Paul Reed Smith Explains the "Dead Spec" Silver Sky | PRS Guitars

[@nvlddmkm1282]

PRS is constantly working/evolving, even their SE line is consistently evolving - I appreciate that.

[@belbol1547]

They should try to evolve their frets and tuners too...

[@np8596]

​@@belbol1547what's wrong with the tuners? Never had an issue with them, same with the fretwork. Finish fading and clouding are the - albeit rare - only issues that I would connect with PRS regarding possible flaws.

[@belbol1547]

@@np8596 it's the year 2023. Stainless steel frets and locking tuners are a standard for mid-range guitars and even some low-end.

[@np8596]

@@belbol1547 the tuners actually do lock ;-)

[@dudebroguymate]

@@belbol1547 I agree. I'm not sure how much SS frets cost, probably not a lot, but SE guitars should at least come with locking tuners. Perhaps there is an argument to be made in the case of the vintage-y-looking models where one might prefer the standard tuners in terms of aesthetics but still...

[@anotherstart1]

The Silver Sky in my opinion is the best Musical sounding sss guitar made today. I had 3 and kept the SE in green and it’s my go to guitar.

[@justethanol]

I think you're right and I've heard the se pickups sound more bland or flat than the regular model is that your opinion? I still think both guitars sound great!

[@WEREWOLFCaT_STORIES]

Paul is such a cool dude, what an incredible mind that we as players have working and thinking 24/7 about improving this instrument we all play. Heck yeah paul!

[@BrandOdyssey]

Paul is so awesome. It has been a long and tough road at PRS to compete against established brands but they have done amazing things. It must be great to work with Paul at PRS. He sounds like the product and customer comes first and everything else including money comes from that. That’s the ideal business. Driven by ideas and passion that make people happy.

[@cyclesgoff9768]

So your a dentist?

[@Childofbhaal]

I mean yeah but overall PRS is overpriced af when it comes to guitars

[@Thumbii]

@@Childofbhaal I'd say too expensive rather than overpriced. The SE Line is fantastic and I once had a CE24 and that's probably the best built guitar I've ever had. Now I have an Ibanez though.

[@Childofbhaal]

@@Thumbii Idk I think PRS just isn’t for me lol my friend has one and I just don’t vibe with it. Give me my G&L ASAT all day every day. It’s weird though because so many amazing artists like Steven Wilson/Opeth etc use PRS and I absolutely love their tone

[@sheercerebralpower]

I tried one yesterday and bought it instantly. A really great guitar…..

[@troy8420]

Please make more of these at some point. There are a lot of people who would love to get one but weren’t able to at the release.

[@jimmyjames2022]

Great story of the "Dead Spec" Silver Sky genesis, and why Paul is so well loved.

[@Heavenreck]

I love how Paul took the Garcia Alligator Strat that probably John got a hold off and did what Paul does best to make it a more refined instrument. Cant wait to try one.

[@JaredGunn-dp4iz]

So would I , but at the price point and only 1,000 units ...... good luck !!!!

[@sheercerebralpower]

I tried one yesterday and bought it right away……

[@JJSurma]

As a lefty, I can't wait to wish I could play one of these.

[@5urg3x]

As Paul Reed Smith once said “they don’t make left handed pianos, so there”

[@gradeabutt]

I've never felt a comment more in my heart than this one

[@13thAMG]

Paul is such an amazing genius. Incredible visionary of our time. And we get to live in the same era to witness it. Respect!

[@christopherguzzi1316]

He took the specs. of a Fender and a Gibson and made something right in the middle of good quality when Fender and Gibson were not producing their best. Hard working business man, yes, genius, I'm not so sure.

[@Louis-ef4eb]

​@@christopherguzzi1316 someone else didn't like CBS! 😂

[@trevorlindsey580]

So glad to see you staying faithful to the original Alembic concepts of brass mounted well, and an actual Alembic circuit that is above and beyond anything else out there. Great job!

