Maple Sky (SE) (2)

Looks like the PRS SE Silver Sky (maple) is already available at Swee Lee & prices remain unchanged: $1,049.

Pic: PRS

Maple Sky (SE)

PRS has finally announced the official (Summer) release of the Silver Sky SE maple fretboard version. These are available in three colours in the mean time: Overland Gray, Nylon Blue (above) & Summit purple. Hopefully, when these get here, prices won't be too inflated.

Pic: PRS

SSSE @ DGMC

By the time you read this, the PRS SE Silver Sky will already be available @ Davis GMC (waiting to be displayed). Be informed that they are also available at Swee Lee Co & selling fast at both stores. I need to re-visit the SSSE experience before doing a proper appraisal. In person, I deem the red (passion fruit) to be the least attractive in terms of visual appeal. The red here is not a 'fierce' red, it's more maroon than red, I think that's the reason it's not referred to as red per se. 

Pic: Guitar

SSSE @ SL

The highly anticipated PRS SE Silver Sky has made its debut at Swee Lee. You know this is a good instrument with a proven tone performance going for a good price of $1,049. The blue version had been snapped up.

Pic: GW

SSSE

Yes, the PRS Silver Sky will be seeing its SE version soon. Official release date: 11 Jan '22. I've read the specs & will hold further comments till that day comes.

Pic: PRS IG 

Discharge throwback

27th December is a significant date for me as I was discharged from the hospital this day, a year ago. One of the doctors quoted an earlier discharge date & I made preparations for that but it turned out to be a false alarm. I suspected so because the nurses were not aware of it. So my advice to doctors - do not give false hopes to patients. Give them confirmed assurances, not something to perk them up significantly & them having their hopes smashed to pieces because you peddle cheap talk. So I stayed in the hospital for another 14 days till 27th December. Forgiven but not forgotten.

The first guitar I played that day was my Silver Sky. I wanted to hear something calm & soothing with minimal OD & this guitar is more than capable of churning out all that. However, the playing time was cut short because I couldn't feel my fingertips & the skin of my hands & feet were generally bad; they were exfoliating. It got worse a few days after that & I was in no condition to play anything, let alone handle the toothbrush & cutlery properly. So it was time spent with the cat on days thereafter, just lying down & staring into space, quite the duplicate of my hospitalization days but this time it's at home.

My message to you as family members or caregivers of cancer patients - the road to recovery might be tougher as the mental bother sets in; thinking of what one has to forgo due to one's medical plight. Support them as much as you can. Sometimes they need to be left alone, dwelling into thoughts & internal conflicts. For my case, it was dealing with the loss of income & having bills to pay & mouths to feed. 

Final week of 2021, folks. Stay safe. 👍

Silver rose

If you are waiting for some rosewood 'board Silver Sky models to come in, then be informed that Davis GMC has 2 in store.

The tungsten finish you see above & the polar blue which looks more blue than what you see here. 

Supplementary review: PRS Silver Sky (maple fretboard)

Instead of an independent appraisal, this is a comparative perspective of the PRS Silver Sky. The initial review can be found here: CLICK. It’s the rosewood fretboard version & sports the exact details as the maple version, less the fretboard material, of course. I will treat this as a supplementary opinion based on that slight detail difference & focus on tonal concerns.

 

Tone

The Silver Sky maple fretboard (SSMF) guitar has an immediate difference in the top end. That’s right folks, the guitar has a more intrusive treble response making it brighter in all pickup positions. Brighter in a good & usable way of course. The single note definition here is impressive & that applies to the upper frets as well. For those of us who venture into this neck register, things can dissolve into an unpleasant, stubby & muffled sonic manifestation especially when significant overdrive is in use. Simply put, things would mud-out & there’s not much your amp & other external effects could do to address proceedings. So the maple fretboard did its job by preserving definition albeit the extra brightness. The SSMF would entice more soloists into its camp, the chorders among us would resort to the rosewood version for a warmer take on bundled notes. 

 

The other noteworthy detail here is feel. The maple fretboard has this close-grained texture that causes a little fight-back when it comes to movement. It’s a subtle call but those of us who are not speed-prone & take our time with every fretted note would feel a certain fullness / satisfaction when it comes to touch. You’d notice this sensation when you watch Eric Clapton play; he makes every fretting moment sensational & that’s a whole lot of maple under his fingertips. 

