[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]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I'm Guitarfan, and I'm new to this forum

[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]