PRS Silver Sky USA Vs SE: Watch Before You Buy! 

If you like JM you'll love this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--VywPbpmGvM.html

I think they nailed what they were going for. There’s endless strat sounds. These sound like vintage 63-65 era strats without having to wait or pay the price tag. Exactly what their mission was. Pretending it’s not a strat is silly. Embracing that it’s a strat with PRS feel and build quality is what people should do.

if I'm spending over $2,000 it's going to look better than basic. I like pretty designs 🤣

I’ve been playing since the 70’s and amazed at the quality of todays under 1k guitars. Your honesty is refreshing and rare in todays social media

Quickly becoming one of my fav guitar content pages. Keep it up man. These vids are high quality

UPDATES: 1) I grew up a pretty big John Mayer fan, especially Continuum and everything that came before it. When I was 16, if I had the money to buy the USA version, I would totally choose it over a different $2,7000 strat solely for the fact that it's John Mayer. Sometimes, I forget that people often buy gear of their favorite guitar players. Nothing wrong with that! In fact, I'm considering buying a Jeff Beck strat for that exact reason. 2) I was wrong in my assumptions. About 75 - 80% were able to guess the right guitar. That being said, I think if I added some eq, I could make them identical. And without the A/B test, or with them in a mix, I doubt anyone would notice or care. Nonetheless, you all have some amazing ears.

I appreciate your honesty! It’s so refreshing. I love strats and have considered the PRS Silver Sky. But for $2700, I think most can find a used Fender custom shop strat which are awesome and quite special (harder to find but they exist). Or for that money one can get lots of other guitars. Great review! New subscriber after watching it. Well done.

Extremely well thought out review. You Described the nuances of each guitar in great detail. Much appreciated! Love the videos.

A very thorough and informative review. You answered the necessary questions. Keep up the good work...THANKS!!!

IV been wanting the SE version for months, finally got one. Brought me back to the strat world, love the tones. I'm having to adjust the string height. Thanks for your in depth review. I can't afford the USA version. Just happy with the SE for now. IV played since 1966 top 20 cover stuff , just copied anything I could. Like blues , thanks brother. Have to say ,your review is spot on. Much appreciated. I enjoy my SE more now because of it.

Not your typical response for a guitar review video… the thing that struck me the most about this review, the lighting!!! Bang up job dood! Each guitar having its own unique vibe to hang out in, the golden hues making your skin tones shine… everything is super vibrant and glowing!! The review speaks for itself great job comparing the two with no monetary influence:) I’ll be coming back for more!

I’m really enjoying your reviews and perspective. Thanks. Looking forward to more.

Great stuff. I've noticed the editing is getting smoother! Good job!

Great review and an honest comparison. Im actually seeing the se version going for $650 now on reverb. Absolute value compared to mim strats.

Great review. This is a better take than anyone else. I feel like nobody has been honest enough about this guitar.

This is a great review - thanks man 🙏

I appreciate the thorough review!

Thank you for being honest. And Oh man, its such a relief to hear someone else say that they're basically stratocasters, I thought I was alone in thinking that. That's exactly how I felt when I tried that SE, it felt and sounded like a strat. and since I already have a couple nice strats, I didn't feel the need to get different looking one that sounds identical to my fenders.

There was a very noticeable difference between the two guitars. I love blindfold tests. I picked A sounding better immediately, however I found the middle pickup on B to sound better. Just interesting to note

That was a great review! Thanks man

Great video! Makes makes me want to try the se! Genuinely appreciate the attention to detail and practical advice eg locking tuners.

Love your reviews Andre. It's so rare to find an honest reviewer on RU-vid nowadays.

I love these honest reviews. Keep them coming Andre. I have the core Sliver Sky with a MAPLE neck. That's the key for me. The SE doesn't come with a maple neck. I much prefer that maple-feel over rosewood or ebony. Also, the thicker neck just fits into my palm nicely and feels awesome for days! (Disclaimer: I bought the core before the SE existed).

Very honest video. Thanks for taking the time to compare these two wonderful guitars.

Thank you for your amazing comparison!

The B Pickups have a little less clarity, but a bit more body. But the difference A to B, in my opinion, could also be "before/after Amp finetuning", or "before/after pickup height adjustment". They are really close to each other, in my ears.

