Using aftermarket pickups in your PRS

[Kiwi]

I donated the PRS 57/08's to my Les Paul and they sound great there.

Has anyone alerted the LP Forum to this gear crime? They will lose their minds!

Just kidding. I put Gibson Classic 57s in my PRS SC-J hollowbody, and I lived to tell the tale.

Any pickups can go into any guitar, at any time, if it serves your purposes.

-K-

 

[bodia]

Any model I have more than one of gets different pickups, just to spice things up. I've had/have Kinman Noiseless HB sized P-90s, Klein Epic Series '59s. Throbak Peter Green's, BK Abraxas. and a set of Zhangbuckers that should be in the mail any day (Pagey-2 and Brownbucker). I have some PRS p/u's in as well. Narrowfields and \m/'s in 2 different Santana's and 57/08 neck 59/09 bridge in a Cu22

 

[Casi1]

Yep. I considered both Bare Knuckles and Duncan’s when looking for something ‘different’ for my McCarty guitars. Ultimately, I ended up with PRS pickups (although different from the stock pickups in those models).

The biggest pickup swaparoo for me so far has been this one:

And boy was that a good decision! I have been high fiving myself all damn day.



Solved all of my ‘issues’ with the guitar (and there weren’t that many issues to begin with). Only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been cutting the wood to slant the bridge pup... but I wanted to avoid unnecessary woodwork.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Yep. I considered both Bare Knuckles and Duncan’s when looking for something ‘different’ for my McCarty guitars. Ultimately, I ended up with PRS pickups (although different from the stock pickups in those models).

The biggest pickup swaparoo for me so far has been this one:

And boy was that a good decision! I have been high fiving myself all damn day.



Solved all of my ‘issues’ with the guitar (and there weren’t that many issues to begin with). Only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been cutting the wood to slant the bridge pup... but I wanted to avoid unnecessary woodwork.

Damn, Casi... you get me thinkin’.

 

[Casi1]

Damn, Casi... you get me thinkin’.

Best decision I ever made (guitar wise).

Fixed the output issue. SOO loud now.

Was out-stratting strats in Guitar Center tonight... the guys played an American Pro and then my DC3. My DC3 sounded a smidgen brighter than the strat but overall identical. The strat player ended up saying that he wanted my DC3 because it nailed the tone BUT felt light years better.

 

[dogrocketp]

I have 57/08's in my 03 CE 24, USA Mira's in my SE Tremonti Custom, #7's in my SE Singlecut Trem. The rest are stock.

 

[bluenova]

I put Dimarzio 36th anniversary pickups in my Zach Myers as a sort of poor mans version of 57/08’s. That was back when you could only buy the 57/08’s used for a small fortune and I’ve been very pleased with the 36th’s to this day. *.....Goes and checks used prices on Ebay.....

 

[bodia]

Damn, Casi... you get me thinkin’.

I smell danger!

 

[alantig]

I smell danger!

Nah - that's just Sergio thinking!

 

[ESPImperium]

The only aftermarkets I've got in my PRS SE Mushok are PRS 59/09s.

However, once i get rid of a few things on eBay Im planning on a S2 Singlecut Standard, gutting it and then putting in a McCarty bass i have and a Seymour Duncan Nazgul or Pegasus as its going to be my Drop B/C Standard guitar. As for a SE SVN, thats the opposite bridge to the S2 Singlecut plan, with a Sentient in the neck probably.

I can't fault PRS standard pickups, even the S2 ones. The SE ones, well, are fair game and get their backside replaced ASAP, unless they are sorted like the Henderson or Holcomb models from standard.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Nah - that's just Sergio thinking!

So that's what that burning smell is...

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Lollers

 

[Dondante]

Lollar imperials. Low Turn in the neck. Beautiful.

 

[lowaction]

I put Dimarzio tone zone in my 1989 PRS HSS studio... put the single coil sized in the neck and mid so now I have HHH with coil split and and a push pull to have the Neck + bridge (in addition to 5-way rotary). I had to dremel the pickups to get them to fit. I still have the orignal PRS treble humbucker and two single coils if anyone wants them.

I also put GFS gold foils into a 2010 SE CU22...its bright but the guitar is much more useful and has way more character than the original....

 

[Deleted member 21959]

I put Dimarzio tone zone in my 1989 PRS HSS studio...

Oddly enough, the Tone Zone has worked well for me as a neck pickup on a bright guitar I have (not a PRS). I was inspired to do so after one of my favorite guitarists, Michael Romeo of Symphony X, had a Tone Zone and X2n on his signature Caparison.

 

[JJJ]

I have used a Gibson 498, 490 and a set of Lace pickups in an SE.

I am thinking of putting some Lace dragonauts or something in my S2 and popping the factory Starla pickups in my old Les Paul or something. I never understood why some people have issues with replacing the electronics in PRS. They're just pickups. They're tools, or parts of a tool, and you modify it to suit your needs.

 

[garrett]

I've tried the following between an SE Soapbar II and an SE One:

Stock - pretty dang good for hotter P-90s, noisy
Vintage Vibe - more vintagey and open, but still noisy
DiMarzio VP-90 and DLX-90, quiet, but too humbuckerish
Bill Lawrence L-550 and L-560, loud as hell and bright
Kent Armstrong HP-90, too polite


S2 Singlecut Standard:

Stock - too dark sounding in this guitar
Suhr Thornbuckers - Killer vintage vibe with fantastic clarity
Artec P-90s - Low wind, so really nice 50's vibe, the brightness suited the guitar very well


Hollowbody II:

Stock - Always found the neck pickup too woofy and overtook the bridge pup in the middle position
Lollar Low Wind Imperials - Great clarity, middle position ruled, but still found the neck a little woofy
Modified Stock - Magnet swap on the neck pickup to alnico 5. Problem solved, sold the Lollars.


SE Custom 24 7-String

Stock - VB was okay, HFS was a no-go.
Modified Stock - Still not quite there. A fun tinkering project. Did magnet swaps and a "half-air" mod on the HFS, put a VB in the bridge position
SD Pegasus/Sentient - Yes! Super clear and balanced with a modern edge, but can do anything.

 

[goat-n-gitter]

I received and installed the covered Duncan JB I had mentioned above into the bridge position of my Korina WL 594. It had exactly the effect I hoped for - much hotter than the covered 57/08, but still with good clarity and blends well with the neck 58/15lt in both humbucker and split modes.
There's a reason the JB is supposedly the best selling replacement pickup - it sounds great! My 594 will be getting a lot more use with my band now.

 

[shallbe]

Oh yes. I really like Lollar Imperials in CU22's. I also removed the DII's and put in an old 90"s set of PRS Artist pickups that are fantastic (alnico 4).

 

[Barquentine]

I replaced the stock pickups in my Bernie with the Bare Knuckle Abraxas set because I wanted a little more oomph. They are perfect but my fave pickups at the moment are the BK Rebel Yells that are in my S2 Singlecut. They have a lot of punch without going into metal territory, they clean up really well and the balance of tone between bridge and neck is spot on.