Customizing My PRS Silver Sky SE
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- Опубликовано: 13 июл 2024
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Custom built heavy relic shell pink Stratocaster
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#PRS #SilverSky #Mods 
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For those traumatised by my DIY truss rod cover, I've since replaced it with a proper one that I purchased on Etsy. Here's the link if you're interested!
reverb.com/uk/item/54888284-prs-silver-sky-se-truss-rod-cover
I noticed you did that also 😂 but the main thing I noticed is that your pink strat was un relict!
@@playasaints ahhh yes I refinished it again a few months ago. I did like the heavy relic but it looks better on camera than up close. There were a few bits I wasn't quite happy with. So I redid it and now it's more of a medium relic. It's still got some chips and scratches but no huge areas of exposed wood. It looks a bit more tasteful :D
If only you recorded it 😭 I love the guitar build vids but when’s the next upload I feel like I’ve watched all of your videos twice 😂
By the way I’m the same person as Thomas vidler just in a different account
@@jolishperry1782 Tomorrow ;) I've got an RHCP cover on the way. Guitar build wise, probably soonish. They tend to come and go. I'm sure I'll get around to some tinkering soon!
I’m loving those amp knobs on the guitar it matches really well
Thank you! I really like them :)
I was really surprised when you put the pick up covers in turmeric 🤣
I love the new color and the knobs give the guitar a unique look.
Great job man!
Haha thanks dude! I put them in coffee for a week first and they came out exactly the same colour 😅 So I thought I'd try it as it's much stronger
Funny-ish, relevant story:
When I was a teenager I relic'd my first Strat with my brother. (It was a mid-range, black, maple-fretboard Squier from the 90's). Well, after many hours of work the finish was looking great (we really took our time with it) but the pickguard was *SO* bright white, it looked terrible with the aged finish and neither of us new what to do. So I suggested submerging it in a shallow tray of super strong coffee, putting it in the oven on a very low temp, and letting it "cook" for several hours. We were super worried about it turning out waaay too dark... But after a whole entire night of soaking in hot coffee, we took it out of the oven aaand... the pickguard looked exactly the same as before; super bright white.
So feeling like a bit of a doofus after wasting so much time, I asked my mom if we had anything in the house that could yellow/stain white plastic in that nicotine/UV way you see on vintage plastics. My mom, who's the sweetest woman ever and expert on cooking, immediately suggested Turmeric. So my brother and I took the pickguard (which we had already scuffed up in a way that might realistically occur from playing) and we scrubbed it with a thick water-and-turmeric paste, and rubbed it into every little scratch and scuff before wiping it all off with a towel (a towel that we accidentally ruined with turmeric stains, lol.) Not counting surface prep, which we spent a long time on to get right, the whole turmeric process took maybe 15 minutes, and it looked *PERFECT.* I felt so silly going through the hours of pointless coffee staining when the best solution took almost no time at all, but hey; it was our first relic, and a good learning moment.
After aging the neck and fretboard, that guitar actually felt really fantastic to play. Plus my brother installed these insanely cheap pickups he ripped out of some Strat knock-off, and they were absolutely magical. (Not Silver Sky magical, but insanely good for any pickups that cheap.) Anyway, what made us most proud of our aging/mod job was a few months later when this fantastic jazz musician from New York City played the guitar and *immediately* made an outrageous offer on the guitar. Not '59 burst outrageous, but still hundreds of dollars more than a mid-90's Squier Strat (in mint condition) was worth, and this one was super beat up and still smelled a little like a spice cabinet. Getting that offer was a great feeling, it made us really proud of our work. (But not too proud to sell the guitar without a 2nd thought, lol.)
Sorry for posting such a long, rambling comment. It's just not every day you get an opportunity to tell a story about guitars and turmeric that's actually relevant, lol. Also I just miss my brother very, very much, and it's nice to talk about the things we did together. Simpler, happier times. That's all.
