Found a good replacement for the Dragon 1 bridge pickup...'00 CE22 content

[Lewguitar]

Been working on the '00 CE22 I just acquired.

I got it so cheap I was expecting a beat up case and scratched up guitar. But except for the replacement pickups and faulty wiring, it's in great shape.

It needed a lot of set up time though. The action was so low that every note fretted out. The pickups were so far from the strings that the guitar had no power or volume.

The tone control is inoperative. No tone capacitor!

The original owner told me he removed the Dragon 2 pickups, sold them, and then put in TWO Duncan Custom bridge pickups! Same pickup for the neck and bridge.

At one time, 20 or 25 years ago, I really liked the Duncan Custom pickup. I had it as a bridge pickup in a Strat and as a neck pickup in a Hamer Monoco Super Pro.

They're wound to around 14K and use a ceramic magnet, as does the Dragon 1 bridge pickup.

I'm going to open it up today and see what these pickups actually are!

https://imgur.com/kIiLw9M

 

[Lewguitar]

More pics. Some nice flame on the neck!

https://imgur.com/SIN1ND3

https://imgur.com/IDrSMz3

https://imgur.com/HDgACXs

Nice flamey top! 100% of the top is flamed. Little flames rather than quilt, but it's very pretty.

https://imgur.com/jVXu7tb

 

[JasonE]

These are great guitars. I have zero needs to buy another guitar at this point but if I ran across one of these in great condition like that for a good price, I would probably buy it. The only PRS guitar I have with a bolt on neck is my SAS. There is something different about the bolt on maple neck in these models. It just feels and sounds great. I have played a few of the CE models and never played one I thought wasn't great. I am a 22 fret guy though an have only found them in 24 frets when I have come across them.

 

[Lewguitar]

BTW, I've figured out how to restore guitars that have had the ROTARY SWITCH replaced with a 3 way.

The 3 way needs a bigger hole. 1/2". So the 5/16" hole for the rotary switch is always enlarged to 1/2".

That's makes it hard to go back to the rotary switch because now the mounting hole's too big.

I bought a 3' length of 1/2" wooden dowel. It fits perfectly in a 1/2" hole.

So cut a piece about 1/8" long (the thickness of the maple top at that point) and glue it into the 1/2" hole.

When the glue dries, drill it with a 1/4" drill and then use a tapered reamer to enlarge it so the shaft of a pot or rotary switch will pass through.

Easy.

The washer, nut and control knob will cover the plug.

 

[JasonE]

I think I'm done too. This ax was $1200 with the original case, and I already have all the pickups and parts to restore it. I even have a set of Dragon 1 and Dragon 2 pickups if I wanted to go that route.

Used CE22's tend to sell for $1500 and up. They're my favorite PRS. Those and the Silver Sky.

I would have bought it at that price too.

 

[Lewguitar]

I would have bought it at that price too.

These guitars are undervalued, IMO. Maybe the general public sees them as being cheaper because of the bolt on neck?

I see the CE22 as being a blend of Gibson and Fender.

The bolt on maple neck and vibrato of a Fender, and the body shape (inspired by the double cutaway Les Paul Special) and humbuckers of a Gibson.

All combines to be a unique PRS guitar that is neither Fender or Gibson but PRS!

 

[JasonE]

These guitars are undervalued, IMO. Maybe the general public sees them as being cheaper because of the bolt on neck?

I see the CE22 as being a blend of Gibson and Fender.

The bolt on maple neck and vibrato of a Fender, and the body shape (inspired by the double cutaway Les Paul Special) and humbuckers of a Gibson.

All combines to be a unique PRS guitar that is neither Fender or Gibson but PRS!

When I had my custom Suhr Standard made, I built it so much like a PRS CE that people mistake it for a PRS all the time. It has a carved quilt maple top, mahogany back, maple neck with rosewood fretboard. It turned out fantastic. I knew from the PRS formula of the CE that it would probably be a homerun hit, it is.

 

[Senor Verde]

My cousin and I have used Duncan Customs in a few Les Pauls and they are nice for high output pups. We used either '59 or Antiquity bridge pickups for the neck positions so the volume balanced better. I might have mentioned this before, but when I had my CE22 Maple Top the neck pickup was very weak and muddy. I put a Duncan JB in the neck spot and it blended with the Dragon I perfectly and sounded terrific.

Sounds like a fun project you have going on there!

 

[Lewguitar]

My cousin and I have used Duncan Customs in a few Les Pauls and they are nice for high output pups. We used either '59 or Antiquity bridge pickups for the neck positions so the volume balanced better. I might have mentioned this before, but when I had my CE22 Maple Top the neck pickup was very weak and muddy. I put a Duncan JB in the neck spot and it blended with the Dragon I perfectly and sounded terrific.

Sounds like a fun project you have going on there!

The Dragon 1 and 2 neck pickup is an alnico 4 8K pickup. Probably similar to the 59B you were using as a neck pickup. Yeah, it’s fun. I’ve always been a tinkerer.

 

[Mark Ray]

*I ain't snoozin' & loozin' this time. Anyone in this thread wanting to sell any Dragon 1's, pick up the phone!

 

[Lewguitar]

So today I took it all apart. removed the pickups and controls, and found that the previous owner was wrong about what pickups he put in this guitar.

He said he put a pair of Duncan Customs in this guitar.

The neck pickup is a Duncan Custom, as he said.

But the bridge pickup is a Duncan JB!

 

[Senor Verde]

So the JB gives a close approximation to a Dragon I? I don't think I tried a JB in the bridge of my formed CE22, just the neck.

 

[Lewguitar]

So the JB gives a close approximation to a Dragon I? I don't think I tried a JB in the bridge of my formed CE22, just the neck.

I'm amazed. The previous owner told me it was a Duncan Custom but it's a JB!

I went back and forth between my guitars with the Dragon 1 bridge and this '00 with what I now know is a JB.

The JB in this guitar sounds like a Dragon 1 in many ways. It has a big thick bottom and a fat dense sound. And the output seems similar.

The JB has more dimension though...an airiness in the treble. It has a little more sizzle to the treble and pinch harmonics take off more easily.

I love the Dragon 1 treble pickup, but sometimes, with a lot of overdrive and a saturated tone, it can start to sound a little one dimensional.

The JB has more breath.

It's very impressive and yes, in this guitar, it does remind me of the Dragon I's in my other guitars.

 

[Senor Verde]

Hmmm... Maybe I should put my JB in a McCarty, just for fun.

 

[Prina]

The JB in this guitar sounds like a Dragon 1 in many ways. It has a big thick bottom and a fat dense sound. And the output seems similar.

The JB has more dimension though...an airiness in the treble. It has a little bit of sizzle to the treble and pinch harmonics take off more easily.

Interesting. I might consider that for my SE 245 that isn't the soapbar. I already have a superstrat with a Pearly Gates and the S2 594 so vintage-ish A2 sounds are pretty well covered. Any other recommendations are also welcome.

And contrats on your great score! So awesome getting a great deal and having it turn out even better than expected.