NPD!

guitarman001

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Sep 12, 2014
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New pick-up day!

I swapped the covered 59/09s in my violet guitar with a set of uncovered 85/15s I managed to buy.

The 59/09s were great but a tad muffled to my ears (which I attribute to the covers). Also a tad too hot for me.
I never got the same quack out of the split sounds as I do with my wonderful 57/08s.

The 85/15s I got have gold-coloured screws and slugs. I actually thought I was getting them with gold screws and silver slugs but these look SO good in my guitar, I'm not complaining!

I plan to do a video demoing the 85/15s though I'm not sure whether to AB them vs 57/08s. If so, note the violet guitar has just had new strings and I'm too lazy to put new ones on the orange guitar with 57/08s so not sure if it'd be a perfect comparison. Interested or not?

Anyway I just picked the guitar up from my shop. I asked to play it before I left so I got put through an ENGL. I was looking at the other PRS in the shop - the new CE, some nice Artist models.... but when I pulled mine out from the case my breath was taken away - I remember why I bought it (online and untried, too - gamble paid off!). Have to admit I was thinking of getting a Gibson 2016 high performance model but the easy playability, ruggedness, sounds and looks of my PRS... well, they're not going to get beat!

Sounds. One thing I'll say is that the 57/08s have a syrupy type of sound, almost like a little wah is dialled in, if that makes sense? Makes it sound alive. The 85/15s don't quite have that. However they are very articulate (I now know what everybody means when they've been saying that!) - I can hear every note in every chord - very clear. The split sounds are like "wow" - not as syrupy/quacky as the 57/08s but super clear. I was even thinking "why do I need my Suhr strat-type guitar now if I have these sounds". The sound is less muffled to my ears (compared to the covered 59/09s) and it just sings. I'd say the output is just slightly higher than the 57/08s and less than the 59/09s which is what I wanted. Pinched harmonics ring out more easily which is a massive plus point.

Before, the orange guitar with 57/08s was my favourite. Now... I'm not sure. They're different, whereas before the purple one was just a hotter and slightly more muffled version of the orange one. I'm sure I will add more to this description as I play some more.

In the meantime, I will show some before and after pictures.... and stay tuned for the video (might be next weekend, will see...).
EDIT: video here now:


http://tommysixstring.com/2016/01/16/new-pickup-day/
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Did you install the 85/15's yourself? BTW - both guitars look fantastic and I am sure sound (but different) as good as they look.
 
I'm an electronics engineer so I could have done it myself but.... I figured I was ok just paying the tech to do it. It didn't break the bank and it's his job and took the hassle off me.

Cheers, guys! Will try and do a video at some point. Unsure whether to AB vs the 57/08s or just demo the 85/15s on their own.
 
First of all, the guitars you have are fantastic looking!

Your description of the 85/15 tone is right on. It's exactly how I hear them.
 
Looks great with the uncovered 85/15s! Per your initial impressions, sounds like they will fit the bill.
 
Without a doubt those guitars are stunning but could we have more pics of your fantastic furniture???
 
It's wonderful when you tweak something to sound exactly to your liking
Enjoy the spectrum of tones from both these stunning examples
 
Without a doubt those guitars are stunning but could we have more pics of your fantastic furniture???

Haha, the girlfriend will be pleased to hear this! :D
Those puffy red leather recliners are amazing....!

I'll try to get a video up tomorrow or next weekend. :)
 
Without a doubt those guitars are stunning but could we have more pics of your fantastic furniture???

Haha, the girlfriend will be pleased to hear this! :D
Those puffy red leather recliners are amazing....!

I'll try to get a video up tomorrow or next weekend. :)

I don't know if that's a good idea. Sergio may start jonesing for those furry pillows :p
 
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Thanks!

OK, I've got the video... BUT I need to get a new video editor! Lightworks needed to high spec a machine and Windows Movie Maker is rubbish! Damn.

FYI I still think 57/08 is tops. Uncovered 59/09 might have been clearer with more quack than the covered ones. Need more time to play with these bad boys! And there's always the splitting resistor that can be varied to give more quack. I should probably measure if it has a different value in both guitars or if it's the same value.
 
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It looks great! Glad you like the pickups- sounds like it paid off and was a worthwhile investment. It's always good to have it be hard to choose a favorite.
Without a doubt those guitars are stunning but could we have more pics of your fantastic furniture???
No doubt! Get ready, I'm movin' in!
 
CyberLink PowerDirector is a fairly cheap and nice vid editor. I haven't used it a ton, but it worked well and was easy to use for a novice like me. Way better than any windows crap.
 
:)

Yes, I see Cyberlink PowerDirector is a top pick. So many options - Ultra, Ultimate etc...
I read that there are some major issues with the new version 14 but I'll download a demo and try it :)

Gosh, I spend more time programming drums and messing around with editing software than playing guitar!

In the meantime, some other arty pics of the other guitar!

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