NGD and a cautionary tale!

matt_sefton

NGD for me (well yesterday actually). Having been very lucky at Christmas with financial deposits from my dear old mother and my in-laws and selling a lot of old camera equipment from my former life, I had money burning a hole in my pocket. I'd originally intended to buy an HX Stomp but then I saw a post from @Tp200023 just after Boxing Day selling his stunning PRS Silver Sky in tungsten (one of the few SS colours I like) at a fantastic price and I was smitten!

Never buy a guitar over the Christmas period - he sent it immediately by Parcelforce but because of the holidays it sat in their Newcastle depot, literally 10 minutes from me, for 4 days until they decided they had sobered up enough from new year to deliver it yesterday. I absolutely love it! It's a 2021 in great condition and the minute I picked it up (7lb 3oz if you're wondering) it felt like a serious piece of kit. The attention to detail is stunning and it plays and sounds fantastic. I do feel a bit like I've gone over to the dark side as I've had so many Fender Strats over the years but if it's good enough for Philip Sayce, then who am I to argue!

I did the same thing I do to every guitar I buy which is dismantle it within a couple of hours of getting it to see what makes it tick :-) Very tidy build and I was interested to see the different approach PRS have take to the cavity routing. Stripping it down also allows me to set it up from scratch exactly how I like it - job number 1 was to immediately set up the trem to float. I know it's an artist guitar but I really have no idea why PRS send them out with a completely decked trem. The next job was to stick the trem bar in a vice and put some more bend on it - it sits super close to the pick guard on the stock guitars and even bangs off the volume pot which seems very un-PRS. Truss rod was perfect so didn't need tweaking and now it's all back together it's fantastic. The only thing I don't like about it are the grey plastic machine head buttons. Seems such an odd design decision on a high end guitar.

I did want to talk about the recent scams on here where 2 members lost their money to a scumbag scam artist. On the same day the scam ads ran in the classifieds, I bought the guitar from @Tp200023. We exchanged several messages back and forth and he was a pleasure to deal with - highly recommended. It was only after I sent him the money by bank transfer (my request not his) that I realised the following: We'd never met and I didn't know his name, I didn't know his address and had only seen pictures of the guitar. I didn't check his posting history. I didn't check anything. I was so focused on getting the guitar that all my common sense went out of the window. Then I logged on here to read that 2 people had lost an awful lot of money and I have to be honest, my blood ran a bit cold! Thankfully everything went smoothly for me but I will never do a deal like that again and I really hope everyone buying stuff on here stop and thinks unlike I did before handing over money. As I said, the seller was fantastic and I hope he doesn't mind me talking about what happened (we've both discussed it privately) but I think it's important to realise that anyone can leave themselves open to being scammed, especially when experiencing a bad GAS attack!

Anyway here's some pics of the guitar being welcomed to the family.







Oh and lastly, does anyone know when PRS stopped painting the lower horn scoops on Silver Skys a different colour? Was that just an initial run thing?

guitars4you

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ - like the sofa and the pic(s)

Quick comment on the term set-up - Always a matter of taste on any Strat based/trem - Some like it flat, somewhat more up pitch than others, aka Jeff Beck - However you set it up, it is wrong for someone else - Not sure how John Mayer has it set, but guess that PRS set it that way based on JM's taste - If I have it set flat, for me, at the same time I have it adjusted that it only needs a slight touch on the arm, for down pitch - Hence only just flat, so sensitive to my light touch - But always a matter of taste

Term arm maybe the same, but I have noticed they are nearly always to close to the 'scratchplate' etc, - Many pass a similar comment - But as you say, a slight up bend in a vice will correct as required

bluecat

Looks perfectly wonderful, love the colour, didn't notice any Tele's in your family though. Enjoy, I hope it gives you a lot of pleasure.

Offset

Completely agree on the grey placcy tuner pegs - they look out of place on a high-end guitar.  Should be easy enough to replace I'd have thought.

It's a handsome thing and I really do like the colour.

bluecat

I even like the birds.

Offset

^^ Steady.

matt_sefton

bluecat said:

Looks perfectly wonderful, love the colour, didn't notice any Tele's in your family though. Enjoy, I hope it gives you a lot of pleasure.

I did have a really nice bound anniversary tele years ago but I could never get past it digging me in the ribs!

Tp200023

@matt_sefton I don't mind at all - credit to you for a very smooth transaction and the patience whilst the posties of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne celebrated (and recovered from) New Year. Delighted to hear you're so pleased with it - its a superb guitar.

Kittyfrisk

bluecat said:

I even like the birds.

Devil#20

bluecat said:

Looks perfectly wonderful, love the colour, didn't notice any Tele's in your family though. Enjoy, I hope it gives you a lot of pleasure.

Yep. There's some right weirdos on this forum. 

Funkfingers

Devil#20 said:

There's some right weirdos on this forum. 

What else did you expect on a guitar forum? 

BGG

Same as my old one, cracking guitars but moved mine on. 

matt_sefton

BGG said:

Same as my old one, cracking guitars but moved mine on. 

I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it. I was concerned about the neck shape and radius but it feels perfect and the sound is incredible. It’s the only guitar I play now. Had to float the trem mind!

mankytom

matt_sefton said:

BGG said:

Same as my old one, cracking guitars but moved mine on. 

I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it. I was concerned about the neck shape and radius but it feels perfect and the sound is incredible. It’s the only guitar I play now. Had to float the trem mind!

I can mind the others for you if you like? They might feel left out

Th4fonz

Congrats I had the same one also at one point.  It is a great guitar.  Great pickups also.  Hated the trem though and the knobs and how fast they spin.