as someone who is looking to buy a graphics card for the pc in the last couple of weeks, i just wanna say one thing: THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING OUT AGAINST SCALPERS!
@@happygster922 lol, I was going to say the same thing. I tried for about a year after the 3080 was announced but have given up now and just got an Xbox instead.
Thank you for standing up against the scalpers and even calling them out. It just proves your integrity. Loving your show from across the pond !! Cheers!!
@todd moore who buys same guitar in 4 different colours thats for starters? Maybe it’s locked just for the same color idk regardless its a good idea imo. If that’s the case you can always ask friends to help you out lol
@todd moore that's a different reason than the one they're trying to stop...that'd be fine imo but the guy wanting 4;of each color to flip and gouge prices and take them out of the hands of musicians bis the crap they're trying to stop..
Wow, HUGE respect for trying to cut out the scalpers. Bravo. Was totally with Lee on the blindfold challenge. Definitely thought and preferred the sound of the second one and turns out it was the SE. Into it.
So this is actually a really interesting phenomenon that I've observed happens repeatedly across all instruments when compared blind. People very nearly ALWAYS select WARMTH as their indicator of quality rather than CLARITY unless it is sounds super muddy. However, if you look at the instruments that professional musicians tend to use, they pick warm instruments for rythym, 2nd chair, 3rd chair etc and they select CLARITY for lead parts to 'cut' through the mix.
@todd moore You've missed the point my friend. He didn't say anything about those who want 4 guitars for personal use. More power to those people. He said don't be one of those people who scoop them up and immediately turn around to sell them for a quick profit just because they'll be tough to get early on. Couldn't agree more, fuck those people
Still trying to get a GODDAMN xbox haha, and won't pay a penny over the base price. Good for them for also telling people not to go buy them for a markup, and that there'll be plenty to buy in the future
@todd moore Free trade goes both ways. Retailers shouldn’t be required to do business with every customer. They have the right to make their own polices in that regard.
Great video as always . And fair play for saying not to buy 4 or more to make profit. And for looking to spot anyone buying big quantities and cancelling their orders 👏🏻 the captain has spoken
Much respect for calling out scalpers and telling people to just wait until they come in. I tried to pick up an Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Black Beauty (after seeing Pete's playing I might add), only to find they were sold out everywhere going for double the MSRP on Reverb. I likely could have found one if they weren't bought up across the country (America) almost immediately. Very disappointing, and disheartening to know there are people out there who will do anything to make a dollar.
@@ricksigurdson2016 Greed is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, and cuts through. Greed in all forms, for money, for love, for knowledge, and has marked the upward surge of mankind. I know I'm quoting the movie Wall Street but there is a lot of truth to that quote. If Socialism or Communism was so great would there be any of these guitars manufactured at all ? They exist ( and any product for that matter ) because of Capitalism.
Tbh people scalping the SE line r dumb. Seeing it’s not American made I’m sure PRS gonna be able to pump out higher numbers then when they released their Core silver sky line
@@midpupposIII You should check out this book called “ Conscious Capitalism “ by John Mackey. A great read and something a lot of socialists can learn from ;)
Lee you're such a boss. You guys are seriously awesome. Deterring scalpers as a retailer...usually not the retailers concern cuz hey, they got their money one way or the other. Thank you for looking out for the guys that actually want to buy these guitar to enjoy them, not to flip
@@raheefnashawati750 I got charged. I haven’t had any update on shipping as of yet but at the moment of placing the order the expected stock arrival was 31st Jan.
@@adamwaters9428 thank you for the quick response! I was looking for a new guitar for the past week and coincidentally this beauty dropped today, but I can’t decide between this and a Les Paul Tribute. What do you think? Is this a collectors item? Do you think it’ll be hard to get a month from now?
