Paul Reed Smith's Building of the 1980 "Golden Eagle" One of the Greatest 101 Moments in Guitar History

The staff of Guitar Player Magazine courageously established their greatest moments in guitar history. They assembled "the coolest, greatest, and most important moments in the history of the modern 6 string", which was published in their April 2005 issue. Included on this formidable list is Paul Reed Smith building the "Golden Eagle" in 1980. This prototype instrument was built five years before PRS Guitars was started, when Paul was building every guitar by hand. Howard Leese, of the band Heart, owns this rare instrument.

Paul's critical eye for quality was imparted into each guitar he personally built. This passion for high quality remains the key element of PRS guitars' popularity. Paul's passion for continually improving the details of guitar making is what earned him a spot on the Guitar Player list, that includes such moments as The Fender Stratocaster is Born (1954), Beatlemania Sweeps America (1964), Dylan Goes Electric (1965), Santana is Released (1969), and, MTV Debuts (1981). Guitar Player Magazine said, "The unparalleled excellence of PRS models seemed to prompt a few other guitar companies to reassess their quality control, and, whether the nod truly goes to Smith or not, many guitars did start to look, feel, and play better after PRS showed guitarists how critical they should be about their instruments."