NGD Disappointment- Help lol!

[mkh02]

Well the new guitar day arrived today!

2008 PRS Custom 22 with Rosewood neck and Dragon II pickups.

I must say I am a bit disappointed....sound is distorted in all the wrong places.

Chords are a bit fizzy and tin sounding and the high E note above the 12th fret sounds thin almost like there is no distortion at all.

My custom shop strat with coldsweat pickups in it has soaring lead notes and can really wail in the solos and my Les Paul with Nailbombs is a great classic rock machine with thumping chords.

The PRS was meant to be a half way house but I dont know lol! It feels like a joy to play but the sound gets hissy with too much gain and the notes arent articulated enough or thick enough in the lead work.

Any one have any similar experiences? Opinions on Dragon II pickups perhaps? I wouldnt say I am a metal head at al but I do like a bit of scoop and thickness in my lead work..feels that some of the lead work is being played through a gretch or an epiphone casino lol....very thin!!

Advice please..a pickup change may be an idea but it seems a shame to replace them when I have just unloaded over £2000 on a guitar!

It does sound like an acoustic when unplugged loads of resonance and sustain but man the electric sound is weak!

[HTH AMPS]

I think this illustrates the importance of trying out a guitar in person before buying - especially on such an expensive purchase.

That really sucks man, but if the guitar plays nice and is resonant (as you say), then getting some BKPs in it will make it kiss ass.  You will get a good price for your pickups too - PRS pickups seems to fetch a decent price on ebay.

[Philly Q]

It may be a case of getting used to the guitar, re-adjusting your amp settings etc.  PRS pickups aren't that bad!

Hopefully Twinfan will chime in - I think he's said that the rosewood-necked PRS models tend to be a bit brighter which might account for some of the sounds you're getting.

Was it bought from a shop, or an individual?  If it's from a shop and you really don't like it, I'd seriously consider taking advantage of the 7-day return policy (assuming there is one).  Don't keep it, then decide you don't want it any more and sell it - you'll only lose money.

[Twinfan]

Did someone call?  :lol:

Rosewood necked PRSi have a thinner more scooped sound that you're used too.  You may need to adjust your amp settings to suit, and possibly adjust the pickup heights too.

Also, PRSi tend to have their own thing going on in the tone department.  They don't sound like a thick fat Les Paul, but give a great punchy rock tone.

Dragon IIs are 12k/8k Alnico pickups, and if they're like the McCarty pickups quite flabby and indistinct.  If the guitar resonates well and you want to keep it, I'd try a pickup swap.  I loved the Holydivers in my McCarty Rosewood and have Emeralds in my McCarty Korina...

[dave_mc]

Was it bought from a shop, or an individual?  If it's from a shop and you really don't like it, I'd seriously consider taking advantage of the 7-day return policy (assuming there is one).  Don't keep it, then decide you don't want it any more and sell it - you'll only lose money.

if it was bought from a shop new in europe they don't have to have a return policy- distance selling regulations are the law, they have to offer a 7-day right of return (with a few exceptions, but an off-the-shelf guitar shouldn't count as one). :)

[viking]

My first PRS was a Custom22 (mahogany neck).The guitar was soo great played unplugged but ,plugged-in, it was completely different.The in-between positions were fine but i was very disappointed by the lead-tones.If,like me,you don't like the Dragon2,don't worry,you're not alone.Many PRS owners dislike them (they are kind of famous for that);surprisingly,some people LOVE them to death,though  :)!But,obviously,you're not one of them...So,the solution is obvious...go Bareknuckle  :D!I have a calibrated set of Mules in my Cu22 .You could try your Cold Sweat from your strat first ?It should be great !

[mkh02]

Thanks for the feedback guys

Its strange as it is obviously not a cr@p guitar lol everything on it is so well made...but yeah that sound is just not for me.

The guy I got it from would probably be ok with a return..the problem is i live on an island and cant really try out guitars before I buy just gotta do a lot of research.

I must admit that everytime I have swapped pickups to Bareknuckle I have been very impressed...I have always fancied a holy diver maybe this would be the time to try it out... will have to hit the guitar hard tomo and decide.

If I were to change it would the pickups have to be made different what with the bareknuckle position switching? Or is the rewiring pretty standard?

Any more feedback on the tone would be great!

[PhilKing]

You have to have the magnet flipped in one pickup (neck usually), if you have the PRS 5-Way switch.  I have had VHII's on my Artist 22 but changed to mules (though I would recommend the VHII's as the are really versatile, but I have them in another guitar too).  Another pickup set that I have in my Single Cut is the Abraxas - they are like hot PAF's.  I have 4 PRS's with BK's in all of them.

[Philly Q]

I haven't got round to changing the pickups on any of my PRS guitars.  But maybe I should.  :lol:

[Stevepage]

I must be one of those people that like the Dragon II's. Thinner from 12th fret up? sounds like the pickups are too close to the strings when you're that high up.