@@raheefnashawati750 It’s hard to advise really as guitars for the most part are all down to personal preference and style of play. If you’re a Mayer fan or even looking for a strat alternative this is a great shout, but I think the initial stock is now taken up and the preorders are into March/April. If looking at a Les Paul around this price point I would potentially look into the higher end epiphones (such as the 60s with the Gibson pickups) as often you get more guitar for your money with the higher end epiphones vs the lower end Gibson’s. That being said, only you can make the final decision. I have a both a USA strat and a les Paul and I find that I gravitate more towards picking up my strat over the les Paul as I prefer the playability/feel/sound but then the style of music I play also leans more towards a strat.
@@adamwaters9428 thank you again for the reply! Now that you mention it I have a strat and didn’t know the prs was that similar. I will most likely be holding off on the SE for now but will definitely check it out later in the year. I’ve also been checking out the Les Paul’s and I’ve come across that Epiphone a couple of times too, might have to try it next time I get the chance. Thank you and good day/night!
My Silver Sky is absolutely my favorite guitar I’ve ever owned. I love it so much. I also own a PRS Special 22 limited run. Almost double the price of the silver sky (love that one too), but the silver sky has that “magic” to it that’s super hard to find in a guitar. At least to me. So happy more folks can experience that. I think it’s a bit high priced, but once the used market balances out it’ll be a great get for someone. Also cheers to you guys for STOPPING SCALPERS. Love it.
In my opinion, I agree with Lee. I was immediately able to tell that the 1st guitar had a much more round sound. It resonated better in my opinion than the 2nd guitar.
Which is fair enough when you’re comparing the two side by side, but if we were to pit the SE against any other £895 s-type then we’d get the best server of which Guitar sounds best to our ears.
You have to hand it to PRS, they sure know how to market and release guitars, since there are literally dozens of these reviews hitting the inter webs and RU-vid at exactly the same moment!
If you’re on the fence about getting the SE just pull the trigger. I’ve get a Silver Sky and a Custom 24 SE, the SS is my favorite strat style guitar I’ve ever played and the 24SE is the highest quality guitar I’ve ever played under $1,000 period. PRS is just on a different level right now. They are going to sell a million of these.
I was with the Captain on the blind challenge for the clean tones. First impression on #2 was it had to be the USA version, then I doubted my gut. But on the gain tones for #2, you could definitely hear the "quack" that Pete mentioned early on for the SE.
I remember Pete picking the CE-2w as his favourite in the chorus pedal shootout; nice to see it make it onto a board. Sounds great with the single coils - it's the '80s all over again.
Thanks for the most clear and calm review of the SESS. You two are the best!! I bought one in Moon White and my son bought one in Dragon Fruit. I couldn't be happier with the build/finish quality, look, the neck, playability and the tones. All for $ 849 USD. It compliments my other S type, an American Pro., doesn't replace it, they are different in a number of ways, but the SESS gives me a different vibe, and is just fun to play. And hooray for you Lee, for shutting down the front running scalpers.
@@WM-sz5mn The colors are a sore spot for me on those SEs. A standard purple, white, or pink like John had in his Last Train Home video would've sealed the deal. I'm, sure the second wave of SEs will address that.
I liked the sound of the first guitar, just seems to ring and have chimey overtones to me. The SE looks incredibly well built though. Like the original they put care in to make sure each pickup is balanced yet unique. Now I want one!
The American one sounded much fuller and nuanced to me (as you'd expect). I picked it immediately with the blind test. I'm glad I have a USA made one on order. I'm gonna stick with it.
I'm impressed with the Captain calling out those shifty and shady undesirables who just want to make money off this guitar with a hoard and profit stand. Well done Captain and well done Andertons!
Ill say Lee, ive been watching you guys for yearssss now and your playing has really come a long way! Seriously man you sound great now a days. Pete better watch out 😂
The only people who still say stuff like that are either Americans obsessed with America and believe everything that comes out of America is the best. Or people who are trying to justify their £6000 gibson custom shop purchase
$899, roasted maple neck, ebony fretboard, locking tuners, incredible build and strat killer on a budget? Yes, the hardly ever mentioned Schecter Nick Johnston strat. Absolute sleeper and the best playing guitar I've ever owned. Try one and tell me it's not impressive for the price.
