# New John Mayer Paul Reed Strat signature?



## Zado (Apr 10, 2017)




----------



## couverdure (Apr 10, 2017)

As someone who's kind of an enthusiast for Stratocasters, I really like this and it looks very interesting.

That reminds me, I remember when All Time Low were playing PRS guitars before Alex and Jack switched to Fender and ESP respectively. I miss Alex's Miras (I got to see him play them live a month before he switched).


----------



## cip 123 (Apr 10, 2017)

It looks nice, it'd be a smart move if they released it on their ranges, SE, S2, and Custom. (Think thats their main ranges?)


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Apr 10, 2017)

Hoping for the return of the DC3.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 10, 2017)

That's what it looks like to me. a DC3 that's even MORE Stratty.


----------



## jl-austin (Apr 10, 2017)

To me, it's strange seeing that headstock on a strat, especially one as "standard looking" as that one.


----------



## marcwormjim (Apr 10, 2017)

Looks way less weird than the "strat" they made for Eric Johnson years yonder:


----------



## narad (Apr 10, 2017)

This may be what happens when John realizes the revenue on the ~$9k+ super eagle have not been particularly high.


----------



## absolutorigin (Apr 10, 2017)

narad said:


> This may be what happens when John realizes the revenue on the ~$9k+ super eagle have not been particularly high.



That thing has more switches and knobs on it than a flight deck .


----------



## Wizard of Ozz (Apr 10, 2017)

Hideous.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Apr 11, 2017)

I really hope this signals PRS re-entering the Strat game. Those DC3s were great takes on the classic.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 11, 2017)

Looks like a DC3 with a longer horn and some other tweaks to make it more Strat-like.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Apr 11, 2017)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Looks like a DC3 with a longer horn and some other tweaks to make it more Strat-like.



You're giving them far too much credit. 

It's a Strat that they slapped a PRS neck onto. 

How funny would it be if Mayer, known for trolling, just slapped a CE neck on one of his many Strats.


----------



## SDMFVan (Apr 11, 2017)

narad said:


> This may be what happens when John realizes the revenue on the ~$9k+ super eagle have not been particularly high.



They sold every one of them...


----------



## narad (Apr 11, 2017)

SDMFVan said:


> They sold every one of them...



Ah, I didn't realize they were limited. I meant that as a continuous income stream, a private stock sig isn't going to help you out much as some low/mid-tier model with higher production numbers.


----------



## JSanta (Apr 11, 2017)

This is from someone associated with PRS:

This in from Shawn at PRS (from the PRS Forum):
We have been collaborating with John Mayer for some time now. The guitar he has recently been playing and posted on Instagram is a prototype artist guitar we have been working on with him. We are thrilled that John is enjoying and using this guitar and continues to support PRS.


----------



## Seventhwave (Apr 11, 2017)

narad said:


> Ah, I didn't realize they were limited. I meant that as a continuous income stream, a private stock sig isn't going to help you out much as some low/mid-tier model with higher production numbers.



Something tells me Mayer doesn't need the help generated from an income stream via a signature guitar...


----------



## Zado (Apr 11, 2017)

JSanta said:


> This is from someone associated with PRS:
> 
> This in from Shawn at PRS (from the PRS Forum):
> We have been collaborating with John Mayer for some time now. The guitar he has recently been playing and posted on Instagram is a prototype artist guitar we have been working on with him. We are thrilled that John is enjoying and using this guitar and continues to support PRS.



Still looks awkward to me


----------



## BigBossAF (Apr 11, 2017)

The headstock is a bit weird on a strat to be honest, but other than that, the guitar must play wonders for him to take on to the stage. A little tweaking to the headstock, maybe something entirely different to the usual PRS one and it would make a perfect Strat


----------



## JSanta (Apr 11, 2017)

Zado said:


> Still looks awkward to me



I don't disagree - just sharing the information


----------



## narad (Apr 11, 2017)

Seventhwave said:


> Something tells me Mayer doesn't need the help generated from an income stream via a signature guitar...



It's possible, but for really big names aren't these sig guitars multi-million dollar deals?


----------



## prlgmnr (Apr 11, 2017)

marcwormjim said:


> Looks way less weird than the "strat" they made for Eric Johnson years yonder:



Ohh the fretboard on that thing looks amazing.

Shame about the... most of the rest of it.

I like the F hole, mind.


----------



## Seventhwave (Apr 11, 2017)

narad said:


> It's possible, but for really big names aren't these sig guitars multi-million dollar deals?



I can't say for certain, but I would doubt that in the context of musical instrument endorsement deals that the figures would be that high.


----------



## _MonSTeR_ (Apr 11, 2017)

Seventhwave said:


> I can't say for certain, but I would doubt that in the context of musical instrument endorsement deals that the figures would be that high.



John Mayer isn't really famous over here in the U.K. So I'll use that as an excuse if I'm wrong...

But that aside, I've always known Mayer as a singer who plays guitar rather than a guitarist who sings. In that respect I'd have to wonder whether there are many guitarists who would flock to his signature model. 

Or am I wrong and he's a massive guitar hero to,the folks who actually spend money on guitars?


----------



## JSanta (Apr 11, 2017)

_MonSTeR_ said:


> John Mayer isn't really famous over here in the U.K. So I'll use that as an excuse if I'm wrong...
> 
> But that aside, I've always known Mayer as a singer who plays guitar rather than a guitarist who sings. In that respect I'd have to wonder whether there are many guitarists who would flock to his signature model.
> 
> Or am I wrong and he's a massive guitar hero to,the folks who actually spend money on guitars?



I think if you look strictly at his more pop-oriented offerings, I could totally understand your perspective. The reality is he has shared the stage with some of the biggest bluesmen in the world, including Clapton, BB King, and Double Trouble. Clapton actually called him a master of the guitar in an interview that can be found on YouTube. 

He's a really great guitarist; he has a command over the instrument that I really respect, and it seems that many other people do as well. Try learning some of his songs, he has incredible feel that is difficult to duplicate, and some of his melodic ideas are quite impressive.

I think that John really knows about the guitar as well, he doesn't just happen to use one as a vehicle to write songs.


----------



## Triple-J (Apr 11, 2017)

Due to the 3+3 headstock it looks more like a retro version of a Schecter Banshee I'm curious to see where this goes though and what the finished sig ends up looking like.






Just to keep things relevant I figured I'd post a pic of the Schecter Shaun Morgan "Strat"


----------



## Seventhwave (Apr 11, 2017)

_MonSTeR_ said:


> John Mayer isn't really famous over here in the U.K. So I'll use that as an excuse if I'm wrong...
> 
> But that aside, I've always known Mayer as a singer who plays guitar rather than a guitarist who sings. In that respect I'd have to wonder whether there are many guitarists who would flock to his signature model.
> 
> Or am I wrong and he's a massive guitar hero to,the folks who actually spend money on guitars?



I think guitarists tend to kind of live in a bubble. Especially online lol. There's a great bit of stuff you see about guys like Tosin Abasi, John Petrucci, Mark Tremonti, Mark Holcomb, Steve Vai, etc etc etc. All great players, all influential, and all surely inspiring people to purchase the guitars they play. But those names often don't mean anything to say, a John Mayer fan who doesn't frequent these types of online discussion groups.

Mayer you don't hear so much in these online circles. That said, apparently the dude has sold over 16 million records in the US. I'd wager some of those folks will happily buy something with his name attached. But don't tend to see those guys show up on a forum like this to argue about Kirk Hammett being trash or Jeff Kiesel not being able to get his dots straight.


----------



## narad (Apr 11, 2017)

Seventhwave said:


> Mayer you don't hear so much in these online circles. That said, apparently the dude has sold over 16 million records in the US. I'd wager some of those folks will happily buy something with his name attached. But don't tend to see those guys show up on a forum like this to argue about Kirk Hammett being trash or Jeff Kiesel not being able to get his dots straight.



Yea, they're too busy watching "Dancing with the Stars".


----------



## Seventhwave (Apr 11, 2017)

narad said:


> Yea, they're too busy watching "Dancing with the Stars".



LOL - maybe so.

But I mean, it's all subjective, right? You don't see a whole lot of people around places like this saying that Carlos Santana makes them wanna go out and spend $9000 on a PRS either. But, given how long that signature model has been around, I am guessing they move 'em.


----------



## A-Branger (Apr 11, 2017)

_MonSTeR_ said:


> John Mayer isn't really famous over here in the U.K. So I'll use that as an excuse if I'm wrong...
> 
> But that aside, I've always known Mayer as a singer who plays guitar rather than a guitarist who sings. In that respect I'd have to wonder whether there are many guitarists who would flock to his signature model.
> 
> Or am I wrong and he's a massive guitar hero to,the folks who actually spend money on guitars?



