PRS SE Silver Sky Electric Guitar - Dragon Fruit with Rosewood Fingerboard Reviews

This SE Silver Sky, a Strat-style guitar, is exceptional. First the feel.....The neck is remarkably comfortable which is a lot to say based on the fact this 42mm wide at the nut as I usually gravitate toward 43mm width or more with 12 degree radius. This PRS model has an 8.5" radius and by all accounts, should feel uncomfortable/cramped. I think the magic is that the profile is a bit beefy.....not as wide as a Gretsch 6120 or Fender American Pro II Stratocaster but I belief the thickness at the 12th fret is very close to 1" thick giving my hand something substantial alleviating the possibility to cramp.

The tone.... Balanced with ALL 5 pickup positions very usable and NO usual Strat "ice-pick" tones from the bridge position. I wish position 4(neck & middle position) was a little more "glassy" but love the dynamic and beefy tone from the 5th position(neck only). I would say the tone is a bit "compressed" going directly from guitar-to-amp but this dynamic makes this into the top 3 of my 15 guitars into an exceptional guitar to really taking pedals. It is the perfect gateway to really dial in the tones you want and this is a lot rarer than most guitarists would admit.

The body...... Built like a $2000+ guitar. I have not played expensive Strat-style models that are "easier feeling" after 2+ hours on stage during a show. The fret work is a perfect job. Intonation is close to perfect in reliability and stays in tune very well.

The SE Silver Sky is a mainstay in the guitars I circulate.....I usually keep 4 and rotate but this beauty by PRS will always stay in my rotation. It really is impressive that PRS delivers a $3k product for better than 66% lower than than that high cost. A game changer!

I'm a intermediate guitarist, been playing for about six years now, done my share of recording and have owned several guitars through this time. After some serious consideration, I decided to take the plunge and purchase a Silver Sky SE (Dragonfruit). Let me tell you that the hype is real people. This is an awesome guitar, I can't put her down. Even though many don't like popular woods, this Sliver Sky SE has sustain for days. PRS and Sweetwater did an awesome job, as always, in setting her up, all I had to do was tune her up and been playing ever since. The only thing things that I did was replace the truss rod cover with a steel one from a vendor on Esty and put my favorite strings on her.

This guitar punches with the big boys that I have played without totally draining the bank account.

I have to give this instrument high praise , I own two core models , I'm a fan of these guitars they sound and play as good as any high dollar Strat I've ever played The SE is very nicely made, it is very close to the core, apart from locking tuners and the two piece saddle, and saddle pins being not flush with a lowered action , this guitar sounds excellent, the pickups sound very clean , and great when I driven tones, I first tried three , on a solid state amp and thought the drive tone wasn't defined, now I played it through a tube amp, and it plays beautifully, the playability is first class I can't say I notice the radius felt that much different than the 7.5 core model , the neck feels very smooth , the neck is comfortable , just a little thinner than the core .The paint work finish and hardware is very good , the tone is all there, for me personally I cannot fault this SE in any way what's so ever , I first played three of these in a store, two blue and one cream color , and the quality was very consistent on all three, my own personal SE is no exception,It is very well made , it doesn't go out of tune, it's musical , I'm extremely happy with this SE.
Let's hope they keep the price consistent, it's a bargain .
Highly recommended, Paul and John Mayer have done it again very nice instrument indeed !!!

I love this guitar! I wasn't sure at first...took a chance. Was afraid it'd be just another mid-tier strat/clone but I've gotta say, this thing holds it's own! Setup was spot on, zero issues and ready to rock out of the box. For me, any guitar I own (and keep) has to bring something new to the table for sound etc and this one does. I suppose the only thing I'm not too crazy about are the gray plastic tuning machine heads. They look a little cheap, though they work fine. I'll give it some time to see if I get used to them and if I change them out, it'll be for a set of locking tuners anyway. But really, at this price point, I can't complain! And props to Sweetwater for getting this out to me as quickly as they did and, of course, awesomely packed!