You can also get a Sterling Cutlass (roasted maple, locking tuners, maple/rosewood fretboard, great pickups) for like $549 which is arguably better than the Nick johnston, but yeah if I was buying a cheaper guitar I would get this Silver Sky SE over a Fender Player. After trying a sterling I only bought a Music Man coz of SS frets and the hardshell case, plus they had some nice flame on the necks and a silent circuit, and better pickups.
Oh my god. I listened to the first clip on my phone, then re-listened through the studio monitors and swore the second was the US one! Just ordered one from you.
Very impressive job by PRS on those pickups. They sound fantastic. A few months or a year of solid playing and the fingerboard edges ought to smooth out to like butter. Kudos to Paul and the gang.
I have a hunch they used the original design of the JM635 pickups, or close to it. In 2020 they changed the pickups to be lower output. The SE seems to have a slightly higher output and the more compressed sound like the earlier SS's had. Both are great sounding but nice to know the higher end model has some slight variations that make them nicer, however slight it is. Queue the law of diminishing returns video lol
One of my favorite reviews. I'm going to get a silver sky se stone blue tommorrow. And be happy. I did play the American once and was blown away by it but couldn't afford it. Both great guitars.
I suspect that the SE has a 8.5" radius instead of the traditional 7.25" simply because it takes less time to set them up properly during the final stages of manufacturing. Does that make sense to anyone? Making a quality guitar at a lower cost like this has got to be largely about saving time and resources in anyway you can without significantly compromising the overall result. My favorite Strat (a Vintera Road Worn 50s) has a 7.25" fret board and I absolutely love it--it's my go to for Strats now--but it does take some finesse to get the action low enough to be comfortable but high enough to be able to bend strings without fretting out anywhere. More time to set-up = more labor hours = higher costs = more expensive guitar
I prefer a flatter fretboard for the reasons you mentioned. Honestly, I'm pretty happy with the decision even if it was financially beneficial for them.
Wood is cnc’d to just short of final finish and the fret wire is pre bent. It isn’t any more difficult to bend to 7.5 compared to 8.5 to my mind. Genuinely don’t see how it would make enough of a difference to make a difference. I do agree final set up could take marginally longer. But if that was my job all day every day, I suspect it would be seconds, not even minutes.
I done a blind test and I preferred the tone on the second guitar which to my amazement was the SE! Amazing for the price range. I Will be getting one 😍😍
Absolutely agree. And I'm frankly shocked. I just bought a CE24 (USA-made) that I'm in love with, and now considering another PRS. I can't find a reason NOT to buy an SE Silver Sky at that price point. Outstanding.
Sounds great, especially for the value and specs; the only think I’d change would be the synthetic nut, for bone. A Luthier I know does it for a little over a $100. Not too bad considering the price of the guitar. Great Job Mister Pete, I always enjoy your playing.
Great review. I felt the same way. Thought the 2nd one was the American at the start but had misgivings with the dirt added. The 1st had a little something. One nice thing with the 7.25 radius is that it is a more natural curve for barre chords. I feel like you don't have to press quite so hard to get a uniform pressure because it follows the natural curve of your relaxed finger.
Great review so far. I felt exactly like Lee on the blind test. 2nd guitar at first sounded a bit thicker. Then on the second round, I still thought the 2nd guitar is the US model. Just sounded thicker, fuller with added clarity. I prefer the second guitar. I could be wrong. Haha, I was wrong. Means an SE is for me 😃
I bought one of the SE Santana guitar a couple months ago and the craftmanship is amazing and the playability is a real pleasure. It is hard to put down. The tone is to die for and they only made a 1000 of them. Plus it's a beautiful guitar. So I can only hope that the John Mayer SE is as good or better. I hope to get one. The SE's have come a long way from when they first came out.