[@coldshotblues]

So I’ve been playing guitar for 40 plus years and own several guitars mostly Fenders strats and few Gibsons. Being a blues fan and a Dead Head I’ve been down the rabbit holes of SRV to custom Jerry guitars and chased the “tone” for years now. I had been eyeing the Silver Sky but never sat with one. Missing the day PRS released this guitar in the US (It sold out in a day of the initial offering). I kept my eyes on a few European dealers and when Anderton’s in the UK offered the guitar for sale I jumped on it. Two and a half months after purchasing it made its return journey across the pond to me. First off this guitar will be played and played often this is no closet classic! Being my first ever PRS I can honestly say the attention to detail on the guitar is impressive from fit and finish to sound and playability. A quality instrument for sure! Thanks to all involved in getting this guitar in my hands. From John Mayer to Paul and the builders at PRS, and from the guys at Anderton’s who made this guitars journey possible. I can’t be more pleased with it!

[@PoundMountain]

I love mine!!!

[@larrylambert2727]

I was so hoping they would release this model when I saw Dead and Co this year- it sounded soooo good the whole show.

[@JohnPBlues]

Yes it did!

[@Louis-ef4eb]

Sounded too thin !! Garcia put the strat down in 73!?

[@tonychen3368]

I like how the single coil sounds with that pre amp on my god that's so clean and chimy, nicely done to both you and John. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@SpartanLaserCanon]

I like the fact you can go from a single coil tone to an almost humbucker sound. The sound of these guitars are my favourite when it comes to the strat sound because it sounds warmer than a lot of other strats. I'm still more of a Tele guy.

[@stop736]

Same here…I’ve got several Fender Strats that are great guitars, but if I’m gonna play a Strat and I only have one choice, it would be a PRS 9 out of 10 times. That being said, I love Tele’s more than any other guitars and I’ve got several that I play everyday! The Kingfish, which is more Les Paul then Tele probably, and the John5 I got when they dropped this year, I play those everyday and still find new things I can get out of it. My favorite of the newer ones I bought is the Brent Mason Tele. That one is really my go to guitar when I’m playing with other bands that have a big range of different styles of music. That guitar can be made to sound pretty much like any guitar you’d want tone wise. And that Glaser B bender is so much fun to use and it’s not just some gimmick. It is really useful in the right places. So as much as I like these PRS guitars, I almost always play a Tele. It’s just what I’m comfortable with.

[@jasonthemason1971]

I saw his at the Dead Experience today 8/10. I went to the Dead & Co concert 8/8. John played with two left fingers due to his index finger being broken. Incredible show, John knocked it out of the park. WOW !!!! 😊

[@mrlozano]

Mr Smith you are a living legend! The Silver Sky is tremendous.

[@JS-nf1sn]

PRS doesn't get enough credit. The best guitars you can buy. People hate on them because the look so good, but the truth is they are the best made guitars as instruments that are available. They are better in every way. Play a custom 24, it's like the best Strat, tele, and LP you've ever played in one guitar. Light, stays in tune, versatile, clear but not thin, crazy good action, and playability.

[@Childofbhaal]

I would take my G&L ASAT over any PRS

[@RJ_HTx]

The best guitar is the one that actually makes you to want to play more. For me it is the Fender Telecaster.

[@DonaldMerrit]

In my humble opinion Ernie Ball music man is every bit as good as PRS if not better

[@whoisthis5476]

PRS aren't the best guitars you can buy, but they are by far the best marketed guitars with the face of the company involved and at the forefront of said marketing which has resulted in an extremely passionate fanbase. There are corners cut at higher prices that small builders would never compromise on, such as Paul himself when he was really getting things started in the 80's.

[@marcorock101]

Paul is such a national treasure

[@jamestonguet1737]

Bravo , a great compliment to the Super Eagle . Alembic Electronics are the pinnacle.

