Are John Mayer's Silver Skys Truly The Same As Ours?

This one will be interesting....
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[@TomoFujitaMusic]

I enjoyed your video. Do you know what pickups in John's Black One? I know it but I can not say!

[@brandonlash3629]

Hey Tomo. Love to see you in the comments!

[@JustinJeske]

Thank you Tomo!! I have a hunch but am not 100% sure! 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@ecomicro]

Most likely based on a fender pickup haha. Good to see you here tomo

[@getup2nite]

If I guess correctly, will you confirm? 👀

[@Paul-D]

Interesting you feel you can not say? Its a set of pickups not top secret CIA stuff haha

[@mihneasechely]

I don't think he "singled out" the PRS used in the ballad version of Last train home because all the other times he's not using stock models, but because that arrangement, as the instagram post says, gave the guitar more space to breathe, and it was basically full of guitar playing without anything else drowning it out, so it was a perfect time to point out that what you hear is what you get in the store.

[@jeffrey.a.hanson]

Him and Paul Reed are both notorious ADD obsessive tinkerers. Put them together and there’s no way they’re not testing out new, minute adjustments on stage. Brad Paisley changes pickups depending on the damn sound check…guitarists can be insane.

[@user-do2ev2hr7h]

Yeah, I don't think this is probably so much a case of him getting "ringer" models per se so much as it is the ones he's using live probably always being one iteration ahead of the current retail versions. It's not like they haven't made several running changes to the Silver Sky so far.

[@taylorpaulmusic]

I bought a 1st Gen Tungsten in late 2018. It's been my main recording and live guitar since. I'm intrigued by the bigger frets and different pickups on the new ones and would like to try one. I'm sure he's mostly playing new prototypes or one offs. I still believe we are getting closer to the real deal with PRS stuff than we were with Fender. Good content man!

[@keithremedy]

I’d agree with that... these SS are the first signature guitars I’ve really enjoyed and every one I’ve played I’ve liked. I own a early onyx & a later release dodgem & they’ve tended to get more play & gig time then my vintage strat & that says a lot having been such a big fender only guy for so long

[@riffraff1350]

Agreed. The Fender BLACK1 production models were ridiculously different from Mayer's personal guitar.

[@lexist7]

The 2018s are special. I have one in red

[@misterknightowlandco]

@@riffraff1350 those were basically a standard strat with his pickups in them lol

[@riffraff1350]

​@@misterknightowlandco It's pretty rare when signature models are anything but a standard Strat with a different color/pickguard combo. Still, those weren't even his pickups. The real ones in Mayer's Black-1 are hand wound. The ones in the signature are just typical Fender crap with a mid-scoop.

[@jennifermay134]

3 years ahead 👏 This is a really insightful one, thanks Justin!!

[@ThePandaProcrastinates]

It makes sense he would use a slightly different/modified model sometimes. He probably is constantly evolving his sound, and with PRS has the ability to tweak as much as he wants. I prefer this, that means the Silver Sky will continue to evolve with it. For his Silver Sky's I am sure they pick the "best" one on the production line to add those tweaks or to send him stock. This work out well for us. It means that the consistency in the models is very good, so they could just choose one. I have seen some very dark rosewood (almost ebony) stock silver skies.

[@janjakovljev]

Awesome video as always Justin! Keep up the good content, Cheers from Croatia!

[@adrianhjordan1981]

Pretty much agree with you here. I think you're basically spot on that he plays guitars that are testing the next evolution, however I do think those changes eventually trickle down to the production Silver Sky. I think he basically has the equivalent of a Private Stock Silver Sky, though that is very different from the Fender situation. I don't think it's a bold claim to suggest that a stock PRS Silver Sky is closer to a Fender Custom Shop quality than USA Production, so it makes sense to me that John might actually use the same spec we can buy (prototyping new features aside). Personally I love my 2021 Silver Sky (Dodgem Blue) and can't think of anything I'd change. Actually what I'd most like to see from PRS is their take on a T-Style guitar!!

[@CorbCorbin]

For how much they cost, I’d rather invest in someone building me a guitar. On the actual topic, Mayer slightly changes pickups and pedals he uses so often, it’s just not believable he uses the stock guitar. He has the money and clout to have any guitar tweaked while on the road or in studio, if he’s just not quite getting the tone he wants. It’s obvious he just used it for that video, but it’s not unbelievable that he has used stock ones other times. I remember the ones selling for over $10,000 at that NAMM show, when they were being introduced. I mean, he could have any Strat he’s loving in the moment be rebuilt for him in the Silver Sky style, just keeping the guts the same. Not that I think he does this; but how many luthiers wouldn’t build him a guitar just for the exposure?

