Advice needed on PRS

[shinksma]

There may be nothing wrong, per se, with your PRS or anything hugely "right" about the SG. Maybe you just prefer the SG? That's OK, they have a particular sound and a CU24 is not that sound. If anything, a Mira should be closer (don't know myself, never played one. I need to fix that eventually...).

As Les and other have suggested, there are thing you can do to tweak the PRS to be closer to the sound you expect/like:

Adjusting pickup height might help.
Different strings (thinner, I suppose).
Amp settings.

And after all that, you still might not bond with or like the PRS. And that's OK! IIRC, you had a previous thread about your first PRS acquisition and getting it swapped out due to a couple problems, so I assume this is the replacement. That previous issue might be casting a bit of a shadow over your expectations. You at least gave PRS a try, and if you really prefer the feel of an SG (and maybe a Les Paul), well, that's a good reason why those Gibson guitars exist.

 

[HANGAR18]

I went through quite a few PRS guitars before I found all the right ingredients which were perfect for me. Pickups, scale length and neck carve are the three main things to get right FOR YOU.
Tremolo bridges don't get the strings as low as the solid top wrap bridges like the ones they often put on McCarty's.
Do not keep all your pots on 10 and forget they are there like Les Paul players usually do. PRS guitars are designed to provide you a RANGE of USEFUL tonal possibilities.
Make sure you have a very good amp. I'm a big fan of the Archon.

 

[dogrocketp]

I think Shinksma has it right. Start with all the small adjustments. I just got an SE CU 24. It took me about an hour and a half with an amp to get my pickups set. Now that I have, it does what I want. Yes, I run hybrid nines, and set the amp up for PRS only, using my ears, not my eyes. Also, if you lower the pickups and don`t like it, try raising the pole pieces. As I always say, these pickups are more tunable than most.

 

[Rider1260]

Couple of things some stated already the 25" scale AND 24 frets will be a big change but something else is the neck radius Gibsons have a flatter radius at 12" vs PRS at 10" also most Gibson necks are just a bit wider
So Gibson Neck is Wider , Flatter , and shorter bends should be easier with the hybrid strings you are running.
If you like your string tension on the Gibson go to 9.5 or 9s on the custom it will get a bit brighter And be easier to bend ( I really like DR Titefits on my PRSi )
If in the end you find the 24.5 ish scale is your thing there are several short scale PRS ( SC58 , Santana , DC245 etc ) that might be more to your liking

 

[stayfreejc]

E

Couple of things some stated already the 25" scale AND 24 frets will be a big change but something else is the neck radius Gibsons have a flatter radius at 12" vs PRS at 10" also most Gibson necks are just a bit wider
So Gibson Neck is Wider , Flatter , and shorter bends should be easier with the hybrid strings you are running.
If you like your string tension on the Gibson go to 9.5 or 9s on the custom it will get a bit brighter And be easier to bend ( I really like DR Titefits on my PRSi )
If in the end you find the 24.5 ish scale is your thing there are several short scale PRS ( SC58 , Santana , DC245 etc ) that might be more to your liking

Excellent, thank you.

 

[greiswig]

The PRS is quite muddy when playing power chords. One thing I will say though is the PRS has a lovely singing lead tone and the pickups seem very expressive in that the way you hit the string is translated beautifully through the amp.

Others have addressed the playability issue, to which I'd only add that the three PRS guitars I've had have been the best playing guitars I've experienced. No issues with 10s on any of them, although I also like fighting the string a bit into a bend, and the additional tension keeps chords in tune better for my hamfisted approach.

I got a Cu24 last year 85/15 pickups in it. You can probably look up the thread, but I struggled with those pickups and ultimately swapped them out. When you say "muddy," and when Les says "clarity," these terms can be interpreted in a lot of different ways. What I hear from the 85/15 pickups, especially the bridge, is a very flat EQ curve or emphasis compared to a standard PAF pickup. The pickup I put in the bridge is a WCR Godwood, and it has more of a broad midrange bump, probably centered around 500-600Hz, and a good high extension without unnecessarily emphasizing 2-3kHz where things can get nasty. The result is that it feels like it has less lows. Power chords are chunkier, beefy.

