PRS Silver Sky SE Vs Other Silver Sky Models

PRS Silver Sky Se 2023 Maple review and comparison.

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0:00 Intro
1:20 tuners & nut
1:40 the Neck Difference
3:34 PRS Can Improve This
4:30 Body & High Fret Access
5:30 Controls & layout
6:15 Tones
8:04 Strange Bridge
9:22 Bridge Test 1
10:25 Bridge Test 2
11:45 Conclusion

[S.Lang]

Another awesome video! Tom Butwin just had a PRS factory tour at Maryland, in his recent YT video, you can see all the SE guitars coming into Maryland. You can see that PRS opens every single one of them and checks them - correct them if needs to be. So, no wonder they are so good out of the box!
In that matter, they are indeed prepared, but not only for Youtubers but for all of us. Knowing this now, I value the SE line ever more, since I know that US labor also goes into them as a final QC check!

[nezmet]

Dude. I have to say. After years and years of not playing like I should and now getting back into living and breathing guitar... you're channel has quickly become an extremely important resource for me. When I search up anything I want to look into and I see you pop up I get thrilled because I know the video will have all the details and solid advice. Thank you!

[RiverLionn]

I have a PRS SE standard 24, so it has a gloss finish neck and I honestly adore it. I don't know how they do it vs other guitar makers, but the gloss finish on PRS necks never seem to bother me or feel sticky or anything. It would definitely be cool to see more satin neck finishes options in the future from them, but whatever they're doing with their gloss finishes it's caused no problems for me where other brands' gloss necks do.

[leopaquer]

man, this might be the best guitar review i’ve ever seen.
love your hair too! thanks for the quality content

[YoJimbo]

I just found your channel and went through a bunch of videos. Recently, I've been digging through YouTube and reddit/forums for more in-depth info on kinda niche topics such as noiseless single coils with little to no compromise in tone (like the Fishman Fluence and Zexcoil offerings), and ergonomics/playability (like the Perfomaxe and Abasi ēmi videos).

I was surprised to find many of those various questions answered all at once, in greater detail and clarity than I've been able to find anywhere else, here on your channel. You have a pretty unique thing going with your approach to guitar analysis and reviews, with the way your content has a heavy emphasis on those kinds of pragmatic elements, while still touching upon the more traditional concerns like tone, price/value, and so on, like in this video.

Personally, I'm already getting a lot of value out of your content (the Performaxe is exactly the kind of thing I've been thinking of/looking for, and I signed up for the email waiting list for it after watching that video), and I think it fills a sorely needed niche of approaching reviews of the actual guitars with an analytical mindset that, on my other favorite guitar-centric channels, is typically reserved mostly for content about other gear, like pedals, amps, and plugins. I wish you luck and hope the channel gets the growth and attention it deserves.

- As a side note, have you tried any asymmetrical neck profiles apart from the Abasi Concepts guitars? For example, something like the Wolfgang neck profile on Warmoth necks, or the SlimTaper profile on the Epiphone Les Paul Modern. I'm curious to see how you would feel about those, as I have seen you mention a preference for fatter necks in a few videos like this one, but you seemed to like the Abasi ēmi neck a lot. I've seen practically nothing but positive responses from people who have tried those kinds of asymmetrical neck profiles, with the caveat that the nut width can affect the feel of the shape closer to the nut, and it's something I'd want to keep in mind for future purchases/builds.

[joeporter]

Thanks, Thats a really good video and I was looking for a "Strat" like guitar, you sold me.

[AutismRocksOfficial]

I just picked up this version in the exact same color you have. Man, I can't put this guitar down. Absolutely love it 🙌🔥 And I 100% prefer the light satin neck finish.

