PRS Custom SE24-7 Pickup Change

[Mike Despres]

Hello everyone, first time posting here so I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place/not really interesting! So, I have a PRS 7 string (vintage sunburst) that I am really happy with, but when I start playing the low A/B string the clarity disappears... I'm aware that the scale length of this instrument is 25" so it's never going to be extremely clear, but I'm looking to try my best, so I'm looking for a pickup upgrade from BKP. My gigging amp is a Laney IRT60H + IRT212 and my practice amp is a Line 6 Spider 3 (primarily looking for it to sound good with the Laney not the Line 6).

I play in a covers band which ranges from 1960s-2000s (mainly pop and rock, you know; Beatles through to Led Zeppelin, the things that the mass majority usually likes), an E.L.O. tribute band, and two original bands, one being a pop rock band, and the other being a metal/progressive band. So I'm looking for a pickup that has superb quality in lower tunings (drop A) along with a versatile range for all types of music. Just to say as well that the PRS' treble is quite high, which is especially apparent when playing in the higher registers and I do also have different guitars too but I usually like my guitars to be as versatile as can be.

Thanks for your time and hopefully your help!

Mike

[Kiichi]

Hi and welcome!
You certainly are in the right place here and we are glad to help mate, tis what we do around here.

What you are asking for is pretty darn insane I have to say, a 25" 7 string which ranges from the Beatles to prog metal. Wow xD

One question I have is that you say the PRS has "high treble". Do you mean acousticly or through the amp?

Now for what you want three pubs immediatly spring to my mind: Mule, Abraxas and Rebel Yell, with the Mule being my fav for you.

The Mule is a classic vintage PU. A perfect 59 PAF pup. A very balanced and open sound in the bridge, classic feel. Perfect for the old school side of your playing. However, since BKPs are insane, this thing can do much more. Got a nice amp and a proper pedal? Rock? No issue. Old school metal? BKP founder Tim Mills uses one in a Ozzy cover band. Need more still? Have a look here, a Vik guitar with a Mule bridge and a Manhattan (a P90 voiced for jazz) in the neck.
http://youtu.be/g-xQJOu9mN8
Enough said? Good ;)
The neck is also just as great, being a nice warm neck sound with amazing cleans which can also do modern leads if you want.
Amazingly versatile set if the rest of your gear fits it.

The Abraxas is basecally a hotter version of the Mule. If you think you like the mule but need more power and hotness this is a good ticket.

The Rebell Yell is another thing, a modern take on a vintage tone. Brightest of the three, more modern oriented, but able to go for the vintage stuff too if you get a more vintage neck PU like the Mule or something. Just wrote up a long review for it: https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=30392.0

Also have a look here https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=30219.0 for even more info on Pubs we might recommend.

Ask anything you like too, we are all Flanders here or some overly frieldy guy who is really forthcoming but just waiting to murder you in a gruesome manner to skinn you and wear you to impress mommy who has long been dead after a terrible car accident we were at fault for as we ripped the cats jaws appart in the backseatcausewewereangrywewereexpelledfromtheschoolduetoanincidentwherewepushedameankidinthepoolwhocouldnotswimandwejustwantedtoseehisfeebleexistenceendinasilentscreamseingthelastsignsoflifeblubberupasdaddydidbackatthesummerhousewhenhetriedtosaveuswhenwewentintothelakealthoughehtoldusnottobutwewouldnotlistenwewouldnotlistenwewouldnotlistenwewouldnotlistenwewouldnotlistenwewouldnotlistenwewouldnotlistenwewouldnotlistenordidwelisten....
Ah that felt good.

Cheers mate!

[Mike Despres]

I'll read all these links now, thanks for your help! ;) As for your questions:

"What you are asking for is pretty darn insane I have to say, a 25" 7 string which ranges from the Beatles to prog metal. Wow xD"

"One question I have is that you say the PRS has "high treble". Do you mean acousticly or through the amp?"

I know it's asking a lot but I'm sure BKP have something... and also, I don't need to sound exactly like Beatles, it just needs to do a good sparkly clean tone (the guitar has coil split capabilities too). It also has it's "high trebleness" acoustically :)

[Kiichi]

You know what the oposite of a one trick pony is? A Mule.

Really, the more I think about it the more I think this is the one for you.
It copes with a bright guitar, has an amazing vintage sound you can use for Beatles and such without issue and as you can see can go suprisingly heavy. Dunno how heavy your metal needs to be though.
In the end you can get an insane range out of BKPs and if you are gonna find something anyhwere it is here, but there of course always is a tradeoff.

Splits on PAF style PUs are however a bit more critical, as the PU is low output making the split very weak. However since you have a PRS you might already have a PRS style split in there, which is a resistor in series with the grounded coil, which in effect keeps the coil on a bit so you have more output and bottom end but the nice split character.
You should check if yours has that already and if not add it in. Personally I like 2,2k best, for both neck and bridge on low output things, but I believe PRS uses 1k for the neck and 2,2 for the bridge. I migth even up to 3k on the bridge since I have the pub turned around so the out coil is on.
With that though they are very nice.

