PRS pups: Whats the deal?
- Thread starter Guitar Guy
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TheArchitect
Guest
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
You bought three mcCarty's that sound great out of the box yet you "don't get" PRS pickups? They seem to agree with you just fine if the McCarty's sound good to you out of the box.
You bought three mcCarty's that sound great out of the box yet you "don't get" PRS pickups? They seem to agree with you just fine if the McCarty's sound good to you out of the box.
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TheArchitect
Guest
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
PRS is no more a niche guitar than a Gibson or Fender is. Buying a PRS thinking it will sound like something else means the buyer is a dumb ass, not that PRS is "niche"
PRS is no more a niche guitar than a Gibson or Fender is. Buying a PRS thinking it will sound like something else means the buyer is a dumb ass, not that PRS is "niche"
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TheArchitect
Guest
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
Why are their tons of threads about swapping pickups out of Gibson, Fender, Schecter, Jackson, and on and on. This sounds more like a rail on PRS than anything based in fact.
Why are their tons of threads about swapping pickups out of Gibson, Fender, Schecter, Jackson, and on and on. This sounds more like a rail on PRS than anything based in fact.
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
This thread is interesting. I owned a PRS CE-24 for a while. The guitar played beautifully and had a nice resonance to it. Very bouncey and lively.
But the sound from the pickups did not reproduce the guitars natural resonance.
The bridge pickup was way to hot and thick and the neck pickup wasn't so great either.
One day I compared it to my late 80's MIJ Squier Strat with a single bridge trembucker: a 59TB.
I played them back and forth and the MIJ Squier with the 59TB sounded much better than the PRS everytime.
I tried differant pickups in it, even asked Lindy Fralin to wind me a custom set, but I never could get that guitar to sound as nice plugged in as it felt unplugged!
Sold the PRS shortly after that.
Lew
This thread is interesting. I owned a PRS CE-24 for a while. The guitar played beautifully and had a nice resonance to it. Very bouncey and lively.
But the sound from the pickups did not reproduce the guitars natural resonance.
The bridge pickup was way to hot and thick and the neck pickup wasn't so great either.
One day I compared it to my late 80's MIJ Squier Strat with a single bridge trembucker: a 59TB.
I played them back and forth and the MIJ Squier with the 59TB sounded much better than the PRS everytime.
I tried differant pickups in it, even asked Lindy Fralin to wind me a custom set, but I never could get that guitar to sound as nice plugged in as it felt unplugged!
Sold the PRS shortly after that.
Lew
That90'sGuy
DyzaBoyzologist
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
I just realized that came out wrong. They "sound great" out of the box unplugged... bit of a difference there and something I should have mentioned more clearly :smack:
Don't get me wrong, the McCarty stock pups are decent, but they're too muddy and dark for my tastes and really cover up what PRS has to offer.
I just realized that came out wrong. They "sound great" out of the box unplugged... bit of a difference there and something I should have mentioned more clearly :smack:
Don't get me wrong, the McCarty stock pups are decent, but they're too muddy and dark for my tastes and really cover up what PRS has to offer.
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
I agree. That's basically the same point I was trying to make. Lew
I agree. That's basically the same point I was trying to make. Lew
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
Ok, I am just going to come right out and say this, at the risk of ticking off some PRS faithfuls, but before you flame me, please keep in mind that I am the proud owner of a Custom 22 10 top!!:laugh2:
But is it possible that the seemingly endless threads on the various forums complaining about PRS pickups, are people that are mistakenly blaming PRS pickups for being crap, when in reality they are not digging the inherant sound of PRS guitars? I am starting to wonder if my Custom 22 will ever sound the way I want, I am on my third pickup swap and the guitar always seems to get a great lead tone, but for Rythym the bass strings are always muddy and the treble strings overly "zingy." Like everyone else, I thought it was the universally hated Dragon II's but the same problems persist even after swapping p'ups, so now I am starting to think the problems lie in the inherent tonal properties of the guitar and has nothing to do with electronics.