[daniellowry]

Awesome review again Andre. My big hang-ups with the SE Silversky (rosewood) vs the core Silver sky were the satin neck and electronics. To me the thin satin finish on the se was too thing and felt ruff on my hand. Not painful but enough to feel sticky the longer I played. The other issue I had was the pickups sounded more compressed compared to the us counter part. I still found both versions incredibly fun to play but in a shootout I fell in love with PRS Fiore. It just had a little more of that PRS DNA in it. The pickups were a little quackier and I loved the versatility of the hss layout combined with the ability to activate the neck pickup in any position. I think it worked better for me just because my main guitar is a USA Tremonti so I didn't need a more low end focused singlecoil sound like the Silver Sky. Also the neck is so nice. Right in between my 06 Tremonti (Wide Fat), and my 07 main. Tremonti (Wide Thin same carve as thr Holcomb) but just a little narrower so it was still a comfortable handshake type profile but also very quick. Plus, the10 in radius also helps fill in the gaps. It too has a very thinly finished neck but felt smoother than the se Silver sky so it felt as fast if not faster than my glossed prs necks.

[stauffrt]

Thanks for another thoughtful review Doc!

[thejuggernaut]

I have a 22’ JM SE. I love the look of Rosewood

[Henriktranoy]

I have two signature PRS SE, Åkerfeldt and Holcomb (the first), both partly bought because of the satin finish xD (Actually, I have 3 SEs, Pauls guitar, bought it despite being glossy. Still in love with it nearly a year after purchase!)

[dennisseuferling]

I am so glad you are still doing videos. You are my fave you tube content creator

[TVsBen]

The way that super small differences in neck carves are always immediately noticeable amazes me. I know you've put up that image of the homunculus and that explains why, but still...humans are pretty amazing.

[scooterpilot]

Doc, I just picked up the exact same model/color PRS SE. I also own the Rosewood PRS SE and the Core Model. I'm going to do the same mod to the maple SE that I did to the Rosewood SE. That is drop the string height at the nut. Other than that one mod I'm pleased with the new maple SE. I'll be curious to see how the fret board on the maple SE wears since it has little to no finish on the neck/fretboard

[wikolib]

More valuable info on the SS SEs. Thanks. A local store has a bunch and I was looking at a 2024 (2023 F serial number) overland grey/maple and a 2023 (2022 E serial number) evergreen/rosewood. The grey/maple had too much grain on the fretboard and what looked like a large water spot on the second fret. The evergreen/rosewood just didn't click for me and the neck dots were kind of light.

I looked at several and ended up getting a 2024 nylon blue/maple (the exact guitar you demoed) and a 2023 dragon fruit/rosewood. They were on sale (a PRS sale that actually ended in December) but the owner gave me the 679 sale price on the blue and 10% off the dragon fruit because he only had one.

They're setting them up for me for possible pick up today. They definitely needed set up because they had been sitting in the warehouse in the gig bags in the boxes, humidity controlled but not temperature controlled (S. AZ ) The store has a 14 day return policy, so I'll see how they look and play set up. Number one is a good straight neck. They have a very good repair shop so the setup should be perfect.

It will be interesting to see the difference in the 2023 and 2024 necks as you outlined. May keep both or may sell one, we'll see. The Players I tried had some sharp fret ends and the necks were harder for me to play. The number one criterion for me is a great, easy to play neck.

[thesmellycatjazz]

In that price range the Nick Johnston Traditional is in there, which is an undercover shredder guitar with a nice satin roasted maple neck and ebony board (which is the only version I'd buy)

[frankd]

It's been a year since you posted this, but I just picked up the same exact SE model in Nylon Blue from a music store on Reverb, it was a floor model but came with full warranty from PRS, for $577 plus sales tax. It was flawless when delivered, brand new condition, and it sounds great.

[lunamatic]

I am definitely not in the market for another S-style guitar, but I have picked up at least 3 different SEs in the stores on different occasions and they have always felt very high quality and worth the money. Great video as always!

[Atlasworkinprogress]

Hey Andre I would really love to see this same sort of series about PRS's CE line. It doesn't get a ton of press, but their Bolt On USA models (especially the Semi-Hollow) seem really cool.

[hadin]

Funny thing is I went to buy one and the store had 3 of them and all 3 felt completely different. Two of them had fatter necks and the fretboard edges were sharp and one had a tinted colored neck and the fretboard edges were nicely rolled. Has anybody else seen inconsistent feeling silver skys? I did ask if any of them were older but they said all 3 of them came in at the same time.