Pickups for ‘94 custom 22?

[cheezit]

It’s a 1994 Custom 22 with Dragon 1s, which are…a lot. Some people love them, I know, but I’m looking for something a little more nuanced for medium gain/crunch tones. I like PAF tones, but modern stuff like JBs are great too.

I put a pair of Dimarzio 36th Anniversaries in there, with nickel covers. But they sound thin, they lack bass and the high e is plinky. If I turn down the tone control to 3 and tweak the amp a bunch, I start to get better tones.

I think this guitar’s natural voice is on the bright side, like a bright sg, but with the 36’s it’s brighter than the Shawbucker in my strat!

Any suggestions for other pickups to try? If you own a similar era prs, what are you using?

 

[cheezit]

Forgot to say - it’s a stoptail.

 

[DISTORT6]

Instead of trying to convince you to sell your DI’s, may I suggest you just keep them with your guitar if you swap them out?
There’s far too many guitars on Reverb that have been neutered of their original pickups and tuners.

 

[cheezit]

Oh sure, that’s where I am - the dragon 1s will stay with the guitar. I’ve half a mind to just sell the guitar rather than continue pickup chasing. The dragon 1s sound great, it’s just not my sound.

 

[László]

I think the 57/08s would sound great with your guitar. I'm no fan of the Dragon I, too Arena Rock for my tastes.

But the caveat is that no two of us are exactly alike. I'm an 'edge of breakup to crunch' player. I don't do high gain. I don't know if it matters, but I use mainly single channel tube amps.

 

[Lewguitar]

It’s a 1994 Custom 22 with Dragon 1s, which are…a lot. Some people love them, I know, but I’m looking for something a little more nuanced for medium gain/crunch tones. I like PAF tones, but modern stuff like JBs are great too.

I put a pair of Dimarzio 36th Anniversaries in there, with nickel covers. But they sound thin, they lack bass and the high e is plinky. If I turn down the tone control to 3 and tweak the amp a bunch, I start to get better tones.

I think this guitar’s natural voice is on the bright side, like a bright sg, but with the 36’s it’s brighter than the Shawbucker in my strat!

Any suggestions for other pickups to try? If you own a similar era prs, what are you using?

I replaced the Dragon I's in my '95 Custom 22 with Duncan Antiquitys. They stayed in there for almost 20 years before I restored the guitar to stock and then sold the guitar.

At the time I was playing mostly blues but also playing in the band at Unity of Boulder, and the Antiquitys were more appropriate for the music I was playing.

But I like the Dragon I's alot. I just wasn't playing the hard rock style that the Dragon 1's do so well.

One of my Bernie Marsdens came with a Duncan Jazz neck and a JB bridge. I'm wasn't crazy about the Jazz neck pickup so I switched it to a 59B.

A 59B matches up with the JB perfectly for me. It has the same specs as Dragon 1 neck pickup except for the magnet.

So I put a alnico 4 magnet from AddictionFX in it. The Dragon 1 uses alnico 4 too and now it sounds very similar.

Eventually i bought a set of 57/08's and that's what's in it now.

The 59B/JB set is available if anyone's interested.

 

[AP515]

Hmmm.... PAF tone in a bright guitar....

Antiquities... or Seth Lovers...

Both are unpotted and really articulate.

 

[Lewguitar]

Hmmm.... PAF tone in a bright guitar....

Antiquities... or Seth Lovers...

Both are unpotted and really articulate.

Antiquitys have some balls.

Seths sound like a neutered Antiquity to me.

Here's my '95 and '02. Both with Antiquitys.

https://imgur.com/1q426d7

https://imgur.com/MdZhaJw

And one shot with the covers removed.

https://imgur.com/0ykwbta

 

[Bogner]

BKP Black Dogs

 

[Lewguitar]

BKP Black Dogs

Both sets of the BKP pickups I have, I really like. That would be the Abraxas humbuckers in my '00 CE22 and Nantucket P90's in my SE Soapbar. Excellent.

https://imgur.com/jn3jpZW

https://imgur.com/f9IM7g9

Yeah, I've always loved double cream pickups. Ever since meeting Jeff Beck in 1968 at the Grande ballroom.

Here's a photo from that night:

https://imgur.com/v85JQRE

 

[MWebster]

When I first bought my old dragon 1 equipped CE-22 I was trying it through some low/mid gain fender amp and it sung. Absolutely sung, the quintessential PRS edge of breakup sound. The pickup heights had definitely been tweaked but my god did they sound good. I bet through one of those new PRS Hendrix amps or a DGT amp it would slay and part seas.

Anyway Lew knows the truth about the antiquities, if you're willing to shell out for them they are so so good. The 57/08 set OR 57/08 neck and Metal bridge are a fantastic, versatile and musical sounding set of pickups as well.

 

[Lewguitar]

When I first bought my old dragon 1 equipped CE-22 I was trying it through some low/mid gain fender amp and it sung. Absolutely sung, the quintessential PRS edge of breakup sound. The pickup heights had definitely been tweaked but my god did they sound good. I bet through one of those new PRS Hendrix amps or a DGT amp it would slay and part seas.

