John Mayer SE

Dirty_Boogie said:
The color was as advertised (whew!)
c0yi5f3.jpg


I hereby name her "Captcha" :D. She'll fit in quite nicely in the neighborhood:
DeQ1IAf.jpg
Click to expand...

Congrats man! I really do dig that finish, especially knowing it matches the ad pics. Enjoy and HNGD!
 
Tony M. said:
Disclaimer:
This post is not meant to offend, antagonize or insult in any way, shape, manner or form.
I am genuinely trying to learn about something I do not "get" so I am asking respectfully.

That being said here goes...

I just do not understand what the big deal is with this guitar.

Seriously.

I'm not trolling the thread or anything like that.
I would really like to understand all the hoopla over this guitar.
What I see is an Indonesian copy of an American made imitation Fender Stratocaster.
I am obviously missing something and would like to understand what it is.
(Please and thank you included.)
Click to expand...
Just to pile on some of the good explanations so far:

The original US-made Silver Sky was "something special" because it was the "Stratocaster that Fender wouldn't make" for John Mayer. He asked them to build a signature model that (probably) had many/all of the minor tweaks to the standard issue Strat, and they rebuffed him. So he got in touch with PRS (really good back story to that in and of itself), and they built a guitar that ticked every one of JM's boxes.

Many (most) (who?) of those that have played them generally agree that the SS is a really good take on a classic early-60s strat, with the usual build quality expected from PRS, at a price that fits well into the market. And it sold really well, so there was apparently a huge demand for such a product. I have one (maple FB version), and plays very nicely. I haven't played a lot of higher-end strats, so I cannot compare - all I know it is that it plays better than my MIM Squier by Fender strat from 1995-ish, and frankly that is a fairly nicely playing "affordable" guitar - it played better than US strats that were on the rack at the guitar store at over twice the price. :shrug:, maybe I just got lucky. At any rate, my PRS SS plays as best as I could expect, and feels and sounds like a strat.


So, moving onto the SE SS:

When the US-made SS first came out, many people (who?) said there should be an SE version, since the US version was relatively expensive and "really, how hard is it to make a strat-clone?" (Or similar sentiment.) With the US version doing so well, it isn't too surprising that PRS and JM agreed to an SE version. There are a few compromises/adjustments for affordability, and the off-shore manufacturing clearly lowers costs, so this seems to be a sensible approach to providing a PRS-quality instrument from their SE line with a whack of name-dropping association.

If I were asked by a friend or stranger to recommend a strat-like guitar under $1K, I would recommend the PRS SE SS, because I know it is going to have a minimum level of quality that I'm not so certain about from other manufacturers at the same price point. And it will retain that quality build and feel, and could easily be a work horse guitar for a gigging musician in their early days before they get endorsements or at least a steady income to afford another guitar.
 
First impressions…
  • Setup was astoundingly good. Action is low, without any fret buzz anywhere
  • Sounds stellar in all positions (even middle-only pup)
  • The “feel” is super-stiff. 25.5” scale length, 10’s, decked bridge, and 4 springs make for one stiff-playing guitar. I normally set up my Strat with 10.5’s in E-flat, bridge very slightly floating, which is my frame of reference. The trem on this guitar doesn’t move unless you really give it some muscle - kinda defeats the purpose if you like using the bar for subtle vibrato. Easy fix - removed 1 spring - now very slightly floating, and easy to do the subtle (or heavy) vibrato thing. Springs are a beotch to remove
  • Even with 3 springs, it sill feels a bit stiff when bending strings. Will play with the stock strings for a while, and when it’s time to change, Will go with 9.5’s - these are my favorite gauge on a standard-tuned 25.5 scale guitar
  • 8.5” radius - subtle, but noticeable (in a good way) over my 7.25” 62RI. And, it doesn’t fret out, anywhere.
  • Tuning stability - very good, and will only get better as the guitar gets played in.
  • Doesn’t seem to have a treble bleed. Turning the volume pot down significantly lowers the volume (duh!). But, I’m used to the effect of cleaning up the dirt without a significant drop in volume
  • Fit and finish is excellent all-round. No sharp fret ends. Fretboard edges are definitely sharper than my other SE’s. Not expecting rolled edges or the sublime feel of a Core fretboard, but a little more rounding would have been nice. Again, playing and time should smooth things out.
Overall first impressions… super-impressed, and will be hard to put this guitar down.
 
