PRS Guitars Announces Corporate Partnership With General Motors and Corvette Racing

Released on = January 16, 2005, 7:15 pm

Press Release Author = Jack Higginbotham / PRS Guitars

Industry = Automotive

Press Release Summary = PRS Guitars in pleased to announce a new relationship with General Motors and Corvette racing. We are a new sponsor of the Corvette C6R Racing Team. Along with this sponsorship we are offering a line of Corvette Z06 guitars for 2005. There will be a press conference at 6:45 pm on Friday, January 21, where GM Racing and PRS will formally announce this partnership. The C5R Racecar and PRS guitars will be on display. Representatives from both companies will be on hand to answer questions from the press.

This press conference will be held at "The Grove" in Anaheim, California at our 20th Anniversary party. Several well known musicians will be performing including Carlos Santana, Mark Tremonti Dave Navarro. A very limited number of tickets are available through PRS Guitars. Contact Bev Fowler (443-220-4845) or Jack Higginbotham (410-490-2696) for tickets and details.

We are attaching a press release and photo for your consideration.

Press Release Body = STEVENSVILLE, MD, January 14, 2005 – PRS Guitars is pleased to announce a partnership with General Motors and Corvette Racing. The agreement will feature the PRS name on the brand new Corvette C6-R racecar during the 2005 race season, and Corvette logos will be on custom designed PRS guitars.

Paul Reed Smith Guitars is a leading manufacturer of high-end electric and electro-acoustic guitars. PRS guitars are handcrafted with attention to detail from the finest materials available. Through innovative design and superior quality of workmanship, PRS provides the musician with the best instrument possible. PRS guitars are used by Carlos Santana, Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction, Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge, and a veritable “who’s who” of top musicians. Founded in 1985, the
company is based in Stevensville, Maryland.

PRS Guitars will unveil its new line of Corvette inspired instruments at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, January 20-23, 2005. NAMM is the world’s largest trade-only music products show with more than 74,000 attendees and over 1,300 exhibiting vendors. The Corvette guitars will be available through authorized PRS guitar dealers worldwide.

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“We’re excited about the relationship with GM and Corvette,” said Jack Higginbotham, President of PRS Guitars. “This partnership is a result of a very
real enthusiasm that we have for Corvette racing. There is true synergy. We are Corvette owners and enthusiasts. We believe, as does Corvette, in delivering the highest quality, highest performance product imaginable. Our passion for Corvettes and guitars leads to a relationship that goes above and beyond corporate sponsorship. Working with GM Racing to achieve this goal has been an extraordinary experience.”

David Pettit, GM Racing Business Development Manager, added: “PRS Guitars is known in the music world as a builder of premier guitars, instruments that are truly functional works of art. We at General Motors believe that, within our industry, Corvette mirrors these attributes, and so it’s very fitting that PRS and GM work together. This partnership will allow us to commemorate PRS Guitars as well as the excellence of Corvette. Crafting a limited edition Corvette Z06 PRS guitar is a natural fit. We're proud to display the PRS logo on the championship Corvette C6-R racecar, which will allow us to further our partnership and extend the marketing reach of PRS.”

The Corvette C6-R racecar will make its American Le Mans Series (ALMS) debut at 12 Hours of Sebring in March. GM’s two-car, factory-backed Chevrolet sports car program will compete in the production-based GT1 class (formerly GTS) of ALMS as well as the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, a race where the Corvette has won its class for three out of the past four years. The new race car is the most
technically advanced sports car ever developed by General Motors, culling years of experience from the dominant Corvette C5-R as well as the advancements brought forth from the next-generation Corvette C6 and Z06 production models.

The GM Racing-PRS Guitars partnership extends through December 2005. PRS Corvette guitars will be displayed on the Chevrolet Racing and Corvette Heritage Tour during the 2005 race season. Images of the Corvette guitars can be seen on the PRS website at: www.prsguitars.com. For more information on Corvette Racing, go to:
www.corvetteracing.com.

Web Site = http://www.prsguitars.com

Contact Details = Paul Reed Smith Guitars
380 Log Canoe Circle
Stevensville, MD 21666
Tel:(410) 643-9970
Fax: (410) 643-9980
Email: bfowler@prsguitars.com
or jhigginbotham@prsguitars.com