I love this guitar! I was so excited when these were finally announced after all of the rumors. I ordered one as soon as I saw they were available. The feel, tone, and playability of this guitar are all great! It's the same price as a Fender Player Series Start (which I own), and I feel that it is a much nicer guitar. The color is beautiful. The ease of play is amazing. I have actually never played a USA Silver Sky, but would love to try one out. This is my third PRS, and all of them have been top notch guitars!

This is my third Silver Sky - yes, my third! I've owned two USA-made core SS models in the past (golden mesa and tungsten both with rosewood fretboards); both were great and exceptional! I now, however, only own the PRS SE SS in the beautiful dragon fruit color way! The core models, if you have the money, are very much worth the money (in my honest opinion), but if you want a SS and are on a budget, I would NOT hesitate to buy the SE version. It is an AMAZING guitar for the money. The neck is not as chunky as the core USA model - feels slightly slimmer, but it's still chunky enough for my hands - which I prefer. The satin finish on the neck, the rosewood board, and the frets were all perfect right out of the box. To be honest, for a third of the price, you get a lot of the USA version - or at least a lot of its similarities. If you can afford the USA-made SS, then go for it, but if not, get the SE version! As much as I loved my USA-made SS models, after having and playing the SE version, I just didn't need them anymore. Huge, HUGE fan of this guitar model. It'll be in my arsenal for a very long time!

Picked one of these up about a week ago and after extensively trying to like the guitar, I decided to return it. I'm still giving it a 4.5 star review because my decision to return the guitar is pretty much at no fault of PRS and the guitar.

It plays beautifully. It may be the "budget" PRS option, but plays with the bigger budget guitars. The pickups are full and have a wonderful sound. It was setup perfectly out of the box, which is a testament to the quality control at the factory. The neck feels great in my hands.

Now, I'm returning it because I just don't love the sound of any S-style guitar I've played ranging from budget $200 guitars up to $4k custom shop guitars. I've tried them all and I'm coming to the conclusion they just aren't for me. I'm a humbucker and P90 guy. I'll stick with my Les Paul and T-style guitars. My hunt for my perfect Strat continues. But this is no way a knock against PRS or John Mayer. Lots of thought and care went into this guitar. My personal preference shouldn't be held against them. I own other and will continue to buy PRS guitars.

After seeing so many great reviews of this guitar I decided to get one for myself. I originally wanted ( and ordered ) the Moon White, but I got an email a few weeks ago saying they had some Dragon Fruit ones in stock. Called up and changed my order ( Thanks Nich Magnani ). It arrived in perfect shape and on the day they said it would.
I am blown away by the sound of this guitar. Sounds fantastic clean, and has plenty of punch for the dirtier stuff too. I haven't played many Stratocaster's other than my 89 Strat + . I think this guitar sounds better. For the price, I think this is a fantastic guitar. Really, the only complaint I have is the looks of the plastic tuner heads, which look cheap, but function fine. Might look into getting some locking tuners, but am in no hurry.
My sales engineer Nich Magnani was awesome. I have become a big fan of Sweetwater... I think this is the 5th guitar I have bought through them, and service has always been great.

I am basing this rating on the guitar, not on the service received from Sweetwater, but note the comments below regarding customer service.

I bought this guitar because I was intrigued by the very positive reviews that it has received from a variety of folks on YouTube.

With respect to fit and finish, it is superb as expected from PRS. The guitar is light and well-balanced. Body is maybe a little thinner than I am used to, and the guitar feels quite compact. I like the satin finish on the neck. Playability is excellent, all the way up the neck. No choking, as noted by another reviewer. Sonically, it has a taste of 1960s era Strats, and has a bit of Strat jangle. Pickups are clean and responsive. Separate tone control for the bridge pickup, which should make lead players happy. Frets are a little lower and thinner than I am used to, but I chalk that up to personal taste. There is not quite as much sustain as I have grown to expect from PRS guitars, but it is certainly equal to my Fenders. The guitar compares favorably with my two American-made Strats. Not equal to, but close enough to be surprising given the price. So, imnsho, it is a great bargain. For the heck of it, I had it plekked by Sweetwater, but I would bet that the playability would still be excellent stock from the factory.

