Paul Reed Smith
I bought my first PRS guitar in 1997 because Mike Nolan played one and I thought that was reason enough. My dad took me to the store and loaned me the cash, and i still have it (many thanks to Kevin Browning for talking me out of selling the old one for a new one). When the band played the first Bonnaroo, Jim Smith was running the recording trailer for the show and he called his brother, Paul to tell him about Umphrey's and how I was using his guitar. I got a call later that summer - from Paul himself - and I've been sponsored ever since.
The last Friday of our east coast tour, I was invited to take a tour of the PRS factory. Winn Krozack, the best artist rep in the world, was gracious enough to take me around for the day and let me follow the process from beginning to end. Being able to see blocks of wood transformed into the beautiful feminine shape that is the guitar, I gained a new respect for the company as well as the art of guitar making. Every single employee I came across was genuinely happy and passionate about their respective jobs, and the whole place really seemed like a great place to work.
The drive there took me through my birthplace, Annapolis, MD...so the whole day meant a lot to me. I was feeling the thanksgiving vibe early this year....we here at Umphrey's Mcgee truly have so much to be thankful for.
And I'm thankful for PRS being so good to me...
(To give you an idea of the sheer perfection of PRS guitars, Winn is holding a destroyed body. Apparently something was wrong with it, but it looked fantastic to me)
