Magnet swap 57/08 neck pickup

[Gtrbldr]

I recently (Saturday) obtained a beautiful CU24 ltd with the first run of 57/08 PUs. Sounds great on the bridge, however the neck is a tad too muddy. Played with pickup height etc, and my suspicion is there is an A2 magnet in there, a little too loose on the bottom end, mid forward and a little too sweet highs. I have had good results before with a p90 swapping a 2 for 5, in a McCarty.

Has anybody done a swap like that with the 57/08 in a CU24? What were the results?

 

[SinSir]

The current 59/09 have an A2 for sure. Looking forward to hearing your results

Edit typo- oops 57/08

 

[garrettb]

You are correct they are A2. I for one would probably like the sound of the swap. I tend to like the brighter, scoopiness of A5.

I don't know what was in the old McCarty Archtop pickups (A4 I suspect based on the regular McCarty pickups, but maybe A2), but I did the swap to A5 on the neck pickup in my old Hollowbody II and it really made that guitar shine.

But when you say first run 57/08, you mean like the really early, unetched ones? I personally would be hesitant to muck with those early ones since they are coveted.

 

[Tone-y]

Try screwing out the pole pieces a little bit first. Might help to add a bit of clarity

 

[Gtrbldr]

You are correct they are A2. I for one would probably like the sound of the swap. I tend to like the brighter, scoopiness of A5.

I don't know what was in the old McCarty Archtop pickups (A4 I suspect based on the regular McCarty pickups, but maybe A2), but I did the swap to A5 on the neck pickup in my old Hollowbody II and it really made that guitar shine.

But when you say first run 57/08, you mean like the really early, unetched ones? I personally would be hesitant to muck with those early ones since they are coveted.

Yeah, they are from the very first run, I aquired one of the 1957/2008 CU24s last weekend and they have the unetched covers. So good point about 'mucking' with them.

I really like the treble version by the way, it is the voicing of the neckPU that does not do it for me. I like an AII in the treble position, but prefer a AV in the neck. So maybe I need a different 'bucker for the neck. Thinking DiMarzio EJ or something the like.

And I will try to play around with the pole pieces, however I did you with pickup height on the bass and treble side.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Ermahgerd, I wouldn’t swap magnets on unetched 57/08’s but.. they’re yours.

 

[Gtrbldr]

I won't, you guys have me convinced. Guess it is smarter to replace the PU instead of the magnet. Don't want to mess with something precious.

Anybody know where to score a Starla (core) neck PU? Love the one in my starla (Guess I have unobtanium and want unobtanium)

 

[Gtrbldr]

In Holland there is a set available from the first run. Fyi

≥ PRS 57/08 PAF humbucker pickup set — Snaarinstrumenten | Gitaren | Elektrisch — Marktplaats

De geroemde PRS 57/08 pickups. Afkomstig uit een limited edition McCarty DC245 uit 2009. Zodoende hebben de pickups een zeldzame brushed nickel cover.

www.marktplaats.nl

 

[Gtrbldr]

Not mine by the way

 

[gush]

I'm surprised by your feelings on 5708 neck. Don't care for the bridge pup but always thought neck was a very good pickup.

I would try lowering neck pup as much as you can. Remove the 4 pup ring screws so you can see how far you can back the screws off without dropping pup.

Then put the four pup ring screws back in and go from there.

Good luck.

 

[Gtrbldr]

Thanks for the advice!

it is not that it is not a good PU in its own rights, but I prefer relative bright neck PUs for my kind of application and my type of amps. I play in church and although I don't like the stereotypical gretsch sound, if the lows are too loose I get lost in the mix. That is why the bridge really works. it stays relatively tight, while still being sweet and that is a nice combo with my Mesa TA-15 and profiles of that amp.

 

[Mike J.]

Here's a potential remedy. There's a mod where you convert the neck pickups tone control from a treble cut to a bass cut. I've seen guys do it on YouTube and it works quite well. I've been wanting to try this mod on an LP I have. I've tried a few different pickups in that guitar and every neck pickups the same. Way too much low end/boom/drone or whatever you want to call it.

 

[Gtrbldr]

That is interesting! Will look into that

 

[Mike J.]

Here's the link. He even shows the schematic. The link is titled "Bass Cut Tone Control For Guitar" by Play Your Guitar.

 

[gush]

Here's the link. He even shows the schematic. The link is titled "Bass Cut Tone Control For Guitar" by Play Your Guitar.

What an interesting idea.

 

[Mike J.]

As said, I am going to try this in my LP and soon. I know there's mods where you install a cap right in line with the pickups hot wire to cut the bass, but that's a permanent thing. Meaning, I like the full output (bass response) of both pickups in the middle position but that muddiness of a full strength neck humbucker drives me nuts. I like the idea of this mod because you can taper off the low end when using the neck humbucker by itself. Just might be the answer I'm looking for.

 

[SinSir]

I just thought of this.. It worked great on an LP for me. Simple, cheap, quick, and easy

Mod Squad: Muddy sounding neck pickup? - Seymour Duncan

Muddy sounding neck pickup? Try Seymour’s quick tech fix By Seymour Duncan Tech Guru Scott Miller People often call and ask how to fix a muddy sounding neck pickup. Some years ago, Seymour taught me a cool trick to fix this exact problem. If you connect a .047 capacitor in series (directly...

www.seymourduncan.com

 

[Gtrbldr]

Ok, I played the guitar extensively last week against my other stock and changed my mind. It is awesome as it is. Not gonna mess with it. Just needed time to adjust.

 

[SinSir]

Ok, I played the guitar extensively last week against my other stock and changed my mind. It is awesome as it is. Not gonna mess with it. Just needed time to adjust.

Awesome! It's funny how that works out like that.