PRS Paul Reed Smith / Dragon III #11 / 1995 / Indigo / Guitar For Sale
Asymmetrical double cutaway carved solid body with set neck. This incredible 1994 PRS 'Dragon lll' features the super attractive Indigo finish. One-piece PRS-shape offset asymmetrical double-cutaway mahogany body (back, sides and neck finished in black) with a highly figured maple sculptured top. One-piece mahogany glued-in neck with a wonderful medium-to-thick profile and scale length of 25.50 inches. Dual-action truss rod. Back angled three-on-a-side non veneered headstock with PRS 'signature' logo inlaid in gold and 'Dragon lll' inlaid in abalone on the bell-shaped ebony truss-rod cover which is secured by a single screw. On the back of the headstock written in gold is the serial number "5 21063" and also DRAGON lll # ll". Individual Schaller/PRS 'Rotamatic' locking tuners with half-moon metal buttons. Ten inch radiused rosewood fretboard with a wonderful medium profile and 22 medium-jumbo frets. Rosewood fretboard with highly intricate inlaid 'Dragon' design consisting of 438 inlays of gold, red and green abalone, mother of pearl, mammoth ivory and stone. One PRS "double-black" Humbucker Dragon 'Bass" pickup in the bridge position and one PRS "double-black" Humbucker Dragon 'Treble" pickup with outputs of 7.70k and 9.75k respectively. Both pickups (uncovered as usual) with cream plastic pickup rings. One volume control, one tone control and a five-way rotary pickup selector switch. The underside of the potentiometers have "W4-1283" written in hand. Black plastic barrel-shape "Speed" control knobs. PRS 'wrap-over' stop-tail. All hardware gold-plated. Complete with the original PRS "Limited Edition" instruction sheet, PRS catalog, original case tag and truss-rod adjustment tool. This amazing guitar is in mint (9.50) condition. Housed in the original "GG Quality" black leather hardshell case with black plush lining (9.25).
"Dragon lll… with the most complex inlay yet, designed by Jeff Easely, a top Dungeons And Dragons artist. The intricate Dragon lll featured a 438-piece dargon inlay of gold, red and green abalone, mother of pearl, mammoth ivory and stone."
"When I was 16 I had a dream about a guitar with a dragon inlaid down the neck. Twenty years later, the technology became available to inlay such a complicated design with precision. This year's Dragon has 201 pieces of abalone, turquoise and mother-of-pearl. In addition to the inlay, these instruments have some fundamental design changes: 22 frets, a new PRS Stop-Tail, increased headstock angle, Dragon pickups, a wide-fat neck and gold hardware." With that brief statement, the first PRS Dragon guitar was launched in 1992, with a list price of $8,000.
The Dragon lll also featured a headstock with the "signature" logo inlaid in gold, not abalone, and the model name was inlaid in red abalone on its truss-rod cover. The Dragon lll had a lsit price of $16,000, again limited to 100 pieces. "The Dragon lll fingerboard inlay is composed of incredibly tiny pieces, some the size of a pin-head," remembers Larry Sifel of Pearl Works. "There's a lot of gold too. We had a truck that would come by every Thursday for months on end to deliver $4,000-worth of gold each time. They'd ask, 'What are you guys doing?"'
"The Dragon l was also the first guitar to be designed without the company's vibrato system in mind (although a very small number have been specially ordered with vibrato). This allowed the the headstock angle to be increased to approximately 11 degrees, which is flatter than the vintage Les Paul of around 17 degrees, but steeper than a standard PRS back-angle of about seven degrees. Smith says the extra angle puts a little more tension on the nut, that "every little facet makes a small difference". The new angle was subsequently applied to all 22-fret guitars except the EG.
But it wasn't just the acoustic sound of the instrument that was changed, because the Dragon introduced a pair of namesake humbucking pickups. The Dragon Treble pickup, conceived by John Ingram, was apparently Smith's personal favorite. "Fat with zero loss of clarity," went the description "Sounds great clean or high-gain. The Dragon Treble has a powerful ceramic magnet combined with our highest number of turns." As for the Dragon Bass: "This lower-output pickup has a great combination of rich, warm bass and 'angelic' high-end. Beautiful for solos and rhythm. Vintage alnico and vintage winding." Smith said at the time that he found the neck pickup exactly like a Gibson PAF humbucker, while the bridge pickup "gives you all the power you need". He was evidently pleased with the new pickups, and while they featured nothing especially new in their construction, the treble was, he said, "really powerful but retains a pretty high end that you don't normally hear. Smith also revealed to me at the time what he meant by "fat", a term that would creep into PRS-speak more and more as the decade progressed. If it has bass and midrange and no top, I'd call it 'dark'. But 'fat' means a really nice bass, the midrange is very solid and there's enough high-end for definition but it's not shrill. That sounds 'fat'."
