New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

[T-Bone-BBQ]

I replaced the stock SE 245 pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers with a Custom 5 in the bridge and a Jazz in the neck. The 245 pickups are pretty good, but not near as good as these new pickups. I love the beefy tones of the Custom 5 and the Jazz sounds great.

 

[Derpottsie]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

Excellent choice of guitar man. Well worth the money. Id love to hear that custom 5 in that bad boy

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[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

Excellent choice of guitar man. Well worth the money. Id love to hear that custom 5 in that bad boy

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The Custom 5 is pretty beefy sounding and the description of a '59 with higher output seems to be accurate. Very good pickup IMO. When I take this guitar to my luthier to get it set up properly I'll probably have him put chrome covers on both pickups more for looks than anything, but both sound awesome.

 

[Derpottsie]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

The Custom 5 is pretty beefy sounding and the description of a '59 with higher output seems to be accurate. Very good pickup IMO. When I take this guitar to my luthier to get it set up properly I'll probably have him put chrome covers on both pickups more for looks than anything, but both sound awesome.

I have a semi hollow Ibanez Artcore Ive been wanting to do some pickup swaps on. Custom 5 sounds right up my alley now

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[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

I have a semi hollow Ibanez Artcore Ive been wanting to do some pickup swaps on. Custom 5 sounds right up my alley now

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I've actually got a chrome covered '59b/Jazz set that I was considering putting in this guitar and still am. The only problem for me is that the '59b came from an archtop and the legs on the pickup are longer than normal. I think they would still fit in this guitar, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

I've actually got a chrome covered '59b/Jazz set that I was considering putting in this guitar and still am. The only problem for me is that the '59b came from an archtop and the legs on the pickup are longer than normal. I think they would still fit in this guitar, but I'm not 100% sure.

It'll fit. The long-legged '59 and Slash fit fine in both my SE Nick Catanese and my old SE Singlecut Korina.

Killer guitar, BTW.

Just curious: Did you happen to measure the DC Resistance on the SE245 pickups? I have a pair of pickups that came off an SE and I'm not sure what they are.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

It'll fit. The long-legged '59 and Slash fit fine in both my SE Nick Catanese and my old SE Singlecut Korina.

Killer guitar, BTW.

Just curious: Did you happen to measure the DC Resistance on the SE245 pickups? I have a pair of pickups that came off an SE and I'm not sure what they are.

I don't have a multimeter, sorry. I know that the 245 pickups are only 2 conductor and the bridge is yellow covered and the neck is white covered wires. I've got a set from a Custom 24 that's the SE version of the HFS and Vintage Bass and both are 4 conductor for coil tap, but the 245 aren't.

 

[daenius]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

You didn't install a JB? pffffft get outta here!

JK

I have a Custom in one of my guitars and I LOVE that pickup! Always wanted to try a Custom 5!

Oh and

I think everyone here is forgetting to mention one VERY important aspect of your new pickups:

THEY. LOOK. AWESOME. IN. THAT. GUITAR.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

You didn't install a JB? pffffft get outta here!

JK

I have a Custom in one of my guitars and I LOVE that pickup! Always wanted to try a Custom 5!

Oh and

I think everyone here is forgetting to mention one VERY important aspect of your new pickups:

THEY. LOOK. AWESOME. IN. THAT. GUITAR.

The stock pickups were the black/creme zebras also, but they didn't sound this good. It really does look good.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

I don't have a multimeter, sorry. I know that the 245 pickups are only 2 conductor and the bridge is yellow covered and the neck is white covered wires. I've got a set from a Custom 24 that's the SE version of the HFS and Vintage Bass and both are 4 conductor for coil tap, but the 245 aren't.

Ah, no worries, man. Thanks. Do yours have a sticker on the bottom that says "245"? Mine don't have the sticker but have the white and yellow 2-conductor wires that you mention.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

I've had some that had the stickers and some that didn't.

 

[Mincer]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

And, it looks super cool, now, too!

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

And, it looks super cool, now, too!

Well it looks basically the same since the stock pickups were black/creme also, but it sounds much better. I'm still considering putting that set of chrome covered '59/Jazz pickups in this, but I'm going to leave it like this for now and see how it goes in an actual band setting.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

When I take this guitar to my luthier to get it set up properly I'll probably have him put chrome covers on both pickups more for looks than anything, but both sound awesome.

It'll sound different if you do. Not as raw.

It'll sound more "refined" or "restrained".

More jazzy/bluesy and less of that rebellious rock n roll sound.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

It'll sound different if you do. Not as raw.

It'll sound more "refined" or "restrained".

More jazzy/bluesy and less of that rebellious rock n roll sound.

I know it will which is not a bad thing for me since I play a lot of blues and blues rock.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

I know it will which is not a bad thing for me since I play a lot of blues and blues rock.

There ya go.

I find it easier to get close to the sounds of my favorite guitarists who used covered pickups (BB King, Peter Green, Wes Montgomery....) if I'm playing my guitars that have covered humbuckers.

Two with...three without.

By design.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

There ya go.

I find it easier to get close to the sounds of my favorite guitarists who used covered pickups (BB King, Peter Green, Wes Montgomery....) if I'm playing my guitars that have covered humbuckers.

Two with...three without.

By design.

That's also one of the reasons I'm considering putting that chrome covered '59/Jazz set in this guitar is because since it's kinda semi-hollow body I would mind it it was a little laid back and not as aggressive. I've got my PRS SE Tremonti Custom that I plan to be more aggressive and "rock" sounding. We'll see what I decide to do...

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

That's also one of the reasons I'm considering putting that chrome covered '59/Jazz set in this guitar is because since it's kinda semi-hollow body I would mind it it was a little laid back and not as aggressive. I've got my PRS SE Tremonti Custom that I plan to be more aggressive and "rock" sounding. We'll see what I decide to do...

Sounds good.

Nice to have a choice of sounds.

My humbucker guitars each have slightly different pickups for different sounds.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

That's the nicest SE I've ever seen.
Zebras look great in green guitars. I have a zebra C5/59 in my green McCarty.

I actually found this forum in 1999, researching mag swaps for the Custom, and was one of the guys who urged Duncan to make the Custom 5 a production pickup.
I've tried every way to make a C5, from degaussed, underwound, overwound, and other A5 magnets. I like the stock winding because 14.4K is the magic number. The C5 can be made a little sweeter with a roughcast magnet, and a bit more PAF'ish with an unoriented roughcast magnet.

Besides the beautifully clean Jazz, the PGn also pairs nicely with the C5.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: New pickups in my PRS SE Zach Myers

I really like it. Plays amazing and sounds even better than it did stock.