[@jfinester]

That thing sounds great! I’ve known about the Alembic Stratoblaster preamp for decades-I’m from the Bay Area, grew up in San Francisco, and in the early-mid ‘70s I used to hang out at Stars Guitars, Alembic’s retail store. They worked on a ‘74 Strat for me, they put a 5-position rotary switch in it to replace the stock 3-position pickup selector. (Fender didn’t start installing 5-way switches until 1977-that’s how out-of-touch CBS/Fender was!) These Dead-spec Silver Sky guitars are too rich for my pocketses (eh, precious?), but this has got me thinking about getting an SE Silver Sky and installing a Stratoblaster in it! I’d never considered it before as I didn’t want to boost the output of a Strat too much; I thought that’s what the preamp was for, and I didn’t want to lose my clean sound. Thr Stratoblaster on a slightly-boosted setting sounds great, if this video is any indication.

[@jerrymckenzie1858]

I feel like the partnership between John Mayer and Paul is what really put PRS on the next level.

[@0megalul309]

Nah, it just attracted fender fanboys and broke teenagers who wanted strats. The Silver sky is the cheapest full USA made guitar in the lineup cos strats are fundamentally cheap to build. It's like a cheeseburger vs steak in terms of building a strat vs a Les Paul

[@starmorpheus]

@@0megalul309Spoken like a true moron

[@tomatengarage5608]

Honestly, I have the greatest respect for Paul. I find it unbelievable what this person can achieve... I wouldn't buy a Gibson or a Fender today. I had all that. In 1992 I bought a PRS Classic Electric. It was a special model built for the Musikmesse in Frankfurt. No bird inlays, not even the classic handwritten-type PRS logo on the headstock, just the three letters PRS. Optically really nothing spectacular. But the thing plays like a dream, the neck is absolutely (!) straight and feels great, the tremolo is buttery smooth and completely tuning stable.... Together with my Valley Arts Custom Pro (6.800 $ back in the day) , it's my best guitar. And all at a very good price. I really don't understand how he does it. Anyway, I'd like to repeat it again: my greatest respect, Paul! Thanks for, well....thanks for everything you brought to us. Best greetings from Germany. Michael.

[@neilfordan]

that color looks amazing!

[@GregGolightly]

love that you are doing a run of these. It was a brilliant instrument I saw 3 times this year. Only feedback is I wish you gave more respect to Gator and acknowledge and show a picture of it. It feels wrong to talk about the inspiration and not show it.

[@SilkenCloud98]

@@crosbycofod5052lmao the paradox in the last sentence

[@theo59643]

Pretty sure it’s just for legal reasons. That’s why companies have to say “S Type” and “T Type,” cover up car logos and put stickers over computer logos. They’d probably be liable to pay Fender fees for whatever reason, or risk being sued.

[@RobVanDam1591]

This guitar sounds like heaven.

[@designer-acid]

God I WISH I could scoop up one of these, absolutely stunning guitar. But medical bills be expensive so I guess if I ever even get financially stable I'll have to settle for the other model since this is a limited run

[@kanyelberg]

LOVE IT! But I just bought the PRS Silver Sky in "Lunar Ice" ....

[@mahatma_gandalf]

I didn't hear about this guitar until it was sold out everywhere. I'd give my eye teeth for one if these.

[@markuyehara7880]

$5000 on the resale market will probably do it.

[@aravindvinayakan]

PAUL C'MON! 1,000?!

[@jahjah67]

I bought one of the Alembic Blaster’s a couple of years ago to put in a Strat and it’s a great thing. It’s really expensive for how simple it is but it sounds better than anything else like it to my ears. Other companies make essentially the same simple circuit but to my ears, doesn’t sound nearly as good. Not sure why but the Alembic sounds much better”stouter” and really is great.

[@nicolasfaisant6445]

Awsome great new model 👍

[@alecc9340]

That guitar is a masterpiece.