MichaelC24 said:
Got this one inbound, should be here by end of week. So many of these promotional photos & videos seem to have completely different color shades…specifically with Stone Blue & Dragon Fruit. Either way, really digging this color. Stay tuned for more in-hand photos and a clip or two!
QOlZJq6.jpg
Click to expand...
Do you remember what the weight was?
 
shinksma said:
Just to pile on some of the good explanations so far:

The original US-made Silver Sky was "something special" because it was the "Stratocaster that Fender wouldn't make" for John Mayer. He asked them to build a signature model that (probably) had many/all of the minor tweaks to the standard issue Strat, and they rebuffed him. So he got in touch with PRS (really good back story to that in and of itself), and they built a guitar that ticked every one of JM's boxes.

Many (most) (who?) of those that have played them generally agree that the SS is a really good take on a classic early-60s strat, with the usual build quality expected from PRS, at a price that fits well into the market. And it sold really well, so there was apparently a huge demand for such a product. I have one (maple FB version), and plays very nicely. I haven't played a lot of higher-end strats, so I cannot compare - all I know it is that it plays better than my MIM Squier by Fender strat from 1995-ish, and frankly that is a fairly nicely playing "affordable" guitar - it played better than US strats that were on the rack at the guitar store at over twice the price. :shrug:, maybe I just got lucky. At any rate, my PRS SS plays as best as I could expect, and feels and sounds like a strat.


So, moving onto the SE SS:

When the US-made SS first came out, many people (who?) said there should be an SE version, since the US version was relatively expensive and "really, how hard is it to make a strat-clone?" (Or similar sentiment.) With the US version doing so well, it isn't too surprising that PRS and JM agreed to an SE version. There are a few compromises/adjustments for affordability, and the off-shore manufacturing clearly lowers costs, so this seems to be a sensible approach to providing a PRS-quality instrument from their SE line with a whack of name-dropping association.

If I were asked by a friend or stranger to recommend a strat-like guitar under $1K, I would recommend the PRS SE SS, because I know it is going to have a minimum level of quality that I'm not so certain about from other manufacturers at the same price point. And it will retain that quality build and feel, and could easily be a work horse guitar for a gigging musician in their early days before they get endorsements or at least a steady income to afford another guitar.
Click to expand...

This is a great observation, and I totally agree.

The stuff coming from the main manufacturer of such guitars has been iffy for the past few years, in fact I've not only liked the USA made Silver Sky better than most of the F brand USA guitars, but even liked the MIM and Squier better than a lot of the MIA stuff. I think quality, consistency, and sound wise, the SE SS will be going up against, and maybe beating, the F stuff costing twice as much. Although the SS has its own identity in the niche of Strat type guitars, in sound and feel, so it's not entirely about one being "better" than the other.

I'm very impressed with the sound of the SE version in the clips I've heard. It might just be the best tonal carry-over from a Maryland made guitar I've heard, hopefully that holds up when I get to play one. The SS sounds to me like it has more meat in the mids and lows than most modern Strats, it has that depth that can be heard in the really good 50's and 60's guitars.
 
DISTORT6 said:
Hey, Minnie Pearl - You gonna take that hang-tag off?:D
Congratulations!
Click to expand...

Congratulations...you just made me blow coffee thru my nose!!:D

The GG had an great aunt named Minnie Pearl...for real...ya can't make this sh!t up. Hillbillies are funny:D

If he doesn't name it "Minnie" it will be be an EPIC opportunity missed!:D
 
Last edited:
Heard that Brian Ewald used a Sonzera 20 for the se video and a jm signature amp for the us model.

wonder how much that brings to the slight difference in tone?
Would love to hear an A/B from the same amp.
 
horax said:
Heard that Brian Ewald used a Sonzera 20 for the se video and a jm signature amp for the us model.

wonder how much that brings to the slight difference in tone?
Would love to hear an A/B from the same amp.
Click to expand...

Anderton's video has a blind A/B test that even blurs out the guitar so you get to play along at home. I was unable to pick out which was which. Others here might no problem.
 
horax said:
Heard that Brian Ewald used a Sonzera 20 for the se video and a jm signature amp for the us model.

wonder how much that brings to the slight difference in tone?
Would love to hear an A/B from the same amp.
Click to expand...

Mary Spender's video is a good comparison, too - shows the two guitars side by side with just the guitar, and then in a song (vocals/guitar) context.

 
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