Advice please: the best guitar for PGn/Custom5 combo?

Guitarfan

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Hi, avid pickup swappers![/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I'm Guitarfan, and I'm new to this forum :) If you had Pearly Gates (neck) and Custom 5 (bridge), what type of guitar would you choose to put them in, in order to bring out the maximum beauty of these specific pickups?[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Genre-wise my aim is overdriven blues/hard rock/metal. I don't have enough time or money to do the hit-and-miss testing unfortunately, so I'm counting on your expertise.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Would you rather go for:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif] *Mahogany body/rosewood fretboard or consider also alder b/maple fb?
*Superstrat, LP or SG or some other type?
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif] *24.75” or 25.5” scale length?

And why? How would these choices affect the sound in your opinion?
[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Backstory to this seemingly backwards way of doing things: my first ever guitar was 2008 Korean made PRS SE Custom 22 (mahogany body/maple veneer/ 25" rosewood fretboard). As years went by, I bought new guitars and stopped playing the PRS altogether because its stock PU-s were garbage. After long hiatus from the guitar, I recently decided to breathe some life into it by upgrading to SD pickups. The 59’ neck was way too dark and muddy in it, so I ended up with PGn and Custom 5 bridge. Pearly Gates is rather good, it is fuzzy and interesting. The Custom 5 in the bridge is absolutely fantastic.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]But I now realise that it is the guitars playability, that’s the problem. The frets are way too low to play anything cleanly. The carve is uncomfortable and the neck is glossy. As it is set neck, I have no other option but to switch the guitar. But I want to maintain - or ideally - even improve the sound...[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Please advise.[/FONT]
 
Welcome to the forum

Les Paul or an HH superstrat like Charvel, Jackson, Ibanez, etc. For me, the pickups bring out the beauty of the guitar, not the other way around.
 
Actually, the cool thing about that combo is that almost anything will be great. I might stay away from something that is super bright or thin sounding (a lot of maple, or a bright sounding ash), but it would do well in a superstrat (without Floyd) or an LP/SG.
 
That's very close to the combo that I plan to put in a PRS Custom 24! Korina/Maple body with Mahogany/Rosewood neck, 58/15 stock pickups. My SD pickups are a Pearly Gates Plus (with an unusually low wind of about 7.8K) and a Custom. Going to try UOA5 in both. :fing2:
 
I’m pretty sure a lot of people on this forum voted the C5 a favorite for an SG. Just sayin…
 
Yeah, I was thinking it's a pretty forgiving combo regardless of what you put it in. I can see it working on a shreddy Superstrat as well as a classic Les Paul or SG.
 
It does not make sense to buy a guitar based off of what hardware you already own especially when compounded with the opinions of strangers on the internet. Go out and try guitars until you find one you like that can fit two humbuckers. That combo will work in most guitars. Hell, you may even find something significantly below budget that you never would have thought you liked.
 
Sgs have been mentioned

Les pauls have been mentioned.

combine the two, and you get the revstar. That's my vote.
version 2 has a satin neck, and the quality to price ratio is off the charts.
 
Thank you all for the warm welcome! :)

It is encouraging to know that the combo I chose remains solid in pretty much everything!!! My expecations so far are:

*SG – sound would remain very similar to the PRS I have right now (both mahogany bodies, set neck, similar scale length).
*LP – quite the same, although the thicker body of LP may add nuances and depth to the sound

I am really intrigued by the superstrat option, but worried how it would affect the tone of both pickups? My estimate is that PGn may benefit from it (becomes more open and airy?), but Custom 5 may become too shrill and bitey?

@Mincer mentioned tonewoods and advised to steer away from maple. The SD Custom5 web page has a YT video on it and although the guy playing has mahogany body Warmoth superstrat, it already sounds much different than my PRS. Probably due to different scale lengths and PU placement.

@DonP – Do you recall why was Custom 5 voted especially good for SG? Did they figure it out?

@Chistopher – I agree. Cheap guitars have become so good nowadays. And it wouldn’t make sense to buy an expensive one and then swap pickups anyway

@Juanhanglo - Yes! I am a total fan of Revstar 2 looks and specs, but unfortunately tried the neck at a shop and it does not fit me well :(
 
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
The 59’ neck was way too dark and muddy in it, so I ended up with PGn and Custom 5 bridge. Pearly Gates is rather good, it is fuzzy and interesting. The Custom 5 in the bridge is absolutely fantastic.
[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]But I now realise that it is the guitars playability, that’s the problem. The frets are way too low to play anything cleanly. The carve is uncomfortable and the neck is glossy. As it is set neck, I have no other option but to switch the guitar. But I want to maintain - or ideally - even improve the sound...[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Please advise.[/FONT]


The C5 and Pearly Is a really great combination in just about any guitar. If the PG is too "fuzzy" a Jazz is an excellent neck pup. The C5 is just about the most versatile pickup ever and mag swaps can help to dial it in.

The frets in your PRS can be replaced with larger ones and the neck can be sanded so it isn't "glossy". May or may not be worth the time/trouble/expense, only you can decide. But whatever you end up doing, the C5 and PG (or Jazz) is a super choice.
 
Just an additional note: I've put the C5 (with several different magnets...A2, A4, A5, UOA5, A8 my favorite, A9) in many different guitars and it always sounded great. I've never had a guitar that it didn't sound great in (with the right magnet).
 
I'm a Les Paul style player. I use PAF/Custom family pickups in them

A PG/C5 would work for me (although I prefer the Custom) for exactly what you say. I like the vintage neck range to louder bridge, I like the PG mids + scoop of the bridge pickup when use the both on pickup selection. It's a distinctly different sound than either on its own.
 
My Music Man is essentially a poplar super strat (maple neck) with 2 humbuckers, rw fingerboard, vintage trem, and Strat scale. This results in a very mid heavy guitar that brighter, scooped pickups 'fix'.
 
Sgs have been mentioned

Les pauls have been mentioned.

combine the two, and you get the revstar. That's my vote.
version 2 has a satin neck, and the quality to price ratio is off the charts.

Revstars are incredible, although I'm not impressed with the new transformer control... Looks like a great spot for a bass roll off to me.
 
Revstars are incredible, although I'm not impressed with the new transformer control... Looks like a great spot for a bass roll off to me.

revstar are very good BUT I don't know if it's a matter of psychology , they have never given me that good initial feeling when I tried them that pushed me wanting to open my wallet to take the guitar at home
 
revstar are very good BUT I don't know if it's a matter of psychology , they have never given me that good initial feeling when I tried them that pushed me wanting to open my wallet to take the guitar at home

I totally get it- 'fit' is a very personal thing that isn't easily quantified.

One thing I have noticed within my small sample set of my students and friends- If they love the Revstars, they don't tend to like Reverends and vs versa.
 
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