Are John Mayer Strats Still Worth Buying After the PRS Silversky? | 2005 Fender Shoreline Gold

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📚Description: John Mayer is currently a PRS signed artist, but before the Silversky's debut, there were the Fender Signature models. Are these still worth buying today or should you just go for a silversky?
Personally, I think it depends if you want a tried and true strat and what era of a John Mayer fan you are. This was a nice limited edition stratocaster, but more so a collector piece in my opinion at this time since a Silver Sky will run you half as much. I really like the Silver Sky model but I can understand that die-hard fans would prefer the originals!
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[@gdawgs101]

I refuse to believe that Trogly has had no idea of how big John Mayer is all this time...

[@af39585]

You could tell me he had never heard of John Lennon and I’d believe it. The man knows about guitars, not music.

[@stratman9449]

who is he...??

[@crucifixgym]

I wish I was that lucky

[@the_old_desperado]

FINALLY THE FENDER CONTENT WE'VE BEEN CRAVING, WE'VE BEEN DEPRIVED FOR SO LONG TROGLY!

[@winston67]

You can tell he hates talking about Strats lol

[@bradconklin2878]

Well, I do believe he's primarily a Gibson guy...

[@jasonbates2687]

I would take this over a silver sky anyday.

[@teddnagurski5583]

Why?

[@GerryBlue]

I was about to write the same thing. Why? Because the SIlver Sky is a copy of a Strat, I'd rather have the original.

[@jasonbates2687]

@@GerryBlue I have a fender strat and a PRS SE and I prefer my Les Paul. lol

[@steveparish9210]

Oh my silver sky your my sunny day 😊

[@benallmark9671]

Without a doubt.

[@spotmfd9431]

I bought a brand new sunburst John Mayer Fender strat for around $1100 on clearance when he announced that he was switching to PRS. I bought it as it was about 700-1000 dollars off regular price. Turned out to be a great guitar, love the sound of the pickups.

[@benallmark9671]

Score !

[@TeensierPython]

Wow. Wish I could score a deal like that.

[@renegade44040]

The instant I heard sound come out of that strat I knew it sounded different.

[@Temseegee]

It sounds the same to that red one to me😅

[@216trixie]

That little cutaway in the pick guard for the truss rod is hilarious. You're not getting any tool in there.

[@ChrisShortyAllen]

There is a specialist tool.. Not for girls.

[@216trixie]

@@ChrisShortyAllen I don't think so.

[@07blackdog]

IMO, the distinctive PRS headstock on the distinctive Strat body is VERY tacky.

[@stratman9449]

it just doesn't FIT...does it...??

[@karmadave]

I used to own a JM Signature in Sunburst. The gigbag it came in wasn't just any softshell case. It was made by a company called 'InCase' who makes backpacks and other computer accessories. The guitar was OK, but not good enough to keep...

[@brianphelps1183]

Love me a Strat

[@8CountAudio]

I bought this model in this color from GC in the spring of ‘06. Coming from a ‘90s Tele, I had to adjust to the thicker neck. I’ve always found these pickups to be unique versus stock Stats, and on-par with boutique pickups-scooped, beefy, and clear

[@pepmasters-999]

The rosewood fingerboard is beautiful. I find that colour really boring for the finish on the body. Ash with sunburst is my preference for a strat. The sound didn't blow me away.

[@oceantree5000]

Hot damn. Best-sounding Strat bridge pickup I’ve ever heard.

[@Samueldonovan2007]

Try the dimarzio fs1!

[@td7426]

I wish all KZbin channels would do quick clips of pickups like you do. Same goes for comparisons of speakers, amplifiers, tubes, pedals and anything else that deals with comparisons!

[@Carlito_Sway]

I have a Shoreline Gold John Mayer Signature Strat! or, at least, the body of one! I bought it off a website that parted out guitars from music stores that closed back in 2008/2009, and put a warmoth neck on it. I put a set of Torres Engineering pickups in it, very similar to the Big Dippers, and it's my "perfect strat"- the only guitar I own that i don't tinker with. It does everything I want a Strat to do. I always liked the look of the competition stripes- reminds me of the AC/Shelby Cobras!

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

That's a beautiful piece of rosewood, looks like I've seen on MM and G&L.

