Mules in a bright guitar

[timmy_pix]

I've got a PRS SE Bernie Marsden, and I really want to put some Mules in it. I had Mules in my old Epiphone and miss them dearly, and they're perfect for the sound I want from this guitar.

Or at least, I think they are. What's holding me back is that this is a rather bright guitar acoustically; not noticeably by itself, but then picking up my Les Paul I realise there's a whole lot of bass and mids that I've been missing out on. I'm worried that this will affect how the Mules will respond.

Maybe ten years ago I could've asked Tim and the guys for a custom wind but I know they don't do that anymore, and I don't want the extra kick from the Abraxas.

Has anyone got any experience of Mules in a bright guitar and can chip in? Will I be fine, or should I consider looking elsewhere for a custom wind?

[Telerocker]

I've got a PRS SE Bernie Marsden, and I really want to put some Mules in it. I had Mules in my old Epiphone and miss them dearly, and they're perfect for the sound I want from this guitar.

Or at least, I think they are. What's holding me back is that this is a rather bright guitar acoustically; not noticeably by itself, but then picking up my Les Paul I realise there's a whole lot of bass and mids that I've been missing out on. I'm worried that this will affect how the Mules will respond.

Maybe ten years ago I could've asked Tim and the guys for a custom wind but I know they don't do that anymore, and I don't want the extra kick from the Abraxas.

Has anyone got any experience of Mules in a bright guitar and can chip in? Will I be fine, or should I consider looking elsewhere for a custom wind?

I have Mules in an all mahogany Saint Blues (Les Paul-tele hybrid). It's a bit brighter than an average LP, but the Mules topend is present, but not shrill at all. The A4 magnet provides a nice balance from top to bottom. I cannot believe Mules will be too bright in the PRS. RiffRaffs might be, Mules are not very piercing. They're just good in mahogany. I would take the risk.

[timmy_pix]

Thanks Telerocker! I emailed the team and Ben replied, and between the two of you, I'm pretty convinced I'll be fine with the Mules.

Ben said that while he couldn't be sure I'd be happy, he was confident that the Mules work in all kinds of guitars. That he said that rather than "definitely do not put a Mule in a bright guitar" was reassuring.

He also mentioned that the Abraxas isn't that much of an extra kick compared to the Mule. Given that it's always described as a "Mule on steroids", I was expecting it to be a Mule-and-a-half kind of situation, but Ben described it as only being 10-15% hotter. So if it does turn out that the Mule doesn't work, I'll definitely go for the Abraxas set. But I'm feeling fairly confident that the Mule will be fine, now.

[Telerocker]

Thanks Telerocker! I emailed the team and Ben replied, and between the two of you, I'm pretty convinced I'll be fine with the Mules.

Ben said that while he couldn't be sure I'd be happy, he was confident that the Mules work in all kinds of guitars. That he said that rather than "definitely do not put a Mule in a bright guitar" was reassuring.

He also mentioned that the Abraxas isn't that much of an extra kick compared to the Mule. Given that it's always described as a "Mule on steroids", I was expecting it to be a Mule-and-a-half kind of situation, but Ben described it as only being 10-15% hotter. So if it does turn out that the Mule doesn't work, I'll definitely go for the Abraxas set. But I'm feeling fairly confident that the Mule will be fine, now.

I hope it works out fine.

When it comes to output: differences are not that big than people claim on fora. I have a Crawler in a strat and it's not much hotter than a VHII. That pickup is a fine match with my Irish Tours.

[Nolly]

Mules work great even in bright guitars, in my experience - the resonant peak is high up enough that it bestows a lovely clean clarity as opposed to exaggerating scratchy upper mids. If you find you'd like a smoother top end response, definitely don't overlook switching to 300, 280 or even 250K pots.

[timmy_pix]

That's great to hear Nolly, thank you! Just need to get some other bits for the guitar (tuners, nut, etc) then it's off to the tech and Mules will go in as part of the makeover. I'll see how I get on with 500K pots at first and switch them down if I need to.

[grausch]

I had a Bernie with Mules and I loved how it sounded. I do use pure nickel strings though which aren’t quite as bright as regular nickel plated steel strings. When I ran high gain, it sounded really good with treble dimed on the amp - instant Def Leppard, but easy to tone down the treble and get to more old-school Priest and Maiden.

Oh, before I forget, it also did classic AC/DC better than my SG with 57 Classics!

[timmy_pix]

I've posted in the "show off your pickups" thread, but the Mules are fitted and they sound fantastic, no problem whatsoever. I did get a new bridge for the guitar and that did help even out frequency response too. I'll post a full review in a few weeks when I've lived with them more, but anyone reading this with similar concerns to what I had - don't worry!

[Yellowjacket]

It is quite amazing what swapping a bridge will do.

[Telerocker]

Great to hear it worked out that nice!

[stratguy23]

I've posted in the "show off your pickups" thread, but the Mules are fitted and they sound fantastic, no problem whatsoever. I did get a new bridge for the guitar and that did help even out frequency response too. I'll post a full review in a few weeks when I've lived with them more, but anyone reading this with similar concerns to what I had - don't worry!

What bridge did you end up swapping in? I’m in the process of modding a PRS SE Singlecut (it’s getting Rebel Yells).

[richard]

I've posted in the "show off your pickups" thread, but the Mules are fitted and they sound fantastic, no problem whatsoever. I did get a new bridge for the guitar and that did help even out frequency response too. I'll post a full review in a few weeks when I've lived with them more, but anyone reading this with similar concerns to what I had - don't worry!

What bridge did you end up swapping in? I’m in the process of modding a PRS SE Singlecut (it’s getting Rebel Yells).

I've got Rebel Yells in my S2 Singlecut and they are incredible. Have fun.

[timmy_pix]

What bridge did you end up swapping in? I’m in the process of modding a PRS SE Singlecut (it’s getting Rebel Yells).

I got the Mannmade 2300 at the strong recommendation of most of the PRS forum. Marvellous thing, solid, resonant and good looking

[stratguy23]

I've posted in the "show off your pickups" thread, but the Mules are fitted and they sound fantastic, no problem whatsoever. I did get a new bridge for the guitar and that did help even out frequency response too. I'll post a full review in a few weeks when I've lived with them more, but anyone reading this with similar concerns to what I had - don't worry!

What bridge did you end up swapping in? I’m in the process of modding a PRS SE Singlecut (it’s getting Rebel Yells).

I've got Rebel Yells in my S2 Singlecut and they are incredible. Have fun.

That’s great to hear, I figured they would work well, and it’s nice to hear they have for you. They just came in yesterday, but I’m still waiting on a few other parts, so it will take a bit before I can try them out.

[stratguy23]

What bridge did you end up swapping in? I’m in the process of modding a PRS SE Singlecut (it’s getting Rebel Yells).

I got the Mannmade 2300 at the strong recommendation of most of the PRS forum. Marvellous thing, solid, resonant and good looking

That’s the bridge I decided on due to the praise it gets on that forum as well. Still waiting on it to arrive. I used his 2000NOS bridge on a PRS SE Tremonti that got Abraxas pickups for a friend of mine.