[@Redhotchilipprs]

I think I’ll just settle for a pint of cherry Garcia.

[@Joshua.M.S.]

i wish you did direct from manufacturer pre-orders. after getting screwed by the local select vendor for the lunar ice, i dont see myself even being able to compete for a new one of these.

[@darthsensei3838]

Sweetwater online still has a few. Theirs ship first week in dec.

[@omdwillieturnip8840]

Best salesman in the business by a country mile. Reminds me of Steve Jobs a bit.

[@ramonmoreno8014]

lulz

[@SteveMend]

Wrigley! Ready for summer!

[@andyinwards2119]

Dan Healy: “other than testing Jerry never used any ready made buffer, 3 db boost; or not”, “buffers with gain don’t make it”. Steve Parish: “no battery in Europe 72”.

[@zacate1983]

Saw this guy at the crossroads festival at the guitar center tent trying prs guitars with a soldano slo30, Making sure they were all good. He can play btw!

[@docdaytona108]

Thank you and John for not giving this something iridescent like a Nebula finish. Now I CAN (barely) contain myself!

[@lone-wolf-1]

The fixed trem bridge with the tight fitting block is actually a good idea. Is Paul the first to make this? Because I bought a fixed bridge SSS Cort stratstyle and the body is ultra light but super resonant. The neck dive is annoying, so I thought of routing a cavity in the soft body (Meranti) and screw a brass block wich I have laying around, on the bridge plate. My idea was to let room for the block to vibrate freely, but could block it later if needed.

[@TavisAllen]

Perhaps not quite the same, but YAMAHA, back when they were courting Carlos Santana, added brass to the SG to increase sustain. I'm curious, why would you want space between the insert?

[@lone-wolf-1]

@@TavisAllen Interesting! Did not know about that. Brass is a good alloy for instruments. There is a reason for bells and wind instruments to get made out of brass and bronze. My idea for the free mounted trem block is to get a sort of sympathetic feedback into the bridge plate and thus into the strings due its vibration, wich I imagine influences tone and probably enhances sustain. The weight alone will help to prevent also the loss of low end. And if it’s mounted free it will vibrate different than if it were enclosed in the wood. Kinda like a decked strat trem, but without springs. I will test also wich effect a blocking of it will have. I like to experiment. Chhers!

[@MelodyMaker218]

Super cool!

[@jcsk8]

Leo Fender is proud!

[@igorhenrique835]

Art 👌🏽

[@ticketless_applause7234]

Damn those are gonna go fast

[@petethedutch]

I don't know if anyone has ever told Paul this, but Sonzera is Brazilian slang for great tone, so he'd get a kick out of knowing the amp line's name have that going for them.

[@MultiDreamer1979]

Dear mister Paul reed smith please make more of that guitar is nowhere to found if you it went to 6000 dollars at least for a new one.i think you guys make the best guitars a man or woman could think about it’s refreshing to see how you approach the build and idea of a guitar.but I beg of you I will be forever grateful if we can make this happen..😢

[@Loosebonesmusic]

Killer guitar

[@OneMoreGrave]

Waiting for the SE version in 3 years. Slap some moon inlays in there. Oooh baby!

[@joakimflinck8208]

awsome Paul

[@jmtab]

Still looking for the Silver Sky in a left handed version. Maybe someday.

[@johnstack7283]

Cant wait to see this on reverb

[@drzecelectric4302]

So the tremolo hole is just for show? Love that paintjob

[@giipatrick]

I wonder if they'd do a bass version of the Silver Sky?

[@dasprucegoose]

Would finally buy a Silver Sky if I could get my hands on one of these and not pay double the price @ PRS MARKETING TEAM!

[@TheBurdenOfModernLife]

I would like to know if prs would ever make an SE version or sell the Alembic blaster mod.

[@LysanderLH]

Is this the same this as a Clapton boost circuit or EMGSPC/EXG active?

