Is it true that standard Strat pickups won't fit in a Silver Sky SE?

[Lewguitar]

I have two Silver Sky SE's and would like to put Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Surf pickups in one. Will I need to enlarge the routs in the body? Or maybe use a file or sandpaper to make the baseplate of the pickups smaller?

I love the guitars. Love the pickups too. I just want one to sound a little different and more like a 60's Strat.

 

[bodia]

I think you’ll be ok on the SE. The Core version would definitely need some additional routing. I seem to recall a video where the person pulled the pick guard and commented on the routs being larger. May have been Phil McKnight.

 

[Lewguitar]

I think you’ll be ok on the SE. The Core version would definitely need some additional routing. I seem to recall a video where the person pulled the pick guard and commented on the routs being larger. May have been Phil McKnight.

Hope you're right. Thanks!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Happy modding.

 

[Ziggybumwah]

Check out the “Deep Dive PRS SE Silver Sky” by Ish Guitar on YouTube At 2:30 they show the body pickup routes and seem to indicate strat pickups could fit.

 

[garrett]

You'll be fine. The SE pickups have the traditional slightly triangular baseplates, unlike the Core.

 

[Lewguitar]

Thanks! I'll report back...

 

[Lewguitar]

Check out the “Deep Dive PRS SE Silver Sky” by Ish Guitar on YouTube At 2:30 they show the body pickup routes and seem to indicate strat pickups could fit.

I've seen that one. I was pretty thorough in my research before buying one. He does make a mistake tho. He says the knob next to the volume control is the bridge tone knob and that the bottom knob is for the neck and middle! No biggie but he got it backwards. At least that's not how my SE Silver Sky is.

I'm glad he checks the fingerboard radius. Mine feels flatter than my vintage '63 and it turns out that he measures 9 1/2". I think PRS says it's 8 1/2". Maybe I'm remember wrong.

 

[Lewguitar]

I've seen that one. I was pretty thorough in my research before buying one. He does make a mistake tho. He says the knob next to the volume control is the bridge tone knob and that the bottom knob is for the neck and middle! No biggie but he got it backwards. At least that's not how my SE Silver Sky is.

I'm glad he checks the fingerboard radius. Mine feels flatter than my vintage '63 and it turns out that he measures 9 1/2". I think PRS says it's 8 1/2". Maybe I'm remember wrong.

PRS does say it's an 8 1/2" radius. https://prsguitars.com/electrics/model/se_silver_sky_2022


Phil measures 9 1/2" in the video and that's what it feels like to me too, but I don't have a radius gauge to measure it. Whatever it is, I like it.

 

[Ziggybumwah]

I’ll have to check the fingerboard radius. Will look

I've seen that one. I was pretty thorough in my research before buying one. He does make a mistake tho. He says the knob next to the volume control is the bridge tone knob and that the bottom knob is for the neck and middle! No biggie but he got it backwards. At least that's not how my SE Silver Sky is.

I'm glad he checks the fingerboard radius. Mine feels flatter than my vintage '63 and it turns out that he measures 9 1/2". I think PRS says it's 8 1/2". Maybe I'm remember wrong.

I need to read messages completely. Sorry I missed that you have an SE already!

 

[Lewguitar]

I’ll have to check the fingerboard radius. Will look

I need to read messages completely. Sorry I missed that you have an SE already!

I have two. One green and one white.

One to keep stock and one to mod with Duncan Antiquity II pickups.

I assumed that the USA Silver Sky pickups were not available.

Or are they?

 

[Ziggybumwah]

Just for giggles a sketched up a fingerboard with 8.5” and 9.5” radii.

They’re actually much closer in shape than one would expect.

 

[Lewguitar]

Looks like a real difference to me! Thanks for doing that! Much appreciated.

But I wonder why it says 8.5 in the specs if it measures at 9.5?

 

[Ziggybumwah]

I’ll check my radius when I do a string change. Maybe later today. I have a 9.5” insert for my fret caul and can see how it compares.

 

[Lewguitar]

Just for giggles a sketched up a fingerboard with 8.5” and 9.5” radii.

They’re actually much closer in shape than one would expect.

I’ll check my radius when I do a string change. Maybe later today. I have a 9.5” insert for my fret caul and can see how it compares.

My SE Silver Sky certainly feels like the fingerboard is flatter than a vintage Strat.

I played vintage Strats for years and had a '54, '57 and a'63.

Of course, the radius of the fret itself would be a slightly larger radius than that of the fingerboard.

Would you mind checking both the fingerboard radius and the fret radius and reporting back on it?

Thanks!

 

[Townie]

I've seen that one. I was pretty thorough in my research before buying one. He does make a mistake tho. He says the knob next to the volume control is the bridge tone knob and that the bottom knob is for the neck and middle! No biggie but he got it backwards. At least that's not how my SE Silver Sky is.

I'm glad he checks the fingerboard radius. Mine feels flatter than my vintage '63 and it turns out that he measures 9 1/2". I think PRS says it's 8 1/2". Maybe I'm remember wrong.

Both my Tele and my Sire have 9.5” fretboard radii. The radius on my PRS SS SE seems more like a vintage Strat. Easily 8-8.5”.

 

[Townie]

I have two Silver Sky SE's and would like to put Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Surf pickups in one. Will I need to enlarge the routs in the body? Or maybe use a file or sandpaper to make the baseplate of the pickups smaller?

I love the guitars. Love the pickups too. I just want one to sound a little different and more like a 60's Strat.

Did you ever upgrade your pickups? Thinking about upgrading mine and Dylan Does Tone’s are pretty expensive.

 

[Lewguitar]

Did you ever upgrade your pickups? Thinking about upgrading mine and Dylan Does Tone’s are pretty expensive.

Yes, I changed the pickups in both.

I first put Duncan Antiquitys in one and liked the tone very much. Great pickups but I've been using them for years and have them in a Strat anyway, so I decided I'd try something new.

A friend recommended Mike Gray in Austin and I bought two sets of his Chub Tone pickups.

A '61 set and an El Gordo set.

All three pickups are identical in the '61 set, as they are in the Silver Sky and would have been in 1961. They at first seemed very slightly underwound but have a warm full tone with a nice chime on top. Just a real comfortable sound. I've grown to love them.

The El Gordos are thicker sounding and but still have a vintage tone with plenty of chime and have a slightly overwound bridge pickup. I play the Silver Sky with the El Gordos most often. It's just so easy to get a good lead tone out of!

There's so many great pickup winders these days!

 

[Townie]

Yes, I changed the pickups in both.

I first put Duncan Antiquitys in one and liked the tone very much. Very 60's sounding.

Then a friend recommended Mike Gray in Austin and I bought two sets of his Chib Tone pickups.

A '61 set and an El Gordo set.

The '61 set seems very slightly underwound and has alot of chime but a warm full tone.

The El Gordos seem slightly overwound and have a vintage tone but fuller still.

There's so many great pickup winders these days!

Thanks! Glad to hear they fit. There’s a local guy, Craig Vineham, winds some great pickups too. I might try a set of his in my SS SE.

 

[Lewguitar]

Thanks! Glad to hear they fit. There’s a local guy, Craig Vineham, winds some great pickups too. I might try a set of his in my SS SE.

They were tight going through the pickguard but there was plenty of room in the routs in the body.

I had to slightly enlarge the openings for the new pickups in the pickguard with fine snadpaper.

Didn't have to enlarge them much...just until the new covers would slide easily through the openings.

The SE Silver Sky pickups/covers seem to be just a hair smaller than a standard strat pickup.