My take, the price difference probably can be chalked up to materials (e.g., number of pieces of the body, cut of the wood for the neck) manufacturing labor, scale of production, and snob appeal to a Made in the USA model vs Asian origin). Great to hear your perspective! I recently had a similar experience when considering to “upgrade” my Epiphone Les Paul to a Gibson. I went into the store and spent significant time playing a bunch of LPs. Yes, they were a bit nicer than my current Epiphone, but the differences were not earth shattering. I kept my Epiphone.

I love the way you laid out the comparison and agree with your opinions. Just subscribed because I love somebody not afraid to give an open, honest review.

Love your content man! Your analysis is therapeutic for me.

Very honest and fair review, Andre. I have the same exact impressions - so you saved me some time in doing a review myself :) Thanks a lot for the great content. Cheers from Spain!

Appreciate your dedication to your work more than you'll ever know. Love the SE version. Also, yes. The rambles always pay off and it's a main part of why we're here.

One of the BEST reviews I've seen! Great job illustrating the differences between the two! Cheers!

I just ordered the SE, great review!!! Thanks for the information!

Kudos to PRS for making the SE versions so good.

At the PRS USA price point, you’re absolutely right that there are so many other brands offering boutique strat-style guitars at a very similar, if not more competitive, price point. I feel like you’d either have to fall in love with the neck to justify it, although the strong resale value of the silver sky also probably attracts buyers!

Reached the end and I conclude the same as you !, getting the SE the next week and I was trying to convince myself.

Loving all your in depth reviews and discussions about the things noone talks about🤘👍 Great channel!

Nowadays we can have great guitars between $600 and $1000. I've tested some great Schecters around this price. But depending of the niche, players are forced by this specific community to use expensive gear. Congrats for your channel. Cheers from NJ.

I tried the SE Silver Sky at GC today. It's an amazing guitar. The satin finished neck is perfect. I know that the SE version neck is fatter compare to the USA made PRS but the SE Silver Sky is not as fatter as other SE guitar, instead it feel comfortable. The only upgrade need to do just swap the tuner to the SE locking tuner.

Excellent review!! Really good insight about price and "being special". That is a great way to explain what expensive guitars need to deliver.

I love this review. Thank you for making it

I own both the Silver Sky SE and the Silver Sky made in America. First, let me say you did a great job in the compare and contrast of the two instruments. The PRS Silver Sky has a solid alder body. The PRS SE Silver Sky has a solid poplar body. The two differences for me is the American version has the 7.5 radius vs the 8.5 on the SE. I like the 7.5! The second is the finish on the neck: The PRS Silver Sky has a gloss polyester (body), clear nitrocellulose (neck) finish. The PRS SE Silver Sky is painted with a gloss polyester (body), satin (neck) finish. The feel of the SE neck is nice for me because it has a satin finish but I prefer the fatter American neck with the 7.5 radius. The voicing on both are great and a matter of personal preference. The best of both worlds for me would be to have the American Silver Sky with a satin finish neck. Hope this makes sense.

Such a big difference when its really your money on the line. It's clear in your expressions - that's your money at risk, not a relationship with a builder you are trying to protect. Regardless of how unbiased paid promoters try to be, there's a degree of bias that cannot be suppressed when someone's income is part of the equation. Thanks for taking the risk Andre!

Great , very honest review ,you do a great job keeping your viewers engaged into what you are presenting.

Congrats for the content bro, really nice.

I don't have a Silversky but I do have a PRS SE. It's so well built that I don't see a single reason that could make a USA version of it 3 times more expensive. Also, pickups sounded exactly the same, and that's with me fully paying attention to every nuance, meaning there's not a single way anyone can hear a difference in a mix.

I’ve had both, I give them high praise but nothing can beat the original Fender Stratocaster.

Excellent review, thanks! I have a PRS Custom 24 SE, am interested in the SIlver Sky...probably the SE. Your review helped.

You've gotten so fluent in the videos! So cool to follow you and see you get better 😊

I'm surprised PRS haven't roasted the maple necks on either version, esp. given that this is such a commonplace feature across premium strats (LSL, Xotic, Suhr, Anderson) and that it's becoming increasingly standard practice with premium OEM instruments (Sire, Fender, Schecter NJ Series), too. Surely the increased resonance and stability that come with 'roasting' would be welcomed plusses, right?