This would be a great guitar for a beginning or intermediate player who wants a quality guitar to continue to learn on and not be held back by inferior equipment. On the other hand, if I were a starving artist, I wouldn't hesitate to gig with it—it sounds great, is responsive to pedal effects, and plays well.

The guitar was not properly set up by Sweetwater when it arrived. I plugged it in, hit a chord, and thought that I had a distortion pedal on accidentally. Checked that—nope. Took the pedal board out of the signal path. Mogami cable straight into a Deluxe Reverb. Sound still terribly distorted. Oh man. Could the pickups have been installed out of phase? Or, what about pickup heights? Checked the PRS web site for recommended pickup heights (same settings as the American made Silver Sky, per PRS). Pickups were *way* too close to the strings. Adjusted pickups, problem solved. Looked at the inspection/work cards the next day, which confirmed that the pickup heights were not properly adjusted, but left open the question of why either the inspector or the tech who plekked the guitar didn't plug it in to check the play before sending it out. The sound was so terribly off that even a hearing-impaired guy like me could pick it up. Made me wonder if anything else was overlooked. So much for the excitement of "new gear day".

Let my sales rep know. Told him about the problem and that it was solved by me, and that I would be keeping the guitar. But I never even had an "Ooops! Oh gee, we are very sorry!" I feel sad about that as I have been a good customer for some time. Like seven guitars and four amps worth of good customer.

The disadvantage of buying a guitar from Sweetwater is that you don't get to test drive it before you buy it. In exchange, you get (typically) good customer service, and the firm has to make sure that the guitar is perfect for you before they send it out. In this case, guitar was not even close to perfect. And my point of contact didn't seem to be too troubled by that.

I have played Stratocaster for 25 years. The PRS Silver Sky is not a Strat. It the modern PRS form factor that can give you some 60's vintage tones. With the three balance pick ups it has some tones of its own. These are great to play. The guitar is light with a great neck. This guitar is the perfect practice companion. The PRS quality is excellent. It is not a replacement to the original Silver Sky. It is 90% there but the USA made version is better in tone and solidity. As always my sales engineer Josh Lively was excellent and keep me informed through the purchase. Everyone has similar prices but few have Sweetwater service. Bring the candy back we miss it.

First , I'm not a PRS or JM fanboy nor am I a Stat guy . I'm just a guitar player.
Second: This is a great guitar. I like everything. The fit and finish is beyond what I expected for $ . The neck is thick and very comfortable , reminds me of a 59 les Paul neck, it fills the hand nicely . When I pick up this guitar I want to play it for hours . I also really like the pickups , first time in years I didn't want to instantly replace the pickups in a midrange guitar . They are darker than a Strat and I enjoy that , especially the bride pickup , that bridge pickup on some strats could scare the hair off a cat . This bridge pickup is useable, even with the tone cranked and that is awesome. I almost passed on this guitar because I thought it was just a strat with a different headstock , man was I wrong this guitar has its own thing going on and I dig it . It really is what PRS and JM said it was . Good Job , bravo .. And a big thank you to Joe and everyone at Sweetwater for getting me this lovely guitar . So if you like a thick neck and nice warm tones give the Silver Sky SE a try .

It's a good guitar at the price. Neck is a bit on the baseball bat side. But better off getting a MIM Fender. Higher quality, better finishes available, and easier to upgrade. The SE Silver Sky is the definition of "it is what it is." An over priced Fender knock off with John Mayer's name on it. Already planning to sell mine after 2 weeks with it.

First let me say I really like the sound. I may be the only one not totally impressed with my SE Silver Sky.
I've owned 4 PRS, SE's and S2's,not real happy with the fret job on this one. Choking out in to many spots for a PRS.
Never had a PRS that I thought needed to be Plek'd. Not sure what to do with this one. I keep comparing it to my Strats and Tele, the PRS is just not playing as sweet. Hate to spend close to $300 to get Plek'd with freight and tax and find out its still no better. Thoughts????
Any one else share my opinion.