Mixing PRS pickups? Good? Bad? Stoopid?

[Rider1260]

I have changed a couple of pickups but NO mixing - I just buy more guitars
My only mixed guitar is one of my CU22s with Dimarzio 36th neck and Tone Zone Bridge
My changes are my SCT and DGT that have Mira pickups now all the rest are stock

 

[gush]

My previous attempts at mixing pups didn’t turn out so well. This time, the combo is going to go into the Korina McCarty. I kinda want to leave the LTs in my maple top McCarty and the 85s in the Custom 24. So that leaves me with the 57/08s, the 53/10s, and the original McCartys to play with...

I liked the Mccarty neck pickup but wasn't in love with mccarty bridge. It's been a while since I've noodled with those so I can't say for sure how that neck pickup would stack up against my two favs, 5708, 8515 .

I've got a 5310 covered bridge pickup that I've been sitting on, ya know just waiting for the right guitar to come along. I've been trying to sell some gear to help make funds for a purchase. Maybe it could find its way into that guitar.

 

[Casi1]

I liked the Mccarty neck pickup but wasn't in love with mccarty bridge. It's been a while since I've noodled with those so I can't say for sure how that neck pickup would stack up against my two favs, 5708, 8515 .

I've got a 5310 covered bridge pickup that I've been sitting on, ya know just waiting for the right guitar to come along. I've been trying to sell some gear to help make funds for a purchase. Maybe it could find its way into that guitar.

Yeah, I find that the McCarty pickups sound great in some PRS guitars and muddy in others. Out of all of the pickups I’ve tried, those weren’t my favorites due to that ‘hit or miss’ quality.

I dig your faves. Those 57/08s and 85/15 pups are nice.

My maple top McCarty originally came with 57/08s... it sounded good but overpowering (probably due to the rosewood neck... the hugeness sounded amplified) and kinda boomy. Also, the 57/08 in the bridge position of a Studio (with Narrowfields in other positions) seemed off-balance to me, either the Narrowfields would overpower the 57/08 or the other way around.

The LTs solved the boomy problem in the maple topped McCarty by making the tone more subdued, more dynamic, but insanely beautiful. However, that guitar isnt going to cut through a mix or a band without a lot of amp tweaking. The Custom on the other hand is a different beast. Those 85/15 pups will slice through anything.

I’m trying to figure out which position is the killer position for the PRS pups. I hear that folks love the 53/10 neck, the 57/08 bridge, the DGT bridge, the 58/15LT neck, and the 85/15 neck.

 

[gush]

Yeah, I find that the McCarty pickups sound great in some PRS guitars and muddy in others. Out of all of the pickups I’ve tried, those weren’t my favorites due to that ‘hit or miss’ quality.

I dig your faves. Those 57/08s and 85/15 pups are nice.

My maple top McCarty originally came with 57/08s... it sounded good but overpowering (probably due to the rosewood neck... the hugeness sounded amplified) and kinda boomy. Also, the 57/08 in the bridge position of a Studio (with Narrowfields in other positions) seemed off-balance to me, either the Narrowfields would overpower the 57/08 or the other way around.

The LTs solved the boomy problem in the maple topped McCarty by making the tone more subdued, more dynamic, but insanely beautiful. However, that guitar isnt going to cut through a mix or a band without a lot of amp tweaking. The Custom on the other hand is a different beast. Those 85/15 pups will slice through anything.

I’m trying to figure out which position is the killer position for the PRS pups. I hear that folks love the 53/10 neck, the 57/08 bridge, the DGT bridge, the 58/15LT neck, and the 85/15 neck.

I'll say this, to me the 5708 neck is an incredible PU split or not. It doesn't matter, just nice rich fluid tones but the 8515 neck is incredible in a different way. This PU makes me enjoy rolling the tone pot down a bit which is something I don't do a lot unless I'm on an 8515 neck PU. To me it has a great tone that way and not the blanket over the speaker sound, it's actually usable.

I fell in love with the 8515 PU the second I played it. Seriously, I installed them and plugged it in. It just happened to be set on the neck PU and BAM, holy sh## that sounds incredible!!!!

Unfortunately I didn't feel the same way about the bridge PU and it got replaced with 5909 which is probably my favorite bridge PU of all time.

I've often wondered what a studio would sound like with a 5310? Kind of makes a person THINK the guitars they already own are somehow inadequate?!?!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

What ever you do, I think it would be nice to hear it! Pretty please

 

[gush]

Yeah, I find that the McCarty pickups sound great in some PRS guitars and muddy in others. Out of all of the pickups I’ve tried, those weren’t my favorites due to that ‘hit or miss’ quality.

