Ok am I crazy ? PRS SE Hollowbody upgrades contemplated...

[NBW]

I would love to get something that sounds like the 58/15LT in mine. If I can find a used pair of Stormy Mondays that would be the best, but I have my doubts. I could try some tonerider classic A2s I've never thought about the SD59s.

 

[goat-n-gitter]

I would love to get something that sounds like the 58/15LT in mine. If I can find a used pair of Stormy Mondays that would be the best, but I have my doubts. I could try some tonerider classic A2s I've never thought about the SD59s.

SD59s are definitely hotter than 58/15lt. Think slightly overwound PAF vs underwound.

 

[sadmoodyfrazier]

I would love to get something that sounds like the 58/15LT in mine. If I can find a used pair of Stormy Mondays that would be the best, but I have my doubts. I could try some tonerider classic A2s I've never thought about the SD59s.

I would go for Toneriders A2 with no regrets or doubts. I can't remember a single time that I've bought a Tonerider set with no satisfaction. I have them on both of my Strats and had one on my ex Les Paul. I've also mounted many sets on many guitars of my customers when I had my shop. Great pickups, great value, great price.

 

[MillstheHawk]

I really like my Hollowbody, but I'm still not "loving" the pickups. I'm thinking of taking it to my favorite local shop (N Stuff Music) and having their luthier perform some surgery on it.

Pair of Seymour Duncan '59 Pickups with four wire leads, then having two mini toggle switches added to coil tap either one of the pickups. (Ok, it's my lame attempt at a Languedoc , I know the scale length is wrong as it the bridge).

Am I really going to change the character of the guitar ? Hmmm.......

I just bought an SE Hollowbody ii as well & am thinking of adding coil taps also. I’m a total gear nut(big Phish fan too) and have used/bought/sold so many amps, pickups & gear that I can’t keep count. With that being said, I think that Lindy Fralin “Unbuckers” were made for this guitar.....especially for the coil tapping aspect. Fralin winds one side of the pickup hotter than the other side, so there is no volume drop when you tap the pickup.
Regardless of what pickup you choose, it’s still going to sound somewhat like Trey’s hollowbody. I actually really like the stock pickups that came in the guitar, but I’m definitely going to go w/ Fralin Unbuckers if I end up adding coil taps. Fralin will wind them as hot or mild as you like. Just tell him what you are looking for & he will do it

 

[henryjurstin13]

Sergio is dead on with what he said. SE's are a great mod platform.

I absolutely love my SE Hollowbody over the S2 Mira Semi-hollow that I tried out earlier this year. Really scratches the the hollowbody itch to be sure. That said, I just did a full overhaul of my mine, which had it's challenges but all in all went fairly smooth thanks to the other posters here on the forum who have shared their advice on working on these models.

She's now got a fresh set of Suhr Thornbucker pickups, Schroeder locking studs,Mojotone pots and PIO cap, Switchcraft toggle and jack, core knobs and a set of Tone Ninja locking tuners. The stock parts were OK but now, she's simply amazing.

@mookyshoots I'd love to know more about this project..... got any video/audio?

 

[mookyshoots]

@mookyshoots I'd love to know more about this project..... got any video/audio?

Sorry, but I have no audio/video for that project. It would've just been me dropping a lot of F-bombs while trying to get the parts installed. I'm going to stick to modding solid bodies from here on out if I have any say in the matter.

 

[henryjurstin13]

Sorry, but I have no audio/video for that project. It would've just been me dropping a lot of F-bombs while trying to get the parts installed. I'm going to stick to modding solid bodies from here on out if I have any say in the matter.

I meant of the guitar SOUNDS, not of the installation process...

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

Sorry, but I have no audio/video for that project. It would've just been me dropping a lot of F-bombs while trying to get the parts installed. I'm going to stick to modding solid bodies from here on out if I have any say in the matter.

You just confirmed my decision not to do any (electronics) work on my SE Hollowbody II. I wanted to swap the locations of the tone pot and toggle switch ( to put it in the same location as on my core McCarty) but I know that it will be a frustrating experience working through the f-holes!

 

[mookyshoots]

I meant of the guitar SOUNDS, not of the installation process...

Sorry, I don't have any recorded playing either and I recently sold the guitar as I decided that I'm sticking to core models only going forward.

 

[mookyshoots]

You just confirmed my decision not to do any (electronics) work on my SE Hollowbody II. I wanted to swap the locations of the tone pot and toggle switch ( to put it in the same location as on my core McCarty) but I know that it will be a frustrating experience working through the f-holes!

The one thing that I'll point out is that you can insert the wiring harness through the bridge pickup slot instead of the f-holes as there's no wood underneath. It's just a big opening into the body cavity. That's how I did it. Was still a pain, but that made it a bit less of a pain.

 

[John Beef]

My SE HB is the easiest hollowbody I have ever worked on. I could reach any of the electronics either through the F hole or through the output jack hole. No fishing things out with surgical tubing or fishing line like a 335.

Mine sounds great! I've got a pre-TM 57/08 in the bridge and a DiMarzio Bluesbucker in the neck for P-90-ish tones with humbucker looks.

But I think I might change it anyway. I was thinking about some TV Jones or some Fralin P-92s.

My Custom 22 sounds great and does everything I need a humbucker guitar to do. Every time I "improve" one of my other humbucker guitars, it pales to the Custom 22. The hollowbody has its own thing going on just a bit, but it would be pushed further into its own territory with something more unique to my collection, pickup wise.

 

[CrimesAgainstMusic]

I’d be concerned about the long term effect of pulling/pushing knobs mounted to the top of a mahogany hollowbody. If you have a need, maybe mini toggles makes more sense?

When I was shopping for a Hollowbody, I asked the "Push/Pull " stress , structural integrity question of PRS Customer Service. A guy named "Paul" (No idea if it was The Paul) said the the use of push/pulls on the top of a Hollowbody would cause no stress or trauma to the guitar body.. It can handle it

He went on to say, that toggle switches are necessary on a Piezo model, to do splits, because of the space the piezo circuitry takes up inside the body leaves no room internally for the push/pull pot

Upon further reflection, and realizing that virtually no split humbucker is really gonna "twang" ...
And I really dig the native tone of the Hollowbody I gave up on the idea ...

 

[mookyshoots]

Upon further reflection, and realizing that virtually no split humbucker is really gonna "twang" ...
And I really dig the native tone of the Hollowbody I gave up on the idea ...

This is exactly why I gave up on coil splitting. If I want single coil sounds, I grab one of my single coil guitars.