The new PRS Silver Sky model - a strat that claims the title of bestseller

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRS Strat ?
After PRS captured the target audience of Les Paul fans by releasing the most ordered and sold model today, the PRS Singlecut McCarty 594, pulling a significant chunk of Gibson Les Paul lovers to the dark side, thus taking bread away from Gibson, they decided to also conquer the market of Fender Stratocaster fans, namely fans of alder strats with a maple neck, rosewood fretboard and three single-coil pickups! Renowned guitarist and performer John Mayer was spotted with a PRS strat at several of his concerts a year ago, and rumors spread across the internet that PRS was preparing a new model. And yes, it is true. Ladkorguitars were at the PRS factory on February 2, 2018, and saw prototypes and new models already ready for shipment in the form of a strat, however, it was forbidden to photograph them. The release was scheduled for March 20, but someone spread the information on one of the forums and websites on the internet and that was it... the PRS company, together with John Mayer, decided to speed up the presentation and hold the release on March 5. And now March 5 has arrived, we are happy to lift the veil on such expected news.      

The PRS Silver Sky is the result of a close collaboration between Grammy-winning musician John Mayer and Paul Reed Smith. The creation process of the Silver Sky took over two and a half years - this instrument is the result of the well-known type of strat combined with the quality and beauty of PRS. This model was based on Mayer's and Smith's favorite elements from vintage instruments from 1963 and 1964, which led to an idealized version of a vintage guitar with single-coil pickups. The attention paid to every detail sets this guitar apart from all others. Some of the most distinctive features include the shape of the headstock, tuners, neck and fretboard, bridge, pickups, and electronics.

The guitar headstock is based on the PRS trademark design, but it is inverted, characterizing both Mayer's playing style and preserving the string length near the nut, which simplifies tuning. The tuners are traditional vintage-style (tulip-style like on old closed-type PRS McCarty guitars, but also locking!). The neck profile was modeled based on vintage instruments from 1963-1964, and the fretboard has a 7.25" radius. This provides the most correct feel of the neck in the hand. Like the tuners, the steel tremolo is of a classic design and includes the PRS trem arm and Gen III screws. The bridge on the PRS Silver Sky is set on a flat body in a neutral position, so the tremolo arm only works in one direction - down; if you want to go up - use your fingers, do bends =). By keeping the bridge in contact with the body, the guitar itself sounds louder, which improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the single-coil pickups. The 635JM single-coil pickups are very "round" and "full", with musical highs, without being "earthy" or pushy, in other words, they don't stick out like on some strats.

Other high-quality features include a bone nut, a specially modeled metal jack plate that is curved and allows you to plug and unplug the guitar cable without any problems, knobs, and frets that are slightly smaller than on most PRS electric guitars, and a PRS truss rod (accessible from the front at the top of the neck on the headstock for ease of use). The PRS Silver Sky is presented in four colors with a distinctive accent of the PRS trademark - the lower horn - it has the same shape as all PRS double-cuts.

PRS Silver Sky Specifications 

Body - Alder

Neck - Maple

Fretboard - Rosewood

22 frets

25.5-inch scale length

Neck profile - 635JM

Nut Width - 1 21/32”

Neck Width at the Body - 2 7/32”

Neck Depth at the Nut - 53/64”

Fretboard radius - 7.25”

Inlays - Small Birds

Bone nut

Bridge - Steel Tremolo

String Spacing - 2 9/64”

Locking tuners - Vintage Style, Locking

Nickel hardware

Pickups - three 635JM single-coils

Electronics - volume, 2 tones, 5-way switch

Colors: Onyx, Horizon, Tungsten, Frost

The first 500 lucky ones to order the PRS Silver Sky will receive a limited Hardcase as a bonus, thereafter the guitars will be equipped with a new high-quality gigbag. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Design Philosophy 

1. Body shape: the body shape design started with the PRS DC3 model and was repeatedly changed until Mayer and Paul were satisfied with the overall shape.

2. Pickguard: the pickup design was developed based on the new body shape and was changed several times before it became "right".

3. Neck: PRS measured the necks on vintage 1963 and 1964 instruments that John and Paul had, took what they liked, used PRS neck design technology, and made the best matte neck they possibly could.

a. The neck is a 22-fret bolt-on maple neck with an East Indian rosewood fretboard and small birds

b. Scale length = 25.5"

c. Fretboard radius = 7.25"

d. Frets = PRS acoustic frets, which are slightly longer than vintage frets, but slightly smaller (in height and width) than on most PRS guitars.  

e. Neck profile = 635JM

Nut Width - 1 21/32”

Neck Width at the Body - 2 7/32”

Neck Depth at the Nut - 53/64”

4. Nut: Silver Sky has a bone nut. Everything on the instrument that touches the strings has the ability to enhance or dampen string vibration. PRS used a bone nut on this instrument for sustain stability and guitar responsiveness.