I always had this image of him being "the next writer/singer pop" thing of back in the day when he started. You know, the kind of every girl loves and every guy who owns an acoustic and play wonderwall, now has a new idol they like. That kind of sad poppy song.

so I enver pay him attention, till recently when he got his PRS signature, and now an amp too. I was like UHH???, then I watched some videos, and yep, the guy can play for sure, he earn it hahha

now, about the gutiar.... really? a Fender with a new headstock?, even till the jack position? , I get the bridge/pickguard/pickups/look/whatever, but even the jack position too?, at least the top horn is lower to great access to the thumb. So thats one improvement

oh well. Another Stratocaster into the world I guess


----------



## BigBossAF (Apr 12, 2017)

JSanta said:


> I think if you look strictly at his more pop-oriented offerings, I could totally understand your perspective. The reality is he has shared the stage with some of the biggest bluesmen in the world, including Clapton, BB King, and Double Trouble. Clapton actually called him a master of the guitar in an interview that can be found on YouTube.
> 
> He's a really great guitarist; he has a command over the instrument that I really respect, and it seems that many other people do as well. Try learning some of his songs, he has incredible feel that is difficult to duplicate, and some of his melodic ideas are quite impressive.
> 
> I think that John really knows about the guitar as well, he doesn't just happen to use one as a vehicle to write songs.



Regarding this, my older brother is quite the Mayer fanboy and so I've learned quite a few things about him in the past few years. I myself thought he was more like a singer who plays guitar. The thing is, that is quite the opposite. Apparently, has Mayer tells his story, he fell in love with the instrument and decided that's what he wanted to do, back in highschool. I've heard him say something along this lines on an interview "I decided I'd do whatever it takes to keep playing the guitar, and singing was what I need to do"

Even though I really don't follow him that much, he is quite the master of his art and when Clapton himself said it, I don't think I could disagree!


----------



## Malkav (Apr 12, 2017)

Mayer's name is basically a license to print money, when Fender did the custom shop replicas of his black strat which was limited to 83 worldwide or something they were sold out before they even made it to dealers and the things cost like R130k almost a decade ago 

Also he's an amazing guitar player with a good sense of humour, it's a bit lame that this is basically just a PRS headstock on a strat though, it's basically like admitting PRS may be prettier but Fender was better in bed or something...


----------



## SDMFVan (Apr 12, 2017)

I kind of feel like this might be the one guitar where the Dan Spitz headstock actually works:


----------



## Zado (Apr 12, 2017)

^mmm no


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Apr 12, 2017)

It's worth noting that Mayer didn't leave Fender because of the guitars or money, he's got more than enough of both, he left because he didn't like the company. As much as he's emphasized how great PRS guitars are in interviews and such he really talks up working with them personally. 

He wanted a Strat built by the people he likes. I can kind of understand that. 

The symbolism of having a near perfect Strat clone with the signature PRS headstock makes a lot of sense now. As if saying "this is what I want to play, but this is who I want to make it".


----------



## AkiraSpectrum (Apr 12, 2017)

MaxOfMetal said:


> It's worth noting that Mayer didn't leave Fender because of the guitars or money, he's got more than enough of both, he left because he didn't like the company. As much as he's emphasized how great PRS guitars are in interviews and such he really talks up working with them personally.
> 
> He wanted a Strat built by the people he likes. I can kind of understand that.
> 
> The symbolism of having a near perfect Strat clone with the signature PRS headstock makes a lot of sense now. As if saying "this is what I want to play, but this is who I want to make it".


----------



## narad (Apr 12, 2017)

OoOo well said.


----------



## SDMFVan (Apr 13, 2017)

MaxOfMetal said:


> It's worth noting that Mayer didn't leave Fender because of the guitars or money, he's got more than enough of both, he left because he didn't like the company. As much as he's emphasized how great PRS guitars are in interviews and such he really talks up working with them personally.
> 
> He wanted a Strat built by the people he likes. I can kind of understand that.
> 
> The symbolism of having a near perfect Strat clone with the signature PRS headstock makes a lot of sense now. As if saying "this is what I want to play, but this is who I want to make it".



That's my understanding from the guys at PRS who have worked with him. Apparently he was SUPER guitar nerdy (in a good way) when designing the Super Eagle, and made really small tweaks from one revision to the next that would probably be imperceptible to 99.9% of the general public. PRS loves that stuff because NOBODY is as guitar nerdy as Paul Smith, but I imagine Fender is less inclined to indulge those kind of whims. Especially considering how much time and how many different guitars they built before they landed on "the one". I'm sure Fender would rather just slap your name on a Strat and cash checks.


----------



## hairychris (Apr 13, 2017)

SDMFVan said:


> That's my understanding from the guys at PRS who have worked with him. Apparently he was SUPER guitar nerdy (in a good way) when designing the Super Eagle, and made really small tweaks from one revision to the next that would probably be imperceptible to 99.9% of the general public. PRS loves that stuff because NOBODY is as guitar nerdy as Paul Smith, but I imagine Fender is less inclined to indulge those kind of whims. Especially considering how much time and how many different guitars they built before they landed on "the one". I'm sure Fender would rather just slap your name on a Strat and cash checks.



As someone who can't name a single John Mayer song but know of his reputation this seems to be a fair point in general. JM has the talent, discernment and the wallet to make a tone quest legitimate.

However I'd think that him leaving Fender would probably be personal. It's not like the various Fender group custom shop doesn't have a suitable number of nerds working for them, and they're well aware that JM's signature would be guaranteed to sell instruments. I wouldn't be surprised if he either met with PRS and his team and got what they were aiming for with guitar, or had a falling out with the Fender reps or management. Still, this part will be speculation as it's one of those things that would never come out!


----------



## SDMFVan (Apr 13, 2017)

Yeah, he has a watch collection valued in the neighborhood of $30 million so I'm sure any decisions he makes regarding guitar endorsements would be personal and not financial. I know when he left Fender he tweeted that he would continue to play the guitars but that the company was no longer the same one he'd gone into business with or something along those lines. He's very close to Mike Eldred from the Fender Custom Shop, who was let go by Fender shortly before Mayer killed his endorsement. I wouldn't be surprised if that had something to do with it.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Apr 13, 2017)

There were a lot of personnel and management changes at Fender during and after Mayer left, I wouldn't be surprised if his animus was directed at the newer company culture.


----------



## BouhZik (Apr 13, 2017)

Malkav said:


> it's basically like admitting PRS may be prettier but Fender was better in bed or something...



or the opposite? the PRS is better in bed but asked her to put some make-up to look more like the prettier one


----------



## pfizer (Apr 14, 2017)

First knew about Mayer from his pop stuff, but was quite impressed with his fingerstyle chops from "Neon" or "Heart of Life". 

Guy's a pretty damn great player and it's great that he's a mainstream artist who happens to be an incredibly skilled guitar player. 

I do remember reading that one of the reasons he left Fender was because they wanted him to use Fender amps onstage for his performances. Mayer didn't want to, since he'd been using Dumble amps for a while.


----------



## Andromalia (Apr 16, 2017)

Seventhwave said:


> Something tells me Mayer doesn't need the help generated from an income stream via a signature guitar...



Well, rich musicians become riche because they actually pay attention to those sorts of things. It's not just a single guitar endorsement matter but how he runs his business.
And for reference, the only people I know who ever heard of him are all guitarists. Blues as a genre isn't really widespread in europe outside of the UK.


----------



## extendedsolo (Apr 16, 2017)

Andromalia said:


> Well, rich musicians become riche because they actually pay attention to those sorts of things. It's not just a single guitar endorsement matter but how he runs his business.
> And for reference, the only people I know who ever heard of him are all guitarists. Blues as a genre isn't really widespread in europe outside of the UK.



Agreed 100% on your first point, but in the US he is HUGE among women. I remember when he came on the scene back in 01 or so and he was seen as a college music type of guy. I'm not joking when I say that teenage girls up to soccer moms love this guy in the US.


----------



## SDMFVan (Apr 17, 2017)

He's currently touring arenas in the US, playing to 20k-25k people every night, and I'd imagine the crowd is ~5% guitarists. He's huge with the ladies here in the States.


----------



## A-Branger (Apr 17, 2017)

extendedsolo said:


> Agreed 100% on your first point, but in the US he is HUGE among women. I remember when he came on the scene back in 01 or so and he was seen as a college music type of guy. I'm not joking when I say that teenage girls up to soccer moms love this guy in the US.



totally agree, Like I mention before, this was the kind of pop singer soft music guy that EVERY girl (non-metal girl) would love and listen to. Like the kind that I would jump into any of my friends car, or GF and they would have this guy on a CD/mp3/whatever. The kind of music that even the mens who dont listen to metal and love to play stupid acoustic songs "I dont know that one, but here is wonderwall" kinda stuff, would love this guy too. Because EVERY girl would be into it. If you wanted to hit on a girl, this is a secure ticket that would give you extra points if you knew/liked his music.

I had no idea who he was, I just knew he sang the kind of slow pop cry your heart music that I would roll my eyes off and everyone would always ask me if I knew/liked his stuff. I never knew there was an actual talent guitar stuff in it. Never pay attention so no idea if there was complex guitar stuff in it in the past. Knowing myself at that time I would prob wont pay attention to it either, these days I can tolerate that music better lol

And this was in a latin country, I assume was the same in every latin country and the USA too


----------



## Seventhwave (Apr 17, 2017)

Andromalia said:


> Well, rich musicians become riche because they actually pay attention to those sorts of things. It's not just a single guitar endorsement matter but how he runs his business.



Assuming he was looking at it from a business perspective and paying attention, common sense would lead one to believe that voluntarily leaving Fender and going to PRS to create a limited edition $10,000 signature model wouldn't be the smartest business decision.


----------



## jephjacques (Apr 17, 2017)

narad said:


> Ah, I didn't realize they were limited. I meant that as a continuous income stream, a private stock sig isn't going to help you out much as some low/mid-tier model with higher production numbers.



