Paul Reed Smith / Tech Tips
PRS Acronyms and Abbreviations: talk like a pro!

Paul Reed Smith owners have developed their own shorthand for discussing their favorite instruments. Here's an assortment of PRS acronyms and abbreviations, conveniently arranged in alphabetical order, to help you decipher the meanings. Now you, too, can talk like a PRS pro!

• Birds - Bird-shaped fretboard inlays, most often made of abalam (a laminated abalone material), available as an option on many PRS instruments. (See also New Birds)

• Braz, Brazzy, or BRW - Brazillian rosewood fingerboard.

• CE-22 (or CE-24) - A made in USA, bolt-on solid body electric with 22 (or 24) frets. Early 24-fret models were designated CE-3, later changed to CE-24. The CE-22 (a 22-fret version) appeared in 1994.

• CuRo - PRS Custom model with rosewood neck.

• Dots - Abalone dot (round) fretboard inlays.

• Dots - Abalone dot (round) fretboard inlays.

• IRW - Indian rosewood fingerboard inlay.

• JH - Johnny Hiland model electric. (See solid body guitars page)

• Lampshade Knobs - Transparent, knurled volume and tone knobs, first produced for the PRS 513 model guitars.

• McSoapy - PRS McCarty model electric equipped with soap bar (single coil) pickups.

• McTrem - PRS McCarty model electric equipped with tremolo tailpiece.

• Moons - Abalone fretboard inlay composed of a crescent within a round dot.

• New Birds - Fretboard inlays in the shape of a bird outline, available as an option on many PRS instruments beginning with the 2008 model year.

• PRS - Paul Reed Smith; also a PRS guitar.

• PRSH - Paul Reed Smith Himself (The Man).

• PRSi - Paul Reed Smith instruments (the plural of "My PRS," for example).

• Regular - Regular neck profile. This PRS neck carve is available on many 22 and 24-fret models. Some say this is in between a W/F and W/T. (See neck carves page)

• Shadow Birds - Fretboard inlays in the shape of a bird outline, available on PRS 25th anniversary instruments made in the late 2009 and 2010 production years.

• W/F - Wide/Fat neck profile. This PRS neck carve is used on many 22-fret models.

• W/T - Wide/Thin neck profile. This PRS neck carve is used on many 24-fret models.