PRS sound

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Marley

If I had the money, and if you have the money, I'd get one of these for my hollowbody needs:http://languedocguitars.com/

[blue]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

I got a beautiful guitar in a trade recently (1994 PRS CU22) recently, and I can attest that the build quality is beautiful, but I really don't like the pickups, or the 5 way rotary switch. I would change them, but it's the kind of guitar with routes for only 1 volume, 1 tone, and 1 pickup selector switch. And I typically like individual volume controls for each pickup, so most likely I will not keep this guitar just for that reason. Yes I know I could use a concentric dual volume pot, but I don't like those either.

Here's the guitar...

First of all "Yikes!". That's what I would I would call a near perfect "Modern Burst".

As to the electronics, yeah. The controls layout are what they are on that one. Fine for studio maybe, or a hobbyist like me, but I'm not sure what they were thinking for stage work.

Folks do put a toggle on those. Apparently the body routing has a notch that just perfectly fits a toggle body. I'm sure it's just a bug in the CNC program, and not an acknowledgement that folk would want to do it

But if you don't like the pickups anyway, it would be out my door pretty quickly too.

But if it were mine and had standard switching and the pickups were the only issue? I would start by using an EQ pedal, and if that didn't get me a sound I liked, I would swap the pickups on that beauty!

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by blue

First of all "Yikes!". That's what I would I would call a near perfect "Modern Burst".

As to the electronics, yeah. The controls layout are what they are on that one. Fine for studio maybe, or a hobbyist like me, but I'm not sure what they were thinking for stage work.

Folks do put a toggle on those. Apparently the body routing has a notch that just perfectly fits a toggle body. I'm sure it's just a bug in the CNC program, and not an acknowledgement that folk would want to do it

But if you don't like the pickups anyway, it would be out my door pretty quickly too.

But if it were mine and had standard switching and the pickups were the only issue? I would start by using an EQ pedal, and if that didn't get me a sound I liked, I would swap the pickups on that beauty!

The guitar is parked over at my studio where it has peen plugged into a variety of cool amps...

'64 Deluxe Reverb, Clark Beaufort Premium, Victoria Regal II, Marshall 18 Watt, Boogie DC2, etc

and I have a hard time dialing my style of tone with it, and I have a some cool EQ pedals, one of them is a Empress Para EQ which has pretty much knocked it out of the park with any other guitar that I've tried it with, and still not my thing.

IN the near future it is possible .... MOD edit I'm going to rewire it with a new 3 way harness (new caps, and pots too) and some good PAF Style pickups. I've have some DiMarzio 36th Anniversaries which may sound good in this particular guitar so I will probably use them. When I play the guitar acoustically is seems to have a nice resonance with no dead spots on the neck. I just think PRS voiced the original Dragon I pickups for a high gain mid focused tone that I don't get along with, and I've never been a fan of coil splits or phase reversal on guitars. I'm no stranger to rewiring so it should be a quick in and out if I decide to do it, I just have to open up the 5 way switch hole with a reamer a bit to fit the threads on 3 way, but as you said there's plenty of room in the route for the replacement switch.

[maxtheaxe]

This may have been addressed, but my understanding is that PRS designs, both guitar and electronics, are meant to split the difference between the Fender and Gibson aesthetic. I find this to be true...

My core-series 'Studio' model has a 25" scale (which I believe is PRS Standard), Narrowfield 'buckers that do a pretty good Strat imitation while retaining more of the warmer low-end from Gibson 'buckers. It also has the 57/08 bridge humbucker that can almost go full-Telecaster in split mode, and just absolutely sings in 'bucker mode.

[Dru Edwards]

Beautiful PRS, Max! You're right, most PRSi have a 25" scale length and a 10" fretboard radius (both split between Fender and Gibson). They still have some models that more closely mimic Gibson and Fender guitar specs though.

Originally Posted by maxtheaxe

This may have been addressed, but my understanding is that PRS designs, both guitar and electronics, are meant to split the difference between the Fender and Gibson aesthetic. I find this to be true...

