SE 245 pickup change

[William Whitman]

Hey guys, new member here with an old question. I just acquired my first PRS - an SE245. The SE’s were the only PRS in my price range and by all rights it’s beautiful guitar. As a lot of folks have mentioned, the pickups are a bit dark for my taste. After reading tons of forum posts and listening to more YouTube clips than I care to mention over the least few days I’ve come down to the Saturday Night Specials or the Pearly Gates based on what I’m looking for. Does anyone have experience with either of these in an SE245 themselves? Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[shimmilou]

Congrats William. The SE 245 is a terrific guitar, just got one myself and no plans to change a thing about it, the pups sound great. I have the same/similar pups in a SE ZM and they sound great also, but different in that guitar.

Have you tried playing with the pup heights? You can raise/lower each side independently, to increase/decrease treble and bass response. I typically tweak pup heights for awhile after I get a new guitar, to see if I can get tone more to my liking, and it works out fine most of the time.

 

[AP515]

^^^^ That's a good point. Raising them will brighten them up. Make them more powerful too.

As for the pups you mention, I haven't tried either, but I have tried the SD 59's in an SE245 which are a little like the Pearly Gates (to my ears). They worked very well. I have liked 59's in just about everything I've tried them in. A workhorse pup if there ever was one. I would not hesitate to try the Pearly Gates in there.

 

[bodia]

Congrats on the SE245! Great guitar! Welcome to the forum.

 

[andy474x]

I actually find the SE245’s to be a little on the brighter side already. If it’s your first PRS, try turning the bass on your amp down. I know that sounds almost counter-intuitive, but most PRS guitars are more full sounding in the lows than other brands, and for that reason people often find them “dark” sounding.

Just a thought hopefully with trying. If it works, it’s cheaper than new pickups!

 

[Antmax]

I just switched speakers from Veteran 30's to a pair of Mojotone BV-25M speakers I got cheap on craigslist for $40. It completely changed the sound of my Zach Myers 245's. I was not that keen on them before, kind of boomy bass and shrill treble on the bridge. Sounded like some frequencies were missing.

These new speakers are supposed to emulate the old English 70's Greenbacks, slightly smoother with a little more bass. The 245's pickups sound really nice with these speakers not as shrill and noticeably more musical. I already bought some replacement pickups before I bought the speakers, will have to find somewhere else to put those in.

 

[matt3310]

Dimarzio 36th Anniversary!!

 

[William Whitman]

Thanks for all the comments fellas, I ended uo going with the SNS set and love the way they sound in my 245