John Mann is an American engineer known for his design of the PRS Vibrato/Tuning system. Today, PRS Guitars has grown into a very successful company endorsing many artists including

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

and

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-liv ...

History with Paul Reed Smith

John Mann first met Paul in 1978 when he wanted to have a 1966 Gibson SG refinished. At that time, John worked at Westinghouse, Oceanic division, a large research and development engineering facility for the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

on the outskirts of

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

. John Mann and Paul Reed Smith made history together when their PRS vibrato/tuning system received its U.S. patent. The two men have worked closely together since 1978, when they first met at Paul's one-man workshop on West Street, in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, John Living people 21st-century American engineers American luthiers Year of birth missing (living people) Businesspeople from Maryland