Out of my comfort zone.

I just can't say enough good things about the 8515 neck pickup. Such a smooth fat sounding tone, kind of one of those things that stops a rabbit hole from getting any deeper.

There are a few songs that don't require much from me so I just mess around with inverting chords in the back ground. I find that plucking strings with the tip of my fingers produces a really nice tone and kind of makes all this effort worth it.
 
gush said:
I had a prs 1x12 which had a v30 in it. Hated that cab, couldn't inplug from it quick enough. Never been a big v30 fan so when I stumbled across an alnico cream for 170 bucks I thought I found the solution.

Still hated that cab so I sold it.

I got along with the 2x12 cab just fine last night even though I kept thinking that my 4x12 would have sounded better.

I'm at a cross road though. I use my McCarty for these country shows because they do some drop D stuff so fixed bridge is a no brainer.

My problem is bridge pickup.

The 8515 is just the best dang neck pickup I've ever played and I'm sooo happy with neck and center positions but the dragon 1 in the bridge is leaving me wanting more. Dragon 1 split is very convincing on low end of neck maybe just a tad harsh but not offensive. Humbucker setting just isn't as sweet as the rest of the package.

Thinking about a change and my current options are 8515, 5310, 5909 and T reissue. All of these are square bobbin. I think had I had a tiny Phillips last night I would have lowered dragon 1 a bit and maybe that's all I need to do. I've got the whole week to figure it out.
Click to expand...
I'm just not a fan of the PRS pickups that came before the 5x/0x series that they started a while back. I like a more vintage tone. So the Dragons, the Deep Dish, and others haven't really cut it for me. Doesn't mean they're bad, it's just personal taste.

Gotta say I love the 85/15 and 57/08 bridge pickups more than any other humbucker bridge pickups I've owned, but I do have a soft spot for the 58/15s.
 
LSchefman said:
I'm just not a fan of the PRS pickups that came before the 5x/0x series that they started a while back. I like a more vintage tone. So the Dragons, the Deep Dish, and others haven't really cut it for me. Doesn't mean they're bad, it's just personal taste.

Gotta say I love the 85/15 and 57/08 bridge pickups more than any other humbucker bridge pickups I've owned, but I do have a soft spot for the 58/15s.
Click to expand...
I get that. I used to like higher output pickups but not so much anymore with the exception of the dragon 1s. Something about my CE hooked me on them. Now on my ce I have them lowered a lot in the rings and I find all 5 positions on the rotary very usable with vol pot rolled down a little.

I keep thinking I need to give the 8515 bridge another try. I really didn't like it when I first put it in but I think I may have set myself up for failure. All the hype got me all buttered up to try em so when I scored a set ridiculous cheap I was thrilled. This makes me want to start another thread on how I got them.

Back when I put them in I was running more gain than I am now as my situation has changed and really requires a cleaner tone overall.

I will say the dragon 1 does a good job of split tones so I hate to pull it out just yet especially so close to my next show.
 
The one thing I keep forgetting to mention is the fact that the 8515 neck pup seems to over power what ever I put in bridge position. Kind of why I went with dragon 1. It's been a while since I had the M pickups and to be honest I really should give the HFS another shot since I am running things cleaner.

I don't have M or HFS in my parts drawer.
 
I'm running out of time to swap out bridge pickup but I did lower that dragon 1 a BUNCH and practiced with it tonight. I like it better than it was but to me I really won't know until I gig with it.

For me, I can do all the dailing in till my butt falls off but nothing tells the tale like a live show.

I guess we'll see what happens.
 
gush said:
I'm running out of time to swap out bridge pickup but I did lower that dragon 1 a BUNCH and practiced with it tonight. I like it better than it was but to me I really won't know until I gig with it.

For me, I can do all the dailing in till my butt falls off but nothing tells the tale like a live show.

I guess we'll see what happens.
Click to expand...
True! Be sure to take your mini screwdrivers to the gig. :)
 
Bogner said:
True! Be sure to take your mini screwdrivers to the gig. :)
Click to expand...
Oh he11 yes I will. I'm not sure what this show Friday will be like. I've been too busy to fool with details this week.

It's a big riverfest thing in Quincy Illinois and I know we are playing twice which gives me serious anxiety. I will be worried about someone making off with a guitar or something like that.
 
gush said:
Oh he11 yes I will. I'm not sure what this show Friday will be like. I've been too busy to fool with details this week.

