NGD (P22 Artist Package)!!!

JDutch

New Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2012
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At the end of last week, I received a new PRS P22 Artist Package, with 53/10 pickups, piezo system, mahogany back, quilted maple cap with a “faded blue jean” finish, East Indian Rosewood neck and ebony headstock overlay and Mexican ebony fingerboard.

This is a special NGD because I’ve always wanted a PRS with these specs. I’d even gotten a price quote for a Private Stock build (although obviously without the piezo system, which wasn’t available on solid body PRSi until this year) but just couldn't afford it. Also, I’ve always been a fan of the piezo system.

After lowering the neck pickup and raising the pole pieces, I’m pleased to report that the neck pickup is balanced with a little P-90-esque punch and warm-ish, without being muddy or muffled sounding. I had to raise the bridge pick-up, because it sounded a little overwhelmed in comparison to the neck humbucker. The bridge pickup has a tight low end, an expanded, shimmery top end and a good upper midrange bite, without being honky. My favorite aspect of these pickups is probably the clarity and string-to-string definition.

The piezo sounds great, very authentic, just like the piezo on my HBII. The ebony fingerboard and rosewood make the guitar a real pleasure to play, and while I might just be hearing things, I think the rosewood neck opens-up the guitar and expands its tonal range a little.

The only negatives, for me at least, is that positions 2 and 4 of the 5-position blade, while useable, don’t really replicate good single coil sounds. For what I do, I would’ve preferred position 2 to be the outer coils of each pickup to hopefully simulate the middle position of a Tele and for position 4 to be the tapped neck humbucker. Secondly, as with all PRSi, I have trouble accessing the upper frets, not because of the heal which everyone makes a big deal about, but because my hand hits the body. Any tips on how to get a better tone in positions 2 and 4 of the five position blade or how to better access the upper frets?

Anyway, enough talk. Here are the pics . . .

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P22FBJAP-5.jpg

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My goodness ... that is very nice! I have a P22 ... I am curious as to your comment, "After lowering the neck pickup and raising the pole pieces" ... what does this address? Thanks.
 
Thanks for all the comments, guys! I'm really loving the guitar, even more than I thought I would. And, I had really high hopes for it.

I am curious as to your comment, "After lowering the neck pickup and raising the pole pieces" ... what does this address? Thanks.

This is strictly a personal preference, but, in general, I'm not a huge fan of neck humbuckers when playing with any type of overdriven tone. I find them to be too warm sounding and to lack definition and clarity, even when used with the bridge humbucker. One trick I've found that works for me is lowering the height of the neck humbucker (sometimes below the pickup ring on the bass side if the pickups really warm) then raising the pole pieces to my liking. Pickup height has a lot to do with taste, but after adjusting the 53/10s, I'm convinced they're the perfect pickups for this guitar. They sound truly exceptional.

I hope this answers your question. If you're looking for more "how to" information, these youtube videos are pretty informative: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JEyGuST9oc; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzAQ7Ux4HhE. Careful! If you're going to explore adjusting pickup heights, and in case you don't already know, be sure to also hold the end of the screwdriver closest to the screw to prevent it from slipping off the screw and scratching the top of your guitar. Also, if you love your tone now, don't mess with it, and if you can't resist the temptation to tinker, at least take accurate measurements of each pickup's height on both sides of the neck before making any adjustments. Apologies if this info. is old news to you.
 
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