The Sky's The Limit

WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT JOHN MAYER’S IDEALISED DOUBLE-CUT, WITH THE HELP OF PAUL REED SMITH HIMSELF

- PAUL REED SMITH

It’s fair to say that John Mayer raised more than a few eyebrows in 2018 - abandoning the vintage and vintage-inspired instruments with which he was closely associated - in favour of what some tone hounds would define as the antithesis of ‘vintage mojo’. The doubters were silenced, however, when after over two years of development, the Silver Sky took flight at that year’s NAMM Show.

Mayer’s collaboration with PRS mixes the familiarity of classic guitar design with the precision of a modern instrument to deliver a slick contemporary guitar that straddles both worlds. Here, Paul Reed Smith discusses working closely with John Mayer himself a discerning disciple of tone - to create what Mayer has described as “My version of what a reboot of the electric guitar should look and feel like”.

The Silver Sky is positioned as a blend of vintage and modern guitar design. Presumably working with an artist like John is an extremely hands-on process?