New Pickups for PRS SE Standard 24-08

[HSSdave]

The PRS is bland and I looking into option and everything is starting to sound the same, so, I'm here for a little guidance.

Is there any benefit to trying just a bridge or neck and then look to a set in the future, if so, should I start bridge or neck? Or, as long as I'm soldering, just put in both?

My base line is my 2001 Am Std Strat with a Screamin' Demon, I put in a couple of years ago. The demon with the stock neck pup is my current fav sound, Multiple friends have stopped buy and the PRS sounds just ok. I was going to try the demon in the PRS, but it's a trembucker and the PRS is humbucker.

Here's the pups that speak to me, but there with so many to go through, just wondering if any of my choices stand out or is there something else to check out.

Not in any order:

1. Hot phat cat silencer
2. Vintage phat cat silencer
3. Saturday Night Special
4. 59 Custom Hybrid
5. Antiquity

 

[Mincer]

Well, I'd say swap out whatever pickup you use the most, then swap out the other. On a PRS it isn't a PITA like on a Fender...you can just loosen the strings a tiny bit to get the pickup in. All of your choices are great...it really depends if you are looking to get a specific sound out of this guitar. All 5 of yours sound pretty different from one another (except 1&2).

 

[Explorer84]

I went down the same road you're going down now with the SE Custom 24 I used to own. It was bland and lifeless and had zero character. I also realized that I did not like the sound of 24 fret guitars. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. I got lucky and finally traded it for something much better. I will say that I did try a 59n and a Screamin' Demon trembucker.

 

[GuitarDoc]

The Silencers are in a whole different tonal class than those other pups you listed, and the "Hot" Silencer is also way more output than all the others (in addition to its tonal difference, which is heavy on the mids...like a JB).

I would say start with replacing just one pup...like Mincer said, the one that you use the most (probably the bridge?).

Of the 5 dozen guitars that I own, the best, most versatile, nicest clean sound, and overdrives exceptionally well pup that I have is the GFS Dream 180. At only about $30 it might be worth a try..

 

[HSSdave]

GuitarDoc, at 30 bucks, I can't resist giving it a try (bridge first).

Looks like they also have some inexpensive harnesses. The SG one with the two toggles might work? Any insight on the harnesses?

I was all ready to go Silencer for easy install without any splitting so not using the two mini toggles. Was going to ask about and investigate parallel and phase.

 

[Mincer]

If I were going to use the Silencer, I doubt I'd do any splitting either.

 

[JohnnyGuitarCA]

59 Custom Hybrid

 

[GuitarDoc]

GuitarDoc, at 30 bucks, I can't resist giving it a try (bridge first).

Looks like they also have some inexpensive harnesses. The SG one with the two toggles might work? Any insight on the harnesses?

I was all ready to go Silencer for easy install without any splitting so not using the two mini toggles. Was going to ask about and investigate parallel and phase.

I never use pre-wired harnesses, I wire everything from scratch so I can't help you there.
The Dream 180 sounds fantastic in normal series mode but also sounds great in parallel. When neck plus bridge are selected and split to outside coils they sound very Straty.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Everyone knows that I am a real P-90 fan and have P-90s in about 2 dozen guitars. I live for the P-90 sound.
But I just wanted to add that those Dream 180s sound so fantastic that I'm going to replace several of my P-90s with the GFS Soapbar 180, a P-90 sized Dream180.

 

[hamerfan]

I went down the same road you're going down now with the SE Custom 24 I used to own. It was bland and lifeless and had zero character. I also realized that I did not like the sound of 24 fret guitars. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. I got lucky and finally traded it for something much better. I will say that I did try a 59n and a Screamin' Demon trembucker.

I have no deep knowledge of these guitars, but its not the 24 frets. Surely , the neck pickups sit in the wrong place. In my book its the scale length which provides neither enough cut like Strat nor the fatness of a Les Paul.

 

[HSSdave]

Hey all, thanks for the info.

I just installed the Vintage Silencer in the bridge and am checking it out. Seems to have quite mid and high punch. Test driving it while playing around with my signal chain. Seems pretty good so far and bonus, the covered pup looks pretty darn spiffy.

