John Mayer’s watch collection gets all the press in our space, but the man hoards old Land Rovers with equal conviction. He’s owned the same Arles Blue Defender 90 for nearly two decades, and at some point he decided his signature guitar deserved the same paint. Land Rover agreed, PRS warmed up the spray booth, and the result is the Silver Sky Defender Color Collection, a run of eight limited-edition guitars wearing genuine Defender colors.
Straight From Solihull’s Paint Booth
Guitars borrowing car paint is a tradition as old as the electric guitar itself. There’s plenty of beloved vintage finishes that started life as Detroit automotive codes. Mayer just decided to straight to the source here.
The four US-made Silver Skys wear classic Defender shades (Arles Blue, Willow Green, Portofino Red, and Sandglow Yellow) with white pickguards and matching painted headstocks. The four Indonesian-built SE models take the modern palette instead, in Petra Copper, Sedona Red, Carpathian Grey, and Woolstone Green.
Those SEs also mark the first black pickguard ever offered on a Silver Sky. And even that detail is deliberate, echoing the contrasting black and white roofs on the truck itself.
About That Name
The internet immediately decided this was PRS trolling Fender, which has spent the year firing off cease-and-desists over the Stratocaster shape. A Mayer signature called the Defender? It just felt too perfect.
Mayer swears otherwise, telling Guitar World the Land Rover talks began back in January, months before Fender’s legal campaign took off. And underneath the paint it’s the same guitar anyway including an alder body, maple 635JM neck, and three PRS 635JM single coils. There’s also an engraved neckplate carrying the Defender logo and color name.
500 Per Color, Plus a Few You Can’t Buy
The US models are capped at 500 per color (2,000 total worldwide) and ship in an ATA hard case with a Defender badge. The SEs, however, are uncapped but close ordering in mid-2027, and they trade the hard case for a branded gig bag.
PRS is also building a small batch in British Racing Green that isn’t for sale at all. Those are reserved for fundraising benefiting the Defender Service Awards and Mayer’s veteran-focused Heart and Armor Foundation.
Spec Sheet
Model: PRS Silver Sky Defender Limited Edition (US) / SE Silver Sky Defender Limited Edition
Colors: 4 heritage (US) / 4 contemporary (SE)
Body: Alder
Neck: Maple, 635JM shape, rosewood fretboard
Scale Length: 25.5″
Pickups: 3x PRS 635JM single coils
Bridge: PRS Steel Tremolo
Case: ATA hard case (US) / gig bag (SE), both Defender-branded
Limited Edition: Yes, 500 per color (US); SE uncapped, orders close mid-2027
Price: $3,200 (US) / $999 (SE)
Pricing & Availability
The collection is available for pre-order now through PRS dealers, with the US-made models priced at $3,200 and the SEs at $999, and first shipments landing later this year. Head over to PRS Guitars’ website to pick your paint code.
Recap
PRS Silver Sky Defender Color Collection
John Mayer and Land Rover dress the Silver Sky in eight real Defender colors, with US-made versions capped at 500 apiece and a first-ever black pickguard for the SE line.
