Gibson pickups in a PRS

[gush]

Yup. It will change your life. I think the awesomeness has a lot to do with the guitar body thickness.

If you only have one to throw in, throw that bad boy in the neck. That’s where the magic happens.

Oh man I don't know about that......I've got an 8515 in there right now and it sounds really freakin good, I'd hate to fool with that.

I have two sets of 5310 squabbins plus one covered bridge and one lone squabbin neck.

I also have a set in a hog ce22.

 

[Casi1]

Oh man I don't know about that......I've got an 8515 in there right now and it sounds really freakin good, I'd hate to fool with that.

I have two sets of 5310 squabbins plus one covered bridge and one lone squabbin neck.

I also have a set in a hog ce22.

Yeah if you like the 85/15 then you should probably leave it there. The 53/10 is tonally at the other end of spectrum (to my ears). I’m not a fan of the 85/15; the only reason I’m keeping them is that I might need to return a guitar to its original condition.

I’m still trying to find guitars to put my extra 53/10 sets in. It’s apparent that I’m going to have to buy more guitars just to find good homes for them.

I do prefer the sound of the covered 53/10 neck more than any other configuration.

 

[gush]

Yeah if you like the 85/15 then you should probably leave it there. The 53/10 is tonally at the other end of spectrum (to my ears). I’m not a fan of the 85/15; the only reason I’m keeping them is that I might need to return a guitar to its original condition.

I’m still trying to find guitars to put my extra 53/10 sets in. It’s apparent that I’m going to have to buy more guitars just to find good homes for them.

I do prefer the sound of the covered 53/10 neck more than any other configuration.

I didn't care for the 8515 bridge pickup but boy do I like the neck.

The 5310s in my hog ce22 is also rotary switching so I don't have the single coil neck or bridge option.

 

[TennesseeWhiskee]

I replaced the 245 pickups in my Custom 22 Special with a pair of Suhr Thornbuckers and I think it was a really great upgrade. But I also have a Special Semi-Hollow with the 58/15MT's and it's hard to imagine a better sounding pickup. They are truly a great modern, versatile impersonation of a PAF.

 

[Bob Hundemer]

I had a LP Studio.. While it was a nice guitar it wasn't amazing sounding.
My 594 SC with the TCI pickups sounds way better to me.

 

[Nexlevel]

I put SD Alnico Pro II's in my S2 and it sounds great. Hope it will always sound like a PRS, only a bit different, not better just different. I have an R8 for when I want that sound, but it gets little use. My Core's and S2 sound awesome and what I like. Rock on PRS!

Key statement... "My Core's and S2 sound awesome and what I like." There's no right pickup for a guitar. Just the right pickup in your guitar that achieves your desired tone. The "S" import electronics are candidates for guiltless disposal. Even to new TCI-"S" pickups. They very similar to an older SE guitar I have. The SE "S" pickups may better than other stock imports pickups, but they are certainly candidates for modification along with the rest of the electronics. These mods will rebirth your S2 or SE to CORE level with quality defined tone.

 

[alex1fly]

I've thrown hundreds if not thousands of bucks at pickup changes in my 20 years of playing and tinkering and I've come to the conclusion that most of the time it just ain't worth the trouble. You can get the same kind of tonal change simply by using a different thickness or material of pick. More important to play instruments that enable you to sound your best than to go down a rabbit hole of "what-ifs" with electronics. However I'll be the first to admit that it is a fantastically fun rabbit hole.

PRS seems to put a lot of thought into the guitar as a whole. I wouldn't want to be modding it. A Fender, sure. Or get a guitar kit from Stewmac or GFS and mess with that. Count me in as another vote for leaving it stock. Play it exclusively for 6 months and see where you land. Of course this is all me projecting my own state of mind upon your situation

 

[kirk Huffnagle]

I have a PRS Core custom 24 and a Gibson Les Paul standard. I love the playability of the PRS which is miles ahead of Gibson IMO. Wow I think no one can argue that the Gibson sound is "better", I really like the sort of raw, unrefined tone that the Les Paul has.

(Unlike what a lot of people say, the PRS is not lighter in tone at all: it's darker, with more bass.)

I been thinking for a long time over what may be responsible for this difference in sound end of course I thought of pickups. Gibson burstbucker pickups have mismatched windings to intentionally mimic manufacturing defects of the 50s. I believe this is what gives them that's slightly hunky, raw sound.

I am not going to touch my beautiful core PRS but I thought about getting another, maybe an S2, and trying burstcuckers in it. Has anyone done this and found that it brings the sound very close to Gibson LP?

(Yes of course I know there are other differences like a small difference in scale length, angle, etc.. That's why I'm asking how big of a difference pickups will make.)

 

[kirk Huffnagle]

I have a PRS Core custom 24 and a Gibson Les Paul standard. I love the playability of the PRS which is miles ahead of Gibson IMO. Wow I think no one can argue that the Gibson sound is "better", I really like the sort of raw, unrefined tone that the Les Paul has.

(Unlike what a lot of people say, the PRS is not lighter in tone at all: it's darker, with more bass.)

I been thinking for a long time over what may be responsible for this difference in sound end of course I thought of pickups. Gibson burstbucker pickups have mismatched windings to intentionally mimic manufacturing defects of the 50s. I believe this is what gives them that's slightly hunky, raw sound.

I am not going to touch my beautiful core PRS but I thought about getting another, maybe an S2, and trying burstcuckers in it. Has anyone done this and found that it brings the sound very close to Gibson LP?

(Yes of course I know there are other differences like a small difference in scale length, angle, etc.. That's why I'm asking how big of a difference pickups will make.)

So I did it ..very carefully..i put a set of burstbuckers 1&2 in my black and gold custom 24..and some wood p.u. rings to match the color..cocobolo wood , Found them from a guy on eBay who makes them I think in Indiana definitely worth looking into very sweet, holes were almost perfect anyway, Found them from a guy on eBay,Adirondack..something like that, I use the original screws and Springs, And did not have to modify the legs ,they fit right in,...so..now the sound ,..i am biased cause I love the gibson sound..love it..but bb's sound amazing in the 24 ,its organic and excellent clarity with plenty of punch , What really made the difference was the stock pickups in the split mode positions almost sounded muffley like in a sock, the bridge pick up by itself or the neck pick up by itself was pretty good but the gibsons really wake up the sound on the off positions ,2,3,4 When you adjust your amp right you get the Jimmy Page kind of Sound , Position four is very strat like,.. So over all definitely a improvement in my opinion more clarity and variety of sounds still with plenty of punch And hotter in high gain amplifiers With plenty of added crunch... I will save the originals which are 85/15s , The Gibson picks ups Definitely read slightly higher resistance and work well with that switching configuration

I have a PRS Core custom 24 and a Gibson Les Paul standard. I love the playability of the PRS which is miles ahead of Gibson IMO. Wow I think no one can argue that the Gibson sound is "better", I really like the sort of raw, unrefined tone that the Les Paul has.

(Unlike what a lot of people say, the PRS is not lighter in tone at all: it's darker, with more bass.)

I been thinking for a long time over what may be responsible for this difference in sound end of course I thought of pickups. Gibson burstbucker pickups have mismatched windings to intentionally mimic manufacturing defects of the 50s. I believe this is what gives them that's slightly hunky, raw sound.

I am not going to touch my beautiful core PRS but I thought about getting another, maybe an S2, and trying burstcuckers in it. Has anyone done this and found that it brings the sound very close to Gibson LP?

(Yes of course I know there are other differences like a small difference in scale length, angle, etc.. That's why I'm asking how big of a difference pickups will make.)

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Hey Rush fan...
Let us know what you go with either way...this brings a new ear to the group...
Good luck, and enjoy the Journey!!!

 

[30secs]

I just sold my 58/15 in my core cu22 and installed Gibsons PAF burstbucker pros. Sounds really good. Fatter and more mids, but modern with higher presence.

 

[Going Modal]

I just sold my 58/15 in my core cu22 and installed Gibsons PAF burstbucker pros. Sounds really good. Fatter and more mids, but modern with higher presence.

Are you sure those weren't 85/15 pickups? That's what the CU22 models have been coming from the factory with. (85/15 have exposed black bobbins, 58/15 have the shiny nickel covers.)

 

[30secs]

I'm not just sure, I'm covid positive.

Are you sure those weren't 85/15 pickups?

 

[Rockabilly69]

I didn't put Gibson pickups in my CU22, but I did put Wolfetones Dr Vintage in the neck, Marshallhead in the bridge, and they are based on Gibson PAF style pickups...

Clean tone (all 5 positions of the Rotary switch used)...
https://soundcloud.com/daniel-weldon-1/prs-demo-daddys-got-his-groove-on

Raw Dirty Tone...
https://soundcloud.com/daniel-weldon-1/prs-cu22-dirty-tone-demo

 

[30secs]

Hey guys, need some wisdom. I installed the Gibson pickups in my core cu22 5way switch per the prs diagram. Joined the 2 coil split wires and onto the switch. Joined the ground and bare and onto the ground switch. I didn't add the extra bare to the tone pot because I saw it was already grounded.

I got intermittent hum but it's gone now. But the 2/4 positions are anemic, maybe out of phase.

Can someone shed some wisdom on how to fix it?

I noticed that the prs wiring is in reverse. Meaning one circle is wired the opposite than the other. I tried swishing the hot and ground with same results. Resistance seems correct (7.8, 2, 4, 2.2,8.1)

 

[Rockabilly69]

Hey guys, need some wisdom. I installed the Gibson pickups in my core cu22 5way switch per the prs diagram. Joined the 2 coil split wires and onto the switch. Joined the ground and bare and onto the ground switch. I didn't add the extra bare to the tone pot because I saw it was already grounded.

I got intermittent hum but it's gone now. But the 2/4 positions are anemic, maybe out of phase.

Can someone shed some wisdom on how to fix it?

I noticed that the prs wiring is in reverse. Meaning one circle is wired the opposite than the other. I tried swishing the hot and ground with same results. Resistance seems correct (7.8, 2, 4, 2.2,8.1)

Hey guys, need some wisdom. I installed the Gibson pickups in my core cu22 5way switch per the prs diagram. Joined the 2 coil split wires and onto the switch. Joined the ground and bare and onto the ground switch. I didn't add the extra bare to the tone pot because I saw it was already grounded.

I got intermittent hum but it's gone now. But the 2/4 positions are anemic, maybe out of phase.

Can someone shed some wisdom on how to fix it?

I noticed that the prs wiring is in reverse. Meaning one circle is wired the opposite than the other. I tried swishing the hot and ground with same results. Resistance seems correct (7.8, 2, 4, 2.2,8.1)

I used the Pre 2007 wiring for my 5 way rotary and I have pretty close to the same resistance reading with my pickups. When I first wired mine, I noticed that PRS pickups had reversed hot wires in each pickup (white was hot on the neck, black on the bridge). So I reversed the wires on my replacement pickups (Wolfetone) to compensate for that, which put my pickups out of phase, but then I swapped the hot for the ground on the bridge pickup and it came to life. And I wired both of my bare shields to the tone pot, and the pickup grounds to the switch. Maybe you need to do the same to cure the anemic out of phaseness! And on mine I reversed the magnet on the bridge pickup. Good luck!

 

[30secs]

Thanks for the input. I'll try to play with the hot/ground since it doesn't seem to do much harm. I would hate to flip the magnet tho because they means I'll have to do it every time I switch pickups (I wired it with quick connect)

So I hope someone can shed light if it's a must or I can wire it differently

I used the Pre 2007 wiring for my 5 way rotary and I have pretty close to the same resistance reading with my pickups. When I first wired mine, I noticed that PRS pickups had reversed hot wires in each pickup (white was hot on the neck, black on the bridge). So I reversed the wires on my replacement pickups (Wolfetone) to compensate for that, which put my pickups out of phase, but then I swapped the hot for the ground on the bridge pickup and it came to life. And I wired both of my bare shields to the tone pot, and the pickup grounds to the switch. Maybe you need to do the same to cure the anemic out of phaseness! And on mine I reversed the magnet on the bridge pickup. Good luck!

 

[30secs]

The information is so scattered and vague I decided to create a reference guide. Hopefully will help others.

Apologies for the messy writing.

 

[Going Modal]

I'm not just sure, I'm covid positive.

I think "I'm covid positive" is the new "I'm dead serious"....

At least, I hope so, and that you're not actually positive with the coronavirus. That would suck.

 

[gush]

Didn't mean to shout. I actually already have an S2 22 Standard as well. I could use that one.

I read that routing may need to be done as Gibson pups are taller, so I might take it to a tech, and found out the local shop is not taking biz now thanks to the virus...

I had a Gibson pickup in my McCarty for a while. Legs on pickup were too long . I was able to secure it with two very small screws to the bottom of the cavity.

I didn't keep it in there long.