[@Ottophil]

What Id most like to see from prs is an ibanez rg

[@Seriouslycantplayguitar]

Surprisingly interesting here, love the videos. It sounds like the guitar is always "close" to what John is playing, but like you said he is constantly messing with something, typically pickups or electronics. I think some players might switch out the pickups themselves as well, which is kinda like John has his own custom Strat "platform" that people can buy at any major guitar store which is really cool, I think most other factors being even outside of minor tweaks. unfortunately I do not own a silver sky to tell you if I would do so myself.

[@daoyang223]

Its the same with strats. The ones you buy wont shred like Yngwies. Something I learned from a dude who owned a guitar shop

[@Zoso7227]

I’ve often thought of this as well as the same for athletes shoes. Great subject 👍

[@janniswiese]

Great video, well done Justin! I think it's great having John and Paul in close contact and always pushing the development of the Silver Sky. On the other hand, this doesn't make the production Silver Sky bad at all - PRS basically is a Custom Shop anyway and the quality standards are so high there's not much difference from one Silver Sky to the next. While there have been sightings of Silver Sky bodies in Private Stock, I don't think there are big differences to the normal assembly line. They use the same wood (even if more 'spectacular'), same CNC machines, same glue, ...

[@danielvelazmusic249]

I got the moc sand satin, the one you got. It is a lot warmer than the first production models and the neck is thicker. I love it

[@JG-np7qp]

John has stated in videos that he wants to eliminate the “unicorn” theory with gear. In reality, he could make a $100 dollar guitar sound great. I don’t think it matters. Meh.

[@riffraff1350]

He could make it sound great but not as great as he could if it were a quality instrument. Everything is relative.

[@brunodejemeentrar1593]

yh ans with a 200k bucks amp

[@xTheNameisEthan]

I think it’s a lot more about how the instrument feels, I have a 300 dollar Stingray and I like it but I picked up a 2000 dollar music man the other day and was blown away at how good it felt to play, it wouldn’t make me play better but it certainly felt a lot nicer to play and the instrument sounded better

[@jamesf2918]

That is one hell of a video title. Great video. You do good work.

[@JustinJeske]

Cheers James 🙏🏻

[@TubaSteve369]

This is 100% accurate. I've worked at fender, takamini, ovation, charvel, and Washburn. This is exactly how research and development is done in the field and then the information is brought back and put into production for the stock models.

[@Jzap44]

I own a ss from 2019 with a very flamed neck, didnt intend on buying one but when i saw that i immediately bought it and love it. From what i understand the new pups are more like the blk1, i do prefer the ones modeled after the 64 though. For future skys, id like to see the reintroduction of onyx with gold hardware. Also i purchased my ss from Guitar Resurrection in Austin tx where the owner also said john boughy 4 alembics lol

[@moose5206]

You could create 100 more videos on Silver Sky’s and I’d watch every one of them. Part of my reasoning and push to finally get my 21 Polar Blue SS, was you and the gear lounge review videos and in depth conversations about them. Cheers from CA.

[@JustinJeske]

Ha well I'm sure I'll have a few more coming out in the soonish future!! 🙏🏻

[@deletechannel13]

Nice vid! I sub. It would make a lot of sense that John never plays production models on stage, just prototypes. He's got to have the prototypes and play them live before they become production models because he's designing the silver sky. Whenever the new ones come out, the only point of replacing the prototype with the production model would be to say "Look! It's really the production model!" At the end of the day, he's taking those prototypes out to test them and to think about how to better design the guitar. It's not like most guitarists playing their signature model but secretly changing out the pickups or something like that, because the goal isn't to sell a cheap production model while the artist upgrades it for their use. The goal is to create the best possible production guitar and leave no stone unturned.

[@JustinJeske]

I 100% agree! Thanks for the sub 🙏🏻

[@ayoung246]

Definitely agree with your assessment, I have a 2021 midnight rose maple board and absolutely love it. Can’t compare to earlier models as it’s the only SS I’ve played. I would expect John’s guitars to be slightly different, he’s going to get the best of the best from PRS and any personal tweaks, the guy is a perfectionist and he and Paul have spoken many times about constant evolution. We have to accept that and enjoy the fabulous stock guitars PRS make for us fans and players

[@daniels.3818]

Dude, found your channel recently and wanted to tell you great job, also it's funny, but I too have an Olympic white JM strat, and a satin moc sand silver sky lol. I'm sure we aren't alone in owning that combo but I just thought it was fun we had the same ones.

[@JustinJeske]

Great minds think alike my friend 👌🏻

[@thegreatbeyond9063]

Great stuff as always Justin!... Ive recently (4 days ago) done a 'Blender mod' to my strat..... with a 'no load' pot so it can be set to be totally stock sounds when disengaged, but then the 'all three' and 'Tele' sounds are available when required with the blender. With some of the sounds Im getting I think some of the Sob Rock guitar sounds are made using this!!!. And, as an old touring backline and guitar tech, I think we would be a little foolish if we were to think JM and Rene Martinez aren't tinkering with some of his SS's to make them even better. I really think you should try the Blender mod as I have described it, as having the complete set of sounds that Strats are capable of just seems to be something everyone should do!... If you like yourself some Strats!.. ;)

[@Nigel-ie6gy]

I’ve just taken delivery of a Sob Rock pink silver sky ( when it was unpacked ) made on my birthday with an incredible flame maple neck 👍🏽👍🏽

[@iansoileau9150]

FWIW the roxy pink one had a big backlog post pre order, felt like guitars were actually shipped out far later than announcement (relatively)

[@samnewton5959]

I have a friend who says the pickups were changed on the 2020 models. There does not seem to be any way to confirm. As you noted, PRS seems to be vague on the subject. I personally do not own a Silver Sky but have been looking to get one. I appreciate your vid.!

