John Mayer's maple

Mar 11, 2023

Back in April, John Mayer was spotted road-testing a maple fretboard-equipped version of his signature PRS SE Silver Sky electric guitar.

Though the Maple SE Silver Sky was not, as some speculated, unveiled in time for the then-imminent 2023 NAMM show, PRS has now – just in time for summer – pulled back the curtains on the much-anticipated maple version of the best-selling model.

You can hear it in action below.

Aside from the fretboard, of course, and the finish options (more on that in a moment), the SE Silver Sky Maple is identical to its rosewood counterpart.

That means a poplar body adorned with a 25.5" maple neck featuring a 22-fret, 8.5" radius fretboard with small bird inlays, and a trio of SE 635JM pickups, which can be tweaked by a single volume and two tone knobs, plus a five-way blade switch.

Hardware, meanwhile, still comes in the form of a PRS steel tremolo, Silver Sky inverted headstock, nickel hardware, and vintage-style, non-locking tuners.

About those finishes, though. The SE Silver Sky Maple can be purchased with one of three spiffy, Maple-specific looks – Nylon Blue, Overland Gray, and Summit Purple.

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While we're still on the subject of finishes, the lineup of looks for the original, rosewood SE Silver Sky has also been adjusted.

The original rosewood SE Silver Sky's Dragon Fruit and Ever Green finish options have been dropped in favor of new Storm Gray and Piano Black colorways. The original Moon White and Stone Blue finish options, however, remain.

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Those of you who aren't super-picky about your gear might be wondering what the big deal about a new fretboard wood option is.

If you fall into that category, you might be interested to read the words of blues guitar titan Joe Bonamassa, who recently revealed why he preferred Stratocasters (to which the Silver Sky model bears a famously close resemblance) with maple fretboards to those with rosewood.

"Strats were first offered with maple fingerboards, and, starting in 1959, the guitars were available with rosewood fingerboards," Bonamassa wrote in his latest Guitar World column. "One can argue that a rosewood ’board results in more of a Stevie Ray Vaughan-type sound.

"I always refer to maple neck Strats as the 'Buddy Holly' guitar," he continued, "and great players such as Eric Johnson, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix are also well known for playing maple neck Strats.

"Personally, I’m more of a maple fretboard Strat player. To my ears, the notes jump off it in a different way, as compared to a rosewood ’board."

The PRS SE Silver Sky Maple is available now – with a gig bag included – for $849.

For more info on the models, visit PRS Guitars.