I dig your faves. Those 57/08s and 85/15 pups are nice.

My maple top McCarty originally came with 57/08s... it sounded good but overpowering (probably due to the rosewood neck... the hugeness sounded amplified) and kinda boomy. Also, the 57/08 in the bridge position of a Studio (with Narrowfields in other positions) seemed off-balance to me, either the Narrowfields would overpower the 57/08 or the other way around.

The LTs solved the boomy problem in the maple topped McCarty by making the tone more subdued, more dynamic, but insanely beautiful. However, that guitar isnt going to cut through a mix or a band without a lot of amp tweaking. The Custom on the other hand is a different beast. Those 85/15 pups will slice through anything.

I’m trying to figure out which position is the killer position for the PRS pups. I hear that folks love the 53/10 neck, the 57/08 bridge, the DGT bridge, the 58/15LT neck, and the 85/15 neck.

I'm assuming you have a cu24 with 8515s?
What do you like about the bridge pu in that guitar?

 

[Casi1]

I'm assuming you have a cu24 with 8515s?
What do you like about the bridge pu in that guitar?

Yes, it has both 85/15 pups. I have never really played it straight on the bridge but I like the way the bridge blends. I wouldn’t find the bridge useful (to me) on its own. Funny thing is, I loved my DC3 tones before I got my Cu24 but after getting the Cu24, I found that the tones were too similar in single coil mode... so I modded the DC3. I guess to me the 85/15 pups sound like a DC3 if a DC3 had a humbucker option. In other words, if the DC3 had a bucker in the middle... it would cop 85/15 tones.

 

[Casi1]

I'll say this, to me the 5708 neck is an incredible PU split or not. It doesn't matter, just nice rich fluid tones but the 8515 neck is incredible in a different way. This PU makes me enjoy rolling the tone pot down a bit which is something I don't do a lot unless I'm on an 8515 neck PU. To me it has a great tone that way and not the blanket over the speaker sound, it's actually usable.

I fell in love with the 8515 PU the second I played it. Seriously, I installed them and plugged it in. It just happened to be set on the neck PU and BAM, holy sh## that sounds incredible!!!!

Unfortunately I didn't feel the same way about the bridge PU and it got replaced with 5909 which is probably my favorite bridge PU of all time.

I've often wondered what a studio would sound like with a 5310? Kind of makes a person THINK the guitars they already own are somehow inadequate?!?!

Hmmmm. Maybe I need to get my hand on a 59/09 bridge...

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Clothes, shoes, purses, perfume, tattoos, concerts, clothes, shoes, purses, clothes, shoes, purses, clothes, shoes, purses.

Remove all “non-red” items from your budget. Problem solved. Trust me, I’m a finance guy. HAHAHAHAHA

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I always figured the best matches for me would be 57/08 neck and 59/09 bridge, or 57/08 or 59/09 neck and \m/ bridge. The latter on a C24 Floyd. I’m kinda metal that way.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Funny thing is, I loved my DC3 tones before I got my Cu24 but after getting the Cu24, I found that the tones were too similar in single coil mode... so I modded the DC3

What did you do to your DC3? And how were the results?

 

[Boogie]

Mixing makes the world go round! You can’t do anything that can’t be undone. Swap away!

 

[Casi1]

What did you do to your DC3? And how were the results?

I cut some wood, cut some plastic, and installed some Klein pickups. That guitar became a full blown strat after that...

And it had a dry maple neck. This is why the SS didn’t knock my socks off.

Now, many months later, I finally found an old school F strat that I really dig, but I still can’t bring myself to let my DC3 go. The DC3 still feels THAT good.

 

[Casi1]

Remove all “non-red” items from your budget. Problem solved. Trust me, I’m a finance guy. HAHAHAHAHA

Funny. You are.

 

[Casi1]

I always figured the best matches for me would be 57/08 neck and 59/09 bridge, or 57/08 or 59/09 neck and \m/ bridge. The latter on a C24 Floyd. I’m kinda metal that way.

I really gotta try these 59/09s at some point. I can’t believe that I haven’t played a guitar with them yet. I always had it in my mind that the 59/09 was somewhere between the 57/08 and the 85/15 so if I liked both ends of the spectrum, then 59/09 ground would already be covered. Maybe I’m missing out though.

As for the mixed up pups, I just wonder if my McCarty is gonna look all goofy with a covered pickup and an uncovered pickup combo. I know, I know...tone before looks.

