New PRS! Any suggestions??

Jack1013

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Joined
Nov 30, 2022
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Hello all, I’m new to this forum and thought I’d share about my new (to me) PRS. It’s a 2018 S2 SC. I’ve always played LP’s or some Strat style guitars so this is new to me and exciting to have a new instrument. Quick story about it is that it had been sitting in a studio with little to no use at all sitting in a gig bag since 2018. Eventually, I was offered a deal I couldn’t refuse! Haha, and I picked it up. Surprisingly the guitar felt great except for a little adjustment to the be string filing the nut just a tiny bit it plays great!! Really impressed with the overall feel.

My question to anyone here is did you make any upgrades that were game changers? I usually change pickups but I think the PRS “thing” is what I’m going for here. I could easily found another two pickup guitar and changed things out. I just don’t know much difference in the pickups except for where they are made to keep the cost down. I just think PRS is so innovative moving forward with Guitar improvements not staying in the past, theres a million ‘59 style things out there ya know…
From looking up what I can find this has #7 pickups? Don’t know anything about them or how to compare them to anything. So any suggestions would be great.
Cheers!
 
Welcome!

The #7 "S" pickups can be polarizing, even for me in different S2 guitars I liked some things about them in one that I didn't in another. Specifically, I hear a strong upper mid focus to their voice. In my CU22 Semi Hollow, it was a great match for the bridge pickup, because it's a deep sounding guitar. I swapped out the neck pickup, but I don't think that's a fault of the pickup itself, I ended up going for a Starla pickup in the neck for more clarity, any normal humbucker was probably going to sound a little muddy on that guitar. On the other hand, my Satin 22 the bridge pickup was a little nasally and twangy, so I swapped it out for a 59/09, the neck #7 sounds great and I left it. Go figure.

I'd say let your ears be your guide. Myself, if the bridge pickup has too much of that upper mid, I'd put a 57/08 in the bridge, or maybe even swap for a set of 58/15LT's while they're available.
 
Thanks for the positive feedback! Ya, getting to know the instrument is key. It does feel really comfortable but I’m not used to a ‘new’ feeling guitar and its hard not to compare the sound obviously as well. YES, new strings were key as well! If i can figure out how to add a photo here I will haha.
Cheers
 
Welcome and congrats! S2 are great guitars..

The electronics and the pickups are popular swaps. Keeping PRS and easy.. you could do a pair of 57/08 or 59/15LT and pick up a core drop in wiring kit from John Mann. Done
 
I had my SE245 for about a year before I started changing things.

Current list of changes:

**core nut**

Signature Club TRC - Kind gift from Peter @veinbuster

Amber lampshades. (Everything is better with them)

SE locking tuners.

Raw Brass bridge posts.

Custom wound PAF style pickups, clear bobbins, uncovered. Courtesy of John @Fullmoon 1971

Paper in oil caps, supplied by John.

No changes to wiring or pots.

So not much really.

But it was all done over time, seeing how each change worked with the guitar. And of course I’ve kept all the parts removed.

Obviously biggest change tonally was the Amber Lampshades ;)

**Edit**
 
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Welcome to the "club." I don't have any specific suggestion but I agree with the advice to enjoy and get to know your new guitar "as is" before you start to tinker and customise. It is a very capable instrument.
 
Thanks for all the feedback! Yes, Stoked to get to know this one for sure. I’ve been looking at other PRS pickups, even the new S 58/15 models people are selling on Reverb are affordable. Just because I’m a geek! Although, I’ve got to trust Paul and the crew that they trusted this would be great sounding when it shipped these out, so for now, I’m taking that advice to leave it. Though, I may change the pickup rings and tuner buttons for different look maybe? I love the 24 fret suggestion too! I was inspired to get a PRS from my favorite player Jimmy Herring, He plays the custom 24, so that would be a great addition someday as well. Working my way to a CORE!!
 
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