PRS CE-24 Pickup suggestions - Newbie :)

[markeje]

Hey guys,
I'm new to the forum and to Bare Knuckle pups. I have a CE-24 20th with stock pups. I play through a Baron Custom K88 and Mesa 4x12 Recto Cab. The sound is good and my cover band digs the sound but I KNOW it can be better.
The Baron is a gain monster so there's plenty usable on tap there. It punches hard and tight BUT what I am missing is clarity in the chords. I like to be able to hit a 6 string chord and hear all the strings creating that awesome dynamic sound. We cover bands such as Metallica, Tool, Foo, Chevelle, Soundgarden, Megadeth, Pearl Jam and so on....

The guitar has a mahogany body and a rosewood finger board - So what should I consider and is there anything special I need to do? Read something about the magnet needing reversed??

thanks!

[EffigyForgotten]

Blackhawk's.

[Telerocker]

Miracle Man or, if you want a little less low end and more centermids, Holy Diver.

[ericsabbath]

well, that's a lot of different tones
the miracle man works perfect for chevelle and metallica, good for tool, not so great for stuff like soundgarden, foo fighters and pearl jam (I like less hot pups like the riff raff and black dog for those)

maybe something in between like the emerald might work for you
soundwise it's more like the prs dragon II that come in the 22 frets versions of custom and CE, so it's brighter and not as hot and middy as the stock HFS

if you just want more clarity, but keep a similar fat midrangy voicing, the holy diver should work pretty well

[darrenw5094]

Blackhawk's.

Dude, you said the Blackhawk were Sh1te on another thread. :)

[TheyCallMeVolume]

I'd say Miracle Man.

[darkbluemurder]

if you just want more clarity, but keep a similar fat midrangy voicing, the holy diver should work pretty well

This.

For the neck I would consider the VHII neck or the Cold Sweat neck. Holydiver bridge + Cold Sweat neck is what I have in my PRS CU24.

When you order, you should specify in the comments box that they will go into a PRS CE24 with the 5-way-rotary. The BKP team will then make sure that you get the correct magnet pattern to get the various linkages on the 5-way humcancelling.

Cheers Stephan

[Shadow78]

Hello,

I have a CE24 with a 5 way rotary myself and I just got finished with my upgrade to mine. It was a beast. When I spoke with Tim, he told me the Nailombs and he was right! If you have a 5 way rotary on that one, you will need the magnet flip. I play a lot of the same music as you. Tim is your best source if he's available. Here are my 2 cents!

I find that the PRS pickups are very dark and muddy. The nailbomb, even through a high gain amp is very clear, articulate and clean. This is the case even under really high gain. I play through a Mesa Boogie F-50 and that's a really dark amp. I also agree that the Holy divers are a good choice too. I just got a set of them in my alder 7 string. The Holydivers really show their colors in very bright, resonant guitars. I had a long discussion wtih Tim about this! He's such a great resource! The Holydivers have a broad midrange response with a softer treble, so if you guitar is one that could be Alder, it's a great choice. If it's mahogany, then I'd say a nailbomb more than likely. Again, consult Tim or even Nick at the Axe Palace. He's really helpful too.

Overall, I found the nailbomb to be very tight, responsive to any amp changes and pickup height and versatile enough to cover anything from blues to metal given the correct amp settings. The neck humbucker has a very Stratty quality to it that i just love. Either way, I think the Nailbomb or Holy diver is a good starting point.

Make sure you are clear to Tim what your body woods are, amp, settings and tonal quality of the guitar itself are. If the guitar is bright, then pick a softer pickup, etc.

Good luck!