SKY’S THE LIMIT
One of the most controversial new releases from the PRS stable in recent years is the Silver Sky, designed with John Mayer. Condemned by many as being ‘just a Strat with a PRS neck’, the guitar has gone on to be one of the most popular artist models in th
When John Mayer and Paul Reed Smith unveiled their new Silver Sky in 2018, the online message boards erupted with the white-hot intensity of Hawaii’s K-ılauea volcano. Many guitarists were excited by the six-string creation. Others were, shall we say, less enthused.
Mayer was amused by the ruckus – but not surprised. “Traditionally, the guitar world hasn’t embraced or tolerated evolution all that well,” he said. “The initial response was pretty negative; people tend to resist anything new. However, being a social-media target, I have experience that allows me to understand the mechanics of disapproval. I’m perfectly tuned to withstand that friction period of people saying they don’t like something. There are going to be people who will never embrace it, that’s fine. But it’s interesting to watch players adapt to it. I think there is a desire for guitarists to hold something that’s a bit evolved.”
The Silver Sky’s influence is clear, but with its ‘reverse’ PRS headstock shape, vintage-style tuners with PRS’s locking design, a 25.5-inch scale length bolt-on maple neck, 7.25-inch ’board radius and a trio of special PRS 635JM single-coil pickups, the instrument is undeniably its own unique rock ’n’ roll animal. “We went with a Stratocaster-style body because it is just an excellent shape for an electric guitar, and it’s one that I’ve come to know really, really well. It’s part of my history. But, ultimately, I’m not interested in rehashing classics, I’m interested in pushing things forward.”
So, what were you and Paul Reed Smith aiming for? What did you need that you didn’t already have? “The answer is: nothing. If you take my five favourite guitars, I’m covered. But I wanted to do two things. First, I wanted to make a guitar that did away with the concept of ‘the magic guitar’. You know, the idea that you could play 10 different guitars of the same model but only one would be magic. I want all Silver Sky guitars to be great. I want them all to be magic. I don’t suspect I will ever really have a ‘number one’ Silver Sky, because all of them will be good. I wanted to eliminate that idea that one has magic wood and the other doesn’t. The second goal is I want to have my own little plot of land to develop and build on.”
Do you see your relationship with PRS as going beyond creating a signature guitar? “I want to be clear, I wasn’t looking to create a signature model. I want to go a step deeper into the genetic code of things. I’m looking to create a series of instruments that represents my point of view and have a little desk next to Paul where I can bring some of my ideas to life that, over the years, will tell a story. The best analogy I can give you without is being too self-aggrandising is the relationship Air Jordan has with Nike. Air Jordan is still Nike, but it’s its own brand. I don’t want the Silver Sky to be a signature guitar; I want it to become other people’s signature guitar. My hope is to eventually take my name entirely out of the equation.”
We’ve heard a lot of people try to characterise the sound of the Silver Sky. How would you describe it? “My tastes have changed and one thing that started fatiguing my ear was the ‘out-of-phase’ quack of Fender guitars. And look, I’m responsible for a lot of people using that fourth-position pickup sound. Slow Dancing In A Burning Room is the official song for checking out that ‘out-of-phase’ thing, but at this point it’s almost unusable for me. I just got tired of it. I started getting into the clarity of tone, like the stark beauty of a middle pickup or the sparkle of a nicely tuned bridge pickup. So, the point is, on this guitar I’ve tried to add that clarity even to the ‘out-of-phase’ pickup positions. You still can get that sound on my PRS but without all those harmonic overtones that are so sonically heavy handed.”
Let’s talk about design.Although you’ve made some substantial revisions on the Silver Sky, this is still essentially a Strat-style guitar… “If you ask someone to draw a guitar, nine out of 10 people are going draw a Stratocaster. When it came time to work with Paul, I just thought it would be an easier path to get people to understand that this is a Stratbased body, more than, ‘Hey, you’re gonna love this new shape… um, someday.’ There are design guidelines. I don’t set them. You don’t set them. The world just sets them. And, sorry, I don’t deal in anything other than what is in keeping with the unchangeable truths of the shape of the electric guitar. We need to find a thoughtful balance between honouring the history of the electric guitar but not to the point of cutting off the future of the electric guitar. I do feel like the industry has taken a bit of a hit for focusing too much on the past.”
“I wasn’t looking to create a signature model. I want to go a step deeper into the genetic code of things… I want it to become other people’s signature guitar”