Pups for a PRS SE santana?

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dazco

New member
I love this guitar, but the pickups leave a bit to be desired. The tone is not bad with OD, but when i start backing the volume of to clean up (have an marshall style amp that does this very well) they leave a lot to be desired, especially the neck. For reference, it has a trem and it's a very light guitar thats all mahogany with a maple cap. (maple cap then flame maple veneer over that) The stock ones are A2 with a 10.8k bridge and 8k neck. I think the A2 is part of the clean issue. But i DID try a A5 in the bridge and the OD sounded too bright and thin. I assume that because the pup was wound around A2 mags that it was wound for more brightness to counter the A2's softer darker nature.

I have never had any luck with duncan so i'd prefer something else if possible. I was considering dimarzio 36th's but i want to be as sure as possible whatever i get will be an improvement because i'm really really burned out on buying pickups only to find I like them less than the stockers. I'd really love to hear from anyone with a trem equipped SE series who swapped thier with great results and what they used.
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

I don't think that would happen with the 36 anniversaries. What's not great about the neck pickup, and how is that related to it being alnico 2?
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

I'm pretty certain that the SE245 pickups in the Santana, Marsden, Akesson, are A5 magnets, the USA SC245 pups are A2 and a different wind altogether.
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

Well, i'm positive they aren't A5 because as i said i tried a A5 mag in it and it was a lot different. A PRS rep also told me the pups in mine are A2. Not to mention i have used A2 pups in the past and these sound exactly like what i hear in other A2 pups in certain ways. Anyways, what i don't like about the neck is when i turn down to clean up it has little clarity and it never sounds the least bit chimey. Like it has no highs, just high mids.
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

dazco said:
Well, i'm positive they aren't A5 because as i said i tried a A5 mag in it and it was a lot different. A PRS rep also told me the pups in mine are A2. Not to mention i have used A2 pups in the past and these sound exactly like what i hear in other A2 pups in certain ways. Anyways, what i don't like about the neck is when i turn down to clean up it has little clarity and it never sounds the least bit chimey. Like it has no highs, just high mids.
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The DZ 36ths are fairly open sounding and even across the whole spectrum. I've never played them, but have heard them plenty. I have a super strat that is about to get one in the bridge.

Here is a demo in a mahogany body maple cap 24.75 scale guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3OMS4U4ZwE

Duncan alternatives would include the jazz.
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

I've always liked the PRS Tremonti neck pup, it has an almost single coil like clarity, the bridge is powerful, think Gibson 500t, Dimarzio's PAF Joe or Pro with a Fred or MoJo in the bridge would work well in that guitar, and would give you great bite and clarity clean or overdriven. 36ths are great for more vintage (though they can still rock hard!), if you need a super clear neck pup, try the Humbucker from Hell. Personally, I think a Seymour Alnico II Pro set would sound awesome in that guitar, or an A2P neck with a PG bridge or Custom Custom, but they're all A2...whatever you try, good luck and do keep in mind the exchange policy as well!
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

I put Seth's in my SE Santana, and they've worked out well. If yours is especially bright, I recommend an A2P or Slash set.

Duncan has a vast range of PU's, for all genres and types of guitars, you've probably picked the wrong ones for the applications, which can happen with any brand of PU's.
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

I've had several sets I liked in the Santana SE's over the years.

Combo's I've liked:

Seth Set (still my favorite)
59 Set (bridge is bright, but not overly so)
JB w/ A2 magnet, and Full Shred neck
36th Anniversary set
Custom Custom and Pearly Gates neck (very warm set)
Air Zone, Paf Pro (neck is a little dark compared to bridge)
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

