Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

C

charlesypsi

New member
Hi all,

I'm new to the forum, but have been reading it for a few weeks. From what I can gather, a set of Pearly Gates might be a good replacement for the stock PRS designed pickups in my 2008 SE single cut. (The current neck seems muffled and the bridge thin.) I want a more open sound.

The guitar has a mahogany body and neck, with a maple top and rosewood fretboard. I play what you could call alt rock, but my tone is really closer to classic rock. I need edge and sustain for fills and leads. I love the tones of Dickey Betts and Warren Haynes, who are said to use these in some of their guitars.

Does this sound like a good combination?
 
Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

Welcome aboard!

Define what you mean by 'open sound.' As in more treble, or a bigger sound? '59's have the treble and a sharper tone; PG's have a bigger, wider sound from their mids. Both are excellent PAF's with a lot of clarity and definition.
 
Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

I am thinking "bigger and wider." Well put. Since I play through a home build amp that is more or less modeled on a Deluxe Reverb, treble has never been a problem.

Thanks for the response!
 
Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

+1 for PGs - preferrably covered.

EDIT - Second choice, P-Rails neck, Hot P-Rails bridge. (I'm on a bit of a P90 Goldtop tip at the moment and the CD in my car today is The Deep End volumes 1 & 2 by Gov't Mule.)
 
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Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

welcome

yeah i think PGs will get you there

but yunno? i bet a set of 59s would too ... they would be similar to the pickups used in classic ABB and mule recordings ... if the PGs dont get it done, use the replacement policy to try a set of 59s

good luck
have fun
t4d
 
Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

+1 for PG's, just put a pair in Ibanez, sweet. Blueman335 is right about the clarity and definition. The stock bridge pickup in the Ibanez was muffled and muddy, the PG is a totally different story.Big and clear nice punch,they sing! Don't think you can go wrong with the PG's. Good luck, happy jamming!!!


AlleeCat
 
Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

charlesypsi,

I’m assuming the pots on the guitar are 500k?

I recently bought a prs single cut with a similar configuration as your’s (mahogany, maple cap, rosewood fretboard) and am hoping to put a set of pearly gates this week. I’ll report how it sounds.

I did put a pair of pearly gates, with 500k pots on my vintage mahogany les paul and improved the sound a lot. The bridge was not muddy any more and it had character. The bridge has a good balance and never gets shrill nor thin.

jon
 
Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

"I’m assuming the pots on the guitar are 500k?"

I'm not sure. I emailed PRS to find out. (Is there any easier way to find out?)

I haven't bought the PGs yet (no cash), so I look forward to hearing how it works out for you.

Thanks for the response.
 
Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

I thought PGs were supposed to be really bright?
On the Duncan Samples, the 59 sounds bigger than the PG.
 
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Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

papersoul,
I am not sure about the PG’s being too bright. So far i have used the neck and bridge on my Gibson Vintage Mahogany Les Paul (all mahogany) with 500k pots and on the PRS SC 250 (mahogany body with maple cap) with 500k and i don’t find them to be overly bright. Maybe in a different type of guitar they would sound bright.

charlesypsi,

I installed the pickups last night and have been playing this morning. So far it is great! I have only been playing clean though through a 5f2a amp. Hopefully later today will get to play dirty and see how they sound. I gotta say though, that so far i like the sound on this guitar over my gibson vintage mahogany les paul that i have loaded with pearly gates. The sound on this guitar is more balanced and a bit snapier.

I have not played the stock pickups on PRS SE’s, but mine came with the 250 treble (bridge) and bass (neck). The bass was ok, but the treble was too aggressive for my taste.

Anyways, i will play more today and will let you know how these babies sound with some mil to medium od.

jon
 
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Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

charlesypsi,

so finally got to try the guitar with my pedals and amp at high volumes. I am very happy with this guitar and with the pearly gates in it. I just a/b this guitar with my vm les paul and like that the prs is less raw and more balanced sounding. To my ears the les paul is more heavy on the upper mids and more aggresive as well. Both guitars have pearly gates and same pots. So the difference in tone is due to different woods, weight, etc.

To go back to your question, i think you should go with the Pearly Gates. They are simply great and super versatile. They never sound overly dull, muddy, nor overly bright. They respond great to the tone knobs too. I read somewhere on this forum that these pickups require a lot of fiddling with the tone knobs. And i have found this to be true.

With my pedals, i was able to get tones from songs like Melissa (allman brothers), sweet child o mine (guns n roses), the general (dispatch), and cranberries (zombie). I even tried people get ready (jeff beck) with the toggle in the middle position and it sounded quite good, but of coarse not the same; As Jeff plays that with a strat.

Anyways, i hope this is helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to post it here or send me a message.

cheers,
Jon
 
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Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

From PRS:

Thank you for contacting PRS Guitars.
SE guitars use 500K pots.
Thank you for your continued support of PRS Guitars. I hope you find this information helpful.

So that's good to know. I look forward to some Pearly Gates.

By the way, the scale length of the PRS Singlecuts is slightly longer, 25". That may account for some tonal differences with the LP.

Thanks for all the info.
 
Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

Charlesypsi,

Perfect! Let us know when you put the pearly gates in the guitar. I am sure you will love them.

And yes, the scale length on this guitar is 25’’. which makes it a bit crispier and stiffer than my les paul.

jon
 
Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

Finally got the PG set for the SE Single Cut. Bridge, neck, and both all sound great. Single notes on the PGn, especially 10th fret and above are a revelation. With judicious tone control selection, the PGb gets a huge range of sounds, even twang. What's surprised me a bit is that the bridge doesn't sound shrill even with guitar tone on 10 (you get the full range). Turned about to be a great choice. Thanks everyone for the recommendations.
 
Re: Are PGs good for PRS SE singlecut?

Hi folks, I thought this might be a great place to ask about whether or not anyone misses the extra set of tone / volume controls that the Les Paul has compared to the PRS SE models with only one set?

I guess that would make it more important to get a proven / balanced set of pickups in those type PRS.

Thanks
 
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