The dude can afford $2,000,000 watches, I don't think he particularly cares about revenue from a guitar line.

The reverse headstock looks stupid but otherwise it's cool. I still regret not picking up one of the Brent Mason sigs when they were around.


----------



## extendedsolo (Apr 18, 2017)

jephjacques said:


> The dude can afford $2,000,000 watches, I don't think he particularly cares about revenue from a guitar line.
> 
> The reverse headstock looks stupid but otherwise it's cool. I still regret not picking up one of the Brent Mason sigs when they were around.



You can still find the Brent Mason sigs for less than 2k if you are patient.


----------



## narad (Apr 18, 2017)

jephjacques said:


> The dude can afford $2,000,000 watches, I don't think he particularly cares about revenue from a guitar line.
> 
> The reverse headstock looks stupid but otherwise it's cool. I still regret not picking up one of the Brent Mason sigs when they were around.



The dude's worth is estimated at $40-50M. It doesn't mean $2M is meaningless to him -- it means his watch collection (at ~$10M) makes up a ludicrous amount of his spending money. It's almost as stupidly disproportionate as my guitars are to my own net worth.

So while I can agree that it might be a stretch to think he cares too much about a PRS endorsement / sig revenue, I don't know if it's off the table -- mostly because I don't know what those types of agreements usually pay out in. In 2012 PRS had a revenue of close to $50M, so perhaps not the huge payouts that Gibson/Fender would give to their absolute top artists.


----------



## Seventhwave (Apr 18, 2017)

narad said:


> the huge payouts that Gibson/Fender would give to their absolute top artists.



And are you sure that Gibson/Fender are paying huge pay outs to their top artists?

I think the point is, when you're talking "top artists", most of them are with the companies they're with because that's exactly where they WANT to be. Most would be using the products regardless of the endorsement agreement. Most don't have to ever worry about money. In which case, for an artist in that position that's still hungry and chasing something, choosing a company that's much more open to helping the artist achieve their vision is probably much more important than the one that only wants to slap your name on a Stratocaster and send you quarterly checks.


----------



## narad (Apr 18, 2017)

Seventhwave said:


> I think the point is, when you're talking "top artists", most of them are with the companies they're with because that's exactly where they WANT to be. Most would be using the products regardless of the endorsement agreement. Most don't have to ever worry about money. In which case, for an artist in that position that's still hungry and chasing something, choosing a company that's much more open to helping the artist achieve their vision is probably much more important than the one that only wants to slap your name on a Stratocaster and send you quarterly checks.



As far as "the point is" -- I think the point is that what you're saying is just as baseless an assumption as my own ~ that still many top artists are motivated to be where they want to be due to financial compensation. Flat out, I've admitted I don't really know the stats regarding what these endorsement deals pay -- where's your proof that the endorsement money is insignificant to these guys? One thing I will point out is that these guys' net worths are often much less than you'd think. Like Petrucci -- John MF'in Petrucci -- has a net worth considerably less than my 2016 flatmate. Though in his case it's clear that he loves those guitars and has a long-standing relationship with the company.

And there's already contradiction: if you're young and up-and-coming you're hungry and your vision is supposed to mean so much more to you, but then when you're established and money doesn't mean anything to you -- it leaves no room for an endorsement to ever matter. But I'll admit that endorsement money, the importance of which is made obvious by the complete lack of brand loyalty, is much more important to the younger less established artists.


----------



## Seventhwave (Apr 18, 2017)

narad said:


> As far as "the point is" -- I think the point is that what you're saying is just as baseless an assumption as my own ~ that still many top artists are motivated to be where they want to be due to financial compensation. Flat out, I've admitted I don't really know the stats regarding what these endorsement deals pay -- where's your proof that the endorsement money is insignificant to these guys? One thing I will point out is that these guys' net worths are often much less than you'd think. Like Petrucci -- John MF'in Petrucci -- has a net worth considerably less than my 2016 flatmate. Though in his case it's clear that he loves those guitars and has a long-standing relationship with the company.
> 
> And there's already contradiction: if you're young and up-and-coming you're hungry and your vision is supposed to mean so much more to you, but then when you're established and money doesn't mean anything to you -- it leaves no room for an endorsement to ever matter. But I'll admit that endorsement money, the importance of which is made obvious by the complete lack of brand loyalty, is much more important to the younger less established artists.



Nobody has proof. But if you're going by what artists have said here and there regarding most of these types of endorsement deals, I would say it's a pretty safe assumption that the payout isn't anywhere near what people think it is. In many cases it's simply free or heavily discounted gear. Which some artists have said is great, but doesn't quite pay their bills. But yes, it's just an assumption.

While Petrucci doesn't have the net worth of someone like Mayer, common sense would lead me to believe that his happiness with the product/company probably takes priority over going somewhere else that may pay out more to use his name. That is of course assuming he's even getting monetary compensation currently. I'd assume he is, but who knows. 

With the younger bands, compensation is probably the only factor. Most probably don't have the financial luxury to consider anything else. If one deal is guitars at 25% above cost and the other is 2 free guitars a year, for a young touring band that has to make every penny count the latter is the only choice even if they love the products from the former. 

I aint trying to piss anyone off lol. So apologies if I have. My assumptions *you're correct* on Mayer are just that. But they're just based on what makes sense to me given his status/choices.


----------



## AuroraTide (Apr 19, 2017)

Fender vs PRS aside, I hope this becomes a production model. It looks like it's shorter scale, and hopefully it has pickups similar to the big dipper ones. I rarely play 6 string anymore but this has me interested


----------



## MSUspartans777 (Apr 20, 2017)

I would totally buy this if it makes it to production. Smart move by PRS and Mayer


----------



## Andromalia (Apr 20, 2017)

Seventhwave said:


> Assuming he was looking at it from a business perspective and paying attention, common sense would lead one to believe that voluntarily leaving Fender and going to PRS to create a limited edition $10,000 signature model wouldn't be the smartest business decision.



Not sure: we're talking about him here, which doesn't happen very much in the usual flow of conversation. It's also advertising. I'm not saying he moved for the money, I'm saying people shouldn't see an endorsement deal as a single thing in a vacuum, and that getting a PRS endorsement can also be a business move. It keeps him on the news, and maybe that Fender sig got all its early adopter sales and wasn't that much of an income for him now.
It's of course pure speculation all the way, but that's the only thing we can do here anyway. ^^

On a side note, won't buy it, not a modern strat guy. The day someone relocats that volume button I'll maybe get one, but every time I play a strat my hand ends up lowering the volume inadvertently. I played one of the new elite or whatever models last year and the neck felt very alien to me, too.


----------



## SDMFVan (Apr 20, 2017)

It's also worth pointing out that at the time he was seeking a new endorsement he was looking for a guitar to be built that he could use with Dead & Company specifically, and what he was looking for was pretty ambitious. The pickups, switching and especially the onboard pre-amp are all pretty unique things, so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of companies wouldn't or maybe even couldn't do it. I know that the pre-amps ended up being designed and individually handbuilt by a guy at PRS, and they had a ton of issues with getting them to a point of reliability that they could replicate 100 of them. 

So what I'm saying is he probably talked to a bunch of different companies, and PRS was the one that he felt would do the best job making him what he wanted. I'd say it says a lot that he's pretty much using their guitars exclusively now (at first he was still using Strats when not with D&C) and even designed an amp with them.

EDIT: PRS actually did a good write-up on all of this here: http://www.prsguitars.com/index.php...the_super_eagle_collaboration_with_john_mayer


----------



## narad (Apr 20, 2017)

Seventhwave said:


> I aint trying to piss anyone off lol. So apologies if I have. My assumptions *you're correct* on Mayer are just that. But they're just based on what makes sense to me given his status/choices.



I should point out that when I first made the comment here about him realizing the private stock wasn't a good source of revenue, it was mostly facetious. More than pretty much any discussion of this sort that's ever happened on SSO, I'd be inclined to believe John just wanted some cool gear. 

But I think it's also jumping the gun to start patting him on the back for not caring about the money when we have no details on the deal, of a guy that has made a lot of prudent business decisions to get where he is today. Ultimately I'm not going to throw shade at anyone whose actions result in the community having access to some really cool new options, and the super eagle is definitely that. I'm more annoyed with like...the latest iteration of Pro Tone pedal that offers nothing new, crap quality, and a high price tag, clearly to just max revenue to company and artists.


----------



## SDMFVan (May 1, 2017)

Over the weekend a little bird told me that there's another run of Super Eagles in production (different color, ~150 units) and then this PRS John Mayer Strat is indeed coming down the pike. Not sure on whether or not it'll be Private Stock or core line though.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 9, 2018)




----------



## Zado (Feb 9, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> View attachment 59061


This was just needed. I mean, what should I do if I wanted a strat, and Fender, Suhr, Schecter, Anderson, Grosh, Kirn, Thorn, Melancon, K-Line, Nash, Lsl, Lentz, G&L wasn't anything for me?

This would fit the bill.


----------



## nyxzz (Feb 9, 2018)

Maybe John just likes PRS, I know I do


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Feb 9, 2018)

Zado said:


> This was just needed. I mean, what should I do if I wanted a strat, and Fender, Suhr, Schecter, Anderson, Grosh, Kirn, Thorn, Melancon, K-Line, Nash, Lsl, Lentz, G&L wasn't anything for me?
> 
> This would fit the bill.