[@user-bj5cy9uk3s]

First comment on KZbin since perhaps I started utilizing this platform 14 years ago, I just couldn’t help myself with this one - I thought this video was more thoughtfully created than what the title suggested. I appreciate your challenge to the assertion that we are all playing the EXACT same model as JM would play on stage and live. For reasons you alluded to, such as the continuous QA/QC and R&D process that PRS as an organization has AND what JM/PRS himself go through together, its more likely than not we don’t have the same access to the exact prototypes or models that Mayer himself has access to. Logically, it’s a reasonable conclusion and a fair assessment. That’s a) a perk of being John Mayer and b) probably an agreement between PRS and John about the longevity and life cycle of this model. They’re in a competitive business, they have made a very controversial instrument that to many, not everyone, has challenged the status quo and is at a relatively fair price point then what you’d be able to find at the big F and other brands. I will say, and as an owner of a 2019 rosewood SS as well as a 2020 Maple SS I call out my own bias, I can accept that John probably gets the most exclusive or unique models. That’s completely fine with me as an owner and supporter of the brand. Based on my socio-economic status, I only compare my or other ss with competitors at a price point congruent or above the price point of the SS. In every case I’ve personally come across, there is no competition. The SS wins every time. I can’t compare with JM’s SS and I don’t find it useful to do so. I do believe the Manufacturing process, QA/QC, and quality of materials is so consistent in my experience that the consumer is actually getting a better product then can be found new/used in the price point range we’re dealing. And if JM is receiving improvements before us, I do believe in the insatiable desire of PRS to bring any improvements to market and to consumers as soon as practical. More forlorn about the fact I can’t access the amplifiers he uses, which I for one think has much more impact on his sound . But as you can tell, I’m a biased and bought in PRS fan so take all this as subjective experience.

[@JustinJeske]

I totally agree with you. Those amps make the single largest difference any piece of gear of his will to his tone. Getting a Two Rock was the single biggest leap into attempting to recreate John's tone I've experienced and it isn't close.

[@user-bj5cy9uk3s]

@@JustinJeske most certainly! Overall, really appreciate the video and the approach. Keep making content that’s thought provoking! Nice job!

[@CityStarrzz]

The fact that he plays a bunch of different ones to inform the standard is great though, because it means the standard always improves and makes the entire range look like a better buy.

[@AntonioLopez-wv8pj]

I have a 2021 Moc Sand Satin. I love it. Neck feels great, very smooth. Do you think they will do another limited run for NAMM like they have done the previous two years?

[@jacobvieira1338]

Its widely known that some of the most famous guitarists had ghost builders or at the very least techs on hand to go over their guitars and make them night and day from an off the rack guitar

[@dontassumemyfender9866]

I agree with you. For me, him going out of his way just to say that the one he was playing in that particular video was stock is a giveaway. If they were all stock, there isn't any need to say it. I like JM but I'm not the biggest fan. I do remember a story(I think I remember 🤦‍♂️) about him falling out with fender because they wanted him to have fender amps on stage even though, the sound would have been coming through his dumble that would have been hiding backstage. He felt it would have been lying to his fans. So if that is correct, the PRS thing falls within that same category. Great videos, dude. Just found you. Now having a binge! Happy holidays from the UK.

[@Livelaughlimpbizkit]

This guy posts John Mayer stuff I would have never, ever thought about but is so fascinating when you find out

[@darkestfugue]

id like to see a silver guy with dots and some transparant finishes

[@potterman83]

I would love an SK with HSS configuration... Hope that happens some day

[@BrianElliot]

I'd be down for an HSS Silver Sky. Maybe with pickup splitter?

[@guusverschuuren8495]

That’s not something prs would release in the Silver sky range under john’s name. He never uses strats with humbuckers

[@budgetguitaristcom]

Cool video and cool channel. I'm a huge Strat fan, and I've seen JM live 3 times (Sob Rock tour most recently) and he's definitely got killer tone. I'm sure he probably gets the pick of the bunch and probably an additional "attention to detail" setup. Personally, I don't like the Silver Sky - the neck is too fat for me. They sound killer, though.