If anyone actually made it this far, thanks for listening! (and if you age guitars, remember the turmeric paste!)
Wow. Love these mods. You did a great job!!
Thanks a lot!
I used the same knobs on my Silver Sky and it looks awesome.
Great job!
Ah cool! Yeah they look great. Really happy with it
Excuse me, where can I buy this knob? What is the name? I haven't found it for a long time
You are a brave man taking apart and applying a heat gun to a brand new guitar 😂 The end result is incredible. I’m with you on the Silver Sky SE, would like to get one someday to join my AO 1960s Strat but the colours to sing to me. That daphne blue is gorgeous!
Haha it always feels a bit scary 😂 thanks a lot!
I think the next phase will provide more colour choices.
I like the color, I ordered a USA truss rod cover for my se stone blue, didn’t fit, I couldn’t mod my new stone blue , the new hasn’t wore off it yet. I’ve just been playing the heck out of it , showing it off. But really man your guitar looks great, I love the look and feel of the core, played one not to long ago and they are awesome, I got to get one as soon as I can afford one. Great job on the mod , really enjoyed watching that, I’ve Been watch tons of video,s on the silver sky’s. Thanks subscribed.
Thanks a lot! Yeah the core truss rod cover won't fit. I ended up ordering one on Etsy that's properly made for the SE but looks like the core. It's really worth it
Yoo! Nice work. Came out really dope! 👍🏽
Thank you!
That was really cool. I've just picked one of these up myself in the same colour. It was the closest to the Sonic Blue colour that I really like. Thinking of doing a couple of mods as well.
Thanks! Very happy with the result :)
Interesting and informative video! Thank you 👍
Thank you!
looks amazing!!
Thanks!
Looks great !
Thanks!
Good stuff.
I’m with you on the refinish job. The se silver sky has my perfect neck shape and size but I don’t like any of the colors they come in. And I’m one that doesn’t like the pickups in them either and swapped them out.
Cheers
Thanks! Yeah it's a shame about the colours. The more recent releases are a bit nicer
Nice job!👍🏾🔥
Thanks!
Great job!!
Thank you :)
looks nice man!
Thank you!
great job!!
Thank you!
Truss rod cover link you gave is much improved. I'm experimenting with making my own. A tortoise shell pickguard would look great on the moon white. Interesting video but I like my moom white.
Thanks. Yeah that would look cool. I don't love tortoise shell myself but I could see it being nice
This was absolutely amazing! Thanks for documenting and sharing! Where did you get the new pickguard?
Thanks a lot! :) I just bought it on eBay. I searched for silver sky pickguard and there were loads
Brilliant job! Looks great. I’m going to do the same thing to my Silver sky SE, but Sonic Blue.
Couple questions about your process…
1) Did you do an initial sanding after removing the finish?
2) Hoe many wet-sanding passes did you do?
Great job, man. And your “Slow Dancing…” is really good. 👍
Thanks very much! I did yeah. The heat gun still leaves it all a bit rough so I sanded with some low grit sandpaper and then I think again up to 400 grit to prep for spraying the nitro.
I didn't do multiple wet sanding passes. I just did it all at once while slowly increasing the grit from about 800 to 3000
Hey, Alfie; great work! I'm thinking of refinishing and aging my stone blue Silver Sky as well, and I was hoping I could ask you for some advice, if that's ok with you;
1. What is the brand/model of heat gun and temp settings you're using here? It appears to work phenomenally well.
2. I'm looking to do a roxy pink, ultra-heavy relic like the one with pics circulating everywhere online. (It's based on the aging pattern of John Mayer's famous black Strat.) It is just the coolest looking guitar ever IMO, and I'd love to use it as the basic inspiration for my own. *However,* you can't see through that stone blue poly finish, so I have no idea what the wood looks like underneath. so if it's many pieces, or the grain is really mismatched, an ultra-heavy relic could end up looking really crummy, and not nearly as nice as that Roxy Pink relic online that I'm using for inspiration. I would be so sad if I removed the factory finish only to discover ugly, unusable wood grain, ya know?
