Are John Mayer's Silver Skys Truly The Same As Ours? 

I enjoyed your video. Do you know what pickups in John's Black One? I know it but I can not say!

I don't think he "singled out" the PRS used in the ballad version of Last train home because all the other times he's not using stock models, but because that arrangement, as the instagram post says, gave the guitar more space to breathe, and it was basically full of guitar playing without anything else drowning it out, so it was a perfect time to point out that what you hear is what you get in the store.

Him and Paul Reed are both notorious ADD obsessive tinkerers. Put them together and there’s no way they’re not testing out new, minute adjustments on stage. Brad Paisley changes pickups depending on the damn sound check…guitarists can be insane.

I bought a 1st Gen Tungsten in late 2018. It's been my main recording and live guitar since. I'm intrigued by the bigger frets and different pickups on the new ones and would like to try one. I'm sure he's mostly playing new prototypes or one offs. I still believe we are getting closer to the real deal with PRS stuff than we were with Fender. Good content man!

It makes sense he would use a slightly different/modified model sometimes. He probably is constantly evolving his sound, and with PRS has the ability to tweak as much as he wants. I prefer this, that means the Silver Sky will continue to evolve with it. For his Silver Sky's I am sure they pick the "best" one on the production line to add those tweaks or to send him stock. This work out well for us. It means that the consistency in the models is very good, so they could just choose one. I have seen some very dark rosewood (almost ebony) stock silver skies.

Pretty much agree with you here. I think you're basically spot on that he plays guitars that are testing the next evolution, however I do think those changes eventually trickle down to the production Silver Sky. I think he basically has the equivalent of a Private Stock Silver Sky, though that is very different from the Fender situation. I don't think it's a bold claim to suggest that a stock PRS Silver Sky is closer to a Fender Custom Shop quality than USA Production, so it makes sense to me that John might actually use the same spec we can buy (prototyping new features aside). Personally I love my 2021 Silver Sky (Dodgem Blue) and can't think of anything I'd change. Actually what I'd most like to see from PRS is their take on a T-Style guitar!!

This is 100% accurate. I've worked at fender, takamini, ovation, charvel, and Washburn. This is exactly how research and development is done in the field and then the information is brought back and put into production for the stock models.

Surprisingly interesting here, love the videos. It sounds like the guitar is always "close" to what John is playing, but like you said he is constantly messing with something, typically pickups or electronics. I think some players might switch out the pickups themselves as well, which is kinda like John has his own custom Strat "platform" that people can buy at any major guitar store which is really cool, I think most other factors being even outside of minor tweaks. unfortunately I do not own a silver sky to tell you if I would do so myself.

3 years ahead 👏 This is a really insightful one, thanks Justin!!

Awesome video as always Justin! Keep up the good content, Cheers from Croatia!

Great video, well done Justin! I think it's great having John and Paul in close contact and always pushing the development of the Silver Sky. On the other hand, this doesn't make the production Silver Sky bad at all - PRS basically is a Custom Shop anyway and the quality standards are so high there's not much difference from one Silver Sky to the next. While there have been sightings of Silver Sky bodies in Private Stock, I don't think there are big differences to the normal assembly line. They use the same wood (even if more 'spectacular'), same CNC machines, same glue, ...

John has stated in videos that he wants to eliminate the “unicorn” theory with gear. In reality, he could make a $100 dollar guitar sound great. I don’t think it matters. Meh.

I live nearby the PRS factory and know quite a few employees. They pride themselves on the quality of their production instruments and the signature models are truly to the artists’ specs. The artists can literally go to any music store, pull one off the wall, and feel right at home. Now, JM may be testing stuff constantly, but I think it’s misleading to think of those test guitars as “different from spec,” in the perspective of “unobtainium.” The difference is related to testing, not that the artist is “receiving something special.”

The fact that he plays a bunch of different ones to inform the standard is great though, because it means the standard always improves and makes the entire range look like a better buy.

