John Mayer’s PRS Silver Sky signature guitar and its affordable SE variant may have been Reverb’s best-selling electric guitars in 2022 and 2023, but it wasn’t until midway through 2024 that a left-handed version of the hugely popular electric guitar was made available.
In fact, maple-fretboard versions and a colorway designed to look like a faded band tee arrived sooner than any southpaw spin-offs. Fortunately for lefties all around the world, though, PRS finally told them that “your voice has been heard” back in April, releasing the first-ever left-handed Silver Sky model.
In a recent demo video with Sweetwater, Mayer himself sat down to appraise the left-hnaded version of his prized six-string, and reflected on why right-handed players were actually responsible for its eventual creaiton.
“It looks so strange for me to hold a left-handed guitar,” he says, before joking that Sweetwater Sound host Mitch Gallagher will soon see “smoke coming out of my ears” as he tries to comprehend the inverted instrument without blowing his brain.
Though he regrettably doesn’t play the guitar in the clip, just seeing Mayer holding a left-handed Silver Sky feels like a fairly momentous occasion for the lefties who have been calling for one for years.
The clip does throw up a curious point, though. According to research from Fender, only 10% of the world’s guitar players are left-handed.
As such, a signature guitar for a right-handed player needs to be in exceptional demand for manufacturers to invest in retooling an instrument for a much slimmer market. It goes some way to justify the two-year wait.
“I really think that the left-handed guitarist have the right-handed guitarists to thank,” says Mayer, addressing that point. “Because if it weren't for the success of the right-handed models there would be no left-handed model. So, lefties, thank a rightie today!”
Though he’s saying as much with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, there is real truth behind it. The left-handed Silver Sky is available now in a raft of colorways, including Moon White and Storm Gray – and two maple ‘board editions – but getting it here was no mean feat.
Indeed, it’s often a rarity for signature guitars to be made for both dexterities. Another best-selling guitar, Tim Henson's luxurious Ibanez nylon string, also had to wait two years before a left-handed model was made available.
It will be interesting to see if the launch of these Mayer and Henson models will kickstart greater options in the left-hand market, but even so, the risk remains.
Head to Sweetwater to learn more.
