How John Mayer and Paul Reed Smith created the Silver Sky

“I knew the Silver Sky would take years to find its place — and carefully speaking, it feels like it has”: How John Mayer and Paul Reed Smith created the Silver Sky

John Mayer reflects on his acclaimed PRS Silver Sky, while its creator Paul Reed Smith reveals the meticulous thinking and science behind one of the most talked-about guitars of the modern era.

When PRS unveiled the USA-made Core Silver Sky in 2018, it wasn’t simply another signature model, nor an attempt to dominate headlines. In many ways, it was about reinventing something deeply familiar.

That familiar shape was the Fender Stratocaster — a guitar played by legends such as Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, and Mayer himself. But Mayer and Paul Reed Smith wanted something that honored tradition while moving decisively forward. Achieving that required vision, relentless refinement, and no small amount of courage.

As Smith puts it:

“John doesn’t mess around. If he had a guitar he liked better, he’d be playing it.”

Since its release, the Silver Sky — both Core and SE — has become a sensation. But more importantly, it’s an instrument Mayer genuinely relies on.

“I’m glad I don’t have to pretend I love them,” he says. “I’m not using something else in the studio — this is the guitar I always wanted. I can’t outgrow it. That’s the dream.”

Has his appreciation grown over time?

“I love guitar players,” Mayer explains. “Their minds are closed until something opens them. And when that happens, they tend to respect whatever managed to change their perspective.”

Mayer always knew that acceptance wouldn’t come overnight.

“I knew the Silver Sky would take years to find its place in the world,” he says. “Carefully speaking, it feels like it has. You don’t have to love it — but people have come to agree it deserves to exist.”

Today, the Silver Sky remains a bestseller, with PRS offering the more accessible SE version to reach an even wider audience.

The Silver Sky is listed among the 50 most important pieces of gear of the past 25 years. What does that mean?

John Mayer:

“It’s one of the things I’m most proud of. I wanted to design — or redesign — an instrument people could truly make music on. I love that it’s often just called the Silver Sky, without my name attached.”

“The ultimate dream is seeing it in the hands of players who aren’t even fans of my music. That’s how you know you’ve made something worthwhile.”

Paul Reed Smith:

“It’s an honor. Watching John pull tones from it has been fascinating. He said, ‘I don’t want to look down and think about where I am.’ I think we achieved that.”

After years of playing Strats, why create something new?

Mayer:

“I wanted more involvement than just signing a model. I wanted to take something rooted in the past and fully modernize it. PRS understood that vision.”

What went into the specs?

Paul Reed Smith:

“We spent countless hours refining the headstock, pickguard, and body. Knobs, jack plates, pickup covers, bobbins, magnets, windings — all redesigned. Even how we finished bodies and leveled frets was new territory. Nothing was left untouched.”

Pickup voicing — what was the goal?

Mayer:

“I wanted to sound like myself, but with less of a mid-scoop. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to love midrange.”

Smith:

“At a soundcheck, we compared John’s ’64 Strat to the Silver Sky prototype. The Strat had more bass and smoother highs. That sent us down a deep rabbit hole.”

Smith famously unsoldered the pickup from the Strat.

“What we saw was something we’d never encountered before.”

Replicating it was extremely difficult — but they succeeded.

“It was hard, but joyful.”

And the neck radius?

Mayer:

“I didn’t even think about radius back then. The guitars I loved were 7.25”, so that’s what I trusted.”

He adds:

“If a guitar is set up properly, you can do anything on this neck.”

Why has the Silver Sky resonated so strongly?

Mayer:

“Because I truly play it. It’s like a high-performance car — even when you’re cruising, you know what it’s capable of.”