PRS Standard Satin Muddy Sounding Pickups. UPDATE: Need pickup recommendations for after 1M pot change, see post 26.

[Woodrow F Call]

Hey guys, first post here and I need a little help.

I've got a 2022 PRS Standard that sounds pretty dark/muddy. My DGT sounds great through the same rig. I've done the following:

1. Adjusted pickup height.
2. Swapped out pickups with some PAF style GFS pickups with lower output.
3. Built a capacitor bank on a breadboard to try different capacitors in line on the hot side (seemed to do too much and was noisy, but the noise may have been because it was on a breadboard).

Now, I could live with the bridge pickup, but the neck is pretty woofy, and I LOVE neck pickups. The PAF style pickups changed output but not the overall tone problems. I'm wondering if it's something in the circuit....maybe changing the electronics out.

I could use some good experienced advice here. Thanks in advance!


Update here: https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/prs-standard-satin-muddy-sounding-pickups.56653/post-837245

 

[Lewguitar]

It could easily be something in the circuit. Or it could be 500K pots that read lower than 500K.

Find a 500K volume pot that measure 500K or higher than 500K. 550K or so. That'll brighten it up a little. It did my Bernie Marsden.

So will adding a bright cap or a resistor/capacitor across the volume control to retain treble when the volume is lowered.

Get some better pickups...or do some magnet swaps if your pickups are uncovered.

From AddictionFX, order two of each: roughcast alnico 2, alnico 4 and alnico 5 and see if you can improve those GFS pickups. I've been able work miracles with import pickups.

Are what you have now Alnico 2?

You might like Duncan Antiquitys. I do.

But I also love PRS 57/08's.

And Wolfetone Marshallheads although I prefer them with Alnico 2 and find Alnico 5 too bright in them.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

It could easily be something in the circuit. Or it could be 500K pots that read lower than 500K.

Find a 500K volume pot that measure 500K or higher than 500K. 550K or so. That'll brighten it up a little. It did my Bernie Marsden.

So will adding a bright cap or a resistor/capacitor across the volume control to retain treble when the volume is lowered.

Get some better pickups...or do some magnet swaps if your pickups are uncovered.

From AddictionFX, order two of each: roughcast alnico 2, alnico 4 and alnico 5 and see if you can improve those GFS pickups. I've been able work miracles with import pickups.

Are what you have now Alnico 2?

You might like Duncan Antiquitys. I do.

But I also love PRS 57/08's.

And Wolfetone Marshallheads although I prefer them with Alnico 2 and find Alnico 5 too bright in them.

Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking it's the electronics since the pickup change retained such similar charechter. I will start looking at the pots.

The pickups are A2, but I'll probably swap back to stock. It was just an experiment.

 

[frankencat]

My Standard 24 is anything but dark. I have 500k CTS pots and Seymour Duncan Jazz/CustomCustom in that one. It rocks and is ballsy but gets really chimey in the in-between position. 180p treble bleed.

 

[Lewguitar]

My Standard 24 is anything but dark. I have 500k CTS pots and Seymour Duncan Jazz/CustomCustom in that one. It rocks and is ballsy but gets really chimey in the in-between position. 180p treble bleed.

Yeah. i think the OP's problem is the replacement pickups he chose.

 

[frankencat]

Maybe so but sometimes the stock electronics can choke it out too.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

As Lew and Frank suggest, my first instinct would be to check the pots and resistors.

 

[SinSir]

Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking it's the electronics since the pickup change retained such similar charechter. I will start looking at the pots.

The pickups are A2, but I'll probably swap back to stock. It was just an experiment.

I don't disagree with electronics, but it's not like you improved your pickups with GFS, downgrade if anything.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

Yeah. i think the OP's problem is the replacement pickups he chose.

Both sets of pickups showed similar issues. I put the second set in purely for testing.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

I don't disagree with electronics, but it's not like you improved your pickups with GFS, downgrade if anything.

Maybe, maybe not. They are a wax potted PAF style pickup with A2 magnets and PAFish resistance readings. It's not everything, but it's in the ballpark and should have reduced the woofiness just by being lower output..... but it didn't. Very similar character than stock, but less output.

When I get back home in December, I'll update with my findings.

 

[SinSir]

Maybe, maybe not. They are a wax potted PAF style pickup with A2 magnets and PAFish resistance readings. It's not everything, but it's in the ballpark and should have reduced the woofiness just by being lower output..... but it didn't. Very similar character than stock, but less output.

