New CU24 Owner/Pick Up Question

[jeff5]

I was very excited to get my CU24 today and it didn't disappoint! Wonderful tone, feel, workmanship, what a great instrument. I bought a Tremonti SE a few weeks back...is this the beginning of a pattern? Lol.

The guitar has 57/08s in it. Wonderful sounding pick ups, although I might need more "umph" in the bridge. (The neck pick up will mostly likely never come out....) I play mostly hard rock and metal, and while I can get the saturation I need from my amps, the pick up still has to do some work and the 57/08 may be a bit underpowered. (Not unexpected, I knew it was more of a vintage voice pick up)

If I want a little more kick, but still want to retain, some of the 57/08 tone, am I basically looking at a 59/09? I was thinking about trying an HFS too, but I know that is a different animal entirely.

Thanks!
Jeff

 

[carlinchi]

Hi Jeff!

If you read this thread http://prsguitars.com/forum/showthread.php?9064-NGD-Custom-24-Floyd-first-impressions-Hells-Yeah! Raven17 explains that the \m/ (metal) pickups are basically 57/08's in steroids. I'd read his comment and check these two videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fipw3WHAlI4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA27ChdsP7A

 

[Egads]

59/09s would be a good step up in output.

What about a good boost in front of the amp? it does wonders, and works with any guitar.

 

[FunkyFreeman]

Hi Jeff. I'm using 2013 cu 24 with 57/08 pu set which is excellent for clean, jazz, blues, classic rock and so on. I like it the way it is and have never blamed it for having less output for metal genre. Now I would like to try sth different and I'm thinking of replacing it with the \m/ pickup set. Check out this video posted by Shawn (I guess he's the same famous Shawn@PRS of this forum). It's really awesome!

http://youtu.be/Hwzadn-kAkQ

 

[FennRx]

Hi Jeff. I'm using 2013 cu 24 with 57/08 pu set which is excellent for clean, jazz, blues, classic rock and so on. I like it the way it is and have never blamed it for having less output for metal genre. Now I would like to try sth different and I'm thinking of replacing it with the \m/ pickup set. Check out this video posted by Shawn (I guess he's the same famous Shawn@PRS of this forum). It's really awesome!

http://youtu.be/Hwzadn-kAkQ

that sure was.....something

:vroam:

 

[jeff5]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I will definitely explore those options. I like the 57/08 in the neck, and kind of want to stay in the more mid-output range with the bridge. I have many Seymour Duncan's at home that are higher output. (Mostly Customs) While I like high output pups (and play them a ton!), I'd like to try to stay more mid/balanced output and let my amps work for me.

 

[Raven17]

Don't sleep on the Tremonti for the bridge, I prefer it to the metal pups for high gain applications. For reference listen to the heaviness of Marks sound on his solo album. He's a metal head at heart.

 

[jeff5]

Absolutely haven't ruled that out either! I'm a fan of Tremonti, both in Creed and Alter Bridge. Can the Tremonti be split?

 

[jeff5]

I think I confirmed the Tremonti can be split.

So I had a chance to run the guitar through my Mesa rig last night. I'm not saying the 57/08s are the best pick ups for metal at all. However, through a really high gain amp, the bridge did a fairly good job! (Triaxis/Lead 1 Red, no Fat Mod) I'll probably still try the 59/09s and if I need more umph move up from there. But I was pleasantly surprised. And of course they do everything else wonderfully.

 

[Michael_DK]

You could also try fiddling with the pickup height and see if anything good comes of it. Not too high if you want to retain sustain (although the bridge pup is less critical), and it might change the tone into something you don't like anyway - but could be worth a shot if you want to save some money or don't like the idea of taking a soldering iron to your guitar.

 

[HighGain510]

You could also try fiddling with the pickup height and see if anything good comes of it. Not too high if you want to retain sustain (although the bridge pup is less critical), and it might change the tone into something you don't like anyway - but could be worth a shot if you want to save some money or don't like the idea of taking a soldering iron to your guitar.

That was going to be my first response as well! Pickup height can change a good deal of things, and if it's too low, the output might seem lower than it could/should be. I have a 57/08 in the bridge position of my CU24 (granted, mine has a flamed maple neck and ebony board, so not quite the same recipe if yours has a mahogany/rosewood combo) and it can definitely handle the heavy stuff without issue. I did tweak the height a little bit when I first got it so before you feel like you HAVE to spend cash on new pickups, test that out first, could save yourself some money! That being said, I have a set of the \m/ pickups in my P24 Trem (only difference there is korina neck, ebony board and thicker body than the CU24) and they sound great as well, they will definitely add some heat in the bridge position! :rock: Plus you didn't mention it in your post but if you have the 5-way blade switch or rotary, keep in mind you'll need to grab pickups that are 4-conductor operation and not all PRS pickups are wired that way.

 

[jeff5]

Thanks guys! Yes, I will try playing with the height a bit. I'm more than comfortable replacing pick ups, but I would like to give the stock pups a go for awhile before I do that.

The guitar has a 5 way switch, and I want to maintain the coil splitting options so I would need to make sure that I get a pup with 4 conductor.

How versatile do you feel the \m/ pups are? While I play a ton of hard rock and metal, I do dabble in other styles as well.

Take care,
Jeff

 

[jeff5]

The 57/08s are wonderful pick ups and I have been playing them consistently over the last week or so. Despite being lower output, they are extremely versatile.

However, I did need more "umph" in the bridge but still wanted to retain the character of the 57/08. So I bought a 59/09 from Sweetwater and installed it last night. It does exactly what I want! Similar to the 57/08, just more output, but still retains the overall tone and character of the 57/08. It can be mean and high output sounding, or sweet and pretty sounding. Really does anything I want.

I decided to keep the 57/08 in the neck as it sound absolutely wonderful there. The combo of the 59/09 and 57/08 works really well.

Just thought I'd share. Thanks for all your input!
Jeff