11top
Cousin Eddie's cousin
Really like the gold, Pete.
I assume the Nebulas are coming with the new neck carve. Anybody know?
I assume the Nebulas are coming with the new neck carve. Anybody know?
NGD: 2020 Silver Sky Rosewood in Golden Mesa!
- Thread starter MA Pete
- Start date
RaySachs
New Member
That was my understanding. I have no idea what TCI even is or stands for, or what it does - I may be the least informed person around here about all things PRS. But my 2018 Silver Sky is the best sounding strat I've ever played, by a lot, and I thought I read that was partly or largely due to the TCI and that the Silver Sky was the guitar they originally developed "TCI" for. But I know so relatively little I could have this entirely wrong...
bodia
Authorities said.....best leave it.....unsolved
Yes, they did. Getting all 3 of those pickups to sound the same (and usable in all positions) was what led Paul to the TCI breakthrough.
bodia
Authorities said.....best leave it.....unsolved
Tuned Capacitive Inductance. Something Paul came up with while designing the SS. There are a couple of threads around here about TCI. Some believe it's just marketing hype. I'm not one of those guys. If I recall, Shawn mentioned that it may have involved the technology that Paul developed with Digital Harmonic.
https://digitalharmonic.com/
So in the spirit of trying all the cool new 2020 TCI Models, I wanted to check out a 2020 Silver Sky.
Also the 2020 Rosewood has the new 635JM-R neck carve with supposedly slightly softer shoulders, so I made sure to grab one that was confirmed with that carve.
Wow, I love it!!
Dig the Golden Mesa finish, especially with the Rosewood Board. Blends right in with all my vintage vibe Sunburst guitars.
I do feel the difference in the neck carve - I had just played a 2019 model earlier this week in a dealer. The shoulders do feel subtly smaller, the Hendrix thumb over the top thing is a little easier. (I wish the 2020 Maple Board ones had this carve as well, as I probably will get one of those as well.)
These pickups are to die for, the best S-Type pickups out there, IMO. I had two terrific Fender Custom Shop Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child guitars with Fender CS 1969 pickups in there - those were great, but these PRS pickups are better, and better than any of the Fender CS pickups I tried over the past two years, by a long shot in my opinion. And I have tried most of them!
I had a Silver Sky in 2018, these pickups seem even better this time around, perhaps the TCI thing?
I still think the frets are kind of small, hopefully I get used to them. If not, maybe I will get it refretted with 6105s (or Jescar 55090, their 6105 equivalent). But I will give them a chance first, perhaps I just get used to them.
The Board Radius didn't seem to bother me this time around, that felt fine.
As advertised, all 5 pickup positions sound great! I played it through my new Metropolous DVL-1, and hot-rodded EL34 Marshally amp, both with Plexi cleans and with higher gain, it sounded terrific. To die for in the '65 Mode with sparkly Plexi cleans.
Also of note, I don't find the headstock to look odd anymore, like I did in 2018. I guess with stuff like that, we just get used to it!I think it looks great overall.
More importantly, it plays and sounds great!
It looks simply fantastic.
That is a nice color. Believe it or not, Moc Sand is a nice color. I played a Moc Sand SS before purchasing my CE24. The only reason I did not purchase the SS is because I could not bond with the setup. I use 9s on 25.5” scale guitars.
The use of 10s coupled with the high stock action of the SS and the 7.25 radius was a no-go for me.
The use of 10s coupled with the high stock action of the SS and the 7.25 radius was a no-go for me.
Bill SAS 513
Just another old guy in a T-shirt
She's beautiful!!! Congrats!!! And...Great photo set up, with the chair and throw...Can't help but picture a younger Clint Eastwood sitting there,
with the throw around his shoulders, a low-riding cowboy hat, with a little cigarillo in his teeth, playing that beauty!!!!
with the throw around his shoulders, a low-riding cowboy hat, with a little cigarillo in his teeth, playing that beauty!!!!
Andrew Paul
The cat's meow
Nice choice!! Gold looks great on SS . CONGRATS
MA Pete
Pattern Thin Convert!
Thanks, Les!
I dig the Moc Sand as well! That was my second choice.
I had mine set up with 9s before it shipped from the dealer. They feel great!
Ha, thanks!
That is how I keep all of my guitars having just vintage finishes - if it won't look good with the chair and the throw blanket, I won't buy it.
MA Pete
Pattern Thin Convert!
Thanks! I really dig the Gold. Looks even better in person.
Mike Duncan
DGT Player
I feel like I need a Silver Sky.
RaySachs
New Member
I'm not into the tech enough to understand what it is or how it works, but if it's what they used in the design of the electronics on the Silver Sky, it works really well. The best sounding strat I've ever played. A great instrument in a lot of ways, but the pickups (and whatever special sauce brings out the best in them) are the superstars of this guitar for sure. Just did some more playing with both my Robert Cray strat and the Silver Sky over the last couple days. I'd play the Cray and I love how that guitar sounds and when it's all I play for a couple of hours, I fall back in love with it. And as a player, its incredible. I could almost forget about the Silver Sky. But then when I pick up the Silver Sky, it takes me just a few notes to remember how incredible it sounds. It makes the Cray sound kind of anemic by comparison, and the Cray is NOT anemic. But in that comparison, it is...
-Ray
bodia
Authorities said.....best leave it.....unsolved
You do!
RaySachs
New Member
Anyone who loves strats owes it to him or herself to at least check one out. They're not everyone's cup of tea, but it's a really interesting take on a strat. Not everyone who tries them loves them, but it seems like most do.
-Ray
rickcard71
New Member
Wow Pete, you are crazy in a good way of course. I’m surprised to see you with single coils. I would call dibs for sure because the gold was my favorite until I saw the new pink. I am looking to add a pink one this year unless I decide to buy a used one and get it painted like the nebula. I found a painter that can do nebula.
Congrats!
I love the headstock. Actually now I am finding the Start headstock now to be weird. I think this will happen for more people which is not good for Fender.
Congrats!
I love the headstock. Actually now I am finding the Start headstock now to be weird. I think this will happen for more people which is not good for Fender.
MA Pete
Pattern Thin Convert!
Singlecoils haven't been my thing at all over the years, but I sort of forced myself to get into them a couple of years ago with a "Strat phase". I play the humbucker guitars 80+ percent of the time, but now I do love having a Singlecoil guitar in the mix and still make an effort to explore those tones and songs that are best played on those. (Mostly Hendrix!)
I like the Pink one too. I plan to also get a Silver Sky with a Maple Board later this year, my favorite candidates for that are the Pink, the Moc Sand and the White. The White with the Maple Board has a cool Hendrix vibe...
MA Pete
Pattern Thin Convert!
Greg Koch with some tasty playing on a Gold Silver Sky! (Was just posted yesterday.)
RaySachs
New Member
I don't think Fender has to sweat too much about that...
The people who have or want a Silver Sky is a relatively tiny percentage of all the strat players out there. As for me, I love the Silver Sky, and looks aren't a big driver for me pro or con (until you get into some of the fluorescent pointy guitars from the 80's and 90's), but on looks alone, I'd still take a strat. I like it's softer lines, I like the classic strat headstock, etc. I don't DIS-like anything about the Silver Sky's looks - but I do still like the lines of my strat more when they're side by side. I gotta say, though, I do prefer the looks of the SS headstock to the garish 70's Strat headstocks with the really big type on 'em. I had one of those as my only electric for about 25 years and I was used to it, but I'm sorry - THOSE were fugly. But a standard strat headstock is a thing of beauty. And the SS is just a very function and inoffensive headstock.-Ray
