Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Erskine on November 22, 2017, 10:35:51 AM
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Hi there. I am new to the forum and this is my first post.
I have a 2009 PRS Custom 24. It has Vintage Bass and HFS pickups fitted to it and I have always found these to be too bright. I am considering replacing these and would like some ideas on what would suit. I would particularly like to hear from anyone who has done this successfully and taken the edge of the tone of the original pickups.
What I am aiming for is something less bright, more creamy and more smooth Les Paul blues type. A buttery blues tone. I do realise that there is more to achieving tone than simply switching out the pickups and that is why I am posting. There is a big difference in the weight of a PRS to a Les Paul, the position of the neck pickup, the vibrato cavity and springs make a difference, as do the switching combinations and inability to adjust tone and volume individually on the PRS. So, I am wondering if it is at all possible or if I am wasting my time....... and money! But at present I am becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the PRS.
I use a Laney L20t amp. And while I can get close to a reasonable smooth blues sound, I find that when the high strings sound reasonable, the bass strings sound muddy and loud. In trying to correct the bass strings, I again end up with a glassy, over-bright tone from the treble end. The PU switching on this guitar is:
Position 1: Bridge pickup
Position 2: Outside coils
Position 3: Series single coils
Position 4: Parallel single coils
Position 5: Neck pickup
I seldom use the 1, 2 and 4 positions as these tend to be just too bright.
I have had a quick look on the forum for previous advice on this switch but have not found anything that meets exactly what I am looking for. I read recently that Adam Goldsmith switched to Mules on his PRS and that sounded better but still had a bit too much high end on it. It has also been suggested that Abraxas may be better for what I am wanting than Mules as they have less high end. However, in reading something on this forum, it seemed to suggest that someone switched to those pickups as they were hotter than Mules.
So, if anyone has any advice, I would be really grateful.
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Abraxas performs well in PRS-guitars. It's a hotrodded Mule, with more mids and less topend than Mules, however the Mule doesn't have annoying treble.
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Abraxas performs well in PRS-guitars. It's a hotrodded Mule, with more mids and less topend than Mules, however the Mule doesn't have annoying treble.
That kinda sounds like it is taking me back to Mules then? Are you suggesting that the Abraxas would be a bit brighter?
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No I think he's suggesting the opposite - i.e., that the Abraxas has less top-end than the Mule - while clarifying that the extra top end on the Mule is not obnoxious.
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No I think he's suggesting the opposite - i.e., that the Abraxas has less top-end than the Mule - while clarifying that the extra top end on the Mule is not obnoxious.
Right, thanks. I was thinking that the annoying treble on the Abraxas would be as bad as the annoying treble on my HFS/VB pickups that produces the over bright sound.
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No I think he's suggesting the opposite - i.e., that the Abraxas has less top-end than the Mule - while clarifying that the extra top end on the Mule is not obnoxious.
Right, thanks. I was thinking that the annoying treble on the Abraxas would be as bad as the annoying treble on my HFS/VB pickups that produces the over bright sound.
Right guys. BKP's seldom have annoying treble. Mules are balanced, but the Mule-bridge is clearer than the Abraxas-bridge, which has a bit more mids and not as much treble as a Mule. The splits are happening on the Abraxas. If you're looking for a huge, midemphasized sound with balls you might want to have a look at the Crawler too.
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Right guys. BKP's seldom have annoying treble. Mules are balanced, but the Mule-bridge is clearer than the Abraxas-bridge, which has a bit more mids and not as much treble as a Mule. The splits are happening on the Abraxas. If you're looking for a huge, midemphasized sound with balls you might want to have a look at the Crawler too.
Ok, thanks for that. I'll check out the site and listen to how they sound.
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Ah, now the Crawlers do start to sound what I am looking for. It may be that those would indeed tame the PRS.
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Ah, now the Crawlers do start to sound what I am looking for. It may be that those would indeed tame the PRS.
They will. Topend is round, but not dull and, when pushed, they growl in a unique way. The split is great too on the Crawler, almost like a telecaster. The neck-Crawler is one of the warmest BKP's, so you could also consider a Mule-neck.
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crawler should make it more lespaul-like
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Thanks guys. I was looking for a 'thanks' button, but can't find one. :shocked:
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crawler should make it more lespaul-like
Definitely! Even my Crawler loaded strat sounds fatter than some Les Pauls.
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Have you seen my Abraxas / PRS Custom 24 review?
https://forum.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/index.php?topic=34311.msg430567#msg430567
No annoying treble anywhere on the horizon.
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Have you seen my Abraxas / PRS Custom 24 review?
https://forum.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/index.php?topic=34311.msg430567#msg430567
No annoying treble anywhere on the horizon.
Thanks. I have just read the review now. Very interesting. I would probably be quite happy with the tone from that neck pickup. However, the switching I have would be different, as I described above. Mine has the old rotary style switch, while you have the 5-way Strat style? I know there used to be wiring diagrams floating around to reconfigure this switch, but I have not seen one for a while. Anyway, that is a whole other issue.
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You are right, I have the five way blade switch. I hadn't realized they changed the pickup selection when they made that change. Different cup of tea but fairly certain it can be figured out. Best of luck with it.
I should add that I wrote that several months back now and am still very pleased with the set up. I'm definitely keeping these in the PRS.
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Funny that you perceive the HFS/Vintage Bass combo as bright. The HFS to me sounded very middy whereas the VB was way too bassy (just to avoid the dreaded "m"-word).
Another vote for the Crawler bridge in the bridge spot. That is what I have in my PRS Custom (also a 24 fret model).
I found that in the neck spot of a 24 fret guitar the VHII neck is great. That is what I use in the PRS. It maintains some tightness in the low end but still does not sound thin or overly bright in the highs.
Cheers Stephan
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Funny that you perceive the HFS/Vintage Bass combo as bright. The HFS to me sounded very middy whereas the VB was way too bassy (just to avoid the dreaded "m"-word).
Another vote for the Crawler bridge in the bridge spot. That is what I have in my PRS Custom (also a 24 fret model).
I found that in the neck spot of a 24 fret guitar the VHII neck is great. That is what I use in the PRS. It maintains some tightness in the low end but still does not sound thin or overly bright in the highs.
Cheers Stephan
Good call, the neck-VHII stays more focussed than say a Mule-neck, which is imho more lush and even balanced.