Neck pickup advice needed

[Slartibartfarst42]

So I've got this Crawler set in my PRS and having tweaked pickup height, pole piece height and added brighter stings, the bridge pickup is sounding really good. Dark and fat and rich but also well articulated and growly. My problem comes with the neck pickup. The tone is fantastic but in my PRS, no matter what I do with the setup, the neck pickup is always very bassy and prone to mushiness. In the lower end it just sounds like there's a blanket on the amp so I've decided that the neck Crawler sadly has to go back for an alternative. This has caused a problem and that is why I need your help.

My first thought was to go for an Abraxas as that is very like a Crawler neck but a bit brighter. After a VERY superficial chat on Facebook last night, Tim seemed to suggest that would be OK, however, on phoning BKP this morning, Ben raised a few doubts. He seemed to think that the Abraxas wouln't be much different to the Crawler as they're extremely close in terms of specification. The Mule neck is brighter again and he seemed to think I may have to go all the way to a Stormy Monday but the problem with that would be mixing an AII neck with an AV bridge, which he didn't think was a good idea. To further complicate matters, I asked him how these pickups compare to a neck Emerald, which is in my other PRS and is perfect but surprisingly, he told me that the Emerald was darker and thicker than the Crawler, Abraxas and Stormy Monday. I find that amazing because both my guitars are PRS SE Custom 24's and I find the Emerald to be noticeably tighter and brighter than the Crawler and with none of the mush.

Would the Abraxas neck still be dark and a little prone to mushiness? Would I be better off going for the Mule? My current thinking is that I might be better with the Mule in the neck but I'd appreciate some advice.

That leaves me wondering if I should leave the bridge the same. I have the Crawler giving me a really nice tone at the moment, though I have had to tinker with it quite a lot to overcome the inherent darkness of the pickup. IF I were to change the bridge too, the only option that seems likely is an Abraxas but I'm unsure about how that would affect things. On the one hand, I like the fat, smoothness of the Crawler which has a real bite to it, even though its darkness did cause a few setup issues. Conversely, the brighter Abraxas means it might cut through a bit better without all that tinkering and retain the fat smoothness, but would the AIV magnet inevitably lead me back into the realms of mushiness due to the softer bass response?

Any thoughts?

[Slartibartfarst42]

Well, I've made the next step myself. The neck Crawler was sent back today and the bridge Crawler is staying where it is; that one's just too effective to drop. Although the neck Crawler is on its way back, I still don't know what it's being replaced with and I now have very little time to make a decision. I know that the Emerald neck is awesome but I don't want two guitars with the same pickups. The Crawler neck I know is too dark and too soft in the bass; it just sounds like there's a blanket over the amp too much of the time. Clearly I need something between the two that will go well with a Crawler in the bridge. I've toyed with Abraxas because my understanding is that it's a brighter version of the Crawler but Ben tells me there won't be much, if any, difference. I know the Cold Sweat is good but possibly a bit too bright and a bit modern to go with a Crawler bridge while the Mule may not have enough power and again, Ben suggested it was much the same as the Crawler neck. My options seem to therefore be limited to Abraxas, Black Dog, VHII and Rebel Yell. Any thoughts?

[fhn_lopes]

EMERALD EMERALD EMERALD EMERALD EMERALD EMERALD  EMERALD EMERALD EMERALD EMERALD  EMERALD EMERALD EMERALD EMERALD  EMERALD EMERALD EMERALD  EMERALD EMERALD

Who am I to say the opposite of what Tim said but, in my experience with the EM neck, it's everything but dark. IT's cristal clear, defined and focused, with a beautiful voicing in the high end. It never gets flabby, never gets muddy in the low end. The igh end is soft but not dark, very bright pups indeed.... don't know why tim said that.

Maybe if you're afraid of EM being too dark, I'd go with riff raff or VHII. VHII neck is a true overwound  PAF, and it is probably a bit darker than the Emerald because of the extra wire.



I'd go with the Emerald without any fear of it being too dark.

