McCarty 594 Bridge Pickup solution?

[gauchosilvertone]

Got my 594. It's my guitar. MINE. You can't have it!

I bought it to be my "The One." I have a few other electrics but I'm a serious instrumentalist and was sick of not playing my best due to constantly shifting between scale lengths and neck profiles. The 594 satisfies.

One thing I love is the bridge pickup is focused and bright enough to do country convincingly. Most PRS pickups I've tried, including on my old Paul's Guitar, are in a musical no man's land. This one actually works, and unlike all those others, it's distinctive.

So, what's my problem? I'm looking for a unicorn. Is it possible to find a pickup that works similarly well for country (bright, focused, cutting) but with slightly more output and body- and without going into honk territory? That seems to be the problem with bridge pickups that have any power.

Open to all brands, but I'm a working man so $300 pickups aren't gonna be my thing.

 

[László]

Is it possible to find a pickup that works similarly well for country (bright, focused, cutting) but with slightly more output and body- and without going into honk territory? That seems to be the problem with bridge pickups that have any power.

I don't know if this will work for you, but I'll tell you what I do with my 58/15-equipped McCarty when I want more power: I use a good clean boost, of which there are tons on the market (mine's the Suhr KokoBoost).

It's really the perfect solution for me -- all the clarity I wanted (and paid for!) with these pickups, but no honking lower midrange.

I don't use a lot of boost, just enough to goose the front of the amp while still letting the sparkling qualities of the pickup come through. I've used it in a lot of my ad work with the McCarty, and it's been great.

You probably already know this, but there are clean boosts, and there are clean boosts, and they don't all sound the same. I liked the EP, for example, but it had (and was supposed to have) a less clean sound.

If you really, really require the power to be in the pickup itself, the 85/15 bridge pickup delivers (I have one in my 30th Custom 24). Even though it's said to be the same pickup as the 58/15 without the cover, I find it sounds/feels more powerful, and drives the front of the amp more.

But I'd try the boost before dropping in a new pickup. That way you keep the value and tone you originally paid for, and evidently like.

 

[MichaelS]

Got my 594. It's my guitar. MINE. You can't have it!

I bought it to be my "The One." I have a few other electrics but I'm a serious instrumentalist and was sick of not playing my best due to constantly shifting between scale lengths and neck profiles. The 594 satisfies.

One thing I love is the bridge pickup is focused and bright enough to do country convincingly. Most PRS pickups I've tried, including on my old Paul's Guitar, are in a musical no man's land. This one actually works, and unlike all those others, it's distinctive.

So, what's my problem? I'm looking for a unicorn. Is it possible to find a pickup that works similarly well for country (bright, focused, cutting) but with slightly more output and body- and without going into honk territory? That seems to be the problem with bridge pickups that have any power.

Open to all brands, but I'm a working man so $300 pickups aren't gonna be my thing.

need pictures/proof.

 

[gauchosilvertone]

I don't know if this will work for you, but I'll tell you what I do with my 58/15-equipped McCarty when I want more power: I use a good clean boost, of which there are tons on the market (mine's the Suhr KokoBoost).

It's really the perfect solution for me -- all the clarity I wanted (and paid for!) with these pickups, but no honking lower midrange.

I don't use a lot of boost, just enough to goose the front of the amp while still letting the sparkling qualities of the pickup come through. I've used it in a lot of my ad work with the McCarty, and it's been great.

You probably already know this, but there are clean boosts, and there are clean boosts, and they don't all sound the same. I liked the EP, for example, but it had (and was supposed to have) a less clean sound.

If you really, really require the power to be in the pickup itself, the 85/15 bridge pickup delivers (I have one in my 30th Custom 24). Even though it's said to be the same pickup as the 58/15 without the cover, I find it sounds/feels more powerful, and drives the front of the amp more.

But I'd try the boost before dropping in a new pickup. That way you keep the value and tone you originally paid for, and evidently like.

Good thoughts. I do use an MXR Micro Amp which is an excellent pedal. But I cover so much Sonic territory (Chet Atkins to melodic death metal) it gets a bit noisy with the gainier stuff.

 

[gauchosilvertone]

need pictures/proof.

Brand new member so I can't post urls, but you can read the saga at guitarsruinlives dot com, or find Joshua Shelton on the book of faces or joshuasheltonguitar on the Tube de la You.

 

[László]

Good thoughts. I do use an MXR Micro Amp which is an excellent pedal. But I cover so much Sonic territory (Chet Atkins to melodic death metal) it gets a bit noisy with the gainier stuff.

The pedal I use adds no noise of its own.

 

[dkilpatrick]

I agree with Les,
A good boost pedal and compressor should get you there without a pickup change.
The stock pickups are great.

 

[dogrocketp]

I get my kicks, with my Route 66. Compressor and boost in one, and it`ll go from clean to dirty depending on the settings. Them Tennessee boys make good pedals.

 

[RevBillyG]

So, what's my problem? I'm looking for a unicorn. Is it possible to find a pickup that works similarly well for country (bright, focused, cutting) but with slightly more output and body- and without going into honk territory? That seems to be the problem with bridge pickups that have any power.

The 594 comes with 58/15LTs. Have you thought about the regular 58/15s?

& when you say body, is that similar to hair? Or more fundamental? I ask, because for me more body means more midrange, which leads to more honk.

Lastly, what are you playing through? From guitar to speaker.

 

[Atomic]

Turn your amp up and your guitar down. I know it sounds like it won't work but you'll get what you want.

