Silver Sky SE - only £599

Adamski · January 2023

When I picked my SE out of 8 in Peach, I never noticed any consistency issues. All played great and sounded virtually the same. I chose the one I did because it was a bit lighter, marginally more resonant in the body (which I like to feel when it’s against the ol’ man boobs) and had some flame on the neck.

Tbh I would have been happy with any of them but I guess Peach do set up their guitars so that could account for some of it.

roberty · January 2023

Satin finishes do wear smooth after a while. I find it a bit weird when they're brand new

Mine arrived today and It's stupidly good. Only had a quick bash on it but it certainly does the thing. All important boxes ticked. Nice and resonant. It'll be nice when I've tweaked the setup and played it in

HandwrittenHero · January 2023

hyperben said:

I’ve just joined the Silver Sky SE party. I originally ordered a moon white model and that came Friday. I have to admit I was really underwhelmed with it as it sounded a bit flat unplugged and plugged in, and the neck felt very dry to me. It also had a deep indentation in the neck finish that felt like some over sanding perhaps. The satin finish was also not that nice under the hand. So I went to Andertons this morning to return it and tried it against 2 evergreen models. Both the evergreen models sounded a lot better, and one really stood out. The neck finish on this one also felt completely different, much smoother and softer under the hand, but had that more orange hue to it. It also rings like a tuning fork, so I took that home instead. Side by side against my masterbuilt and there’s no noticeable difference in quality of tone. Both guitars play great too. This Silver Sky SE completely holds it own against the masterbuilt, so it’s an absolutely bargain for £599 if you get a good one! I have to say as well that evergreen looks incredible in person! My favourite colour by far. Though I hated it in pictures.

Extrapolating from that then:
If a SS SE = Masterbuilt
and a SS Core > SS SE

does that mean a SS Core > Masterbuilt?

Then part 2, assuming a masterbuilt > team built
Where does the team built stack up against either SS? (genuine question and full transparency I put my view in Waz's NGD thread that on the Studio Rats video the SS Core on there had the 62 team built for breakfast)

chris78 · January 2023

I hope @hyperben doesnt list his masterbuilt in the classifieds as we all know it’s a dog…..

Gizmo · January 2023

I was in for one of these on the spec till i hit the 8.5" FB Radius.....anything less that 12" for me feels like a pipe so i know i wouldn't get on with it...pity they do look nice, also is it me or do these look like toys in JM hands? i first thought they were short scale 24" when i watched him playing one but nope they look normal on other folks!

Tenebrous · January 2023

Tenebrous said:

I've had mine a few days now. I didn't want to post in someone elses NGD thread, & I didn't want to make another "NGD SE SS" thread either. I was going to post something in a month after the honeymoon period was over (& I still might), but here are my initial thoughts:

QC is spot on as I've come to expect from PRS, though the strings had to go immediately. The 4 springs included meant the trem was a bit too heavy for my liking, but after dropping the 4th, a bit of fretboard oil/polish, & a restring... I'm really chuffed with it. The neck is silky smooth & has a good hefty feel to it, which is absolutely my preference. The tuning stability is better than both of my USA Fenders, & probably the best I've seen on a non-locking nut guitar - & I'm saying that as a pretty heavy trem abuser. The trem is incredibly smooth & comfortable to use with 3 springs.

Tonally, I'm stuck in position 4 at the moment, as it suits my warbly weird arpeggios perfectly. It's an incredibly sweet tone without any unpleasant overtones. It's also surprisingly good at the 80s high gain kinda stuff, which is great given the tuning stability/ease of playing.

Aesthetically, I've no complaints, though I do wish the maple neck were a bit darker. A roasted maple neck would've elevated the guitar from an 8 to a solid 9/10 in my books - 10/10 is reserved for telecasters.

Overall, I'm very happy with it, though I'm still very much in the honeymoon period. I'll try give some better feedback in a month or two.

I've had mine for a month or so now, so following up on this.

I don't have a CS guitar to compare it to, but it compares favourably to my USA Fenders. After a bit more time with it, I did notice a handful of small imperfections on the top-side of the fretboard, but nothing that impacts playability, & nothing you'd notice unless you were aware of where it was & decided to look at it. I'm still loving how it plays & sounds, & the tremolo becomes more & more impressive the more I play it.

It's one of those guitars I don't see myself selling unless there's an emergency/I desperately needed the funds for something that was a little harder to come by, since finding another SE SS wouldn't be too challenging. I certainly wouldn't sell it & look for another strat, because I don't think I could get anywhere near this for the money, & I don't feel like there's much more to be gained by going for something higher end.

roberty · January 2023

Gizmo said:

I was in for one of these on the spec till i hit the 8.5" FB Radius.....anything less that 12" for me feels like a pipe so i know i wouldn't get on with it...pity they do look nice, also is it me or do these look like toys in JM hands? i first thought they were short scale 24" when i watched him playing one but nope they look normal on other folks!