Never underestimate the power of "the brand". 

That said, having played examples from most of those you named, they all have unique aspects that set them apart, especially in overall feel. It's little details that add up to make them all unique. 

Is a Schecter Banshee the same as an Ibanez RG? As an ESP MII?


----------



## Zado (Feb 9, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Never underestimate the power of "the brand".
> 
> That said, having played examples from most of those you named, they all have unique aspects that set them apart, especially in overall feel. It's little details that add up to make them all unique.
> 
> Is a Schecter Banshee the same as an Ibanez RG? As an ESP MII?


True, all those strat-makers have their own thing goin on, but while an RG, an M-II and a Banshee have their peculiar designs and aestethics, strats are well...strats! PRS always sounded to me like a brand proud of being different from Fender and Gibson lines...this is just havin me a lil surprised.


----------



## nyxzz (Feb 9, 2018)

I suspect it was mostly a "John Mayer wanted this" situation


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Feb 9, 2018)

Zado said:


> True, all those strat-makers have their own thing goin on, but while an RG, an M-II and a Banshee have their peculiar designs and aestethics, strats are well...strats! PRS always sounded to me like a brand proud of being different from Fender and Gibson lines...this is just havin me a lil surprised.



It's not like all PRS guitars are going to be Strats now. 

All the big brands do riffs on each other's flagships.

As been said earlier, PRS has made some very Strat-like guitars in the past. The DC3, 305, and EG were all pretty much Strats.


----------



## Shoeless_jose (Feb 9, 2018)

Zado said:


> True, all those strat-makers have their own thing goin on, but while an RG, an M-II and a Banshee have their peculiar designs and aestethics, strats are well...strats! PRS always sounded to me like a brand proud of being different from Fender and Gibson lines...this is just havin me a lil surprised.



I'm guessing they put a lot of R and D into the pickups, also PRS likes to tinker with scale lengths slightly to attain a different feel and sweet spot and such, I'm sure there may be a lot more little differences to this instrument than are apparent at first glance, Paul is far too meticulous to just slap birds and a headstock on a strat shape


----------



## nyxzz (Feb 9, 2018)

I also want to say they made a prototype Eric Johnson PRS which was basically a strat too (I think)


----------



## Andromalia (Feb 10, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Never underestimate the power of "the brand".
> 
> That said, having played examples from most of those you named, they all have unique aspects that set them apart, especially in overall feel. It's little details that add up to make them all unique.
> 
> Is a Schecter Banshee the same as an Ibanez RG? As an ESP MII?



To be perfectly honest, at some point guitars in the same range and model can feel different enough than a guitar from another brand and model will feel closer. Played a good dozen Charvel San Dimas last saturday and they felt all over the place, I liked some and disliked others. (The exact same model, mind you)


----------



## A-Branger (Feb 10, 2018)

was it really nessesary to ahve the 3 knob settup?. I know a strat gonna strat, and if someone is really gonna use the full potential of tone knobs would be a player like him, but, does he really needed the two tone knobs? or did they put them in because "strat"

which btw Im still not sure what they do. Either my squier is weirdly conected, or my tone knobs have a mind of their own on what picup they want to affect lol


----------



## Andromalia (Feb 10, 2018)

According to Steve Morse, you can wah with them. (check his engl namm video it's hilarious)


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 10, 2018)

Everyone's trying to pit the blame on PRS... but given John Mayer's a die-hard Strat guys, quite possibly this is everything he wanted. 

Dude probably loves the craftsmanship and playability of a PRS, but wanted something more familiar in his arsenal.



Zado said:


> PRS always sounded to me like a brand proud of being different from Fender and Gibson lines...this is just havin me a lil surprised.



Wasn't the Custom series supposed to be Paul's vision of a Fender/Gibson hybrid?

I mean, it's not so shocking they're releasing a Strat clone. They did the EG and McCarty years ago, both being nods to Fender and Gibson. And recently the 245, McCarty Singlecut, and the 594 to give something to Gibson lovers.

I don't know why them doing a Fender clone is so weird, when they've been doing Gibson clones for the past decade or two.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and the DC series. Pretty much another Stratoclone line Max said.


----------



## DudeManBrother (Feb 10, 2018)

I don’t think there’s a huge mystery here. John has, what, 5-6 records worth of material done on a strat? If both sides would be happiest having the live performances done on PRS guitars, then Paul would have to build a guitar that can get John’s exact sounds to play that material. Otherwise he’ll just keep playing his Fenders.


----------



## Zado (Feb 24, 2018)

http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...rost&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari

Specs are very far from my preferences tho.


----------



## daveyisgreat (Feb 24, 2018)

That headstock just looks odd.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Feb 24, 2018)

Zado said:


> http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...rost&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari
> 
> Specs are very far from my preferences tho.



It's so Straty that it's more of a Strat than my G&L.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 24, 2018)

> Fretboard Radius 7.25”



oh


----------



## curlyvice (Feb 24, 2018)

As a PRS CE lover I had high hopes for this thing. But that headstock and 7.25" radius just killed this for me.


----------



## Andromalia (Feb 24, 2018)

It's less expensive than I would have thought.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 24, 2018)

I just realized the bridge doesn't look like a PRS bridge, either. Looks like a standard Strat bridge.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Feb 24, 2018)

Andromalia said:


> It's less expensive than I would have thought.



Yeah, it's not bad.

It's right there with other high end Strats.


----------



## MatthewK (Feb 25, 2018)

7.25" radius is interesting. I'm sure it'll sell well, he seems to have some hardcore guitar playing fans somehow. I missed that boat. The only song of his I can think of is "Your Body is a Wonderland". Can't be worse than Bonamassa.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Feb 25, 2018)

He always liked the 50's Strats, which had the 7.25" radius. I think his Fender sig had 9.5" though.


----------



## JSanta (Feb 25, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> He always liked the 50's Strats, which had the 7.25" radius. I think his Fender sig had 9.5" though.



His sig did have the 9.5" radius. 

I like PRS a lot. I like Fender a lot. I like John Mayer a lot too. I just feel like this is lazy design. That's my main exception with this guitar.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Feb 25, 2018)

JSanta said:


> His sig did have the 9.5" radius.
> 
> I like PRS a lot. I like Fender a lot. I like John Mayer a lot too. I just feel like this is lazy design. That's my main exception with this guitar.



I don't think it's lazy as much as Mayer raising a big middle finger to Fender, who he didn't exactly leave on good terms with if I remember correctly. 

I'm just a little surprised that PRS was willing to go this far along, then again his name moves $5k amps and PS models, so they'll do whatever he wants.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Feb 25, 2018)

Andromalia said:


> It's less expensive than I would have thought.



There’s a price given already?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 25, 2018)

Deadpool_25 said:


> There’s a price given already?



$2300


----------



## Avedas (Feb 26, 2018)

I guess a 7.25 inch radius is kinda nice for barre chords. Not sure what else though.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Feb 26, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> $2300



Hm. Yeah that’s not crazy. And I’m guessing that’s retail? Will street be lower? Regardless that’s not bad. Assuming it has its own thing going on and isn’t “just” a Strat.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Feb 26, 2018)

Zado said:


> http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...rost&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari
> 
> Specs are very far from my preferences tho.





Deadpool_25 said:


> Hm. Yeah that’s not crazy. And I’m guessing that’s retail? Will street be lower? Regardless that’s not bad. Assuming it has its own thing going on and isn’t “just” a Strat.



Looks like $2300 Street. 

So a little bit more expensive than a CE or Vela VR, but also a hair cheaper than a CE Waring. 

That's not bad.

It's in direct competition with Fender American Elite, Suhr Standard, etc.


----------



## JSanta (Feb 26, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I don't think it's lazy as much as Mayer raising a big middle finger to Fender, who he didn't exactly leave on good terms with if I remember correctly.
> 
> I'm just a little surprised that PRS was willing to go this far along, then again his name moves $5k amps and PS models, so they'll do whatever he wants.



I think you're probably more right. I want to say I'm surprised to see Paul pander to anyone, but when you have a guy that moves products the way JM does, I guess you just kind of do what he says!


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Feb 26, 2018)

JSanta said:


> I think you're probably more right. I want to say I'm surprised to see Paul pander to anyone, but when you have a guy that moves products the way JM does, I guess you just kind of do what he says!



I wouldn't say it's pure pandering, as it seems besides the business relationship Mayer seems really friendly with staff. I know Mayer has said repeatedly that he not only likes the guitars but the people at PRS.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Feb 26, 2018)

Everyone is assuming it was Mayer saying he wants a Strat. That’s certainly possible, and maybe even probable, but isn’t it also possible it was PRS’ idea?


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Feb 26, 2018)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Everyone is assuming it was Mayer saying he wants a Strat. That’s certainly possible, and maybe even probable, but isn’t it also possible it was PRS’ idea?



Of course it's possible, PRS has made many "Strat" guitars in the past, look at the EG, 305, and the DC3.

This is basically a DC3 with a different pickguard.

But, Mayer has primarily been a Strat player for a very long time. When he left Fender he specifically said he'd still always play Strats, they were his thing. He just didn't like Fender as a company, specifically management.


----------



## JSanta (Feb 26, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I wouldn't say it's pure pandering, as it seems besides the business relationship Mayer seems really friendly with staff. I know Mayer has said repeatedly that he not only likes the guitars but the people at PRS.



