Made some changes to the Bernie Marsden

Lewguitar

Old Know It All
Joined
Dec 30, 2012
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Location
Paonia Colorado
Been thinning the herd and selling a lot of guitars and amps and things. Serious thinning going on but it frees me up for some new things.

I found a second Bernie Marsden. When I find a guitar I love, I like to have two. Two SE Silver Skies, two 90's CE22's...now two Bernies.

It's fun to compare different pickups in the same model guitar and eventually I do something a little different with each guitar.

The original Korean pickups had already been removed from Bernie #2, but they are in the case.

The previous owner replaced them with a Duncan Hot Rodded Humbucker Set. That's the set Seymour wound for Jeff Beck 40 years ago and which Jeff used to record the Blow By Blow album.

It's a Duncan Jazz neck and Duncan JB bridge. Very nice set of pickups but I already have a JB and a 59 in a SE Singlecut.

I installed a set of double cream Duncan Antiquitys that I have been using and liking for a long time.

The Antiquitys make Bernie #2 sound quite different from Bernie #1, which still has the original zebra 245 pickups.

The Antiquitys are brighter and louder.

With the neck Antiquity I can get a cleaner, clearer tone, but also a more aggressive tone than I can with the stock pickups in Bernie #1.

The bridge Antiquity is like a 50's paf that got a few extra winds and a strong roughcast A2 magnet. It has some real snarl and attitude like one of the especially good 50's pafs.

I like the stock SE 245 pickups in Bernie #1. But I'm happier with just a little more output and sizzle on top, and the Antiquitys provide that and the guitar is more fun to play.

But Bernie #1 is LOT of fun to play too, and it's stock.

I have some BKP Abraxas pickups coming in about a month.

I want to try those in the Bernie #1.

Like I said, it's nice to have two guitars of the same model to compare pickups in and have a choice.

My two Bernies play identically BTW. They feel the same although one resonates acoustically with a little more bass and mids.


 
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Been thinning the herd and selling a lot of guitars and amps and things. Serious thinning going on but it frees me up for some new things.

I found a second Bernie Marsden. When I find a guitar I love, I like to have two. Two SE Silver Skies, two 90's CE22's...now two Bernies.

It's fun to compare different pickups in the same model guitar and eventually I do something a little different with each guitar.

The original Korean pickups had already been removed from Bernie #2, but they are in the case.

The previous owner replaced them with a Duncan Hot Rodded Humbucker Set. That's the set Seymour wound for Jeff Beck 40 years ago and which Jeff used to record the Blow By Blow album.

It's a Duncan Jazz neck and Duncan JB bridge. Very nice set of pickups but I already have a JB and a 59 in a SE Singlecut.

I installed a set of double cream Duncan Antiquitys that I have been using and liking for a long time.

The Antiquitys make Bernie #2 sound quite different from Bernie #1, which still has the original zebra 245 pickups.

The Antiquitys are brighter and louder.

With the neck Antiquity I can get a cleaner, clearer tone, but also a more aggressive tone than I can with the stock pickups in Bernie #1.

The bridge Antiquity is like a 50's paf that got a few extra winds and a strong roughcast A2 magnet. It has some real snarl and attitude like one of the especially good 50's pafs.

I like the stock SE 245 pickups in Bernie #1. But I'm happier with just a little more output and sizzle on top, and the Antiquitys provide that and the guitar is more fun to play.

But Bernie #1 is LOT of fun to play too, and it's stock.

I have some BKP Abraxas pickups coming in about a month.

I want to try those in the Bernie #1.

Like I said, it's nice to have two guitars of the same model to compare pickups in and have a choice.

My two Bernies play identically BTW. They feel the same although one resonates with a little more bass and mids.



Careful Lew Bernie's are addictive.
 
Careful Lew Bernie's are addictive.
Well I've sold a lot of stuff. I got two Bernies and some bucks left over after selling my '95 Custom 22 last month, and I've sold some amps and acoustic guitars too.

Interestingly, when I started playing CE22's again the third one I bought, an '00 with funky replacement pickups and wiring, but now with John Suhr pickups and new wiring, is the one I reach for.
 
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I'll bet those Antiquities have found a permanent / long term home. The cream pups, rings and binding look great with the dark tea body color.

Looking forward to the Antiquities / Abraxas shootout.

Cherry picking gives you a nice quality confirmation about the ones that you keep and it's so nice to have them together for direct A/B/C comparisons. For my SE245's I kept 3 out of 4, with one of the trio going out of state to my brother.
 
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Looks fantastic...funny I have 3 S2 Standard 22s all with different pups...I like what I like just like you guys lol...I also have a Mira and Vela and have had 2 Miras and 2 Velas at one time as well!! Enjoy that looks great with the creme!
 
Looks fantastic...funny I have 3 S2 Standard 22s all with different pups...I like what I like just like you guys lol...I also have a Mira and Vela and have had 2 Miras and 2 Velas at one time as well!! Enjoy that looks great with the creme!
Thanks! Always been a fan of the double cream look...

 
wow,...choice photo.....never seen a Goldtop Bernie....Awesome!!!
The goldtop is actually just a run of the mill 2012 model that I covered in gold vinyl - similar to the vinyl headstock overlays I've done. I love goldtop singlecuts and while PRS had released a limited edition Bernie in gold, I don't like the gold back and neck.

It also features core hardware including a set of 245 pickups out of a core 2007 model.
 
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