The headstock makes it look a bit stumpy but this is just an optical illusion

roberty · January 2023

ToneControl · January 2023

dazzajl said:

Wazmeister said:

lustycourtier said:

BigBearKris said:

Wazmeister said:

I'm glad to read your comment about the quality as I was bit surprised by one of the previous posts about them feeling cheap and some £200 guitar appearing superior. Of course each to their own but I was genuinely amazed how my opinion on the guitar could be so much different!

That may of been my comment, but about the hollowbody feeling cheap. I still think the cheapest epiphone Dots Ive played over the years felt better than the 2 I tried. I was gutted as I ready to buy one.

Actually, I agree; I thought Id like the Hollowbody Piezo - but it did play a bit 'cheaper', although the look and finish was great.
Ultimately, unlike the SS, it did not grab me.

The jury is still out here on the Hollow Piezo. I can totally see why folks are saying it feels cheaper, I think that comes from several areas. The lightness of the thing doesn’t help it feel substantial for a start. The knobs, pots and switch definitely don’t feel at all premium. Presumably because it’s not the premium guitar and should be less than the Core hollows. Also, and this is very personal, a gloss neck doesn’t feel nearly as refined as a good satin finish.

There isn’t really anything I can point to that would make it a better playing guitar if more was spent on build or parts. It is simply a very good guitar.

The HB2 SE is way heavier than the Core HB2
and I think the SE pickups sound better

roberty · January 2023

roberty said:

Gizmo said:

I was in for one of these on the spec till i hit the 8.5" FB Radius.....anything less that 12" for me feels like a pipe so i know i wouldn't get on with it...pity they do look nice, also is it me or do these look like toys in JM hands? i first thought they were short scale 24" when i watched him playing one but nope they look normal on other folks!

The headstock makes it look a bit stumpy but this is just an optical illusion

@Gizmo have you seen these? 16" radius, jumbo stainless steel frets. It feels like sitting down at a piano

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/237276/schecter-nick-johnston-hss-atomic-snow-500#latest

Gizmo · January 2023

roberty said:

@Gizmo have you seen these? 16" radius, jumbo stainless steel frets. It feels like sitting down at a piano

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/237276/schecter-nick-johnston-hss-atomic-snow-500#latest

Yep i bought one last year in Atomic Pink

and yep they are a great modern strat's (14" radius as i recall) the only thing i didn't like about it was the trem unit (mine had bar slop which i think is due to the side on placement of the grub screw) so i just stuck a Gotoh EV510T-FE unit on it and it's so so much better now well worth the extra £90 investment, next step is to HS it and cut a new plate (might also fill/block the swimming pool route under it with a bit of alder)

If i see one of the SS SE's pop up cheap i might just grab one and re-radius/re-fret the board as they do look/sound really nice.

Cheers

Giz

roberty · January 2023

@Gizmo you're right it's 14" (fnarr). I've noticed arm slop as well, thanks for the tip re:Gotoh replacement

My local tech did a compound radius fret job on my Squier Mustang and I can bend 2.5 steps above the 12th now with no choke outs. The actual fretboard is 9.5". It does feel flat up there now

Fortheloveofguitar · January 2023

How do the tremolos hold up on these SE SS model? Are they useable or are there tunings issues after trem use?

roberty · January 2023

Fortheloveofguitar said:

How do the tremolos hold up on these SE SS model? Are they useable or are there tunings issues after trem use?

Mine is fine. It's s beautifully finished synthetic nut and the string path is straight through with a shallow angle

Just been tweaking the setup. It plays and sounds like a much more expensive guitar

Wazmeister · January 2023

Fortheloveofguitar said:

How do the tremolos hold up on these SE SS model? Are they useable or are there tunings issues after trem use?

No issues with either of mine.

Wazmeister · January 2023

roberty said:

Fortheloveofguitar said:

How do the tremolos hold up on these SE SS model? Are they useable or are there tunings issues after trem use?

Mine is fine. It's s beautifully finished synthetic nut and the string path is straight through with a shallow angle

Just been tweaking the setup. It plays and sounds like a much more expensive guitar

I'm so glad that you like it mate !

Fortheloveofguitar · January 2023

roberty said:

Fortheloveofguitar said:

How do the tremolos hold up on these SE SS model? Are they useable or are there tunings issues after trem use?

Mine is fine. It's s beautifully finished synthetic nut and the string path is straight through with a shallow angle

Just been tweaking the setup. It plays and sounds like a much more expensive guitar

Thank you. I’d definitely get the colour you’ve purchased. Looks lovely

RaymondLin · January 2023

Is it wrong that I want to get the green one so that i can photograph it to blow away all other photos of it online to prove that you can take a good photo of this colour, to make it just as good as in person?

