As part of my subscription to The Guitar Channel, I had the opportunity to borrow a US-made PRS Silver Sky John Mayer for free.

Being a big fan of both Fender Stratocasters in all their forms and PRS guitars, I was especially curious about this Strat-inspired model. Since PRS isn’t exactly known for making Strat copies, I was eager to find out what this rather unusual guitar was all about.

First Impressions

The first thing that struck me when I picked it up was how light it felt. That’s definitely a plus if, like me, your back isn’t getting any younger! As for the looks, you’ll either love them or hate them (the headstock is still a controversial topic), but overall it definitely looks like a Strat. One thing that surprised me was that the numbers on the volume knob were already worn off. I’ve never seen that happen on a Strat, even on vintage instruments. I’m also not particularly fond of the gray plastic tuning buttons.

The very first time I plugged it in, I found the Silver Sky to be quite bright, especially compared to some of the other guitars I had been playing. (For example, during a live session with Hugo Martin, although his guitar had two humbuckers.)

Once I got back to my studio and compared it directly with several Stratocasters, it became clear that the Silver Sky sounded closer to a Strat fitted with noiseless pickups—very bright and articulate—than to my Fender Custom Shop Strat equipped with Ancho Poblano pickups, which has a much thicker, meatier sound.

Another thing that stood out was the output level. The Silver Sky consistently produced a hotter signal than most of the Stratocasters I tested alongside it. Perhaps the pickups have a different impedance than traditional Strat pickups? Whatever the reason, I consistently measured between +2 and +5 dB more output.

Mesurements

Apart from my first impressions at The Guitar Channel showroom through a Kelt amplifier, I tested the Silver Sky entirely in my usual recording setup. The guitar was plugged directly into my audio interface and processed through my Axiom software. I monitored either through studio monitors or an FRFR cabinet, which provides a playing experience closer to a traditional guitar amp.

I also took the opportunity to make a quick frequency response comparison using the neck pickup of the Silver Sky against two of my Stratocasters, repeatedly playing the same riff. This isn’t exactly a scientific measurement as the riff is played by hand and my playing naturally adapts to what I’m hearing, but it still provides a useful comparison:

 

he measurements largely confirmed my listening impressions.

Compared with the Custom Shop Strat, the Silver Sky exhibits:

• stronger high frequencies,
• less low-midrange and bass,
• and an overall frequency response that is much closer to the Strat equipped with Noiseless pickups, although with a slightly less pronounced bump around 3 kHz.

Looking more closely, I also noticed that the Silver Sky pickups sit noticeably closer to the strings than on my Stratocasters. It’s not immediately obvious in photos, but you can tell by how much of each pickup protrudes above the pickguard:

That may explain part of what I’m hearing. Still, to my ears, the Silver Sky remains a very spanky-sounding guitar.

Fresh Ears Test

Day 2: first thing in the morning, I plugged the Silver Sky into my FRFR cabinet. Wow. Clean tones, slightly boosted crunch, high-gain sounds—it simply sounded fantastic. It’s an outstanding guitar.

Then I plugged in my Strat right afterward, and suddenly it sounded a bit dull! One thing worth mentioning is that an FRFR cabinet placed behind you, like a traditional guitar amp, naturally makes the highs seem less pronounced than studio monitors positioned directly in front of your ears. As a result, the differences in the upper frequencies are less obvious.

After spending more time switching back and forth, my ears adjusted again.

That Custom Shop Strat really is something special. With plenty of gain on the neck pickup, it has so much warmth and body.

Back to the Silver Sky… There it is again. It lacks a little low end compared to the Fender and definitely leans toward the brighter side. The sound is extremely precise, but with distortion it can become a bit too sharp for my taste.

Another interesting observation concerns the volume control: on the Silver Sky, the volume knob is extremely sensitive and noticeably changes the tone. This is much less true on my Fender Custom Shop Strat (even though I removed the treble bleed circuit). Turning the knob just a few degrees quickly reduces both the extra output and the added brightness, bringing the guitar somewhat closer to a “traditional” Strat sound. However, the volume also drops surprisingly quickly, which I found rather unusual.

Silver Sky vs Modern Eagle NF3

To reset my frame of reference, I also compared the Silver Sky to my PRS Modern Eagle III fitted with three NF3 narrow-field mini humbuckers, a guitar I’m very familiar with:

The NF3 pickups sound closer to P-90s than traditional single coils, but I’ve been using Re-Guitar for years to dial in Strat-like tones from them. Interestingly, reproducing the Silver Sky’s sound still required considerably more brightness than I would normally add.

With enough EQ adjustment, I could get surprisingly close to the Silver Sky’s tone—but without the single-coil hum. Long live humbuckers!

Video

Here’s a short comparison between the Silver Sky and my Fender Custom Shop Strat. Once everything is recorded, the differences become surprisingly subtle. Yet while actually playing the guitars, the distinction is immediately obvious!

Conclusion

The PRS Silver Sky John Mayer is undeniably part of the Strat family, but it has developed its own distinct personality, much like its unique modern design. Just as PRS humbuckers are often clearer and more articulate than traditional Les Paul-style pickups, the Silver Sky’s single coils are, to my ears, among the brightest Strat-style pickups I’ve ever played.

That isn’t quite my personal preference, so I’ll stick with either Fender Stratocasters or some of PRS’s more unconventional models.

Without spending time with the instrument, though, I probably wouldn’t have realized just how different it feels. Once recorded, these nuances become much harder to hear. It’s really while you’re playing that the personality of the instrument reveals itself.

So, mission accomplished: subscribing to the Guitar Channel and taking part in this Silver Sky gear tour was absolutely worth it. There’s simply no substitute for being able to test a guitar at home, in your own familiar playing environment!