Review : PRS SE Silver Sky
PRS SE Silver Sky in Summit Purple
Yes I know, another PRS SE review. Couple of reasons. First, they are in stock and available. Second, they are consistently great guitars. Third, as I write this in November 2024, PRS has marked down all SE guitars by 15% until December 31, 2024 and the price is reflected right in the store. No coupons, no secret codes, no mail in fore rebate, just a real live discount. Moving on.
The PRS Silver Sky made a lot of noise on its first release because it was designed and built in conjunction with John Mayer. I own one of the original Silver Sky guitars, and like all PRS models, it has evolved over time. My guitar’s pickups carry no JM nomenclature and that doesn’t change anything for me in terms of playability. I bought it brand new because I like the feel (mine has a rosewood board - maple was not available until later on) and the tone. And while it was priced similarly to my Fender US Ultra Stratocaster, they are not too alike, and that is a good thing.
The only issue with the US built Silver Sky, beyond the shitty gig bag that is included, is a very high price, higher than a Fender US Ultra II these days. Fortunately, the operators of the PRS SE business brought an SE version of the Silver Sky to market that is a great guitar, but priced for the rest of us. This review is made possible by the fine people at The Arts Music Store. They have supported this channel for years and are a great guitar store. If you have not done so, you should check them out. They have a solid online presence, ship Canada-wide and have lots of guitars in stock.. Buy your next guitar there and you will not be disappointed.
Specifications
I copy these direct from the PRS website, because things change over time and I don’t want to retype stuff that is already usable.
First Impressions
The first thing I noticed unboxing the SE Silver Sky is that the included gig bag is grey unlike the brown gig bags included with the other SE electrics. Otherwise it’s the same. Fine for carting the guitar around in safe conditions, or driving to lessons. But if you are using public transit or taking your guitar to jams or playing a gig, my recommendation for a reliable gig bag with neck support and good padding is the Profile PREB906, about $75
The next thing is how nice the Summit Purple paint is. It’s a subtle purple, not like a 1970’s muscle car purple that I would prefer and not metallic or pearl like the paint on the PRSE SE NF3. Finish is superb, and of the colours available, I would pick this one.
The Summit Purple version has a maple rather than rosewood fingerboard. As the recently reviewed PRS SE NF3 had a rosewood board, I am glad that this guitar came with a maple fretboard. Overall fit and finish is excellent and as is in keeping with every PRS SE I have played in the last year or so, the fretwork is immaculate. There was a tiny bit of relief in the neck and that is easily adjusted using the supplied tools. I did reduce the relief a bit as I prefer a straight neck and adjusted the action down to suit me. The factory strings were clean and smooth, and labeled PRS 10-46. I think that we all know that PRS does not make strings, and while I know who their supplier is, I have agreed to respect that relationship by not talking about it. Very nice strings and while heavier than I would install myself are quite comfortable on the Fender like scaled neck.
The vibrato was stiffer than I might set up, but that’s better than sloppy and even if I reduced the tension a bit, I found that the bridge vibrato system holds tune well and while it looks like a 50’s Fender vibrato, it is a two post system instead of a six post system, and I personally prefer this because I often use the arm very subtly, trying to get the right Jeff Beck tones.
Playability
Sample Sounds
Picking an amplifier for demo tones is always a challenge. I want to convey accuracy from the guitar, but also want to use an amp that the guitar really works with and as any player knows, not all guitars sound great with all amplifiers. I also want to take into account the reality, that big loud tube amps are no longer the standard. DSP amplifiers sound good, and can be used at bedroom volume as well as for gigs. There are also guitarists who don’t use amps at all, going for computer based amplifier simulations. Some sims are really good. And then there are the other ones, that make your ears cry.
Thus and in light of a channel followers question about anything that sounded like a real AC30 without being a real AC30 I decided to use my Universal Audio Ruby 63 for the recordings. Plus most of the tone demos that I have heard used a Fender or a Marshall amp.
Wrapping Up
The SE Silver Sky is a very nice guitar. I would say that Fender’s colour palette as you would find in the slightly more expensive Player II Series is a lot richer. The PRS SE Silver Sky colours are, in my opinion, kind of bland, regardless of whether you choose the rosewood or maple fingerboards.
If you want to get yourself an SE Silver Sky, please consider buying from The Arts Music Store, either live in person or via their online store. They help me get units to share reviews with you and I would appreciate it if you choose to support the store. And you will not be disappointed.
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