P22

[widereceiver]

Hi,

I have a P22 and find the 53/10 pickups to be too dull/dark/mellow/muddy for my taste.
I have mostly been a Strat/Tele player and have a couple of Gibsons with splittable humbuckers for when I want to brighten their p/ups?
What would be the ideal swap for the pickups in the P22?
Thanks...

 

[Tone-y]

Have a go at winding up the pole pieces first. Should add a bit of clarity

 

[BrianC]

Lowering the pup height will reduce the mud a bit.

The 53/10's are not a muddy pup IMHO. I would not get them for myself because they are TOO COOL, funny....

 

[Going Modal]

As mentioned above--definitely always start by examining your pickup height, etc. PRS does seem to indicate that the 53/10 are the "darkest" sounding of the " / " series pickups; however I don't find them terribly dark at all (in a 53/10 Limited guitar--which varies from the P22 mostly only in the difference of fixed vs. trem/piezo bridge).

After the 53/10 pickups were phased out of the P22 in 2013 due to availability, PRS switched to the 57/08 pickups in the P22. I happen to really like 53/10 pickups; however I'll admit 57/08 are my actual favorite among almost all pickups (PRS brand or not). The 57/08 are very "clear/transparent" pickups and they're not muddy or overpowering at all. These would be my recommendation, IF you cannot get the 53/10 adjusted to where you like them.

*Note: all the pickups in the P22/P24 guitars are typically labelled as "P22/P24" (and not "53/10" or "57/08" specifically) because I believe they're wired such that they are in proper phase with the Piezo bridge. Granted I can't say for sure what is "proper phase" (is it just a matter of reversing hot & ground?) but just something to look out for--I might expect some problems in the overall setup if just using regular aftermarket 57/08 pickups wired in standard fashion.

 

[Malloc]

I've tried every / pickups in my P22 and come full circle to 53/10s (covered) through a bit of auction site patience. There's really not a "perfect" option here since like ice cream they're all tasty just with different flavors. I slam them down almost flush with the ring to favor clarity over fullness, but in fairness I do this with every other neck humbucker.