Yes please - to both 👍👍 I have the fender professional series Strat & Tele and a couple of Suhr’s; one with a HSH set up the other a T style with Thornbuckers . The quality of the Suhr’s is second to none. I have 1 PRS and around 20 guitars I’ve collected since the 70’s. Suhr is by far the quality king.
I love my Suhr. I swapped out the bridge pickup with a Thornbucker because I like the look and sound better with a covered pickup. Also put a coil tap on the bridge tone pot for added versatility. It's such a versatile beast!
I bought a used Suhr Pro Series with ML pickups for $1,450 a few years back & it’s an excellent S style guitar. Sounds & plays better than many others at much higher costs.
PRS sound like a vintage strat. The Suhr is a more modern take on the Strat sound. I'd take the suhr for a more all around guitar but I'd take the Silver Sky if I need a Strat sound.
Interesting! I would almost say the Silver Sky is closer to vintage, with something about the pickups being a little modern-ish. The Suhr is just its own thing for sure
Wow, great comparison. Agree, both sound like great Strats, just different. I prefer the SS single coils myself, brighter and a bit more definition. I believe the SS pickups are a lower wind which would be the primary factor, but I would guess the SSCii in the Suhr takes off a little jangle, and the body weight likely contributes a bit to the girthiness of the Suhr. A lot of little things add up.
"When Suhrs were at a very different price point." Lol, tell me about it. Was lucky to get a Pro Standard and Modern Satin between 2012 and 2014, but now they're off my radar :)
"It's kind of nice to have a guitar that'll shut me up." Astute self-deprecation. Love that! You have a really appealing demeanor for this. Credible chops, too. OK...I'm subscribed.
GREAT review. I couldn't pick a clear winner so would come down to £££/$$$ and feel. In which case...PRS. I did have a Suhr Pro years ago, and it was probably the easiest playing guitar I've had and ceryainly one of the best made. And that FM3 sounds killer!
The FM3 is awesome! And yeah it’s definitely the cheaper move to go with the PRS, especially used or on sale. Anything you didn’t like about it you could probably modify for still cheaper than a Suhr atm. Thanks for watching!
I was torn between these to. When I had the chance to play both at the same time. The Suhr Classic S won hands down for me. I bought it and could care less about playing another Silversky. But if I found a silver sky for around $1400 I would still consider it.
@@ElliottKleinguitar I want to make sure I answer this properly and accurately. I love PRS guitars. They are great. But during this particular guitar quest I was wanting to get away from vintage inspired with modern refinements. And was more geared toward vintage inspired but with modern attributes and modern design perfection. The silver sky and the Classic S are very far from being in the same category of "style" of guitar other than being Stratocaster inspired. So it is worth saying that I would still happily buy a silversky. But when I was comparing both in the store that day. The modern attributes and design perfection of the Suhr won me over. Besides, stainless steel frets are icing on the cake. I sold my Eric Johnson Strat and my 59' AVRI before buying the Suhr. So fretboard radius isn't a thing I even bat an eye at. Hell the 7.25 radius on the AVRI played easier than the 12 radius on the EJ. Most people likely haven't played 7.25, the misconceptions about that radius have become legendary.
@@therangersinger yeah if suhr basically made a lighter guitar Id have gotten a second suhr instead, taken out the SSC to have both options available. the sscii seems to add a bit of beef, which is nice, but the silver skys pickups eq a bit better imo. also my suhr modern doesnt have sscii and the ML in the middle position sounds wildly different than the MLs in the Classic
@@ElliottKleinguitar I may clip the leads on that dummy coil one day and see how much of a tonal difference it makes. Have always been a bit curious to A/B it. But in the end I have 3 other strats . A 92' with klien jazzy cats, a warmoth with mojotone 59 clones and an JV Strat with custom shop 69's. I like the Suhr as it is. It's definitely different. And I would say that that guitar really likes the dirt channels on my amps vs dirt from pedals.
Every guitarist remembers when they played a Suhr. Butter fretwork and glove like comfort. You don’t cheap out on couches and beds for a reason. Daily use makes the price irrelevant over time
That last sentence was so helpful to me. I just ordered a Suhr, paid a pretty penny. But I also play around 5 hours a day, so you've helped me to justify my purchase!