Definitely agree with your assessment, I have a 2021 midnight rose maple board and absolutely love it. Can’t compare to earlier models as it’s the only SS I’ve played. I would expect John’s guitars to be slightly different, he’s going to get the best of the best from PRS and any personal tweaks, the guy is a perfectionist and he and Paul have spoken many times about constant evolution. We have to accept that and enjoy the fabulous stock guitars PRS make for us fans and players

I got the moc sand satin, the one you got. It is a lot warmer than the first production models and the neck is thicker. I love it

I own a ss from 2019 with a very flamed neck, didnt intend on buying one but when i saw that i immediately bought it and love it. From what i understand the new pups are more like the blk1, i do prefer the ones modeled after the 64 though. For future skys, id like to see the reintroduction of onyx with gold hardware. Also i purchased my ss from Guitar Resurrection in Austin tx where the owner also said john boughy 4 alembics lol

I’ve often thought of this as well as the same for athletes shoes. Great subject 👍

Nice vid! I sub. It would make a lot of sense that John never plays production models on stage, just prototypes. He's got to have the prototypes and play them live before they become production models because he's designing the silver sky. Whenever the new ones come out, the only point of replacing the prototype with the production model would be to say "Look! It's really the production model!" At the end of the day, he's taking those prototypes out to test them and to think about how to better design the guitar. It's not like most guitarists playing their signature model but secretly changing out the pickups or something like that, because the goal isn't to sell a cheap production model while the artist upgrades it for their use. The goal is to create the best possible production guitar and leave no stone unturned.

That is one hell of a video title. Great video. You do good work.

You could create 100 more videos on Silver Sky’s and I’d watch every one of them. Part of my reasoning and push to finally get my 21 Polar Blue SS, was you and the gear lounge review videos and in depth conversations about them. Cheers from CA.

I agree with you. For me, him going out of his way just to say that the one he was playing in that particular video was stock is a giveaway. If they were all stock, there isn't any need to say it. I like JM but I'm not the biggest fan. I do remember a story(I think I remember 🤦‍♂️) about him falling out with fender because they wanted him to have fender amps on stage even though, the sound would have been coming through his dumble that would have been hiding backstage. He felt it would have been lying to his fans. So if that is correct, the PRS thing falls within that same category. Great videos, dude. Just found you. Now having a binge! Happy holidays from the UK.

First comment on RU-vid since perhaps I started utilizing this platform 14 years ago, I just couldn’t help myself with this one - I thought this video was more thoughtfully created than what the title suggested. I appreciate your challenge to the assertion that we are all playing the EXACT same model as JM would play on stage and live. For reasons you alluded to, such as the continuous QA/QC and R&D process that PRS as an organization has AND what JM/PRS himself go through together, its more likely than not we don’t have the same access to the exact prototypes or models that Mayer himself has access to. Logically, it’s a reasonable conclusion and a fair assessment. That’s a) a perk of being John Mayer and b) probably an agreement between PRS and John about the longevity and life cycle of this model. They’re in a competitive business, they have made a very controversial instrument that to many, not everyone, has challenged the status quo and is at a relatively fair price point then what you’d be able to find at the big F and other brands. I will say, and as an owner of a 2019 rosewood SS as well as a 2020 Maple SS I call out my own bias, I can accept that John probably gets the most exclusive or unique models. That’s completely fine with me as an owner and supporter of the brand. Based on my socio-economic status, I only compare my or other ss with competitors at a price point congruent or above the price point of the SS. In every case I’ve personally come across, there is no competition. The SS wins every time. I can’t compare with JM’s SS and I don’t find it useful to do so. I do believe the Manufacturing process, QA/QC, and quality of materials is so consistent in my experience that the consumer is actually getting a better product then can be found new/used in the price point range we’re dealing. And if JM is receiving improvements before us, I do believe in the insatiable desire of PRS to bring any improvements to market and to consumers as soon as practical. More forlorn about the fact I can’t access the amplifiers he uses, which I for one think has much more impact on his sound . But as you can tell, I’m a biased and bought in PRS fan so take all this as subjective experience.

Its widely known that some of the most famous guitarists had ghost builders or at the very least techs on hand to go over their guitars and make them night and day from an off the rack guitar

Great stuff as always Justin!... Ive recently (4 days ago) done a 'Blender mod' to my strat..... with a 'no load' pot so it can be set to be totally stock sounds when disengaged, but then the 'all three' and 'Tele' sounds are available when required with the blender. With some of the sounds Im getting I think some of the Sob Rock guitar sounds are made using this!!!. And, as an old touring backline and guitar tech, I think we would be a little foolish if we were to think JM and Rene Martinez aren't tinkering with some of his SS's to make them even better. I really think you should try the Blender mod as I have described it, as having the complete set of sounds that Strats are capable of just seems to be something everyone should do!... If you like yourself some Strats!.. ;)