[@greendayray]

Why is it even a question? Some people don’t care about PRS. I especially don’t care for anything trying to be a strat. If you want a strat, buy a strat…

[@ScottieMacPro]

Each their own, for sure. But I purchased a Silver Sky years ago and still have it. In the interim I’ve bought a sold numerous Fender Custom Shop strats always coming back to the Silver Sky. Obviously the strat brought me to the Silver Sky, but I now know that’s the S-style for my tastes.

[@silvernuggets1285]

I had the Olympic white for a little bit but didn't care for it. But a review of the cypress would be rad!

[@0001111000220]

That fretboard is gorgeous

[@kyleboosh1]

I’ve got the cypress mica and the NOS BLK1. And yes I have the original cases. Love these guitars.

[@krzysztofwaleska]

Very nice tone. I would like to have it on mine basic strat. What kind of pickups are those? Are they noiseless or almost noiseless?

[@jmparker56]

Had the Cypress Mica edition - came with a pretty cool soft case. Bought it used at GC in Raleigh NC back around 2010 at a real good price. Kept it for a year or two, sold it at a pretty good profit at the time as I recall. Kinda wish I had it back now! Think it ended up on the other side of the world.

[@vinfreeman1602]

What where you using for an amp??? Great tone.

[@A_Noid]

Looks good. Sounds good. A bit too heavy but it depends on the particular guitar of course.

[@wiseguy9202]

I grew up learning on Fender/styled guitars back in the 80's so when I moved on to Gibson guitars, it made going back to the Strat feel cheap to me. I still have some from my original 80's collection but they never get played. I really do like that 'African Mahogany' fret board though. Very nice! Beats the pants of Epis Indian laurel nonsense.

[@troyharkcom6441]

Love watching your videos!

[@ChrisShortyAllen]

Excellent strat

[@markvonwisco7369]

Re the satin finished neck: my main acoustic guitar came with a satin finished neck. It didn't take very long for the neck to show a semi-gloss patina. Maybe 6-8 months after buying the guitar?

[@decosmoj]

He's definitely been on a Fender kick lately. Hopefully he picks up a vintage Mustang, Jaguar or Bronco to review and document. Interested to see what he thinks about the other Fender offerings besides Strats and Teles.

[@joermnyc]

My issue with the Silver Sky, you sound like John Mayer… I don’t want to sound like him. They should put out a non-signature version with different pickups.

[@thiagocesaro]

Congrats! Very nice review! In fact, it was the best bridge pickup tone I've ever herd coming from this guitar! Mine sounds way weaker. Would you care to inform the rest if the rig and how it was recorded? Thanks!

[@grantcindrich]

Would have been so rad if you got one with the cool correct knobs

[@Topher_ofthe_North]

You should block the trem on a strat when you remove strings .bridge is jamming into the top especially with 5 springs

[@alexcorll90]

Oh I actually never heard that his SRV strat had a pickup output problem. That explains the scooping of the midtones.

[@BBQROCKSTAR178]

I remember when these hit the walls at GC. I thought they sounded “cleaner” to me…had no idea of the pups. Fat 50’s for me, please. Although my MIM KWS strat has some ballsy tones too tho.

[@ethanhitchcock5431]

Love the guitar yet I am not competitive so Im not into the stripe ...Thanks Troglys !

[@BasilHayden]

Cool, that there are more Strat features. I would buy a Mayer Strat, like it better than the Silver Sky.

[@benallmark9671]

Me too. By far.

[@TeensierPython]

Mayer doesn’t 😂

[@stratman9449]

i love my prs's...but i'll stick with my mexican strat......no need for a "silver sky..."

[@TeensierPython]

@@stratman9449 I don’t have a strat. But if I ever start looking at one I’ll definitely compare it to the silver sky. Then I’ll pick the one I like the most. The PRS is cheaper than a Mexican start though, if memory serves.

[@BIZARBIES]

If you want a great Stratocaster, by the MIJ early 80s e series Squires. Great guitars.

