Celebrating 30 years of Private Stock and 10 years of the Birds of a Feather inlay, this limited edition hollowbody marks two milestones at once – and introduces TCI pickups to the Hollowbody platform for the first time.
Thirty years of Private Stock is worth celebrating, and PRS Guitars has done exactly that with the release of the Private Stock 30th Anniversary “Birds of a Feather” Hollowbody I Limited Edition. Limited to just 96 pieces worldwide (a nod to the year the Private Stock program was founded), this is the kind of instrument that doesn’t come around often.
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The Birds of a Feather fretboard inlay is itself marking a decade since its debut, designed by Paul Miles, PRS Director of Manufacturing and head of Private Stock. This iteration features a reverse version of the design, with stained maple birds rising from the base of the fingerboard into an ebony sky — the contrast between Gaboon ebony and flame maple doing the heavy visual lifting throughout the whole instrument, from the fretboard down to the truss rod cover and headstock veneer.
“I wanted to design an inlay that was simple and easy to read from across the room or on a stage but was also uniquely PRS,” says Miles. “For me, this was a new way of looking at inlay design, using the woods to create movement and space.”
On the electronics side, this model introduces a notable first: PRS TCI pickups in a Hollowbody platform. Tuned for musical balance and clarity, the TCIs cover the range from expressive single-coil and soapbar character through to full humbucker weight. It’s a versatile pairing with the natural resonance and openness the Hollowbody I construction brings. Two mini-toggle EQ switches, a feature personally favoured by Paul Reed Smith, function as tuned high-pass filters that shelve low-end and let high frequencies through for added clarity and presence.
The whole instrument is finished exclusively in Frostbite Glow, a finish that ties everything together while letting the flame maple and Gaboon ebony contrast speak for itself. A Private Stock Birds of a Feather Eagle headstock logo, Phase III non-locking tuners with wing buttons and a stoptail bridge with brass inserts and steel studs round out a build that’s as considered in its hardware as it is in its aesthetics.
Each guitar ships in a PRS ATA Multi-Fit Molded Case with a Private Stock plaque.