He gets dibs on the best wood available to build the guitar. Premium rosewood that looks almost as dark as ebony. Most signature sold are lesser versions of what the artists actually play

I’ve just taken delivery of a Sob Rock pink silver sky ( when it was unpacked ) made on my birthday with an incredible flame maple neck 👍🏽👍🏽

Cool video and cool channel. I'm a huge Strat fan, and I've seen JM live 3 times (Sob Rock tour most recently) and he's definitely got killer tone. I'm sure he probably gets the pick of the bunch and probably an additional "attention to detail" setup. Personally, I don't like the Silver Sky - the neck is too fat for me. They sound killer, though.

Dude, found your channel recently and wanted to tell you great job, also it's funny, but I too have an Olympic white JM strat, and a satin moc sand silver sky lol. I'm sure we aren't alone in owning that combo but I just thought it was fun we had the same ones.

I have a friend who says the pickups were changed on the 2020 models. There does not seem to be any way to confirm. As you noted, PRS seems to be vague on the subject. I personally do not own a Silver Sky but have been looking to get one. I appreciate your vid.!

Well it sounds like whatever he's playing will eventually become stock. We should be grateful he tests the future models on stage to get the future mods just right. This is a good thing!

It’s like when Clapton first got his signature models. After the prototypes which were red and (two) pewter, he had 22 fret necks put on them. He then had a custom shop version in black with a flamey neck, built by Michael Stevens. The main difference between them and a commercial version was that Claptons guitars were built by the custom shop, but to relatively the same specs. You can see the difference on the 24 nights dvd, 1990 he has the pewter Strats and 1991 he has the black one with the crazy neck.

This guy posts John Mayer stuff I would have never, ever thought about but is so fascinating when you find out

I see your point. So John Mayer being a geek and modder of guitars he is constantly in the R&D process and so his work horses are prototypes for next version of mass production. Whereas say, Eric Clapton rarely mods his guitars any more so when he uses his non master built signature blackie on stage it does actually have the same spec with the ones that we can have. Whether they are refined by luthier is another story as with all signature stuffs.

Something else to consider, because we all think about the type of guitars, pedals, gear, wires, etc. This guitar is being played by Mayer, it is going to sound incredible and even better than we can play it even if any of us takes his current guitar and gear. Personally, i don't get too worried about it, I have a Fender Strat that of course modified to look like the NOS BLK1 and i try to get his pedals but i also can't get his amps, we all do what we can.

So, basically, we'll eventually get whatever he's working on at any given time. That's pretty obvious since he's always improving something...

FWIW the roxy pink one had a big backlog post pre order, felt like guitars were actually shipped out far later than announcement (relatively)

At first I thought this was an excuse to make another John Mayer-related video, but it ended up being more insightful, nuanced, researched, and educational than expected...

Thank you for contacting PRS Guitars. The PRS John Mayer Silver Sky has seen little change since its inception. A full nitro finish began in January 2020. The fret wire changed from .045” X .085” (original), to .055” X .090” (slightly taller and thinner-October 2020). The basic specs for each year are below. 2019--Alder Body, 25.5” scale length, 22 fret maple neck, rosewood fretboard, small bird inlays, steel tremolo, 635JM treble, middle, and bass pickups, one volume & two-tone controls with a 5-way blade pickup switch, vintage-style locking tuners, nickel hardware, premium gig bag • Neck profile: 635JM Finishes: (Toned nitro finish on necks), Onyx, Horizon, Tungsten, Frost, Moc Sand, Golden Mesa, Dodgem Blue, Orion Green 2020--Alder Body, 25.5” scale length, 22 fret maple neck, rosewood or maple fretboard, small bird inlays, steel tremolo, 635JM treble, middle, and bass single-coil pickups, one volume & two tone controls with a 5-way blade pickup switch, vintage-style locking tuners, nickel hardware, premium gig bag • Neck profile: 635JM-R (rosewood fretboard) 635JM (maple fretboard) Finishes: (nitro finish), Dodgem Blue, Frost, Golden Mesa, Midnight Rose, Moc Sand, Orion Green, Polar Blue, Tungsten 2121--Alder Body, 25.5” scale length, 22 fret maple neck, rosewood or maple fretboard, small bird inlays, steel tremolo, 635JM treble, middle, and bass single-coil pickups, one volume & two tone controls with a 5-way blade pickup switch, PRS vintage-style locking tuners, nickel hardware, premium gig bag • Neck profile: 635JM-R (rosewood fretboard) 635JM (maple fretboard) Finishes: (nitro finish), Dodgem Blue, Frost, Golden Mesa, Midnight Rose, Moc Sand Satin, Orion Green, Polar Blue, Tungsten, Roxy Pink (in rosewood fretboard only) I hope this information finds you well. We appreciate your continued support of PRS. Have a great day,

