New strings?
Better sympathetic harmonics in unfretted strings?
Better sympathetic harmonics in unfretted strings?
SE Mods
- Thread starter slev
- Start date
henryr
New Member
Thanks for all the replies. Just an aside...there are chords that are made up of fretted and open strings. Also I just got my first electric but have several hi-end acoustics and they all came with bone nuts and saddles. I have also made bone and MOP nuts and saddles for other good acoustics and they seem to improve, to me, the sound in various ways such as clarity, sustain and brightness.
Are solid body electrics significantly different than hollow body acoustics as regards affects of nut material?
Thanks,
henryr
Are solid body electrics significantly different than hollow body acoustics as regards affects of nut material?
Thanks,
henryr
One of the current theories of tone and materials is that the effects are subtractive. You put a certain amount of energy into the system by picking a string and you never quit get all that energy back out.
Aside from the obvious losses, some of the losses are attributed to various materials absorbing, dampening and muting vibrations through the guitar body itself.
Mr. Smith subscribes to this theory in a big way. There are videos of him dropping different nut materials on a table and talking about how they do and don't vibrate well or dampen.
Short answer: yes, the nut (and every other) material on an electric affect the tone just like they do on an acoustic.
Aside from the obvious losses, some of the losses are attributed to various materials absorbing, dampening and muting vibrations through the guitar body itself.
Mr. Smith subscribes to this theory in a big way. There are videos of him dropping different nut materials on a table and talking about how they do and don't vibrate well or dampen.
Short answer: yes, the nut (and every other) material on an electric affect the tone just like they do on an acoustic.
henryr
New Member
Thanks for the reply. I saw the video and believe he fully understands the differences of materials. Yet the Korean SE's nut, which I removed, seems to be cheap plastic. I am also a firm believer in your "short answer".
I guess I was surprised by some of the posts and being new to electric guitars thought, but doubted, that they might have a different response characteristic.
I guess I was surprised by some of the posts and being new to electric guitars thought, but doubted, that they might have a different response characteristic.
Ok guys.
Here's my prank.
2007 Tremonti SE.
Before
After
Specs:
Mahogany body with curly maple top (Tremonti SE carve) with natural curly maple binding.
IRW headstock veneer.
High gloss nitro finish on body.
Satin finish on the neck (neck is mahogany but stained to match fingerboard & headstock color).
ME headstock inlay, bird inlays & side dots hand made of abalam & paua abalone.
PS eagle TRC (I'm not sure if it fits here)
PRS RP pickups with coil tapping (LP controls layout).
Hardware (kind of) mixed, mostly gold.
Amber speed knobs.
PRS phase II tuners with ebony pegheads.
Tone Pros adjustable stoptail with locking studs
Tusq nut.
Frets are original, carefully removed from old and re-set to the new fretboard.
Stringed with 10's.
OMG that is beautiful. Is that the original top that was covered in the paint?
How did you get the new fret board? did you do it your self or did you have the factory do it? I would love to buy that or a clone of it. I truely think that is as close to my perfect vision of what I always wanted.
GADonis
Beautifully Broken
I put a GraphTech nut on my SE Soapbar II because the stock nut was wanky and I killed it trying to file it. I recently put a GraphTech bridge with adjustable saddles on it because I couldn't get the intonation I wanted with the stock bridge. I'll leave the pups alone because I love them.
GADonis
Beautifully Broken
If you don't mind going non-OEM, I'm a big fan of Rio Grande pickups. At least their Muy Grande single coils. I have a set in my Tele and my Strat. The Tele set is absolutely killer. The Strat set is also very good but unfortunately I found out after the fact that the standard bridge pup in the Strat set isn't as hot as the one in the Tele set. The Strat still sounds good but doesn't have the bite that my Tele has.
I haven't tried their humbuckers yet but if I ever need to swap out one they will be on my short list to check out.
garrett
...
There are about a gazillion aftermarket pickup makers.
If you want another SE 245 pickup, keep an eye out on eBay. May take a while.
Another option is to send your pup off to a winder who may be able to fix or rewind it cheaper than buying a whole new one.
If you want another SE 245 pickup, keep an eye out on eBay. May take a while.
Another option is to send your pup off to a winder who may be able to fix or rewind it cheaper than buying a whole new one.
garrett
...
Cool. I've heard those pickups are good. It's pretty easy to get lost in the sea of humbucker winders!
