Is PRS going to issue an SE version of Orianthi’s $11,000 Private Stock signature model?

Orianthi says she is talking to PRS about a possible affordable SE version of her recent Limited Edition Private Stock signature guitar, the #10245 Orianthi.

Speaking to Premier Guitar, the Australian guitarist said, “We’re in talks right now [and there's] probably an SE model coming of that one.

“A lot of people wanted to buy it and they couldn’t afford it. It’s very expensive, but it’s very well made. That is a dream guitar that was brought to life by the PRS team. Paul has really dialed it in. He picks the right woods, and everything is quality. They’re like Porsches, you know what I mean?”

The current Private Stock model is priced at an eye-watering $11,700. That was launched as part of PRS’s 2022 Private Stock collection and includes a wealth of high-end features – with ‘wealth’ clearly being the operative word.

The build features a solid mahogany body, mahogany neck, a 24-fret rosewood fingerboard and a two-piece flamed maple top. It's finished in an eye-catching Blooming Lotus Glow burst complemented by a Lotus vine inlay pattern.

It's also laced with premium hardware, including PRS Phase III locking tuners, a PRS Gen III vibrato and PRS 58/15 humbuckers. Finally, it all comes packaged in a custom Paisley hardcase.

If the new affordable edition comes in anyway near the typical price for the SE range (for instance, the $849 of the SE Silver Sky), PRS will need to find a way to shave more than 90 percent off the Private Stock price tag.

A significant part of that will be achieved by changing the production from handmade US models (signed by Paul Reed Smith himself) to the South Korean or Indonesian factories used for SEs.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how the firm achieves such a price drop in terms of the spec and tonewoods from such a premium base level.

Watch this space…