Further tonal change occurred due to the Dragon's shorter neck. As the scale length didn't change, the neck humbucker sits further from the bridge than on the 24 fret guitars. "It adds a little extra bass to the neck pickup," said Smith. "It's moved about 3/4" but the main tonal change I hear comes from the guitar itself. I actually think the treble pickup position is more critical. A 1/4" change in position either way and you'll really hear it. Move the bass pickup the same distance and you don't really hear that much difference. "Of course, the wood choice for the Dragon l was second to none. The neck and back were South Americana mahogany, the top curly maple with a slightly deeper "Dragon carve" arch, and the fingerboard Brazilian rosewood. The hardware was all gold-plated and the "signature" headstock logo was inlaid abalone.
But for most the Dragon was not about tonal improvements. It was simply about the amazing intricate inlay that stretched along the fingerboard, a fabulous work-of-art that adorns what has to be one of the most striking electric guitars ever made, translated into reality by Larry Sifel's Pearl Works company. "This dragon changed our life and probably changed Paul's life a bit too" (Larry Sifel).
Fretted Americana , USA 
We specialize in acquiring and offering the finest specimens of American vintage electric guitars with particular attention to those in their complete, original state. We are the only dealer to embrace a written code of ethics (in Terms & Conditions). We encourage you to read it.
HOW WE WORK
We want to inspire and win your trust and confidence. You don't want to have any negative surprises upon receipt of an instrument that you've invested yourself as well as your money into. Nor do you want any untoward surprises should you decide to sell it in the future.
To that end, every guitar that we offer is catalogued to a degree and depth of detail that is fast becoming the standard in the trade. When we declare an instrument to be completely original, it is. If it is not, we tell you exactly in what manner it has been altered.
We photograph each guitar at many angles to provide you with the broadest, clearest sense of its appearance. We will, upon request, provide you with images of all electronic components, inside and out.
Each guitar we acquire is skillfully and painstakingly dissected by David Brass, who is a trained luthier as well as a dealer and collector. All parts, no matter how small, are meticulously examined. We have an enviable reference library of wide breadth and scope that we refer to when necessary for crucial facts. The instrument is put under a black-light: original finish or refin? Even the most skillfully masked ding is uncovered. David then fastidiously reassembles the instrument. It is then cleaned with the finest products available for wood and metal.
An inspection certificate of authenticity signed by David is provided with every guitar you purchase.
We keep our inventory relatively small and highly select. We choose our guitars with extreme care so we can offer you the finest examples of the finest rare guitars in the world.
We are client focused to an extraordinary degree. If you expect or would like to be surprised by courteous, professional client service, we will pleased to accommodate that desire.
It is our fervent wish to establish a long-term relationship with you.
CODE OF ETHICS
We wish to establish an ongoing relationship with you based upon your trust in our knowledge and judgment.
To that end:
We meticulously inspect in detail every guitar that we offer. We check the finish, all of the electrical components, serial numbers, etc. With over thirty years of experience collecting and handling vintage guitars and our enormous reference library, we bring to bear all that is known about guitar manufacturers, models, and annual production.
We provide full, detailed descriptions and specs to each guitar.
We openly disclose any and all flaws we discover in writing. If the instrument is not completely “straight,” we will tell you so and why.
We endeavor to conduct ourselves to the highest standard of professional behavior.
We will deal fairly and ethically; no surprises, flim-flam, dubious business practices or shenanigans.
We value your sense of privacy and uphold the highest standards of discretion and respect
We allow a full 48 hour honeymoon period when you buy a guitar from us. If you are not 100% satisfied with it we will refund the purchase price in full, less shipping, upon return of the guitar in the same condition as sold. Please call us before returning the instrument.
Please inspect your new guitar immediately upon receiving it. If any guitar we offer is found to be not as described, we will happily refund the full purchase price, less shipping, upon return of the guitar in the same condition as sold. Please call us before returning the instrument.