But after authoritatively stating all that, I have a SH5 Custom and PG neck on the way, and I am prepared to give it one more shot!!:laughing:
Ok, I am just going to come right out and say this, at the risk of ticking off some PRS faithfuls, but before you flame me, please keep in mind that I am the proud owner of a Custom 22 10 top!!:laugh2:
But is it possible that the seemingly endless threads on the various forums complaining about PRS pickups, are people that are mistakenly blaming PRS pickups for being crap, when in reality they are not digging the inherant sound of PRS guitars? I am starting to wonder if my Custom 22 will ever sound the way I want, I am on my third pickup swap and the guitar always seems to get a great lead tone, but for Rythym the bass strings are always muddy and the treble strings overly "zingy." Like everyone else, I thought it was the universally hated Dragon II's but the same problems persist even after swapping p'ups, so now I am starting to think the problems lie in the inherent tonal properties of the guitar and has nothing to do with electronics.
But after authoritatively stating all that, I have a SH5 Custom and PG neck on the way, and I am prepared to give it one more shot!!:laughing:
T
TheArchitect
Guest
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
Be sure to remove the treble bleed cap. That thing f&@#s with the tone in a very bad way
Be sure to remove the treble bleed cap. That thing f&@#s with the tone in a very bad way
JeffB
Let it B
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
I think that there may be something to this. I don't dislike the sound, and as mentioned acoustically they are incredible sounding, but that nice acoustic tone doesn't quite translate once plugged in, IME.
As you, I can either find one that sounds awesome for leads...or great for rhythm...but never one that did both sounds equally well. Guy I know locally has the same prob with his multiple Reeds. Loves them..loves the way they play..loves the resonance, but just can't get a pickup set in the things that will work for him. He's tried heavy mids...neutral mids, low mids. He either gets mud, or shriek.
Though the treble bleed cap TheArchitect mentioned may cure his woes: I'll fwd that advice on to him (Thanks!)
as to the original question: IMO, the McCarty pups to me seem to be the best sounding of Pauls bucker designs if you can find the right piece of wood. I cannot speak as to the McSoaps.
And as mentioned countless times already..uhm..lots of folks change out high end guitar pickups. Some guys like "The Duncan sound"..some like "The EMG sound". Some like "The DiMarzio sound". So we swap. I happen to love some of the Gibson and Fender stock pups, and wouldn't change them/haven't changed them in certain guitars, but I'm sure were I to go with my preferred pup brand choice I'd like the tone even better.
I think that there may be something to this. I don't dislike the sound, and as mentioned acoustically they are incredible sounding, but that nice acoustic tone doesn't quite translate once plugged in, IME.
As you, I can either find one that sounds awesome for leads...or great for rhythm...but never one that did both sounds equally well. Guy I know locally has the same prob with his multiple Reeds. Loves them..loves the way they play..loves the resonance, but just can't get a pickup set in the things that will work for him. He's tried heavy mids...neutral mids, low mids. He either gets mud, or shriek.
Though the treble bleed cap TheArchitect mentioned may cure his woes: I'll fwd that advice on to him (Thanks!)
as to the original question: IMO, the McCarty pups to me seem to be the best sounding of Pauls bucker designs if you can find the right piece of wood. I cannot speak as to the McSoaps.
And as mentioned countless times already..uhm..lots of folks change out high end guitar pickups. Some guys like "The Duncan sound"..some like "The EMG sound". Some like "The DiMarzio sound". So we swap. I happen to love some of the Gibson and Fender stock pups, and wouldn't change them/haven't changed them in certain guitars, but I'm sure were I to go with my preferred pup brand choice I'd like the tone even better.
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
No guitar is gonna come from the factory and be good to go for everyone. It's just the brutal truth as far as manufactured products go. So whats a manufacturer to do? Ship their products without pickups? That would be ridiculous would it not?
