PRS Guitars John Mayer Silver Sky • SN: 190279019

John and Paul's main goal in designing the Silver Sky was to make it so that each and every guitar had similar vintage mojo. So, Paul dissected what made a couple of John's favorite '63s and '64s so special and tried to incorporate what he learned into the build. As a result of this historical research, each Silver Sky is imbued with serious classic vibe. Speaking from personal experience, I (Trevor, the resident Wildwood Web Scribe) have played a ton of Silver Skies since they came out, and each one has had the same sort of vintage-accurate tone. Achieving such incredible consistency from guitar to guitar is truly a wondrous feat of modern design and engineering!

So, what is this vintage sound that Paul and John found? Well, for starters, each pickup has a round, warm personality. They sound smooth and glassy when you play softly, but the glass breaks and becomes sharp and cutting when you dig in. Each pickup is also quite clear, with excellent balance and an articulate attack that captures every detail of your right-hand technique. Having such a wide dynamic range with such impeccable clarity makes for a remarkably expressive playing experience!

Specifically, the bridge pickup has tight, taut low-end to go with chirping midrange and glorious bell-like jangle, sparkle, and clang in the highs. The middle position is full and balanced, with beefier lows and broader, meatier midrange to go with sunny chime in the highs. The neck pickup is quite Hendrixian, with robust, full-bodied lows along with righteously smooth highs and throaty, vocal midrange. Though you could certainly find similarities between the Silver Sky's tone and the tone of Mayer's Strat-toting hero SRV, the Silver Sky is its own animal. It trades a little bit of Texas heat and barbecue bite for a bit of East Coast refinement and elegance, and the results are lovely. Even though it draws its inspiration from classic sources, the Silver Sky has unique, special flavors in its sonic cocktail.