Keith Urban has had a close relationship with his 40th Anniversary Fender Telecaster (named Clarence) since 1989, but that’s about to change. According to Urban in an interview with Guitar World, he’s working with PRS on a brand new model after John Mayer introduced him to his PRS Silver Sky signature.
“John had Paul build a guitar for him for the Dead & Company run that he did [the ‘Dead Spec’ Silver Sky], and he wanted one guitar, like, ‘Can I just play one guitar all night?'” said Urban. “I thought, ‘Let’s see if I can get back to a bit more of that.’
Urban continued: “I can play anything on Clarence; I just wish it sounded a little bit better. It’s a frustrating thing. So, that was really the beginning of the search with Paul and the people up there at PRS. I want to see if we can create something modeled on the feel of Clarence but with a better tonal range.
“I like a little bit of a hollowbody, so it’s got a little bit of that in there. We have a customized f-hole shape that is modeled after the phoenix tattoo on my forearm. And it’s got these pickups that are specifically Paul’s design.
“They’re humbuckers but have an amazing, almost Dumble harmonic range. I can get squeaks and squawks out of them; unlike any other guitar I’ve got. And the playability is just beautiful.”
Of course the real question is if Urban’s signature model – pending it becomes a full-on production model – will be nearly as popular as Mayer’s Silver Sky. the overlap certainly isn’t there considering Mayer is firmly rooted in the blues and rock world, while Urban is all about that country twang.
