Guitar Gear Forum

Can't think of a guitar that's gotten more hype and hate in the last decade than the PRS Silver Sky. I've stayed away from them because I already have a few nice Strats, and I'm not a huge fan of the PRS that is sitting in the closet (SE Tim Mahoney). While on a recent guitar safari, I got the opportunity to check out a Silver Sky (maple neck version) at a music store in Spokane, WA and was kinda blown away at how much I liked it. I've never really jived with PRS neck profiles, literally painful for me in some cases, but this one feels way more familiar, more "Fender" I guess.

Fast forward a couple weeks; I'd seen the last 5 Dead and Company shows and was just floored at the tones and guitar acrobatics that Mayer was throwing down with his prototype PRS SS. Total fan boy at this point. I know I'll never play a Dumble, and most PRS stuff is out of my comfort / price range, but I figured I could get an SE or a Core and get a similar instrument to what JM was playing. GAS ensued, and I found this gem on Reverb, a stock 2019 with plastic still on the pickguard. I don't know that it had ever been played until I got it.

I guess it's technically a Strat in the loose sense of the word, but I feel like most Strats are plinky and thin, which is not a bad thing, especially into a fuzz or a tweed amp (sorta mandatory for my rigs). This guitar is bassy and full, without any harsh ice picky tones. Just real glassy and powerful. The frets are tiny, vintage style, which it turns out I love because I'm not pressing notes out of tune with my stupid meat hooks. I don't really notice the radius while playing, have no problem getting full minor third bends anywhere on the neck. I doubt I'll ever use the trem. I like how it is fully decked from the factory and even when bending notes, it never lifts off the body. The 3 per side headstock is a lil trippy because its not symmetric like a Gibson and the 3rd string tuner is "farther away" than the 4th, but once I'm tuned up, it no longer matters.

I've got an Alembic blaster and a Mannmade string tree on the way to make it more like the prototype JM was playing, which are a nod to Garcia's Alligator Strat, but even in it's stock form it slayed in my setup at our beach gig this weekend.









Need to work on my Mayer O face.




Oh, and I remember reading complaints about it coming with a gig bag instead of a hard case, but this bag is freaking DOPE!

yeah these guitars are seriously good. Mayer really did a killer job designing this. His previous sig model with Fender was already among my favorite Strats but the SS really took it to the next level.

Oh and I am all for a good gig bag instead of a hard case. My hard cases pretty much sit in storage. Gig bags are much more useful to me these days.

That’s awesome man, I bet it’s killer. I may cave and get one eventually, I’m a big fan of both of my PRSs. It’s funny to me how (even Mayer aside), PRS has transitioned over the past however many years to being pretty prevalent in the jam band scene.

I'm not a fan of Strats, or Mayer, but I periodically think about getting one of these anyway.

congrats, those or the SE's have been on my radar

Hell yeah bohrther


PRS is life and Mayer gets the juices flowing


Congrats!!!

Thanks yall, I dig this thing even more each time I pick it up.

I love this thing. I said it on another forum.

I like that he opted for the "reverse" headstock on these. The Fiore is also neat. Makes me almost wish I played with more than one sound

MacaroniSalad wrote:I like that he opted for the "reverse" headstock on these. The Fiore is also neat. Makes me almost wish I played with more than one sound

A close friend has a Fiore. It’s sex. It’s on par with some of the best USA made Charvels I’ve played. I’d love to get one.

greatmutah wrote:

MacaroniSalad wrote:I like that he opted for the "reverse" headstock on these. The Fiore is also neat. Makes me almost wish I played with more than one sound

A close friend has a Fiore. It’s sex. It’s on par with some of the best USA made Charvels I’ve played. I’d love to get one.

Don't tell me that. I had made up my mind.



Also, Did you make it to Peppa World?

MacaroniSalad wrote:

greatmutah wrote:

MacaroniSalad wrote:I like that he opted for the "reverse" headstock on these. The Fiore is also neat. Makes me almost wish I played with more than one sound

A close friend has a Fiore. It’s sex. It’s on par with some of the best USA made Charvels I’ve played. I’d love to get one.

Don't tell me that. I had made up my mind.



Also, Did you make it to Peppa World?

I did. My kid LOVED it. Just a big indoor playground for him to run roughshod through.

congrats. im usually always bashing the birds but on this guitar im actually digging them

greatmutah wrote:

MacaroniSalad wrote:

greatmutah wrote:

MacaroniSalad wrote:I like that he opted for the "reverse" headstock on these. The Fiore is also neat. Makes me almost wish I played with more than one sound

A close friend has a Fiore. It’s sex. It’s on par with some of the best USA made Charvels I’ve played. I’d love to get one.

Don't tell me that. I had made up my mind.



Also, Did you make it to Peppa World?

I did. My kid LOVED it. Just a big indoor playground for him to run roughshod through.

Yeah it was cool. At first when I walked in it was definitely a bit of the Joe Pesci “what the fuck is this piece of shit?” Vibe but we all had a good time. Did Legoland and the Aquarium too.

Upon getting within a couple hundred yards of Motor City Guitar the power went out for the whole block so I couldn’t go check shit out.

MacaroniSalad wrote:I like that he opted for the "reverse" headstock on these. The Fiore is also neat. Makes me almost wish I played with more than one sound

Dude I remember trolling in the HCAF days saying how much cooler so and so's PRS would be if it had a reverse headstock

I still giggle.

Great review and congrats on the guitar!

MacaroniSalad wrote:I like that he opted for the "reverse" headstock on these. The Fiore is also neat. Makes me almost wish I played with more than one sound

Apparently there was quite a bit of thought put into the "balance" of the guitar, including the headstock. If they used the standard PRS shape, it made the guitar look top heavy because the upper horn of the body and top of the headstock were both extended. The reverse headstock counteracts the upper horn and balances the whole thing. Somewhat related, the lower part of the pickguard (where the controls are) follows the same shape as the upper horn.

Nerd alert!

itchyfingers wrote:

MacaroniSalad wrote:I like that he opted for the "reverse" headstock on these. The Fiore is also neat. Makes me almost wish I played with more than one sound

Apparently there was quite a bit of thought put into the "balance" of the guitar, including the headstock. If they used the standard PRS shape, it made the guitar look top heavy because the upper horn of the body and top of the headstock were both extended. The reverse headstock counteracts the upper horn and balances the whole thing. Somewhat related, the lower part of the pickguard (where the controls are) follows the same shape as the upper horn.

Nerd alert!

That makes sense. It would almost make it look like the guitar is leaning, like a Balaguer Thicket or Suhr Modern sort of. But being "reversed" it maintains a sort of balance.

Wow, I love it! At first I wasn't too sure about these but now I'm sold on the looks. Beautiful axe!