‘88 Custom 24 Tone/Switching Control Options

[dws2384]

I recently acquired an 1988 Custom 24 in a trade. It’s a beautiful guitar and has me conflicted. It’s an all original guitar with a beautiful top, Brazilian board, short heel, etc. and I suppose in the PRS sphere reasonably collectable. However, I really can’t get along with the sweet switch and lack of tone control. I also find most of the in between positions on the rotary pretty useless. I do enjoy the outer coils in series (position 8 - Series Strat “warm” version). I know most people will say just sell it and get a modern one but I really love everything else about the guitar and could see it becoming a main one I would gig and play, as it feels and plays amazing. I have been doing some research and I see PRS themselves offered a ‘tone upgrade’ kit that tamed some of the brightness and cocked wah sound in the 90’s but I can’t find any of these around to try. Has anyone gone down this path before? I don’t want to drill into the guitar or modify it. I would probably just pull the whole original harness and stash it away so it could be put back to stock easily. I don’t ever acquire guitars with the thought of future value but I’m not going to drill the sweet switch hole out. It’s 1/4” thread. Are there any viable options to convert that position to a 3 way and then convert the rotary spot to a tone control with a push/pull pot, sort of like the McCarty upgrade but with the positions swapped?

 

[88prs]

My '88 Custom is very bright also. The first thing I did was remove the bright cap across the volume input and wiper. Then roll the Volume back to take the shrillness out. That's all it needed. Would really like a tone control but not at changing a vintage hand carved PRS! Don't use the sweet switch at all unless I'm going for the Schenker sound.

 

[garrett]

I recently acquired an 1988 Custom 24 in a trade. It’s a beautiful guitar and has me conflicted. It’s an all original guitar with a beautiful top, Brazilian board, short heel, etc. and I suppose in the PRS sphere reasonably collectable. However, I really can’t get along with the sweet switch and lack of tone control. I also find most of the in between positions on the rotary pretty useless. I do enjoy the outer coils in series (position 8 - Series Strat “warm” version). I know most people will say just sell it and get a modern one but I really love everything else about the guitar and could see it becoming a main one I would gig and play, as it feels and plays amazing. I have been doing some research and I see PRS themselves offered a ‘tone upgrade’ kit that tamed some of the brightness and cocked wah sound in the 90’s but I can’t find any of these around to try. Has anyone gone down this path before? I don’t want to drill into the guitar or modify it. I would probably just pull the whole original harness and stash it away so it could be put back to stock easily. I don’t ever acquire guitars with the thought of future value but I’m not going to drill the sweet switch hole out. It’s 1/4” thread. Are there any viable options to convert that position to a 3 way and then convert the rotary spot to a tone control with a push/pull pot, sort of like the McCarty upgrade but with the positions swapped?

You can use an on/on/on mini toggle in place of the sweet switch for pickup selection. A push pull pot will replace the rotary no prob.

The guitar would look stock, but you'd have the functionality you want.

I would also replace the entire harness to preserve the original.

 

[dws2384]

My '88 Custom is very bright also. The first thing I did was remove the bright cap across the volume input and wiper. Then roll the Volume back to take the shrillness out. That's all it needed. Would really like a tone control but not at changing a vintage hand carved PRS! Don't use the sweet switch at all unless I'm going for the Schenker sound.

I was thinking about doing that actually and wondering if that would be a good solution. It’s simple enough to try. Thanks

 

[dws2384]

You can use an on/on/on mini toggle in place of the sweet switch for pickup selection. A push pull pot will replace the rotary no prob.

The guitar would look stock, but you'd have the functionality you want.

I would also replace the entire harness to preserve the original.

Thanks for the info. Thats the route I was thinking about going if I changed the harness out. I wasn’t sure if there was a mini switch that could achieve what I needed while also being reliable. Now I’d need to figure out a wiring diagram. I find split single coils kinda useless, they would be on these pickups anyways, but I don’t mind splits together or blended with a humbucker. Ideally I’d want 4 positions. Neck HB, Bridge HB, Both HB parallel, Split inner in series (the series strat - position 8 I like).

