John Mayer spotted road-testing new maple fretboard-equipped PRS SE Silver Sky

After years of lobbying and social media noise, many John Mayer fans finally got what they asked for last year when PRS introduced the SE Silver Sky – an affordable, Indonesian-made iteration of Mayer’s revered US-made Silver Sky signature guitar.

Alas, though the battle had been won, the war raged on, because the first lot of SE Silver Sky electric guitars all had one thing in common: they came exclusively with rosewood fretboards. That meant the contingency of Sob Rock fans looking to harness the look and feel of Mayer’s maple ‘board-equipped sigs were left to look on in envy as their rosewood comrades got exactly what they wanted.

Well, it looks as though those who were left disappointed with the guitar’s initial launch are about to become very happy indeed, after Mayer himself was spotted road testing what looked to be a maple fretboard-loaded SE Silver Sky.

And, not only that, it flashed an all-new Silver Sky colorway that might just be the sleekest of the lot thus far.

Eagle-eyed fans on Instagram noticed that, in a recent post published by Mayer, the Continuum mastermind could be seen situated next to the guitar in question as he busied himself on the piano.

Mayer is currently in the midst of his first-ever solo arena tour and, according to fan page John Mayer’s Gear, he first used the maple SE Silver Sky during his show last Monday (March 27) at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA.

In comparison, the pictures he shared on Instagram were lifted from his gig at Xcel Energy Centre in St. Paul, MN, on April 1, which can only mean one thing: the maple SE Silver Sky has already convinced Mayer of its stage-ready suitability.

It also looks like a new finish will arrive alongside the maple fingerboard, too, which might be indicative of a wider aesthetic refresh of the range in the coming weeks or months. Currently, Stone Blue, Moon White, Ever Green and Dragon Fruit are available in the SE range, with at least one turquoise/blue-tinged colorway set to be thrown into the mix.

PRS is one of the high-profile absentees at this year’s NAMM show, but it’s still likely the latest SE Silver Sky will get an imminent release as guitar companies look to capitalize on the increased gear hype surrounding the show.

Moreover, PRS and the Silver Sky have a history with NAMM. Around the time of the virtual 2021 show, PRS dropped the Roxy Pink Silver Sky. Before that, PRS stole the 2020 NAMM show by dropping the most exclusive Silver Sky to date, the Nebula iteration.

What we’re trying to say is that this new SE Silver Sky is probably closer than we think, and given the brand’s tendencies to drop finish expansion packs around the NAMM show, some more colorways might be on the cards, too.

When Mayer first announced plans for his debut solo arena tour last year, he promised he’d be road-testing new material along the way. He’s also been road-testing some eye-catching guitars, too, in addition to the maple SE Silver Sky.

Last month, he was spotted playing an ultra-rare Martin double-neck acoustic guitar that debuted back at NAMM 2010. Since that first sighting, the guitar has become an integral part of Mayer’s set.