phil_104
Cheesesteakologist
Hey all,
As some of you might know, I acquired a PRS CE24 maple top before last summer, and it has become my #1 guitar, to the point where I sold off the rest of my collection exept for a single other electric. I found ‘my guitar’, and I love it even after the honeymoon. It just fits with me, has the perfect neck and is made of a really nice 1 piece mahogany back that resonates like no other guitar I have had before. So here is the thing : being a gearhead and ‘screwcounter’ like many of you here, I am looking to change the only thing in this guitar that I am not 100% satisfied with, ; the pickups.
When speaking of the overall tone of the guitar, the best way to describe it would be like a Les Paul, but with the clarity of a strat. It’s very responsive and snappy, but has a very ballanced tone.
Right now, the guitar has the HFS pickups. They are not bad pickups in any regards, it is just that they are ‘meh’. They are very versatile and are capable of producing many great tones, but I find them lacking in some respects. In terms of what I am looking for, I essentially want the same base sound of the HFS, but with a few differences.
Bridge : I would like to have the same articulation and clarity of the HFS, but with more output. I want a tight and focused sound that can crunch and give me good note definition and sustain for single note playing, as I mostly play leads and power chords.
Neck : I like the clarity and the sweetness of the HFS, but I would like a little more presence. I need something that will match well with the hotter bridge that I plan on installing. When playing clean, I want something that can handle my finger picking style.
Overall : I need a set that will match well, and on top of all of that, I need them to split well, as I use a push-pull pot to get that single coil sound. This is very important to me.
Style of music I want to cover : I am currently in a cover band that is forming. Bass_Bear might be able to clarify, but I think I would call the style blues-rock-progressive-folk lol. We play anything from ZZ-Top-esque riffs, to David Bowie, to Steve Miller, to border line metal-rock. We also play classical music that is adapted to hard rock, kinda trans-siberian orchestra style. A large part of my playing is, as Jay calls it ‘lyrical’, meaning that it is slow and based largely on feel and individual notes. I want pickups that can fit with that style. I am not looking to copy or imitate artist tones, as I very much have my own sound, but I want something that can fit in those styles.
So for you who are not familiar with the guitar, here are the specs :
- Maple neck, rosewood fretboard
- Mahogany back, maple top.
- 24 frets ( this changes the neck pickup placement)
- Vintage trem, locking tuners
- 3 way switch, 1 volume, 1 tone push-pull to split the pickups
- The guitar will be set up with either 10 or 11 guage strings.
As of now, I was looking at a few combinations, such as a Distortion-Jazz combo, or even maybe a custom or something or sorts. I could try magnet swaps, but as strange as it may seem, I like the idea of duncans in my #1 guitar, as I have been a supporter for years, and spoken well about the pickups to many people. I want to practice what I preach.
What do you guys think? Which pickups are right for this guitar?
PS : I play exclusively through a Mesa Express series, if that can help.
As some of you might know, I acquired a PRS CE24 maple top before last summer, and it has become my #1 guitar, to the point where I sold off the rest of my collection exept for a single other electric. I found ‘my guitar’, and I love it even after the honeymoon. It just fits with me, has the perfect neck and is made of a really nice 1 piece mahogany back that resonates like no other guitar I have had before. So here is the thing : being a gearhead and ‘screwcounter’ like many of you here, I am looking to change the only thing in this guitar that I am not 100% satisfied with, ; the pickups.
When speaking of the overall tone of the guitar, the best way to describe it would be like a Les Paul, but with the clarity of a strat. It’s very responsive and snappy, but has a very ballanced tone.
Right now, the guitar has the HFS pickups. They are not bad pickups in any regards, it is just that they are ‘meh’. They are very versatile and are capable of producing many great tones, but I find them lacking in some respects. In terms of what I am looking for, I essentially want the same base sound of the HFS, but with a few differences.
Bridge : I would like to have the same articulation and clarity of the HFS, but with more output. I want a tight and focused sound that can crunch and give me good note definition and sustain for single note playing, as I mostly play leads and power chords.
Neck : I like the clarity and the sweetness of the HFS, but I would like a little more presence. I need something that will match well with the hotter bridge that I plan on installing. When playing clean, I want something that can handle my finger picking style.
Overall : I need a set that will match well, and on top of all of that, I need them to split well, as I use a push-pull pot to get that single coil sound. This is very important to me.
Style of music I want to cover : I am currently in a cover band that is forming. Bass_Bear might be able to clarify, but I think I would call the style blues-rock-progressive-folk lol. We play anything from ZZ-Top-esque riffs, to David Bowie, to Steve Miller, to border line metal-rock. We also play classical music that is adapted to hard rock, kinda trans-siberian orchestra style. A large part of my playing is, as Jay calls it ‘lyrical’, meaning that it is slow and based largely on feel and individual notes. I want pickups that can fit with that style. I am not looking to copy or imitate artist tones, as I very much have my own sound, but I want something that can fit in those styles.
So for you who are not familiar with the guitar, here are the specs :
- Maple neck, rosewood fretboard
- Mahogany back, maple top.
- 24 frets ( this changes the neck pickup placement)
- Vintage trem, locking tuners
- 3 way switch, 1 volume, 1 tone push-pull to split the pickups
- The guitar will be set up with either 10 or 11 guage strings.
As of now, I was looking at a few combinations, such as a Distortion-Jazz combo, or even maybe a custom or something or sorts. I could try magnet swaps, but as strange as it may seem, I like the idea of duncans in my #1 guitar, as I have been a supporter for years, and spoken well about the pickups to many people. I want to practice what I preach.
What do you guys think? Which pickups are right for this guitar?
PS : I play exclusively through a Mesa Express series, if that can help.
and Custom5 (b)?
