There’s been a flurry of activity around Guitar Center’s RockWalk of Fame in 2026, with a host of stars joining an established cast of inductees. Iconic luthier Paul Reed Smith is the latest name to be honored, and he’s been inducted by his good friend and signature artist, John Mayer.
After securing the loyalty of Carlos Santana and Al Di Meola early on, Mayer has gone on to be the poster boy for PRS guitars, with his signature model, the Silver Sky, going toe-to-toe with the Fender Strat for year-on-year sales.
Smith’s handprints will now be found on Guitar Center’s RockWalk of Fame in Hollywood, alongside the likes of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Black Sabbath. Mayer was on hand to deliver a heartfelt speech at the ceremony, which took place during Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival over the weekend.
“I speak on behalf of the artists that pre-date my 10-year relationship with Paul Reed Smith,” Mayer says. “I stand here, and I think I speak for artists like Santana, Mark Tremonti and David Grissom, John McLaughlin, and Neal Schon and I get to put some words to I think what is all of our feelings about Paul.
“There is a lot of love in this man's heart,” he adds. “We have that love for playing guitar. We all share it. Paul has it. I have it. We keep each other pushing with that love for the guitar. Paul Reed Smith, it is an honor to induct you into the Guitar Center RockWalk.”
“Every time you talk,” Smith responds, “I cry.”
“Paul is obsessive about building the perfect guitar – and I mean that as the highest compliment,” said Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto.
“He has spent his life questioning every assumption about how a guitar should sound, feel and perform, and then doing the hard work to make it better. That obsession has materially moved the electric guitar forward and raised the bar for the entire industry.”
From the roaring success of the Silver Sky to budget belters like the SE NF 53, it’s hard to argue against that sentiment.
Back in June, one of rock’s great partnerships, Billy Idol and Steve Stevens, were inducted into the RockWalk, the first to get the nod since Gary Clark Jr. in 2024.
In the background, meanwhile, the store is looking for players to test its new in-house brand’s builds, but you’ll be sworn to secrecy if you sign up for it. Dalporto believes its new guitar designs will swerve away from copyists to be “revolutionary.”
