Dang Velas...

Last week my pots and pickup selector sounded a tad scratchy on my reclaimed so i cracked it open and sprayed some deoxit. Took care of the issue. But i Figure while I was in I toss a different humbucker for the bridge. Went with Fralin Modern PAF. Lot more output. Actually too much. I had a hard time getting it to balance right with the neck pickup. But tone wise was pretty cool. Originally it was out of phase so I had to correct that (fyi for anybody wiring a Fralin treble in this model). The Experiment is over tho. Went back in and put the original Starla pickup. Perfect balance. It really was for my own curiosity. Maybe down the road I’ll try a PaF bridge like 58/15 LT (like the private stocks get) or Fralin pure PAF. I enjoy experimenting. Takes less than 10 mins to do!
 
Question. Is it only the reclaimed or all velas that has crazy sustain and spring like reverb? For a hard tail I’m shocked. It’s so loud and feels like I have natural reverb.
 
I said I'd get one by the end of August...there was a slight delay in getting that done but this gorgeous specimen is now burning its way to me across the nation's highways and byways

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I’m guessing that has more to do with it being a semi hollow.
I wonder about this too. The Vela is the first semi hollow body guitar I've owned. The bridge pickup isn't as strong as the bridge pickups in my LP and SG, but the Vela has this depth to it (when amplified) that the others don't have. The others have more of a "quicker attack" which is great, but I've found that depth and resonance to the sound of the semi hollow body works very, very well for me. As a result the Vela SHB actually sounds bigger.

I only "gig" at church and one of the acoustic guitar players told me "you've always gotten a good guitar sound. But there is something that is so unique about the sound of that PRS." Those are his exact words.
 
The Vela has arrived and is getting acquainted with her cousins...

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is getting acquainted
How is the comfort with the right arm on the Vela vs Silver Sky? I’m a strat player and have been considering the Vela as my first foray into PRS.
 
How is the comfort with the right arm on the Vela vs Silver Sky? I’m a strat player and have been considering the Vela as my first foray into PRS.
Totally comfortable. I've always been a Fender strat/tele guy. Always wanted a more Gibson-style instrument, but nothing ever really scratched that itch in a way I was comfortable. Never liked PRS, but they brought me into the fold with the Silver Sky, which is a great interpretation of a particular era of the s-type sound/vibe/playability. The Vela to me is super comfortable to play, feels instantly comfortable and sits in the "is it a meaty tele, or a very articulate SG" kinda zone.
 
I made one last modification to my Vela, I ended up having Chris at K-Line guitars (which are built right down the street from my house) wind me a custom Firebird neck pickup with Alnico 2 magnets and boy oh boy does it sound great. Juicy, bubbly, clear, and sweet. Although I liked the stock pickups quite a bit, I needed just a tiny bit more guts from the bridge pickup and just a bit more highs from the neck pickup while retaining the same basic vibe of the stock pickups. The TV Jones Power’Tron bridge and the K-Line Firebird neck fit the bill perfectly. What a killer sounding guitar.
 
I made one last modification to my Vela, I ended up having Chris at K-Line guitars (which are built right down the street from my house) wind me a custom Firebird neck pickup with Alnico 2 magnets and boy oh boy does it sound great. Juicy, bubbly, clear, and sweet. Although I liked the stock pickups quite a bit, I needed just a tiny bit more guts from the bridge pickup and just a bit more highs from the neck pickup while retaining the same basic vibe of the stock pickups. The TV Jones Power’Tron bridge and the K-Line Firebird neck fit the bill perfectly. What a killer sounding guitar.
Is that neck hum free?
 
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