[@dylanpardon9723]

I bought one back in the day thought it was a very generic feeling Strat, the only thing which was cool was the hard/soft gigbag it came with. Pickups always sounded a bit thin and lacking and did not overdrive or distort very well at all. One of the few pieces of gear that I’ve sold and never thought about again tbh

[@roofkorean6948]

For months I've been dead set on getting a new Silver Sky SE in summit purple for 850, but at the last second changed my mind and got a black David Gilmour-looking Player Series Strat with a maple fretboard because I found a used one in good condition with a hard case for 550. I'm already kind of regretting not getting the Silver Sky but I'm fine with it, I just needed a decent quality Strat style guitar with single coils and I'm happy. But man, that Summit Purple Silver Sky looks nice and I'm a big fan of PRS's QC, I might eventually sell my Strat and get one.

[@flonsdg]

Just a small correction, at 1:02 that's not his SRV signature, its a vintage '64

[@donscudiero534]

you could do a show on guitars w/ racing stripes...

[@badtonestudio]

Cool to see something other than Gibson even if it is a commercial.

[@chaos4316]

Hey Dr. Trog, I’m a bit of a collector and I have the very last sunburst JM strat made. Or the ‘slow dancing’ model as they call it. I just wanted to mention a few things… The ‘gig bag’, is no regular bag. It’s highly spec’d out and so useful. Very hard to get and expensive, made by InCase. The Big Dipper pickups are really what make this guitar special, although yours don’t sound nearly as good as mine for some reason😳 (also, you can’t buy big dippers separately which makes this strat unique). Not sure what the previous owner did to yours… but something sounds off. For me, it’s easily the best sounding strat I’ve ever played, and I like it a lot more than the PRS silver sky. I love the bell like tones, and they’re pretty much silent/noiseless too. The neck 4/5 positions sound really sweet. That said, I’m personally not a fan of the bridge pup in it. The neck on mine looks pretty special in comparison too, gorgeous Birdseye. I got lucky on that. But I hate the truss rod adjustment being what it is on some of these fenders. I give mine a solid 8/10, I bought it because I love the sound and feel (and I got a kickass price on it in 2008). John Mayer wouldn’t be the reason, because I think he is a colossal douchebag who should be woken up with a dick kick… every day. But because of the fender feud, it’s worth about 5x what I paid for it now. Thanks for reviewing it! (I wonder how many people know that his famous BLK1 isn’t worn like that because he played the hell out of it. It was relic’d from new at the custom shop and looked like that from day one. He also hated it when he got it, and sent it back to fender).

[@steveparish9210]

Forget the gossip rags and ego tripping Mayer is a fantastic guitarist

[@chaos4316]

@@steveparish9210 yup. Can’t take that away from him. But he’s far from consistent.

[@silvernuggets1285]

They had a flag sticker on em. I'm fairly certain. I remember they use to put big round free lesson stickers on there too.

[@thetoneknob4493]

ide have raised the pickups a tad they are pretty low and would probably be a huge improvement performance wise.

[@davegallagher7428]

I thought the JM pups sounded great but IDK that I would pay extra money for them.

[@paulissus8974]

Austin, can you please explain what the absence of a skunk stripe has to do with the fitting of a rosewood fretboard?

[@jabarbors]

Old style: take a maple neck, cut a channel in the face, install truss rod, glue slab of rosewood to cover. New style: cut channel in the back of the maple neck, install truss rod, glue stripe of rosewood to cover. This guitar has a "slab" fingerboard

[@clarkbabin9799]

I wouldn't go as far as calling him a guitar hero. But I've seen in credits for plenty of movies long before he gained national fame status. But it's Fender Friday. That gig bag is a far cry from that lame thing they were giving out with Fenders when I bought my American Special Telecaster in 2014. That was more or less zippered pouch.

[@Johnny_Doe]

Damn those pickups….I’m hearing AC30 vibes ❤

[@iancurrie8844]

That case is made by Yorkville in Canada.

[@benallmark9671]

They make great stuff. Second to none.

[@teddnagurski5583]

Oooooooh I remember he played one of those on the Dave Chappelle Show.

[@Briansm15]

There's a cool Black T shirt fender strat guitar

[@johndef5075]

The Fender headstock looks better.

[@user-uc4tl4is4e]

I think is Olympic white one should have been in Jimi Hendrix style but made not to be a lefty reversed strong or a righty reversed strung to a lefty I think they should have made that like a firebird and made a reverse headstock in that attribute you're able to understand what I'm saying I'm sorry for not having the guitar jargon or etiquette behind my verbiage and wordage!!!! 1:40

[@telecatsermaster]

STRAT GUYS UNITE!

