One way of building excitement about a brand new model isn't to announce or formally, but to simply give it to a great player when they're out on tour. And that's what could be the case with longtime PRS endorsee Myles Kennedy, who is using a previously unseen new model on his new solo tour. And this one is significant; it's PRS's first T-style electric guitar.
It first surfaced at Kennedy's Hamburg show from what we can gather – with his band that also featuring his, Mark Tremonti and Alter Bridge's manager Tim Tournier on bass along with Kennedy's old Mayfield Four bandmate Zia Uddin on drums – and while it's very tempting to already suggest it could be to the Tele what the Silver Sky is the the Strat, it looks like Kennedy's pickup spec here is not single-coils.
The guitarist/vocalist/nicest guy in rock™ has told us before how much he's enjoyed playing Fender Teles on and off-stage, but it looks like he's gone for humbuckers here, and followed his Fender preference for maple fingerboards too. He brought the guitar out for a rare airing on former band Mayfield Four's High with footage of the performance posted online by YouTube user 17Seconds71.
It looks like Kennedy has also been using a blonde Fender Tele on the tour for bluesier songs.
We can't wait to see what happens next with this model, although in the case of Kennedy's Alter Bridge bandmate Mark Tremonti's wild 'Concept' model below, they don't always become production models. And we're still waiting on that Yamaha guitars we saw the Smashing Pumpkins roadtesting. But here's hoping!
Interview: Myles Kennedy explains how plugins inspired his new solo album
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
“It’s been road-tested, dropped on its head, kicked around, x-rayed, strummed, chicken-picked, and arpeggio swept!” Fender and Chris Shiflett team up for signature Cleaver Telecaster Deluxe
“It’s the best guitar in the world”: The Silver Sparkle Gibson Les Paul Florentine that Noel Gallagher played on Be Here Now fetches over $280,000 at auction
Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.
“It’s been road-tested, dropped on its head, kicked around, x-rayed, strummed, chicken-picked, and arpeggio swept!” Fender and Chris Shiflett team up for signature Cleaver Telecaster Deluxe
“It’s the best guitar in the world”: The Silver Sparkle Gibson Les Paul Florentine that Noel Gallagher played on Be Here Now fetches over $280,000 at auction