Ever since it “broke the internet” upon its release in 2018, John Mayer’s flagship PRS signature guitar, the Silver Sky, has been spotted in the wild in many forms. Such incarnations include Rob Gueringer’s dazzling chrome-plated version and Zach Myers’ pink, heavy relic’d example, to name a few.
Now, thanks to Neal Schon, we think we’ve just come across quite possibly the craziest PRS Silver Sky you’ll ever see.
Showcasing his latest custom six-string on social media, the Journey man unveiled a heavily modded, borderline unrecognizable Nebula-finished Silver Sky, which has been equipped with a bridge humbucker, a locking nut and a Floyd Rose tremolo system.
The words “extreme” and “radical” almost fail to do Schon’s custom Silver Sky any justice – “crazy” and “insane” are probably more fitting – but that’s exactly what this mod job is: totally, utterly bonkers.
For starters, Schon, who enlisted guitar tech guru Gary Brawer for the task, decided to equip his desired specs to a Nebula Silver Sky – a polychromatic-finished, limited-run model that reflects hue and light differently at different angles, and which is the rarest Silver Sky iteration out there.
That detail aside, what Schon has done to his Silver Sky is truly eye-catching. Gone is the bridge 635JM single coil; in its place, a Bare Knuckle humbucker. And, just next to that, a Floyd Rose tremolo system, which lines up alongside a locking nut.
Not only does it look wild, it also sounds pretty spectacular, as is evident from the various demonstration videos Schon has posted across his social media channels. All in all, it’s a drastic departure from Mayer’s original blueprint, which sought to take the classic Fender Stratocaster design into the modern era.
Despite this, it’s undoubtedly one of the best Silver Sky mods we’ve seen so far, completely flipping the PRS script on its head for a touch of hair metal flair and some of Schon’s own sonic spice.
The jury is out on whether John Mayer himself will warm to what Schon has done to his pride and joy, and though the Sob Rock six-stringer is all about pushing the boundaries of guitar design, his recent comments on the need the keep the guitar “clean” give us an inkling he might not be too keen.
For starters, if it were up to him, Mayer would probably never strap a bridge humbucker to his Silver Sky. Speaking to Cory Wong, he voiced his desire to keep the Silver Sky “disciplined”, saying, “The reason I think the Silver Sky feels great is because, if you go to find one, there are two neck options for wood and six color options. That’s it.
“It’s very disciplined,” he went on. “Which is why when something new happens with it, it’s exciting. Even though obviously in there is a great guitar, it feels modern. It feels like the rest of the stuff in this world does.
“People all the time go, ‘Can you make it with humbuckers?’ I go, like, ‘Keep it clean.’ It feels really good to tell a clean story.”
By extension, we imagine a Floyd Rose would fit under the same umbrella as a bridge humbucker in Mayer’s mind.
To see the “Schonasized” Silver Sky in action, head over to Schon’s Instagram page.