Do you have any advice on my concerns regarding this matter? (Thanks for reading this, I really appreciate your time!)
(3) Your playing and tone in this vid are off the charts! Obviously I know first-hand how good the tone is with these SS SEs, but I can't play mine NEARLY this well! (that snippet of SDIABR sounds fan 👏🏼 freakin' 👏🏼 Tastic👏🏼)
Hey Calvin. Thanks very much for the kind words! It's just a cheap heat gun I got from a local hardware shop. I think I paid about £30 for it. I don't know the brand I'm afraid but it's not an expensive one! As for the setting, I just had it on max. It takes a while to hear the lacquer up to the point of it breaking off so the hotter the better!
As for your question about the grain, mine actually looked quite nice under the lacquer! I can't guarantee that for every single silver sky though. Maybe I was just lucky. I've heard poplar isn't always very pretty which is why it's usually just used for solid finishes where the grain isn't visible. As well as this, you might have noticed after the lacquer was all off that the wood was quite scorched from the heat gun. I knew I was going to cover it all so wasn't very patient and heated some areas up very hot to get it off faster. If you were doing a heavy relic with exposed wood you might want to go slower or spend more time sanding to get all the dark burn marks off. Just something to keep in mind!
Thanks for the compliments on my playing! 🤘 I try!!! :)
Looks great. Probably look at doing this on my midnight blonde at some point. Best wishes from the lake district 👍👍🎶🎶🎶🎶😎😎
Thank you! :)
Hi. When finished polishing sandpaper, do you remember how many pieces of wood were used for making the body?
I couldn't really tell. It looks like 2 or 3 but the seams weren't very visible
That's a nice color
Thanks!
Looks awesome man, I feel inspired. So after the Nitr finish, you didn't cover it with any other varnish or anything right? So the Nitro will gradually "rub off" in time.
Thanks! Yeah it's just the primer and colour coats. I didn't do any clear coat layers as I wasn't going to polish it up to a brand new gloss finish. This way the nitro is much thinner
3:40 i saw you there so unaware those hummingbirds all in your hair
I loved the orion green finish on the CE Silver Sky but not enough to pay CE price.
Haha me too! I wish the SE colours were a bit nicer but I guess you get what you pay for 😂 now I have a nitro finished, unique coloured SE and it stills costs half what the CE costs
Great job! It's a massive improvement. 😎I really don't like any of the colours that the SE Silver Sky is available in (OK - except black), or the plastic parts - so much so, it's put me off buying one even now they are available at discount prices. Seeing what you've done might just tempt me into getting one to try modifying myself. 👍
Thanks! I was a bit unsure about it at first too but I have to say... It plays and sounds brilliant! It would hold up in any category, let alone a mid-range guitar. I really like it. And the mods just make it even more enjoyable 😁
Great job, it looks pretty well, What type of paints / lacquers / primers did you use? could you share the brand or a website? Thanks!
Thanks! The paint is nitrocellulose lacquer. It's from a spray paint can and the brand is Dartfords
It's really nice! I'd have sprayed a nitro clear coat over it, got it to a high gloss, then took it down in a simulated natural way. Maybe I'm too extra though
I did that on my purple Tele I built and I didn't feel it made much difference to be honest! So I don't bother now. I've polished it a bit more since this video to giff it a better buff as it felt a bit too matte. I think it just needed some more elbow grease than I gave it here while polishing 😂
Looks tasty in daphne blue❤
Thanks! 😁
Nitro finish is a lot of hype ! Long as the finish is thin that’s what counts ! I’ve owned many nitro guitars and ironically the guitars that sound best were modern guitars.