I have a 2021 Moc Sand Satin. I love it. Neck feels great, very smooth. Do you think they will do another limited run for NAMM like they have done the previous two years?

Wow, talk about detail! 😁 I don't think it realy matters but it's surely fun watching this stuff! 😊

you mean 'your' silver sky. we're still struggling to pay those klarna payments on our classic vibe🤣

I think a point you are missing is the guitar tech he has access too compared to us mere mortals who do our own work. This makes a big difference on how his guitars play compared to what you get off the shelf. Along with direct contact with the man himself and his staff, it is silly to think that what you get at Guitar Center is what he is using.

I think his main Silver Skies are probably private stock made and not stock American made. However, as you said there are many times where it seems like he plays American made and lately I've even seen him use the new SE Silver Sky on stage as well.

You just described guitar evolution. It’s been this way forever. One should never make the mistake of thinking the road used guitars are the same as the guitars the consumer gets. Rarely is that ever the case. Yes - products are road tested for years if the artist actually cares. Once the product works, it makes it into a guitar if it can be done cost efficiently. Also - most artist modes started life as a “master built”. This is how guitar manufacturers entice the artist to use them.

It’s hilarious that this even matters. Getting the same haircut as John Mayer or the same exact guitar that he has isn’t a substitute for being an artist or musician. If Hendrix had fixated on playing what his heroes played, he would’ve been playing acoustic guitars with horribly high action and bad intonation that the old blues greats played. Just be an artist and be you. John Mayer is him and you are you.

Great topic Justin. Couple of thoughts: I don’t know if it was just down to the recording but I wasn’t that massively impressed by tone in that Ballad LTH home video. Particularly the outro solo. It was a bit… lacklustre. Which perhaps wasn’t the greatest advertisement for these ‘100% stock’ silver sky’s. Also, the argument about John saying the silver sky’s we can buy are what he’s playing on stage and the authenticity of that statement is interesting given that (as one of the rumours goes) he left fender after they wanted him to make it seem like he was only using Fender amps on stage. But what you say about how it’s likely to be mainly just a lag between what John’s playing and then what’s released to the public makes sense. Hearing about the three year timeframe just makes me want to joke about how “yeah, cause that’s just how long it takes PRS to build and ship them”, but I think that’s maybe a tad harsh given how COVID is still delaying supply chains around the globe. Still, how many months has it been since they announced Roxy Pink? Loads and they still aren’t in stock (in UK anyway).

Bruh...weird flex to say he doesn't play the same gear you can buy when he's just road testing. Different to me than what he did at Fender.

Just sourcing the magnets or the wire for the wind would make them basically impossible to recreate identically from production run to production run. Custom winds are probably shaped as they are spun (with, like, ridges in the wind). I'm quite sure Mayer often plays 'newer' prototypes and is constantly testing new materials, new metals, new magnets, new woods, etc. Wouldn't you, if PRS was willing to dedicated a team to fulfilling every whim, every fleeting idea you had?

John Mayer is awsom,Genius♥️

@justinjeske have you tried the 2023’s silver skys? I just A, B’d a whole bunch of silver skys and all the 2023 sounded may more open and expressive than the 2022 models

It's insane to think that anyone that's endorsed would choose use a "regular" version when they could have master built ones instead. That's like saying "Hey, so we have a million dollars we can just give you" and you just saying "Nah, I only need ten thousand."

id like to see a silver guy with dots and some transparant finishes

I know very little about John Mayer, but if you look at other of the big guitarist’s and if they play stockmodels? Nope they don’t. Look at Jim Root he played his signature pickup’s from emg years before you could buy them. He when through lots of versions. They all do that. Some of the things that they have done to their guitars would make the guitar imposible to sell do to pricing.

