But all the while, Mayer and Smith were working on an electric guitar design that was more traditional, more accessible and with genuine mass market appeal.Īlthough the combination of photographs of prototypes being put through their paces at gigs, rogue news outlets breaking embargoes and Mayer himself teasing the instrument on social media meant that the public were primed for its release, when the PRS Silver Sky was officially unveiled to the world in early March it made the kind of waves that went beyond the wildest dreams of even the most ambitious marketing department. The price tag was an eye-watering £10,995 and production was limited to just 120 instruments.īoth Super Eagle models are extraordinary guitars with interesting specifications including a 25.375-inch scale length, ultra-versatile switching and an onboard preamp. January 2017 saw PRS and Mayer unveil the J-MOD 100 signature amp in front of a throng of journalists at the Winter NAMM show and then in June, the Private Stock Super Eagle II arrived with updated woods and aesthetics. The first fruits of Mayer and Smith’s relationship came in 2016 in the form of the Private Stock Super Eagle – a super-exotic high-end model limited to just 100 pieces worldwide, and designed for use in Mayer’s Dead & Company project, which saw the guitarist take the stage alongside former members of the Grateful Dead. It was a very public break up, but by 2015 he’d found a new collaborator in the shape of Paul Reed Smith.
“They’re no longer being made and I’m no longer a Fender artist.” “Heads up to anyone thinking about owning my signature Fender Stratocaster,” he tweeted. However, October 2014 saw Mayer’s relationship with Fender hit the rocks. The Connecticut-born Montana resident has been a dyed-in-the-wool Strat player for many years and his first signature Stratocaster was released in 2005. For a man who only turned 40 in 2017 he’s packed an awful lot in – and that’s before you consider the forays into writing, stand up comedy, horology and plenty more besides. His musical journey has seen him excel as an acoustic singer-songwriter and demonstrate breathtaking ability as a blues-rock guitarist, participating in a variety of genre-hopping collaborations along the way. Since the release of his debut LP Room For Squares in 2001, John Mayer has sold 10s of millions of albums, won seven Grammy Awards and received an incredible 19 nominations. Let’s rewind the tape for a moment or two and remind ourselves how we got here.