It's a big riverfest thing in Quincy Illinois and I know we are playing twice which gives me serious anxiety. I will be worried about someone making off with a guitar or something like that.
Click to expand...
***UPDATE PLEASE*** :D
 
Bogner said:
***UPDATE PLEASE*** :D
Click to expand...
One thing that holds true for me is no matter how much you work on getting your rig the way you want it, playing a live show is the deciding factor.

I used the jcm800 head and 2x12 with creamback 65s. Pretty solid rig.

My uncertainty is with dragon 1 bridge. The 8515 neck pickup is to die for and I will not swap that out. I didn't find the need to split it either. It just plain works.

Dragon 1 sounds really good split and I used it that way about half the time. It has a really nice attack without being harsh and it cuts through very nicely. I feel that the way I have bridge pup set up creates a compromise between single coil and HB. I've killed most of the high end on my amp and it works with neck pup and bridge pup split but not so much for bridge in HB mode.

I did lower the dragon a bunch but raised it just a tiny bit so there is maybe an 1/8 inch pup showing above ring. 8515 is flush with ring.

I feel the way the 8515/5815 is voiced makes it over power bridge pickups and if you look at pics of CE24s with 8515s you'll notice the bridge pup is usually set pretty high.

I'm going to play through my G12T-75 loaded 4x12 before I make any changes but I think I might swap dragon 1 out. Part of me wants to give 8515 bridge another try but it just didn't trip my trigger when I had it in there. My love for 5310s and 5909s is pretty strong but I feel like the square bobbin T reissue may be a better choice because of the higher output and my past experience with the T in other guitars.
 
It seems to me that you can become successful in your business. It would help if you relaxed a little bit so that you don't get depressed because of stress. Positive thinking is very important for depression treatment in adults. Color the depressive grayness with bright colors, think about good things and do good to people. Smile, and look for the best in those around you. If someone is near the solid negative and nothing can be done, minimize communication with him. Do what you like to do. A favorite hobby or business will charge you with positive energy, allow you to rest faster and better after a hard day's work, and distract you from your worries and bad thoughts. Good luck.
 
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gush said:
I have two shows coming up. One is this Saturday and the other is next Friday.

I have been using my jcm800 studio head and working with all of the cabs I have to see which one I'll use for these shows.

I love my 1960a cab with G12T-75s and thought that would be the one BUT I've decided on my closed back 2x12 with celestion creamback 65s.

I'm forcing myself to leave 4x12 at home and commit to this 2x12. I'm a 4x12 guy all day long but this 2x12 sounds pretty dang good.

Guitar, comp, EP booster, delay then amp.........that's it.

Wish me luck........
Click to expand...
That sounds like you’ve become secure in “your sound” and don’t feel a need to embellish or chase everyone else’s sound. That’s a gdeat place to be. Enjoy it.
 
gush said:
I had a prs 1x12 which had a v30 in it. Hated that cab, couldn't unplug from it quick enough. Never been a big v30 fan so when I stumbled across an alnico cream for 170 bucks I thought I found the solution.

Still hated that cab so I sold it.

I got along with the 2x12 cab just fine last night even though I kept thinking that my 4x12 would have sounded better.

I'm at a cross road though. I use my McCarty for these country shows because they do some drop D stuff so fixed bridge is a no brainer.

My problem is bridge pickup.

The 8515 is just the best dang neck pickup I've ever played and I'm sooo happy with neck and center positions but the dragon 1 in the bridge is leaving me wanting more. Dragon 1 split is very convincing on low end of neck maybe just a tad harsh but not offensive. Humbucker setting just isn't as sweet as the rest of the package.

Thinking about a change and my current options are 8515, 5310, 5909 and T reissue. All of these are square bobbin. I think had I had a tiny Phillips last night I would have lowered dragon 1 a bit and maybe that's all I need to do. I've got the whole week to figure it out.
Click to expand...
My Dragon 1 bridge pickup in my cu22 is one of the few pickups I can lower quite a bit and it still sounds great. It’s got so much output at 19K it should!:D
 
Rod/ said:
My Dragon 1 bridge pickup in my cu22 is one of the few pickups I can lower quite a bit and it still sounds great. It’s got so much output at 19K it should!:D
Click to expand...
I have D1s in a ce and they are set very low too. Rotary sounds good in all positions
 
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