Two different beasts. I like the Suhr, that’s why I have chosen it over other brands. PRS I didn‘t even consider but it’s a nice guitar, indeed. Excellent playing by the way! Great sounds, including the voice track. Thank you!
Thanks for watching! They're definitely similar in aesthetic but that's about it, certainly fulfilling different strengths. I also really love the Semi-Hollow special 22 from PRS, and now am interested in the Fiore. As for Suhr, I'd love to try one of the Paulownia teles.
@@ElliottKleinguitar Wow, I didn't know about the classic T Paulownia. Looks amazing! I have a Fender Richie Kotzen Tele, which is for me the best tele ever :) but I feel now attracted to that Suhr Tele...
Two guitars I'll probably never own. Thank God for MIM and squier. If I had been a guitarist instead of drummer most my life I'm sure these would have been in my arsenal. I've really come to guitar late. I use what I can afford and not making the money I did back in the day. Hahah. I would absolutely try these if I can get to store that has them. I think these are both great. Suhr is my fave but if non strat I'd surely want a PRS to have the scale length it has and it's tonal outputs. For now it's my classic vibe 60s and MIM FSR Gilmour vibe. Hahah. I do have an affordable "Flagship spec" Harley Benton. I got it to experience SS frets and roasted flamed maple. Locking Tuners and 2 point trem. It's amazing. But it's not the magic I'd hoped for. I keep regretting selling a few I had too from GAS. Ibanez sa120. Ltd 103qm Floyd rose that I actually enjoyed. And s370. It's crazy as I've been lucky as all mine were online used purchases. All of them stay in tune and work well for me. Awesome video man!!!!! My journey continues. Subbed.
I'm a lefty so I really have no choice in the matter -- Paul refuses to make a Silver Sky for southpaws. Now I have a Suhr and absolutely love it. No regrets on my part -- my Classic S is by far my number one!
@@algorithm007ify I actually hate SS frets, they have always added a sizzle like initial attack to the notes. I don’t mind having my nickel frets refretted every 30-50 years
Im on the verge between suhr and fender custom , gonna fly to the uk to try them myself but yeah...would love a schecter custom but u cant rly find any and i dont want to order one lol.
@@cechichan tbh I went through both routes and I much preferred fender. I even think fender squires kind of breath more than suhrs. Something about the noise cancellation kills the musical bell like highs.. Like I said I don’t miss the suhr really. It’s a really good HSS strat but if I were to use one I’d be tempted to switch out the single coils
Elliot!!! This is Rob Compa. We went to Berklee together:-) took me a minute to figure that was you! I have a silver sky and just bought my first Suhr, so I was just sleuthing RU-vid and low and behold there you are. Hope you’re well!
ha I'm surprised you recognized me as my hair went halfway around my head! definitely different beasts but both awesome guitars. hope you're still playing that gorgeous hollow body (or was it semi-hollow?) PRS too. Hope you're doing well and thanks for saying hi! (and if Dopapod ever comes to Amsterdam reach out)
@@ElliottKleinguitar the hollowbody 2! Oh yeah, still my favorite guitar in the world. Haven’t been gigging with it lately bc I fly a lot more than I used to and I’m pretty protective of it. Amsterdam, cool! Never been there, but if we ever are I’ll hit you up. Cheers:-)
I get what you are saying about not being able to dial out the low end. I love my Silver Sky and feel that my LPs are too bass heavy, even with P90s...
Right, if I’m going straight into an amp I’ll want something that doesn’t boom too much, which historically hasn’t been as possible (with fender amps) and the Suhr
With the way they are making cheap guitars these days, I see no need to spend $2500 on a guitar. The new SE silver sky for $850 is absolutely perfect!!
I been weighing up s Fender USA Ultra, a used Suhr (absolutely mint custom finish), a used Surh with SSH, ML Standard, ML Standard pickups, and a PRS Silver Sky. I think I'm definitely going to try get the Suhr. The PRS and the Suhr are more expensive used than the Fender is new. But I think having heard this it has to be the Suhr. I thought Suhr is just a little softer sounding than that PRS, PRS a touch more bright. I liked the rounded smoothness of the Suhr.
@@ElliottKleinguitar If I win it. It is on an auction site. Starting price is pretty much my budget so it just depends on how much interest there is. I have a backup 2017 Suhr Standard with V60's and SSC II electronics in a rare butterscotch finish that was a limited run sold only through Guitarguitar.co.uk. The one I'm hoping to get is white with gold hardware (Mary Kaye finish). Stunning and a custom shop edition.
