“Everyone was saying, ‘I wanna buy this guitar.’ They're not cheap, but they're very much worth it”: Orianthi requested a backup guitar from PRS – only for it to turn into a highly requested signature model

Orianthi holds her signature PRS Private Stock model
(Image credit: Liz Vig)

Orianthi has been brandishing PRS guitars since she was just 11. “I was a very obnoxious kid, and I was like, to my dad, ‘I want a PRS,’” she recalls in an interview with Premier Guitar. “I mean, they're expensive here in Australia. [I] got one, and I still have it, so I just love them.”

It is therefore a no-brainer that the acclaimed guitarist would get her very own signature PRS – the Private Stock Orianthi Limited Edition, based on her personalized Custom 24, which was first made as a one-off artist build by the Private Stock team a couple of years ago.

“Paul [Reed Smith] made me a guitar quite some time ago as a purple guitar, and it was painted, like, four times, and I used it a lot. I really wanted one as a backup,” she explains. “So he made me one as a backup, but it actually turned into a signature because everyone was writing saying, ‘I wanna buy this guitar.’ We made it available to everyone. They're not cheap, but they're very much worth it.”

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Its distinct finish – dubbed Blooming Lotus Glow – has a pink center glow that fades outward to a similar purple found on Orianthi's original build.

Further customization comes by way of the inlays. Instead of PRS’ iconic bird inlays, Orianthi opted for a “Lotus Vine” pattern. “These lotus flowers down the neck here [are] like my tattoo,” she says, referring to the inspiration behind the inlays. “I just love flowers. My name means flower in Greek.”

The Private Stock Orianthi Limited Edition followed Orianthi's previous signature team-up with Paul Reed Smith's brand, the PRS SE Orianthi Signature Model, released in 2010.

And if you're hoping for an SE version of her $11,000 Private Stock signature model, Orianthi previously revealed she’s in talks with PRS to make it happen.

Janelle Borg

Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.

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