I would love an SK with HSS configuration... Hope that happens some day

i think something that people miss, is what the guitar GOES INTO! Dumble SSS and a Two Rock. You will not plug a Silver Sky into a 15watt tweed and get that sound. Best advice i can give is run 2 keeley katana boost pedals, one that is always on, and one as a drive boost. Where in the chain, i will leave that fun for you to find. But 2 keeley katana boost for FET and a centaur OD pedal will be as close as you can get with smaller more affordable amps. The other thing is, that tone is in his hands, his touch and attack, more than the gear. The gear is only about 20% of the equation here tops.

The current silversky uses 3 piece bodies. I'm assuming JM is pretty specific when it comes to the details, wood for example. His probably has matching 2 piece bodies.

Yeah, if they freely admit the silver sky is under constant development, that pretty much answers the question. I didn't know that btw, it was launched as the 'finished product' of years of research, I only knew there were new finishes and maple fretboards, not changed pickups etc and least of all the shape of the neck! Takes away any confidence I would have had that you can buy the guitar Mayer uses

I kind of commented on this about Mayer sounding just like the studio cuts Hope that's not truly the case He is just a great guitar player....Well hey yes he plays with the Dead so that can't possibly be the case right ?? I owned a couple early early DC:s One was even signed Wish I still had them Amazing tops AAAA stuff man

Just because he’s playing prototypes with minor tweaks and changes doesn’t mean that he’s playing some hand crafted private stock model that would be worth a few grand more. Pretty sure PRS could get sued if it’s somehow found out they he’s using a private stock grade when he’s telling everyone this is the same guitar you or I could buy.

But I guess for us still prs silversky is the best choice to get JM-ish tone. Right?

Awesome vid, remember last year a photo of SE silver sky west viral, has anything else been said about if it was true ?

First view! Haven't watched it completely yet but I'm sure it's going to have valuable information :) love your videos, made me build a massive rig to get the tones!

I've got a 2019 SS, now I know why I don't sound like John Mayer! 😃

I have a '19 Moc Sand Gloss and I love the way it feels to play but the pickups I go in and out of liking, they can almost sound shrill to my ear at times, I am very eager to try a newer one with the lower output pickups. I like how they are tweaking and updating the SS as time goes on.

also the lighting at his shows are great. so the average drab moc sand or frost white or black looks nebula-esque while yours or mine in our little apartments, meh😂

No Artist I’ve seen plays stock signature model of their own guitar. They are given select made models.

He said it multiple times before that one post too. I think this is reaching a little bit. He's got nothing to gain from lying or omitting something.. and he was never shy to praise his one off Black1 before the PRS switch, so I'd say if he says it, it's true. And he's been saying this for 2-3 years. Of course he gets prototypes before the public, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't play anything asode from the prototype. But is his silver sky the same as you'd buy in a store? Yes, he plays it stock. And obviously his technician does his job, so he looks regularly to make sure it doesn't need a setup. I'd guess that's pretty much it in my opinion!

So we are getting "stock" silver sky's, just a few years after him :)

The truss rod covers are different, but if you want to swap your SE triangle for the correct 'oval' of a John Mayer signature Musician's Friend has them for $12.99.

Its obvious that John will be trying out spec tweeks constantly on stage. Is the overall quality of the guitars he uses “better” than stock models? Apparently not. I think that’s what he meant on the Silver Sky introduction video

My personal opinion is that all artists play guitars with unique features - special wound pickups, among other things. The Silver Sky's best features are the pickups - everything else is kind of "cheap" feeling. My bet is that his personal SS guitars have unique pots, tuners, and the same balanced, but hotter, pickups. With Dead and Co. this summer he played both his Super Eagle and a Silver Sky, which are miles apart. PRS is making a killing profit-wise on the Silver Sky...cheaper production costs (solid painted finishes only, plastic tuner pegs and knobs, NO CASE) and one of the world's most popular player's behind it. I can't imagine what cost-savings features are left for the hinted upcoming SE version.

Just get a half decent strat with close specs. It’s the wizard not the wand.