I think the move from 7 1/4” to 8 1/2” radius is to do with setup time and effort involved. Considering low radius guitars need a lot of care into making sure the frets are perfectly level. (by hand or plek machine) Going slightly flatter gives them more room for error.
@@edalvarez8901 Yeah, I’d say 9 1/2 “ radius is the best, (for me) in terms of feel/playability. Low action doesn’t work too well for me, due to my rounded fingertips. If the actions under 2mm (at the 14th fret) then my fingers catch the strings above on big bends. I also like a little resistance from the strings when I’m fretting then, just for feedback/feel. (Then you could say the tones arguably better with slightly higher action)
I bought the stone blue SE Silver Sky like Pete was playing. I am truly impressed, neck is a little thicker than my Strat but the satin finish and rosewood fingerboard are 🔥 stays in tune, nice pickups, quacks like a Strat but will also rock out with gain, I just never want to sit it down. ❤
Listening through the little built-in speaker on my PC at work, there was a clearly discernible difference in tone between the SE and the original, the latter sounding lighter and clearer. So, I was in no doubt as to which was which during the blind test and was proved right at the reveal. That's not to say the SE sounds "bad" (I actually rather like its slightly "grittier" tone and can imagine it working very well in some contexts), but it's definitely different. Kudos to Lee for taking a stand against anyone hoping to fleece genuine customers by taking advantage of the predicted short supply when the SEs first appear.
Built in PC speakers are the best way to check the tone of anything. I think many professional studios do their mixing through a PC speaker. :/ I unfortunately am listening to this on JBL monitors in my editing suite, and they sound the same.
@@rickhammel9541 Hi Rick - I reached the same conclusion back at home through headphones, but the difference was more subtle, so I understand what you mean about the usefulness of small (poor quality) speakers! The SE even sounded louder through them, so that kind of gave the game away! LOL! But, overall, my impression of the SE is that it's got some extra "dirt" that's lacking on the American build and, as I say, I rather like it for the right setting.
Jimbo here from The Great State of Washington. Another "awesome" Anderton's demo...this time, The Mayer SE, very nice! It is different sounding than the original, but on it's Own, sounds great. BTY, I missed it, too...had them wrong. The outro sounds real nice, Guys! Happy New Year!!
I'd like to see how these stack up against the Ibanez AZES. I know they are in different price ranges, but they are both different takes on a Strat and they are both made by Cor-Tek in Indonesia.
I hope the AZ is good! The fixed bridge is a plus for me and I think it has a flatter fretboard, plus more tonal options. Haven't tried one yet but I really like it.
The Silver Sky SE is one if not the best Guitar you can buy for the money, Lightweight, Plays like a dream, Sounds absolutely fantastic And you will never find better for the money. I also own the "paul" guitar its so impressive it's a one of a kind instrument. Who would think that you could get such a fantsatic instrument for under a thousand. The Silver Sky is absolutely fantanstic And the "Paul" guitar is nothing short of fantanstic guitar in it's own right you will not be dissapointed in either. As a matter of fact you'll be very pleasently surprised
There’s a clear difference sonically between the two. I could easily tell that I liked GUITAR 1 much more. It sounded more hi-def, more attack in those quack notes and on the low E A strings-first few fret solos far less muddy. I was hoping it would be the SE!! 😔
i was looking for this comment. 1st guitar sounded considerably nicer to me. very full free clear, nothing missing. sadly that wasn't the SE 2nd guitar sounded like a clone, close but not as good. the 1st one definitely the real deal. clean crunchy or high gain, 1st guitar wins , dang
PRS is on my shortlist after an SG and some kind of Gretsch but for nearly a grand they really should have cut that copper tape off the back of the pickguard so it didn't peek out the front (around 7:29 during the close-up b-roll). It's one of those "once you see you can't unsee" type of things and I wouldn't be happy with having to remove all the plastics to fix it. Regardless, thanks to The Captain and Pete for another entertaining (p)review.
