Dragon 1 pickups.. still great?

[Mortenz]

I'm wondering what the hype is with the Dragon I pickups. Are they really that great?

From what I’ve read, they seem to stand out because, even though they’re ceramic, they’re not shrill and are actually useful for clean tones. They’ve got an organic, fat tone—like a very hot PAF.

Are they great for rhythm guitar? Is there a modern pickup today from PRS or another brand that’s very similar to the Dragon I Treble?

I read once that it’s basically like an HFS but with the “Artist” machine and artist cable. What exactly does that mean?

Sorry for all the questions, but I’m really curious about what makes these Dragon pickups legendary.

 

[Bogner]

There Are A Lot Of Great Pickups Out There. The Key Is Knowing What Your Guitar Does Well And Not So Well Sonically On Its Own And Finding Something To Cooperate With Your Guitar And Rig Setup That Works For You. My Experience Has Proven To Me That X Pickup In Y Guitar Doesn't Always Mean A Favorable Result. I Have Several Identical Guitars And The Same Pickups Don't Work The Same In Them. Each Guitar Is Unique And No Pickup Will Ever Completely Change The Natural Attribute Of Your Guitar. If You Guitar Is Very Bass Heavy Then A Pickup Will Never Alleviate That And Make It Top Endy (For Lack Of A Better Term). Pickups Can Steer Things In Certain Directions But They Won't Change The Overall DNA Of The Guitar. You Likely Know All Of This But I Thought It Was Worth Mentioning In Case Somebody Reading May Not Know.

The Guitar I Have Dragon 1's In I Like. I Have Taken Them Out And Replaced Them In Other Guitar Because I Found Something That Worked Better In That Guitar For What I Wanted/Needed.

Others Here Could Probably Give More History And So Forth On Them. I Think Some Of It Is Hype (Although Well Deserved) And The Rarity At One Time Of Them. They Work Great For What They Do.

 

[Mortenz]

You’re absolutely right; I understand your point.

But what I’ve realized, even when using boost pedals, effects, and software to shape the sound, is that there’s always one difference I can feel between various guitars and pickups: the fatness of the sound. I wouldn’t call it “thickness” because I have guitars with a thick, strong tone, but they still feel like something’s missing.

That’s exactly why I’m interested in the Dragon pickups. Everyone seems to agree—whether they love or hate them—that these pickups have a bold, full sound. That’s the kind of depth I’m chasing.


I'm also wondering why the Dragon pickups are the only ceramic pickups that people still describe as warm instead of shrill (So many people agree on this one!). Is that due to the Artist wire they use?

Do you find them muddy at all, or are they clear enough? And how do they perform for rhythm guitar?

 

[Mark Ray]

One of the old PRS factory issued videos (it was on VHS) ended with Paul and his band at that time playing. If I remember correctly, his guitar had Dragon 1's in it at that point. He was playing through a Marshall 1/2 stack. Hearing that sound sealed the deal for me.

Dragon 1's are still my favorite PRS pickup. (FOR ME)

 

[Senor Verde]

I've only owned one set of Dragon I, that was in a CE22 Maple Top. That guitar was naturally very bright. With that bridge pickup, it sounded a lot like the hottest Telecaster in the world, which was really cool. I'd like to try a DI bridge in one of my current guitars, but have a feeling it would be too hot for me these days.

I never liked the neck pickup. It had no definition and was too much quieter than the bridge. I ended up putting a Duncan JB in the neck position and it blended great, sounded terrific. I know several people here that think the neck pickup is nice, so maybe mine had a weak magnet.

 

[Davey]

Gotta say it....Dragon I's for the win!!!

More versatile than people give them credit for. Use the volume and tone controls.
Pickup height will also affect how much they push the amp. They do clean up nice.

 

[Bogner]

You’re absolutely right; I understand your point.

But what I’ve realized, even when using boost pedals, effects, and software to shape the sound, is that there’s always one difference I can feel between various guitars and pickups: the fatness of the sound. I wouldn’t call it “thickness” because I have guitars with a thick, strong tone, but they still feel like something’s missing.

That’s exactly why I’m interested in the Dragon pickups. Everyone seems to agree—whether they love or hate them—that these pickups have a bold, full sound. That’s the kind of depth I’m chasing.


I'm also wondering why the Dragon pickups are the only ceramic pickups that people still describe as warm instead of shrill (So many people agree on this one!). Is that due to the Artist wire they use?

Do you find them muddy at all, or are they clear enough? And how do they perform for rhythm guitar?

I Don't Find Them Muddy And I Do Find Them To Be Clear. They Can Work Wonderfully For Rhythm Guitar As Well As Lead Work.

