Prs 59/09 vs \m/

[Deleted member 7139]

Hello!
This is my first post here, but I'm an avid reader since years. I had a custom22 fire red, and I just sold it to fund a custom24 in black amber with 59/09.
On my cu22 I used to have dimarzio pickups, but now I want to stay prs for everything regarding the guitar.

So, now I have these 59/09 since a few days. They are very very good but I feel that the bridge pickup lacks a bit of thump (I used to play illuminator/crunchlab pickups) for doing metal.

For reference, this track made by my band was recorded with the cu22 with a tremonti treble on the bridge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsiSJmNl1wA

So, for anyone that tried both, what's your response? I browser through the old threads but couldn't find a detailed review of them.

FIY: the tremonti treble is a tad too bright for me, and it also lacks dynamics. I much prefer the crunchlab/illuminator for note 'consistency' and dynamics
The 59/09 feels just right for solos, very organic.

Thanks to everyone!

 

[rungles]

Really like this track! Good job.

 

[Deleted member 7139]

Thanks mate! Any reccomendation for a 59/09 to \m/ swap? Pros? Cons?

 

[Drew]

Thanks mate! Any reccomendation for a 59/09 to \m/ swap? Pros? Cons?

And why can't you stick with the dimarzio pickups, which you clearly love? The M pickup is nice but I think you'll find it too a bit bright, especially if you prefer a crunchlab that has damped treble.

 

[rungles]

I have the John Petrucci Liquifire/Crunchlab set in one of my strats and it's an awesome combo.

 

[HANGAR18]

I have pondered this question before and I think the correct answer is to have two PRS guitars. One with the 59/09 pickups in it and the other with the \m/ METAL \m/ pickups in it.

 

[celtic757]

Go for the \m/. It is most likely the best PRS option for what you want. I've got two SE Tremonti Customs. One has Tremontis in it the other \m/. The latter gets more attention from me. Not to say anything is wrong with the Tremontis, but at times they have a bit too much treble. The \m/ pups have the same thump but less treble. YMMV

 

[yankeebulldog]

I have pondered this question before and I think the correct answer is to have two PRS guitars. One with the 59/09 pickups in it and the other with the \m/ METAL \m/ pickups in it.

This is the best idea. I too have 59/09s and \m/ pickups in all my PRS. 59/09 for classic rock tones, \m/ for modern metal tones. The can both do either genre in a pinch. I really like the metal pickups in my CU Floyd and Mc58. They are very versatile compared to most high gain pickups. The offer a little more punch in the mids than the 59/09s and aren't as bright. The \m/ pickup isn't as bright as the tremonti either so it should do nicely for you.

 

[Deleted member 7139]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! Guess I'm going to try the \m/ set and sell the 59/09
Unfortunately prs won't offer uncovered \m/ for a few months so I'll stick with covered ones.

What do you think of chrome covered on my guitar? Pic attached

 

[yankeebulldog]

I think they will look fine. Most McCarty's came that way with shiny covers originally but in the modern Squabbin or Brushed Nickel era, it's kind of forgotten.

Here is my Mc58 with \m/ pickups. I'm okay with the look since all the other hardware is also shiny nickel but if uncovered were an option, I'd have done that.

 

[Deleted member 7139]

Wow congrats for the two beasts!

Do you notice any audible difference between covered and uncovered \m/ pickups?
And do you think they are tight on the bass like a crunchlab/illuminator would do?

Thanks

 

[cmcgrath72]

How about the HFS in the bridge? It's hotter than the 59/09 and not bright like the M or tremonti pickup. I think you would probably dig the sound especially for heavier stuff.
really great pickup with character. Pretty badass.

 

[cmcgrath72]

here's a comparison video. there are more if you want to search. I've played an HFS on my friends PRS. It sounds really great
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDqwDmJLxK8

 

[yankeebulldog]

Wow congrats for the two beasts!

Do you notice any audible difference between covered and uncovered \m/ pickups?
And do you think they are tight on the bass like a crunchlab/illuminator would do?

Thanks

I hear a difference between these 2 guitars but there is a lot going on besides the uncovered pickups with the Floyd, maple neck, ebony, etc. The Metal pickups have a fairly tight bass compared to the 59/09s, they hold up a lot better for faster drop D chugging like Alter Bridge, but I haven't played any of those other pickups you mention. That said, my 2 \m/ guitars sound fairly similar, close enough that I can EQ the amp once and not touch it when switching guitars.

 

[Deleted member 7139]

How about the HFS in the bridge? It's hotter than the 59/09 and not bright like the M or tremonti pickup. I think you would probably dig the sound especially for heavier stuff.
really great pickup with character. Pretty badass.

Hi there and thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, the HFS is really not my cup of tea. I've tried it tons of time and it just doesn't feel right to me. I need a pickup that's tight and aggressive but that also mantains a vocal/crisp quality to single notes (and that's why I'm not bonding with the tremonti treble at all).
However, I have a SE HFS in my navarro SE that just plain rocks considering that it's a backup guitar tuned to DAFCGA.