[@andyr8805]

Wow, talk about detail! 😁 I don't think it realy matters but it's surely fun watching this stuff! 😊

[@guitarstring5981]

Thank you for contacting PRS Guitars. The PRS John Mayer Silver Sky has seen little change since its inception. A full nitro finish began in January 2020. The fret wire changed from .045” X .085” (original), to .055” X .090” (slightly taller and thinner-October 2020). The basic specs for each year are below. 2019--Alder Body, 25.5” scale length, 22 fret maple neck, rosewood fretboard, small bird inlays, steel tremolo, 635JM treble, middle, and bass pickups, one volume & two-tone controls with a 5-way blade pickup switch, vintage-style locking tuners, nickel hardware, premium gig bag • Neck profile: 635JM Finishes: (Toned nitro finish on necks), Onyx, Horizon, Tungsten, Frost, Moc Sand, Golden Mesa, Dodgem Blue, Orion Green 2020--Alder Body, 25.5” scale length, 22 fret maple neck, rosewood or maple fretboard, small bird inlays, steel tremolo, 635JM treble, middle, and bass single-coil pickups, one volume & two tone controls with a 5-way blade pickup switch, vintage-style locking tuners, nickel hardware, premium gig bag • Neck profile: 635JM-R (rosewood fretboard) 635JM (maple fretboard) Finishes: (nitro finish), Dodgem Blue, Frost, Golden Mesa, Midnight Rose, Moc Sand, Orion Green, Polar Blue, Tungsten 2121--Alder Body, 25.5” scale length, 22 fret maple neck, rosewood or maple fretboard, small bird inlays, steel tremolo, 635JM treble, middle, and bass single-coil pickups, one volume & two tone controls with a 5-way blade pickup switch, PRS vintage-style locking tuners, nickel hardware, premium gig bag • Neck profile: 635JM-R (rosewood fretboard) 635JM (maple fretboard) Finishes: (nitro finish), Dodgem Blue, Frost, Golden Mesa, Midnight Rose, Moc Sand Satin, Orion Green, Polar Blue, Tungsten, Roxy Pink (in rosewood fretboard only) I hope this information finds you well. We appreciate your continued support of PRS. Have a great day,

[@JustinJeske]

Few things we can all take from this. 1: The said "full nitro" which is different than what they suggested it was with the "Nitro over Cellulose" wording. I believe it thought, my Satin MS is rather fragile in its finish. Actually nicked it pretty good right after shooting this video lol. 2: They are clever enough to disguise all the pickups as being called 635JM's when we know for a fact the pickups are different in 2021 models. They might still be 635JM's by name, but not 100% the same. I wonder why they never just did changes all at once. Cause you can get very interesting overlaps with the changes around 2019/2020/2021 years. My pal Tommy who sold me his Satin SS, got a Gloss Moc Sand with the 2021 pickups as one of the very last ones they produced as a backorder. So a 2020 finish technically with 2021 specs. You could get a 2020 one with the V1 pickups and the new fret size if you got one made between October 2020 and January 2021. Pretty rare combinations actually are out there.

[@guusverschuuren8495]

This is what they told me about the pickups🤨: Thank you for contacting PRS Guitars. To my knowledge, there have been no explicit spec changes regarding the Silver Sky pickups between 2020 to 2021. Any changes to the specifications of these pickups has been done to retain the sound initially sought out by Mr. John Mayer and Paul Smith. Ultimately, there is nothing exclusively lower output about the pickups for 2021 models, and we do not offer any service on changing the sounds of these pickups. Achieving that iconic John Mayer tone could have more to do with turning knobs and/or using a nice big, clean amp! Let me know if you have any further questions! All the best, Weird choice of words. Seems like he isn’t allowed to tell anything

[@Diax1324]

@@guusverschuuren8495 Sounds like cold-war level secrecy. I bet PRS is doing everything they can to out-do Fender at their own game and don't want to explicitly make it easy for pickup makers to cop their tones.

[@samroney6644]

@@Diax1324 Doubt it. PRS SS isn't even a pimple on Fender's ass in strat sales and never will be. The only reason for the SS was to get Mayer to play them on stage.

[@JustinJeske]

@Sam Roney you say that, yet the SS outsold all US Fender Strats last year combined. Hardly a “pimple”

[@handle433]

It’s like when Clapton first got his signature models. After the prototypes which were red and (two) pewter, he had 22 fret necks put on them. He then had a custom shop version in black with a flamey neck, built by Michael Stevens. The main difference between them and a commercial version was that Claptons guitars were built by the custom shop, but to relatively the same specs. You can see the difference on the 24 nights dvd, 1990 he has the pewter Strats and 1991 he has the black one with the crazy neck.

[@PedroLopez-sg2bu]

He gets dibs on the best wood available to build the guitar. Premium rosewood that looks almost as dark as ebony. Most signature sold are lesser versions of what the artists actually play

[@riffraff1350]

He's on record saying he doesn't have a #1 anymore and plays a lot of random Silver Skys. Besides, the ENTIRE POINT of partnering with PRS was to create production s-style guitars that are as good as vintage Fenders with mojo.