But still. Goofy is not sexy.

 

[gush]

I really gotta try these 59/09s at some point. I can’t believe that I haven’t played a guitar with them yet. I always had it in my mind that the 59/09 was somewhere between the 57/08 and the 85/15 so if I liked both ends of the spectrum, then 59/09 ground would already be covered. Maybe I’m missing out though.

As for the mixed up pups, I just wonder if my McCarty is gonna look all goofy with a covered pickup and an uncovered pickup combo. I know, I know...tone before looks.

But still. Goofy is not sexy.

I pulled my cu24 out today, got some more recording to do so I'm playing with several of my guitars to find that FEEL/SOUND.

I don't know why I don't play it more often, it sounds soooo freakin good. It's a 2011 and the 5909s are round bobbin. The 5909 bridge PUs in my McCarty and CE24 are both square bobbin but are different sounding than the cu24. McCarty is close but the CE24 is a lot different. The cu24 just has sumtin sumtin goin on. You all might think I'm goofy but my CU24 bridge pickup sounds like one of its parents was a tele bridge pickup. It's got this kind of raspy tone that gets more tele when vol gets rolled down. Shawn spoke up a while back when I was talking about this and said the cu24 has the treble bleed and the McCarty doesn't which probably explains the difference. I immediately thought about putting that circuit in my McCarty to get it to sound more like cu24 but then I realized I would jeopardize the wonderful 8515 neck tone so I didn't.

 

[WA Paul]

Yeah, I find that the McCarty pickups sound great in some PRS guitars and muddy in others. Out of all of the pickups I’ve tried, those weren’t my favorites due to that ‘hit or miss’ quality.

I dig your faves. Those 57/08s and 85/15 pups are nice.

My maple top McCarty originally came with 57/08s... it sounded good but overpowering (probably due to the rosewood neck... the hugeness sounded amplified) and kinda boomy. Also, the 57/08 in the bridge position of a Studio (with Narrowfields in other positions) seemed off-balance to me, either the Narrowfields would overpower the 57/08 or the other way around.

The LTs solved the boomy problem in the maple topped McCarty by making the tone more subdued, more dynamic, but insanely beautiful. However, that guitar isnt going to cut through a mix or a band without a lot of amp tweaking. The Custom on the other hand is a different beast. Those 85/15 pups will slice through anything.

I’m trying to figure out which position is the killer position for the PRS pups. I hear that folks love the 53/10 neck, the 57/08 bridge, the DGT bridge, the 58/15LT neck, and the 85/15 neck.

59/09 bridge works great with RW necks. I’ve tried 57/08 bridge with RW neck and it was a bit boomy/muddy. In a C24 I found 59/09s to be a bit too shrill though.

 

[Boogie]

I really gotta try these 59/09s at some point.

...I just wonder if my McCarty is gonna look all goofy with a covered pickup and an uncovered pickup combo. I know, I know...tone before looks.

But still. Goofy is not sexy.

You know, I kinda felt that way when the Tremonti model came out...a little goofy. But not so much now. It’s a trademark of his model and would seem off if it were missing. But many people are actually more about appearances than tone and functionality, which is ok. I’m not; just look at all of my bland guitars! But to me, they sound fantastic. My CU24 with the 59/09 is no exception, but it still doesn’t qualify as “yep, this is my forever pickup” in this guitar.

In my opinion, the 59/09 is a hotter 57/08. The 57/08s I had in the same CU24 were duds. There, I said it. Probably just the set I got because I played them in over a dozen other guitars and loved them. Still, after about a dozen different pickups in it, I’m still not blown away with anything made for gain in my Custom. Time to go vintage PAF and quit whining about it.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Tremonti does it, so can you.

 

[HANGAR18]

Hey Guys,

I’m back to my modding mayhem!

Bwahahahaha



As usual, I have a question (and I know you guys have the answer). Have any of you tried using different combinations of PRS pickups in your guitar? If so, what are some of your best mixes?

I’ve got a set of 57/08s, a set of 58/15LT’s, a set of 85/15, and a set of 53/10s.

I’m thinking of putting an uncovered 53/10 in the neck and a covered 57/08 in the bridge on my McCarty. I’m looking for a warm sound... something useful but the total opposite (tone-wise) from my single coiled guitars.

Of my pickups, what do you suggest? Mix em, don’t mix em?

Thanks!

WHy even ask? You know you're going to mix them all up anyway. hahaha Just do it. Get it out of your system. Then later, you will know what you like and you'll settle into what you like best.