Anyway Lew knows the truth about the antiquities, if you're willing to shell out for them they are so so good. The 57/08 set OR 57/08 neck and Metal bridge are a fantastic, versatile and musical sounding set of pickups as well.

Thank you. I really like the Dragon 1's in my CE22's with a vibrato. Better than I liked them in my CU22 with a wrap around tailpiece.

For me, they're kind of the ultimate rock pickup set.

The neck Dragon 1 is basically Paul's version of a '59 PAF.

The bridge pickup creates sounds that just soar if you're into that 80's guitar hero stuff.

Killer through a Klon and a Marshall type amp like the HDRX 20.

 

[Rod/]

My ‘93 Custom 22 pictured on the left came stock with the Dragon 1’s. The bridge especially has to much hot rock for my taste and I lowered it some and that’s helped tame the output. The Dragon 1 neck is muddy (as are my Dragon 2 neck pickups)..
Does anyone here have some advice on a magnet change for the neck… or the bridge for that matter to add clarity to the neck and more sweetness to the bridge? Or should I just sell them and get some 57/08’s for it? What’s a set of exc. condition Dragon 1’s worth?
All advise is greatly appreciated

 

[Rod/]

I replaced the Dragon I's in my '95 Custom 22 with Duncan Antiquitys. They stayed in there for almost 20 years before I restored the guitar to stock and then sold the guitar.

At the time I was playing mostly blues but also playing in the band at Unity of Boulder, and the Antiquitys were more appropriate for the music I was playing.

But I like the Dragon I's alot. I just wasn't playing the hard rock style that the Dragon 1's do so well.

One of my Bernie Marsdens came with a Duncan Jazz neck and a JB bridge. I'm wasn't crazy about the Jazz neck pickup so I switched it to a 59B.

A 59B matches up with the JB perfectly for me. It has the same specs as Dragon 1 neck pickup except for the magnet.

So I put a alnico 4 magnet from AddictionFX in it. The Dragon 1 uses alnico 4 too and now it sounds very similar.

Eventually i bought a set of 57/08's and that's what's in it now.

The 59B/JB set is available if anyone's interested.

Hi @Lewguitar ……So I’m confused. The Duncan 59 bridge uses an Alnico 5 magnet. You put an Alnico 4 mag in your Dragon 1 neck? Did that clean it up? Did you swap magnets on the Dragon 1 Bridge as well? I’m thinking about trying an Alnico 8 in the bridge…

 

[Grapeshot]

I have a ‘00 Custom 22 that has gone through several sets of pickups, including the 36th PAFs. I have Duncan Alnico II Pros in it now, I’m pretty satisfied, they seem to handle just about everything well.

 

[JasonE]

I put 57/08s in my 06 CU22. It completely changed the guitar for the better. I kept the stock pickups in case I ever wanted to put them back in, which I can't see me ever doing. I also have them to include with the guitar if I ever sell it, which I can't see me doing either. However, they came with the guitar and will stay with it.

 

[Lewguitar]

Hi @Lewguitar ……So I’m confused. The Duncan 59 bridge uses an Alnico 5 magnet. You put an Alnico 4 mag in your Dragon 1 neck? Did that clean it up? Did you swap magnets on the Dragon 1 Bridge as well? I’m thinking about trying an Alnico 8 in the bridge…

No. I didn't swap magnets in any of my Dragon 1 sets.

The Dragon 1 neck pickup is an alnico 4 8.2K pickup based on a '59 Gibson PAF. Some of them used A4.

So I put alnico 4 in a Duncan 59B, which is also a 8.2K pickup, and it turns out it sounds a lot like a Dragon 1. Not exactly of course.

Then I paired it with a Duncan JB bridge pickup. I like JB's but they're too trebley. So I removed the polished alnico 5 magnet and replaced it with a ROUGHCAST alnico 5 magnet.

That removed some of the sharp treble of the JB.

Still had to turn my guitar's tone control down a bit when using the JB with high gain tho.

Kind of get's Clapton's old Woman Tone.

Or Jeff Beck's tone on Freeway Jam.

I have a set of BKP Abraxas in that guitar now. They don't sound better than the 59/JB set but they're great too.

 

[Rod/]

No. I didn't swap magnets in any of my Dragon 1 sets.

The Dragon 1 neck pickup is an alnico 4 8.2K pickup based on a '59 Gibson PAF. Some of them used A4.

So I put alnico 4 in a Duncan 59B, which is also a 8.2K pickup, and it turns out it sounds a lot like a Dragon 1. Not exactly of course.

Then I paired it with a Duncan JB bridge pickup. I like JB's but they're too trebley. So I removed the polished alnico 5 magnet and replaced it with a ROUGHCAST alnico 5 magnet.

That removed some of the sharp treble of the JB.

Still had to turn my guitar's tone control down a bit when using the JB with high gain tho.

Kind of get's Clapton's old Woman Tone.

Or Jeff Beck's tone on Freeway Jam.

I have a set of BKP Abraxas in that guitar now. They don't sound better than the 59/JB set but they're great too.

Now I understand… Thank you for going through what you did on your pick ups I appreciate it