Pickups are easy to replace. Before you even try that, though, make sure you spend some time adjusting the height of the pickups. Don't take the way it came as gospel, and also don't take manufacturer recommendation as gospel. Try it for yourself. Since you say muddy, I'd try adjusting the pickup closer to the strings...literally a half turn of the screw at a time. The other thing about PRS pickups I've tried lately is that they seem to have a narrower sweet spot in this regard than any other pickups I've used. So get it in the ballpark, then start trying quarter turns. And don't be afraid to have the treble side higher than the low side, or vice versa. Good luck!

 

[stayfreejc]

What a great forum. Thanks for all the advice! Some really helpful input. Thanks again

 

[The Viking Gangster]

I play 10's on any scale length. My hand has gotten use the the Brent Mason, CU24, and now the P245.

What I'm saying is that if you give it time, your hand will get use to the new scale length.

If you don't like the tone with the changes, I'd try out a single cut PRS.

 

[Brad737]

JC, scale length makes a massive difference in feel. The PRS has a 25 inch scale, which will increase the string tension. Try a set of 9s.

 

[Toby]

As I got myself a SG Faded Worn Red and a PRS PS thats kind of an unfair comparison, but I will contribute nevertheless.

Woods:
In this category the PRS will win in terms of brightness and bite. Maple and Cocobolo with mahogany are way more articulate, have more brightness and bite to it as the all mahogany SG with rosewood fretboard.

Pickups:
Thats whats gonna make it interesting. I equipped my SG with an Burstbucker 3 and an Seymour Duncan Alternative 8. Burstbucker 3 is hot but relatively clear. Very bass heavy of course. The Alternative 8 with serious output heat does make her bright and articulate. Metal friendly. Very metal friendly to my liking. As its in Drop C by now comparison lags... But I've mentioned it earlier.

The PRS 57/08s are - as the name gives it away - vintage pickups which tend to make her sound more bassy overall. Not that bad, but a pickup chance was intended. After nearly three months now I have to say she will be with those for ever, as I don't like to change things on her. They do great for everything I can throw at her. Found out your Custom 24 has 85/15s in it. No experience with those. Maybe the pickups are the factor the sound factor that is the problem?

Neck:
On my SG I had trouble playing many chords with the 50s Neck. It made many things besides chording not that pleasing but I made it. IT IS great but I wasn't "home" yet.
As I felt the Pattern shape on the PRS I instantly knew I was home. Right away. So completely different story for me so I'm sorry to hear your problems. Whats the Neck shape on your Custom 24? Pattern thin? Pattern regular? Something else? So another neck profile maybe for your? Tried some?

 

[cmcgrath72]

It's a tough one....I own 4 CU24's. 3 came with 59/09's and one with 57/08s and none of them sounded exactly the same. My fire red burst sounds way better than the two others with the 59's (though they're good too)....every guitar is a little different no matter what. That said, my guitar with the 57/08's sounds killer....my #1. Nasty and complex.
The amp also has a lot to do with it as well. I've played the DSL on several occasions and I must admit I'm not a fan...My PRS's sound amazing on my JVM 205h.
If you can, try the PRS out on another amp. Try 100 watt. That will tighten up the bass quite a bit.
I did play a new 30th anniversary with 85/15's on a DSL and it sounded pretty focused to me. But I was just messing around at the store. But in the end I feel every guitar whether it's the same model or different brand will have it's own character. Also, you may want to try different pickups. The 57/08's are great for blues to metal.

