305 compared to Silver Sky

H2-DGT

H2-DGT

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I imagine there must already be a thread in here somewhere that I missed, but has anyone had a chance to A/B the guitars? Curious as to points of similarity and contrast. Thanks!
 
I too am also curious. Add in to that comparisons to a DC3/NF3.
Still hankering for a 305 - If only I wasn't completely skint as I've seen a couple of good deals on ebay recently.
 
The NF3 is going to be different from the others in that it has humbuckers. Very versatile ones, but still humbuckers.

I know I've said this before, so sorry. If you have a two channel amp, the NF3 is amazingly versatile. The old old thing about wanting "fender>fender cleans and Gibson> Marshall gain tones is something you can approach with proper EQing of the two channels. Set your gain channel to taste. Set your clean channel with lots of top end, roll the mids down and the bass down even more. Then the NF3 can be fairly close to a strat with no hum. 2 and 4 sound great and "in between" as they should, bridge neck and middle all sound great this way.

Flip over to the gain channel and all three pickups shine even with high gain. Neck pickup solos rule! Bridge pickup rhythm tone is great. The surprise/bonus is, middle pickups solos rule as well. And anything else you want to do with it. These pickups are just exceptional, IMHO.
 
I’ve got a 305 and it’s a great Strat killer for my needs. Plays better than any US Strat I’ve owned over the years, and it actually stays in tune.

I want to check out the SS but I’ll never find one locally. My next step is going to be picking up a new Princeton reverb for the 305.
 
OK... round 1... Observations are made with guitar ---> Line6 G10 wireless ---> Kemper on clean Plexi profile ---> Xitone MBritt powered cab with open back.
The 305 pups are a tad darker than the SS. 305 has less of that "quack" on tap. I'll give a nod to the bass output on the 305, but just by a hair.
Volume wise, the SS takes it by a nose, as those pups are just a bit hotter.
Note separation... well I'll give the nod to the Silver Sky, but dayum the 305 is no slouch in this respect at all!
I would say that the 5 positions are a little more diverse on the SS, but the 305 has very usable tones in every position.
Dual tone knobs makes for a little more versatility on the SS.
Hum is about the same on both guitars, both very good for single coils.



The feel...
305 wins all day with that awesome PRS carve. It's a small amount heavier for obvious reasons but that doesn't matter to me yet.
I can easily swap between necks without issue, and that is something I did not expect. They are both interchangeable for playability.
Trem on the 305 is not locked for dive only, so might be more flexible for some stock. That being said, the SS can be setup for that too.
I like the metal tuner buttons on the 305 more, but that is certainly subjective.
I'm also a sucker for wood grain, so the 305 wins there for me too.

Overall, if you want to get that 5-10% closer to a "S" type, then a Silver Sky is worth the effort and cash.
If you have a 305 already, you might be forgiven for thinking you're good to go... cuz in most/many ways you ARE!

Next up, crunchy and gain tones!
 
Wow, great thoughts guy and thanks Dave for the insights. I read somewhere (Guitar Player?) that the 305 (I have a 20th Anni) is like a Strat on steroids. I love mine too.
 
Hmm, thanks for the reminder / refresher on the 305! We were listening to the rough cut of our next CD this morning on the way into work, and one song is still just barebones two tracks: vox and acoustic guitar. It has a bit of a rock-'n'roll feel to it, and I was thinking the 305 will add that twang I think I hear in my head - your remarks have solidified that thought!

Back in the studio next weekend, need to remember to bring the 305 (and the Kingfisher bass - I used a different bass this past weekend on other tracks, since it was already in the studio and forgot the Kingfisher).
 
Thanks Dave! As a fellow 305 owner, that really caught my eye... the same eye I have out for a Silver Sky should one land in my neck of the woods, I (eye?) might add...
 
shinksma said:
Hmm, thanks for the reminder / refresher on the 305! We were listening to the rough cut of our next CD this morning on the way into work, and one song is still just barebones two tracks: vox and acoustic guitar. It has a bit of a rock-'n'roll feel to it, and I was thinking the 305 will add that twang I think I hear in my head - your remarks have solidified that thought!

Back in the studio next weekend, need to remember to bring the 305 (and the Kingfisher bass - I used a different bass this past weekend on other tracks, since it was already in the studio and forgot the Kingfisher).
Click to expand...
Cool!
I would love to hear the results/opinions after you inject the 305 into the mix!
 
dmatthews said:
Cool!
I would love to hear the results/opinions after you inject the 305 into the mix!
Click to expand...
I used the 305 on at least one track from our first CD a couple years back. Song I wrote called "The Veteran", IIRC. Probably another track, not sure. So I know it can work for us!

We do not keep good notes on which specific instruments are used on what songs, just "Lead elec guitar" or "cajon" etc. And it is amusing as to which guitars I end up using - one of our new songs ("Mustang Run") was very inspiring to me to play slide for my solos, and I always used the RL Vela when we jammed/practiced that song - it has a slightly country-rock feel that matches the Vela pretty nicely. When it came time to record my lead breaks/fills, the slide simply wasn't working for me that day - four or more takes, all dull and lifeless, full of mistakes and uninspired. So I recorded a "normal" solo with fingers on fretboard, etc. It was OK, but something still missing. That was a few months ago (November, perhaps?) This past weekend we got back into the studio to add more songs, and we revisited "Mustang Run" for a few tweaks, and I decided to try slide guitar again - this time on my P24 (with trem) that I had brought with me. Bingo! I was inspired! Best slide work I think I have ever done (not that I am a virtuoso - I am no George Harrison or Duane Allman). Not exactly the guitar I would have thought to use...

Weird how that works out.
 
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