Which Duncans you have ever tried? And in what guitar?
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

elelpe said:
Which Duncans you have ever tried? And in what guitar?
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I've been playing since '70 and swapping pups since dimarzio first came out with the SD. So I'd be lucky to remember 10% of what i've tried by duncan. But of the many duncans i have tried, none were satisfactory. They seem to all have something tonally in common i don't care for but can't put my finger on. Maybe seymour voices them all and his ear is very different than mine in what he wabnts to hear, i dunno. Many dimarzios have worked out for me tho. Why? F if i know. But I'm done with em so i'm really only interested in others, especially the dimarzio 36th. In fact, today I decided to replace the neck only since i posted this. The bridge i like, In fact, i think i'm not likely to find anything much better unless i try a lot of pickups. The neck on the other hand sounds lousy clean, so thats gotta go. And i think the 36th will excel at clean neck tones so i'm ordering one in reverse zebra. (reverse from thier black screw coil default) Maybe if it just absolutly has me jumping up and down i'll get the bridge model too. But thats not at all a concern right now.
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

I have the same volume control problem on my SE Bernie, not just with the stock pups but with the Antiquities too. I'm also looking for some replacements. A few months ago on a whim, I put the Ants in. They're nice pups but I'm not sure they're a good match for my guitar. I've wanted to try the 36th's for quite some time now but something's making me a little skittish because like you I'm tired of buying pups that don't work out, not just in this guitar but in my previous guitars as well. Some of the alternatives I've been considering are the Wolfetone Marshallhead/Dr. Vintage, BK Holydiver/Emerald, Suhr Aldrich bridge/BK Emerald neck, or a nice set of creme DiMarzio PAF 36th's. Someone on here just a few days ago (at least I read it a few days ago) said that the DiMarzios have this weird metallic quality to them, and not in a good way. If it's not too much trouble, tell us what you think of your 36th neck when you get it installed. I'd love to hear about it.
 
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Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

Drunken Bowling said:
If it's not too much trouble, tell us what you think of your 36th neck when you get it installed. I'd love to hear about it.
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If i do, i will. But it just hit me the other day....i put a A5 in the bridge pup and didn't care for it and went back to the A2, which by the way grew on me big time since then and i plan to keep it. But it just hit me i should try A5 in the neck pup ! I don't know why i didn't think of this before, but what the A5 did to the bridge's sound is exactly what i want from my neck pup ! So i think that will be all i need to do. A lot cheaper (free since i already have one) and no loss if i don't like it.
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

Aw d@mn....no good. The A5 gave the neck TOO much of that brightness i heard when in the bridge. The clean tones were much better, but a bit too bright. And that flutey lead tone with OD was 80% lost. So back to the A2. Maybe thats my best option....just to stick with all stock pups. not like i'm unhappy with them at all, just wish the neck was a bit better when clean. Oh well......
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

I just put an A3 magnet in a neck position 59 which had an A2 in it. It brightened it up a bit but not as much as a A5 and without the boomy bass. There's also an unorientated A5 which is middle ground between regular A5 and A2 in terms of brightness.

The 36th neck is bright and clear but maybe not as bright as a regular un-aired A5 PAF type. However, I would be afraid of the 36th neck over powering the A2 bridge pickup.
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

Lake Placid Blues said:
I just put an A3 magnet in a neck position 59 which had an A2 in it. It brightened it up a bit but not as much as a A5 and without the boomy bass. There's also an unorientated A5 which is middle ground between regular A5 and A2 in terms of brightness.

The 36th neck is bright and clear but maybe not as bright as a regular un-aired A5 PAF type. However, I would be afraid of the 36th neck over powering the A2 bridge pickup.
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Yeah, i'm not going to bother with any of it. I'm happy enough with it. It's actually pretty nice clean, just not as clear/articulate as i'd like. But perfectly acceptable, so i'm leaving it as is. If ever i owned a guitar i can leave stock and be ecstatic with it, this is it. Sometimes we get so anal about things we end up making them worse, so i'm done.
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

Perhaps you might benefit from a treble bleed on the volume. This would help with rolling the vole down and keeping some life in the guitar.
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

dazco said:
Yeah, i'm not going to bother with any of it. I'm happy enough with it. It's actually pretty nice clean, just not as clear/articulate as i'd like. But perfectly acceptable, so i'm leaving it as is. If ever i owned a guitar i can leave stock and be ecstatic with it, this is it. Sometimes we get so anal about things we end up making them worse, so i'm done.
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Cool!
 
Re: Pups for a PRS SE santana?

I've done a JB/59 in one of those before. It wasn't my guitar, but I do recall it being something of an improvement on stock.
 
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