Love him or hate him, John Mayer has become a very big guitar and pop culture presence. Personally I like his stuff, but I'm not an expert. But, what I have heard, I like. His appearance on Chappelle's show is hilarious. I also hear he's got a pretty good sense of humour, even when he's the focus is on him:
John really became a modern day strat hero, with a few various signature models, some factory, as well as some custom shop and master built versions. In October 2014, he ended his association with Fender. When an artist/endorser leaves a company, it's not like a race car diver loosing a sponsor. They can still play a guitar, they might not get compensated, or they don't get the support from the company.
Enter PRS. Name a guitarist, any guitarist. Regardless of any endorsements they have, more than likely they have a PRS in their collection. They may not use it live, but they have/had one.
John Mayer connecting with PRS wasn't a surprise. They collaborated with 2 guitars that he's ended up using in his tenure with The Dead & Company, the Super Eagles:
Above - Super Eagle I
Above - Super Eagle II
The prices on these were not cheap, at 5 figures. Does PRS make guitars that are worth that much? Well I have some experience with PRS, and their workmanship is fantastic. Apparently others agree, as these were pretty much sold out before they hit dealers. So there is a demand. Maybe not for you, maybe not for me, as I personally can't justify a guitar at half that price for myself at this point in time. Oh and by the way, lets not forget the John Mayer J-Mod amp that comes in at $6k.
The Silver Sky clocks in at about $2200-ish. Now what does a new top of the line Fender come in at? The Fender professional Stratocaster is listed on their website at $1499. Personally I think that is a bit much, even for Fender. I don't doubt the quality of the work of the men and women there at Fender, I just think they've been making strats for so many years, it probably doesn't cost that much to make. I always think that G&L makes great Fender style instruments, with excellent production quality and options that don't drive the cost up, and are an excellent alternative to Fender.
With companies like Suhr, Nash, LSL, Danocaster as well as others making great strat style instruments, that come in at around the same price point as the Silver Sky, I don't see what people are up in arms over PRS releasing a Strat style guitar, for one of their endorsers that made his name playing that style of instrument. They've done some tweaks to make it their own, and in some ways kept things as they were.
PRS also has had experience making guitars like these in their past: The EG series.
They were meant to fill the hole in the marketplace that Fender players flocked to: USA made, Bolt on neck, Pickguard, and a tremolo. From what I understand, PRS lost money on these, after all their design, engineering and cost to make, they would be as expensive as their set neck models, which would be an issue as they were meant to be a cheaper alternative. There was every possible pickup variant possible, even using Lindy Fralin's Domino style pickups.
In the late 1990's I personally skipped out on buying a USA made EG that had 3 Single coils, in black, with a black pickguard. Think if Sting or the Edge replaced their Strat with a PRS. it was $599 with a case. I went back the next week and of course it was gone.
In the late 1990's I personally skipped out on buying a USA made EG that had 3 Single coils, in black, with a black pickguard. Think if Sting or the Edge replaced their Strat with a PRS. it was $599 with a case. I went back the next week and of course it was gone.
So the Strat style guitar isn't really anything new for PRS. Even a few years back they had a version available as an SE for a reasonable price. I kind of regret not pulling the trigger on one of these, but at the time I couldn't find a local dealer that had one.
Personally I'm hoping this re-launches EG inspired variants like we had in the past.
I have a vintage-ish styled Made in Japan Fender Strat. I love it. I paid $325 for it in the late 90's and really enjoyed it. In the past 2 years I upgraded the bridge to a Mann Made PRS style tremolo, and put Seymour Duncan stacked single coils in it. All in all I have just under $1k into it, including the initial purchase cost. A super deal overall, and it's a Strat done to my specs. I have a 1993 PRS CE 24 Bolt on Maple top that I've had since 1995. I also have a 2008 PRS Mira (core) Maple top.
Will I buy one of the Silver Sky guitars, replacing my strat, just to add to my PRS collection? Probably not. Do I want one? After seeing the specs and the details, Not really. Maybe my mind will change once I have one in my hands, I dunno. I know that when players connect with an instrument, nothing else matters at all. Some people think the silver sky is goofy looking or too expensive, and that's ok. With $10K super eagles, with all of their unconventional electronics and switching options selling out at their announcement, I'm guessing the price of the Silver Sky with a traditional and more popular style will be worth it to the players that bond with them. At this point in my development as a player, I'm kind of indifferent. I'm much more concerned with my personal instruments and my own musical projects, rather than obsessing over all of this. I know there are people up in arms about all aspects of this situation. I'd rather focus on the positive things, as I have to spend so much time not playing an instrument, and when I do get to play, I want it to be fun, and not a heady debate with critics that probably don't play beyond their bedrooms, or where they post to message boards from.
I know one player that really likes the Silver Sky already, and I don't think he's worried about the guitar critics. His name is John Mayer.
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