If you have a master volume (that works like it should) even better. Turn the power amp up.... "way up." Turn the guitar down, and adjust your drive with the preamp level. Turn your guitar down to about halfway and let er rip.

 

[dogrocketp]

Watch the hair talk, Rev! On the forum, it`s mostly a lost cause!

 

[gauchosilvertone]

The pedal I use adds no noise of its own.

I wasn't clear. The pedal doesn't produce noise per se, though of course it boosts the level thus boosting whatever latent noise in the signal. My house wiring leaves much to be desired so there's always some degree of hum/buzz.

My experience with lower output pickups, despite the whole "you can always add more gain with your amp" camp, is that the more you push the amp the more noise you get. These definitely feed back/go slightly microphonic when pushed in that way (i'm using that term loosely, not saying it's necessarily scientifically microphonic).

Hitting an amp pretty hard with a medium-hot output pickup produces a significantly different result than taking the weak signal of a vintage PAF style humbucker and turning the gain up, thus why I'm up against this dilemma of playing too many styles with one guitar.

 

[gauchosilvertone]

The 594 comes with 58/15LTs. Have you thought about the regular 58/15s?

& when you say body, is that similar to hair? Or more fundamental? I ask, because for me more body means more midrange, which leads to more honk.

Lastly, what are you playing through? From guitar to speaker.

Haven't considered any other specific PRS pickup models. Don't know them, haven't loved any I've heard until these.

Body would mean punch, so yes, midrange. Thus why I say I'm chasing a unicorn here.

I'm either playing through an Ampeg Reverberocket 2x12 reissue for a more classic blues through rock sound, with original speakers (some kind of Ampeg speakers. I don't know. Not a gearphile except when it comes to pickups), or, a Boogie Nomad 100 2x12 with the original speakers, Black Shadows maybe? Of course using this when I'm playing more modern metal.

I am not at all in love with the Boogie but funds are limited and a new amp is no where close to my present.

I use a Boss TU-3 and the MXR Boost. Adding pedals just means adding variables and in my experience nets much more frustration than satisfaction. Of course I can find a pedal that sounds like "what I want," but I prefer to tweak the fundamental components as much as possible before adding more variables. Not just because of what I mentioned about frustration, but because the less stuff I use the more I'm going to hear MY guitar and MY hands. I like wood.

 

[gauchosilvertone]

Turn your amp up and your guitar down. I know it sounds like it won't work but you'll get what you want.

If you have a master volume (that works like it should) even better. Turn the power amp up.... "way up." Turn the guitar down, and adjust your drive with the preamp level. Turn your guitar down to about halfway and let er rip.

I play a 100w Mesa Boogie 2x12....this sounds dangerous! I've only used this kind of method for a saturated Allman Brothers Duane tone, never for a metal tone. I'll try it. Thank you.

 

[Atomic]

I play a 100w Mesa Boogie 2x12....this sounds dangerous! I've only used this kind of method for a saturated Allman Brothers Duane tone, never for a metal tone. I'll try it. Thank you.

if its too loud, youre too old.

I thought you were looking for a country tone?
at any rate it does work to get you what you currently have.. just "MOAR."
there is always going to be some kind of trade off when you start changing pickups. hotter ones could get you more midrange, which you dont seem to want, stronger magnets make them less bright, etc.

 

[gauchosilvertone]

See original post- If all I wanted was country, there'd be no issue. The question is, is there a unicorn out there that can do what I'm talking about.

Considering Lace's Alumitone line. I met the inventor of these...they work on an entirely different principle than traditional humbucker (current driven rather than voltage). They sound promising. I'm open to experimentation.

 

[László]

Sounds like you've made up your mind to change your pickups. It never hurts to experiment, and you can always reinstall your stock pickups if you don't like what you get.

My boost pedal suggestion was based on my own pedalboard and studio situation; noise isn't a problem, so a boost doesn't negatively affect things. Also, I have other PRSes with hotter pickups when I need that thing hotter pickups do.

But one of the best things about being a guitar player is the incredible panoply of choices that we have in every aspect of our rigs. It allows each of us to express our individuality and personal tastes!

 

[gauchosilvertone]

Sounds like you've made up your mind to change your pickups. It never hurts to experiment, and you can always reinstall your stock pickups if you don't like what you get.

My boost pedal suggestion was based on my own pedalboard and studio situation; noise isn't a problem, so a boost doesn't negatively affect things. Also, I have other PRSes with hotter pickups when I need that thing hotter pickups do.

But one of the best things about being a guitar player is the incredible panoply of choices that we have in every aspect of our rigs. It allows each of us to express our individuality and personal tastes!

I'll try a compressor first...I generally see them as personality negators so I haven't explored them much and definitely haven't thought of them with regard to driving an amp.

 

[László]

I'll try a compressor first...I generally see them as personality negators so I haven't explored them much and definitely haven't thought of them with regard to driving an amp.

I use the Suhr Koji Comp; one nice thing about it is that you can blend in unaffected (dry) signal; another is that you can cut or boost high frequencies with a built in EQ if you desire. The Xotic compressor allows the blending thing, it just sounds a little different, as all compressors do, and has fewer controls. But there are plenty of really good compressors out there.

I'm a believer in light compression. Once you start squeezing the signal too hard, it does take the life out of the signal a bit, a little goes a long way. So you might try a slow attack time and a long release time (if the compressor you buy has those controls) and blend in some of the dry signal. A fast attack time does work well with some of the country picking styles, but for other work, it can chop off too much of the attack of a note, and too fast a release time creates a "pumping" sound that I personally don't care for.

 

[tiboy]

Panoply. Word of the day.