, also in black marker is "11607/Vintage/Sunburst/L.E.". There are two very small areas of discoloration on the face of the headstock (by the 'A' and the 'B' tuner posts. There is also a tiny 'additional' hole (certainly factory - possibly for another strap button?) on the treble horn, otherwise this super little guitar is in mint (9.50) condition. Housed in the original three-latch, rectangular black leather hardshell case with black plush lining (9.25).

The five position Rotary-Hybrid Pickup System works as follows:

Position 1. Treble pickup -- PRS HFS Treble pickup. Hot, fat and screams…
Position 2. Outside coils -- deep and clear…
Position 3. Series single-coils -- warm version of the "in-between the treble and middle pickups"…
Position 4. Parallel single-coils -- crisp version of the "in-between the treble and middle pickups"…
Position 5. Bass pickup -- PRS Vinatge Bass pickup -- warm, with tons of character…

The Limited Edition Series ran from 1990 to 1991 and included Signature grade woods, semi-hollow body with cedar, redwood or maple top, gold hardware, tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece (only a few tremolo equipped guitars were made) and each guitar was signed and numbered. Only 300 of these guitars were produced. This unusual example with its very striking, one-piece, 'Tiger-Stripe' cedar top is one of the few tremolo equipped guitars. The Limited Edition was fitted with Limited Edition Vintage Bass and Vintage Treble humbuckers. These pickups "offer a warm high-mid sound that's excellent for rock or jazz. This pair first appeared on the Classic Electric model. The Vintage Bass was also featured on the Special model by 1989, and the pair then cropped up on the Limited Edition guitars." (Dave Burrluck. The PRS Electric Guitar Book, p. 168).