DGT Pickups

Johnnykuz

Johnnykuz

New Member
Joined
May 30, 2013
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12
Location
Durango, CO
OK, this is a bit of. rant. Not aimed at anyone, just shaking my damn head. I've heard many people talk about how they want to buy a DGT and replace the pickups. WTF!!!! The pickups are a vital part of this signature guitar and replacing them simply lowers the value and makes the guitar sound like it's.....no longer a DGT! If you want to replace the pickups in a guitar, don't buy a signature model. These pickups are part of the "stamp" of a signature guitar. I saw a beautiful DGT on Reverb.com today and in looking at it, i saw that the owner replaced the DGT pickups with Gibson pickups and no longer even has the DGT pickups. To me, that DGT is worthless. At this point I ask, why didn't you just buy a Gibson or a Fender guitar and play with different pickups all you like. I'm almost 70 and have been playing for 57 years. Is this phenomenon a "youth & inexperience" thing? I'm curious because my 38 year old whose been playing for 31 years suggested he'd like to do the same thing. I guess I'm just old because it seems pretty stupid to me to buy a $4-5K guitar and replace the pickups.

OK, end of rant.

PS: I have two DGT's, an '08 maple capped cherry burst and a '12 all mahogany McCarty burst standard. Wouldn't change a thing with them.
 
Johnnykuz said:
OK, this is a bit of. rant. Not aimed at anyone, just shaking my damn head. I've heard many people talk about how they want to buy a DGT and replace the pickups. WTF!!!! The pickups are a vital part of this signature guitar and replacing them simply lowers the value and makes the guitar sound like it's.....no longer a DGT! If you want to replace the pickups in a guitar, don't buy a signature model. These pickups are part of the "stamp" of a signature guitar. I saw a beautiful DGT on Reverb.com today and in looking at it, i saw that the owner replaced the DGT pickups with Gibson pickups and no longer even has the DGT pickups. To me, that DGT is worthless. At this point I ask, why didn't you just buy a Gibson or a Fender guitar and play with different pickups all you like. I'm almost 70 and have been playing for 57 years. Is this phenomenon a "youth & inexperience" thing? I'm curious because my 38 year old whose been playing for 31 years suggested he'd like to do the same thing. I guess I'm just old because it seems pretty stupid to me to buy a $4-5K guitar and replace the pickups.

OK, end of rant.

PS: I have two DGT's, an '08 maple capped cherry burst and a '12 all mahogany McCarty burst standard. Wouldn't change a thing with them.
Click to expand...
I stand with you!
 
Not only do I totally agree with your “rant”… but I also own the same two models and vintage years DGTs as you do. OK, my DGT Standard is entirely natural mahogany finish, but still… Wouldn’t change a thing in my DGTs. (And we’re both about the same “vintage” in years, too, lol!) (And yes, the two DGTs do sound subtly different from each other, each in its own great way. Just to add that comment.)
 
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All I have to say is that I wouldn't change them either. I like my guitars stock for the most part. An exception would be a 2000 SC I got that came with BK Rebel Yells (amazing).
That said, whoever bought it can do what he/she wants. It's theirs to screw up if they like.
Selling the DGT pups was a huge mistake though...
 
Yes, I agree.
Same thing with early 90‘s Custom22’s up for sale without Dragon I’s and/or the phase one tuners changed and not included with the sale. Hard pass.
Are we seeing these guitars starting to be bought for their parts, replaced, then flipped?
 
Johnnykuz said:
OK, this is a bit of. rant. Not aimed at anyone, just shaking my damn head. I've heard many people talk about how they want to buy a DGT and replace the pickups. WTF!!!! The pickups are a vital part of this signature guitar and replacing them simply lowers the value and makes the guitar sound like it's.....no longer a DGT! If you want to replace the pickups in a guitar, don't buy a signature model. These pickups are part of the "stamp" of a signature guitar. I saw a beautiful DGT on Reverb.com today and in looking at it, i saw that the owner replaced the DGT pickups with Gibson pickups and no longer even has the DGT pickups. To me, that DGT is worthless. At this point I ask, why didn't you just buy a Gibson or a Fender guitar and play with different pickups all you like. I'm almost 70 and have been playing for 57 years. Is this phenomenon a "youth & inexperience" thing? I'm curious because my 38 year old whose been playing for 31 years suggested he'd like to do the same thing. I guess I'm just old because it seems pretty stupid to me to buy a $4-5K guitar and replace the pickups.

OK, end of rant.

PS: I have two DGT's, an '08 maple capped cherry burst and a '12 all mahogany McCarty burst standard. Wouldn't change a thing with them.
Click to expand...

This reminds me a bit of my PS experience w/Tina Sears. My quote was based on a DGT model, but I obviously made tons of changes. As we wrapped everything up, Tina said, "I think we need to list this as a McCarty instead of a DGT because you've changed just about everything DGT about it." She was right - the only things DGT about my PS in the end were the neck carve and the whammy bar. And maybe the thickness. Everything else was different. In the end, I don't really care what it's called as long as it's still called mine.