That's a fair opinion. We're all on the outside looking in. No idea what exactly happened at Fender (at least I never saw anything other than conjecture), but every PRS Artist I've ever met has had nothing but great things to say about the company - Paul really cares about what he and his company do. So Mayer being happy and getting something he's familiar with makes sense.


----------



## JohnIce (Feb 26, 2018)

Andromalia said:


> And for reference, the only people I know who ever heard of him are all guitarists. Blues as a genre isn't really widespread in europe outside of the UK.



While his solos are certainly bluesy and SRV-ish, that's about it. Generally, his music has more in common with the neo-soul movement that happened in the late 90's, people like Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, Dilla and that whole crew. Not to mention the, as he calls it, "sensitive songwriter" gang of Norah Jones, Dido etc. that were booming with all the white people at the time. So he was kind of bridging the two genres that ruled the world back then, and was really good at both of them. Success ensued. So yeah, that's a long winded way of saying he's not a "blues" artist really.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Feb 26, 2018)

JohnIce said:


> While his solos are certainly bluesy and SRV-ish, that's about it. Generally, his music has more in common with the neo-soul movement that happened in the late 90's, people like Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, Dilla and that whole crew. Not to mention the, as he calls it, "sensitive songwriter" gang of Norah Jones, Dido etc. that were booming with all the white people at the time. So he was kind of bridging the two genres that ruled the world back then, and was really good at both of them. Success ensued. So yeah, that's a long winded way of saying he's not a "blues" artist really.



Yeah he's definitely not a "blues artist." He's a American pop artist whose guitar work is heavily influenced by blues and R&B. Either way though, I guess he's not as well known in Europe as he is in the US--not surprising at all.


----------



## Shoeless_jose (Feb 26, 2018)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Yeah he's definitely not a "blues artist." He's a American pop artist whose guitar work is heavily influenced by blues and R&B. Either way though, I guess he's not as well known in Europe as he is in the US--not surprising at all.



He has the John Mayer Trio which is a blues group and not just his pop top 40 type of music.... so many people are ignorant in terms of the actual scope of his skills and playing. 

Plus seems like a super cool dude, showed up on Chappelle show back in the day at the height of his "Your Body is a Wonderland" fame, so the fact that he seems to have a sense of humour about him and also stabs some quality Hollywood kitty on the regular.... nothing but respect for the man.


----------



## JohnIce (Feb 26, 2018)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Yeah he's definitely not a "blues artist." He's a American pop artist whose guitar work is heavily influenced by blues and R&B. Either way though, I guess he's not as well known in Europe as he is in the US--not surprising at all.



Oh I agree, that's the language barrier. If you're no good at english then half of JM's appeal is gone, he's that type of songwriter. He's plenty popular here in Scandinavia. But massive poetic singer/songwriters like Bob Dylan or Alanis Morissette or any artist like that was always a tough sell in continental europe, I don't think it really has anything to do with the blues.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Feb 26, 2018)

Dineley said:


> He has the John Mayer Trio which is a blues group and not just his pop top 40 type of music.... so many people are ignorant in terms of the actual scope of his skills and playing.
> 
> Plus seems like a super cool dude, showed up on Chappelle show back in the day at the height of his "Your Body is a Wonderland" fame, so the fact that he seems to have a sense of humour about him and also stabs some quality Hollywood kitty on the regular.... nothing but respect for the man.



The Trio stuff is excellent. Some of his live stuff shows his playing skills too. There was a YouTube video that had him citing and playing in the styles of his influences—a bunch of blues guys like SRV, BB, Albert King, etc. Was pretty cool.

He seems like a nice enough guy but, as he said himself, suffers from trying to be to clever. Makes him sound like a DB sometimes. Definitely a fan of him as a guitarist.

I actually have a Mayer Strat and it’s a great guitar. Doubt I’d be interested in this one unless there’s something very unique and cool about it other than it’s a PRS.


----------



## MatthewK (Mar 2, 2018)

I just want to say that I feel like a dick for what I said earlier, because I happened across a video of him from I think instagram on youtube and he seems SUPER cool and down to earth. Like, I want to take lessons from him now.


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber (Mar 3, 2018)

So long as you’re not a recently divorced celebrity on the rebound, you should be safe.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Mar 5, 2018)




----------



## Deadpool_25 (Mar 5, 2018)

I like it but it still strikes me as just a nice PRS twist on a Strat. Will it be awesome? Yeah probably. Fender’s artist series JM Strat is a great guitar. People who don’t even like Mayer say it’s one of the best strats they’ve played. Still though...not sure I’ll be getting this one. I’ll try it for sure but I’ll have to really impress me.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Mar 5, 2018)

Oh. There’s another one.


----------



## scrub (Mar 5, 2018)

no maple board. bummer.


----------



## narad (Mar 5, 2018)

scrub said:


> no maple board. bummer.



Yea, on the candy apple red in particular, maple would have been killer.


----------



## ArtDecade (Mar 5, 2018)

Not a fan of that guitar or his music, but I think I would dig hanging out with John. He seems to be a fun dude.


----------



## jephjacques (Mar 7, 2018)

I get the reasoning behind it but that headstock is one of the ugliest things I've ever seen


----------



## extendedsolo (Mar 7, 2018)

I don't get the level of hate this has received without anyone trying it. I'm willing to bet that the people who do buy one are going to be pleased, but just like any guitar in the price point won't change your life. I'll seek one out to try it, but do I imagine it being much different than a high end strat? not really.


----------



## lewis (Mar 7, 2018)

isnt this the same as being endorsed by Gibson, and making them give you a signature Warlock?

I like the guitar, but it seems odd to me at the same time.


----------



## Zalbu (Mar 7, 2018)

I'm just sitting here hoping they'll put out an SE model, which I really doubt they wouldn't do. I'm in the market for a SSS guitar and a PRS strat would be really high on my list, much higher than Fender at least.



lewis said:


> isnt this the same as being endorsed by Gibson, and making them give you a signature Warlock?
> 
> I like the guitar, but it seems odd to me at the same time.


Not really, the Strat is probably the most copied guitar of all time which the Warlock isn't. It's not rocket science, John Mayer likes Strats but doesn't like Fender so he gets a company that isn't Fender to build him a Strat.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 7, 2018)

Zalbu said:


> I'm just sitting here hoping they'll put out an SE model, which I really doubt they wouldn't do. I'm in the market for a SSS guitar and a PRS strat would be really high on my list, much higher than Fender at least./QUOTE]
> 
> They did ~15 years ago.


----------



## Opion (Mar 7, 2018)

Wow, that PRS SE with single coils is actually really cool. I have never seen that before.


----------



## A-Branger (Mar 8, 2018)

Zalbu said:


> I'm just sitting here hoping they'll put out an SE model, which I really doubt they wouldn't do. I'm in the market for a SSS guitar


build a warmoth strat to your specs, including stuff like SS frets and flatter fretboard if you want, and choice fo hardware and colors.

If you wanna save some cash on the build, get a squier guitar and use the body and hardware from it


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 8, 2018)

A-Branger said:


> build a warmoth strat to your specs, including stuff like SS frets and flatter fretboard if you want, and choice fo hardware and colors.
> 
> If you wanna save some cash on the build, get a squier guitar and use the body and hardware from it



A proper Warmoth build would probably be almost as much as the PRS said and done.

You buy Warmoth stuff because you enjoy the build as much as playing, not because you want something cheaper, or even better really.


----------



## failsafe (Mar 8, 2018)




----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 8, 2018)

I don't get why folks are so weird about this. 

I mean ESP has been rubber stamping Jackson, Fender and Gibson clones for decades. 

This is really just a DC3 with a slightly more curved back end.


----------



## Andromalia (Mar 8, 2018)

Probably because PRS is one of the very few that managed to make a double cut guitar body that doesn't look like a strat *and* doesn't suck/look weird; so just making blatant strat copies with just enough differences not to get sued is a weird move. Yes, I know that'w what JM wants, but I think PRS could have done something better. What ? I don't know, I'm not a guitar designer.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 8, 2018)

I just think it's the only thing left to complain about. 

Quality? It's a PRS.
Price? VERY reasonable for a USA PRS. 
Tone? A Strat. Enough said. 
Color? Pretty, classy blue. 
Mayer as a person? Seems like a cool dude.
Mayer's music? Very popular accross a wide spectrum. Solid player too.
Originality? Oh shit! Found something!


----------



## nistley (Mar 8, 2018)

Poor PRS


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 8, 2018)

nistley said:


> Poor PRS



Check out the Fender Espirit.


----------



## jephjacques (Mar 8, 2018)

nistley said:


> Poor PRS


I get the reasoning behind it but that headstock is the ugliest thing I've ever seen


----------



## failsafe (Mar 8, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I don't get why folks are so weird about this.
> 
> I mean ESP has been rubber stamping Jackson, Fender and Gibson clones for decades.
> 
> This is really just a DC3 with a slightly more curved back end.


If you’re referring to the meme I posted, I just think it’s funny haha. I have no animosity towards the guitar at all


----------



## A-Branger (Mar 8, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> A proper Warmoth build would probably be almost as much as the PRS said and done.
> 
> You buy Warmoth stuff because you enjoy the build as much as playing, not because you want something cheaper, or even better really.


it all depends on how crazy you go with the specs.

