Narrowfield pickups in PRS Studio - Muddy

G

GBrux

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Just got my 2011 PRS Studio ... nice guitar, 57/08s are great but feel the Narrowfield pickups are a bit muddy and bass heavy in the neck position. When comparing the sound of the neck pickup to my McCarty with 57/08s and Custom 22 (with 57/08s) if feel I get more clarity and more top end chime on the McCarty and CU22 than the Studio.

I thought it would be the opposite. When I rollback the Volume to 7 or 5 it removes the bass which is great and problem is kinda solved, but loose the power of the neck pickup. Do you guys have the same experience? Do I need to mess with pickup height? I currently have the pickup height even to the pickup rings. Is there anything else I should be doing?

Paul Reed Smith is doing a free clinic next week and will certainly ask him that question.
 
I would think if the pups are even with the rings they wouldn't need to be lowered, but maybe I am wrong, and someone else can give you some better input!!
:p22:
 
prsguitarman101 said:
I would think if the pups are even with the rings they wouldn't need to be lowered, but maybe I am wrong, and someone else can give you some better input!!
:p22:
Click to expand...

The pickups were not even with the rings. The were slightly higher. The middle pu was actually much higher. Today I messed around more with pu height and certainly much better... Will take it with me to the PRS clinic so Paul can check it out.
 
GBrux said:
The pickups were not even with the rings. The were slightly higher. The middle pu was actually much higher. Today I messed around more with pu height and certainly much better... Will take it with me to the PRS clinic so Paul can check it out.
Click to expand...

Saw your other post as well. Good luck! Curious to hear what Paul suggests...please post the results here. Thanks!
 
Sorry to be digging up an ancient thread like this but I'm finally completely happy with my guitar sound, which means it's time to mess it all up again starting at the beginning of the chain...

What's everyone's preference on PU height with the 57/08 NFs? I find the PRS recommended distances a bit too close for the NFs... they can be muddy if too close?
 
Sorry again to dig up an old thread! But I have the same problem! Particularly on my Orange amps, which are already dark sounding. What did y'all do to remedy the overly-warm sounding NF's?
 
mine sound fantastic. I've barely messed with them since I got it. I can check but the specs are posted here somewhere (By Shawn) about the standard pickup distance from strings. Start there and adjust a little at a time while listening both with and without gain.

But mine sound so good I have no inclination to mess with them.
 
DreamTheaterRules said:
mine sound fantastic. I've barely messed with them since I got it. I can check but the specs are posted here somewhere (By Shawn) about the standard pickup distance from strings. Start there and adjust a little at a time while listening both with and without gain.

But mine sound so good I have no inclination to mess with them.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I never messed with mine either. Not in the Studio, the Santana that had them, or the NF3. Maybe it's just the Orange amp? A little EQ could go a long way.
 
image11_zpsnn0wzkgl.jpg
I had a studio and sent it back. Then I got a Swamp Ash Studio, and went nuts over it. So much so, I have a few of them along with a PTC modded SAS. The Swamp Ash really makes a tonal difference, like a strat.
 
That's very cool. How do those 2 bridge pickups sound together? I had a 2 pickup narrowfield Mccarty. I thought of adding another pickup but I figured why mess with it before I traded it.
 
I always use the recommended heights as a starting point, then rely on my ears. Since every guitar is going to sound different, and variances in pickups can add to that, you have to play around. My #1 is a 513, and it is really warm compared to every other 513 I've played, heard, or asked about. The 513 owners here think I'm crazy for saying mine is a dark guitar. Not that there's anything wrong with it!

I also agree with bodia: play with the amp's EQ and see if that helps. I have some guitars and amps that just don't play well together. For the life of me, I cannot get a "pretty" clean tone from my SC HB II and Tone King Imperial, no matter what I do. Granted, there isn't a lot of EQ flexibility on the amp. A six band EQ pedal helps.
 
Don't want or mean to step on anyone's opinion, but I believe IMO, that the specs on the PRS site are simply not the best for the Studio model.
I did struggled with some muddiness in tone when I first got my Studio model. At first I thought it was inherent to the Narrowfield pickups since I didn't know much about them, and there's not a whole lot of info about them online. Then a friend of mine who's a phenomenal guitarist and a guitar tech suggested I forget all the PRS guidelines and just go with my ears. I spent about an hour playing with all 3 pickups and playing with different heights, and finally got to a great place with zero mud and a very believable Straty tone. You'll need a machinist metal rule which can measure in 32nds and 64's. The bridge at 1/16" or 4/64" The middle Narrowfield at 1/8" or 8/64", and the neck Narrowfield at 6/64" or 3/32". I discovered quickly that the key is the middle pickup, this pickup affects positions 2 and 4. If its too low, your position 2 won't have a nice "quack" tone, or will have a lower volume altogether. Same for position 4 which is a great tone for Funk, R&B etc. The neck pickup doesn't need to be as close to the strings due to its proximity to the fretboard where the strings vibrate the most.. These measurements are taken with the last fret depressed, and are the same for both sides of the pickup. I must disclose that I have an older Studio model, which has the 57/08 in the bridge, unlike the newer models that have the 58/15 LT pickup which has a bit of less output and more clarity.


Cheers,
Arnold
 
Last edited:
arnie65 said:
Don't want or mean to step on anyone's opinion, but I believe IMO, that the specs on the PRS site are simply not the best for the Studio model.
I did struggled with some muddiness in tone when I first got my Studio model. At first I thought it was inherent to the Narrowfield pickups since I didn't know much about them, and there's not a whole lot of info about them online. Then a friend of mine who's a phenomenal guitarist and a guitar tech suggested I forget all the PRS guidelines and just go with my ears. I spent about an hour playing with all 3 pickups playing with different heights, and finally got to a great place with zero mud and a very believable Straty tone. You'll need a machinist metal rule which can measure in 32nds and 64's. The bridge at 1/16" or 4/64" The middle Narrowfield at 1/8" or 8/64", and the neck Narrowfield at 6/64" or 3/32". I discovered quickly that the key is the middle pickup, this pickup affects positions 2 and 4. If its too low, your position 2 won't have a nice "quack" tone, or will have a lower volume altogether. Same for position 4 which is a great tone for Funk, R&B etc. The neck pickup doesn't need to be as close to the strings due to its proximity to the fretboard where the strings vibrate the most.. These measurements are taken with the last fret depressed, and are the same for both sides of the pickup. I must disclose that I have an older Studio model, which has the 57/08 in the bridge, unlike the newer models that have the 58/15 LT pickup which has a bit of less output and more clarity.


Cheers,
Arnold
Click to expand...
Nice...
 
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