And I agree - changing anything about the DGT kind of makes it non-DGT-ish. I get that some people need to change the string gauge, but I don't even do that. To me, the DGT is one of the best examples of a "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" guitar. There's no world in which I should be playing 11s, but they work for me on my DGT, and I'll keep them as long as my hands can work them. They really do feel lighter to me on that guitar. And the way it all works together is just spectacular.

I may check out the SE version, but the scary part to me was a video where DG talked about how the newer core versions have better single-coil sounds than the era mine is from, and now I'm thinking I may want that...
 
alantig said:
This reminds me a bit of my PS experience w/Tina Sears. My quote was based on a DGT model, but I obviously made tons of changes. As we wrapped everything up, Tina said, "I think we need to list this as a McCarty instead of a DGT because you've changed just about everything DGT about it." She was right - the only things DGT about my PS in the end were the neck carve and the whammy bar. And maybe the thickness. Everything else was different. In the end, I don't really care what it's called as long as it's still called mine.

And I agree - changing anything about the DGT kind of makes it non-DGT-ish. I get that some people need to change the string gauge, but I don't even do that. To me, the DGT is one of the best examples of a "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" guitar. There's no world in which I should be playing 11s, but they work for me on my DGT, and I'll keep them as long as my hands can work them. They really do feel lighter to me on that guitar. And the way it all works together is just spectacular.

I may check out the SE version, but the scary part to me was a video where DG talked about how the newer core versions have better single-coil sounds than the era mine is from, and now I'm thinking I may want that...
Click to expand...

I think some gratuitous picture shares of your PS are in order;)
 
alantig said:
This reminds me a bit of my PS experience w/Tina Sears. My quote was based on a DGT model, but I obviously made tons of changes. As we wrapped everything up, Tina said, "I think we need to list this as a McCarty instead of a DGT because you've changed just about everything DGT about it." She was right - the only things DGT about my PS in the end were the neck carve and the whammy bar. And maybe the thickness. Everything else was different. In the end, I don't really care what it's called as long as it's still called mine.

And I agree - changing anything about the DGT kind of makes it non-DGT-ish. I get that some people need to change the string gauge, but I don't even do that. To me, the DGT is one of the best examples of a "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" guitar. There's no world in which I should be playing 11s, but they work for me on my DGT, and I'll keep them as long as my hands can work them. They really do feel lighter to me on that guitar. And the way it all works together is just spectacular.

I may check out the SE version, but the scary part to me was a video where DG talked about how the newer core versions have better single-coil sounds than the era mine is from, and now I'm thinking I may want that...
Click to expand...
The single coil sounds blew me away in the John Bollinger and David Grissom videos I watched. Both in the SE and Core versions.
 
Alnus Rubra said:
I think some gratuitous picture shares of your PS are in order;)
Click to expand...

What, this old thing?

ps607903.jpg


 
Bowtiefanatc said:
I want a McCarty so I can replace the pickups with DGTs :D
Click to expand...
That I can dig. The pickups on a McCarty weren't designed for nor are they exclusive to the McCarty like they are on a signature model. I modify my strats & teles but I prefer to leave all of my PRS guitars (I have 2 core & 3 SEs) stock. I like the pickups in 'em.
 
IMO it's time for PRS to sell DGT pickups in the store.
Years ago I had a circa 1999 McCarty that I put DGT pickups in-and it was fantastic. I don't remember why I sold/traded that guitar but it is one of two (the other being my charcoal original Modern Eagle) that I regret getting of. I have a Wilcutt wood library Ted McCarty that I would LOVE to put DGTs in.
I now remember why I got rid of the McCarty and the ME--I prefer the shorter scale PRS:)
 
I have to disagree. I love the DGT for things other double cut models didn’t have like the two volumes, big frets, neck, but am not a huge fan of the bridge pickup as it is very vintage sounding. One I put a Dragon in the bridge, and on a standard I put a full set of Dragons in it. I kind of figured I could make it my own best guitar, but for some reason I never cared what anyone else did with their own personal guitars. Silly me.
 
I don’t understand. If you like the guitar but not the pickups, why not change them? It’s not like it’s a permanent mod. If I would change anything on my DGT it would be the pickups, especially the neck pickup which is fairly dark. It’s not that I dislike the pickups, I still think it’s a brilliant guitar, one of the best ever made as a total package and one of my two favorite guitars ever, but the pickups are its weakest link IMO (a very strong weakest link but still). Getting a good coil tapped sound is fairly easy with any pickup when tuning the tap with resistors so that’s not a reason to not do it.
 
OP, I completely agree with you. It seems to be the guys that like to flip guitars that swap the pickups out. They are always looking for the next great thing and they get the guitar and it isn't exactly what they wanted to they decide to swap the pickups out. Then they see how much they can get for the pickups because they are not readily available. What they don't realize is that selling the guitar without those pickups in it is going to cause a huge hit in value because someone is going to have to hunt a set down to put it back to what it was. I have only swapped the pickups in a few of my guitars but I always keep the stock parts so I can put it back to stock at any time.

The only other thing I can think of on the DGT is that the neck and control layout is unique to that model. Maybe they want that? Typically I see someone has changed things to try to get it to be what they want it to be and it doesn't get there so they sell it off.
 
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