PRS Santana SE comes to life (Seth Lover content)

[Mr. B]

I bought one of the very early (pickguard equipped) PRS Santana SE models years ago. I picked it out of about 7 they had in the store because it really sang acoustically when unplugged. I installed a Seth Lover set in it, and for years that has been my best sounding guitar. Better than my Gibson Les Pauls, better than my Gibson SGs, better than a dozen others. I played it so much that the frets were getting pretty worn, so I found another early model exactly like it and dropped another set of Seth Lovers in it.

The second guitar just never had the sparkle, jangle, and growl that the first one did, and I always chalked it up to the first one just being a better piece of wood. Anyway, I've been noticing that with the volume pot full up there was a slight drop in actual volume, and when I backed it off a hair it actually got louder. I finally got around to replacing the pot because it was beginning to annoy me, and guess what...

With a new CTS pot that really does read close to 500k, this new guitar sounds as good or better than my original. It is a night-and-day difference. I hate that I didn't diagnose this earlier. It makes me paraniod. I want to got change every pot in every guitar I have, just in case. :banghead:

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: PRS Santana SE comes to life (Seth Lover content)

The stock pots and switches in PRS SE models are standard Korean fare. (Usually COR-TEK.) I habitually upgrade the lot.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: PRS Santana SE comes to life (Seth Lover content)

I've got another one I have a CustomCustom and a Pearly Gates neck in and it sounds fine.... but it makes me wonder..

 

[Drunken Bowling]

Re: PRS Santana SE comes to life (Seth Lover content)

I've been thinking about a Seth for my PRS. I'm using one of the new Yamaha modelers and the stock 245 bridge sounds tinny and harsh.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: PRS Santana SE comes to life (Seth Lover content)

^^ I think I'd want to try that guitar out on something with a larger speaker in it first. As good as the Yamaha is, it does have rather small speakers in it, and if you're playing at low volume too, you're probably not working them all that hard. In that scenario, I'd expect the kind of sound you describe.

Take your guitar along to a store and say you want to try some amps out - you might be pleasantly surprised. Then again, maybe you'll be able to confirm a swap is in order.

For the record, I've got one SE with SDs in it, and one is still stock. Both sound great.