My squier: 300$ (but I once saw a similar model going for 125$ at a pawn shop)
New loaded pickguard: 200-300$
New warmoth neck (to my taste): 350$
locking tunners(jsut because, I could re-use old ones): 80$

total: 1,030$ max

new PRS SE: up to 800$

so yeh its a bit more expensive, but not heaps considering you are getting a semi-custom build to your desire. But 200$ is not really that much in order to say "oh I wish PRS did a SE version of this, I need a strat..."..... when a the MH sig goes around 900$, so a JohnM one could go similar


----------



## BigBossAF (Mar 8, 2018)

Personally would like to try it, but I don't think scaling would be too limiting for my tastes. Other than that, don't get all the fire at this. I mean, it's a signature model, so should be whatever artist wants it to be, being that fans will buy his stuff regardless, and does not imply a change in direction or whatsover in company, it's a singular product line.

Regarding prices, it's a Private Stock, so it wouldn't ever be anywhere closer to a SE, nor the MH SE sig.


----------



## ramses (Mar 8, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Originality? Oh shit! Found something!



My opinion is that every single guitar company should have their own version of the stratocaster. Good for you, PRS!

Now, regarding that headstock ...


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 9, 2018)

A-Branger said:


> it all depends on how crazy you go with the specs.
> 
> My squier: 300$ (but I once saw a similar model going for 125$ at a pawn shop)
> New loaded pickguard: 200-300$
> ...



How many Warmoth necks have you bought? They're not LEGO bricks, they take some work to get completely finished: working the nut and doing final fretwork.


----------



## Zalbu (Mar 9, 2018)

The headstock would look much better if they just painted it the same color as the body, right now it just looks like an afterthought.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 9, 2018)

Zalbu said:


> The headstock would look much better if they just painted it the same color as the body, right now it just looks like an afterthought.



I think we all know where the inspiration for the natty headstock came from.


----------



## Zado (Mar 9, 2018)

It's growing on me. Phuk.


----------



## Lemonbaby (Mar 9, 2018)

No problem with the 50th company copying Strats, but that marketing gibberish is facepalm-worthy. 

"_After two years of study and refinement" _... we came up with a Strat? Really?


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 9, 2018)

Lemonbaby said:


> No problem with the 50th company copying Strats, but that marketing gibberish is facepalm-worthy.
> 
> "_After two years of study and refinement" _... we came up with a Strat? Really?



I'd expect someone who supposedly builds guitars would understand the process, trial and error, of making a comfortable neck shape and custom pickups. Not mention the other aspects of a tailored instrument.


----------



## Lemonbaby (Mar 9, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I'd expect someone who supposedly builds guitars would understand the process, trial and error, of making a comfortable neck shape and custom pickups. Not mention the other aspects of a tailored instrument.


You don't seriously believe that PRS was doing constant and focussed work for 2.5years on a Strat body, a Strat trem and a reversed PRS headstock? Might have been 2015 when Mayer mentioned to Paul that he's still very much into Strats, 2016 when the lawyers approved that idea, 2017 when JM got his prototype and six months on top for setting up mass production.


----------



## budda (Mar 9, 2018)

We have PRS employees on here, ask one of them


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 9, 2018)

Lemonbaby said:


> You don't seriously believe that PRS was doing constant and focussed work for 2.5years on a Strat body, a Strat trem and a reversed PRS headstock? Might have been 2015 when Mayer mentioned to Paul that he's still very much into Strats, 2016 when the lawyers approved that idea, 2017 when JM got his prototype and six months on top for setting up mass production.



Yeah, they were up all night working long hours on this single project. 

If it was anything like other projects that Mayer and PRS were involved in, there was likely considerable time put into prototyping. 

But, even if you're right and this is the first guitar-by-numbers cash grab, that doesn't have any actual effect on the guitar. It's just typical ad copy. Are they supposed to be lukewarm?


----------



## Lemonbaby (Mar 9, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> [...] It's just typical ad copy. Are they supposed to be lukewarm?


Think out of the box - the next level of advertising.
“It's what John came up with, we told him it's not gonna sell...“


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 9, 2018)

Lemonbaby said:


> Think out of the box - the next level of advertising.
> “It's what John came up with, we told him it's not gonna sell...“



So, hypothetically, you're cool being fed hyperbolic ad copy if it's negative opposed to positive?


----------



## Lemonbaby (Mar 10, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> So, hypothetically, you're cool being fed hyperbolic ad copy if it's negative opposed to positive?


That was including a liiittle bit of sarcasm. Although I'd honestly prefer it to the overly serious “we did some rocket-science“ approach. However, I totally agree that most typical guitar customers probably like to know that their new PUs were handwound by Polynesian mermaids during a solar eclipse. That's unfortunately how guitar marketing still works best, but we're drifting right off into what was discussed in the “guitars and (lack off) innovation“-thread...


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 10, 2018)

Lemonbaby said:


> That was including a liiittle bit of sarcasm. Although I'd honestly prefer it to the overly serious “we did some rocket-science“ approach. However, I totally agree that most typical guitar customers probably like to know that their new PUs were handwound by Polynesian mermaids during a solar eclipse. That's unfortunately how guitar marketing still works best, but we're drifting right off into what was discussed in the “guitars and (lack off) innovation“-thread...



Are we reading the same thing?



> The *PRS Silver Sky* is the result of a close collaboration between Grammy Award-winning musician *John Mayer* and *Paul Reed Smith*. More than two and half years in the making, the Silver Sky is a vintage-inspired instrument that is at once familiar but also newly PRS through and through. This model was based off of Mayer and Smith’s favorite elements from 1963 and 1964 vintage instruments, resulting in an idealized version of a vintage single-coil guitar. The attention that was paid to every detail sets this guitar apart.



They're pretty much saying it's thier version of a vintage-style guitar. Obviously "vintage" means Fender, but it's pretty clear that they can't legally say that.

The rest is pretty much a detailed spec list which is meant to explain how it's different from other PRS products and "vintage" () guitars.

They seem pretty blunt that this isn't "rocket science".


----------



## A-Branger (Mar 10, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> How many Warmoth necks have you bought? They're not LEGO bricks, they take some work to get completely finished: working the nut and doing final fretwork.


I almost bought one couple of months ago so I have had done all my research and Im fully aware of that aspect and pretty much expecting to be the case. I even email them asking them about fret dressing and they repply was


> We do not perform a fret leveling on our replacement necks. We install and seat the frets and then perform a 30° bevel to the fret ends so they are not sharp. Take in mind that these are brand new necks that have never been under string tension. Determining whether a guitar will need a fret leveling (and then a re-crowning) is after the neck has been under string tension for at least a day or more. ......


which left me like "uh?"...... Im not a luthier, but I do Im right to think tht the only thing is to have the neck "flat" (there are tools to check that) and then check fret levels, and do all the leveling process blah blah..... if neck changes under tension thats why the truss rodd???...... if not I think I ahve seen luthiers do they fret process before they even carve the back of the neck. Or is that just the initial fretwork and then do the leveling?

either way, add extra $$ for a pro-settup... still doesnt make it insanely expensive. I think they are a great choice if you want random specs on your neck not usually found on a production strat. Like 16" SS fretboard, with an exotic neck/fretboard. If you jsut gonna get a maple neck/rosewood/dots inlays, then its bit pointless.


still the idea was someone said "I wish PRS did an SE version of this sig, as I need a strat", so my point was, theres another option that you can actually get right now that wont really vary much in price difference if you look in the right places, and you could end up with a strat that looks the way you want(or similar to this JM sig) and with some specs that you want (instead to play the brand bingo and hope they select the right specs of their product that you like)


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 10, 2018)

A-Branger said:


> I almost bought one couple of months ago



That's a solid no. Okay. 



> which left me like "uh?"...... Im not a luthier, but I do Im right to think tht the only thing is to have the neck "flat" (there are tools to check that) and then check fret levels, and do all the leveling process blah blah..... if neck changes under tension thats why the truss rodd???...... if not I think I ahve seen luthiers do they fret process before they even carve the back of the neck. Or is that just the initial fretwork and then do the leveling?



The truss rod doesn't adjust the frets. 

When you install a new Warmoth neck it's about at least 60/40 chance of needing additional fretwork, leaning towards requiring work. 

Fretwork is best done under tension. This is done with a special jig that places tension on the neck without stringing it. The alternative is to do the work incrementally.


----------



## A-Branger (Mar 10, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> That's a solid no. Okay.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



aaahh fair enough. Ive seen a lot of building stuff but never came accross that part. Thats why their repply seemed weird for me as I though you could still do fret leveling before instaling the neck. String tension is only going to bow the neck, which the truss rodd is there for. But wasnt aware you needed to have tension on it, to them take the strings out to proceed to do fret leveling.....is that right then?, is because the wood needs to be seated first or something like that?

and yeh yeh I know Im not qualified to speak as I didnt bought the neck. But as I said, Im 100% aware that the neck Iw as going to received was going to need some fret leveling in order to make it play great. It doesnt take away the cool aspect of what they offer and what I was going to get. Same can be said for a lot of guitars under 1k$ (and yes I know this build was gonna be over that price)


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 10, 2018)

A-Branger said:


> aaahh fair enough. Ive seen a lot of building stuff but never came accross that part. Thats why their repply seemed weird for me as I though you could still do fret leveling before instaling the neck. String tension is only going to bow the neck, which the truss rodd is there for. But wasnt aware you needed to have tension on it, to them take the strings out to proceed to do fret leveling.....is that right then?, is because the wood needs to be seated first or something like that?
> 
> and yeh yeh I know Im not qualified to speak as I didnt bought the neck. But as I said, Im 100% aware that the neck Iw as going to received was going to need some fret leveling in order to make it play great. It doesnt take away the cool aspect of what they offer and what I was going to get. Same can be said for a lot of guitars under 1k$ (and yes I know this build was gonna be over that price)



I just think it's somewhat foolish to brush aside the possibility of needing a good deal of work using specialized tools and certain skills to perform when you don't have a particular understanding of what exactly is going on. 