[@ak47dragunov]

Maybe it's just my untrained ears, but the Mayer model and the red Strat sounded just about identical

[@guitarplayer6565]

If we are concerned with what the case looks like we may have reached a level of mentally unwell collecting practices. Good lord man

[@216trixie]

😂😂

[@ChrisShortyAllen]

My case looks top notch.

[@Oldmanhenderson12]

Trogly is the most contrarian reviewer. Dude honestly looks for something to hate

[@guitarplayer6565]

When ocd meets guitar collecting it becomes an insane thing that makes zero sense. Fender custom shops and 50k gibsons that are literally beaten to death to look reliced, but collectors out here splitting hairs on used guitars with even a small blemish making it unworthy to keep, I’d be exhausted if I worried about every ding or scratch the guitar I was gigging or playing received

[@Randyplaysguitars]

Always been like that tho. People who collect stuff usually want as much originality as possible depending on how much they're paying 🤷

[@ALCOFRE]

You should really check out The Edge Strat, really interesting guitar

[@chaos4316]

Yeah apparently you can plug them into any fx board so people can’t tell you’re a crap a guitarist, like The Edge!

[@steveparish9210]

A great guitar!

[@jr2904]

​@@chaos4316 is it all about skill, or taste and personality? He does what he does well, even if it isn't complicated. He wields effects well, not everyone does.

[@chaos4316]

@@jr2904 uhhh when you’re in one of the most recognised bands in the world, skill is probably a good prerequisite. “He wields his effects well”… dude that guy uses fx as a crutch to mask his very limited skill level. As for personality, his is similar to a cold sore. I was one of his guitar techs on an Australian tour, he’s an asshole! He should be playing lead for Corey Feldman.

[@CMHobbies]

@@chaos4316and then there are those who hide their insecurities via craptastic comments.

[@__j1957]

Not to be that guy, but the sunburst relic guitar you showed isn’t his svr sig, that’s his 1964 strat

[@ericbgordon1575]

Knowing that I have already said this way too often, I have no Scruples about saying it again. Once more, we have proof that the signature of a major recording artist does nothing to enhance an instrument. Not that I don't think John Mayer is a good guitar player; he and I have similar yardsticks like Eric Clapton. But, is his signature worth the extra amount of money that one would end up showing out for another wise standard Stratocaster? Back in 2015, I purchased a Guild D40 that was more or less the equal of the Richie Havens signature the fact that it didn't have his signature on it put it within my reach Richie is another musician who I will never discount as one of my early influences, but even having met the man and gotten his autograph has had the opposite effect on peeking my interest in getting a guitar with his scroll on it.

[@nbenning25]

Yahoo

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

I much prefer the 70's large headstock

[@mitcharney1]

Any day over a silver sky!!!

[@travisguide4516]

I think john would rather be playing his old model i think things went out of wack over a amplifier thing why take it out on the strat

[@DogsLife12]

Sounds like ceramic pickups?

[@TheDuke7997]

They say different guitars make you play differently. Trogly: Nope! I play them all like a Les Paul…

[@greendayray]

I personally think it’s a shame strats get typecast. 90% of videos talk about traditional strat sounds, but it’s a very comfortable and versatile guitar. Put humbuckers in it and it’s ready for anything from blues to metal.

[@TheDuke7997]

@@greendayray my unpopular opinion but I love a strat with a humbucker bridge better than a regular strat bridge.

[@greendayray]

@@TheDuke7997 my first strat was a double fat strat squier back in the day, so for the last 20+ years I’ve made a habit of converting every strat I buy to either HH or HSH setup haha

[@ak47dragunov]

@@greendayray A humbucker on its own makes it a fundamentally different guitar, so while that makes sense, it doesn't change that a SSS Strat is its own beast

[@greendayray]

@@ak47dragunov a standard strat is it’s own thing yes, but it’s soo much more versatile than that when you look at how easily they can be modified. Some people just get stuck on tradition. I met many people over the years after my gigs who’d say “I didn’t know a strat could sound that way”. I buy a guitar for the look and feel, because the sound can easily be changed with different pickups.