 

[garrett]

Thanks for the info. Thats the route I was thinking about going if I changed the harness out. I wasn’t sure if there was a mini switch that could achieve what I needed while also being reliable. Now I’d need to figure out a wiring diagram. I find split single coils kinda useless, they would be on these pickups anyways, but I don’t mind splits together or blended with a humbucker. Ideally I’d want 4 positions. Neck HB, Bridge HB, Both HB parallel, Split inner in series (the series strat - position 8 I like).

The on/on/on mini switches regularly available should be reliable for a good long while. Obviously, you'll have to be a little more careful when changing pickups vs. a regular ol' full-size toggle.

I know you could do tap and series/parallel via two dpdt switches (using push/pulls on both vol and tone), but I don't think you can get there with one.

 

[VoxAC30HW2]

To this day I wish that I kept my 1988 Custom 24.

 

[Deft Tungsman]

I hope the OP hasn’t modified his ‘88 Custom yet!

I’ve had mine for fifteen years. I would never change the electronics. Not for resale value, but for the awesome package that is the 2nd generation T & B pickups, the five-way rotary, the sweet switch and an excellent volume knob.

The trick is to run the guitar’s volume anywhere from 5 to 7 for rhythm parts. You get 10 distinct tones, all of which are useable. The sweet switch does different things depending on where you are in the 5-way. Crank it up for more dirt and solos. Works like a charm.

 

[notyalcer]

I own a beautiful emerald green 1988 Custom that was left to me by a friend who passed away two years ago (see my avatar). Obviously it has huge sentimental value. It’s 100% original and in great condition. I carefully swapped the tuners for Mann locking upgrades that fit this model with the existing screw pattern (totally reversible, and the winged tuners just never felt precise enough). I have it set up to my preferences and it plays great. I love the neck, Brazilian board, birds, original one-piece bridge, and the feel of playing it. An amazing guitar just considering the craftsmanship, finish, 10 top, woods, neck shape, frets and hardware.

I have really tried to love the sounds of this guitar, and it has 4 “decent” and useable base sounds for me - all of the rotary selections except for “power out of phase” which is a cocked-wah sound I dislike. I don’t like the effect of the sweet switch, which makes everything nasal sounding, so that is a feature I can’t use.

However, the Treble and Bass pickups, with the alnico slugs, have an intentionally bright top and attenuated bottom end. The chart shown in this post graphically shows the EQ curve of the 85/15 pickups which I presume would be similar. I’ve used a subtle EQ before the amp to help correct for this which does help. I’ve noticed that, despite the treble bleed, rolling the volume back a hair rounds off the highs a little bit which sounds better.

But despite these efforts I am not drawn to playing this guitar. It’s also a feel and response thing where the T and B pickups aren’t doing it for me. I hate to bring out the old trope of “clinical” or “sterile”, but I really think there is a lot of potential in this guitar that is not being accessed or perhaps being masked by the inherent qualities of these pickups and this wiring scheme.

I am torn on just going ahead like the OP and exploring carefully removing the existing pickups and wiring harness and saving them, and replacing everything with something more satisfying to play. (The idea of unhooking the wafer switch makes my head hurt.) I like the idea of a 3 position mini-toggle pickup selector in the sweet switch spot, volume and tone control so that, hole-wise, everything is 100% reversible. But this would violate the integrity of the guitar because of de-soldering the original joints. Does that really matter? I keep going back and forth and haven’t moved forward with any changes. But I also don’t play the guitar…and there is a reason PRS has evolved their pickups over time and moved away from the tone signature of the original guitars.

I guess I am just looking for advice, and very much wondering what happened with the OP’s quest.

 

[Deft Tungsman]

I understand your dilemma, notyalcer. I've been there with other guitars, including other PRSs.

I know from experience that the '88 pickups and wiring configuration aren not everyone's cup of tea. In fact, my Custom isn't a do-it-all guitar even for me. I have a Barden-equipped Trussart Strat from the early '90s that edges it out easy responsiveness and instant gratification.

The sentimental value of this emerald beauty can be known only to you. I agree that any mods you may wish to implement should be fully reversible. A stock '88 is a rare bird that a dedicated minority will always be willing to pay a premium for.

Since the Custom 24 has always been in production and gone through many iterations, I bet you could find one from a different year that works better for you. Guitars love to be loved just as much as people do.

Follow your heart, and best of luck!