The price is a bit high (because other brands have other S-Type guitars with more pricey specs like locking tuners or alder [more on that in a bit] or roasted necks even and that are probably coming from the same Cor-Tek factory) BUT the Silver Sky is a unique take on the strat in my opinion (I think they really nailed the concept of "what if the S-Type guitar was invented nowadays" which contrats it to the other brands' guitars mentionned a few words earlier since they're more hot rodded strats than anything else [which isn't a bad thing at all !!!]) and I can really see it become a none sig signature instrument like the Les Paul became its own model and went further than being a sig. Anyways, that's just my humble opinion. I would love to own one of these SE Silver Sky but as I said other brands have virtually more valuable specs so maybe yes maybe not. For the poplar instead of alder : according to Fender, it sounds virtually the same and it's more or less just a matter of avilability in Asia. And Steve More's Music Man are made of poplar, they sound great and seem pretty solid soooooo that is plenty fine by me.
Respect for calling out the scalpers, I've been running a PC with an Nvidia Maris Piper for a year now for similar reasons. Beautiful instrument, Stone Blue all the way; although it is a shame there's no maple fretboard yet..
I guessed it right.I was listening trought iphone headphones and to me the first guitar was much more in the middle when it comes to the eq.The second one SE model was just a little piercing in my headphones and that suggested to me it could be an SE model but Captain have a good point....they are close.Cant wait to get mine SE in that beautiful blue color. Cheers from Croatia
Before the blindfold test I really liked the SE more and after the blindfold test I liked the SE even more than the higher priced silver sky. At least to my ears I preferred the SE more
While I love John Mayer and all, I believe that some features like the locking tuners have to be carried over. Going for a guitar like the Nick Johnston Schecter is a no brainer, at a better price as well.
I dunno... For me all the necks on these are a bit to slender. I couldn't vibe with the neck on a USA Silver Sky. Not sure what it was exactly but the neck carve felt completely foreign. And unfortunately the Nick Johnson guitar also has a similarly slim neck. But hey I'm much more of a Tele guy so I'm probably not the intended market audience for either guitar.
If the fretboard radius is important to you (and it very much is to me) the 14" neck on the NJ is a big difference. I had a Squier Classic Vibe Strat that I just couldn't get along with - neck felt small, 9.5 radius awkward and frets felt too small. l replaced the neck with something a little more like the NJ and it's much better for me to play now. I had my heart set on an NJ but price was holding me back. Then I had a change of direction and bought......... a PRS SE standard 24. Plays amazing, feels just right despite having a neck radius only just above what the strat was. I guess ultimately it's the combination of factors. The SE was just under £500 and the locking tuners to replace the standard ones it came with were £70. If I was going to buy another strat it would definitely be the NJ Schecter. I love the colour choices of those.
I’m glad people are saying the same as what I thought. I was beyond excited for this guitar but the price point is a bit too high imo for what it is. This guitar in Canadian dollars with tax would easily be over a grand.
It's at least £150 overpriced. Sire S7 is half the price with a better spec and Shijie are making amazing guitars that rival the core Silver Sky, USA Fenders and Suhr starting at £815.
@@benlogan430 Exactly and Godin are amazing guitars. I love PRS and I still think this is a great guitar, but it just feels a tad pricey for an import stratish guitar. For me if this guitar at $699 it would have been a phenomenal deal. Lets be honest and just say the truth John Mayer's name is on it so they hiked the price.
I have a white 2019 Silver Sky. It’s literally the best guitar I’ve had my hands on. I’ve been wanting another sooo I may have to get my hands on an SE!
@@FenderStrat1975 yes... at least fender makes em in Mexico, closer to the original factory... That to me has a certain value over an Indonesian made SE. Also, the feeling is that the Mexican fenders are closer or equivalent to American ones whereas an Indonesian PRS doesn't come close to an American made one