Unlike the rosewood version, the SSMF features outline bird inlays which looks classy with a contemporary appeal. This is definitely an aesthetic plus.

 

Conclusion

The way I see it, both the rosewood & maple versions of the SS are awesome in their respective applications. The commercial hindsight would tell us that PRS is making efforts to appeal to the Strat camp in its entirety, not just the rosewood fans. John Mayer prefers the 60s tone & the rosewood SS delivers that in substantial servings. He also mentioned, in one of his videos, that he’s averse to the top end shrill & the SSMF will crash into that territory if one is less mindful of one’s EQ settings. The review model, unlike the rosewood version that I tried, had no technical  issues; nothing was amiss in terms of playability. No bad frets, no set up anomalies – nothing. After the SSMF experience I must say that it’s not a substitute for its rosewood counterpart but a supplement. You can definitely be a fan of both. 

Rating: 95%

PRS Silver Sky (maple fretboard)

• Availability: Davis GMC / Swee Lee Co.
• Price: $2,999 (bag included)

RP

In line with its video showcase, PRS' Silver Sky is now available in everybody's favourite colour - pink. Roxy Pink to be precise. 

Pic: PRS

Sky revisions

Do you you know that, between the initial batch of rosewood board Silver Sky models (the one that came with a hard case) & the current ones (come with a bag), there are subtle revisions? 

1. Frets. The current model sports a slightly bigger set of frets. I couldn't really identify the specific difference while trying one out recently; it could either be a set of wider / taller ones in the guitar. I felt the difference but it's rather subtle. Smaller, vintage type fret means when you bend & exert some pressure to the strings, there's a chance that the strings would touch the fretboard while doing so. 
2. Pickups. The ones now are of lower output. Again, it's a subtle difference but when you employ higher drive settings, the current ones sound more jangly. This would definitely appeal to players who play the SS clean mostly or with a touch of dirt. 

Pic: Mannys

Review: PRS Silver Sky (rosewood)

The PRS Silver Sky (SS) went from a much maligned variation of the Strat to its current reverence as one of the best. Thanks to the conflicting views in cyberspace, I was motivated to try one in person. This appraisal is actually slanted towards discovering how good it really is in its own right as opposed to the Strat-killer status conferred by players who are obviously satisfied with their Silver Sky investment. Could there be any case for concern? 

Construction/ fit/ finish

This is a core model PRS so we enter this appraisal with preceding reverence. The immediate feel here is that of substantiality. Against a typical Strat, the SS is not too far off in terms of weight. Strummed unplugged, the guitar gives off an amazing resonance with a little treble suppression that sounds pleasing. The neck profile is a substantial C but nothing overwhelming like a 50s take. The body has a typical Strat feel to it so if you are indeed a Strat camper, it would not be a departure. 

The SS headstock had been the controversy since its debut but it was designed this way to address the endorser’s quirks. We note that the lower cutaway mimics that of a Strat since John Mayer angles his fretting hand at the lower frets rather often & the clearance was for that intention. This is the reason why the headstock looks stunted compounded by the fact that it’s a reverse design as opposed to its other PRS siblings. More importantly, the headstock, despite the inclusion of locking mechanism, balances out with the body very well so there is no placement issues when played both sitting down on strapped on. Every detail here is nothing short of a custom shop standard but as reflected in the price tag, it remains affordable while being in the higher bracket. Top marks for the SS in this department less the rattling hardware at the headstock. It’s not an anomaly but the locking mechanism for all six tuners were not tightened. I have no idea what happened along the way but it’s something that was addressed quickly. Oh, that curved input jack plate – nice!

Rating: 89%

Playability, tone

The SS sports a C-profile neck carve that is not overwhelming like some 50s era Strats; it sits nicely in the hands with a full grip. The edges are rounded off well so it gives a nice purchase for players who take their time with every note and the ones who tend to play fast. I am not alluding to a shred-type character but it is possible for that application. The audition model has a very well-conditioned fretboard but there were pale streaks at the bass side edge around the 5^th – 7^th fret area. The frets here are definitely non-vintage; I deem them as medium profile. These chord nicely and facilitate fast movements especially past the 12^th fret. 

