A10E Hog - New Pickup?

[bigcohoona]

A great Cinco de Mayo to everyone!

I'm up in (what used to be) the Bakken Oil Boom here in Nodak, so to say the least having the opportunity to actually play a PRS before purchasing doesn't happen .

Finally found an A10e a few hours away and loved it! I'm primarily a Taylor and McPherson Player but wanted a guitar I was less worried about kicking around... this guitar is wonderful! Tone is amazing, playability is on par with my Taylors and it blew away most of the 2k Martins I a/b'd it against... to my surprise. Sweetwater finally got a few Tortoise back in stock and I nabbed one, but am trying to decide on having them upgrade the pickup before shipping.

For some reason I never plugged it in when I demo'd it and after hearing several examples of the onboard pre / pickup I'm not overly impressed. My Taylor's ES2 is great as is the Mcpheron... has anyone upgraded theirs to a Baggs or Fishman?

Any ideas and good experiences welcome!

Have a great weekend.

~C

 

[xjbebop]

Oops.... I thought this was a thread about this badazz plane...the A10 Warthog!

 

[bigcohoona]

Lol! Love it. (and having been an Air Force Officer all the more so!).

I dub my new guitar the "Warthog"!

 

[vchizzle]

I can't say how they perform because I haven't plugged one in, but I've heard them played back to back with Tony McManus' PS and it didn't sound lacking at all. It was really nice sounding. Keep in mind, this wasn't an A10, it was an Angelus rosewood.

 

[alantig]

I can't say how they perform because I haven't plugged one in, but I've heard them played back to back with Tony McManus' PS and it didn't sound lacking at all. It was really nice sounding. Keep in mind, this wasn't an A10, it was an Angelus rosewood.

I don't remember if I shot video that year or not, but I remember Ricky Skaggs doing that comparison. He said there was a difference, but not the difference you'd expect for the price difference. I think my SE Angelus rosewood stands up very well compared to my Larrivee. The A10 has a slightly different focus, but it has sat well in the mixes I've used it on. I've told numerous people that the SE acoustics are vastly underrated. Symbolic of the struggle PRSG has breaking into that market, I saw someone trying out acoustics in that price range a few weeks ago. The salesman pointed out the PRS (cherry burst A10, I think), so I kind of lingered to see what would happen. Dude took something like three strums and kicked it back. I don't remember what he said, but my first thought was that he had his mind made up before he even touched it because he didn't play it enough to pick up any nuance. And to me, it sounded just as good as the other stuff he was playing.

 

[bigcohoona]

Thanks everyone!

I've had the opportunity to play one already and as far as tone, sustain, and overall action is concerned it blows away my Taylor 710ce dread. I'm not sure how PRS got those bell-like highs out of this mahogany but I absolutely love this particular guitar. Most of the others I've heard from PRS have too much forward attack for me (which is somewhat their goal with the fan bracing). The smaller fret size is also very much)_ appreciated. I love my S2 SC250 for the same reason, if PRS made a 25" in their core lineup I would have bought one. So far the only guitar that this won't keep up with is the McPherson but it's of course 10x the price. I would love to see PRS come out with a solid back and sides version of this... or an S2 range with an Ebony fretboard!

The pickup is the only question I was concerned with. I've heard one demo with Dave Weiner that looked like he was both plugged and mic'd that sounded outstanding, but haven't heard other demo's that showcased only the pickup.

I went ahead and ordered one (Sweetwater finally got more in) and decided to have them keep everything stock just to see and compare it with my other Baggs onboards. I may put a Baggs Anthem or Lyric in it later if it's unbearable. I don't mind a Piezo sound if it's close enough to a Takamine.

Anyone know if the SE Acoustic pickups were licensed from anyone in particular (Fishman, Baggs, etc)?

Thanks again!