Pickup dilemma for HBii - 57/08 or BK mule?

[Callan]

I've never bonded with the sound of my HBii which came with 57/08 pickups, so I just had a set of bare knuckle Mule's made and delivered.

The original bridge pickup always sounded weak/thin, and the neck was muddy with no clarity at all. I could never get a good live sound compared to my CU24.

With nothing to lose before going to my tech next week, I started playing with the pickup height of the stock pickups and I've greatly improved the sound & balance of the guitar (to my ear)

Which has now left me with the dilemma of perhaps leaving the guitar stock?

I play mostly pop/alt-rock, from Beatles/stones to foo fighters/U2/black keys, through a fractal ax8.
I'm not looking for a specific sound from this guitar, rather a versatile rock guitar that can also clean up when needed.

What to do ?

 

[vchizzle]

You could pull the 5708's and send em to me? I could use another set!

I'd probably play the 5708's for a while now that you've dialed them in. The adjustments are key for those pickups for sure. Get to know the guitar more in it's stock form. You can always put the Mule's in at some point.

 

[dogrocketp]

I agree with Vince. PRS pickups are much more sensitive to adjustment than any other brand I`ve played. Think of it like tuning your Ferrari. I always suggest adjusting your pickups before replacing. 57/08`s seem to me to be capable of more things than most pickups. The trick is to find the sweet spot for your ears.

 

[SuperFly53]

Agree with much that has been stated, but BK pups are phenomenal, and will add depth and texture to the tone of your HB. The good news is that you can try them and always return the guitar to stock.
In my opinion, you will be pleased with the switch.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I agree with v'chizzle -- leave 'em stock for a while. Now that you've dialed the pickup height in better, you can dial in the guitar's interaction with the rest of your system, which is a thing, too. I complained about about pickups being too thin to a friend once, he recommended I try turning the tone down. I never turn the tone down, but I tried it. Well, you have to compensate by turning the volume up, but that's how it works. You'd be surprised how much small changes make -- you can go from getting a good tone to a great tone with just some minor changes, so spend a lot more time dialing in your tone. Not all guitars are going to interact with your system the same, so you have to really learn that interaction. And a lot of times when I hear words like "thin" or "anemic", I think that people don't use volume compensation, because everything sounds different at different volumes. And in order to go louder, you have to reduce volumes in other areas.

 

[bodia]

I'm also in the stock boat. Play with them for a few more weeks, and then make your decision.

 

[Callan]

Thanks for input. I will give the 57/08's one last chance at next weekend's gig and see how we go.
It's hard to get a good feel at home on how much of an improvement the new pickup height will make in a full band mix.

@vchizzle Very generous offer , but I think I'll keep the 57/08's in case I ever want to sell the guitar, and will revert it back to it's factory config.

 

[Callan]

So our weekend gig went well, and my HB II sounded fantastic - like a whole new instrument.
On the downside, it now sounds better than my CU24. (#FirstWorldProblems)
Looks like this week I'll be playing with the pickup height on my CU24 to see if I can get it to sound a little better (again for my ears).

And my Les Paul might have just scored a set of BKP mules - we'll see!

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Thanks for following up. We don't always respond once you're settled, but I for one enjoy reading the journeys of others.