When I get back home in December, I'll update with my findings.

Maybe, maybe not to electronics for sure, but GFS is just another adequate cheap pickup that's not in the same league as a set of DGT.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

Maybe, maybe not to electronics for sure, but GFS is just another adequate cheap pickup that's not in the same league as a set of DGT.

What's your experience with all three sets of pickups? How do they compare to tonewise? Have you found similar experience with the 58/15-S, GFS Classic II, and DGTs?

Asking because I'm not really experienced with the first two.

 

[SinSir]

What's your experience with all three sets of pickups? How do they compare to tonewise? Have you found similar experience with the 58/15-S, GFS Classic II, and DGTs?

Asking because I'm not really experienced with the first two.

So you have a '22 S2 standard with the 5815S, correct?

I have a mixed bag experience with the S pickups, most of them I haven't cared for much and usually swap them out. I believe G&B still makes them. G&B pickups are made by KHL that are used in several brands as OEM from WMI. They also makes Artec pickups. All in the same class more or less as GFS. Serviceable import pickups, but not really fair to compare them to a DGT, assuming it's core.

The 5815S I've liked in a couple guitars, the s2 thinline 594 and seHb2, but so so to my ears in the rest of the models. My seHb2 took me a while to get dialed in on both the bridge and neck. Now it sounds great, but there was a very small window of turns that I consider a sweet spot. Anything out of that, back to meh to my ears.

GFS is the same to me, not bad pickups, and I have used some in lower tier guitars and builds over the years. But I wouldn't consider them much more than bang for the buck. If I was serous about my tone I'd look elsewhere. It's always been better off when I went another route. A good example is their Humbucker P90. I was on a H90 kick, and they were good for the price, but not even close to the Frailin that ended up being my favorite or really the other half dozen or so brands I tried.

The biggest s2 point of weakness is electronics. I'd start there. And look at a higher quality pickups if the tone still isn't where you want to be. The s2 deserves the love, awesome guitars.

Lew and Frank gave some good suggestions on pickups.

Wolfetone, DrV in the neck and Marshallhead in the bridge. My favorite wolfetone combo, and I've tried most of them. 5708 are always a win in my book for PRS pickups. JB/Jazz has been my SD go to for years, and the 59 in the neck is also a solid choice.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

When you are disappointed in the 58/15S, are they muddy as I describe?

Trying to find some support for the hypothesis that they are my problem.

My plan at the moment is check out the pots (probably go back to the stock pickups at that time. And if that doesn't work, try new pickups. Likely Lollar Imperials or maybe SD 59s..... though I might want to try Dimarzio PAF Masters.

Edit: I do like everything else about the guitar.

 

[Lewguitar]

I don't disagree with electronics, but it's not like you improved your pickups with GFS, downgrade if anything.

Probably true. The GFS are import pickups. Korean?

 

[SinSir]

Probably true. The GFS are import pickups. Korean?

Yes..Sub $50 pickups from guitarfetish. Supposedly made by Artec, which is KHL Corp that makes G&B pickups. All the same import pickups more or less.

 

[Lewguitar]

Yes..Sub $50 pickups from guitarfetish. Supposedly made by Artec, which is KHL Corp that makes G&B pickups. All the same import pickups more or less.

Well I guess that explains it.

 

[garrett]

Some specific guitars are just darker than others.

I agree, a set of A2 GFS pickups won't be remarkably different from the stock ones. I'd look for something with A5, relatively low output, maybe open coils.

Also as suggested make sure the pots don't measure super low. You could also use a no load tone pot to claim back a teeny bit of top end.

Suhr Thornbuckers woke up a dark sounding Singlecut Standard I had. I personally don't like Imperials because they use A5 bridge and A2 neck. My ears feel like it should be the other way around. Thornbuckers are A4 bridge, A5 neck.

 

[DISTORT6]

which grade of Alnico magnet do you think is the most comfortable used in guitar?

Why you…I aughta…

 

[Woodrow F Call]

Well, I got home about an hour ago. I tested the neck pickup this way:

Found the GFS to be at 4.55k and max resistance was 131k.... doing the math, I've got a 519k volume pot. So, looks like I should try some new humbuckers, probably with an A5 magnet.

I'm only going to be here a day, so I got a little time to decide. I'm probably going to try the SD 59s because they sounded good in a LP type guitar that I almost bought. I'll still give it a little thought. I'll be gone 4 weeks before I can get back to this. I'll update when I get the next step.

Thanks for the input everyone!