I’ve enjoyed numerous conversations and interviews with PRS Guitars founder Paul Reed Smith. On several occasions we’ve done this thing where I’ll name a guitar from the past and...
I’ve enjoyed numerous conversations and interviews with PRS Guitars founder Paul Reed Smith. On several occasions we’ve done this thing where I’ll name a guitar from the past and he’ll tell me several ways it could be improved as well as details that the original manufacturer got right. Whenever I played a new PRS model, Paul’s insights were pretty obvious to me, along with the fact that he applied the same critical eye to his own creations as he did to those of other companies.
Earlier this year when PRS introduced its new John Mayer Silver Sky model, many observers remarked that it looked like a Strat with a PRS neck and wondered why PRS would produce such an instrument. My response was, “why not?” and I was particularly excited to see how Mr. Smith’s take on a beloved classic would incorporate the improvements we talked about in the past—and if it would still deliver the details that have made PRS guitars a favorite of discriminating players for decades. Yes, the PRS Silver Sky looks like a Strat, but unlike the many copies produced over the years, this is no clone but rather a guitar that truly combines the very best of classic Strat and modern PRS designs.
FEATURES The basic construction features are what one would expect for a solidbody guitar with this design: alder body, bolt-on maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, 25.5-inch scale length and 22 frets and three single-coil pickups with master volume and two tone controls. However, numerous details reveal that a lot of thought and refinement went into the Silver Sky’s design, proving that the two-and-a-half years of collaboration between John Mayer and PRS was no exaggeration. The rounded C-shape neck profile, 7.5-inch radius and narrow/tall medium-profile frets all provide incredibly comfortable playability,