PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

S

skinfreak

New member
Hi there,
I would be interested to find out your thoughts on pickup upgrades for a 2016 PRS Tremonti SE. Buying the signature model, you guessed that I would be a fan of Tremonti's tone (which is true) but I am looking for a versatile mix. I know that Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy plays Seymour Duncan Custom Customs which by all accounts should not fit a PRS Single Cut (but do!). Myles has a fantastic tone.

Myles plays a SC245 which I believe is thicker bodied than the SE Tremonti. There's a concern that the TB-11 pickup should be used for brightening up guitars and I wonder if the thinner SE construction is naturally brighter anyway than the luxurious US made guitars that Kennedy plays. Therefore is it going to have the same effect or should I focus on another pickup? I did look at the JB or Custom but they both seem to be higher output.

In terms of styles, anything from Kossoff/Free, through to Van Halen, Pearl Jam/Alice In Chains when it suits me. I want that warm, rounded tone of a vintage Les Paul after a few whisky's that isn't afraid of picking a fight with James Hetfield in the bridge pickup. Maybe that means I should get two guitars but at the moment the only thing letting this great PRS down is the bridge pickup. If I am changing one then I may as well change the other.
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

I should hasten to add, I have a JNJ and Duncan Custom in a MusicYo Kramer which sound very nice. I contemplated swapping them into the PRS but I am happy to leave them be in favour of a new set with Nickel covers.
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

When I had my PRS, a friend recommended WCR Godwoods. He said they're a great choice for PRS guitars, even lower priced Korean versions like the one I had.

I never followed his advice though, because I traded the PRS towards an amp.
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

Just a little curious, why do you say, "...Seymour Duncan Custom Customs which by all accounts should not fit a PRS Single Cut (but do!)"? Why do you think they shouldn't fit?
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

I have a brand new set of Duncan 59's modified with Roughcast A5 magnets in my SE Singlecut. Couldn't be happier.

Clapton Cream tone to the max, and a great clean tone too.

The Custom Custom will not brighten up your guitar, BTW. It's a thick, warm pickup with lots of thick mids.

Always reminded me of chewing a Kraft Caramel!
 
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Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

GuitarDoc said:
Just a little curious, why do you say, "...Seymour Duncan Custom Customs which by all accounts should not fit a PRS Single Cut (but do!)"? Why do you think they shouldn't fit?
Click to expand...

Sorry but I meant 'fit' sonically. A warm sounding pickup in a mahogany thru neck usually merits a brighter sounding pickup I believe. I don't need to brighten up the guitar though but the research doesn't point to a custom custom being an option for a PRS. I suppose that's why I posted originally as when you hear Myles' solo on Blackbird...wow. That's a good tone.
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

I might just go with a regular Custom, actually. A Custom & Jazz set would do it, and it would be versatile for a lot of different kinds of music- especially with all of that mahogany.
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

That's the exact set in my Kramer Baretta (modern MusicYo Gibson - not a classic). It's a good mix. I did wonder about just whacking them into the PRS....
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

A buddy of mine plays (very well) a normal SE with a set of UK Ironstones ( Blues Engine neck and Tesla Shark Bridge ) . Gets a wide range of great tones. Excellent value for money. Just a suggestion.
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

I recently picked up a Tremonti SE and had a few questions/notes I'd like to add.

I noticed that the mahogany on the Tremonti is SUPER lightweight. It is most definitely not from the traditional variety of species we associate with mahogany. It's open and nasally sounding. Comparing a similar guitar in it's class, the LTD EC 256 is also all mahogany, but is dark and thick sounding and weighs a lot more.

I'm shooting for something hot and beefy. My first choice was a JB, and I've had it in there for a couple weeks. Normally I love the JB in an all hog body. But the Tremonti's nasally quality is really not letting the JB do it's thing. I put a Duncan Designed HB103 in last night, no verdict yet. And I'll be trying a Custom soon. I'm not normally a fan of the Custom line.

Any other SE owners have this dilemma with the wood? What rock/metal pickups have worked for you? I really want to like this guitar, but the nasally tone is really irking me.

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

posite63 said:
I recently picked up a Tremonti SE and had a few questions/notes I'd like to add.

I noticed that the mahogany on the Tremonti is SUPER lightweight. It is most definitely not from the traditional variety of species we associate with mahogany. It's open and nasally sounding. Comparing a similar guitar in it's class, the LTD EC 256 is also all mahogany, but is dark and thick sounding and weighs a lot more.

I'm shooting for something hot and beefy. My first choice was a JB, and I've had it in there for a couple weeks. Normally I love the JB in an all hog body. But the Tremonti's nasally quality is really not letting the JB do it's thing. I put a Duncan Designed HB103 in last night, no verdict yet. And I'll be trying a Custom soon. I'm not normally a fan of the Custom line.

Any other SE owners have this dilemma with the wood? What rock/metal pickups have worked for you? I really want to like this guitar, but the nasally tone is really irking me.

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I have an SE Custom 24 with a Custom 5 bridge and Alnico 2 Pro neck and it sounds nice and beefy. The Custom 5 has more body than a JB and the A2P is like a modern Jazz but more articulate and pronounced.
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

I agree with the recommendation for a set of 59s, or the Custom5 bridge if you want extra beef.
Custom5 was perfect in my SE Anniversary.
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

A Custom or Custom 5 will get rid of the nasally mids that are emphasized in your guitar. Sometimes we have to pick a pickup that might be something we wouldn't normally use, just to 'fix' a tonal problem with the instrument. My Music Man SUB1 is poplar, and for some reason, full of mids, so I use a Jazz and Custom 5 to scoop out the mids- pickups I would never choose on their own. But it works, and the guitar sounds 'normal' to me now.
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

Good call on the Custom 5, that seems to have done the trick. A close second was a Custom with a fat ceramic, but the 5 has just a little more personality.

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk
 
Re: PRS Tremonti SE Pickup Replacement

Custom 5, A2P, or CC or just Custom. Personally the A2P and CC have worked well for me. But hey, you aren’t necessarily asking for a lot so you have a good range to pick from.
 
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