SilverSky String action and pickup height

I am sure you will, do you do a lot of setups for yourself?

I always tweak but I’ve never had to do more than a slight truss rod adjustment and some saddle adj.. I’d shy away from the entire bridge stuff and neck shims. If I go to 11’s I know I’ll have to deck the bridge again but that’s easy. I’ve just read that the SS starts to buzz when people mess with the setup. Sounds like that may be an exaggeration.
 
I straightened the neck a smidge before I adjusted the saddles. I’ve had several of these, and frankly I’m not as enamored as most. I haven’t been able to get the action as low as my other models, and that’s due in part to the radius. However, to be fair, I knew coming into the game that this model was not really for me. I keep trying to bond, but I’m neither a single coil fan or a 25.5” scale fan.

I'm having same experience. I have 6 PRS core guitars, love them, thought I'd love SS but not so much. I keep going back to my Fender Clapton Strat which has a Soft V neck and 9.5 radius. Might be my favorite neck even over all my PRS core's, other than my Pattern Thin necks. Love how active the 5 positions of pickups are on SS which is cool but from factory, it's set up too high for my liking. My buddy is a great luthier, I'll take it to him and what would you recommend for lowest action without buzz? Will let him look at truss rod/intonation. thx
 
I am the proud ower of 2 Silver Sky guitars - one with maple neck / fretboard and one with Rosewood fretboard. The set up that PRS had on both guitars works just fine for me. Over the years, I have been gravitating towards guiatrs set up with higher action vs low action, peimarily because I play a lot of blues and I bend strings quite often, sometimes as much as 1.5 frets. The last thing I want to hear is the bend "fret out". It just seems easier to me when the action is set a bit higher. Also the fretboard radius of the SS seems to allow me to play chords up the neck without a problem.
 
I am the proud ower of 2 Silver Sky guitars - one with maple neck / fretboard and one with Rosewood fretboard. The set up that PRS had on both guitars works just fine for me. Over the years, I have been gravitating towards guiatrs set up with higher action vs low action, peimarily because I play a lot of blues and I bend strings quite often, sometimes as much as 1.5 frets. The last thing I want to hear is the bend "fret out". It just seems easier to me when the action is set a bit higher. Also the fretboard radius of the SS seems to allow me to play chords up the neck without a problem.

Thanks for the info. I'm used to lower action but as I'm aging, my hands begin to hurt faster. Clapton Strat at 9.5 feels nice and thin, my brand new SS at 7.25 a bit fatter, gonna take some getting used to, as well as the strings set up higher from the factory. Not sure what it is, but would you agree 1.5 about the right spot at 12th fret on SS? thx
 
Got this from PTC , if I remember this is fretted at the last fret ( stock setting )

High E Low E
Neck 2.5/32" (5/64") 4/32" (1/8")
Middle 3.5/32" (7/64") 4/32" (1/8")
Bridge 2/32" 4/32" (1/8")
 
Thanks for the info. I'm used to lower action but as I'm aging, my hands begin to hurt faster. Clapton Strat at 9.5 feels nice and thin, my brand new SS at 7.25 a bit fatter, gonna take some getting used to, as well as the strings set up higher from the factory. Not sure what it is, but would you agree 1.5 about the right spot at 12th fret on SS? thx
my measurements at the 12th fret on my SS maple neck are as follows (distance from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string). Caveat - I have a string action guage ruler, but my eyes are not so good anymore. I had to use a maginfiying glass.....
Low E - 2.0mm
High E - 1.5mm

This is the way mine came from the factory & it works for me.
 
I'm a new SS owner and mine seems to have higher action than I was expecting. I'm not going to change it yet, I know enough about machines (I was a nuclear machinist mate in the Navy) to know that unqualified tweaking usually leads to poor outcomes. Would you strongly recommend against lighter strings? I prefer 8s but I'm thinking about going to 9s first for a while. Thanks!
 
