SE Silver Sky Maple Quality Control Issues

[Jimi D]

I would send that crap back so fast the dealer's head would spin. Not acceptable.

 

[Lewguitar]

I would not accept that guitar. Return it and ask for a replacement or refund. I've seen only a couple people even point out minor flaws and they only had one or two. To have multiple finish items like that is simply not acceptible. To be completely honest, after about 10 pictures I was thinking "this is a fake because I've NEVER seen this many finish flaws on one SE."

I had that flash too. "What is this? A fake?"

The putty fills on the fret ends would be enough for me to send it back.

Hideous.

I am curious about how the OP acquired that guitar.

Mail order, sight unseen?

Or a local PRS dealer?

Is the serial number legit and is it the right serial number for that guitar?

 

[SinSir]

I have seen a number of posts like yours with pictures that show the issues. There seems to be a bit of a quality control issue going on right now. I have seen pictures of things that I have never seen coming out of the factory on PRS guitars.

I really don't like talking bad about PRS, but..

I would agree. Being in Chicago with it's awesome shops and sheer number of them, plus how much I travel around the Midwest, I get to play more PRS than most. On top of that I get to play about every other manufacturer and their lines, too. There has definitely been a decrease in the quality level of the se runs. You can usually even tell the ones that have been there a while just by things like the fret work being better. There's also a variance from model to model. Although. I'm not a buyer of the SSSE, I still play them, and lately they just don't stack up as well against some other brands like they used to. It's a shame. I know PRS put a lot of effort into these releases and setting up Indonesia to mimic some of the Maryland procedures. I'm confident it's just temporary and growing pain in life post covid.

On the flip side, I've noticed the S2 lines have been getting better and better. I didn't used to be a fan of S2, but lately they are really hard to resist.

And of course Core has still been core and some of the Wood Library runs have been spectacular.

 

[SinSir]

I had that flash too. "What is this? A fake?"

The putty fills on the fret ends would be enough for me to send it back.

Hideous.

I am curious about how the OP acquired that guitar.

Mail order, sight unseen?

Or a local PRS dealer?

Is the serial number legit and is it the right serial number for that guitar

It's not a fake. If you think this is bad, just wait until you actually see the fakes or worse play one. They are absolutely trash and it's very obvious they are knock offs.

 

[László]

I haven't seen that much crappy workmanship in a guitar in a long while.

The OP ought to send those photos to PRS.

Paul needs to see that.

I wonder if it's a fake?

I think Jack Higginbotham is in charge of SE production.

In any case, someone in charge needs to see that. They're supposed to be factory-approved licensees. That kind of workmanship should never be touted as factory-approved.

 

[Veetwin]

Very, very strange. I would not accept that guitar under any circumstances. I am sure PRS would be most upset to see that one. My SE 2408 is almost flawless, very good fit and finish, and a pleasure to pick up.

 

[Stephen J.]

I will reach out to the dealer and see what can be done.

Step one.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

I’ve played 2 SS SE and while I didn’t get out a microscope, looked over both of them and didn’t see ANYTHING like this. Both were very nice guitars. This is hideous and I’m with Lou. The more I looked, the more I thought “that can’t be a PRS. That would NEVER get past the inspectors!” Agree with Les that Jack or someone needs to see this one. The WILL NOT put up with that.

 

[jmsmusic]

I've written to PRS by way of email and will do the same with the dealer.

This is 100% a real PRS SE, dealer is legit and is the PRS dealer in several southeast asian countries IIRC.

I bought this sight-unseen, placed an order on their website, but they are my local dealer.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

I've written to PRS by way of email and will do the same with the dealer.

This is 100% a real PRS SE, dealer is legit and is the PRS dealer in several southeast asian countries IIRC.

I bought this sight-unseen, placed an order on their website, but they are my local dealer.

Good for you. Let us know when you get your new one!

 

[dmatthews]

Yup... return it.

 

[Lewguitar]

I've written to PRS by way of email and will do the same with the dealer.

This is 100% a real PRS SE, dealer is legit and is the PRS dealer in several southeast asian countries IIRC.

I bought this sight-unseen, placed an order on their website, but they are my local dealer.

And it was sold as a new, unused guitar?

 

[jmsmusic]

Yup. I'm not insinuating that it was used, I think it could well be QC issues. Just got informed by someone else that there are other reported issues elsewhere.

Let's see where this goes. Just genuinely disappointed as I was very impressed with the QC of the rosewood ones. Maybe I should have just sprung for the DGT lol.

 

[kerekem]

The low E string slipping off the fretboard would make me return it within a heartbeat. Neckplate indicates, that someone tried to tilt the neck in the pocket, and that cracked the paint.

I am a PRS fanboi. 14 items from them and still counting. But the indo ones i see popping up on forums are just disappointing. Watch john cordy's 594 video.

 

[jmsmusic]

Thank you for pointing that out. I genuinely did not even notice (haven't played the guitar properly).

Look at how bad that is. it's like the entire guitar was built offset.

You can push the low e on the saddle slightly, but nowhere near enough to compensate for how off this is.

The low E string slipping off the fretboard would make me return it within a heartbeat. Neckplate indicates, that someone tried to tilt the neck in the pocket, and that cracked the paint.

I am a PRS fanboi. 14 items from them and still counting. But the indo ones i see popping up on forums are just disappointing. Watch john cordy's 594 video.

 

[deepender]

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:

https://imgur.com/EKrZqVI

https://imgur.com/ReEp5yJ

https://imgur.com/YgSpBjB

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:

https://imgur.com/HWBN5WU

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:

https://imgur.com/a/GD65MOE

Send it back.

 

[Gtrbldr]

Agreed. Not accaptable. However I am not surprised. My HB SE2 has some of the same issues. Notably the inlays: sloppy. I am not happy with that kind of QC or cutting corners on a EUR 1500 guitar and you should not either with those issues on the SS

 

[Broseph]

Blows my mind why some dealers even agree to sell these. Clearly they can see and feel the defects. They should have contacted their PRS rep and asked for an exchange. This should have never hit their sale floor or online website. I’d rather the dealer say sorry to a purchaser if it was pre-ordered. At the end of the day it’s the shops reputation on the line

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

Thank you for pointing that out. I genuinely did not even notice (haven't played the guitar properly).

Look at how bad that is. it's like the entire guitar was built offset.

You can push the low e on the saddle slightly, but nowhere near enough to compensate for how off this is.

BAMZ needs to find a new job. Or at least get a new pair of eyeglasses.

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

Blows my mind why some dealers even agree to sell these. Clearly they can see and feel the defects. They should have contacted their PRS rep and asked for an exchange. This should have never hit their sale floor or online website. I’d rather the dealer say sorry to a purchaser if it was pre-ordered. At the end of the day it’s the shops reputation on the line

Do you think all dealers actually open all the boxes, or just ship to the customer from stock when fulfilling an order? I suspect most don’t check first.