PRS SE Silver Sky

[Shoeless_jose]

About John Mayer he's way more admired in blues circles than for his pop hits.


The John Mayer Trio and his live albums are sweet but yeah his playing appeals to the people who would be wanting to spend however much a core model costs.

 

[Emperoff]

Japanese models are 8.5 (or at least the last musicstore run was).
Regular USA model is now 9.5 (american performer series), as are the mexian (player series).

50s vintera strats are 7.5 and the American 50s are 7.25.

HMM (their Charvel knockoff) is 17.

American Ultra series are a compound 10-14.

Thank you. Now I know which strat to get if I ever want one. 10-14" Sounds like a totar winner being used to 12-16".

 

[Dumple Stilzkin]

Stone blue is a nice look - I forget what american professional came in similar, but good lord it was nice on a tele deluxe.

I suspect these will do well.

I stupidly sold my hollowbody piezo this summer and want an S2 of that next

Hollowbody PRS are the bee’s knees.

 

[budda]

Hollowbody PRS are the bee’s knees.

A forum buddy of mine has a 2021 HB2 and said it rivals his previous private stock builds. He goes through guitars quick so I may need to give it a new home.

 

[Dumple Stilzkin]

A forum buddy of mine has a 2021 HB2 and said it rivals his previous private stock builds. He goes through guitars quick so I may need to give it a new home.

Another bucket list guitar right there, I love my se HBII so much. Gotta get the next tier up. Maybe once I graduate.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I know tone wood discussions are tabboo in 2022 but does the use of poplar not irk anyone? Low-cost variations of alder bodies guitars are aplenty.

Fender used poplar on a lot of Strats, both MIM and MIA, in the 90's and that's around the time Mayer started playing them, so it's likely both a nod to the guitars he used (and collected a bunch of) in his early days as well as a cost saving measure.

 

[budda]

Another bucket list guitar right there, I love my se HBII so much. Gotta get the next tier up. Maybe once I graduate.

Had I sold mine state side I would have almost doubled my money. But i did not want to ship.

 

[Kyle Jordan]

Thank you. Now I know which strat to get if I ever want one. 10-14" Sounds like a totar winner being used to 12-16".

The Ultra also has a D shaped neck and a 43mm nut. It’s the best Strat they make currently IMO. Only needs a pickguard and plastic parts swap. A Floyd would be nice too.

 

[Dumple Stilzkin]

@budda Sometimes it’s just not worth the trouble. I get that.
Sometimes I think I’m in the minority on this forum, I actually like having different radius and feet wire size. Variety in your gear is fun, this message was brought to by a person who owns 3 ESP brand products.

 

[Kyle Jordan]

@budda I actually like having different radius and feet wire size.

12” radii?

 

[Emperoff]

The Ultra also has a D shaped neck and a 43mm nut. It’s the best Strat they make currently IMO. Only needs a pickguard and plastic parts swap. A Floyd would be nice too.

Holy shit they have a contoured neck joint? TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS, NOW!!!

It's probably the first time I've gassed over a strat in 10 years

EDIT: @Kyle Jordan https://www.thomann.de/es/fender_am_ultra_luxe_strat_hss_fr_sb.htm?ref=prod_variations_411081_6

Floyd Rose and painted headstock for ultimate blasphemy

 

[Dumple Stilzkin]

12” radii?

Wait, what? One is a 7 and the radius is just shy of 14, the 6 bangers are 12. But the the PRS are less. I have one with a 20” too!!!

 

[Halffarmer]

People have absolutely no idea about wood prices and seem to judge "tonewoods" by the prices companies ask for their guitars (mahogany expensive because gibsons are expensive, basswood cheap because ibanez gios are cheap and so on) but poplar, at least in the dimensions needed, is almost as expensive as ash.
I think the reason they went with poplar is the density.
PRS seems to use rather light alder for their silver skys but it is easier to get lighter poplar because it has a lesser mean density then alder.
So i'd say yes, they are doing it to lower costs but not because the wood is that much cheaper but because they save time sorting for lighter boards.
(Source e.g.:
https://forestry.ca.uky.edu/extensi...economic-contribution/delivered-timber-prices
https://www.bellforestproducts.com/exotic-lumber/prices/
)

I just don't know what to think about the tremolo but it's probably fine (or at least directly replaceable with something else)

 

[Accoun]

poplar, at least in the dimensions needed, is almost as expensive as ash.

TIL. So why it's all over very cheap guitars?

 

[Drew]

TIL. So why it's all over very cheap guitars?

You could say the same with basswood too - not an expert on the former, but on the latter there's some pretty wide differences in quality, and there may be a variety of poplar that's fairly cheap but not as nice as spme pf the nicer stuff halffarmer is referring to.

 

[eaeolian]

I did not know that. But the regular model is 9.5?

Yeah. Fender design decisions make my head hurt.

 

[Kyle Jordan]

Yeah. Fender design decisions make my head hurt.

That’s why I love and laugh at the American Ultra. I imagine this conversation:

FMIC employee 137: “Let’s make a genuine Fender Super Strat, but we can’t make it too obvious.”

FMIC employee 208: “We can put an ugly pickguard and plastic parts on it and a Charvel neck!”

Janitor: “Wouldn’t the neck be too obviously Charvel?”

FMIC Head of HR: “Shrink fretboard the radius by a couple of inches?”

Everybody in the bathroom: “BRILLIANT!!”

 

[ClownShoes]

Charvel should just be rebranded Fender modern. Use the Charvel name on the custom shop stuff.

 

[IwantTacos]

people in the prs group going nuts over the alder.

if there was only a similar guitar with different wood you can buy for your champagne tastes. If only.

 

[Adieu]

So... it's a Korean strat with bird inlays?