I hear a lot of difference. "A" lacks character, sounds a little hollow. "B" is full and deep. Fantasizing what could have cause that tone difference, I'd say that "B" is fuller because of a thicker neck. So my bet is that "B" is the pink strat, because it sounds rich. But I hope I'm wrong :D

Thank you! I've been thinking about a Strat, but I love the PRS quality, so I've been thinking about a SE version of the Silver Sky. This is really good information.

Great review. Thank you

I have a bigger problem with these two guitars - I can't quite understand why one would pick either of them up over an actual Strat (or a partscaster). one of the many wonderful things about a Strat is the versatility that it possesses thanks to its modular design. there is just a insane plethora of aftermarket options that make changing practically any part of a Strat (neck, body, pickups, electronics, etc.) an absolute breeze. heck, you can even change the scale length of your strat by getting a conversion neck. and because of the endless availability of aftermarket options, one could even build a partscaster for around the same price as the SE Silver Sky, with specs and options that can't be found on any of the Silver Skys or even a traditional strat direct from Fender. the very existence of these Silver Skys (other than the fact that it was their way of snagging John Mayer, and the huge marketing boost that resulted thanks to said acquisition) feels like PRS's attempt at reinventing the wheel.

I'm listening through a phone speaker, so not only did RU-vid compression hurt this comparison, my listening devices are also fairly poor. With that being said, there was definitely a noticeable difference on what are some of the middle position and bridge position variations. I tended to like a for most of the middle positions, and I actually like B on the bridge because it was a little less bright.

Loving this channel!

Excellent review! Cheers

You need to try the Yamaha Revstar Standard. Best value of any guitar right now in my opinion. So blown away by mine, it has become my main guitar even though I have a lot of more expensive guitars.

Fantastic video, your personal opinion is much needed,thankyou

Thank you! Excellent breakdown.

Great conclusion man! One of the best comparison I’ve ever seen between the 2 PRS Silver Sky.

You’re awesome, man. Subscribed 👍🏻 After playing only acoustic for the last 12 years, I just bought this silver sky se last week in the green color. I love it! -Christian

I'm from Jersey too! Excellent review!

I love the honesty.. Great video 🎉

Fully agreed, they are all just Stats. This is the realization that led me to embrace a partscaster my brother had built as a main guitar. Feels great and sounds cool. Thanks for the honest review. Happy weekend to everyone! 🤙🎸🎶

I love the pickup comparison rant, spot on!

Best review of these incredible Strats!

Great review!

Very accurate review, keep on the good job, you ROCK !

I own a '96 American Standard Strat and sometimes think about replacing it, so this video is intriguing to me. Thanks for the unfiltered analysis! I did prefer the tone of the USA model here but tend to prefer a thinner neck. Given that both have such a good factory finish and components, for the price I couldn't justify the USA model. I'd get the SE, upgrade the pickups and put the rest towards an amp!

I am buying that exact American pink model as a gift for my son’s birthday. He is going to be thrilled. He is in it for the long haul, so am banking on durability and quality of workmanship to justify the cost. Cool video.

Hi Andre! Thanks for a great review. PRS's SE lines have always punched above their weight when it comes to pricing and bang for the buck. It's not a surprise that the Silver Sky is also that way. For the record, I liked the B pickups more. When playing Fenders, I usually back off on the tone knobs a little if it has stock pickups. I replaced the ones in my tele with a Duncan Five-Two in the bridge, and a Duncan Alnico II Pro for tele in the neck. This was specifically to roll off the highest frequencies. I feel like Mr. Smith can justify making the SE model so good because I think he knows that there are enough people out there that will buy American no matter the cost. I'm glad that you decided to A-B them anyway despite the RU-vid limitations. Even with the limitations, you can get an idea of the differences when done thru the same setup. I haven't played a Silver Sky before, but I've played other PRS guitars enough to know how well the SE line compares to it's more expensive domestic counterparts. I understand that both pickups sounded good. I'm wondering though. Have you played them with clean sounds only? I'm curious to hear how they would respond with gain. For example, how they would respond to a gain setting if you tried to clean them up with the volume knob, and how articulate they would be in those settings. That would probably be a good tie-breaker between the two guitars. I enjoyed the review, Cheers Andre!

