“Paul can often be heard saying, ‘This is our time’”: PRS just gave its affordable SE range a huge overhaul – from the long-awaited lefty John Mayer Silver Sky to a daring new piezo design
PRS has rolled out some wholesale changes to its family of Indonesian-made electric and acoustic guitars, and finally brings Mayer's best-selling SE Silver Sky to southpaw players
(Image credit: PRS)
PRS has unveiled its 2025 range of SE electric guitars, which introduces a suite of wholesale updates, a couple of all-new designs and a few long-awaited left-handed signature guitar models.
It’s a pretty significant upgrade across the board, with virtually every single one of the firm’s Indonesian-made models now set to arrive with some new aesthetic and functional features, including fresh hardware and finish appointments.
However, perhaps the biggest story here is that PRS has announced that left-handed versions of the John Mayer SE Silver Sky and SE Silver Sky Maple are now finally available. Ever since the SE Silver Sky was launched, southpaw players have been clamoring for a lefty version.
Now, their prayers have been answered, with PRS offering both the rosewood and maple fretboard variants of Mayer’s hugely popular signature guitar in left-handed configurations. Not only that, a neat array of some stalwart finish options have also been added, from the classic Piano Black to Stone Blue and Moon White.
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(Image credit: PRS)
(Image credit: PRS)
This move officially brings to an end the years-long campaign for lefty SE Silver Sky guitars, and will no doubt make the majority of the left-handed player population very, very happy. And, while on the topic of signatures, PRS has also issued lefty versions of its Zach Mayers model – another popular mainstay of the SE range.
“We put years into creating guitars that meet the exacting specifications from our Signature Artists,” says Bev Fowler, PRS Guitars Director of Artist & Community Relations. “For them to attach their name to a model means it must be everything they need and everything other players, from beginner to pro, will need.
“We are pleased to finally offer these two artist models for left-handed players.”
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(Image credit: PRS)
There’s another big hitter in the SE Class of 2025, too, in the form of the SE Custom 24 Semi-Hollow Piezo – an “all-new instrument for players seeking acoustic and electric tones in one”.
At first glance, it’s a standard Custom 24 model, save for the appointment of a piezo pickup that looks to wring out some authentic acoustic tones.
This is a first for the semi-hollow SE range – a hollowbody version exists – and represents the brand’s “continued quest to bring innovation, sophisticated versatility, and value regardless of where a guitar sits inside of our lineup”.
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(Image credit: PRS)
(Image credit: PRS)
It’s also joined by the SE Custom 24-08 – a fresh quilt maple-topped model available in a suite of new finishes – and an all-new acoustic guitar, the PRS SE T60E, which is the newest addition to the Tonare Grand body shape series.
The latter offers a solid spruce top, ziricote back and sides, and a hybrid X/Classical bracing with PRS-voiced Fishman Presys VT electronics to deliver a “full, vintage tone”.
As mentioned, upgrades and updates have been issued across the wider SE range, with PRS swapping out hardware and functional features to bring the SE range more inline with its premium family of Maryland-made models.
(Image credit: PRS)
These include new lampshade knobs – which will replace existing speed knobs – and a new five-way flat-tip switch design, which has been drafted over the previous blade switch design
“We are happy to bring our latest efforts to the guitar-player community,” says PRS COO Jack Higginbotham of the updates SE line, “It almost feels like we are presenting a song we wrote instead of a guitar we’ve designed.
“It’s a personal effort and our team has all the right kinds of pride around sharing these new instruments and enhancements. Paul can often be heard saying ‘this is our time,’ and I feel that across the spectrum of our instruments, from our Maryland-made guitars through our SE Series.”
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