[@JustinJeske]

@RiffRaff he said that yet he had a #1 for the 2019 World Tour that literally had a "1" on the back of it, and has pretty much only played Sob Rock 1 & 2 this whole year. He still has number 1 SS's cause he plays the same ones most of the time.

[@riffraff1350]

​@@JustinJeske I heard something to that effect but at the same time, the footage I've seen from the 2019 tour shows him playing at least four different Silver Skys.

[@JustinJeske]

If you watch footage from the Asia Leg he pretty much always played Mesa Gold as his no. 1 for that leg. Come NA and Europe the MS Satin pretty much was used 80% of the time, he said it was his favourite SS as well. Few other colors were thrown in here and there. Like the Gloss MS was set in E flat as well for Heart Of Life. Even though the BLK1 was his main strat for years he still played a lot of different ones.

[@Carguyeight]

I have a '19 Moc Sand Gloss and I love the way it feels to play but the pickups I go in and out of liking, they can almost sound shrill to my ear at times, I am very eager to try a newer one with the lower output pickups. I like how they are tweaking and updating the SS as time goes on.

[@kcave23]

I have owned both and you will def love the lower output pickups. They perfected them imo bc I had the same issue with the first few years.

[@TonyLondonUk]

Awesome vid, remember last year a photo of SE silver sky west viral, has anything else been said about if it was true ?

[@JustinJeske]

I haven't heard anything at all. Maybe the Pandemic played a part in the delay of the release (if it is actually a thing). If I do hear anything I'll keep you guys updated! 😎

[@tomyates2551]

Great topic Justin. Couple of thoughts: I don’t know if it was just down to the recording but I wasn’t that massively impressed by tone in that Ballad LTH home video. Particularly the outro solo. It was a bit… lacklustre. Which perhaps wasn’t the greatest advertisement for these ‘100% stock’ silver sky’s. Also, the argument about John saying the silver sky’s we can buy are what he’s playing on stage and the authenticity of that statement is interesting given that (as one of the rumours goes) he left fender after they wanted him to make it seem like he was only using Fender amps on stage. But what you say about how it’s likely to be mainly just a lag between what John’s playing and then what’s released to the public makes sense. Hearing about the three year timeframe just makes me want to joke about how “yeah, cause that’s just how long it takes PRS to build and ship them”, but I think that’s maybe a tad harsh given how COVID is still delaying supply chains around the globe. Still, how many months has it been since they announced Roxy Pink? Loads and they still aren’t in stock (in UK anyway).

[@shankrl1]

The Ballad solo tone was incredible lol what are you talking about

[@JustinJeske]

I'm with Tom on the thoughts on the tone from the Ballad. I didn't like it really at all. Thin and dull are the two ways I'd describe it the more I listen to it haha. You throw the rig he used for LTH live in Henson Studio for that solo and it would blow it away. Hell the live tone as it is I prefer. And as a result I think it's more of a knock against his amp setup honestly, he is missing the TR and Dumble DNA from his sound and that is a massive portion of his tone. But tone is all in the fingers..... 😉. Yeah PRS has been behind even before the pandemic with production it seems like, my Nebula was quoted months away from the start before it all happened. Now it's just insane. Approaching Two Rock wait times and they are a much bigger company which to me is honestly rather ridiculous. I didn't order a Roxy Pink because of the quoted wait times on them that I heard from dealers. By the time I got it, the Sob Rock era would be half done and I wanted one to get through the whole era with haha. The only other thing to keep in mind I guess is that the Silver Sky outsold all USA made Fender Strats this year on Reverb. That's just crazy... shows how much of an impact this guitar has made and how the model is now such a big part of the story of the guitar itself. So for them to have to keep up with that level of demand is also something I don't think they ever expected. But they need to get ahold of it and start catching up cause you shouldn't have a guitar COLOR that is announced and have to already wait 9 months for it when you order on the first day possible.

[@tomyates2551]

@@shankrl1 I just found it a little thin compared to what we usually hear John solo with.

[@DavidRuiz-fv9ek]

I think a point you are missing is the guitar tech he has access too compared to us mere mortals who do our own work. This makes a big difference on how his guitars play compared to what you get off the shelf. Along with direct contact with the man himself and his staff, it is silly to think that what you get at Guitar Center is what he is using.

[@riffraff1350]

The point is that everything he plays CAN be turned into a production guitar. With Fender that was impossible.

[@adamkrug6064]

@justinjeske have you tried the 2023’s silver skys? I just A, B’d a whole bunch of silver skys and all the 2023 sounded may more open and expressive than the 2022 models

[@jonasjacobsen9702]

I think his main Silver Skies are probably private stock made and not stock American made. However, as you said there are many times where it seems like he plays American made and lately I've even seen him use the new SE Silver Sky on stage as well.

[@vesnakamenecki3470]

John Mayer is awsom,Genius♥️

[@AnkurWow]

At first I thought this was an excuse to make another John Mayer-related video, but it ended up being more insightful, nuanced, researched, and educational than expected...