Depends what you want out of it! I've had poly finished guitars that I got a decade ago that don't have a scratch on still as the finish is so solid. Whereas my Les Paul I've only had for a year already looks pretty worn in with scratches and dents where it's hit stuff. I like nitro because it's softer and easier to wear in and look how I want it to look
Looks so much better. What are PRS thinking with their current colours?
Thanks! The new ones are much nicer atleast
APAGS // Positive Energy // 🧬❤️🧑🍳👩⚕️
Hi, love your builds.
Just wondering how long you left the lacquer to dry before you sanded / polished. They say for nitro it should be two weeks, but unsure whether that’s just a technicality and if it really matters or not? What have you found to be the case?
Many thanks.
Thanks a lot! I think that's for the type of nitro they use in the factories. The stuff in the can is dry to the touch within 20 minutes per coat. I was actually refinishing another guitar last night and was doing 10 minutes between coats and it was still fine. I leave it to dry overnight usually just to be safe but I have finished spraying and sanding in the same day a couple of times
great video! Which pickguard did you put on? is it 11 hole? thanks
I just found it on eBay. I think its 11 holes... Can't remember now 😂
Alfie, just curious what amp are you running through here? The tone in the end is 👌🏽
Haha thanks! I use an HXstomp for all my tones. Ive got presets for all the usual amps. Here I'm using a deluxe reverb patch with ownhammer IRs which really help them sound goooood!
Have you ever put a nitro clear coat after the colour coats or is it not worth it? Only wondering as I'm gonna refinish and relic an old guitar of mine.
I did the first time I refinished a guitar but haven't bothered since. I didn't find it made much difference
@@AlfieVaughanMusic thanks so much. Amazing finish by the way. I've been daydreaming about your shell pink strat since I first saw it.
Looks great man! Where did you get the new pick guard if you don’t mind me asking?
Thanks! I just found it on eBay :) there were loads on there. That seems to be about the only place I could find them for the silver sky
How long did you wait for the nitro to dry before reassembly? Could you give us a timeframe on the whole process?
It's dry to touch within about 20 minutes but I left it to dry overnight just to be safe
you should cure it for a few weeks honestly....
Good job
Thanks!
Hi there, such a cool idea! Love the outcome. Not a relic fan by any means but this looks amazing! You should be proud!
Also, those knobs are amazing!? I know you said the name but uve tried to google them and cant find them. Would you mind reply what theyre called so i can try find them?
Thanks Ben! They're knobs for a Fender Vibrolux amp. If you Google that you'll find them :) they're very common (and look great on guitars!)
Can you link of the pickguard/knob you bought? Is the pickguard in the same shape/fixing holes as a Start?
Sure! The pickguard is specific to the silver sky. It's a slightly different shape to a strat. This one lined up perfectly with the existing holes on the silver sky.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144578231054?hash=item21a988bb0e:g:RvQAAOSwZltgy2ke&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAsB%2BIAfWx%2FAyuM98LpA5GMlW4OWBTHoWr%2FWnPozRt%2BFudKnBgzAaQVmDA3FwH1w0F6C%2FPZSz9HiX3qmtSc%2F2GK1clwWXkbmpyMFlXJEjv7A425aOcl3zrT43Mn%2FRUsIvlWonf2L7B5I0HYBxSgYSQ%2B6XNd7WA0lCzTqFe%2BKxIs9D%2FvC%2BHz9gyToH8xH6rOy80MyBo%2Bv4ExDy8%2F7KV5qoh80za3iyC%2FvriQz1Y6MhFr0Ql%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-6TpKDoYA
And these are the Vibrolux knobs
www.thomann.de/gb/fender_poti_vintage_white.htm?glp=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmouZBhDSARIsALYcourvvIMJmk5KlBLK8dt7W2W5336J7G0pjhScy6zqV519aZHZEGYEP8YaAtTuEALw_wcB
Love how you used the freshly painted and wet sanded as your work table for the pickgaurd.....lol😅
Hahaha 🤣 I did it deliberately for some free relicing!