So pleased. I won the auction for the Custom Suhr. Can't wait for it to be delivered. White body, mapel neck, Indian rosewood fretboard, stainless steel frets. HSS pickups (Michael Landau). Abone inlays including headstock logo. Dream guitar. So lucky. Wasn't cheap but hopefully wirth every penny (cent for you Americans).
@@ElliottKleinguitar Thank you. I'm like a kid before Christmas! Unfortunately I have to wait a while. I payed through PayPal and the seller can't release it yet because PayPal want him to prove his identity with passport or driving licence (photo id). He doesn't drive and doesn't have a passport. We're working on a solution. Apparently PayPal do this security check sometimes on large transactions. Hopefully a case of best things are worth waiting for. 🤞
Nice video, and great playing. I have a Suhr S Classic HSS which is my latest, a Silver Sky, and a Musicman Cutlass SSS. I’m bringing up the Cutlass because it’s easily on par with the other two, but it isn’t on most peoples radar. It should be though.. IMO from the short time I’ve had it the Suhr has perfect manners. Everything about it is so good that nothing stands out. That’s the best way I can word it. One example being that switching to the humbucker doesn’t even change the volume. It’s seamless, refined, perfected in every way. Again, nothing stands out because they run the table..It could possibly be the perfect Strat. The Silver Sky plays IMO like a short scale guitar somehow. The body feels smaller and the way I naturally hold it, well it is shifted making my left hand closer to my body. As a result it’s very comfortable. My wife often comments after I come out of my guitar room that she likes it when I play the Silver Sky. She’s always right in that she seems to know by sound what I’m playing. She makes it known that she likes it the best. It’s a weird deal. If you are looking at buying you need one to be the best to justify it. If you buy it you need to defend it. Buy both and you realize this is where it’s really at... LOL. They’re both friggin’ great...
Can you tell me how do the pickups on the cutlass compare to silver sky? I want to get either of them in the future but love the sound of the SS, even though other features on the music man seem more attractive
@@MrMyKamilsz they are different enough that you should play one before deciding, but they sound wonderful. It’s not a vintage sort of tone though.. The neck... You need to experience the neck..
This was a wonderful comparison!! Covers all the bases, not too biased, great video. I have a Suhr which I love, but I find the v70 neck pickup to be a bit too harsh with any type of gain; do you know if the Silver Sky pickups are all the same (and, incidentally, do you still have the bridge pickup from the SS which you want to sell)? Keep up the great work!!
Thanks for watching! I wouldn’t put the SS pickup in a Suhr because the pole pieces are set for a 7.25 radius versus a modern Suhr radius. I would however (and am thinking of doing this for mine) swap the Suhrs for different Suhrs, the V60LP, which are closest to a SS sound.
While my favorite guitar will always be my 57 Strat, I want an updated, modern work horse. And this video didn't help me decide between the two because now I want both... T_T
I have a 69 custom shop strat. Best sounding and feeling guitar I’ve ever played. The Suhr would be better if you want something modern, because of the stainless steel frets. Intonation will remain perfect all your life, unlike with nickel frets which need to be changed. The Silver Sky also felt good, but the nickel frets mean that intonation will become a problem as the frets wear down. That’s not a problem for John Mayer who changes guitars every year, but it will be for anyone who wishes to keep one guitar for a long time.
@@dheevesh16 fair points although people are hardly blowing through nickel frets every year, things will get addressed in setups over the years and then eventually you'll need new frets but only after years and years
Hello ! I have another question about the silver sky , was your easy to play or have you à adjustment of spring or bridge ? Mine was à little hard , à tension feeling in the strings . not play like butter has my other strats.. maybe because of 4 springs instead of 3. I don t know
@@ElliottKleinguitar haha, absolutely! Just came across your video curious about both guitars and noticed in the description playing through an FM3. I’ve contemplated getting a fractal!
@@lisahardt2812 I would highly recommend getting one! They've updated their OS like 8 times since this video, they're always improving on their products. If you love tons of effects I may consider the FM9 or FM9Turbo so you have a lot of CPU space. If you're good with simpler or less ultra-res presets the FM3 or FM3 Turbo (might as well go Turbo) would be the move. I thought the 3 buttons may be too few but it's actually totally fine
@@ElliottKleinguitar thank you so much for the information and feedback! May have to get one later this year…lol. Loved the preset on this video and any others you’ve created or recommend. Thanks again!
