PRS Silver Sky USA Demo/Review
In 2018, Paul Reed Smith and John Mayer announced that they were soon releasing John’s brand new signature model: the Silver Sky. The announcement and subsequent launch were met with equal parts hype and controversy from a large subset of the guitar community, while others such as myself didn’t really fall into either extreme. I have never really considered myself a “strat guy”, and at the time of the announcement, I wasn’t really an avid Mayer fan either. I acknowledged him as a great guitarist and songwriter from what music I had heard over the years, but I had never really sat down to actively listen to anything he released.
Last year (2021), I got a little more curious about the Silver Sky after my brother started showing some interest in getting one for himself, as he is an avid fan of strat-style guitars and John Mayer. Funnily enough, after all of our combined research, I ended up being fully sold on getting a Silver Sky for myself, since I didn’t have anything that could get that 60s-inspired strat sound. What I didn’t know is that, in addition to being a great instrument, the Silver Sky would end up causing me to question what specs I truly enjoy in an electric guitar.
Construction
Alder Body
Maple Neck w/ Rosewood Fingerboard
7.25” Fingerboard Radius
Width of Fretboard at Nut: 1 21/32” (42mm)
Neck Depth at Nut: 53/64” (21mm)
PRS Vintage-Style Steel Tremolo Bridge
Vintage Style Locking Tuners
Bone Nut
PRS 635JM Pickup Set
The spec sheet for the Silver Sky should read very similar to the innumerable Stratocaster clones available on the market, but that doesn’t mean this guitar is without its fair share of notable features. The treble cutaway features PRS’s signature scoop and the neck heel has been rounded to improve playability up the neck.
Another standout is, infamously, the reversed PRS headstock and trademark bird inlays, which I personally like the looks of. This headstock design allows the guitar to have straight string pull after the nut like the 6-in-line traditional headstock, but the slight tilt back prevents the need for a string tree.
For anyone familiar with PRS, it should come as no surprise that the overall instrument quality is nothing short of exceptional. The Dodgem Blue finish is perfect with no bumps or discolored spots, the frets are all perfectly level and well-polished, and the PRS Kluson-style locking tuners work perfectly. Unfortunately, I’m not really a tremolo user, so I can’t really comment on how good or bad the tremolo on this particular trem is. That said, the guitar seemed to hold its tuning fairly well when I tested the trem, so long as the nut and saddles are properly lubricated.
It's worth mentioning that unlike a lot of the other Core PRS guitars, the Silver Sky comes with a gig bag rather than a hardshell case. The bag is not as rugged and padded as some of the available aftermarket pads from companies like Reunion Blues, but it is more than sufficient to keep the guitar reasonably protected.
I should also mention that this guitar is a 2019 version I bought new. PRS has since tweaked the neck profile on the rosewood fingerboard models, switched over to nitrocellulose for the body finish, and slightly tweaked the pickups. As such, some of what follows may be slightly different than what you may experience if you pick up one built from 2020 onward.
Feel
As someone who generally prefers more modern neck profiles and fingerboard radii, I was shocked at how much I enjoy the feel of this guitar. The neck certainly has a slightly fuller depth than many of the modern Fenders I’ve played, and much to my surprise I still find it incredibly effortless to play. Prior to the Silver Sky, I always shied away from guitars with a more vintage neck profile, but this one feels so great in my hands that I have a hard time putting the guitar down once I start playing. Whether wrapping my thumb around or keeping it planted on the back of the neck, I can play the Silver Sky for hours without feeling any type of hand cramping or fatigue.
The fingerboard radius on this guitar is something that I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy until experiencing firsthand. While it is noticeably rounder than a lot of modern guitars, the fretboard is wonderful for both chording and soloing. I was able to set the action quite low and still never experienced any of the notes fretting out on bends. All in all, I find the neck of this guitar much more enjoyable than I was expecting, and I actually prefer it to a lot of other strats and the PRS guitars I’ve tried.
The body of this guitar features all the contours one would expect on a guitar like this plus the additional PRS scoop on the treble horn. This, coupled with the rounded neck heel, makes the guitar just as easy to play from the 1st fret to the 22nd. Not only that, but the body and neck of this instrument are incredibly resonant, making the guitar feel alive in your hands while you play.
Sound
While the Silver Sky’s 635JM pickups are assuredly inspired by John’s favorite vintage instruments, they are not mere clones of vintage strat pickups. Rather, these pickups sound like an idealized version of some of the best 60’s style strat pickups. Every position seems to have a great deal more clarity than a lot of vintage inspired pickups I’ve tried, especially in the high end. As a result, the guitar has absolutely no issues cutting through a mix with a full band.
These pickups also have a bit more “push” than a lot of vintage strat clones despite being quite low output. In the neck and in between positions, the notes have a distinctive, almost compressed type of attack that sounds and feels pleasing under the fingers, very reminiscent of the tones heard on Mayer’s records. These qualities also help this guitar excel when playing something more funky, as the subtle compression is perfect for that type of percussive, rhythmic playing.
The bridge pickup has enough power to play some rock & roll, but I personally found it a bit too bright without rolling down the tone knob a bit. That said, these pickups are by no means a modern, high output set, so you will likely need some type of boost if you are wanting to use this position for thicker rock rhythms.
The middle pickup has a nice, mellow, round tone, but to be honest, it’s the position I’ve always played the least on this type of guitar, and the Silver Sky won’t be the exception.
Overall, I love the way this guitar sounds, which is especially surprising for me as I have never really enjoyed how most strat-style guitars sound, as I oftentimes find them too shrill and/or lacking the punch I like to hear in pickups. I don’t feel that way about this guitar. While it wouldn’t be my first choice for something requiring higher gain, partially due to the single coil noise and lower output, I am fairly confident that the Silver Sky would be at home with most tones and genres.
Conclusions and Changes in Perspective
In my humble opinion, the PRS Silver Sky is one of the best examples of a Statocaster-style guitar I’ve had the pleasure of playing. I’ve enjoyed it so much that it's caused me to reevaluate my long held preferences of what specs I want a guitar to have. The neck and fingerboard radius feel amazing to me even though they are the antithesis of the more “modern” neck profiles I’ve gravitated towards for many years. I love the tones on offer here even though I’ve always gravitated towards humbuckers or beefier, Tele-style single coils for much of my guitar journey. And, of course, the overall quality of the instrument is superb, as you’d expect from PRS.
I can honestly say I don’t see myself parting with this guitar any time soon. If you’re a fan of strats and/or John Mayer, this is definitely a guitar to spend some time with if you have the opportunity to do so. For anyone else, I’d say you still should try it if you find one in a store near you. Like me, you might be surprised at how inspiring the Silver Sky can be.