As far as pickups go its all about finding that sweet tonal spot that moves your soul man! Some pickups can deliver better than others as far as personal style and tastes go. Me personally, I love to hear a variety of harmonics and overtones leap out of my ax. For me, slight changes in my picking style, angle of pick attack and just sticking a little finger meat over the edge of the pick can yield a variety of tonal variations. But in order for that to work, then I need pickups that have the right tonal range.
Some pickups have that sweetness I'm looking for and some don't . That doesn't mean that those pickups suxxorz though! They might work great for another player that has a different style and tastes than myself. Some like midrange, others like a tight bottom thats not muddy, some like a little more brightness and so on.
Once you get used to getting a variety of tones from your ax w/o touching any controls then you'll understand the magic that having the right pickups can deliver.
No guitar is gonna come from the factory and be good to go for everyone. It's just the brutal truth as far as manufactured products go. So whats a manufacturer to do? Ship their products without pickups? That would be ridiculous would it not?
As far as pickups go its all about finding that sweet tonal spot that moves your soul man! Some pickups can deliver better than others as far as personal style and tastes go. Me personally, I love to hear a variety of harmonics and overtones leap out of my ax. For me, slight changes in my picking style, angle of pick attack and just sticking a little finger meat over the edge of the pick can yield a variety of tonal variations. But in order for that to work, then I need pickups that have the right tonal range.
Some pickups have that sweetness I'm looking for and some don't . That doesn't mean that those pickups suxxorz though! They might work great for another player that has a different style and tastes than myself. Some like midrange, others like a tight bottom thats not muddy, some like a little more brightness and so on.
Once you get used to getting a variety of tones from your ax w/o touching any controls then you'll understand the magic that having the right pickups can deliver.
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JohnnyGuitar
New member
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
I agree.
There's a certain quality that PRS pups share.
You can like it you can hate. That's all.
I agree.
There's a certain quality that PRS pups share.
You can like it you can hate. That's all.
GuitarSandwich
New member
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
Here's a scene 20 years from now:
Dude 1: "Man, I found an almost mint vintage PRS from 2001"
Dude 2: "So, did you buy it?"
Dude 1: "No, some idiot took out the original pickups, and get this... put some other pickups in there that say Jason Lollie or something on them"
Dude 2: Who is Jason Lollie?
Dude 1: I though it might have been the original owner's name, but the guy who had the guitar tried to convince me that it used to be a pickup company.
Dude 2: "What a loser!"
Here's a scene 20 years from now:
Dude 1: "Man, I found an almost mint vintage PRS from 2001"
Dude 2: "So, did you buy it?"
Dude 1: "No, some idiot took out the original pickups, and get this... put some other pickups in there that say Jason Lollie or something on them"
Dude 2: Who is Jason Lollie?
Dude 1: I though it might have been the original owner's name, but the guy who had the guitar tried to convince me that it used to be a pickup company.
Dude 2: "What a loser!"
Simon_F
Super Moderator
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
Some of the people I know who bought PRSs bought them because they thought they would give them Les Paul and Strat tones from a single guitar. Then they found that, despite being versatile, they didn't quite sound like either... hence onward tweaking.
Having said that, and having personally avoided PRSs, I have done quite a few pickup swaps in my Les Pauls and Strat. :nervous:
Some of the people I know who bought PRSs bought them because they thought they would give them Les Paul and Strat tones from a single guitar. Then they found that, despite being versatile, they didn't quite sound like either... hence onward tweaking.
Having said that, and having personally avoided PRSs, I have done quite a few pickup swaps in my Les Pauls and Strat. :nervous:
Lake Placid Blues
New member
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
I don't have any answers, but I do have a few questions. Do these complaints apply to all the various PRS guitars?
What about single cut vs double cut designs?
what about rosewood necks vs mahogony necks?
What about swamp ash vs mahogony bodies?
