Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Twinfan on January 13, 2012, 03:45:29 PM
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OK, so things are starting to take shape. As always, I like to try new stuff and have been wanting to try a PRS 'Sweet Switch' out but didn't fancy paying £2000+ for a 20+ year old guitar. I like newer stuff and wondered if I could come up with something myself on a budget.
So, one call to Mark @ Guitars4You and he secured me a set of reissue ‘Original T&B’ PRS pickups for a very good price. These were fitted to the first PRS guitars, so would be the perfect match for a Sweet Switch:
(https://stores.myregisteredsite.com/user1410582/mm5/graphics/00000001/Standard%20Pickups_LG.jpg)
Next step was to find a Sweet Switch, which proved problematic as PRS have stopped providing them as spare parts. Luckily, our very own Jon @ Feline Guitars had one in his parts drawer. Cheers again Jon!
(http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Sweet-Switch-PRS-Paul-Reed-Smith-guitars-/00/s/NzY4WDEwMjQ=/$(KGrHqYOKnEE6G+nBU2dBOsokKhO)Q~~60_12.JPG)
Now I need a donor guitar, and so I have this on its way to me late next week – a 25th Anniversary PRS SE Custom 24. Perfect, and in one of the original PRS colours, Scarlet Red. To be honest I’m not massively keen on the looks, but I’m getting it for a great price:
(http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd394/ZZRClingy/IMAG0949.jpg)
All-in, the project has cost £500 and I’ll have a great backup guitar for gigs too. Should be fun to put together!
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Sweet!
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cool project - but we all know this'll be in seconds out in a few weeks ;)
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What does this sweet switch do, then Dave?
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It supposedly knocks off a little bit of top end and makes the tone less harsh in the top end - there are stories of Carlos Santana discussing wireless systems with PRS saying that it made his guitar brighter. He was missing the capacitive treble loss of his guitar leads when using a wireless, so PRS set out to replicate that; apparently.
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Nice guitar and versatile with the sweet switch. I like this guitar most in amber though. I'm such a traditionalist...
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cool project - but we all know this'll be in seconds out in a few weeks ;)
:lol:
It is a very cool project. But I can't help feeling the SE won't quite cut the mustard and you'll want to upgrade.....
(That said, I have GAS for one of the SE models at the moment...)
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We'll see how it goes, but who cares if it ends up in Seconds Out - it's fun trying these things! :)
The Sweet Switch replicates a long cable, so it's actually a delay line rather than a capacitor/resistor network. It supposedly gives a sort-of c--ked-wah type tone.
Are you after a Bernie Marsden SE, Phil?
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We'll see how it goes, but who cares if it ends up in Seconds Out - it's fun trying these things! :)
Very fair point Dave, all joking apart you're 100% right there! :)
Are you after a Bernie Marsden SE, Phil?
Believe it or not, I am digging the Fredrik Akesson SE. I really like the ebony board and TonePros bridge.... I'd like to actually try one though, rather than blind buying.
(http://images.miretail.com/products/optionLarge/PRS/DV016_Jpg_Large_H75861.001_forntida_brun.jpg)
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They look great! I prefer the Bernie though:
(http://worldguitars.co.uk/images/uploads/prs_berniemarsden_full.jpg)
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the Bernie is very classic 90's PRS - but singlecut. i like it
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Shobet and I got to play the Bernie in Tone World. Better than the other SE guitars I have played
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The only feature I don't like about the Bernie is - like the DGT - the three knobs.
To be honest I'd prefer just two, to keep things simple, but four would look better.
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That Bernie is very Slash
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I like the look of that Bernie.
Interesting project Dave - hope it works out for you. Not sure I like that colour though!
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From this clip I don't quite see what's so special about the sweet switch sound? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVNF-VU7FIk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVNF-VU7FIk)
I think I would find a blower switch to be much more useful.
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Horses for courses mate.
Here's another example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEKQodMrjmI
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If this guitar is ever in Basingstoke I'd love to give it a go :wink:
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The Akesson guitar looks great!
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If this guitar is ever in Basingstoke I'd love to give it a go :wink:
If you can get over the colour eh mate ;)
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:D
It might look better in the flesh.
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I've never been a big fan of red guitars (as opposed to cherry). Never liked Sammy Hagar's various signature models over the years, for example, and - sacrilege! - I really don't like those hallowed Fiesta Red Strats at all. :o
But transparent red finishes can look just fine.
As can red sparkle. :wink:
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Red Sparkle is lovely ;)
I personally think the SE I'm getting is hideous, and the only thing I like is the slight chevron to the veneer top and the birds.
It's all about the tone experiment this one!
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If this switch replicates the treble roll off of a long cable because the wireless systems didn't, why not just use a long cable between the wireless receiver and amp, or am I missing something?
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Because you can't turn a long cable off if you want to, unless you add a remote switcher and some sort of foot control.
Much easier to have a little toggle on the guitar ;)
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Wine red is fine by me as opposed to nasty bright red (fiesta) but either way for a 'monkey' you can't possibly go wrong
especially with those tasty looking pups.
Another fan of that Akesson model here though, it looks err right, apart from the nasty SE which spoils the otherwise perfect heastock.
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Another fan of that Akesson model here though, it looks err right, apart from the nasty SE which spoils the otherwise perfect heastock.
I don't really mind the "SE", but I don't particularly like the artists' names appearing on the signature models. I suppose it would be silly if they didn't have their names on, though.
At least it hasn't got a big "O" or "ET" on the body, like the Akerfeldt and Catanese models. I like both those guitars, but I don't think I could live with the body art.
