John Mayer: "The SE nails the sound and feel of the Silver Sky core model"
But the new $849 model's radius isn't 7.25" like the original
www.musicradar.com
PRS Silver Sky SE officially announced.
- Thread starter Jakedog
- Start date
www.musicradar.com
Hmmm, will it be pretty good, really good, great, or totally awesome?
It would be interesting to see, or is it a rehash of whats been done already , I hope its new
Did you check out the article? It looks just like the US model, but has its own colors. I’m digging the “dragon fruit” option. It’s real rosewood, too. And says it retains the 635JM neck shape from the US model.
It’s new in the sense that it’s just being released, and there hasn’t been an SE option for the SS before.
thank you , the images did not come up for me except the first one, but I like PRS pickups better than stock fenders any day so this thing may rock!
That’s quite possibly the silliest thing I’ve ever read on this forum, and that’s saying a LOT. Everyone on earth has been making their own version of the Stratocaster since at least the 1960’s, but Paul does it and suddenly it’s some terrible and evil thing. By your reckoning, Wayne Charvel, Grover Jackson, Schecter, Ibanez, ESP, Suhr, Anderson, Grosh, Levinson/Blade, several dozen other makers, and even Gibson ought to owe Fender millions.
The fact is, the Silver Sky is actually LESS like the guitar that inspired it than a great many other versions by other companies that have come out over the years.
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Tom-Australia
Tele-Meister
Fender should just release a PRS clone for laughs.
runstendt
Tele-Holic
Well, I've been a good boy and have refrained from making any extra guitar purchases for at least 11 minutes. I guess that streak is about to end...
lucky for me I'm not too attracted to the LEGO colors
Those colors are tasty! Love the blueJohn Mayer: "The SE nails the sound and feel of the Silver Sky core model"
But the new $849 model's radius isn't 7.25" like the original
Bruxist
Poster Extraordinaire
Very interesting. Was hoping for Tungsten again, maybe it will be available later. I am just a big fan of metallic colors.
Specs look great. Was hoping for different fret markers. I actually like the birds, don't get me wrong, but I really dig the old moon markers and was hoping they would come back.
I expect that blue will be very popular.
Specs look great. Was hoping for different fret markers. I actually like the birds, don't get me wrong, but I really dig the old moon markers and was hoping they would come back.
I expect that blue will be very popular.
jvin248
Doctor of Teleocity
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Bah! "Where's the Maple!?"
Fender just needs to slap the industry with environmental marketing and have all their signature artists proclaim the same too.
Go with local fast replenishing woods. Smaller carbon footprint. No exotic at-risk fragile rain forest products. Fender is practically there and would hamstring all their competitors. Don't create demand for the wood in guitars and that will help the furniture/etc designers move away from it too.
Mayer's fan base demographic is very interested in environmental concerns and PRS Marketing needs to push that point with exclusive product that steers clear of any potential backlash.
.
Bah! "Where's the Maple!?"
Fender just needs to slap the industry with environmental marketing and have all their signature artists proclaim the same too.
Go with local fast replenishing woods. Smaller carbon footprint. No exotic at-risk fragile rain forest products. Fender is practically there and would hamstring all their competitors. Don't create demand for the wood in guitars and that will help the furniture/etc designers move away from it too.
Mayer's fan base demographic is very interested in environmental concerns and PRS Marketing needs to push that point with exclusive product that steers clear of any potential backlash.
.
I'm glad PRS is releasing an SE version of the Silver Sky to compete with the Fender Player line. I've always been super impressed by the consistent quality of PRS guitars especially with the less expensive SE line.
The 8.5" radius is interesting -- I'm curious why they split the difference between the vintage 7.25" of the original and the more common 9.5". In a weird way, it kind of represents my overall ambivalence about the PRS guitars I've played -- not enough of one thing but not enough of the other.
The 8.5" radius is interesting -- I'm curious why they split the difference between the vintage 7.25" of the original and the more common 9.5". In a weird way, it kind of represents my overall ambivalence about the PRS guitars I've played -- not enough of one thing but not enough of the other.
It would be nice if guitars like this would wake Fender up to the need to improve their quality/QC.
Nothing is ever going to be exactly the same as the Fender and sound/feel exactly like it but at the prices the MIMs and MIA Fenders are going for they need to be as good as the best of these Asian guitars... IMO they are not there. PRS SE and say Reverend still feel like they are much higher quality.
If these come in under $1000 that is a real shot at Fender when some of the MIM guitars have crept up above $1000. Likewise, Reverend has upped their prices and some of their models might look weak compared to these, though none of the Reverends are really straight up similar to a Strat so they don't directly compare, and neither the Fenders nor PRS have some of the unique features that make someone want a Reverend.
Nothing is ever going to be exactly the same as the Fender and sound/feel exactly like it but at the prices the MIMs and MIA Fenders are going for they need to be as good as the best of these Asian guitars... IMO they are not there. PRS SE and say Reverend still feel like they are much higher quality.
If these come in under $1000 that is a real shot at Fender when some of the MIM guitars have crept up above $1000. Likewise, Reverend has upped their prices and some of their models might look weak compared to these, though none of the Reverends are really straight up similar to a Strat so they don't directly compare, and neither the Fenders nor PRS have some of the unique features that make someone want a Reverend.
Marc Morfei
Friend of Leo's
Yeah, there is a thread on Strat Talk too. Someone sleuthed it out that price will be $850.
My question is, if the price of the SE is less than half the original, in what ways will the quality be less?
My question is, if the price of the SE is less than half the original, in what ways will the quality be less?
That's interesting.
I have one SE now. I've had 4 of them over the years. I think they set a new benchmark for import quality.
I have one SE now. I've had 4 of them over the years. I think they set a new benchmark for import quality.
I agree with @Jakedog - this has been discussed ad infinitum.
You do know that Fender at one point had some patents that involved hardware and bodies (not the Strat or Tele bodies, but some others like the Offset body). Once those expired the bodies were free game because Leo chose patents instead of trademarks (which do not expire as long as the company defends them against copies) as he viewed the body shapes as functional elements not style elements. The company did eventually trademark the headstock shapes, but they let the body shapes fall into public domain.
For what it's worth when John Suhr left the Fender Custom Shop (yes - from his previous work with the Pensa-Suhr brand he was hired in at Fender as a Senior Master Builder in the Custom Shop) he specifically asked Fender's management about use of the body shapes, and they told him "as long as you stay away from the headstock shapes you're fine."
Of course those leaders who told Suhr that left the company and made a very late effort to trademark the shapes, which was squashed because there was ample proof they had never defended the body shapes, only the headstock shapes.
And @Tom-Australia Fender has had PRS clones before - the Heartfield Elans:
In some ways, they’ll just be different. Poplar bodies vs Alder, for example. That’ll save some bucks. I’m guessing the maple for the necks is also lesser quality/lower grade, although looking at the history of the SE line, it’ll still be plenty good. The US model has a full nitro finish, I’m sure the import will not. Import has a two point trem/bridge assembly that’s a little lighter duty, but still very nice I’m sure. Non-locking tuners. Imitation bone nut instead of the real thing. And the pickups are overseas made “S” versions of the US 635JM pickups.
Pretty much like all the other SE guitars, it’s just adjusting materials and grades of materials to fit into a sub-$1k price point.