But not buy it to play it? lol

roberty · January 2023

RaymondLin said:

Is it wrong that I want to get the green one so that i can photograph it to blow away all other photos of it online to prove that you can take a good photo of this colour, to make it just as good as in person?

But not buy it to play it? lol

It's not wrong but I would class this as advanced level GAS gymnastics

mrkb · January 2023

HandwrittenHero said:

menamestom said:

hyperben said:

This Silver Sky SE completely holds it own against the masterbuilt, so it’s an absolutely bargain for £599 if you get a good one!

Part of the attraction of PRS over Fender/Gibson is consistency so it's a bit disappointing if you have to root out a good one.

That said I would imagine S2 and beyond are very consistent.

Rhett Shull will be chuffed to bits though, apparently that must mean the SE have character.

Lolled that!
also lolled when he said he liked his Gibsons as there was so much variability in the quality it was great to find a good one.

RaymondLin · January 2023

mrkb said:

HandwrittenHero said:

menamestom said:

hyperben said:

This Silver Sky SE completely holds it own against the masterbuilt, so it’s an absolutely bargain for £599 if you get a good one!

Part of the attraction of PRS over Fender/Gibson is consistency so it's a bit disappointing if you have to root out a good one.

That said I would imagine S2 and beyond are very consistent.

Rhett Shull will be chuffed to bits though, apparently that must mean the SE have character.

Lolled that!
also lolled when he said he liked his Gibsons as there was so much variability in the quality it was great to find a good one.

Which makes me think....this is EXACTLY why the bursts are so revered because the era after it they were all crap (exaggerated).

dazzajl · January 2023

RaymondLin said:

Is it wrong that I want to get the green one so that i can photograph it to blow away all other photos of it online to prove that you can take a good photo of this colour, to make it just as good as in person?

But not buy it to play it? lol

Very wrong. Who would think such a thing……

hyperben · January 2023

HandwrittenHero said:

hyperben said:

I’ve just joined the Silver Sky SE party. I originally ordered a moon white model and that came Friday. I have to admit I was really underwhelmed with it as it sounded a bit flat unplugged and plugged in, and the neck felt very dry to me. It also had a deep indentation in the neck finish that felt like some over sanding perhaps. The satin finish was also not that nice under the hand. So I went to Andertons this morning to return it and tried it against 2 evergreen models. Both the evergreen models sounded a lot better, and one really stood out. The neck finish on this one also felt completely different, much smoother and softer under the hand, but had that more orange hue to it. It also rings like a tuning fork, so I took that home instead. Side by side against my masterbuilt and there’s no noticeable difference in quality of tone. Both guitars play great too. This Silver Sky SE completely holds it own against the masterbuilt, so it’s an absolutely bargain for £599 if you get a good one! I have to say as well that evergreen looks incredible in person! My favourite colour by far. Though I hated it in pictures.

Extrapolating from that then:
If a SS SE = Masterbuilt
and a SS Core > SS SE

does that mean a SS Core > Masterbuilt?

Then part 2, assuming a masterbuilt > team built
Where does the team built stack up against either SS? (genuine question and full transparency I put my view in Waz's NGD thread that on the Studio Rats video the SS Core on there had the 62 team built for breakfast)

It must depend on the individual guitar. MM but yes, the SE easily as good or better than the core SS I had. I have 2 masterbuilt Strats, and whilst I prefer them over the SS SE it’s only marginal. My favourite masterbuilt is the Jason Smith CAR from the studio rats so you can hear for yourself how good that one is.

grungebob · July 2023

As I said earlier on in this thread I thought these things sounded shit.

So much so I went a bought one lol.

A man can change right.

grungebob · September 2023

This is my main guitar now. The neck is fantastic and I’m really enjoying all positions on the five way.

I knew I must like this guitar when I realised I’d not touched a drive pedal in days.

I’m seriously considering getting another to mod.

roberty · September 2023

Yep no regerts here either :-) I've put some modern saddles on but that's it

steveh · September 2023

I have the core but bought an SE simply because the reduced price seemed too good to be true.
No, it’s not as good as the core but it’s crazy close in those areas that matter (sound and playability). Honestly, it could be an end-game instrument for those of us who are less “aspirational”.

skippy76 · September 2023

I installed a set of BKP Mothers Milk pickups and use it as my main guitar for rehearsals now, playability and tones are spot on.

Bigsby · September 2023

I'm surprised to see some dealers still have these in stock 9 months on. Feel sorry for any dealers who've been trying to shift their non-discount stock!

roberty · September 2023

Bigsby said:

I'm surprised to see some dealers still have these in stock 9 months on. Feel sorry for any dealers who've been trying to shift their non-discount stock!

Yep it's been a slow year lol

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Silver Sky SE - only £599

Comments