PRS SE Custom 24 Pickups

C

Charvel1975

New member
Well I wound up getting a PRS SE Custom 24 in faded blue burst. String height was way too high and pickups have way too much bottom end and a blanket over the speakers sound. Debating on if pickup pole pieces and pickup height should be adjusted or should I just get the Seymour Duncan Hot Rod set (JB bridge & Jazz neck and get the PRS 5 way switch along with locking tuners?
 
Posted my recommendations to the other thread with more commentary.

Short version: Custom with JazzN or 59N. Or, the Distortion set for more mass & muscle.
 
If you're finding the PRS SE pickups muffled, the quickest / best way to fix this may actually be changing the pots, rather than the pickups.

Everyone's ears are different, but as a guy who likes bright tones, that isn't at all how I heard those pickups when I had them, so maybe you can dial in your rig a bit more? Those pups are, I'd say, surprisingly good for stock pups in a budget guitar - especially the neck. I thought the the bridge pup was a bit anemic, but maybe just needed a magnet swap to fill in some mids (though I never tried this - I pulled them and put in some duncans)

One reason I'd suggest adjusting your rig and pots first is that those pups are only wound to like 8.0 in the neck and 8.8 in the bridge (or at least, mine were). A hotter wind like some of the above mentioned pups might very well roll off even more high end, and you could end up with an even more muffled tone.

Maybe try making your tone pot no-load, and seeing if that helps? Or, if you dont wanna rip the pot open to do this (though a replacement is only like $1 soooo its a low risk endeavor), just disconnect the tone pot from the circuit and see if it sounds better to you. That's functionally the same as having a no-load tone pot, so if that sounds better, you may have found your problem.
 
Those pickups are Asian made copies of the 85/15s that come in the USA made PRS. For the price level of the guitar they can be pretty good, but basically any SD combo will be better. Be sure to get 4 conductor versions, as the PRS wiring style of partial coil splitting sounds a LOT better than typical coil split wiring to my ears.
 
I would definitely spend some time playing with pickup height and adjusting pole pieces. It sounds like the guitar wasn't adjusted well when you got it, so I wouldn't be surprised if you just haven't found the "sweet spot" yet.

If your guitar is 2019 or newer, it should also have the Cort-made pickups, which seem to be a little more dynamic and clear sounding than the older G&B versions. I have a 2020 model and I wouldn't describe the pickups as overly bassy or having a "blanket over the speakers" effect at all. And I own plenty of guitars with Duncan, DiMarzio, etc to compare to.
 
The SE 85/15s split incredibly well, cut through a mix with little to no processing in both HB and single coil modes, and have a nice "polished" sound already. In return for these characteristics, you give up a little "organic" feel. They are really quite unique in this way, and they make the SE play differently than other guitars. It's up to you whether you want this or not. I've performed and written a ton of music on my SE Custom with those 85/15s, but pulled them for JB/Jazz recently... time will tell if the stock pickups go back in. Heck, I've even done recordings without an amp and they sound amp-like... it's almost like there's a bit of amp sound built into the pickup.

Always worthwhile to play with adjustments, pickup height especially only takes a few minutes. I had success with lowering the pickups to be flush with the mounting rings, seemed to open them up a bit. Also guitar volume at 8, and lots of amp EQ fiddling.
 
Charvel1975 said:
Our Classic rock/hard rock/80's hair metal covers band is a 2 guitarist band, me and other guitarist and we do everything from Grand Funk Railroad to AC/DC to Judas Priest to 90's rock right now.
Click to expand...

Either a Hot Rodded set or a 59 an a Custom will do what you want.
 
alex1fly said:
The SE 85/15s split incredibly well, cut through a mix with little to no processing in both HB and single coil modes, and have a nice "polished" sound already. In return for these characteristics, you give up a little "organic" feel. They are really quite unique in this way, and they make the SE play differently than other guitars. It's up to you whether you want this or not. I've performed and written a ton of music on my SE Custom with those 85/15s, but pulled them for JB/Jazz recently... time will tell if the stock pickups go back in. Heck, I've even done recordings without an amp and they sound amp-like... it's almost like there's a bit of amp sound built into the pickup.

