This guitar is one that slowly sneaks up on you and then refuses to leave your hands.
On paper, they feel familiar, but the execution is pure PRS. You’ve got a 25.5 inch scale length, a bolt on maple neck, maple fretboard, and that vintage 7.25 radius. When I first picked it up, I won’t lie, that radius took a little getting used to. If you’re coming from more modern, flatter boards, it can feel almost exaggerated at first. But after spending real time with it, something clicked. Now it’s actually what I prefer. If your style of playing involves wrapping your thumb around the low E string, the Silver Sky might be for you. That vintage 7.25 radius follows the natural curve of your hand, making the thumb-over technique feel that much more comfortable and effortless compared to a flatter, modern neck.
The build quality is exactly what you would expect from Paul Reed Smith, and then some. Everything feels intentional. The fretwork is flawless, the neck carve feels perfectly thought out, and the guitar feels solid without ever being stiff or heavy. I have played many of these in guitar stores and at buddies’ homes over the years, and I have yet to find a duller guitar in the bunch. PRS is known for that insane level of consistency, so you know exactly what you are getting every time you pick one up.
And then there are the pickups. The mad scientist Paul Reed Smith himself didn’t just design vintage style single coils and move on. He actually unwound legendary vintage Fender pickups and studied what made them special. These pickups have the glassy top end, the woody low end, and the in between positions are absolute magic. You get sparkle without harshness, clarity without thinness or as Paul says “Ice Picky”, and a dynamic response that reacts more to your hands than your settings.
If you prefer a thicker, more mid forward tone that cuts through the mix as opposed to the more mid scooped, hollow “cluck” of a traditional Fender, the Silver Sky provides that extra body while keeping the highs smooth.
The PRS Silver Sky is incredibly well made, sounds unbelievable, and once you get comfortable with that 7.25 radius, it’s hard to imagine playing anything else. It is vintage inspired, but built like a modern Porsche. Love or hate John Mayer, there’s no denying this is a great guitar.