PRS is set to auction off a one-of-a-kind electric guitar for charity. It was built with wood salvaged from trees that were blown over by Hurricane Maria, which hit Puerto Rico in 2017 – and it features some extremely intricate detailing honoring its Cuban origins.
The launch follows the equally sustainably focused S2 Special Semi-Hollow Reclaimed models that launched last month. That limited-edition run was assembled used wood reclaimed from across South America.
This unique semi-hollow guitar was designed as an employee guitar for PRS veteran Michael Reid, its senior wood buyer, who dreamed up the environmentally-friendly concept seven years ago as he embarked on a house-building project in his spare time.
The PRS McCarty 594 Semi-Hollow has a a top, back, neck, and headstock veneer of mahogany, and comes hand-signed by head honcho, Paul Reed Smith. All proceeds from the auction go to rainforest charity Cool Earth, which works with indigenous people to help protect the world’s rainforests.
Reid, through a local vendor, salvaged the logs after they were left at a dumpsite and set to be mulched as part of work to tidy up the country after the hurricane. In a nod to the wood’s origins, Reid chose to have the fretboard inlay feature the skyline of Old Havana, Cuba. Its headstock also features the Cuban flag.
Like the S2 Special Semi-Hollow Reclaimed, its fretboard wood is sourced from Brazil. It is bejewelled with an intricate mother-of-pearl inlay, which also utilizes some more exotic materials. It was made in partnership with Maryland-based company, Aulson Inlay.
“Our hope is to give back to the communities that live in the rainforests and to help protect such paramount resources,” says Reid. “They're a special people, and it is extremely rewarding to be able to help with the proceeds from selling this extraordinary guitar.
“The guitar is sort of a physical representation of Puerto Rican poet Lola Rodriquez de Tio's poem, A Cuba, where she describes Cuba and Puerto Rico as being like two wings of the same bird.”
“The history of the guitar, made from materials worn by weather and storms, is tragically, but beautifully intertwined with the impact a changing climate has on the livelihoods of people who live in rainforest regions,” adds Cool Earth Partnerships Executive, Rebecca Leach.
As the guitar features Brazilian rosewood – which is highly regulated – the winner of the auction must be US-based.
The auction runs until 10, 2025, at 12 pm Eastern Time.
Bids can be placed on eBay.
PRS has been celebrating its 40th anniversary this year by releasing new guitars each month. Standouts have included a seriously good value T-type in the SE NF 53, Herman Li's long-awaited signature, and a guitar sporting a dragon inlay that came to Paul Reed Smith in a dream.