That may sound harsh, but I don't intend it to be. Warmoth certainly makes it seem like you can just order whatever and throw it on any body and instantly have a "custom" guitar, but in my experience that's not the case.

For the record I've built dozens of Warmoth based guitars for myself and others. I generally like thier parts a lot, but it's a tall order supplying a ready-bolt neck.


----------



## A-Branger (Mar 10, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I just think it's somewhat foolish to brush aside the possibility of needing a good deal of work using specialized tools and certain skills to perform when you don't have a particular understanding of what exactly is going on.
> 
> That may sound harsh, but I don't intend it to be. Warmoth certainly makes it seem like you can just order whatever and throw it on any body and instantly have a "custom" guitar, but in my experience that's not the case.
> 
> For the record I've built dozens of Warmoth based guitars for myself and others. I generally like thier parts a lot, but it's a tall order supplying a ready-bolt neck.



nah all good bro  thats part of the fun of this forum, to learn more about these kinds of stuff.

and my plan wasnt bout doing it myself, I know I need it to take it to someone who knew their stuff and already did fretwork on my other guitars. I would still build it as the GAS is strong, but now I got 2 guitars in pre-order so this idea is gonna stay aside for a while until I figure it out if I need another guitar in my already small staff room lol


----------



## Zahs (Mar 15, 2018)

Is it me when I keep looking at this guitar the more it looks like a Yamaha Pacifica?


----------



## A-Branger (Mar 15, 2018)

Zahs said:


> Is it me when I keep looking at this guitar the more it looks like a Yamaha Pacifica?


a least the Yamaha has a different body shape, inspired by a strat, but a different take on it, while still reamining with the aestethics. The PRS is pretty much a Fender with a different headstock and the PRS inerhorn cutaway


----------



## Hollowway (Mar 16, 2018)

Zahs said:


> Is it me when I keep looking at this guitar the more it looks like a Yamaha Pacifica?



 Those Pacificas are nice! I keep seeing them at my local music store, and think, “dang, for that price I should buy one!” Pretty nice looking guitars, they are!


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 16, 2018)

Hollowway said:


> Those Pacificas are nice! I keep seeing them at my local music store, and think, “dang, for that price I should buy one!” Pretty nice looking guitars, they are!



If you want something freaking awesome and not too common look for 90's Pacifica models.


----------



## Zahs (Mar 16, 2018)

Don’t want to do a disservice on those Yamaha Pacifica’s. I have a 120s and it’s got a lovely neck profile. 

Regarding the John Mayer Prstrat, it just reminds you how good the design of the strat was back when it was created. 

However for over 2000 imperial credits of the realm. I don’t think it’s worth it for a Strat with Birds on it.


----------



## ArtDecade (Mar 16, 2018)

I'd take the Yamaha over that PRS nonsense every day of the week.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Mar 17, 2018)

About halfway through this video and John is making me want the damn thing lol


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber (Mar 17, 2018)

Zahs said:


> Regarding the John Mayer Prstrat, it just reminds you how good the design of the strat was back when it was created.



That or the stagnant consumer culture won’t move on from the aesthetic of a 1950s toy.

I disclaim that I own and enjoy strats - But every guitar innovation since 1954 has been an improvement upon that stone wheel. The strat is prevalent enough to be guaranteed a place in the future, but it will be in the hands of those living in the past.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 17, 2018)

Andrew Lloyd Webber said:


> That or the stagnant consumer culture won’t move on from the aesthetic of a 1950s toy.
> 
> I disclaim that I own and enjoy strats - But every guitar innovation since 1954 has been an improvement upon that stone wheel. The strat is prevalent enough to be guaranteed a place in the future, but it will be in the hands of those living in the past.



Let's not pretend that the Strat hasn't also evolved.

While from 10 feet away most wouldn't see the difference between a 1954 and 2018 model, the list of advancements is pretty long.

Things like conical/compound radius fretboards, spoke wheel truss rod adjustment, two point trems, C2D necks, sculpted heels, noiseless pickups, S-1 switching, no-load pots, short shaft tuners and other small refinements. There are plenty of "modern" guitars without many of those features.

The evolution has been slow and incremental, but it's still there.


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber (Mar 17, 2018)

Yes; the strat has necessarily evolved to be less strat-like.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 17, 2018)

Andrew Lloyd Webber said:


> Yes; the strat has necessarily evolved to be less strat-like.



The bones are all there. They still sound and feel like Strats. You just stay in tune longer, have to deal with less noise, and the guitar doesn't fight you as much to play. 

Luckily they still make the "stone wheel" models for the "purists" like yourself.


----------



## Andromalia (Mar 17, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> The truss rod doesn't adjust the frets.



I had a shitty day but this makes up for it. XD XD XD


----------



## Avedas (Mar 18, 2018)

Zahs said:


> Is it me when I keep looking at this guitar the more it looks like a Yamaha Pacifica?


My first electric was a Pacifica. 12 year old me liked it more than any tele or strat sitting on the racks at the nearby store, and it was a hell of a lot cheaper. Easy choice.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Mar 18, 2018)

I'm sure it's been beaten to death in this thread after 8 pages but this guitar looks like a poor photoshopping of a PRS neck onto a strat body. 

I loved my old yamaha RGXA2, that was one of the coolest superstrats around imo.


----------



## Bloody_Inferno (Mar 19, 2018)

Interesting article regarding the Silver Sky.


John Mayer: I made the Silver Sky with PRS because Fender couldn’t “bring the vision that I had to life”


----------



## budda (Mar 19, 2018)

Just came here to post that


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Mar 19, 2018)

That article is basically paraphrasing the video linked above. Worth a watch for the even mildly curious.


----------



## mdeeRocks (Mar 19, 2018)

Hilarious thing about all this "drama" is that these guitars are on a good couple of months pre-order if you want one (at least where I live) because they are sold out, so PRS definitely don't give a shit. Can't wait for mine and I am not even Mayer fan

The only drawback for me (like with other PRS guitars) is nickel frets, but that's easy to fix.


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber (Mar 20, 2018)

mdeeRocks said:


> Hilarious thing about all this "drama" is that these guitars are on a good couple of months pre-order if you want one (at least where I live)



Pretty funny, man.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 20, 2018)

mdeeRocks said:


> Hilarious thing about all this "drama" is that these guitars are on a good couple of months pre-order if you want one (at least where I live) because they are sold out, so PRS definitely don't give a shit



And this is why PRS listened to John Mayer, and not all of us whiny bitches online. 

Doesn't matter how any of us complain about it or make spicy memes online about it... Paul and John are gonna be making $$$$$$.


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber (Mar 27, 2018)

The folks at /r/guitarcirclejerk are still having fun with this:


----------



## Forkface (Mar 27, 2018)

i was very interested in this until i saw it was 7.25 radius. sadly i cannot for the life of me play on such a small radius. I even struggle with 9.5s
I guess years of classical guitar took its toll.

EDIT: extremely off topic, but does anybody know a stratesque model with something higher than 14"?


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Mar 27, 2018)

Zahs said:


> Don’t want to do a disservice on those Yamaha Pacifica’s. I have a 120s and it’s got a lovely neck profile.



Those 90's Pacifica necks were OEM made by Warmoth for a season.


----------



## budda (Mar 27, 2018)

Forkface said:


> i was very interested in this until i saw it was 7.25 radius. sadly i cannot for the life of me play on such a small radius. I even struggle with 9.5s
> I guess years of classical guitar took its toll.
> 
> EDIT: extremely off topic, but does anybody know a stratesque model with something higher than 14"?



Charvel? Jackson? A warmoth neck on a strat? All should be relatively easy to find.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Mar 27, 2018)

Forkface said:


> i was very interested in this until i saw it was 7.25 radius. sadly i cannot for the life of me play on such a small radius. I even struggle with 9.5s
> I guess years of classical guitar took its toll.
> 
> EDIT: extremely off topic, but does anybody know a stratesque model with something higher than 14"?



PRS Holcomb isn’t exactly Stratesque but it has 20”. I believe a lot of the superstrats are flatter too (Ibanez, etc.), especially in the higher frets.

You could also look into custom (Warmoth, and such). You can get really flat fretboards from them.


----------



## Forkface (Mar 27, 2018)

budda said:


> Charvel? Jackson? A warmoth neck on a strat? All should be relatively easy to find.


yeah... by stratesque i meant like proper SSS, pg, vintage trem etc. but i appreciate the snarkyness. (prolly my fault for not specifying tho)
warmoth seems to be the only option.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 27, 2018)

Forkface said:


> i was very interested in this until i saw it was 7.25 radius. sadly i cannot for the life of me play on such a small radius. I even struggle with 9.5s
> I guess years of classical guitar took its toll.
> 
> EDIT: extremely off topic, but does anybody know a stratesque model with something higher than 14"?