What about all mahogony bodies vs most with the thick maple cap?
What about those older bolt on maple neck/alder body models?
If these complaints can be applied equally to so many different design variations, then I'd say it's probably the pickups, or that the pickups don't suite the tastes of many. That doesn't automatically mean that a given aftermarket pickup will be the right either. Maybe the pickups these guitars need hasn't really been wound yet?
On another note; I don't think there's an unfallible correlation between unplugged and plugged in tone. I have seen guitars that sound great unplugged, not sound so good plugged in, and I have found guitars that sound like poop acoustically, still give a good electric sound.
I don't have any answers, but I do have a few questions. Do these complaints apply to all the various PRS guitars?
What about single cut vs double cut designs?
what about rosewood necks vs mahogony necks?
What about swamp ash vs mahogony bodies?
What about all mahogony bodies vs most with the thick maple cap?
What about those older bolt on maple neck/alder body models?
If these complaints can be applied equally to so many different design variations, then I'd say it's probably the pickups, or that the pickups don't suite the tastes of many. That doesn't automatically mean that a given aftermarket pickup will be the right either. Maybe the pickups these guitars need hasn't really been wound yet?
On another note; I don't think there's an unfallible correlation between unplugged and plugged in tone. I have seen guitars that sound great unplugged, not sound so good plugged in, and I have found guitars that sound like poop acoustically, still give a good electric sound.
Luke Duke
PRSlustologist
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
Architect made some great points.
Paul makes his guitars where they will achieve a sound HE is looking for.
That said the HFS was waaay to hot and nasally for me. The vintage bass was a good pup, but at the time I was wanting more zing from the neck.
By and by I prefer alnico 2 based pups. My PRS has a SD 78 in the bridge and a 59 with an alnico 2 mag, great combo, but the 59 is still just a tad too bright, so one day I'll get a 59B with an alnico 2 mag and that should be the end of it.
The bottom line is that this is a pup manufacturer's website what else do you want for $1? People change out pups in Gibsons, and Fenders that cost as much or more, so why single out PRS? No guitar maker will put out a set of pups for every guitar and they be all things to all people, it just won't happen.
Luke
Architect made some great points.
Paul makes his guitars where they will achieve a sound HE is looking for.
That said the HFS was waaay to hot and nasally for me. The vintage bass was a good pup, but at the time I was wanting more zing from the neck.
By and by I prefer alnico 2 based pups. My PRS has a SD 78 in the bridge and a 59 with an alnico 2 mag, great combo, but the 59 is still just a tad too bright, so one day I'll get a 59B with an alnico 2 mag and that should be the end of it.
The bottom line is that this is a pup manufacturer's website what else do you want for $1? People change out pups in Gibsons, and Fenders that cost as much or more, so why single out PRS? No guitar maker will put out a set of pups for every guitar and they be all things to all people, it just won't happen.
Luke
VHTJay
New member
Re: PRS pups: Whats the deal?
Those are my sentiments as well! The no.7's in my singlecut are there to stay.
I love PRS guitars....best production guitar out there IMHO. Are they worth the $$$$? Yup! A les paul may be signifigantly cheaper than a decked out PRS..........but you won't get a long neck tenon, high figuring in the top, options or overall quality in a gibson USA.
I used to be a big gibby guy, still own a les paul custom. But i'ved bought and flipped many a Gibson Dog over the years. I've only ever owned 2 PRS's and still do! You get what you pay for.
Those are my sentiments as well! The no.7's in my singlecut are there to stay.
I love PRS guitars....best production guitar out there IMHO. Are they worth the $$$$? Yup! A les paul may be signifigantly cheaper than a decked out PRS..........but you won't get a long neck tenon, high figuring in the top, options or overall quality in a gibson USA.
I used to be a big gibby guy, still own a les paul custom. But i'ved bought and flipped many a Gibson Dog over the years. I've only ever owned 2 PRS's and still do! You get what you pay for.
