Silver Sky or a 305

[gmattison3]

I'm looking for advice. I am trying to decide between a Used Silver Sky and a 305 with a Rosewood fingerboard. Anyone played both? The price for both guitars is similar (they are used).

I want a Strat Style guitar. What appeals to me about the 305, is that my S2 Custom 24 is my favorite guitar. Love everything about it, it just plays like magic. I look at the 305 and I am thinking I might get the best of both worlds, Strat Tones with the feel of the Custom 24. The 305 is online so I can't try it first. My worry is that I'll get it and it will be a great guitar, but won't sound like a Strat.

I've played the Silver Sky already. They are great guitars but it feels more like a strat (obviously) than it does my custom 24.

 

[jxe]

305!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dmatthews]

You found a 305 with a rosewood neck? Wow!
Or do you mean rosewood fingerboard?
I have both a 305 and a Silver Sky. Both guitars are awesome, and both have maple neck and rosewood fingerboard.
305 is slightly darker sounding, but unmistakably single coil.
305 has that sexy carve like all core PRS.
SS is solid colour
305 (mine anyway) has a lovely stained ash look.
I can easily swap between the wide fat 305 and SS neck carve.
I don't notice the difference between the 10" radius of the 305, and the 7.25 radius of the SS much at all
305 has the typical PRS body carve, and the SS is of course more F type carve. That makes the SS more comfy for some playing on the leg/knee sitting down.
305 is a little heavier.
SS has a loaded pickguard, and you could change things up if you wanted to. 305 has proprietary pups routed into the body, so mods are either difficult or too difficult.
Both guitars have 5 way positions, and both are useable in all 5 positions.
Tone is a matter of taste, and therefore subjective. If you want more of a retro vintage strat tone with the "issues" removed, a SS will kill it.
If you want a PRS body with a strat soul, then the 305 will kill it.
YMMV

 

[gmattison3]

You found a 305 with a rosewood neck? Wow!
Or do you mean rosewood fingerboard?
I have both a 305 and a Silver Sky. Both guitars are awesome, and both have maple neck and rosewood fingerboard.
305 is slightly darker sounding, but unmistakably single coil.
305 has that sexy carve like all core PRS.
SS is solid colour
305 (mine anyway) has a lovely stained ash look.
I can easily swap between the wide fat 305 and SS neck carve.
I don't notice the difference between the 10" radius of the 305, and the 7.25 radius of the SS much at all
305 has the typical PRS body carve, and the SS is of course more F type carve. That makes the SS more comfy for some playing on the leg/knee sitting down.
305 is a little heavier.
SS has a loaded pickguard, and you could change things up if you wanted to. 305 has proprietary pups routed into the body, so mods are either difficult or too difficult.
Both guitars have 5 way positions, and both are useable in all 5 positions.
Tone is a matter of taste, and therefore subjective. If you want more of a retro vintage strat tone with the "issues" removed, a SS will kill it.
If you want a PRS body with a strat soul, then the 305 will kill it.
YMMV

Yeah Rosewood Fingerboard ha. Typing without thinking! Thanks for the advice I appreciate it.

 

[dmatthews]

Yeah Rosewood Fingerboard ha. Typing without thinking! Thanks for the advice I appreciate it.

No worries bud!
Also, playing them both unplugged I can feel a bit more resonance from a hard strum on the 305. Might be the set neck vs bolt on?

 

[Rider1260]

I had a 305 was my second PRS, and a stunning instrument if you drop the pickups as low as they will go it has some nice Strat like sounds overall it is a thicker sounding single coil.
I was pretty happy with the sound over all , I wished for a bit more bridge output. I traded it for a really nice CU22, as a 513 I got did more of what I wanted.
The Silver Sky is brighter and snappier, a bit less smooth ( more raw ) you need to turn the knobs to get the most out of it.
305 and DC3 are every bit what a PRS ( CU24, 22 etc ) lover would want.
The Silver Sky just works better for me.

 

[László]

This is pretty simple.

It comes down to how nuanced you want your single coil sound to be.

If what you require is a very authentic Strat tone, with all the details, get the Silver Sky.

A Strat doesn’t just get its tone from single coil pickups. The materials it’s made with, from the wood, the type of metals in the bridge, to the hollow pickup cavity under the pick guard, to the plastic the pickups sit on, to the bolt neck, et cetera, are a huge part of why the tone sounds truly Strat.

On the other hand, if your tone quest takes you somewhere in-between PRS and Strat, you want a single coil sound, and you don’t need the small details of ‘Strat’, get the 305.

 

[gmattison3]

Went with the 305. I've got 3 days to try it and if I don't like it I can send it back. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[dmatthews]

Went with the 305. I've got 3 days to try it and if I don't like it I can send it back. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks for all the advice!

Great choice, I hope it works well for you!

 

[shinksma]

I love my 305 (with maple FB), so I suspect you will really like the one you have incoming.

I also have a Silver Sky on order (also with maple FB) - and I know it will be different, and much more pure "Strat-like", and that is OK, because I appreciate the differences in the models. I also have a DC3 (again with maple FB), which is arguably closer to a Strat/Silver Sky than a 305, but still not quite a Strat.