I got a prs se-1000 for Christmas. It’s really pretty. It’s got lock in tuners which I never had before, but my Fender still stays in tune better. The real thing I love is the pickups. They’re really good humbuckers and you can split the coils.

I really enjoyed this video review. I'm excited by the Silver Sky SE. To me, the Silver Sky sounds like the kind of Strat that I have been looking for. I really like the features of the SE more than the Core model, mostly two point trim and thinner neck. Being less than 1k really helps. I don't know if I will purchase it, because I have too many guitars already to purchase another but if I get rid of one or two then the SE will be on my list... after the PRS SE Custom 24-08.

Great, and honest, review!

Thanks for your honesty🙏❤️

Yeah, I sub'd. Good overview of the two. My SE version arrives tomorrow.

Fantastic gear show analysis

sorry I'm a bit late but, man oh man, I knew it, you're totally the best guy for these type of reviews, you're not leaving one stone unturned, you're going through all the details and I was so happy when you said you were going to compare those two beasts Thanks for the Great job, Andre !

very nice review sir.. thank you very much ! !!

Love the honesty. Bluntness. No nonsense. Subscribed

Love your videos! One of my favorite guitar channels as of lately! I just wish the SE version would release some new finish options I guess....

Fantastic Video Andre!

Hey thanks for this. I'm a bassplayer with a Dingwall and Bongo and wanting a nice electric guitar to add some spice. Currently going back and forth between the EH Wolfgang and the Silver Sky SE. Was glad to find this video.

This is really just a testament to how far import guitars have come in the past decade. What a great time to be a beginner guitarists. I remember learning on my crappy Epiphone LP Special II back in the 90’s. It would break strings like a mofo due to poorly filed bridge saddles and the fret ends would cut my hand. Im surprised I stuck it out 😂

Great honest video!

Very insightful. I waited for the SE (or S2 if it had come) version. As with all guitars the expensive versions can feel better in some ways. In this case I agree with you that they did such a good job with the SE that it makes you question if the USA version could possibly be worth it. Well done analysis. Thanks for not heading down the tone rabbit hole.

Just picked up a yellow SE like yours and I love it! I’ve had more expensive American made fenders that left more to be desired. This made me feel like I had a great guitar in my hands. The problem is, I can’t put it down!

Also in NJ, both my guitars had trouble with this weird transition into winter lol. Great video!

17:45 lmfao well put, creds for being straight up about it 😄

Great review ..👍

Appreciate the candor, thank you. I watched your review and many others. Listened to demos and most important, I played both. I agree, as a life long Strat player for more than 30 years, these are strats. They maintain both the most important traditional aspects in appearance and sound, but for the price, they are both very good strats. Better than the “F” ones I have played except for custom shop, but these beat the production models of any other Strat style guitar. One thing, I do love the heel truss rods in the Charvels. Schecter have that but they are all slim necks. I preferred the wider frets, and I would rather spend the money on other guitars, so I bout the SE rosewood. I have no regrets. Mine, too, had high action from the factory and shop. I adjust all my guitars to my preferred set up so I didn’t care about this. Think about this: with the difference in price, I bought a hand-wired 27 watt boutique tube amp. Now that felt very, very good because the Silver Sky sounds sublime through the new rig. 😊

Sold me. Just ordered a new SE off Reverb and very much looking forward to getting it. Thanks for the honest review!

Your reviews are THE best. Not a strat guy, watched the whole thing.

Probably one of the best comparison videos I saw. Thank you :) For me, the fact that the USA model is essentially what John Mayer uses, that was enough for me. I have been a fan of his forever and that (unfortunately lol ) is what justified my purchase.

The 2-post steel vibrato bridge on the SE is the same one as used on the USA-made Fiore (Mark Lettieri signature) guitar. It is an outstanding bridge with an adjustable clutch on the bar that surpasses anything Fender puts on their Strats--save for the Floyd Rose bridge.

This is without question the best Core vs SE showdown on YT. Cheers :)

Thank for your honesty

Great comparison! Thank you. Thinking on swap my G&L Legacy Tribute to one of these….obviously the SE

Such and excellent review! Just found your channel…subbed immediately. I have the USA verision Silver Sky. I identified the USA version immediately…like most others. I got my PRS SS when they first came out and before the SE SS was made…I have played the SE’s now…I would have still bought the USA version had the SE been available. Rarely see someone who plays a Parker. I love mine.