My core-series 'Studio' model has a 25" scale (which I believe is PRS Standard), Narrowfield 'buckers that do a pretty good Strat imitation while retaining more of the warmer low-end from Gibson 'buckers. It also has the 57/08 bridge humbucker that can almost go full-Telecaster in split mode, and just absolutely sings in 'bucker mode.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Beautiful PRS, Max! You're right, most PRSi have a 25" scale length and a 10" fretboard radius (both split between Fender and Gibson). They still have some models that more closely mimic Gibson and Fender guitar specs though.

I actually like the 25" scale length with the Custom 22, as I quite frequently play my Zemaitis guitars with the same scale length in 22 fret models. I just don't like the sound of PRS pickups and the 5 way rotary, But today I bought a new set of pickups for mine. A Wolftone Dr Vintage for the neck and a Marshallhead for the bridge. I'm going to wire them to the 5 way and play them for awhile, and if I really like the pickups, I'll change out the switch!

https://www.wolfetone.com/product/drvintage/

https://www.wolfetone.com/product/marshallhead/

[68reissue]

Originally Posted by jayhawk

Is it me or is that just the PRS sound and you’ll never get it to match The kind of sound produced by a Gibson?

Jack

PRS makes a lot of different pickups with a lot of different sounds, but in general, the PRS sound is clearer and more defined than the Gibson tone. That's one of the things I love about my PRS guitars, because I come from decades of playing single coils, and I need that snap. I'm sure there's a PRS offering (a McCarty?) that comes close to the Gibson tone, but I don't think they generally do.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

I actually like the 25" scale length with the Custom 22, as I quite frequently play my Zemaitis guitars with the same scale length in 22 fret models. I just don't like the sound of PRS pickups and the 5 way rotary, But today I bought a new set of pickups for mine. A Wolftone Dr Vintage for the neck and a Marshallhead for the bridge. I'm going to wire them to the 5 way and play them for awhile, and if I really like the pickups, I'll change out the switch!

https://www.wolfetone.com/product/drvintage/

https://www.wolfetone.com/product/marshallhead/

Sweet! Just checked out the website. Create a thread and let us know how it goes.

[letterk]

Originally Posted by maxtheaxe

This may have been addressed, but my understanding is that PRS designs, both guitar and electronics, are meant to split the difference between the Fender and Gibson aesthetic. I find this to be true...

My core-series 'Studio' model has a 25" scale (which I believe is PRS Standard), Narrowfield 'buckers that do a pretty good Strat imitation while retaining more of the warmer low-end from Gibson 'buckers. It also has the 57/08 bridge humbucker that can almost go full-Telecaster in split mode, and just absolutely sings in 'bucker mode.

That is my understanding as well. What I really like is the flexibility being somewhat in the middle. My SE Paul's has the TCI "s" pickups with true coil split, where the 2nd coil of the humbucker is completely removed from the circuit, rather than just shorted. So I can get a huge amount of tones out of one guitar. So the split the different means I can go either way and increases the variety of tones I can achieve, but the split the difference may also mean that it doesn't have that signature tone.

I also like that PRS is always pushing and innovating with everything. If you don't like the pups, they've probably got a new version coming soon. And if not, pickups are relatively cheap and easy to swap.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Sweet! Just checked out the website. Create a thread and let us know how it goes.

I just posted in another thread about the new pickups!!!

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=597267

[MIGAS79]

I had an 06 PRS singlecut in a cherry satin I should have kept probably. It had terrific low end and not that SG bite many have. Several PRS models I’ve played sound very good clean, to my ear.

When semi-hollow shopping I didn’t hear a “classic” tone from PRS but that isn’t really what the brand is. I think part of the problem is so much of what we grew up hearing was on a fender or a Gibson, and we often think different is bad.

I ended up with a Heritage 535 because I feel it at LEAST matches Gibson quality, at a better price. And they are made here in MI so that was a big plus. I even use GHS strings on it so the whole thing is made in MI.

I would love a PRS 594. That is the model that has it all. A more classic tone, and whatever PRS does playability wise is magic.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by roylor4

Personally, I would have a hard time buying a high-end guitar that I felt needed a pickup upgrade straight out of the gate, but that's just me.

Okay, so I buy a Gibson or a conterf...Gibsun and keep the pickups but change out the rest of the guitar to something else......................

[s2y]

I'm far from a PRS expert. They have started offering different pickups in recent years. Their 594 pickups are more along the lines of your typical PAF.