Silver Sky compared to my 1982 American Strat and Fender Professional Strat

Revelation

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This comparison was performed within one hour between the 3 guitars going through a Fender Tube amp with clean channel. The Silver Sky strings were not new but also not very worn either. The other guitars had new strings on them. I will be going back to spend more time with the Silver Sky.

The Fender Professional sounded much different than the other two. It had less mid range, was not as thick and had a very clear bell tone. Great quack, and the 9.5 radius seemed a little more comfortable for me as a person who is 6' tall. It seems to have a slimmer sound with a nice chime. The neck does not have a lacquer so its easy to move up and down the neck. The 1st position has a little less top end shrill than the 1982 Strat...thankfully. It appeared to be constructed well and I didn't see any defects on it.

My 1982 Strat had the 7.25 radius neck, and had a thicker tone than the Professional. The 1 position has way too much top end, and I usually have to back off the treble on my amp. It quacks very nice and it has great tones. The back of the neck has a lacquer and though I can move back and forth on the neck, a non lacquer neck is a little easier.

The Silver Sky neck does not feel like a Strat neck. It has its own personality, just as Carvin/Kiesel, and Ibanez Strat type of guitars has. The neck is a joy to play on and the tuning pegs are easy to use to get slight changes of the string from flat to sharp and in between. The saddle quality gives an appearance of better quality than my 82 Strat. The pole on the high E string is lower than the other poles. This may attribute to it having a little less top zing. I found the overall sound closer to my 82 Strat than the Professional. It quaked a little less than either Stratocaster and it did not feel like a want to be Strat but its own personality though very similar. When playing the guitar and you feel and see the different neck and headstock, you get a different feeling playing it compared to the Fenders. You don't think I'm playing a copy Strat but a guitar with its own personality. However I saw two YouTube videos that compared the Fender John Mayer Strat to the PRS Silver Sky and they sounded so close in both videos. It would really just be a personal preference on which you want.
One thing I notice was the back of the guitar did not have a block but a rounded connection from the neck to the body. This gives a more modern look and the access to the higher notes above 19 perhaps a tad easier. Toggle switch 1 had a more controlled top end and less shrill than either other Strat. All positions sound great. The neck size of course is like my 1982 Strat. I would say it has a 10 percent sound difference compared to my Strat. I will have to spend more time with it to get a better idea of its differences. It appeared to have a little less mid and the tone has a little more even sound compared to my Strat.
 
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Very informative and well done review. I'd love to compare my only Strat to my SS but it's screwed into a display since SRV signed and wrote all over the top. However I have other PRS' and I agree it feels different than anything else. The neck is a delight. None of the positions are too bright and all sound great. Nice pups in these. Maybe a sprinkle of magic dust. And you're right about the SS having it's own distinct personality. Which is great!
 
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Very informative and well done review. I'd love to compare my only Strat to my SS but it's screwed into a display since SRV signed and wrote all over the top. However I have other PRS' and I agree it feels different than anything else. The neck is a delight. None of the positions are too bright and all sound great. Nice pups in these. Maybe a sprinkle of magic dust. And you're right about the SS having it's own distinct personality. Which is great!

I’d like to see some pics of that signed Strat.
 
Very informative and well done review. I'd love to compare my only Strat to my SS but it's screwed into a display since SRV signed and wrote all over the top. However I have other PRS' and I agree it feels different than anything else. The neck is a delight. None of the positions are too bright and all sound great. Nice pups in these. Maybe a sprinkle of magic dust. And you're right about the SS having it's own distinct personality. Which is great!

I’d like to see some pics of that signed Strat.

Uhhhhhhhh yeah, I know this is the PRS forum, but you can't tell us you have a Strat that SRV signed and wrote on, and not show us pictures!!!

I've played a few SS, very much agree with the OP. Not as glassy as many Strats, and the feel of the neck was very comfortable, but not blatantly an F carve. I also think the pickups are tuned to be a little thicker sounding, which makes them respond to drive in a nice way, especially the bridge pickup. Really cool guitar. I didn't care for the frets and radius, don't get me wrong, it played perfectly, the feel just wasn't for me. Really happy to see people enjoying these though!
 
Photo Bucket has had me and all my pics hostage since they started blocking posting pics w/o signing up with their program. Just have been too lazy since they shut me down to figure plan b for posting pics again. The strat however is a black '89 and in silver pen he signed his typical fancy sig. and wrote "Soul to Soul" in big letters below it. It's in a plexi case over a fireplace. One day when I get motivated and up and running again w PB I'll post some shots.
 
I had 10's on my Strat for years. I just put 09's on it and the thickness was reduced and the more open sparkle top end replaced it. I love the sound so much more now.

Guitar pick thickness and guitar string gauge makes a big difference in the sound of a guitar.

UPDATE I changed the strings from 09s to hybrid Slinkys which has 9 11 and 16 and then it jumps back to the tens for 26 36 and 46. This gives you a fuller Rhythm sound for your low strings and the janglee sound of the nines on the higher strings. For me it's perfect for my Strat guitar.
 
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Photo Bucket has had me and all my pics hostage since they started blocking posting pics w/o signing up with their program. Just have been too lazy since they shut me down to figure plan b for posting pics again. The strat however is a black '89 and in silver pen he signed his typical fancy sig. and wrote "Soul to Soul" in big letters below it. It's in a plexi case over a fireplace. One day when I get motivated and up and running again w PB I'll post some shots.
I ended up spending a couple of hours downloading the pics I wanted from PB and then uploading them to another service. Definitely did not appreciate the way PB changed their policy.:mad:
 
Very nice write up , I was going to put mine up against a 58 and a 62 Strat that I know where they live
 
I went back to the guitar store to try out the silver sky again. One thing I notice which I don't like is the edge of the neck where the dots are, it has a shiny gloss on it. The fretboard does not have the gloss which makes the strip stand out.
 
Photo Bucket has had me and all my pics hostage since they started blocking posting pics w/o signing up with their program. Just have been too lazy since they shut me down to figure plan b for posting pics again. The strat however is a black '89 and in silver pen he signed his typical fancy sig. and wrote "Soul to Soul" in big letters below it. It's in a plexi case over a fireplace. One day when I get motivated and up and running again w PB I'll post some shots.

That's a good way to put it. Holding our pics hostage. I can hardly access the older pics and some I couldn't find anywhere other than PB.
 
Mozzi gave me a tip last week or so and I registered with IMGUR. Seems to work pretty good.


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