I don’t like a coMbination of PRS headstock which is pointy and not balanced geometrically with round balanced fender body. I think it’s a cheesy combination. Plus the birds….it’s important how instrument looks not just how it sounds?
These are actually the two guitars I’m in between. I have a Indonesian made Strat and I’ve been ready to upgrade for a while. While the silver sky single coil twangy sound is my bread and butter, I’m not sure if I should get the Suhr because it’s beefier and I don’t have the ability to get those sounds otherwise. Sounds so much better with dirty tones. So I don’t know if I should branch out or just get an improved version of what I already have. (Also I should mention I am probably going to go with a maple fretboard for either of the guitars) I also can get PRS a lot cheaper due my discount with the guitar shop I work at. Any advice is appreciated, thanks for doing this great demo.
If you get a big discount on the PRS I’d suggest going with that. If you wanted a thicker sound you could always swap pickups, I’d suggest the Fralin hot split blades
I prefer the silver sky over a Suhr. I don’t tend to walk into guitar shops very often. But when I do, I walk in with the intention of spending up to $10,000. After the silver sky came out, I stopped by my favorite Brooklyn and Manhattan shops. I played several Suhrs, custom Fenders, and a Silver Sky. I walked out with the silver sky. Here’s why: Comfort. The neck on the silver sky felt like my dad’s old strat. Like his beat up ‘69 strat. Its tone was chimey, and coming out of a Vox amp it sounded incredible. The Suhr is surely an amazing instrument. But my money went to the silver sky.
It will resell better generally although the silver sky used prices have grown steadily the last few years, as well as the new selling price. In general the Suhr should resell better though you’re right
I far prefer the Sikver Sky. They are light and resonant and have amazing sounding pickups. The Suhrs are normally over 8 lbs and seem dead comparatively, and I think their pickups are bland. I also prefer the vintage neck radius versus the more flat Suhr and I hate how stainless frets feel. Also big, clunky and ugly modern locking tuners and 2 point bridge are a no-no for me. On the flip side, I do prefer the Suhr’s subtle dots markers, headstock shape and neck tint. I always buy used so I would take a $1700 used SS versus a $2200 used Suhr any day. Even new I would take the PRS.
Had a suhr and sold it because it was 8.5lbs. Played like butter though.. best fretwork I’ve played... I think the weight is from the dummy ssc coils, the locking tuners, steel frets and also steel block. I suspect the weightier low end is primarily from the steel block.
I got a PRS CE 24 and is not a cheap guitar, I didn’t like the overseas tremolo, tuners and 3 part’s glued neck, by the way the quality of the PRS guitars is amazing, also the unit came with a very cheap gig bag which I personally hated for the amount of money that I pay for it, Long story short, I sold it I went to a local store, and I got a Suhr classic Pro with V60 LP, dude I love this guitar. is more expensive yes but even the gig bag is better and the SS frets are something else. Both Brands make great instruments, and both are overpriced as well. 🤣 Nowadays even a Mexican Strat cost $1100 USD crazy time’s huh
Suhr all the way for me. They are just higher quality. Plus, I’m not a fan of guitars with pickups that are customized to a specific artist. When I hear the SS, I immediately hear John Mayer’s sound. I don’t want to sound like anyone besides myself.
Tbf the Suhr comes with Mike Landau single coils, and in the aftermarket world Fralins sound like Fralins and Lollars sound like Lollars etc. When I hear the SS, I immediately think “if not slow dancing in a burning room, then what? Show us who you are”. Also I don’t (and most dont) have his pedalboard, amp, hands, or sensibility, so it’ll be hard to sound exactly like him
PRS is no doubt a great guitar, and they seem to be great choices for session musicians because of their versatility in the studio. Yet that Suhr is imo one of the best models of all those made by Suhr, the most perfect builders out of all the guitar manufacturers. Very few guitars beat out the Suhrs it seems.
They both sound amazing. I'm looking at getting my first strat style guitar. I thought about going traditional Fender but the Silver Sky in Horizon Red looks so dang cool. I love the PRS birds. Only worried about the 7.25 in radius, since I'm used to 16 in Ibanez.