[@naughtscribe]

Nobody has a bone in any fight. Except maybe the simians in 2001: A Space Odyssey. You have a dog in a fight, or you don't. XD

[@johnnyxmusic]

Now the dog may be having a sub-fight with another dog involving a bone. But I believe you are correct.

[@johnnyxmusic]

Sometimes one person will have a bone to pick with another person. Personally, I don’t want anyone picking on my bones. It’s very personal.

[@naughtscribe]

Eggcorns are a wonderful thing.

[@dblanco77]

What does "slab board" rosewood means?

[@hybridnoisebloom]

Slab board means the piece of rosewood is flat on the bottom. In 1962 Fender switched from these 'slab' boards to 'veneer' fretboards, which are thinner than slab boards and curved on the bottom.

[@dblanco77]

@@hybridnoisebloom thank you! 😊

[@ob1knb3]

I have the olympic white with mint pick guard JM Strat and will probably never part with, it feels right and this is coming from a Les Paul player

[@shodopoet]

He also played Jerry’s parts on a few Dead & .Co tours is a really versatile player

[@Wyatt42069]

that's not an accomplishment, the grateful dead are one of the worst bands ever

[@tomschlaerth8547]

Ha the worst band ever. If ya know ……⚡️

[@shodopoet]

@@tomschlaerth8547 yeah no one could fill Jerry’s shoes

[@gordonbezanson4710]

I got 2009 american deluxe . Its is brighter than this and the neck sounds much better on mine. It has the noiseless pickup though .

[@jenniferlawrence2701]

Racing stripes look tacky on guitars

[@M4D4F4K4.]

For fender collectors yes as a playable guitar? Better buy a custom shop instead with that price.

[@jerseattle0722]

Played fender and silver sky, prefer silver sky

[@ImOnYouTube]

Not a big fan of the racing stripe.

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

I fail to see an improvement when this guitar's PU's turn the Strats famous sound into Gibson PAF wannabes. Why ??? Just buy a Gibson if that is what you want.

[@TM-ev2tc]

Have you ever tried buffing one of your guitars with a buffing wheel and compound. Just curious.

[@ChrisShortyAllen]

Make a mess of yours? Just curious.

[@scottbogfoot]

5:00 come on, can you really adjust this guitar's truss rod without removing the neck? I highly doubt it, maybe if the body had a cut away as well but it looks too deep to get at it. Cheers! 😊

[@Joey_McElroy]

Let’s go!!!

[@Steve.Cutler]

Wow, these guitars are going for way too much. They aren't THAT special. I like John Mayer but I'm not paying anywhere close to what people are paying these days. Many other better strats out there that are half the price of these.

[@palukens]

If only John was a cool as Tyler amirite?

[@Pannemat]

This was back when John played in Blink 182 ...

[@michaelvarney.]

The string tree was so high up so that John could do above nut bends, particularly in the style that he did in gravity. The big dipper pick ups were not unique to thatStrat, they were used in other ones particularly Stevie Ray Vaughan re-issues.

[@eldoc543]

🎉

[@shanewalton8888]

If Trogly is not a Fender expert, who the hell is?

[@jameshughes6049]

Howdy everyone!!!

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

He's a MONSTER. I've seen him with Dead and Company like 120 times. I've also never done anything sketchy while I did that...

[@stratman9449]

there is no point in having more than one strat.....from fender.....haa....

[@ranwaldovonslappinstein114]

Prolific

[@atomfaust]

I love my Silver Sky, can't get over the Fender headstock.

[@nigellacey559]

God i hate signature guitars. Just buy a strat and make it your own.

[@hectormutton2542]

✌️

[@Gene_Cali]

> FRY DAY!!

[@ethanhitchcock5431]

I heard John Mayer is joining GWAR this year ! Cant wait for the tour !

[@mertmunson1417]

Hahahahahahahahaha could you imagine?!!! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Z is for late

[@markelliott5151]

1st

[@martydibergi5228]

Personally… nothing JM is worth anything.

[@bradenrichardson4269]

He's a great player, but man oh man does his music suck.

[@pepmasters-999]

I'm a natural contrarian... and I agree.

[@tonygaruba424]

Sounds like a toy compared to a gibson

[@Wyatt42069]

man, single coils sound like shit. I can't believe anybody would pick them over a humbucker