Hi, I really dig this vid and some of your others. I am not expecting a reply, but I want to ask-was there any gap in the neck pocket? Some people have commented that even though they dont have a problem and the neck is stable, there is a small gap in the neck pocket where the neck doesn't meet the body on the bottom side of the neck.I have an SS SE-two actually, and they are great
Thanks a lot! No I didn't notice any gap. The pocket fit was really snug (in a good way)
@@AlfieVaughanMusic oh sweet, thanks for telling me
@@AlfieVaughanMusic There are others like you, but you play guitar as good as you make guitars. Also, you didn't over-do the relicing on your shell pink strat at all. You ruined the motherfucker!! In the best way
@@kaneo67 Hahaha! Very kind of you. Thanks!
Where did you get a cream pickguard for a silver sky?
eBay! :)
Inspiring!! I love the sound of the SE, but also none of the colours are to my taste, too bland and plasticy. And I couldn't get the American made just for a nicer colour!! So this is great! I've never modded a guitar before and I'm pretty crap at DIY. I'd have to get someone else to do the de-soldering/soldering bits probably and borrow a heat-gun. But this is great. You make it look not too hard... hmm, would you recommend this to a beginner DiY guy? is there much that could go really wrong :D...? This video makes me really happy to see, and lovely playing on top, amazing multi-talented, awesome!
Thanks very much! It's actually pretty simple. I'm terrible at DIY too but managed to make it work. I built a Tele in lockdown and that was a good demo run for this so I've got the hang of the process now after building a few guitars. Just go slow. It's pretty hard to break anything so if you make a mistake you can just do it again
@@AlfieVaughanMusic ahh so nice of you to reply, and that is very encouraging!! Thanks for the advice to go slow :)! I'll watch your guitar build videos! much appreciated
Where did you get the paint and primer?
On Amazon! It's a company here in the UK called rothco and frost. Amazon distribute it
Holy shit thats a badass fuckin guitar!! Stellar job bud!!
Haha thanks! 😁
what do you reckon would be if you change that body for an ash and do the same process...but with all that grain in the wood 😎😍. Or even mahogany 🤯
It's not really a silver sky at that point though 😏 they don't make these body shapes in other wood other than the core model
Will a fender pick guard work on the silver sky?
No they're not quite the same shape. This was a specific after market silver sky pickguard
Did you have any problems with wood warping or anything from applying so much heat
No it was ok. I was pretty careful not to heat an area for too long at once. Otherwise the glue can start to separate on the different parts of the body
@@AlfieVaughanMusic the nice to know, if you’d wanna take a commission job and do one for a video I’d send a strat or a silver sky 😂
@@dukenukembubblegum7311 I'd be happy to! I get instagram messages most weeks from people asking for similar work after this video went out. Drop me a message and we can chat :)
@@AlfieVaughanMusic sounds good just sent you one, the names nick
I just wished mine came with moon inlay tbh
Hey where did you get the pickguard?
eBay :)
Do you think you can colour match a rid the SE ? A really good art 🖼 student painter could match it.
What do you mean?
Brave working on a glass table.... dont knock the edge.
A few people have pointed that out 🤣 didn't really cross my mind at the time. Glad there were no disasters!!!
You mean to say that changing the pickups is not possible because of size difference? So I wouldn't be able to modify the pickups to Bareknuckles in the future? That is bad news! 😭😭
They're not exactly the same size as traditional strat pickups so the covers don't fit. But if you're changing the whole pickup you might get away with just making the hole in the pick guard slightly larger. It's difficult to tell
Just need some drop in chrome machine tuners.
Haha I'm sure I'll put some on at some point. The plastic ones are a bit cheap
Brave of you to do all of that on a glass dining table
Haha yes! Luckily it stayed in one piece 🤣
John Mayer proud to you
Haha thanks!