5. Tuners. The tuners are traditional vintage-style closed-type tuners, but with all the PRS adjustments used in this trademark's signature tuners. They have a self-rotating base, brass washers, and a locking mechanism - locking tuners. Sometimes vintage tuners do not work very well - they have problems with tuning, and the design to hold the tuning was not consistent (hence, sustain was lost). PRS adjustments address these problems and therefore are better.

6. Neck profile: the headstock design came from the fact that in Mayer's style, he needed some extra clearance on the outer top side below the nut. What he discovered flipped the classic PRS headstock shape, he got this clearance and a unique take on his signature model. An additional advantage of this design is that it maintains a good string length past the nut, which helps the guitar stay in tune.

7. Truss rod: this model is equipped with a double-action truss rod (PRS double action truss rod), the adjustments of which can be made on the front at the top of the headstock, which, in experience, makes access and quick instrument setup easier.

8. Styling and trademark preservation: Mayer's signature model includes the PRS "feature" with the lower horn. A unique feature of Mayer's model also lies in the colors with interesting name origins:

a. Tungsten - Tungsten (silver) 

b. Onyx - Onyx (black) 

c. Frost - Frost (white)

d. Horizon - Horizon (red)

9. Pickups and electronics: PRS has a long history of naming pickups after the years that inspired their tone. For them, like the neck profile, it was a blend of 1963 and 1964, given the name 635 ("six thirty-five"), from 1963 and 1/2. The 635JM pickups were designed to sound like vintage pickups but use everything PRS has learned to do in modern times. This means:

a. Sometimes the "ice-peaky" sound that single-coils have is made more beautiful and musical with the right highs

b. The signal-to-noise ratio is higher. The intermediate sounds on this instrument come with noise cancellation, while during the sounding of notes, the signal is instead higher. The higher the signal-to-noise ratio, the more difference there is between the actual volume of the guitar pickups and the usual noise and noise for recording a single-coil.

c. There is consistency from pickup to pickup that creates a magical instrument. This is partly because the electronics have a rather high cost and, accordingly, quality.

d. The tone controls are slightly different from each other... The center knob controls the bass and middle pickups together. The rear tone control is intended for the high-frequency pickup.

10. Bridge: The bridge is a steel tremolo that has been completely redesigned. Like the tuners, it is a classic design incorporating much of what PRS has learned over the years.

a. The arm is a PRS design, so it has no threads and has a small set screw that allows the player to adjust the feel of the arm and find a comfortable playing position. It also does not destroy the bridge like some old tremolo designs do.

b. PRS uses Gen III knife-edge screws on the front of the plate that help ensure the bridge returns to its original position.

c. At John Mayer's request, the PRS Silver Sky bridge setup is different from a regular tremolo guitar setup. The standard PRS setup allows the tremolo to rise slightly upwards and of course go downwards. This instrument is set up so that the rear edge of the tremolo plate rests on the body in a neutral position, and the tremolo only works on downward pitch. The reason for this type of tremolo setup is that the bridge is in contact with the body in the "rest" position. This helps the guitar sound louder, improves the signal-to-noise ratio for single-coils.

11. Jack Plate: details are not too small. This part was redesigned to be a cast metal plate that is curved so the guitar cable is easy to plug and unplug.

12. Strap pins: these bolts are standard PRS strap buttons - they are wide, and you do not need straplocks for the guitar to hold firmly on the strap.

As I noted, the guitar will be equipped with a new high-quality PRS case for the guitar's preservation, which will have the necessary pockets for cables and other accessories; it will be good protection for the guitar and it is also convenient to transport.

PRS Silver Sky guitar review

LadkorGuitars is already waiting for the new PRS Silver Sky model in stock, and is also accepting orders, the guitar will be delivered to your hands for only $ 2300 - brand new, straight from the factory! Delivery is possible to any CIS country - Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan,...        

Buy in black 2018 PRS Silver Sky John Mayer Signature Onyx NEW

Buy in white 2018 PRS Silver Sky John Mayer Signature Frost NEW

Buy in red 2018 PRS Silver Sky John Mayer Signature Horizon NEW

Buy in gray silver color 2018 PRS Silver Sky John Mayer Signature Tungsten NEW