I recently stumbled across this 2006 interview with David Grissom by Vintage Guitar magazine. Grissom is a highly regarded guitarist who has played with many people, including the Dixie Chicks, John Mellencamp, Joe Ely, Robben Ford, Buddy Guy, and many more. Here’s a snippet of the interview where Grissom is discussing getting his guitar tone:
I think lucking into finding a Paul Reed Smith guitar was a really big thing. When I moved to Austin, everyone was playing Stratocasters, and I had an incredible Strat – still have it – but some part of me said, “I don’t want to play what everyone else is playing.” I got the Paul Reed Smith in ’85 or ’86, just about the first year they came out. And I got them to make me a goldtop a year later. To me, playing a Paul Reed Smith is somewhere between a Les Paul and a Telecaster. Its scale length is between the two. Playing rhythm, there’s a certain clarity to it – which you don’t necessarily get out of a Les Paul. But there’s a certain beefiness that you don’t get out of a Telecaster. The pickups I put in mine are weaker, because I want a clear-sounding humbucker.
After reading a review in the July 2008 issue of Guitarist magazine, featuring the Grissom DST signature guitar, I was persuaded to investigate PRS guitars further. In October I purchased a PRS Custom 24 with natural finish, birds, and top 10 maple body. It plays like a dream. The 24 is better suited for Rock and Blues than the DST in my opinion.
Anyway, a friend of mine (who is internationally celebrated for his books and videos on guitar repair, care, and adjustment) played it a few days ago and stated, “I’ve always been a Les Paul guy but now I’ve got to have a PRS. This thing is amazing!”
I’m surprised to hear that the DST wasn’t a good blues/rock machine. I would have thought that’s exactly what it’d be good for. At any rate, your PRS sounds awesome! I have a couple of the SE series guitars, but an American-made PRS is on my wish list!
No doubt the DST is a great guitar but geared for heavier gage strings (11’s) on a wide fat neck which are better for picking than bending IMO. Guitarist magazine rates it the best PRS ever.