Have you tried an American Deluxe (now the American Elite)?

The 9.5" to 14" compound radius _feels_ a heck of a lot flatter thanks to the geometry. 

I say that as someone used to much flatter boards.


----------



## Forkface (Mar 27, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Have you tried an American Deluxe (now the American Elite)?
> 
> The 9.5" to 14" compound radius _feels_ a heck of a lot flatter thanks to the geometry.
> 
> I say that as someone used to much flatter boards.



Hey, i didn't know those had a compound radius, will check 'em out, thanks!

PS. apologies to the thread, we can go back to shitposting about the silver sky


----------



## Musiscience (Mar 27, 2018)

Forkface said:


> Hey, i didn't know those had a compound radius, will check 'em out, thanks!
> 
> PS. apologies to the thread, we can go back to shitposting about the silver sky



You could also order a custom Suhr Classic with you radius of preference. Plus the build quality is second to none.


----------



## nyxzz (Mar 27, 2018)

Forkface said:


> Hey, i didn't know those had a compound radius, will check 'em out, thanks!
> 
> PS. apologies to the thread, we can go back to shitposting about the silver sky



I can vouch for the elite strats, they can be had used for pretty good prices too. I had one briefly but traded it because the volume knob placement on strats made me lose my mind, but other than that it was awesome.


----------



## Avedas (Mar 28, 2018)

Forkface said:


> EDIT: extremely off topic, but does anybody know a stratesque model with something higher than 14"?


I guess the Strandberg classic tries to do that. It's a 20" radius I think. Not personally a huge fan of them though. Misha got a custom shop strat from Jackson fairly recently with modern specs too.



Andrew Lloyd Webber said:


> The folks at /r/guitarcirclejerk are still having fun with this:


The only good guitar sub on reddit.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Mar 28, 2018)

Forkface said:


> i was very interested in this until i saw it was 7.25 radius. sadly i cannot for the life of me play on such a small radius. I even struggle with 9.5s
> I guess years of classical guitar took its toll.
> 
> EDIT: extremely off topic, but does anybody know a stratesque model with something higher than 14"?




Hm. Don't know why it didn't occur to me before, but....order a custom shop Strat from Fender with your choice of radius.

And the idea to put a Warmoth (or similar) neck on a Strat body is probably the simplest and (potentially) least expensive idea.


----------



## ImNotAhab (Apr 9, 2018)

Wow, I really wasn't aware this guitar had become such a huge thing apparently worthy for a zealous indignation. I caught up here and there and people are actually taking this thing really personally... Like getting mad about it...

About a guitar... Someone else wanted... That they don't have to buy...

I guess I should not be surprised but I kind of am... Oh internet.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 9, 2018)

ImNotAhab said:


> Wow, I really wasn't aware this guitar had become such a huge thing apparently worthy for a zealous indignation. I caught up here and there and people are actually taking this thing really personally... Like getting mad about it...
> 
> About a guitar... Someone else wanted... That they don't have to buy...
> 
> I guess I should not be surprised but I kind of am... Oh internet.



I had to unfollow a PRS fan page on Facebook because you would have fucking swore the sky was falling. Some people posted NGDs with them and the comment sections were like war zones.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Apr 9, 2018)

ImNotAhab said:


> Wow, I really wasn't aware this guitar had become such a huge thing apparently worthy for a zealous indignation. I caught up here and there and people are actually taking this thing really personally... Like getting mad about it...
> 
> About a guitar... Someone else wanted... That they don't have to buy...
> 
> I guess I should not be surprised but I kind of am... Oh internet.



I kinda like how bent out of shape Fender is about it.


----------



## ImNotAhab (Apr 9, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I had to unfollow a PRS fan page on Facebook because you would have fucking swore the *SILVER *sky was falling. Some people posted NGDs with them and the comment sections were like war zones.


Fixed that there for you, dude! War Zone is right. A bunch of grown men going to internet war like it was a bloody One Direction erotic fan fiction comments page. They should be ashamed of themselves! 



MaxOfMetal said:


> I kinda like how bent out of shape Fender is about it.


Haha, really? I haven't seen anything from Fender about this, but the whole situation is slowly bringing out my inner gossip so I want to know more!


----------



## Shoeless_jose (Apr 10, 2018)

Deadpool_25 said:


> PRS Holcomb isn’t exactly Stratesque but it has 20”. I believe a lot of the superstrats are flatter too (Ibanez, etc.), especially in the higher frets.
> 
> You could also look into custom (Warmoth, and such). You can get really flat fretboards from them.



Are you like Periphery's endorsement manager?? Non stop invective public relations guy, than someone asks for flat radius strat guitar and you drop the friggen PRS Holcomb dual humbucker, 3/3 headstock no pickgaurd no trem (I know there are hard tail strats), 24 fret, bound neck...

Not trying to pile on as at least you're trying to help people and not a salty dick like many others but cmon.


----------



## Vhyle (Apr 10, 2018)

Dineley said:


> Are you like Periphery's endorsement manager?? Non stop invective public relations guy, than someone asks for flat radius strat guitar and you drop the friggen PRS Holcomb dual humbucker, 3/3 headstock no pickgaurd no trem (I know there are hard tail strats), 24 fret, bound neck...
> 
> Not trying to pile on as at least you're trying to help people and not a salty dick like many others but cmon.



lol


----------



## Zalbu (Apr 10, 2018)

If people are mad that PRS ripped off the Strat then man are they going to get pissed when they found out about the billions of Strat ripoffs out there since the Strat is probably the most copied design of all time


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Apr 10, 2018)

Dineley said:


> Are you like Periphery's endorsement manager?? Non stop invective public relations guy, than someone asks for flat radius strat guitar and you drop the friggen PRS Holcomb dual humbucker, 3/3 headstock no pickgaurd no trem (I know there are hard tail strats), 24 fret, bound neck...
> 
> Not trying to pile on as at least you're trying to help people and not a salty dick like many others but cmon.



Out of that entire post, all you see is the comment about the Holcomb? Hyper sensitive much? That shouldn’t even warrant a comment.


----------



## Shoeless_jose (Apr 10, 2018)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Out of that entire post, all you see is the comment about the Holcomb? Hyper sensitive much? That shouldn’t even warrant a comment.



Guess by it being the first thing mentioned the absurbity of it overshadowed your other valid suggestions. Like I said not trying to be a dick just was shocked it was even in the discusssion


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber (Apr 11, 2018)

What he should have done was quote the post and just reply with how great the Invective is.


----------



## Andromalia (Apr 11, 2018)

And with all that, the volume knob STILL is in the most impractical place ever.


----------



## gujukal (Apr 11, 2018)

jl-austin said:


> To me, it's strange seeing that headstock on a strat, especially one as "standard looking" as that one.



Agree, Fender headstocks smooth shape matches the body shape so well  It's like a person with a skinny face and super fat body.


----------



## spudmunkey (Apr 11, 2018)

Andromalia said:


> And with all that, the volume knob STILL is in the most impractical place ever.



Or...the *most* practical, if swells are an important part of your sound.  There are also ways to make the knobs not turn quite as easily when you incidentally bump them.


----------



## Vhyle (Apr 11, 2018)

spudmunkey said:


> Or...the *most* practical, if swells are an important part of your sound.  There are also ways to make the knobs not turn quite as easily when you incidentally bump them.



Volume pedals are a thing too.

EDIT: And by far more practical than using the volume knob.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Apr 12, 2018)

Vhyle said:


> Volume pedals are a thing too.
> 
> EDIT: And by far more practical than using the volume knob.



Depends on playing style and the exact type of effect you're looking to achieve. 

One method or the other comes down to preference. 

If the range of the pedal is better, rewire your guitar because it has a shitty pot. If moving the volume knob in a controlled manner is hard, improve your technique. Not all of us like to be chained to our pedalboards at all times. I've worked hard to make it so 90% of the changes I need in sound I can perform with a switch and a couple knobs right at hand.


----------



## nyxzz (Apr 12, 2018)

I think it's safe to say John Mayer uses the volume knob and that's probably why it's still where it is


----------



## Zalbu (Apr 12, 2018)

People who complain about how the features/specs/looks/controls on a _signature guitar _doesn't cater to them personally never gets old

I'm going to send an email to Schecter and complain about how the paint job on the Synyster Gates models look like bum and is the only thing holding me back from buying it


----------



## rexbinary (Apr 15, 2018)

Sorry if this has already been posted, I found it interesting.

*Paul Reed Smith: What Makes John Mayer's Silver Sky So Special in Technical Terms*

"There's not a part on this guitar that fits another guitar."

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/new...silver_sky_so_special_in_technical_terms.html


----------



## Vhyle (Apr 18, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Depends on playing style and the exact type of effect you're looking to achieve.
> 
> One method or the other comes down to preference.
> 
> If the range of the pedal is better, rewire your guitar because it has a shitty pot. If moving the volume knob in a controlled manner is hard, improve your technique. Not all of us like to be chained to our pedalboards at all times. I've worked hard to make it so 90% of the changes I need in sound I can perform with a switch and a couple knobs right at hand.



I always mod my guitars to where the volume is out of the way, so swells on the knob are wholly impractical for me. I like the longer range of motion I have on a pedal, as opposed to the knob. But yes, it does depend a lot on the context. In my case, pedal is the only way to go.


----------