[@leonardsmith2170]

I'm sure that this is a sweet guitar. But if Jerry Garcia's tone is what you are looking for, why not look at the Tiger and Wolf models from Eastwood Guitar. These are based on two actual guitars custom made for Jerry Garcia and used heavily by him. They each have a preamp and an effects loop in the guitar. Eastwood is a Canadian company that makes various reissues from different vintage manufacturers. I ordered an R. G. Special, which is a copy of a guitar that a Japenese company made for Rory Gallagher. I love it.

[@cobravinci]

Can't wait to see a demo between a core US and that run...

[@joefeinstein6804]

very interesting reinvention

[@glennmattison3180]

Seems odd that it wasn't done with a Maple Neck as Alligator has a Maple neck. Saw John on tour in Chicago and it does sound great, although the Dumble doesn't hurt either.

[@johnhudak6267]

Love me my Stratoblasters!!!

[@AdventJustice]

He’s like the Steve Jobs of guitar

[@ramonmoreno8014]

eew

[@liorauf]

WOW!!!

[@rcnyoplait]

Cool Strat I like ur Gibsons too Can i get a acoustic in Koa?

[@S-T-E-V-E]

I love a Hardtail Strat!

[@ayeapprove]

Did the first prototype actually start out as a tremolo guitar and you guys filled the cavity?

[@gbenselum]

So you could buy another one

[@ayeapprove]

@@gbenselum you could build one yourself :)

[@Mexxx65]

Do PRS Guitars have a Custom Shop Masterbuilt Branch yet?

[@rovidelarosa]

Isn't that what PRS Private Stock is?

[@williamwilson6897]

Could you please make a hollow two version of Tim Pierce guitar and an SE mentality for people who can’t afford those beautiful guitars for around about $12-$1500 please

[@landoctor94]

Interesting!

[@mattmanley7118]

Interesting but I’m beyond happy with my Silver Sky set up for slide guitar.❤

[@nickp440]

Seems like a waste of money for just slide guitar, but you do you

[@ronsiegel1084]

If it’s such a great guitar why only make 1000?

[@Ottophil]

You think you can run the company better, start your own.

[@GerryBlue]

They need to sell them as exclusive, limited edition whatever, most interesting is that people will buy them

[@ItsJustRyan89]

@@Ottophilstrawman

[@TheEchelon]

@@OttophilHe raises a good point and is merely asking a question. Not sure why you’re so butthurt.

[@edwindude9893]

Probably a sales generator. I’m sure they’ll sell fast.

[@DennyBob521]

I just bought one of the last Dodgem Blue with a rosewood boards available - I'm happy! But I like that you always keep innovating! Would you compare the preamp to adding active pickups like EMGs?

[@SilkenCloud98]

Interesting, sad to hear they’re discontinuing the Dodgem Blue with Rosewood combo, that’s the first one I picked up in 2020, my first USA made guitar

[@nicolasrivera5310]

The body finish is sick!!! but its a funny looking SS.

[@JaredGunn-dp4iz]

I have VERY mixed feelings about this guitar. I like the thought PRS put into this project, but it seems like a cash grab to this ol Dead Head.

[@JaredGunn-dp4iz]

🤣🤣🤣@@Thenonperfectguitarplayer

[@markuyehara7880]

if it was a cash grab, it'd be a fully production model. They can sell a lot more than 1000 hard tail Silver Skies.

[@fatsuperfly]

It’s a cool guitar, and dare I say it, better than the other😂. I played one of the less expensive models, and I’m like damn! Another company too, is doing something like this. Both those are different, but have kinda that style, but good. I always to get one from the other guys, and I’m like fighting myself, why? The name logo? You like this better! Lol. Those prs are super cool.

[@jakobmorningstar]

Goodie only 1000 so the day after they’re sold out to scalpers they’ll be 5x the cost for people who would actually use them thus making them unobtainable.