I wasn’t into the 7.25 before trying it, and was coming from a 10-14” neck, 9-12” neck and 10” neck. After a week or so I was completely used to it, and at this point can go back and forth with all the guitars. That being said if you like wide and flat necks to help with shredding the SS isn’t that.
@@ElliottKleinguitar I'm sure I'd get used to it within a few weeks. I played a few 7.25 in before and they're adaptable, but not my preference. Does the SS have any tuning instability? How would it compare to a Fender stratocaster tuning stability?
@@llwonder If I ever got a second Silver Sky I would play with the idea of making it a compound radius 7.25-10" neck for sure. Until then, the stock 7.25 radius doesn't really impair my style of playing. It stays in tune as well as any Fender I've owned (4). There is a decent amount of slack in the strings, which makes playing an absolute joy although the pitch could be more sensitive to a hard pick attack or pulling on the strings when holding a chord than if the strings were stiffer. Almost like if you were playing a shorter scale length. The Suhrs stay in tune a little better, although they're significantly more expensive (especially since I got my SS on a big sale), and honestly if I never got my Suhrs the Silver Sky would be the nicest guitar I've ever owned.
Although I have the Fralin Hot split blade, they do make a vintage version that would certainly be cleaner. Also seymour duncan has a vintage stacked single that sounds nice.
Still a little fret buzz on the PRS. When you have good guitars what always makes the difference is the player. Any guitar is only as good as the Player. That's why PRS tries to get (give) the SKY to any great player he can. He knows that's the key to selling the guitar. 90% of all John Mayer's hits were played with a Stratocaster.
Certainly a little more fret buzz, although I found out that has more to do with the pickups. Acoustically the Suhr buzzes a little more, but thanks to the darker sound it doesn’t come through as much. Either way it’s also about how fun a guitar is to play and the SS is a great time :)
despite very much enjoying the stock pickup, I often prefer an HSS, or basically something a bit higher output and that is silent (for gain) in the bridge. I'd heard this pickup a bit and wanted to try it and ended up loving the warmth as well as how well it handles gain
@@ElliottKleinguitar Sounded great. Everyone I know loves the Suhr. I had the Martin landaus in a strat and they weren't to my liking but many people on line play the classic. Do you still play both of them? Thanks
Silent single coils...suck. I hate those myself (had 'em in an American Strat but replaced them with Lollars). (EDIT...I should add my guitars with Lollars pretty darn quiet. I hardly ever notice any hum. Great quality, true vintage tone, and all without making it a stacked humbucker, which I do not like). Best strat in my book? Nash. Hate the headstocks on both these. But all that said, great review overall!
the suhr pickups arent silent, they're (mostly) silenced from a dummy coil. if you're talking about the bridge pickup on the silver sky, it's two single coils in parallel. So neither are the stacked single coils, although I know Brent Mason and Jeff Beck use them and they sound great. Nash makes some awesome guitars for sure, thanks for watching!
If I need a strat sound I’m just gonna play a “Strat” 🙄. I’ve played suhr guitars and the Silversky and they’re both GREAT guitars but they’re imitators. Ppl say they’re “better/easier to play etc” but all the things that make them that you can get in some version of a real Fender Strat (neck radius, fret size, etc.). Only in the world of guitars for some reason is this level of copying/ripping someone else off accepted for some reason. If this went on during the 70s when Fender and Gibson were putting out duds I’d get it a little more but not today….
you dont even play the same thing or the same attack on each guitar.very bad comparison.how can anyone tell which is better or different? a sad video that doesnt deliver.a bit like the sad tone of your way of speaking
You are a bonehead if you watch a youtube videos to determine which guitar to buy Jon. I think he did pretty damn good job on this video. Besides, if a person could play different guitars exactly the same there would be no real reason to own more than one. Each of my strats make me play different. You could just make video to show us all how it's supposed to be done. Just respond with the link to your video when you have finished it.
@@winstonsmith8236 yeah whatever but i am right....they both sound great for different reasons but the same thing is not being played on each instrument so no proper determination can be made.I apologise for the rudeness or trollish wording....its just a side by side demo of two different guitars played two different ways...its not a who wins thing unless you like one song or playing style or guitar over the other. both guitars sound great but totally different and the different song/tune choice on each one is just confusing as heck. i really dig the playing but troll i must be because no one wins with this random song fest
