Ape Factory
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2013
- Messages
- 66
Need a bit of advice and insight from a few who may have been in the same position at some point.
I have a wonderful SC58 Artist package. Easiest guitar to play overall that I own. Just butter. With that said, I have another single cut in which I've had a set of "boutique" PAF low output humbuckers and I have to say, the tones that emanate from that guitar are just godly. I had the original pickups in the non-PRS SC and it was good if not great. I swapped in new saddles, a new tailpiece and the boutique pickups and this thing just lights my world on fire. It's a bit harder to play but I just love the the overall sound AND the way it responds to use of both the volume and tone knobs. I think it really comes down to the pickups and wiring.
So when I first received the SC58, I really liked the stock 57/08's and I was able to get some really interesting tones, very vintage stuff. Some of the sounds were similar to the other single cut so I decided to make a switch and differentiate the guitar sound wise. I love the 59/09's and had a set lying around. Swapped those in and I seemed satisfied for a bit, keeping the rest of the .
[FONT=Verdana, Geneva, Arial, sans-serif]That satisfaction waned and I'm sort of at a crossroads. I think the biggest issue I have is the way the guitar responds with the stock controls. The boutique PAF set comes with the winder's choice of caps and they do wonderful things with judicious use of the tone knob. The other issue is the boutiques are unpotted and they have this open, uncompressed and delicate nature with a really complex attack and response to picking. And they never sound muffled even with the tone at zero. Big, tight bottom end and highs that are never harsh. I can find no fault in it. They're just "chewy". [/FONT]
So my first (and least expensive) option for the SC-58 would be to switch the controls to say a "50's" wiring scheme but I do not know if the 59/09's would respond well to that style of wiring. I've been a long-time fan of the 59/09's and I'm sure the PRS team optimized the wiring to work with their pickups. I adapted a 50's wiring schematic early on and never really played with what many refer to as modern wiring with the "G" brand and other guitars and I've not really researched the thought behind the PRS wiring.
The second option would be a total pickup/electronics swap. Believe you me, it pains me to even harbor the thought as I've had such good success with the 59/09's. Now the obvious would be another set of the same boutique pickups in the other SC but I like all of my guitars to sound a bit different. Honestly, I may go back to him for a different flavor as I've been impressed with two different sets I've purchase from him.
Anyway, any first hand experiences appreciated, especially when it comes to changing up the wiring schematic with either the 57/08's or 59/09's and 50's wiring. Would be especially interested in what caps were used successfully too. I really only play classic rock and blues, very little heavy stuff these days. And I can do all my own work which is great. I'm getting to the point where I want to play more and chase rabbits less.
I have a wonderful SC58 Artist package. Easiest guitar to play overall that I own. Just butter. With that said, I have another single cut in which I've had a set of "boutique" PAF low output humbuckers and I have to say, the tones that emanate from that guitar are just godly. I had the original pickups in the non-PRS SC and it was good if not great. I swapped in new saddles, a new tailpiece and the boutique pickups and this thing just lights my world on fire. It's a bit harder to play but I just love the the overall sound AND the way it responds to use of both the volume and tone knobs. I think it really comes down to the pickups and wiring.
So when I first received the SC58, I really liked the stock 57/08's and I was able to get some really interesting tones, very vintage stuff. Some of the sounds were similar to the other single cut so I decided to make a switch and differentiate the guitar sound wise. I love the 59/09's and had a set lying around. Swapped those in and I seemed satisfied for a bit, keeping the rest of the .
[FONT=Verdana, Geneva, Arial, sans-serif]That satisfaction waned and I'm sort of at a crossroads. I think the biggest issue I have is the way the guitar responds with the stock controls. The boutique PAF set comes with the winder's choice of caps and they do wonderful things with judicious use of the tone knob. The other issue is the boutiques are unpotted and they have this open, uncompressed and delicate nature with a really complex attack and response to picking. And they never sound muffled even with the tone at zero. Big, tight bottom end and highs that are never harsh. I can find no fault in it. They're just "chewy". [/FONT]
So my first (and least expensive) option for the SC-58 would be to switch the controls to say a "50's" wiring scheme but I do not know if the 59/09's would respond well to that style of wiring. I've been a long-time fan of the 59/09's and I'm sure the PRS team optimized the wiring to work with their pickups. I adapted a 50's wiring schematic early on and never really played with what many refer to as modern wiring with the "G" brand and other guitars and I've not really researched the thought behind the PRS wiring.
The second option would be a total pickup/electronics swap. Believe you me, it pains me to even harbor the thought as I've had such good success with the 59/09's. Now the obvious would be another set of the same boutique pickups in the other SC but I like all of my guitars to sound a bit different. Honestly, I may go back to him for a different flavor as I've been impressed with two different sets I've purchase from him.
Anyway, any first hand experiences appreciated, especially when it comes to changing up the wiring schematic with either the 57/08's or 59/09's and 50's wiring. Would be especially interested in what caps were used successfully too. I really only play classic rock and blues, very little heavy stuff these days. And I can do all my own work which is great. I'm getting to the point where I want to play more and chase rabbits less.
