PRS Pickup Suggestions

[Rohann]

Hey all,

Currently have HFS/VB in my 2002 ST24, and I do like the tones for gain but not so much for cleaner sounds or lower-gain at times. I play mostly proggy stuff, so I do want variety, but crunch and growly gain is really important. The HFS sounds a bit too nasal to me with low-gain or cleans -- amps could be the limiting factor here, but I take it HFS isn't terribly popular anymore and was apparently made more for '80s rack processing (though I will largely be using it for DI recording with virtual amps due to budgetary restrictions). I'd like it to sound good live though. The VB is decent, not sure what to compare it to really. Suggestions would be great here too in regards to pairing well. It's a rotary switch model, and while it's a pain in the ass to switch on the fly the range of tones is interesting for studio work.

I've had Dragon I bridge recommended to me by some, as well as the Tremonti bridge. Looking for clarity in highs and mids obviously, and clarity in lower tunings, but without sounding overly sterile (is this making any sense? Do I know what I'm talking about?). From what I understand those two and the HFS are all ceramic, the Dragons and Tremonti being slightly hotter. The VB is Alnico II I think, so not sure what to look for there.

This may not help and may be excessive, but more or less the tonal ranges. I do understand these are with different guitars, effects, etc, but hopefully it gives you an idea:



Opeth's tonal range (not copying them by any means, but it's a start):
-Cleaner: https://youtu.be/ndWUtmGOFRo
-Smooth lead: https://youtu.be/orwgEEaJln0?t=4m20s
-Higher gain: https://youtu.be/g1wW6yPDqwY
-Crunchy, harmonically rich: https://youtu.be/JHq9yMXw3iA

Clarity in lower tunings:
Ala Porcupine Tree: https://youtu.be/jfFSKvWUPMY?t=10m53s
3: https://youtu.be/36S1U-T0qCU?t=24m56s

Stat-y cleaner sounds:
https://youtu.be/KTPaTHFB0kY?t=1m1s
Jazzy leads with the neck:
https://youtu.be/KTPaTHFB0kY?t=3m8s

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EDIT: I should add, I don't find the single-coil split variations to sound great with the HFS -- am I wrong?

 

[gush]

If you intend to tune to several different pitches then this could be difficult to remedy. I feel like different pickups work better for lower tunings. For instance, don't care for HFS in standard tuning but did like it in D and drop C. Love 5909 in standard and Eb but not so much in D or lower.

I have Ms in my McCarty tuned to D, they sound great and are incredibly clear but are on the edge of not enough output.

 

[Rider1260]

My CU24 with the rotary ( VB/HFS ) is so versital that I picked up a HFS to try in my SCT , try running the HFS a bit further off the strings and then try the mid position ( both pickups ) clean

 

[Rohann]

Thanks guys -- maybe I need to play around with it a bit more and get the pickup height right.

Re: Tunings -- I guess that's the tradeoff. I play mostly in Standard but I'd like to do drop tunings well, hence thinking of the Dragon I's or Tremonti. Can anyone shed light on whether those sound much different than the HFS?

Rider: Thanks, good call, I may just mess around with it a bit and see where I end up.

Would you guys call the HFS bright or more mid-range-y?

 

[Carlos Rivera]

As a Tremonti fan, I can tell you the Tremonti bridge is very crispy and edgy, and you need a big fat amplifier to obtain good sounds from it. I think you should seriously consider the 59/09 set. The new PRS pups, such as 59/09, 57/08 and 53/10 are all fantastic, but you should need the hotter of the three - that's 59/09. It's warm, brilliant PAF sounding pup very clear and rich in harmonics, very good coil tapped and fantastic for clean tones - but hot enough for crunchy riffs and high-gain, too. Neck version is one of the most versatile neck pups ever heard, you can do quite everything, from blues to metal solos. You cannot go wrong, it can cover all the tonal range of your samples - I wouldn't suggest it only if you were looking for extra-high gain modern sounds and djenty riffs, but it seems it's not your case.

 

[Rohann]

As a Tremonti fan, I can tell you the Tremonti bridge is very crispy and edgy, and you need a big fat amplifier to obtain good sounds from it. I think you should seriously consider the 59/09 set. The new PRS pups, such as 59/09, 57/08 and 53/10 are all fantastic, but you should need the hotter of the three - that's 59/09. It's warm, brilliant PAF sounding pup very clear and rich in harmonics, very good coil tapped and fantastic for clean tones - but hot enough for crunchy riffs and high-gain, too. Neck version is one of the most versatile neck pups ever heard, you can do quite everything, from blues to metal solos. You cannot go wrong, it can cover all the tonal range of your samples - I wouldn't suggest it only if you were looking for extra-high gain modern sounds and djenty riffs, but it seems it's not your case.

Good to know, thanks for the tip! Only downside is the 59/09's aren't cheap at all, but there seems to be a few of them making rounds on ebay.
In regards to gain-y tones, how do you think it would fair for heavier drop-tuned stuff? The neck pickup in particular excites me -- I've had someone recommend a Tremonti bridge and a 59/09 neck pickup.

And you're absolutely right, not really looking for extra-high-gain stuff. The highest gain stuff I might toy around with are more terbly-stuff, and even then it's not that high gain. Opeth's "Heir Apparent" is a pretty good example of what I consider to be near max gain, and with the HFS I get there with gain settings at right about half gain. Dropped-tunings I'd probably lower the gain even. And you're right, I have a particular distaste for the really mechanical "djenty" sound (earlier Meshuggah notwithstanding), that trend bothers me.

I'd really appreciate any comparison videos if you guys know of some. Some people do them on YouTube but unfortunately don't do a great job. The impression I get though, is that the 59 has a bit more clarity but is still warm

 

[Danerada]

I would not overlook the original Starla bridge pickup. As for the neck, I liked the Starla in there too in an all hog guitar.

 

[Michael_DK]

I think Mike Akerfeldt from Opeth uses the HFS/VB humbuckers. Not sure if that's across the board, of course. He probably uses other guitars in the studio too, along with his PRSs.

 

[Carlos Rivera]

You got it right! 59/09 is clear, warm and articulate. Tremonti is hot and edgy. Tremonti is better for hevy riffs, 59/09 is better for clean tones. But, IMHO, 59/09 gainy tones are better than Tremonti's cleans... so 59/09 wins overall.
The 59/09 bass is really fantastic, but you can find similar necks out there... the coolest guy of the set is the treble. In my Tremonti Custom SE I have a 59/09 t in the bridge and a BKP The Mule in the neck. Originally I was willing the whole set, but I didn't find any good deal for the 59/09 bass here in Europe, while I got a used treble in mint condition for 100 € (about 109 $). So, after looking for a bass for a while, I run into this Mule neck, that is really really good.
Speaking about low tunings, 59/09 are not the best choice... you should buy another guitar and mount a ceramic bridge, or an EMG active set. Friends of mine speak wonders about the new (AlNiCo V) 57/66 set.
Anyway, if you want to recreate the tone of a certain artist, amp is way more important than pups.

 

[vchizzle]

The 5909 is a great pickup. I have them in multiple guitars, though all thicker bodies than a standard(McCarty standard and SC). I tune to drop C most of the time. The 5909 works awesome in the SC's bridge position. I prefer a hotter bridge pickup in a thinner body. Best combo in my McCarty standard is \m/ bridge, 5909 neck.