[Mike Despres]

Great review btw! I have read it and listened to all the soundclips on this website (of the mule and the abraxas?), and they do sound great... Prefer the mule though :) I can see what you mean about trade off, I would personally prefer to go to the more heavier side whilst being okayish with everything else, so like a 70/30 split (metal/other) if you know what I mean? Like for example E.L.O. obviously didn't use EMG pickups, but I use them in my US strat to play two hours of their music and it sounds great! So you get where I'm coming from I hope :) And I see what you mean with the coil split... good point! However I always have a boost on my pedalboard so it's no problem :). I did have my eye on the blackhawk for a while, what's your opinion of that?

[Kiichi]

I have no experience with the Blackhawk I must say. I heard the ceramic version is pretty much only metal, but I hear the alnico can do jazzy stuff too. Sides that metal is all I know about it.

If you put the focus more on the metal side I would suggest you go for something a bit more modern for the bridge so you can riff and rock and get something more vintage for the neck so you still have the nice clean sounds, but can still do cool leads.

If the guitar was no so bright I would have said the RY could serve you well. In this case however I would advise to be carefull as it could be too bright.

There is the possibility of the Holydiver. Slartibarfast42 and guitarIv wrote nice reviews on it. That is essentially a hotrodded PAF, with a full warm feel. Can do the metal stuff, works very well with the brighter guitar and is very progessive and versatile.
Pair that with the Emerald neck (yes the bridge is very bright, the neck is not) and you got the new favorite forum combo it seems. The Emerald neck is sweet, smooth, also a slightly modern classic thing. All around an amazing neck PU which can shred and go old school far as I know. With a resistor split you should have no issue.

On the splits: It is not only an output thing you can compensate with a booster it is also a bit of a fatness thing. The resistor split is just closer to a real single coil. The difference is not day and night, but trust me when I say it is worth it. You still get a more trebly sound and less output, but that is what you want, after all you are going for a single coil sound. Just construction whise half a HB is no SC so you gotta help it along a bit ;)

[Mike Despres]

There is so much choice haha! What about just focusing in on one aspect; clarity on the 7th string?... Can anyone recommend something for that? :)

[Kiichi]

There is so much choice haha! What about just focusing in on one aspect; clarity on the 7th string?... Can anyone recommend something for that? :)

Well all BKPs have clarity, itīs one of the trademark qualitys. So non should be horrible at all. Plus 7 string PUs always have an adjusted wind too.

However the main dilemma is that the one that would offer maximum clarity on the 7th string are probably the Emerald and the Rebel Yell I would say, which both have the clarity cause they are bright. See the problem with you guitar?^^

Choice is always an issue with BKPs. The PUs are all pretty darn versatile so for each given style you can find multiple PUs which all would do a great job but they all do it in different ways.

If you have not yet also send a mail to the awesomely helpful crew at BKP, wonder what they would say.

[Slartibartfarst42]

OK, I'll wade in at this point having read the thread with some interest so far as I play two PRS SE Custom 24 guitars, though they are only 6 string (I know my limits).

I can totally see why Kiichi has suggested a Mule and I think it's a really good shout. In my guitars I think they may be a bit bright but in a 7-string I can see it working. However, as you said you wanted something that was rather more biased towards Metal, you may want a hotter pickup. That being the case, you really should take a look at the Abraxas as it's a VERY versatile pickup indeed. At first I was going to suggest a Crawler as I have one of those but the fact that yours is a 7-string puts me off this a bit as I think it may be a touch too soft in the bass for that, which brings me back to the Abraxas, which kinda sits between the Mule and the Crawler.

As far as the Holydiver is concerned, I can't praise it highly enough. I use one in my band, which is a Rock covers band doing a wide range of music, very much like your band and I could happily use the Holydiver for our entire set and it will be tight enough for a 7-string

That's two suggestions out of the way: Abraxas and Holydiver. Now for my third. Take a look at the VHII. It sits in the 'Vintage Hot' range so will straddle the gap between vintage and modern and be tight without being overly bright like the Emerald bridge. The design of the VHII also uses heavily offset coils which may make it sound a bit more like a single coil but also offers incredible clarity.

Finally, I strongly suggest you replace the pots on your guitar to BKP 550k pots and change the cap to a Jensen BKP 0.022 cap as I have done this with both of my PRS guitars and it's made a huge difference.

[Mike Despres]

I've been having a good look at these suggestions, and I like them all argh! It's hard to find something :P What is the general thought about the Black Dog pickup? I was thinking maybe a Black Dog in the bridge and either a VHII or a Holy Diver in the neck... Also how much difference does the upgrade in electronics give?