[@jakobmorningstar]

@@StopTheRot yeah if you’ve got $3,350 just laying around

[@darthsensei3838]

@@jakobmorningstarI did. And I bought one. No scalping here 😁

[@richardlucascronley5128]

You can make this guitar much cheaper

[@zz-.-]

resellers are terrible humans. “oh gee someone else wants it? Let me scoop it up so they can’t have it and I can sell it to them for more!” - despicable people, shameful

[@austin33785]

Yeah mod a SS to dead spec yourself.

[@FreeRansom101]

So can you utilize the tremolo? I see it has a hole for the bar.

[@edisonbulb]

Why have a hole for a trem arm on a hardtail bridge??

[@sonicaids]

im guessing they just used what they had laying around for johns prototype.

[@TheEchelon]

Because it’s basically a blocked trem strat

[@SouthpawSatch]

Lovely guitar but im sat here still waiting for left handed Silver Sky models to be announced. Just give us an SE at least!

[@mohitrahaman]

hardtail st guitars are something

[@joeocchipinti1934]

great guitar but i would do the head stock a little smaller and painted black and shange the machine heads

[@willhaylock3769]

As an electronics engineer of 50+ years but new to guitars, it is clear to me that a pre-amp with a very high input impedance, say 10M Ohms and very low output impedance is pretty much a no-brainer - because you will totally isolate the effect of the guitar cable capacitance from the tone and volume controls. If you took it a step further and put a buffer amp directly on the pick-up outputs then you will get the 'true' output response of the pick-ups. Of course you may then not like this 'true' pick-up response but of course the buffer amp circuit can easily be adjusted to give you any response you want. The downside of course is that you need a battery and have to worry about it losing charge when you least want it to - that said modern op-amps consume very little power. The biggest hurdle to this technology is the extreme conservatism of the guitar industry ;)

[@JeanClaudePeeters]

Reinventing EMG pickups. What's next? The wheel?

[@whiteyshred4330]

Just waiting for one to show up on Tyler Larson's channel

[@caknut]

nice strat

[@ZephyrRandD]

Please make this a standard model.

[@H43N]

larry david: do you respect wood? prs: yes

[@christopherguzzi1316]

Paul forgot to mention "when he plugged it in it tore your face off!!!". ;)

[@jasonbaines3371]

Here’s hoping you add the TBX boost to silver sky 2024

[@waranghira]

Why is it a tremolo bridge, but fixed in the wood? Easier in production than the sensible other fixed bridges?

[@markuyehara7880]

Actually, this is MUCH more difficult to manufacture. Getting the bore for the trem block to fit snugly is not a simple thing. I think they wanted the tone of the block which is very different from a thru-body design.

[@waranghira]

@@markuyehara7880 Yeah. trem tones are better with the decreased sustain. Then no tuning issues of the trem.

[@tonynoon8693]

Was this based on Aligator?

[@mattcarnevali]

Surprised that PRS used the Alembic preamp rather than developing their own version

[@nintendonut100]

Well, if you want that tone then the Alembic preamp is the way to go, so not much point in sinking the time and money into developing their own one.

[@Vespa1500-w3s]

i want one so baf

[@nealm1814]

The Steve Jobs of guitar. Take that comment any way you want.

[@markuyehara7880]

Paul isn't dead.

[@30smsuperstrat]

I'd a had even more respect for John if he'd gone all in for the tour and got a curly perm😊.

[@leemeyer7629]

I'm confused. If the bridge is fixed then why is there a hole for a trem arm?

[@SexyplexiGT]

It's a damn strat.

[@donnix1192]

Is this based off of the alligator strat???

[@scottakam]

I'd say good luck with it, but they're probably all sold already!

[@OldeDog_NewTricks]

I don’t know what the “dead sound” is, but Jerry Garcia didn’t have a “dead spec” strat; so couldn’t you get his tone with a regular strat and either pedals, or software sims?

[@marvinrichmondtv]

❤️🎧🤘🇵🇭