I'd like to see a nitro version. Its the one thing holding me back. I just love how nitro finish wears and if I am spending over 2k on a guitar its gonna be nitro

I'd be down for an HSS Silver Sky. Maybe with pickup splitter?

completely agree - no artist uses the exact same production model - woods are better - as you mentioned: flammier maple, dark indian rosewood fretboards (some silver sky guitars come with brazilian rosewood from the looks of them - very light colored brown). The different pickups is not a big problem - the amp does most of the work for the John Mayer sound. people still believe pickups are the ones that count the most - which is true to an extent, but amps are the most important and ovferall quality of the instrument (wood, caraftmanship, etc). I bet you John's guitars have better finished fret-ends, even the neck angles and so on are a bit different from the production model. If you watch closely in the videos, the guitar looks flatter (don't know if it makes sense). It's just like if you watch a Gibson Les Paul standard vs custom shop. You can see that the top is flatter and the fretboard is not that high from the body). SO yeah. A lot of on guitars are different from the production models on mostly every artist signature guitar. Great video!

You know darn well he covertly put Fender custom shop pups in some of them.

The biggest takeaway is that mayer is chasing the tone dragon

Oil your fret board, it'll darken.

5:30 “I never chested on you… last year.” Huh?

I want newer model ss. I have a 2018 in frost. But the only way I'm buying another ss is if they bring back the onyx color. I'm not a pup nerd so I could care less if it sounds different or the same as my 2018. I just like the other updates on the new models.

Yes it is..the tone is in your hands

I mean if course his guitar isn't the same. We all know that as guitarists we always mess with our sound. We can't stop. Every time we approach the finish line it somehow grows legs and runs away from us and we have to chase it again lol.

I think if you like the guitar play it. The production models may not be exactly what he is playing everytime . I think some of what he was saying though is that prs silver sky out of the box is great. But he also may have certain set up tweeks he does to his that are maybe not the the stock factory set up . Be blessed rock on .

I’m willing to bet his touring pickups are NOISELESS!!!

It’s set up differently, and he has a half million dollar amps. That’s the difference.

They are stock for JM. They are stock for him as PRS sent to him.

In conclusion, find your own tone. It will save you lottsa money and time

This is kind of a weird concept… We’re only not getting the guitar he plays because he’s testing new prototypes. There’s no conspiracy. There’s a difference between playing a “special” guitar and testing protos. I mean… how is this supposed to happen? Am I supposed to be upset that PRS isn’t shipping out proto’s for us to test out too? It’s feels a bit like someone handing you fresh baked bread, then putting another loaf in the oven and saying “yeah but yours is more fresh and newer- NO FAIR”. And with the fretboard, I’ve owned 6 Silver Sky’s. All but one has been almost Ebony black. I’m sure he does like the rest of us. I call my local store and ask if they have any dark fretboard guitars… duh. Doesn’t mean he got some special unicorn wood. When I’ve done guitar tech work, something that’s common on the bench is stain. Some people want to darken their rosewood. Takes 35 seconds. His tech could have done that with a paper towel. Just some “outside looking in” thoughts. Pretty sure everyone realizes what’s going on - we don’t get prototypes.

I imagine John’s SS is more Private Stock and less PRS factory production.

I’d love to see and SE model

I'm surprised the silver sky guitar has plastic tuners

I mean it kind if is. Just add 3 years. Hes playing the 2024 stock model rn

I think it's safe to assume many artist signature models are not perfectly consistent with what you see them play live. Not just because artists get special treatment or whatever, there's many variables due to them being built en masse. There's prototypes, lot variation, personal mods... shit, even the "same model" can differ due to things like pot tolerances. My two cents: get a guitar because the specs it has suits your needs, not because of the name. Chances are you'll be disappointed if you do the latter, and furthermore, why would you want to sound like someone when you can sound like yourself!

Everyone knows all prs core guitars are beautiful as they are 2 to 6 grand but top of the line is their private stock and if your a sponsored artist why would you not have yours made in the private stock room

I don't think it makes sense to play stock guitars if you're still iterating on the model. If you're still trying out new things and trying to improve, as he said, the best way to do that is to try stuff out on stage

Do you SS owners even know that you dont have a standard (250k) volume pot value ? It is modified to get around 250 and 300k (i think its precisely around 280k) Thats a huge difference in tone and it is combined with .100uF for both tonepot

I'm a firm believer that tone is in the gear. However, I also believe that if I played through John's rig, I'd sound like me, but if John played through my rig, it would sound like John (maybe because I copy his gear.....)

Just buy a Strat

Does he ever actually play any of the strats now??