I hear a difference between these 2 guitars but there is a lot going on besides the uncovered pickups with the Floyd, maple neck, ebony, etc. The Metal pickups have a fairly tight bass compared to the 59/09s, they hold up a lot better for faster drop D chugging like Alter Bridge, but I haven't played any of those other pickups you mention. That said, my 2 \m/ guitars sound fairly similar, close enough that I can EQ the amp once and not touch it when switching guitars.

That sounds great considering that I play in DAFCGC!
Just placed an order on these, can't wait to try them out on my new custom24 thru my Kemper.

On a side note: I'd kill for an archon profile for my kemper!!

 

[cmcgrath72]

Hi there and thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, the HFS is really not my cup of tea. I've tried it tons of time and it just doesn't feel right to me. I need a pickup that's tight and aggressive but that also mantains a vocal/crisp quality to single notes (and that's why I'm not bonding with the tremonti treble at all).
However, I have a SE HFS in my navarro SE that just plain rocks considering that it's a backup guitar tuned to DAFCGA.



That sounds great considering that I play in DAFCGC!
Just placed an order on these, can't wait to try them out on my new custom24 thru my Kemper.

On a side note: I'd kill for an archon profile for my kemper!!

If you're looking for a more vocal quality then maybe you should try a lower output pickup? A medium one? Hot pickups tend to drown out the tone woods etc... My favorite PRS pickup would by far be the 57/08.
Just amazing sounding. It's on the vintage side but handles high gain and playing metal just fine. I have the in my CU24 and play it through my Marshall JVM. The 57's are quite pricey though on ebay. Hope you find what you are looking for. I know it's tough

 

[FunkyFreeman]

The PRS \m/ set is so awesome IMHO. If I would ever change pu on my PRS Custom 24, it would be the \m/ set.
The video was shot by Shawn@prs and they were playing through the prototype PRS Archon amp.
Cheers.

 

[jeff5]

My experience has been that as you go up in output you loose some pick dynamics, touch sensitivity and clarity. There is just no way around it because higher output pick ups add compression and that's what compression does. In the bridge of my CU24 I've had a 57/08, 59/09 and now a Tremonti. As I've stepped up in output, I've noticed what I just stated. That's not to say that the Tremonti does not have pick dynamics or touch sensitivity, because it does. However, it just doesn't have as much as the 59/09 which didn't have as much as the 57/08. ( Wonderful pick up) The trade off is in the rhythm tones and fast tracking for palm muting which is where higher output (and more compressed) pick ups shine and where lower output pick ups struggle a bit.

 

[Deleted member 7139]

My experience has been that as you go up in output you loose some pick dynamics, touch sensitivity and clarity. There is just no way around it because higher output pick ups add compression and that's what compression does. In the bridge of my CU24 I've had a 57/08, 59/09 and now a Tremonti. As I've stepped up in output, I've noticed what I just stated. That's not to say that the Tremonti does not have pick dynamics or touch sensitivity, because it does. However, it just doesn't have as much as the 59/09 which didn't have as much as the 57/08. ( Wonderful pick up) The trade off is in the rhythm tones and fast tracking for palm muting which is where higher output (and more compressed) pick ups shine and where lower output pick ups struggle a bit.

Yeah, I noticed this behaviour on my high output pickups (one of the reason I never liked the tremonti treble/HFS too much).

The PRS \m/ set is so awesome IMHO. If I would ever change pu on my PRS Custom 24, it would be the \m/ set.
The video was shot by Shawn@prs and they were playing through the prototype PRS Archon amp.
Cheers.

The sound is promising! I'd love to hear a properly mic'ed review/demo of them though.

If you're looking for a more vocal quality then maybe you should try a lower output pickup? A medium one? Hot pickups tend to drown out the tone woods etc... My favorite PRS pickup would by far be the 57/08.
Just amazing sounding. It's on the vintage side but handles high gain and playing metal just fine. I have the in my CU24 and play it through my Marshall JVM. The 57's are quite pricey though on ebay. Hope you find what you are looking for. I know it's tough

Thanks mate. Yeah, the higher the output (especially with ceramic mags), the less dynamic is shown. The crunchlab was one of the few pickups that didn't suffer this problem.

UPDATE: after placing my order for a \m/ set, my car engine experienced a problem, so I had to cancel my order to fund the bill.
The positive side is that I played a little bit with pickup height yesterday and found that the 59/09 are capable of way more than I expected. So for now they are a keeper!

 

[kevorkianMetal]

All i have to say is all the video demos of the metal pickups online are garbage, and the videos posted at ptc are embarrassing.. Mine will be installed this week in my custom 24 artist. had uncovered 57/08's before. Metal does not mean tune your low e string down a step and play..... for *uks sake.