Here Is What It All Comes Down To...And I Totally Understand What You Said On "Thickness" And "Fatness Of Sound". It All Really Comes Down To EQ And What You Are Using Overall To Get To Your Desired Outcome. I Can Get A Usable Clean, Crunch, Heavy Sound That is Pleasing To Me With Almost Anything By Compensating For What May Be Lacking In One Aspect And Making Up For It In Another....Cab, Speakers, Amp, How The Amp Is Dialed, EQ In The Loop, Perhaps A Boos Pedal, Etc. Even Using Different Cables And Picks And String Gauge Makes A Significant Difference. You Also Talk About Feel And That Is The Other Thing I Want To Mention As Well. How Something Feels To A Player Is Almost As Important To How It Sounds. In Fact Most Players Will Gravitate Towards Feel And Try To Keep The Feel And Then Find The Sound Rather Than The Other Way Around (In My Experience). If The Feel Is All Wrong It Is Difficult To Play And Also Unenjoyable.

That Said, I Don't Think You Can Go Wrong With Those Pickups In The Huge Majority Of Situations. You never Mentioned What Sound You Are After And What Style Of Music You Play. Rhythm Sounds For AC/DC/ - Fleetwood Mac - Cannibal Corpse Are All Very Different "Rhythm Sounds" So I Don't Know What You Are After. If You Can Tell Me, I Can Provide Options From Other Various Brands As Well As PRS. If You Have The Dragon Itch, You May As Well Scratch It Though Because If You End Up Not Liking Them You Will Easily Be Able To Sell Them.

You mention Ceramic And Shrill...That "Shrill" Is Due To More Than A Maget. The Windings, Wire Used, Etc All The Parts Used In A Pickup Make A Massive Difference. When It Comes To The Definitions Of The Adjectives We All Use It Can Be Tricky Because We May Not Mean The Same Thing Exactly...Even Though We May Use The Same Descriptive Word. EQ Accordingly!

 

[gush]

Dragon 1s are fabulous pickups. I believe they are the highest output pickup prs has put out.

I run mine pretty low in the pickup rings to make them a little more articulate. Mine has rotary so when I roll volume down all 5 positions become cleaner but still full.

M pickup is high output too but naturally more articulate and resists muddy stuff.

 

[Jimi D]

I'm very fond of the Dragon 1s in my CE22. They're on the rotary, and I find all five positions useful. As others have said, they're very sensitive to height adjustments, but after taking two or three days to dial them in and find my amp settings, I really fell for them. They're the most powerful set of pickups I have in any guitar, but they work. They have a beautiful, vocal midrange and are very musical to my tinnitus-affected ears.

 

[Mortenz]

Dragon 1s are fabulous pickups. I believe they are the highest output pickup prs has put out.

I run mine pretty low in the pickup rings to make them a little more articulate. Mine has rotary so when I roll volume down all 5 positions become cleaner but still full.

M pickup is high output too but naturally more articulate and resists muddy stuff.

Do you find the M pickup more useful? Are they close to each other? Someone told me that Ms are the modern Dragons. I have never tried them.

 

[gush]

Do you find the M pickup more useful? Are they close to each other? Someone told me that Ms are the modern Dragons. I have never tried them.

I had hfs/vb in my McCarty when I had it tuned to D and lower. I switched to M to get rid of the low end flabbiness. M pickups resist muddy tones extremely well.

I put 5909s back in when I went back to Eb so I never spent much time with them outside of the lower tunings.

I would say lowering my D1s to get them clearer and more articulate is what Ms do right out of the gate.

 

[gush]

Do you find the M pickup more useful? Are they close to each other? Someone told me that Ms are the modern Dragons. I have never tried them.

M pickups may be easier on the wallet than D1s these days.

 

[AP515]

I believe the tone of Dragon 1's depends heavily on the guitar they are in (no surprise really). I have them in a CE22 Standard with a maple neck. Best humbucker tone I own. Clear and powerful. How much of that is the maple neck and Hog body I can't say.

 

[gush]

I believe the tone of Dragon 1's depends heavily on the guitar they are in (no surprise really). I have them in a CE22 Standard with a maple neck. Best humbucker tone I own. Clear and powerful. How much of that is the maple neck and Hog body I can't say.

Mine are in a 97 ce22

 

[Aahzz]

My '97 Custom 22 Stoptail came with them. They sounded good, hot...but too warm for me, at least with the rest of my rig, so they got replaced. That said, based on what you're looking for OP, I think you'd love them. They definitely do the bold and fat thing.