[@karl07777]

I see your point. So John Mayer being a geek and modder of guitars he is constantly in the R&D process and so his work horses are prototypes for next version of mass production. Whereas say, Eric Clapton rarely mods his guitars any more so when he uses his non master built signature blackie on stage it does actually have the same spec with the ones that we can have. Whether they are refined by luthier is another story as with all signature stuffs.

[@bryandrewong]

The current silversky uses 3 piece bodies. I'm assuming JM is pretty specific when it comes to the details, wood for example. His probably has matching 2 piece bodies.

[@zitnbit]

But I guess for us still prs silversky is the best choice to get JM-ish tone. Right?

[@etidancal]

Something else to consider, because we all think about the type of guitars, pedals, gear, wires, etc. This guitar is being played by Mayer, it is going to sound incredible and even better than we can play it even if any of us takes his current guitar and gear. Personally, i don't get too worried about it, I have a Fender Strat that of course modified to look like the NOS BLK1 and i try to get his pedals but i also can't get his amps, we all do what we can.

[@TheEmptySki]

Just sourcing the magnets or the wire for the wind would make them basically impossible to recreate identically from production run to production run. Custom winds are probably shaped as they are spun (with, like, ridges in the wind). I'm quite sure Mayer often plays 'newer' prototypes and is constantly testing new materials, new metals, new magnets, new woods, etc. Wouldn't you, if PRS was willing to dedicated a team to fulfilling every whim, every fleeting idea you had?

[@211squirrel]

I live nearby the PRS factory and know quite a few employees. They pride themselves on the quality of their production instruments and the signature models are truly to the artists’ specs. The artists can literally go to any music store, pull one off the wall, and feel right at home. Now, JM may be testing stuff constantly, but I think it’s misleading to think of those test guitars as “different from spec,” in the perspective of “unobtainium.” The difference is related to testing, not that the artist is “receiving something special.”

[@riffraff1350]

Perfectly said.

[@MetallicA29]

@Michael this all day long!!!

[@baldbearded9601]

He said it multiple times before that one post too. I think this is reaching a little bit. He's got nothing to gain from lying or omitting something.. and he was never shy to praise his one off Black1 before the PRS switch, so I'd say if he says it, it's true. And he's been saying this for 2-3 years. Of course he gets prototypes before the public, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't play anything asode from the prototype. But is his silver sky the same as you'd buy in a store? Yes, he plays it stock. And obviously his technician does his job, so he looks regularly to make sure it doesn't need a setup. I'd guess that's pretty much it in my opinion!

[@newgunguy4176]

So, basically, we'll eventually get whatever he's working on at any given time. That's pretty obvious since he's always improving something...

[@leandershah1617]

First view! Haven't watched it completely yet but I'm sure it's going to have valuable information :) love your videos, made me build a massive rig to get the tones!

[@RobSmith-rn3ie]

Well it sounds like whatever he's playing will eventually become stock. We should be grateful he tests the future models on stage to get the future mods just right. This is a good thing!

[@Chilinoploopy]

I want newer model ss. I have a 2018 in frost. But the only way I'm buying another ss is if they bring back the onyx color. I'm not a pup nerd so I could care less if it sounds different or the same as my 2018. I just like the other updates on the new models.

[@riffraff1350]

Then sell the pickups to me!

[@hairnation68]

No Artist I’ve seen plays stock signature model of their own guitar. They are given select made models.

[@captain4420]

I’d love to see and SE model

[@purushswaminathan5693]

you mean 'your' silver sky. we're still struggling to pay those klarna payments on our classic vibe🤣

[@paulcowart3174]

I kind of commented on this about Mayer sounding just like the studio cuts Hope that's not truly the case He is just a great guitar player....Well hey yes he plays with the Dead so that can't possibly be the case right ?? I owned a couple early early DC:s One was even signed Wish I still had them Amazing tops AAAA stuff man

[@BartholomewCounty]

The truss rod covers are different, but if you want to swap your SE triangle for the correct 'oval' of a John Mayer signature Musician's Friend has them for $12.99.

[@dansands6363]

Just because he’s playing prototypes with minor tweaks and changes doesn’t mean that he’s playing some hand crafted private stock model that would be worth a few grand more. Pretty sure PRS could get sued if it’s somehow found out they he’s using a private stock grade when he’s telling everyone this is the same guitar you or I could buy.

[@cartajulian1]

Yes it is..the tone is in your hands

[@riffraff1350]

Meh. Humbuckers will never sound like singles. Hardtails sound different from trems. Short-scales and 25.5"s... etc, etc.

[@Chaseracing]

You just described guitar evolution. It’s been this way forever. One should never make the mistake of thinking the road used guitars are the same as the guitars the consumer gets. Rarely is that ever the case. Yes - products are road tested for years if the artist actually cares. Once the product works, it makes it into a guitar if it can be done cost efficiently. Also - most artist modes started life as a “master built”. This is how guitar manufacturers entice the artist to use them.