Down at the body cutaways, the treble side horn was carved out to facilitate higher notes access. There is no breakthrough design in that aspect but PRS had been very mindful in giving it a very scooped profile with generous chamfering. The blocky heel at the flip side features rounded corners as well so all these add up to a very pleasant playing experience for players from various music genres including the more aggressive ones like yours truly here. If you missed it, the body attaches to the neck at the 18^th fret; one higher than the average Strat. How’s that for maximum playability? 

When the SS debuted, its control knobs & selector switch tip were considered as downright ugly. The knobs look unsightly with those taller domes & the flatter selector tip is rather distasteful. However, under playing conditions, the knobs lend themselves to better grip with regards to the extended height design. Ditto the selector tip. If you are the Malmsteen type who frequent the controls & selector almost all the time with ravishing fervour, these are worthy inclusions. For the rest of us who are not, the chances of having a sure grip / handling on these are definitely higher. There is a negative element to highlight for this particular model & it’s a fret issue. Notes buzz & choke out at the 20^th – 22^nd frets. A closer look reveals no component anomaly; no scratches, dents or uneven fret surfaces to manifest this complication. However, the string saddles over at the bridge do not conform to the fret radius curvature. This might be the issue. It’s rather disturbing how this escaped QC before the instrument left the factory but hey, these things happen. I hope there’s no deeper concerns that would actually relegate this particular guitar as a factory second. I do not think this is part of the PRS philosophy especially so when they saw sub-standard end products into half before trashing them – yikes!

 

Moving on to the most worthy part of this appraisal – tone. The SS is equipped with the signature 635JM single coils. 635 here is actually a mid-way reference to a 63 & 64 tones from his Fender experience (hence 63.5, get it?). Mr. Mayer’s overarching concern with Strat tones is the fact that the pickups do not manifest desirable tones in all combinations. His particular dissent was the number 4 position (neck + middle single coil combo) where the quack totally destroys the excellent individual performance of each pickup when activated as a combined effort. Having heard the SS in person, I must say that these pickups are simply excellent in all available selections. The bridge single coil in particular, does not manifest that edgy, shrill tone in clean mode. It is also a first for me, hearing very adaptable tones in positions 2 & 4. The absence of nasal voicings when two pickups are activated simultaneously in these combos makes for a remarkable playing experience. For the sake of this appraisal (possibly an individual agenda, come to think of it), the 635s were made to go through excessive gain settings (heavy distortion & cascading drive) and they fared well, way above expectations in fact. So there you have it folks, possibly the most accomplished Strat-type performance ever manifested without going into boutique territory. The overall tone manifestation of the SS is that of a charming midrange, thanks to the rosewood presence lest we forget. Great clarity in both clean & dirty settings – the SS has plenty of those. The only killjoy here are those problematic upper frets as mentioned previously. I did not let that anomaly get in the way of a deserving tone appraisal. 

 

Rating: 92%

Conclusion

I am neither an ardent John Mayer fan nor a single coil devotee; these are simply not my thing. Signature products tend to have a partisan leaning towards the endorser pre-requisites which have very little appeal to many of us in terms of utilitarian needs. The single coil’s lack of bottom end lends itself to being a specialist in a particular genre appeal on most occasions. The SS changed all that. It is a big thing for people like me who tend to stick to whatever that works for our personal intent & avoid venturing out of our comfort zone. Then the SS came along & gave a wakeup call of sort for us to put things into perspective. Let’s be firm here – the SS is not a Strat despite harbouring details of one. It is a very clever interpretation of the single coil tone which others have done excessively but failed to appeal in a wholesome way. While playing the SS in person, it’s very difficult to stop when every single pickup selection hold its own when it comes to tone; you just want to keep going & hear the different tones in action without being jaded to the ears. Folks, the SS is priced wisely if that is your concern – value for money. At $2,999 you could be buying the Fender American Pro with spare change & comparable performance all round but you cannot get that 635JM tone appeal. This price point is also below what a Suhr or Tom Andersen would be asking for when a boutique Strat-style experience is the call of the day. The SS sits nicely in between with lots to offer in terms of playability &, once again, tone. I wish the upper frets issue was absent during audition time & it’s the only factor that prevents it from getting an OTT rating here; I am simply putting things in perspective; it’s all well understood, yes?

