1990 PRS Signature #818 Private Stock Custom Sign Twice Start Price USD 7,999.00 Current Price USD 7,999.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, September 18, 2008 End Time Saturday, October 18, 2008 Location North Point, HONG KONG SAR See more about '1990 PRS Signature #818 Private Stock Custom Sign Twice' Description Up for auction is a 1990 PRS Signature No.818 with highly figured 5A flame maple top in Whale Blue.  The finish on this guitar was aged naturally so it looks a bit grey.  The guitar is used but is in vintage near MINT condition.  No dings and dents could be found.  The side of the fingerboard that our left hand thumb hook over, has little portion peeled off but does not extend beyond the fingerboard and I don't think it will, please refer to the last photo.  It is common to early PRS.  As mentioned in the listing that I have come across a few signatures and they all have similar problem, but this does not affect the cosmetic look, the playability and the function of the guitar.  What other flaw you could see under light is polishing swirl.  It is very very difficult to find such a clean 18 years old guitar.   This particular guitar was hand signed twice by Paul before applying the clear coat.  One is located in the front of the headstock, the other was at the back of the headstock and dated.  Paul only wrote “sig ###” at the back of the headstock on majority of signatures but he has signed this TWICE!!!  It is not difficult to know why.  This #818 is the best sounding PRS I have ever heard in my life.   This is the 4th PRS signature I have come across in my collector life.  I had #520 and 568.  All those have insane QUILT top and were the best looking PRS I have ever come across.  I also have #569 with insane flame top.  However, I keep this #818 till this very last moment simply because it sounds the best.  When you flip the sweet switch, or turn the volume knob so it hits the travel limit, or even turning the 5 way rotary switch, you could hear natural reverb sound generated by the body. You can hear this clearly when the guitar is unplugged, yes, unplugged!  You can imagine how resonating the woods are and how well they match with each other to become a tone generator like this.   The Signature series was made from 1986 to 1990, only 1000 were made in total.  It is the first ‘ultimate quality wood grade’ PRS, hand-signed by Paul Reed Smith and was designed base on the Custom, extremely figured (artist grade) maple top, Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard, short neck heel, 1 piece malcom bridge, thin finish and real abalone shell bird inlays were used in building these guitars.  Each one were hand built by the top luthier in the PRS factory!.  The signature series was considered to be the 1st private stock guitar and is the most collectible.  The signature series sound much better than ordinary Custom 24.   The pickups are HFS and Vintage Bass, both with Gold pole pieces.  The label are the old type with words printed with Arial fonts.  Please refer to the last photo for detail.   Among the 1000 signatures, many were covered by flame maple top.  I have seen a near MINT one sold for $14000 in Feburary.  A recently ended auction: 330243888129.  Don’t miss this chance to own this beauty!   The guitar was loaded with a new pack of ultimate quality 0.010”-0.046” Maxima 24 karat GOLD plated strings.  There is still plenty of fret life left.  Everything is original and works perfectly fine.  The neck is straight like an arrow. The guitar comes with an original PRS hard shell case and unsigned warranty card.   Specifications and other details of the guitar could be found here: http://www.prsguitars.com/csc/models.html       http://www.edromanguitars.com/guitar/prs/signature_prs.htm     http://www.edromanguitars.com/guitar/prs/price_prs.htm     Please place a bid now if you are interested. Don’t wait till the auction ends.    I ship WORLDWIDE!!!  1.          Air shipping and handling (7 to 10 days) is $117 to the continental US and $114 UK (no insurance); insurance is an addition $31 for $5900 coverage.  2.          Express mail service EMS (1 to 3 days) is $137 to the USA and $144 to the UK; insurance is an addition of $30 for $6667 coverage.     For other countries, please email for a quote.   I have other items for sale please view them here   Please read my feedbacks.  I am an ebay Silver level Power Seller with 100% positive feedbacks and I have many years of experience selling expansive guitars, effects and pedals internationally.  Bid with confidence.  Good luck!!!   Terms & Conditions: 1. the currency of this auction is based on US dollars unless otherwise specified. 2. Bank wire transfer and Paypal preferred.  No e-check please. 3. All items for sale are listed in the description. No addition items are offered.  4. I reserve the right to cancel bids by bidder with zero or negative feedback, please contact me if you are under these categories; 5. All items are sold as is, no return or refund, please ask if you have any questions prior to bidding. 6. Buyer determines the Customs declaration amount. Insurance is optional but the amount insured will be the same as the customs declaration amount. Once the item was shipped, buyer takes the full responsibility in case of shipping lost/damage. However, I will help buyer to contact the shipping company for filing insurance claim if needed. The compensation amount will be determined by the shipping/insurance company.   Feedback will be posted upon completion of the transaction.  I will post negative feedback for deadbeat bidders.   MyStoreMaps improve local and international eBay sales. Place a Bid!