I also picked up the Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) neck and middle to try in my strat with my demon in the bridge.

Fiddling about...

 

[Hiwatts and Gibsons]

The PRS is bland and I looking into option and everything is starting to sound the same, so, I'm here for a little guidance.

Is there any benefit to trying just a bridge or neck and then look to a set in the future, if so, should I start bridge or neck? Or, as long as I'm soldering, just put in both?

My base line is my 2001 Am Std Strat with a Screamin' Demon, I put in a couple of years ago. The demon with the stock neck pup is my current fav sound, Multiple friends have stopped buy and the PRS sounds just ok. I was going to try the demon in the PRS, but it's a trembucker and the PRS is humbucker.

Here's the pups that speak to me, but there with so many to go through, just wondering if any of my choices stand out or is there something else to check out.

Not in any order:

1. Hot phat cat silencer
2. Vintage phat cat silencer
3. Saturday Night Special
4. 59 Custom Hybrid
5. Antiquity

Why are you stuck on the "Silencer" models? To me "noiseless" P90's and other single coils are like cooking without salt. No matter what other ingredients you use everything comes out kinda bland. Considering that blandness is your main issue with the guitar already it seems like you are just setting yourself up for more of the same.

There are plenty of HB sized singles that you can turn to which will give you way more vibe. I also wouldn't count out a few Humbuckers that are not billed as noiseless P90's or single cols, but have a great single coilish vibe.

My recommendation would be to check out these versus noiseless P90's or other noiseless single coils.

BG Pure 90 (bridge)
Seymour Duncan Phat Cat (bridge)
TV Jones SuperTron Humbucker (bridge, neck, or both)
TV Jones PowerTron Humbucker (bridge)
Lollar Novel Foil (bridge, neck, or both)
Seymour Duncan Dynabucker single coil (not a stacked noiseless pickup, but a Dynasonic clone in a HB sized housing) (neck)
TV Jones T-Armond English Mount (neck) (another Dynasonic clone)
TV Jones MagnaTrom Humbucker (neck)


I've had or still have some version of all of these pickups except the Phat Cat in guitars over time, and promise you none of them do "bland". The Lollar Gold Foil clone I have is the Soapbar mount version. Great pickup with lots of personality.

The SuperTron and MagnaTron are the two most single coilish hunbuckers I have ever used. The MagnaTron in particular reminds me of a beautiful old school A5 Fender type single coil, but takes gain a bit better, whereas the SuperTron has a bigger and broader sound, but with single coil like clarity. The PowerTron has a great vibe that sits between a FilterTron and a Hot PAF.

 

[Mincer]

Honestly, the Silencer models are nothing like previous noiseless P90s. They sound and feel fantastic.

 

[Hiwatts and Gibsons]

Honestly, the Silencer models are nothing like previous noiseless P90s. They sound and feel fantastic.

Fair enough. I have not had the pleasure of playing through them.

Then again even with Dual Rectifier/SLO levels of gain, cranked fuzz pedals, and very loud volume I have never had an issue with excessive noise in any of the pickups I mentioned or any P90, Dynasonic, or Staple type pickups. Only with vintage style Fender single coils has the issue given me a problem.

 

[HSSdave]

The PRS now has the Vintage Silencer pair and I chose wisely. The silencers really bring this guitar to life, it always had a nice neck and fretwork so glad new pups was all that was needed (no pretty maple).

I've now changed 5 pups in 2 different guitars, and have enough happy sounds to last, at least a week.

Posting on this forum was a helpful step in planning and implementing the operation.

 

[Mincer]

The PRS now has the Vintage Silencer pair and I chose wisely. The silencers really bring this guitar to life, it always had a nice neck and fretwork so glad new pups was all that was needed (no pretty maple).

I've now changed 5 pups in 2 different guitars, and have enough happy sounds to last, at least a week.

Posting on this forum was a helpful step in planning and implementing the operation.

Happy we can help. Thing is, everybody here goes through this. We all wonder about a particular set of pickups until we install them, and then have the knowledge to help other people on their quest.