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I'm loving it... played it for hours last night, and just couldn't put it down. Flipped the magnet in the '59, because one had to be flipped and reasoned I was more likely to want to swap the bridge pickup down the road.
I almost went with a Pearly Gates in the neck, but I liked the 59n as well -- to my ears, the 59n was a tad warmer and a touch less articulate than the PG. Ultimately, though, I also decided that I needed the extra $18 more than Billy Gibbons. Compared to the stock (PRS Vintage Bass), I prefer the 59n on most counts, and I liked the stock PUP enough to keep, if only it would work in the split settings with an SD. The 59 has more string-to-string definition, plenty of warmth, and cleans up spectacularly with a roll off the knob. So is a 24-fret PRS a dead-ringer for a '59 Les Paul because of a pick-up swap? Of course not. But I actually prefer some added punch from the rhythm pup, and it sounds gorgeous to me. I dialed up some truly stupid settings on a few amps trying to get that dreaded muddy sound, and had to have some pretty dumb set-ups to get it. Good choice for a PRS 24!
I've loved the C5 in other guitars, so I knew what to expect to an extent, but the thing just came alive in the PRS. Its tight bottom end and singing highs compliment the 59 extremely well. Here, the improvements over stock are out-and-out dramatic. The stock pickup (PRS HFS) was all about mid-range, and was a ceramic, honky mess. If there is a shortcoming to the C5, I guess you could want stronger mids (though it is NOT scooped, in my opinion) and warmer highs (though I prefer some bite). The differences are extreme between this and the PRS pickup, and I have yet to find a setting where I don't prefer the C5. The dynamics of this pickup when paired through a good amp are wonderful -- simple changes to the volume knob on the guitar get dramatically different tones, all of them useable.
What I really didn't expect was the dramatic improvement in the split settings. All 5 rotary positions are winners, with the middle position being where I spent a high percentage of my time last night. Overall, the instrument just sounds more "real." The single-coil tones are much more convincing, and the bridge pickup is great. And they seemed designed to go with the taper of the PRS pots.
I almost went with a Pearly Gates in the neck, but I liked the 59n as well -- to my ears, the 59n was a tad warmer and a touch less articulate than the PG. Ultimately, though, I also decided that I needed the extra $18 more than Billy Gibbons. Compared to the stock (PRS Vintage Bass), I prefer the 59n on most counts, and I liked the stock PUP enough to keep, if only it would work in the split settings with an SD. The 59 has more string-to-string definition, plenty of warmth, and cleans up spectacularly with a roll off the knob. So is a 24-fret PRS a dead-ringer for a '59 Les Paul because of a pick-up swap? Of course not. But I actually prefer some added punch from the rhythm pup, and it sounds gorgeous to me. I dialed up some truly stupid settings on a few amps trying to get that dreaded muddy sound, and had to have some pretty dumb set-ups to get it. Good choice for a PRS 24!
I've loved the C5 in other guitars, so I knew what to expect to an extent, but the thing just came alive in the PRS. Its tight bottom end and singing highs compliment the 59 extremely well. Here, the improvements over stock are out-and-out dramatic. The stock pickup (PRS HFS) was all about mid-range, and was a ceramic, honky mess. If there is a shortcoming to the C5, I guess you could want stronger mids (though it is NOT scooped, in my opinion) and warmer highs (though I prefer some bite). The differences are extreme between this and the PRS pickup, and I have yet to find a setting where I don't prefer the C5. The dynamics of this pickup when paired through a good amp are wonderful -- simple changes to the volume knob on the guitar get dramatically different tones, all of them useable.
What I really didn't expect was the dramatic improvement in the split settings. All 5 rotary positions are winners, with the middle position being where I spent a high percentage of my time last night. Overall, the instrument just sounds more "real." The single-coil tones are much more convincing, and the bridge pickup is great. And they seemed designed to go with the taper of the PRS pots.
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