[@spicybison]

You know darn well he covertly put Fender custom shop pups in some of them.

[@HenrikMoos]

I know very little about John Mayer, but if you look at other of the big guitarist’s and if they play stockmodels? Nope they don’t. Look at Jim Root he played his signature pickup’s from emg years before you could buy them. He when through lots of versions. They all do that. Some of the things that they have done to their guitars would make the guitar imposible to sell do to pricing.

[@jd20sredd]

It's insane to think that anyone that's endorsed would choose use a "regular" version when they could have master built ones instead. That's like saying "Hey, so we have a million dollars we can just give you" and you just saying "Nah, I only need ten thousand."

[@DaveSwart]

5:30 “I never chested on you… last year.” Huh?

[@jameswilson1628]

Just get a half decent strat with close specs. It’s the wizard not the wand.

[@CNCTEMATIC]

Yeah, if they freely admit the silver sky is under constant development, that pretty much answers the question. I didn't know that btw, it was launched as the 'finished product' of years of research, I only knew there were new finishes and maple fretboards, not changed pickups etc and least of all the shape of the neck! Takes away any confidence I would have had that you can buy the guitar Mayer uses

[@mastermachetier5594]

I'd like to see a nitro version. Its the one thing holding me back. I just love how nitro finish wears and if I am spending over 2k on a guitar its gonna be nitro

[@NolanDerosia]

I'm pretty sure the new models are nitro. PRS switched to nitro last year for most of their models.

[@hunterbursey]

yeah dude they are all nitro now.

[@JustinJeske]

They are Nitro!!

[@mastermachetier5594]

@@JustinJeske I bought an American original a couple years ago sigh ….. now I need a silver sky time to save

[@purushswaminathan5693]

also the lighting at his shows are great. so the average drab moc sand or frost white or black looks nebula-esque while yours or mine in our little apartments, meh😂

[@BlakeSchroederIndy]

They are stock for JM. They are stock for him as PRS sent to him.

[@AtypicalPaul]

I'm surprised the silver sky guitar has plastic tuners

[@colinpadley1897]

I've got a 2019 SS, now I know why I don't sound like John Mayer! 😃

[@allenhayesmusic]

I imagine John’s SS is more Private Stock and less PRS factory production.

[@JustinJeske]

There have been Silver Skys that have gone through the Private Stock route that you can't actually order my buddy J just let me know. So I assume some are for John or other friends of PRS!

[@riffraff1350]

​@@JustinJeske That's weird. I've talked to PRS and they've told me they will make you any guitar you can dream up as long as the specific features you want were on a previously made model. So, anyone can get a custom Silver Sky, say, made out of swamp ash with a McCarty-scale neck in Mary Kaye white, if you're willing to shell out the money. They'll even allow you to hand pick the specific wood blank in the factory library if you want.

[@eddiesidorov8635]

So we are getting "stock" silver sky's, just a few years after him :)

[@MY_MIND_ACTIVATED]

Do you SS owners even know that you dont have a standard (250k) volume pot value ? It is modified to get around 250 and 300k (i think its precisely around 280k) Thats a huge difference in tone and it is combined with .100uF for both tonepot

[@frankiedrocks765]

Oil your fret board, it'll darken.

[@American-Dragon]

The biggest takeaway is that mayer is chasing the tone dragon

[@arielinzunza]

Its obvious that John will be trying out spec tweeks constantly on stage. Is the overall quality of the guitars he uses “better” than stock models? Apparently not. I think that’s what he meant on the Silver Sky introduction video

[@MetallicA29]

Bruh...weird flex to say he doesn't play the same gear you can buy when he's just road testing. Different to me than what he did at Fender.

[@Livelaughlimpbizkit]

Does he ever actually play any of the strats now??

[@JustinJeske]

Rather rarely now. Pretty much the BLK1 and 64 are the only two I really expect to see for the foreseeable future. They were the only two that got any stage time during the 2019 Tour. I expect Sob Rock to be 99% Silver Sky's on tour.

[@phowell333]

My personal opinion is that all artists play guitars with unique features - special wound pickups, among other things. The Silver Sky's best features are the pickups - everything else is kind of "cheap" feeling. My bet is that his personal SS guitars have unique pots, tuners, and the same balanced, but hotter, pickups. With Dead and Co. this summer he played both his Super Eagle and a Silver Sky, which are miles apart. PRS is making a killing profit-wise on the Silver Sky...cheaper production costs (solid painted finishes only, plastic tuner pegs and knobs, NO CASE) and one of the world's most popular player's behind it. I can't imagine what cost-savings features are left for the hinted upcoming SE version.

