Jimi D
@ the hundredth meridian
Whelp, I've been kind of sort of jonesing for a Silver Sky since they were introduced, but despite playing them a few times in the shop I just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on account of these:
These are my Strats, and I searched long and hard to find them. Up top is a 2010 American Vintage '61 "Thin Skin", Candy Apple Red nitro, Fat 50s pickups, 9.5" neck radius and 6105 frets, weighing in at 7 lb 8 oz. Below it is a 2013 American Vintage '65 in Shoreline Gold with matching headstock, the famous grey bottom pickups, 7.25" radius and vintage frets, 7 lb 10 oz. Both are obscenely good guitars; resonant, acoustically loud, toneful, super easy to play... I spent years looking for and finding these. My goal has always been to have just one perfect Strat for me, and the plan when I picked up the '65 was to live with them both a while and sell one, but I could never bring myself to do it. I really love both these guitars, and holding either in my hand just feels right. So, ya, as lovely as the Silver Sky was, in my house I felt it would really be redundant...
Well, until this one popped up on my radar:
This is a 2022 Polar Blue Silver Sky with a 57/08 bridge pickup courtesy the TGS Mod Shop... Because a Silver Sky with a humbucker in the bridge isn't redundant at all.
Ryan at The Guitar Shop routed a brand new Silver Sky for a humbucker, then made a custom pickguard and wired up a 57/08 Treble in the bridge with the 635JM neck and middle pickups and otherwise standard SS wiring, and it's magic! I love 57/08s and this one works beautifully here, balancing very nicely with the single coils. I'm thinking this might partly be due to the 300K volume pot I read they use in the SS but whatever it is it's a pretty nice match. Excepting the slight route and the bridge pickup, everything's 100% Silver Sky. Plays like a dream, rings like a bell, weighs in at very back-friendly 7 lbs. 4 oz.. The only thing I haven't decided on yet is whether I should float the bridge which is generally my preference (my Strats and other PRS with trems all have them set to float)... I'm going to leave it with the JM-approved setup for now and see how I feel about it in a couple weeks... For today I'm honeymooning, and a very happy camper indeed.
These are my Strats, and I searched long and hard to find them. Up top is a 2010 American Vintage '61 "Thin Skin", Candy Apple Red nitro, Fat 50s pickups, 9.5" neck radius and 6105 frets, weighing in at 7 lb 8 oz. Below it is a 2013 American Vintage '65 in Shoreline Gold with matching headstock, the famous grey bottom pickups, 7.25" radius and vintage frets, 7 lb 10 oz. Both are obscenely good guitars; resonant, acoustically loud, toneful, super easy to play... I spent years looking for and finding these. My goal has always been to have just one perfect Strat for me, and the plan when I picked up the '65 was to live with them both a while and sell one, but I could never bring myself to do it. I really love both these guitars, and holding either in my hand just feels right. So, ya, as lovely as the Silver Sky was, in my house I felt it would really be redundant...
Well, until this one popped up on my radar:
This is a 2022 Polar Blue Silver Sky with a 57/08 bridge pickup courtesy the TGS Mod Shop... Because a Silver Sky with a humbucker in the bridge isn't redundant at all.
Ryan at The Guitar Shop routed a brand new Silver Sky for a humbucker, then made a custom pickguard and wired up a 57/08 Treble in the bridge with the 635JM neck and middle pickups and otherwise standard SS wiring, and it's magic! I love 57/08s and this one works beautifully here, balancing very nicely with the single coils. I'm thinking this might partly be due to the 300K volume pot I read they use in the SS but whatever it is it's a pretty nice match. Excepting the slight route and the bridge pickup, everything's 100% Silver Sky. Plays like a dream, rings like a bell, weighs in at very back-friendly 7 lbs. 4 oz.. The only thing I haven't decided on yet is whether I should float the bridge which is generally my preference (my Strats and other PRS with trems all have them set to float)... I'm going to leave it with the JM-approved setup for now and see how I feel about it in a couple weeks... For today I'm honeymooning, and a very happy camper indeed.
Last edited:
button is for.
