Celebrating Four Decades of Craftsmanship & Innovation

The PRS Private Stock 40th Anniversary McCarty Dragon embodies the spirit of PRS, showcasing stunning visual design and uncompromised playability and tone.

“When I was a teenager, I had a dream about a guitar with a dragon inlaid down the neck. That dream became reality for the first time in 1992 and has since become an important part of our history. For our 40th Anniversary, we have chosen a McCarty model as the foundation of the Dragon, which is only fitting considering the original 1992 Dragon was the beginning of what would become the McCarty model. I’m proud to bring these two, now-historic, PRS designs together.”
– Paul Reed Smith, Founder & Managing General Partner, PRS Guitars

The PRS McCarty model was first introduced in 1994 and was essentially PRS’s first 22-fret, vintage-leaning instrument. Featuring a slightly thicker mahogany back, stoptail bridge with brass inserts and steel studs, and PRS’s new McCarty III pickups, the Private Stock 40th Anniversary McCarty Dragon is not just a work of art, it is a professional-grade, musical instrument. Every inch of the stoptail bridge is designed to maximize the transfer of the strings’ vibration through the instrument and the McCarty III pickups amplify that tone with a lush, vocal quality that is warm, clear, and open.

The visual draw of this guitar is the extraordinary dragon inlay drawn by Jeff Easley, a fantasy artist famous for many Dungeons & Dragons rulebook covers, and designed and recreated as inlay by the team at Aulson Inlay. The Dragon is comprised of more than 200 pieces of inlay in an array of materials, including Blue Pacific Opal, Brown Scale Juma, and Gold, Black, White, and Brown Mother of Pearl. The inlay extends onto the truss rod cover and visually leaps off the pale moon ebony fretboard. The Private Stock Eagle inlaid on the headstock is made from Black with Gold Web and outlined in Gold Mother of Pearl.

“I feel fortunate to have worked on PRS Dragons since 2002. Being part of this endeavor has made me feel connected to something greater that will endure beyond my time. Moreover, I have thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with Paul through the years. His ability to challenge me to step outside my comfort zone has facilitated the development of innovative techniques that make the previously impossible achievable. Through Paul’s unwavering support, our team at Aulson Inlay has evolved into an exceptional collaborative. I often wish Larry Sifel could witness the significant progress Paul and the dragons have made since the inception of the Dragon in 1992.”
– Jaime Aulson Myers, Co-Founder & Co-Owner of Aulson Inlay

Only 165 Private Stock 40th Anniversary McCarty Dragon models will be made.