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[IRG]

I came closing to selling my recently purchased (acquired in a trade) Custom 24/Artist Grade top. I had it for sale on Reverb for a week, and TGP too, no takers. Price seemed reasonable (to me at least) at $2k but no takers, but then I got a new amp, a Marshall DSL40Cst and boy did this guitar come alive. While I like the 57/08 pickups in there, I might replace them with something more suitable for higher gain.

Not quite sure what yet. And not sure whether I should keep the original pickups just in case, or sell 'em on ebay/reverb. No idea what they might go for, but they are gold covers on them. I could maybe, put them in my S2 Standard Custom 22, that might work well, just without the covers, as that wouldn't look right.

Glad I made the decision not to sell it though, probably would've regretted that. Lovin the new amp too.

 

[sleary]

Go with either 59/09 or M pickups for high gain

 

[IRG]

Maybe the \m/ pickups. Was also thinking of maybe Seymour Duncan Sentient (neck) and Nazgul (bridge).

 

[Rider1260]

I really liked the VB/HFS in my CU24 with my Marshall ( or Boogie or PRS amp )

 

[IRG]

I really liked the VB/HFS in my CU24 with my Marshall ( or Boogie or PRS amp )

I have the SE version pickups in my SE Clint Lowery, and have to admit I really do like them. Wonder what the difference the USA versions are from the SE.

 

[vchizzle]

So you're wanting to keep gold covers on the new pickups, right? If so, that kinda rules out a lot of new PRS pickups(or they'll be expensive and hard to find).

 

[IRG]

So you're wanting to keep gold covers on the new pickups, right? If so, that kinda rules out a lot of new PRS pickups(or they'll be expensive and hard to find).

No, I don't really like the gold covers to be honest. I'd like the black exposed coils on this model. Leaning towards something from SD at this point, maybe the Sentient for the neck (close to a Jazz maybe slightly hotter), and a Nazgul or Duncan Distortion for the bridge.

 

[IRG]

I did look on ebay for a pair of used PRS HFS/VBS pickups. Not much right now, and ones I did find are like $175 each.

 

[timrocks311]

I did look on ebay for a pair of used PRS HFS/VBS pickups. Not much right now, and ones I did find are like $175 each.

I'm pretty sure I still have the HFS/VB pups from my Standard. If you're interested shoot me a message. I'll give them up for a lot less than $175.

 

[IRG]

I'm pretty sure I still have the HFS/VB pups from my Standard. If you're interested shoot me a message. I'll give them up for a lot less than $175.

Thanks, may do so. Any idea what the output is on this combo? I have the SE version in my SE Clint Lowery, and have been surprised by how much I like them, especially compared to other SE pickups in the past that have been blah at best.

Nevermind, I see the specs, 15k for the HFS and 8.5k for the VBS.

One more question, are the four conductor on both pickups? I do need that.

 

[itstooloudMike]

I have the original VB/HFS pickups in my '93 CE24, and I love them. Probably the best high gain pickups I've ever played. Very musical. And they split pretty well too. Of course my CE24 has the alder body with maple top, so that's also a factor. I just know that those pickups in my CE24 are a perfect match. The guitar just sings.

 

[IRG]

My CU24 has a Korina body, maple top, rosewood 'board, so it's definitely not on the dull side. Just needs a little more zip with the pickups.

 

[timrocks311]

One more question, are the four conductor on both pickups? I do need that.

I think they are four conductor by default. I'm not sure PRS made them any other way. They came from a guitar with the 3-way toggle with push/pull for coil tap. I can verify and send you a pic.

 

[IRG]

I think they are four conductor by default. I'm not sure PRS made them any other way. They came from a guitar with the 3-way toggle with push/pull for coil tap. I can verify and send you a pic.

I think you're right. A pic would be great, thanks.

 

[coyote]

The Marshall DSL40c is a great amp. I just got one from Sweetwater, with the Creamback upgrade. It sounds awesome. Though I gotta say the Blackstar 40 watt combo amp is also terrific; I almost went with that instead. Or if you like cleaner amps, the Fender Blues Deluxe is amazing.... So many great amps out there

 

[DHW]

The 59/09s are plenty high gain and still sound great. The HFS is HOT. I have ran both through a dsl40c and they sound great if you can get the volume up, otherwise you'll need a pedal. Pretty much any amp this size or bigger will have that issue. That dsl40c has way more gain on tap than any of the classic metal bands had available. I actually traded my dsl40c for a blackstar ht5r so I could crank the volume a bit more without blowing the windows out. With the gain at about 1 o'clock on that thing they all just scream. I have pickups at 8, 8.8, 9.3, 11.5, 12, and 15 and the only difference is really the coloring of the tone out of them with the higher resistance pickups having a more moderns coloring and the lower more vintage. The 59/09s are by far my favorite. They sound good no matter if they are plugged into a solid state practice amp or a 100w hand wired head. My next favorite is the HFS at 15k, and then the crunch lab. The SE hfs is not quite as hot as the USA one I believe. The USA HFS is more modern sounding than the 59/09 but I wouldn't call the 59/09 vintage sounding really... It's kinda in between. I've never played a SD pickup that I liked personally, but that's just my opinion and you know what opinions are like...

 

[IRG]

The Marshall DSL40c is a great amp. I just got one from Sweetwater, with the Creamback upgrade. It sounds awesome. Though I gotta say the Blackstar 40 watt combo amp is also terrific; I almost went with that instead. Or if you like cleaner amps, the Fender Blues Deluxe is amazing.... So many great amps out there

Yeah I got the same one from Sweetwater, the speaker upgrade made it that much better. I had a Fender Blues Deluxe a while ago, but it went from being fairly loud at 1 to blast you out of the room by 2. I think they've improved that though since then. But the DSL40C is really great, much, much more gain than what I've had before, yet really nice cleans too.

 

[DHW]

Yeah I got the same one from Sweetwater, the speaker upgrade made it that much better. I had a Fender Blues Deluxe a while ago, but it went from being fairly loud at 1 to blast you out of the room by 2. I think they've improved that though since then. But the DSL40C is really great, much, much more gain than what I've had before, yet really nice cleans too.

There is a tone cap you can clip on it too if you find the lead 2 channel too "ice picky". It will give that channel a more vintage high gain tone. Makes a major improvement iwth the 70-80 and a bit less with the creamback.

 

[IRG]

There is a tone cap you can clip on it too if you find the lead 2 channel too "ice picky". It will give that channel a more vintage high gain tone. Makes a major improvement iwth the 70-80 and a bit less with the creamback.

I've heard about that mod. I actually don't find it ice picky at all, and prefer Lead 2 for being brighter. Maybe I've lost the high end in my hearing, lol. I will, at some point, look at different pre amp tubes, but I'm not ready yet. I gotta get used to how it sounds stock first, which will takes weeks, if not a couple months.

 

[coyote]

Yeah I got the same one from Sweetwater, the speaker upgrade made it that much better. I had a Fender Blues Deluxe a while ago, but it went from being fairly loud at 1 to blast you out of the room by 2. I think they've improved that though since then. But the DSL40C is really great, much, much more gain than what I've had before, yet really nice cleans too.

The thing I like about the Marshall and the Blackstar is that the high distortion gain settings still play clean simply by how you attack the strings. You play gentle, it's clean; you whack the strings and it goes CRUNCH. I have an old 200 watt Marshall Major, and besides being effin loud and having great tone that was its charm (before I retired it from active use). The Mesa/Rivera type multi-stage gain amps don't really do that; they are kinda uniform in sound regardless of pick attack. Fortunately, between the Marshall combo and the Princeton Reverb II combo I have both concepts working