Which PUPs similar / better than PRS CE 24

[andyg_prs]

Hi,

I have been recording an album with a prog rock band that has a metal edge...using my 1994 PRS CE24 which I believe has the HFS (bridge),  Vintage Bass (neck) pickups.  I'm getting a great heavy sound although I could do with even 'cleaner' more powerful distortion tones at times when riffing. 

Last April I built a through neck strat type guitar (not kit, from scratch), flamed maple top, fijian mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard 24 frets, fixed bridge.  I put in SD StagMag humbuckers and a central single coil hoping to be able to get the most variety of full on and strat like sounds. It has volume / tone, 5 way selector and coil taps on both humbuckers.

I love the way the guitar looks and plays but the wood which I selected before getting to the build course was actually much lighter than I thought it would be (I had imagined a strat with a les paul construction) and the combination of the light body and pickups means the sound is nowhere near as powerful as I'd hoped.  Now, I could replace the pickups with an EMG 81/85 set and probably get all of the power and snarl that I need.  However, I'm wondering if that would make the guitar a one trick poney and I'd lose the ability to get the sounds I want for blues / funk / reggae in my other bands.....?

So here comes the million dollar question (and I'm sorry you must get asked this all the time) - what pickups would you recommend that will give me the warm yet powerful sound I'm looking for when playing rock / metal (I've indicated the PRS to let you know what guitar is closest in sound to what I'm looking for....but not quite there yet) and the warm / clean and in between jazz / funk / blues sounds that I might want the rest of the time.  I'm hoping giving the guitar construction details might help here as well.

Thanks in advance for your help.  If anyone is interested I could always post a pick of the guitar  :D

Andy

[Telerocker]

Black Dogs will do metal very good, as well rock, blues and clean stuff.

[ericsabbath]

nailbomb or cold sweat set
maybe a  rebel yell set

remember your PRS is alder body, though, and the PRS HFS is fairly bright
I just learned that fijian mahogany is the same species as the honduran and the brazilian, so I suppose it's quite middy and resonant (african mahogany tends to sound less resonant, a bit darker and more dense sounding)

the cold sweat would give a nice balance, but the higher strings might get somewhat piercing for the funk/reggae stuff

nailbombs will give you the full power you want

[northlane.josh]

the HFS is VERY bright as is your guitar.
Other guitarist in my band has a CE22. Alder body/maple neck/ rosewood board/ bolt on.

i would back the RY for this particular guitar

[darkbluemurder]

I have a HFS and I don't hear it as bright. In fact I put it in my brightest guitar (together with the matching Vintage Bass) and have successfully tamed its brightness. The Gibson Dirty Finger was brighter in this guitar, and so was the Rio Grande BBQ, not to mention the two WCRs that were in there before.

To the OP: To me it is not clear whether it is only more power that you are after or whether your current tone is too thin. If the latter is the case EMGs will get you nowhere. I once replaced a SD JB with an EMG 81 and the guitar became even thinner sounding than before.

I can personally recommend the Holydiver for getting a thicker tone.

Cheers Stephan

[andyg_prs]

Thanks Stephan,

I was looking for both more power and a thicker sound....the latter being the most important.  Bareknuckle pickups sound tempting but they are very pricey....

Cheers,
Andy

[Slartibartfarst42]

My understanding is that he's not after pickups for the PRS but he wants pickups for his custom built maple thru-neck that will give a similar feel to the PRS. My understanding is that a maple thru-neck is quite middy, though I imagine the maple cap and mahogany wings will help to balance things out a little. Of the Bare Knuckle pickups I've tried, my first thought was Miracle Man but I don't think it's flexible enough for the range of styles you're after. Although I can't comment from personal experience, my research would suggest a Holydiver for warm and thick tones with sweet leads and good cleans but conversely, you may find the Nailbomb more versatile. I'd say one of those two but hopefully somebody with more experience of these two models will be able to comment.

[darkbluemurder]

My understanding is that he's not after pickups for the PRS but he wants pickups for his custom built maple thru-neck that will give a similar feel to the PRS.

That was my understanding as well but to me it was unclear whether he wanted only more power or more power and/or a thicker tone which he clarified.

I stick to my HD bridge recommendation.

[andyg_prs]

Thanks guys,

What's your neck pup recommendation?  Any advice on where to score good deals....it's just a bit worrying to spend a lot on pickups I've never tried.....and I spent a lot on the new SDs for the guitar which has turned out to be a mostly wasted investment - I doubt I'll get much more than £30 a pickup on ebay.... :(

Cheers,
Andy

[kevinr]

Holydiver , VHII, Nailbomb and Coldsweat are all great pickups any one would fit in with the HD bridge.

[Telerocker]

VHII is a great neckpu.

[andyg_prs]

Hi,

I may get the chance to pick up a pair of nailbombs at a decent price.  What do you think of those for my guitar?

Cheers,
Andy

[ericsabbath]

Hi,

I may get the chance to pick up a pair of nailbombs at a decent price.  What do you think of those for my guitar?

Cheers,
Andy

prog rock
metal edge
great heavy sound even 'cleaner' more powerful distortion tones at times when riffing
all of the power and snarl that I need
ability to get the sounds for blues / funk / reggae
warm yet powerful sound
playing rock / metal
warm / clean and in between jazz / funk / blues sounds
more power and a thicker sound

your own posts answer your question
 8)

[andyg_prs]

Are you suggesting I will get this entire wishlist from the Nailbomb model?  :D