 

Final rating: 89%

PRS Silver Sky ($2,999 @ Swee Lee Co / Davis GMC, bag included)

Likes

• Playability
• Well-balanced construction
• Upper fret access
• control knobs & selector switch (promotes grip)
• Pickups

Dislike

• headstock design could have been more appealing
• choking upper frets

Pics: PRS / Gearnews / Guitar

No silver lining

We were out for dinner yesterday & had the chance to try out a PRS Silver Sky (rosewood 'board version but not the colour you see above). I tried one before not too long ago, it was the initial shipment, it came with a hard case. The SS currently comes with a bag. What's the motivation to do so? I wanted to try the current version because it features two revisions by the manufacturer which were not disclosed unless you handle the instrument in person & hear it in action. 

Anyway, the first one I handled yesterday had rattling hardware but I gave that the benefit of the doubt; maybe they re-strung the instrument & did not tighten the locking hardware over at the headstock. The action was also high. The greater concern here was that notes choked out at the 20 - 22 fret area across all strings. A quick neck sighting did not reveal any warping issues. High action & notes choking out - not a good sign. The subsequent one displayed similar issues; notes choking out at the same fret areas plus a string saddle radius that did not match the fret curvature. I suppose that if this was looked into, it might be a better playing instrument.

So I left the premises feeling a little down because my expectations of a PRS guitar is very high. I own a core model & a few S2s & those had no playability issues. Also, these instruments are not entry level models, they carry the brand reputation. I'm not giving up on the PRS name yet, we understand that such issues are minor concerns & could be addressed by a little set up & attention to details. Some rotten apples will definitely not rot the entire barrel. 

Pic: Mannys

Price watch (17)

When everything is on the rise, the PRS Silver Sky is currently down to a sub-$3K price tag. These used to be listed for $3.2K & if you are price-watching for a while, you'll know why this is the case. Just a reminder that the Silver Sky is available at both Swee Lee & Davis GMC.

SE SS?

Interesting leak by Black Smith showing the possible existence of the PRS SE Silver Sky. There were suggestions / speculations last year that the Silver Sky might see an SE iteration. So when this was 'accidentally' surfaced just a week ago it just deepened the belief. Looking at that body outline, the SE version is lacking in accuracy at the treble side cutaway. Don't be surprised if the headstock ends up looking like the standard PRS design instead of the current reversed version. Anyway, if you are interested, Black Smith strings are available at Cristofori Music School.

Pic: GW

PRS 2021: Lunar Ice

New for 2021 is the PRS Silver Sky Lunar Ice iteration. It's another flip flop body finish but done for the maple fretboard model. They did the Nebula version for the rosewood fretboard so this variation isn't a radical move. If you are interested, only 1,000 units are made for international distribution.

Pic: PRS

No sky

I've been saving up for this one. That's right, folks. Since they did the maple fretboard version with the outline birds inlay, it made my consideration list. I simply prefer the flushed headstock-fretboard look. Now that the pandemic had turned for the worse & cash could be put to a more objective use in the mean time, this one is struck off my list. More importantly, a price hike of $300 is simply the deal-breaker. 

Orion mesa

These two gorgeous looking PRS Silver Sky models are now available at Davis (Left: Orion Green/ Right: Golden Mesa). It would be some time before you see a fresh batch of PRSes appearing at Davis GMC. Many companies today are facing labour issues due to stop work orders from the country's respective governments. It's an emergency situation for many of us but if you think you are in a position to buy, just go for it.

Sky colours

These are also in stock at Davis GMC but they are moving fast. What I like about The Silver Sky is that, despite being a signature model, the price remains realistic, in fact, it's lower than majority of the core models. In this upright position, I just feel that the headstock design is darn retarded.

But in this playing position, it makes a lot of sense. More importantly, I would like to thank Davis GMC for inviting me to try one in person (I tried the Tungsten finish). 

Shades of Silver (Sky)

Four new colours for PRS' Silver Sky model this 2019.

So a touch of colour variation to entice the masses. Awaiting official NAMM news to know if it's just fresh colours to the fold or other revisions included. 😎

Silver bolt

There was a buzz not too long ago in cyberspace about these two- uncanny resemblance, brothers from different mothers it seems. The PRS is quite out of reach to many of us, the Kiesel on the other hand, is a grand lesser & we know it's not a class below its counterpart. I wouldn't mind spending good money on the latter but its rosewood fretboard disqualifies it from being a good export here. Oh, well...