Paul Reed Smith recently reflected on one of the most iconic features of PRS guitars—the bird inlays—admitting that he never anticipated how popular they would become. As PRS celebrates its 40th anniversary, Smith shared insights into the early days of the company and how a feature inspired by childhood memories unexpectedly became a defining symbol of the brand.
The bird inlays, which are now synonymous with PRS guitars, originated from Paul Reed Smith’s experiences birdwatching with his mother during his youth. What started as a personal and artistic touch was not initially intended to be a standard feature across the PRS lineup. Speaking in an interview with Guitar World, Smith revealed his surprise at how much players gravitated toward the distinctive design.
Reflecting on the company’s early releases, he said the demand for both curly maple tops and bird inlays quickly exceeded expectations. “We had the PRS and the Custom. What blew me away was that everyone wanted the curly [maple] top, and everybody wanted the bird inlays,” he recalled. “I thought the birds were like a one-in-eight option that would be taken up. But people were calling, saying, ‘I’ve got to have the birds.’ I was like, what?”
One moment that stood out for Smith was a conversation with Jimmy Wallace, a well-known guitar dealer and founder of the Dallas International Guitar Festival. Wallace requested a particularly high-quality maple top for his guitar, prompting Smith to realize that premium options were in high demand. “He said, ‘Now Paul, you go in the back there and pick me a real nice curly maple top,’” Smith remembered. “I said, ‘You want me to cherry-pick you a top?’ He said yes, but I said, ‘Well, I’m charging you.’”
That conversation, according to Smith, marked the beginning of PRS’s now-famous “10 Top” designation—an extra charge for specially selected maple tops with exceptional figure. It signaled a shift in how PRS would approach customization and quality standards moving forward. “That was the day the ’10 Top’ thing started,” he noted. “I wasn’t going to go back and pick a special top out of a pile of wood for somebody without charging them extra. Initially, I’d wanted it to be ‘you got what you got,’ like in the old Les Paul days.”
From humble beginnings and modest expectations, the PRS bird inlays and figured tops have become core elements of the brand’s identity—proof that sometimes, it’s the smallest design details that leave the biggest mark.
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