In the late 1990s, Paul Reed Smith began looking for a way to put the elegant design of a PRS guitar in the hands of beginning players and players on a budget. The answer lay in overseas production, and PRS created the SE (Student Electric) line for the import models.

The original EG series, introduced in 1990, had been an attempt to offer a US-made PRS at an even lower price than the CE models. Like the CEs, the EGs had bolt-on necks, but their bodies were not the familiar PRS style. Instead, they had a shallower edge bevel that gave them a Stratocaster-inspired look.

The connection was accentuated by a large, Strat-like pickguard and, on some models, Strat-like pickup configurations. The SE EG took the Strat look a step farther with a beveled lower bass bout.

While the original, US-made EGs lasted only until 1995, the 20th century versions, like most of the models in the SE import line, accomplished what the originals could not do – they brought PRS guitars to the masses.