I'm a new SS owner and mine seems to have higher action than I was expecting. I'm not going to change it yet, I know enough about machines (I was a nuclear machinist mate in the Navy) to know that unqualified tweaking usually leads to poor outcomes. Would you strongly recommend against lighter strings? I prefer 8s but I'm thinking about going to 9s first for a while. Thanks!
My SS's came from the factory with 10's on them and I have not felt any reason to change them to a smaller guage. All of my electrics have 10's on them now and have for a few years. With lighter guage strings I have had problems when fingerpicking the high e string and keeping chords that I play up the neck in tune. Caveat - This could result from my not so steller technique....I own a Tele & a Strat - both came with 9's & I put 10's on them pretty quickly, for the reasons noted above. I like to play as clean as possible and I felt 10's also put out just a bit more sustain when soloing and string bending.

Your milage may vary however, but if I were going to change I would go with 9's as a starter and see what you think. Changeing to 8's might increase the likelihood that you will need a set up. Good luck on whatever you decide to do. Others might have completly different opinions from mine.
 
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I'm a new SS owner and mine seems to have higher action than I was expecting. I'm not going to change it yet, I know enough about machines (I was a nuclear machinist mate in the Navy) to know that unqualified tweaking usually leads to poor outcomes. Would you strongly recommend against lighter strings? I prefer 8s but I'm thinking about going to 9s first for a while. Thanks!
I run 9s on all of my guitars. No problems with them on the SS
 
I run 9s on all of my guitars. No problems with them on the SS

9 - 46 here.

what is the action set up that’s giving you no buzz with 9’s ?
Too high for me now with 9’s so your opinion appreciated.
Also, did you have to adjust truss rod or saddles? I’d rather not, personally.
Thanks
 
9 - 46 here.

what is the action set up that’s giving you no buzz with 9’s ?
Too high for me now with 9’s so your opinion appreciated.
Also, did you have to adjust truss rod or saddles? I’d rather not, personally.
Thanks
I no longer have it. But, it was the factory set up.
 
I just don’t do single coil guitars. I love how they sound, but not when I play them. Plus, my hands didn’t like the nitro neck. Too sticky, for me, and I was afraid to scotch Brite it.

I have one S Coil my Clapton Strat which I love mainly the 9.5/neck but I’m a Humbucker guy also. Several PRS, my Les Paul and my Andy Wood Tele with Thornbuckers kills. I’m in grace period with this S Sky mainly due to radius.
Used to pattern thin and pattern on Paul’s guitar. Still in discovery phase, not sure what I’m going to do. thanks.
 
I have one S Coil my Clapton Strat which I love mainly the 9.5/neck but I’m a Humbucker guy also. Several PRS, my Les Paul and my Andy Wood Tele with Thornbuckers kills. I’m in grace period with this S Sky mainly due to radius.
Used to pattern thin and pattern on Paul’s guitar. Still in discovery phase, not sure what I’m going to do. thanks.
You bet. I may venture back into the Silver Sky, but with the maple board. Those necks are satin, like the other PRS maple necks. We’ll see.
 
You bet. I may venture back into the Silver Sky, but with the maple board. Those necks are satin, like the other PRS maple necks. We’ll see.

mine is green Maple board.
Great lookin guitar, 7 lbs.
The pickups are very cool. Never in my 20 years of playing have I played a guitar where the 5 switch positions are so different sounding with no volume drop.
I’ve been in position 1 or 5 on 95% of my playing through the years. These pickups sound totally different in all 5 positions, to me anyway.
Thanks
 
On 25 1/2 scale strat style guitars I use D’addario balanced tension 9-40 sets, and .73 picks. I play with a lighter touch, and have a dedicated pedalboard and amp setup to accommodate the difference. I have arthritis, and can’t play long scale guitars with normal sets. Also, 7 1/4 radius necks are anathema to me, no matter the brand or vintage. Interestingly, many vintage strats came from the factory with much flatter necks than advertised, due to hand sanding, and aftermarket work by players...especially from ‘58 thru ‘64, when they sold out to CBS.
I love the 25” scale, and play with D’addario NYXL 9’s..no buzz, nice low set up on all my core guitars. I have played the ss, but I wish it had a 25” scale and a 10” radius fretboard. I would buy at least two, one in rosewood, and one in maple. I am waiting to see what the new Fiore model’s neck has for a fretboard radius..and see how it plays. I know it’s a 25 1/2 scale neck, but If it has a 10” fretboard radius and a pattern neck, I will definitely get one, and experiment with strings to make it playable for me.
 
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