Just took delivery of a Silver Sky SE Maple in Overland Grey and I must say I am very disappointed in the QC.
At this price point, minor imperfections are to be expected. I’m not expecting core-level QC and perfection. But what I’m seeing definitely, by far, falls short of what’s expected of the SE line. I’ve also handled several Rosewood SEs that did not have any such issues.
Finish
First, the entire guitar looks like it was not buffed before shipping. It’s quite literally covered in micro scratches across the body and there are four deeper ones which I have tried to photograph on the back (but they are pretty difficult to see). I surmise these must have come from the silica gel packet that was inside the main compartment of the gig bag, together with the guitar.
Videos:
I have a finish crack along the entirety of one side of the neck joint as well.
On the horn, there is a spot that clearly was a blemish, and then re-done, but it seems like a different amount of paint or coat was applied over. It was also not buffed nor sanded down as you can literally feel the difference on that one spot.
Video:
Hardware
The neck plate also has several paint chips around the screws.
The jack plate came pre-scratched. Granted the scratching would have occured in the course of normal use, I would have preferred to have put the wear on it myself. To top it off, it appears that the actual jack plate itself is a defective piece, there’s a cut in in the lip that seems to imply that the metal stamping process went awry.
Neck / Frets
The frets seem to be coated in some gunk / grease. Easily solved by a polish. Not a biggie.
However, the inlays are pretty terribly done. The spots for the inlays looked to have been very roughly done and then filled in. I think that can be lived with, it does not seem like the ones on the PRS site are perfect either. But my piece has literal holes between the inlay and the fretboard at the 9th, 12th, and 17th frets. I’m not sure how that passes QC.
As for the frets, the SE Rosewoods I’ve tried all had fretwork that well surpassed the price point. However, the maple doesn’t seem to have the same quality.
No lifting frets or sharp fret ends, but there are some alarming frets which have ‘holes’ or depressions that you can feel between the fret and where it joins against the fretboard. Those frets were cut too short and subsequently some filler was added, albeit not enough to cover the whole gap. This is present on the 1st, 3rd, 6th to 12th frets, and the 17th to the 19th fret.
Nut
There is also a gap in between the nut and the fretboard, which seems to be far larger than I’m typically used to.
Conclusion
Typically, stores where I am do not have a return policy. I already know I will face some resistance asking for an exchange. However, I’m certain this piece is definitely below the QC standard one should expect a Silver Sky SE should have. I would love some input as to whether I am being too unreasonably or holding too high of an expectation of the SE. I hope I'm not being too nitpicky!
Link to all Videos / Pictures:
At this price point, minor imperfections are to be expected. I’m not expecting core-level QC and perfection. But what I’m seeing definitely, by far, falls short of what’s expected of the SE line. I’ve also handled several Rosewood SEs that did not have any such issues.
Finish
First, the entire guitar looks like it was not buffed before shipping. It’s quite literally covered in micro scratches across the body and there are four deeper ones which I have tried to photograph on the back (but they are pretty difficult to see). I surmise these must have come from the silica gel packet that was inside the main compartment of the gig bag, together with the guitar.
Videos:
I have a finish crack along the entirety of one side of the neck joint as well.
On the horn, there is a spot that clearly was a blemish, and then re-done, but it seems like a different amount of paint or coat was applied over. It was also not buffed nor sanded down as you can literally feel the difference on that one spot.
Video:
Hardware
The neck plate also has several paint chips around the screws.
The jack plate came pre-scratched. Granted the scratching would have occured in the course of normal use, I would have preferred to have put the wear on it myself. To top it off, it appears that the actual jack plate itself is a defective piece, there’s a cut in in the lip that seems to imply that the metal stamping process went awry.
Neck / Frets
The frets seem to be coated in some gunk / grease. Easily solved by a polish. Not a biggie.
However, the inlays are pretty terribly done. The spots for the inlays looked to have been very roughly done and then filled in. I think that can be lived with, it does not seem like the ones on the PRS site are perfect either. But my piece has literal holes between the inlay and the fretboard at the 9th, 12th, and 17th frets. I’m not sure how that passes QC.
As for the frets, the SE Rosewoods I’ve tried all had fretwork that well surpassed the price point. However, the maple doesn’t seem to have the same quality.
No lifting frets or sharp fret ends, but there are some alarming frets which have ‘holes’ or depressions that you can feel between the fret and where it joins against the fretboard. Those frets were cut too short and subsequently some filler was added, albeit not enough to cover the whole gap. This is present on the 1st, 3rd, 6th to 12th frets, and the 17th to the 19th fret.
Nut
There is also a gap in between the nut and the fretboard, which seems to be far larger than I’m typically used to.
Conclusion
Typically, stores where I am do not have a return policy. I already know I will face some resistance asking for an exchange. However, I’m certain this piece is definitely below the QC standard one should expect a Silver Sky SE should have. I would love some input as to whether I am being too unreasonably or holding too high of an expectation of the SE. I hope I'm not being too nitpicky!
Link to all Videos / Pictures:
