I love my Korean made PRS Soapbar Singlecut but....

[Lewguitar]

I've posted before that these older SE's can be made into 100% professional sounding and playing guitars with a change of pickups.

Well this one's going to get all the guts replaced too...except for the Gibson P90's the previous owner installed.

In fairness, this is not the fault of PRS.

A previous owner installed Gibson P90's in it and screwed up the wiring!

Put the output jack on the input of the volume pot and the 3 way switch on the middle terminal.

But repairing his hack work is all but impossible because the shielded cable is so thin and fragile that it keeps breaking and shorting when I try to repair his mistakes.

I'm grateful for the Gibson pickups, but I've got my work cut out for me.

This is my fourth SE Singlecut and the quality of the wood working, finish and fret work is first rate.

It's really just the cheap shielded cable that need replacing, but the tone pot seems to have an odd taper so I'll replace everything. New 500K CTS pots, new switch and new output jack.

And a .02 Orange drop tone cap.

https://imgur.com/X5bIJie

 

[dmatthews]

Bummer you have a repair job to do, but sounds like the results will be awesome!

 

[Lewguitar]

Bummer you have a repair job to do, but sounds like the results will be awesome!

Like I said, it's not PRS's fault. They don't make these guitars to be rewired and rewired and rewired.

If the guy hadn't burned the wires and screwed it all up it would have been fine.

I've put new pickups in three other SE's and it went smoothly.

Anyways, I repaired his screwups and it sounds great.

But I'm still going to replace both pots and the wiring and cables before I gig with it.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

PRS has pretty much always outsourced their P90’s to Seymour Duncan which I’ve found to be a little…”stale”.

I swapped the P90’s in my Mira out to Wolfetone Mean & Meaner P90’s and wow….what an incredible difference.

 

[Lewguitar]

PRS has pretty much always outsourced their P90’s to Seymour Duncan which I’ve found to be a little…”stale”.

I swapped the P90’s in my Mira out to Wolfetone Mean & Meaner P90’s and wow….what an incredible difference.

Is that right? I didn't know that.

Well the pickups in mine are some very good sounding Gibsons. The previous owner put them in.

He just didn't know what he was doing or how to solder!

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Is that right? I didn't know that.

Well the pickups in mine are some very good sounding Gibsons. The previous owner put them in.

He just didn't know what he was doing or how to solder!

That’s the fun of buying used. Sometimes you get a gem and some times you need to make it a gem.

 

[Lewguitar]

That’s the fun of buying used. Sometimes you get a gem and some times you need to make it a gem.

Well it is a gem. Clean as can be and very resonant.

I figured I'd have to buy new pickups but it came with nice Gibson pickups. That's a real plus!

Putting new controls in it is cheaper than new pickups and I'm pretty handy, so I'm fine with that.

I'll take some before and after photos of the inside.

 

[Torvald]

I'm in agreement regarding new pickups in these SE's, except for my SE Paul's guitar. It sounds so good I'm not going to touch it. Just got a Soapbar 2, and even though it sounds darn good I have a sweet set of Lollar mini humbuckers that will be going in it. They will fit perfectly in the P90 routs.

 

[Lewguitar]

I'm in agreement regarding new pickups in these SE's, except for my SE Paul's guitar. It sounds so good I'm not going to touch it. Just got a Soapbar 2, and even though it sounds darn good I have a sweet set of Lollar mini humbuckers that will be going in it. They will fit perfectly in the P90 routs.

Do the pickups in your SE Soapbar seem to be Korean made pickups?

From what I understand, the USA made PRS guitars with P90's use Seymour Duncans.

I'm just curious what comes in the import SE Soapbar originally.

Mine had already been replaced with Gibsons when I bought it used.

 

[Torvald]

Not sure Lew. There were no identifying marks on the pickups. Strange. Got the Lollars in now.

 

[Lewguitar]

Not sure Lew. There were no identifying marks on the pickups. Strange. Got the Lollars in now.

Thanks! I forget the Korean company that makes the humbuckers. G&B? I think they make the P90’s too.

I really like the Gibsons tho.

About as hot as the Duncan Antiquity humbuckers I put in my other Singlecut, but the bridge P90 is like a bright but big, growly and
snarly strat pickup!

Both pickups measure the same DCR so they're identical like they would be in a 50's or 60's Gibson.

 

[Torvald]

I took pictures but I guess I can't post them yet.

 

[Lewguitar]

I took pictures but I guess I can't post them yet.

Nah. You have to sign up with imgur.com or some photo hosting service. Kind of a hassle, but free.

 

[aphantomvaper]

I use imgur it works well.