PRS SE Silver Sky

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In 2018 Paul Reed Smith and John Mayer launched the Silver Sky guitar with much fanfare. After John had left his affiliation with another prominent guitar manufacture he teamed up with and started developing a guitar with the legendary Paul Reed Smith. Now many cried foul as they claimed it was too much of the famed S-type copy. Also many complained that the price was too steep. Although it is pricey one could hardly argue about the quality and sound of the guitar (full disclosure, I own one of these guitars). The Silver Sky certainly fits into and captures the vintage S-type guitar style. It has a bolt-on neck and the three 635JM single-coil pickups capture the S-type sound beautifully. However vintage it feels, it does so while also being modern. The bridge and tremolo system uses a 6 screw PRS steel tremolo. The tuners are of a vintage style but incorporate a locking mechanism. All of these guitars are amazing and have the quality you would expect with a Paul Reed Smith American-made guitar.

This brings us to this week’s announcement from PRS that they will introduce a new lineup of SE Silver Sky models. People have been asking ever since the original models came out when or if they would ever make a more affordable SE model Silver Sky. In 2022 we can finally say yes. I for one am excited about this announcement as it allows for someone on a tighter budget to have a higher-quality guitar that is still somewhat budget-friendly. PRS is known for the quality of its SE models. These models have become fan favorites as they provide a gateway into the world of PRS for those that can’t stretch for a core model. The new SE Silver Sky models will be priced at $849.00, compare that to the American-made model’s price of $2549. The SE models will be available in four colors, stone blue, moon white, dragon fruit, and evergreen. They will only be available with a rosewood fretboard that has an 8.5” radius compared to the American model’s 7.25” radius. The body of the SE model is made of poplar whereas the American version is made of Alder. Another couple of hardware differences that the SE model has is that the bridge is a 2-point tremolo, the tuners are non-locking vintage style, and the nut is a synthetic bone nut. There are other minor dimensional differences as well. The pickups are also different but capture the sound of the original model. I’m sure these models will be difficult to get as they will be very popular.