 

[stayfreejc]

Hi chaps. I have stuck with the PRS since starting this thread and have changed the strings to 9's which I think I prefer. I've come to the conclusion that it's the "bite" that's missing on my PRS. I don't no if it is the pick ups but it just seems very smooth and isn't as cutting as my SG. Usually I would have gave up by now but I love the guitar. The bridge pick up on my PRS sounds like the neck pickup on the SG. Kind of smooth. Good for singing leads and open clean chords but rubbish for power chords. Is their a pick up out their that will rectify this? The tone control also does not do much either. It's like I need to turn it another 360 degrees to get the sound I want. God knows, it's a really annoying problem.

 

[Bfarmer]

I have a Marshall dsl 100 and as well. I had a Cu24. Not sure what volumes you're able to play at, but the Marshall I have is almost unresponsive to it's own tone controls let alone the guitar's. I now play through an old pro reverb and as Les said, getting the amp to break up volume at about half volume on the guitar is a good way to go. Might want to try the cu24 through other amps at different volumes before changing pickups.

 

[vchizzle]

You might try the original HFS/VB pickup combo that was in that model for 20+ years. There's dozens of other pickups out there by a multitude of brands. Find something with a sharp midrange focus. You're also dealing with a solid mahogany SG vs. the hog back/maple top PRS. It's a pretty different sound. You would have probably preferred a standard or a korina PRS. Would've sounded closer to home.

 

[dogrocketp]

Raise the pole pieces, and realize that you`ll need different amp settings than your SG.

 

[stayfreejc]

Again, thanks very much for the info. I have been messing with it today and I think I've cracked it! I feel a bit stupid, but I had a pro set up done when I first bought the guitar and had the action lowered. Obviously the pick up heights were set up for the factory action. I know a few of you mentioned lowering the pick ups but I never did due to thinking that they would have been set correctly at the factory. Anyway I dropped the bridge pick up by quite a bit and the tone has really sharpened up! I can't believe I overlooked this. My SG is not as sensitive to the pick up height so was really surprised by the difference. Lowering it has made the tone less boomy and it now has more bite and top end. I have also put some 9's on it. Out of interest, what height do people tend to set their pickups on these guitars? I've noticed the factory set up had the bridge pick up about 3-4mm above the pick up surround and the neck is flush. I feel like a bit of a prat but I'm glad it's sorted. Cheers guys

 

[vox801]

No reason to feel silly about it. At least you didn't just give up on the guitar. Glad it worked out for you... Enjoy!

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Yeah I did something worse for almost a year (went from 7.5s to 10s without adjusting the trem claw).

Lollers @ 'tremendous'.

 

[gush]

Most PRS pickups, post 2008, are not made for DSL type gain. I am especially fond of the 57/08s but I have to keep the gain at like 10 o'clock maxiumum on my JVM to keep from having mud in the low end. The PRS Metal pickups are the exception to the rule. Those are one of the best high gain pickup sets I've ever used. I have them in my modded S2. They sing in the upper registers and stay tight in the lower. The trade off is they are ceramic so you lose a bit of warmth. But, I am very happy with them. The cleans are the best I've heard from a ceramic pickup.

As for bending, the 10s vs hybrids make all the difference. 10s on a PRS are very very stiff. By virtue of scale length, the SG will bend easier. Add slightly lighter strings and that is compounded. A 9-42 set on a PRS 25" scale is very easy and fluid playing.

I would agree on the M pickups. They seem to be incredibly balanced. I have them in my McCarty.

 

[G-Man]

Having come from a similar situation, moving to a PRS guitar needs a little fine tuning if you are not used to their sound. Mine came with 10's which I did not like. Moved to 9's with an appropriate setup and sounds fantastic. Dropped the pickup height and made further improvements. Also, play with your amp settings. I found that the amp settings with my prior guitars sounded great but were burying the preamp of the amp. Was able to dial some nice tones but realize the amp I am using is not optimal.

Of all guitars that the g guys made, the SG is probably the hardest to replicate but amazing sounding guitars. Interestingly enough, the standard PRS mahogany guitar really nailed it.