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OK, so 9am this morning she arrived. Has to be deal of the century so far:
Excellent condition SE Custom 24 25th Anniversary
Original Gig bag
Hiscox hard case
3 sets of D'Addario10s
Sat AM delivery
£275 :D
A quick play as stock, and the frets aren't as high as I like plus it needs a setup tweak. But it sounds pretty good, plays good and will be excellent as a back-up. It's quite thick sounding and actually works really well in Drop D, which is what it'll be in most of the time. All good so far!
Time to fire up the soldering iron...
(http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg741/scaled.php?tn=0&server=741&filename=uersc.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640)
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275£ seems like a steal! :D
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^ It does indeed!
Is this your first "SE experience", Dave? Obviously it's apples and oranges, but I'll ask anyway - how does it feel compared with your expensive PRS guitars?
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It is indeed my first SE. It feels very much like my old Epiphone SG that I used for several years in YC/DC. Overall quality is very good, I'm looking forward to hearing how it sounds later with the mods and fresh strings.
It's currently stripped having just had the volume pot hole enlarged so I can fit a spare CTS pot I had lying around. Just the wiring to solder up now...
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Done.
'kin 'ell these T&Bs are BRIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!
Loving the sweet switch...
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'kin 'ell these T&Bs are BRIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!
I wouldn't have expected that. Especially when you said the guitar's thick-sounding.
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It was as stock, but with no tone pot and the T&Bs it's like a souped up Tele :o
Not what I was expecting at all...
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Oh yes,the original T&B's were known to be VERY bright,so much so that PRS had to mod them (the B and E slugs) and i guess the "sweet switch" was also made to tame the highs somehow..Dave,did you prefer the sound with the stock pu's?
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Looks like the sweet switch was a 'must have' with the original T and B pickups to tame the brightness. As PRS developed their pickups over the years it probably wasn't necessary and they dropped it.
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Is this going to be in seconds out soon is the questio no my lips? Not that I'd buy it - just curious!
Would like to see it in the flesh Dave, feel free to pop over to mine with it should it ever be in the 'stoke. :wink:
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I prefer the sound with the T&Bs, it's just different to what I'm used to. What I'm finding is that for clean tones you use the neck pickup with the sweet switch off, and for gain tones you use the bridge with the sweet switch on. I need to hear it loud, so I'll see how it sounds on a couple of tunes at my gig tonight :)
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Gig on a sunday.
Is it local?
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It's in Hindley mate, localish?
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Back to the guitar - it's all sorted. Completely re-wired, fully setup, fretboard oiled and ready to go tonight :)
After a bit of dialling in the pickups I'm really starting to like it. It sounds quite different to everything else I have, and was good fun to put together. We'll see how she sounds later!
(http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r267/junkacct/Guitar%20stuff/2012-01-22121221.jpg)
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Back to the gig :D
I'm in prestwich tonight, if i'm free at the righht time i'll drop you a text.
Back to the guitar. Looks nice and simple
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Top stuff :)
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That does look rather pretty. I look forward to seeing it in seconds out in due course.
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:lol:
I think it'll only be in Seconds Out if I decide to transplant the electrics into a USA PRS instead...
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:lol:
I think it'll only be in Seconds Out if I decide to transplant the electrics into a USA PRS instead...
Have you got yours eyes on one yet Dave? :D
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:lol:
I think it'll only be in Seconds Out if I decide to transplant the electrics into a USA PRS instead...
Have you got yours eyes on one yet Dave? :D
3, 2, 1... Yes, he already spotted one :P
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Ha ha!
I spotted one in December at Guitars4You, but Mark had sold it the previous day. I'm still annoyed I missed it :(
I'm after a Standard 24 (all mahogany body and no maple top) with a Regular neck profile, so I'm keeping an eye out.
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:lol:
I think it'll only be in Seconds Out if I decide to transplant the electrics into a USA PRS instead...
Have you got yours eyes on one yet Dave? :D
3, 2, 1... Yes, he already spotted one :P
:lol:
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Ha ha!
I spotted one in December at Guitars4You, but Mark had sold it the previous day. I'm still annoyed I missed it :(
I'm after a Standard 24 (all mahogany body and no maple top) with a Regular neck profile, so I'm keeping an eye out.
It's a shame they discontinued that model. I remember he had a couple of nice Standards in the last year or so - funny how it's never at the time you're actually looking for one! :roll: :lol:
Which reminds me, I asked this somewhere but not, I think, in this thread.... how much of a maple top is there on the SE?
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Ha ha!
I spotted one in December at Guitars4You, but Mark had sold it the previous day. I'm still annoyed I missed it :(
I'm after a Standard 24 (all mahogany body and no maple top) with a Regular neck profile, so I'm keeping an eye out.
Pity timing didn't work out - I traded my Standard 24 in for a Studio - could have done a deal when you were selling your Gold Top DGT. :x
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Well the Standard 24 Satin I wanted had been at Mark's for over a year. He sold it one day, then had an enquiry on it later that same afternoon and then me wanting to buy it the next day! Mad huh?
Phil - there's about a 3/4 inch maple top on the SE with a quilt cap...
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Phil - there's about a 3/4 inch maple top on the SE with a quilt cap...
Thanks Dave! :)
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The standards are very underrated. I have a 1990 with birds and a set of Rebel Yells and it screams. It had changed pickups when I got it, so this was a good opportunity to put them in. Unfortunately it had also lost the 5 way and sweet switch. I was able to get a 5-way from PRS (and the strap buttons), but couldn't get a sweet switch at the time.