Easiest way to change colour is to wear sunglasses. There's many different colours to choose from 🤪
I put locking tuners on mine. I hate the plastic tuning keys.
Aren't the locking ones also plastic?? Or did you get a different type
@@AlfieVaughanMusic not if you buy a set of metal ones that come on the American made prs guitars. I paid 130 for the set here in Canada.
@@Paul-gf9fc can you just screw out the old ones and screw in the new ones ? Prs metal locking tuners yeah ? Just got an se silver sky. Thanks! Lemme know if any other mods. I know Dylan tone guy has custom silver sky core type pickups, but I’m not eager to do that now.
@@defaultHandle1110 Yeah they're the same size tuners just different styles
Mate you did not make a truss rod cover out of a tin can did you?!😂👍🏽
I didn't have anything else to hand that would work 😂Fortune favours the bold 😎
@@AlfieVaughanMusic dude, I make truss rod covers for them. I’m on reverb.
@@ethangrier9887 Oh perfect! I've seen a few but the shipping price from the US is more than the truss rod cover! I might just bite the bullet. I'll put in an order now :)
I have a pink paisley strat.Interested in painting it ?
Sure! Drop me a message on Instagram and we can chat
Millions and millions of the same guitar
Huh??
As long as you like it 🤣
I do! It's clearly not for everyone 😅
The paint job looks so nice..but the truss road cover🙄..
Hahaha 😂 thanks! Don't worry I replaced the truss rod with a proper machined metal one that I bought on Etsy a few weeks after I posted this video 😎
@@AlfieVaughanMusic Nice!
Needs a bit more gloss...
I agree! I polished it a bit more recently
are you a new player?
No 😂
It would be an insult if you DIDN'T get a copyright flag.
Haha 😂 so far so good. Guess my chops weren't up to scratch!
I don't blame you repainting it ...other than the Red and Cream one..the colours are hideous....and the grey tuner buttons? What was he thinking?
Haha yeah. I don't even really like those. They're better but not quite the right shades of those colours for my liking but I suppose it's all subjective. I don't mind the grey tuners as much. I've got used to them now 😅
Shame you cant replace that unbalanced headstock.Beautiful color though. .
Thanks
Try soaking the plastic in tea next time
Thanks for the suggestion! I tried both tea and coffee for over a week and they did absolutely nothing. The turmeric was the only thing that changed the colour at all
@@AlfieVaughanMusic Oh okay, weird....
I guess it's the type of plastic maybe. I've seen people do it with other plastic parts successfully on strats
omg.. nono :)
Yesyes
NO BRO
Too late 😬
Should’ve used coffee for the pickups
It's not strong enough. I tried it but it did nothing. Turmeric was the only thing that changed the colour of the plastic
@@AlfieVaughanMusic agree to be corrected lol
too bad you couldn't polish the birds off the neck...... i wouldn't be caught dead playing that thing.
I really like the inlays 😅
@@AlfieVaughanMusic Ok, not me..... it sings, NOT ROCK AND ROLL.... just me I guess
I've got my Les Paul for the Rock n Roll 😎🤘
Hate fake relic work
Good to know 👌
You are crazy. You do not realize but you are creating a fake. That beautiful and performing guitar, the result of in-depth technical studies and of the highest level luthiers, that in a few minutes is defaced. A senseless fashion. It is my personal thought.
How is it a fake? It's still a silver sky. It's just a different colour 😂
This is the funniest comment I’ve read in a while 😂. *paints guitar* “YOU BIG PHONY”
I don’t like the relic concept.
It's pretty polarising! I just like the fact that i don't have to worry about scratching it and it gives it some character
Hey man i got an idea why dont u build like a relic guitar and like check it
I've tried it before but for some reason the nitro in spray cans doesn't seem to check as well as professional nitro finishes. Might be to do with the difference in sanding processes or something. I did it on a strat I refinished and it just made a few very big cracks that didn't look great