[ericsabbath]

riff raff is a safe bet

the neck vhii is quite bright in the bridge (sounds very close to a riff raff), but it's not bright in the neck
more of a fat and growly paf tone

[darrenw5094]

VHII sounds great in my PRS CU22. Something different for you.

[bandmaster188]

its a bit of a tough call given the advice from bkp. the abraxas neck pickup in my lp standard is definately not dark or mushy sounding. its really open and clear even with a good amount of gain. i would try a mule or an abraxas. they are both gonna compliment the bridge pickup. i've never tried the RY's but they have a reputation for being bright. i still think there is something sweet about alnico IV in the neck though. so i reckon on a MULE!!

[Telerocker]

its a bit of a tough call given the advice from bkp. the abraxas neck pickup in my lp standard is definately not dark or mushy sounding. its really open and clear even with a good amount of gain. i would try a mule or an abraxas. they are both gonna compliment the bridge pickup. i've never tried the RY's but they have a reputation for being bright. i still think there is something sweet about alnico IV in the neck though. so i reckon on a MULE!!

You can't go (really) wrong with Mule or Abraxas.

[Philly Q]

I think Ben is probably right that the Mule and Abraxas won't be "different enough" from the Crawler neck.  They'll be a bit brighter but it's hardly going to be a night and day difference.

If you want something significantly different from those three, I'm thinking Alnico V, and I'm thinking Riff Raff.  But if you pick a bright neck pickup, there's not going to be much of a contrast with the Crawler bridge.

[bandmaster188]

don't know what the pot values are in your prs, but would changing them to  550k help open things up a bit???

[Kiichi]

Personally I would stay clear of the Mule. Not that you would not like its sound, quite to the contrary, but I cannot see it hold a balance with the Crawler. I really like my Mule neck too, beautiful thing with a wonderful voice which fits both our taste I would think, but when I have it in the same axe as my RY bridge I feel it is a bit underpowered. If it were a bit hotter I would totally love it and it would sit perfectly, but there is a push that is not there. Right now I have a AM neck there, but that is too modern and fluid, not old school enough. I recond pairing with the RY bridge I would need either a Emerald or a RY, probably the later.

So I really canīt see you getting on with the Mule in this pairing if I feel it a little under with the RY I think it could drown against the Crawler.

Also I would say donīt get another Emerald. With the BKP range being what it is there must be something else out there for you which gives you something different and nicely complement the Crawler.
I think I would look into the RY neck, I hear it is between the CS and Emerald.

[BigB]

Personally I would stay clear of the Mule. Not that you would not like its sound, quite to the contrary, but I cannot see it hold a balance with the Crawler.

This. It would sound good by itself but you won't get a usable balance - that's why the Crawler neck is how it is, really an attempt at getting the Mule neck voicing with enough power to keep up with the Crawler bridge. I'm afraid you'd have the same problem with the RR neck FWIW.

[lamp]

I've got a RY neck that I have paired with an ABomb bridge that I love.  The RY is really nice and clear, not muddy in the slightest and not unpleasantly bright either.  Definitely a modern tone, but versatile. 

[Slartibartfarst42]

So, Abraxas may be too like the Crawler and the Mule or Riff Raff may not have enough power. Rebel Yell sounds promising if it's between an Emerald and Cold Sweat, both of which I like. VHII may be good and fit well as long as it's bright enogh. The AIV of the Emerald is sweet but it looks like other AIV options are limited. Looks like my initial thoughts were right in Abraxas, VHII or Rebel Yell. Mmmm, choices  :?

[dingleberry]

VHII neck is pretty awesome, have no experiences with the other models.  I think I posted some clips in the players section if you're looking for a reference

[Slartibartfarst42]

Ben thinks I'm missing the cut of a modern pickup. While the Emerald is AIV, it is still quite midern. I think he's right so it needs to be AV. Something sweet like the Emerald and with more modern cut. Rebel Yell sounds good but he said it was thin? VHII he said was fat and a bit more vintage. Also suggested Holydiver. I think I need to learn more about these 3