Always worthwhile to play with adjustments, pickup height especially only takes a few minutes. I had success with lowering the pickups to be flush with the mounting rings, seemed to open them up a bit. Also guitar volume at 8, and lots of amp EQ fiddling.
Click to expand...

Does my PRS already have the treble bleed from the factory? I like being able to preserve treble while rolling the volume down and if possible not remove bass for the whole travel of the volume knob.
 
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Masta' C said:
I would definitely spend some time playing with pickup height and adjusting pole pieces. It sounds like the guitar wasn't adjusted well when you got it, so I wouldn't be surprised if you just haven't found the "sweet spot" yet.

If your guitar is 2019 or newer, it should also have the Cort-made pickups, which seem to be a little more dynamic and clear sounding than the older G&B versions. I have a 2020 model and I wouldn't describe the pickups as overly bassy or having a "blanket over the speakers" effect at all. And I own plenty of guitars with Duncan, DiMarzio, etc to compare to.
Click to expand...

Right now at our practice spot I'm running it through my 95 Mesa tremoverb head and mesa 2x12 cab that's in my signature into a Behringer powered pedal board with a couple Behringer pedals: delay, tube overdrive and a Tc electronic corona chorus and line 6 g30 wireless and when I first got the prs before my other guitarist lowered the string height, on the Mesa I had to lower the bass control on the Mesa on the red channel to around 9 o clock and increase the treble and presence on the red channel. Amp is running 8 Ohm.
 
I really like the 85/15S in the neck on mine. The stock bridge I’m kinda so-so on. I love how it splits, but am really contemplating a Duncan custom bridge.
I think if I do make the switch, that’s the right one; but I’m also thinking a JB might be right. I play mostly classic rock.
 
Charvel1975 said:
Does my PRS already have the treble bleed from the factory? I like being able to preserve treble while rolling the volume down and if possible not remove bass for the whole travel of the volume knob.
Click to expand...

Your Custom 24 does have the treble bleed, only some of the single cut guitars don't have it, I also have a SE Custom, with a Floyd Rose which I am swapping pickups in very soon, the Duncan Custom and Custom Custom both sound great in PRS 24s, I love the bottom end of the ceramic Custom and nothing else is quite like it, I have also been considering a Dimarzio Super Distortion, I think these PRSs take a bridge pickup with a "big bottom" nicely!
 
Charvel1975 said:
Does my PRS already have the treble bleed from the factory? I like being able to preserve treble while rolling the volume down and if possible not remove bass for the whole travel of the volume knob.
Click to expand...

Here's the schematic for SE Custom wiring: https://d159anurvk4929.cloudfront.net/documents/se_customs_standards__wiring_schematics.pdf

No idea if it's treble bleed. Still wrapping my head around treble bleed vs 50s wiring vs modern wiring. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can look at the link and decipher what's going on with it.
 
BluesMan335 said:
I'm a classic rock & blues player, and JB's don't work for me. There are better choices for those genres.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I kinda hijacked and meant more “it might be right for me.”

it’s such a weird pickup the JB. In the se24 for what I’d like (still not 100% sure there) I think it’ll either be the missing link, or a colossal failure.

I don’t think a custom would be such a gamble.
 
Stock pickups can be lowered flush with the rings for more clarity. Both can be dialed in to get warm PAF-ish tones and bright spanky tones. The neck pup is a bit middier than the bridge pup. Lots of tones to be had with the guitar volume getting turned down from 10.
 
Charvel1975 said:
Right now at our practice spot I'm running it through my 95 Mesa tremoverb head and mesa 2x12 cab that's in my signature into a Behringer powered pedal board with a couple Behringer pedals: delay, tube overdrive and a Tc electronic corona chorus and line 6 g30 wireless and when I first got the prs before my other guitarist lowered the string height, on the Mesa I had to lower the bass control on the Mesa on the red channel to around 9 o clock and increase the treble and presence on the red channel. Amp is running 8 Ohm.
Click to expand...

I ran my S2 through a mesa road king in my 90s band. The best tones were with a Saturday Night Special set. I still run a lot of Mesa profiles on my Kemper, but haven't gigged since covid hit
 
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