PRS CE24 semi-hollow

[Bongoscot]

So I bought this guitar and I quite like the way it looks and feels but I didnt like the PRS 8515 pickups that came in it. PRS is proud of these pups and brag on them heavily but to me the humbuckers sound harsh. The split sounded good but the volume difference between HB and split was huge. When strumming unplugged I can hear the the tone is there, but wasn't being adequately translated to my amp. I used the pickup finder on the Duncan site and it recommended the Jazz/JB combo. The price was right and I got them without consulting with the experts. Lol.
Since then I've had several folks suggest that I may have not made the best choice, but I have them and I'll be installing them. I'll let you all know my thoughts once I get to playing them. I'd like to hear what you fine folks think of my choice and what would have been a better choice. I like to play heavy blues based rock with a slightly crunchy amp setting.

[Chistopher]

Re: PRS CE24 semi-hollow

I think a lot of people give the Jazz/JB a lot of hate because it's "too obvious" a choice of a pickup set. That's not saying that there aren't certain wood/scale length combinations that are known to not sound all the best in, but a lot of people don't like to use pickups that weren't made out of melted 1943 copper pennies in a limited run by a virgin monk in Japan.

And don't let other people's comments about a particular piece of gear affect your opinion on it. I had a Squier Bullet Strat that sounded better straight out of the box through my rig than an MIM Strat modded with boutique hardware.

[Bongoscot]

Re: PRS CE24 semi-hollow

I'll bet 1943 pennies and virgin Japanese monks make for some fine sounding pickups but might be slightly out of my price range. :-)
I havent seen any reviews for pickups in my particular guitar. The semi-hollow version is new this year so there aren't too many out there yet, but I have seen reviews using other semi hollow models and they seem to work well, and many of my favorite artists use this combo. I have a feeling I'll like them.

[VinceT]

Re: PRS CE24 semi-hollow

To be honest, I’d strongly recommend using your ears before you read anything else. Put the new Pups in, play them a bit and see what you think.

While I have an opinion on the JB/Jazz for the music I make, and the one guitar I had them in as stock, that bears little to no relation to your playing!

Best of luck


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[JB_From_Hell]

Re: PRS CE24 semi-hollow

There's a reason the JB/Jazz set is SD's best seller, despite the internet's general consensus. It's a super versatile set that sounds good in way more situations than it sounds bad.

[Bongoscot]

Re: PRS CE24 semi-hollow

I finally got my new pickups installed and I am way beyond happy. I was afraid that they wouldn't make much difference but I was way off. The improvement is huge in every setting.
With the stock pickups I was very underwhelmed. I could dial in a good tone using my amp settings for either humbucker or split coil, but when I'd switch from single to humbuckers they sounded harsh, or the other way the volume drop was significant. This new set eliminates all of that and I can't get an unusable tone from this guitar now.
When I strummed the guitar unplugged I could hear that the tone was there. These pickups have brought the tone out. I love the feel of this guitar, the finish is gorgeous, and now tonally it is right on par with my Les Paul, which to me is a high bar. This may be my new favorite guitar.
One thing I noticed about the PRS pickups once they came out that was pretty cool, is the way they are curved to meet the radius of the fretboard, I found that interesting and cool, but tonally this guitar deserved better. I am very impressed with the build quality of my PRS but I'm feeling strongly that maybe they should outsource their pickups to Seymour Duncan.