[@vladzubac5360]

completely agree - no artist uses the exact same production model - woods are better - as you mentioned: flammier maple, dark indian rosewood fretboards (some silver sky guitars come with brazilian rosewood from the looks of them - very light colored brown). The different pickups is not a big problem - the amp does most of the work for the John Mayer sound. people still believe pickups are the ones that count the most - which is true to an extent, but amps are the most important and ovferall quality of the instrument (wood, caraftmanship, etc). I bet you John's guitars have better finished fret-ends, even the neck angles and so on are a bit different from the production model. If you watch closely in the videos, the guitar looks flatter (don't know if it makes sense). It's just like if you watch a Gibson Les Paul standard vs custom shop. You can see that the top is flatter and the fretboard is not that high from the body). SO yeah. A lot of on guitars are different from the production models on mostly every artist signature guitar. Great video!

[@wayneharrod9363]

I think if you like the guitar play it. The production models may not be exactly what he is playing everytime . I think some of what he was saying though is that prs silver sky out of the box is great. But he also may have certain set up tweeks he does to his that are maybe not the the stock factory set up . Be blessed rock on .

[@pcruth]

It’s set up differently, and he has a half million dollar amps. That’s the difference.

[@riffraff1350]

To be fair, the average player would get exposed and sound like complete shit on those amps.

[@OokisMcFlookis]

I don't think it makes sense to play stock guitars if you're still iterating on the model. If you're still trying out new things and trying to improve, as he said, the best way to do that is to try stuff out on stage

[@waynepayne864]

I mean it kind if is. Just add 3 years. Hes playing the 2024 stock model rn

[@potatoheadhaoy]

I think it's safe to assume many artist signature models are not perfectly consistent with what you see them play live. Not just because artists get special treatment or whatever, there's many variables due to them being built en masse. There's prototypes, lot variation, personal mods... shit, even the "same model" can differ due to things like pot tolerances. My two cents: get a guitar because the specs it has suits your needs, not because of the name. Chances are you'll be disappointed if you do the latter, and furthermore, why would you want to sound like someone when you can sound like yourself!

[@jamesnelson1443]

I’m willing to bet his touring pickups are NOISELESS!!!

[@limerot]

Another storm...in a wateglass...

[@Allison_Chaynes]

Just buy a Strat

[@chrisking6695]

I mean if course his guitar isn't the same. We all know that as guitarists we always mess with our sound. We can't stop. Every time we approach the finish line it somehow grows legs and runs away from us and we have to chase it again lol.

[@YMESYDT]

I appreciate his drive to create, but the fact that I've tried five different SS's and had vastly different opinions of each is frustrating to me

[@phowell333]

The points you make also apply to Apple, I'm sure. Whenever a new iPhone is released, for example, a few million are sold. I can't even imagine how long it takes to physically manufacture millions of phones; but I wouldn't be surprised if the next version goes into production almost immediately after its predecessor is released. I am guilty of always wanting the latest and greatest of certain things (usually guitar gear and computer stuff), and this has become a part of our culture. Mayer and PRS are doing it in plain sight - because they have to for an aural/tactile device.

[@afterjoe3042]

I'm a firm believer that tone is in the gear. However, I also believe that if I played through John's rig, I'd sound like me, but if John played through my rig, it would sound like John (maybe because I copy his gear.....)

[@RobertNolan]

He was recorded playing through a cheap Epiphone and Roland combo amp, sounded just like him. It's in the hands, but the gear helps focus the control.

[@JustinJeske]

Yeah but the tone in that clip though sounded like absolute crap. You can sound like yourself always due to your touch and feel. But you can’t make up for crap tone which comes from the gear. John sounded like John playing through an Epi Les Paul and a Fender Cube amp lol. (He wasn’t playing the Rolland). Sounding like yourself and tone are two totally different things that make up the overall sound imo.

[@RobertNolan]

@@JustinJeske it's never an absolute 100 or 0 percent thing, sure, but a good player knows what to use and how to use it, which arguably supports the "tone is in the hands" suggestion. Motion to replace it as "tone is in the player" instead? Also, does Fender make a Cube amp? I'm only aware of Roland having a Cube line of amps. Did you mean Fender Champ?

[@RobertNolan]

@@JustinJeske they're both in the video with an absolute birds nest of cable on the floor, it looks like it could be a solidstate Princeton 65 or 112... maybe a champion 40.

[@JustinJeske]

Yeah I meant cube as like the tiny ass little Fender haha. At the very start of the clip it looks like the cable as it moves is pulling towards the Fender. Not totally sure what that is. I agree, it's 100% a combination of things. I do think a lot of people discount the gear way more than they should though out of some stubborn mentality or something

[@phishphan5732]

He’s John Fucking Mayer, his guitars are all built in the Private Stock shop, with the top of the line materials, period. We are mortals, and get production shop runs.

[@riffraff1350]

The entire idea of the Silver Sky is to create production models of guitars Mayer likes. It would be pointless for him to test guitars that were impossible to replicate.

[@colinparks619]

"I'm gonna have to buy it" what a load of crap lol, who you think you kidding John lol😅