Watersilk
New Member
I'm still learning about PRS SE's which I believe have better electrical components than my Korean Hamer; however, In my opinion, it's not worth replacing pickups with better quality ones if you don't replace 'all' the other electrics at the same time. I can at least relate the story of the Hamer's upgrades.
My Hamer was a well-made guitar, the retail price was kept low by using poor quality electrical components, and some hardware parts. I thought the pickups were truly awful. They were 'Duncan Designed' and reviews actually praised them (perhaps because they had the words 'Duncan Designed' on them), or just on value? They might have been designed by a well-know pickup manufacturer, but they were definitely made from poor-quality materials. I changed these for Seymour Duncan '59 neck and Pearly Gates bridge.
There was a big step up in sound quality, although the bridge pickup sounded harsh, and I didn't know how to use it. Years later, I changed the rest of the electrics.... Switchcraft jack and pickup selector, CTS tapered pots, and Jensen cap, and the wiring too. There were also hardware upgrades, Earvana nut and aluminium stoptail with locking nuts.
The first chord revealed that this was the first time I was actually 'hearing' the pickups! Gone was the harshness of the Pearly Gates, and the neck sounds so amazingly sweet. These upgrades make my Custom Shop '59 Les Paul sound dull, and the Hamer was an affordable guitar retailing at a fraction of the price!
I don't think that I would recoup the money invested in these upgrades if I sold this guitar, but she is such a joy to play I would never sell anyway.
I have just bought a 2003 PRS SE Soapbar, and I am researching how I can improve this. No one seems to know anything about the pickups!
Good luck, let us know how your upgrades go
sergiodeblanc
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2012
- Messages
- 27,388
Everybody knows that the PRS SE Soapbar pickups are great sounding pickups.... or should know.
Watersilk
New Member
Yes, exactly! All the reviews I have read absolutely rave about the pickups of this guitar, however no one seems to know the specs of these pickups.... they remain a bit of a mystery!
Hopeful Sinner
Angry Southern Gentleman
When I bought my SE One I had the seller install a Lollar P90 before he shipped it but he included the stock pup in the case. After about a week with the Lollar, I switched out with the stock SE pup and never looked back. Very nice Soapies in the SE line. I miss that guitar.
And I also really want one of those Limited SE Santana Standard Soapbar guitars that are only available overseas. I think that combination of ingredients would be a magical thing...
jimistephen
New Member
I know Anderton's has world wide shipping...just a thought.
pac90
Helix user
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2014
- Messages
- 1,133
dogrocketp
I drank the PRS kool aid, and it was tasty!
I have 3 of the SE`s with soapbars. I replaced the volume pots with CTS from RS guitar works. Then get a good nut, PRS USA wide fat/thin or Graph tech. I believe the number is 6643. Then live with it and see what you think. 2 of the SE`s needed 10`s, but the other one screams with 9`s. PM me if you want to talk other mods. I`ve tried a helluva lot of them. Oh yes, almost forgot. Every one has hipshot open back tuners with the U.M.P. mounting kit. It doesn`t require additional holes and is reversible if you sell the guitar. They weigh less then most so the balance of the instrument is great. I went through 6 or so before I settled on these 3.
Watersilk
New Member
My SE Korina now sports a Seymour Duncan 'Whole Lotta Humbucker' set, along with a push-push pot under the tone pot to split the HB's, and also has an orange drop in there too.
What at a beautiful guitar! While the stripy ones are something of a curiosity for me, I find most of them are over the top for my personal taste; the simplicity displayed here oozes sophistication, restrained design playing upon the basic elements. Yellow Korina in perfect harmony with the rosewood fretboard. My USA McCarty charcoal satin is in my opinion one of the most beautiful guitars I have ever seen, but it's not a typical PRS finish, perhaps this is why it remained unsold stock for two years before I bought her. Funny, we are all different, what one person sees as beautiful, another sees as plain. I think a Korina singlecut could be my next acquisition ! Thank you for posting.
Watersilk
New Member
This is is Interesting! I bought my SE Soapbar with the idea of changing the electrics, CTS pots, and different caps... I'm not sure which ones, or rather one, I think it only has one, a wiring upgrade, vintage spec wiring for better treble, Switchcraft jack and pickup selector. I also thought of replacing the nut with a USA one, and the stoptail. I will look at the hip shot tuners, had you tried the Grover locking tuners? I believe they also fit the existing holes. Which value pots did you use, 550?
im particularly interested in upgrading the pickups, but I don't wish to deviate from the original specs. I have the crazy idea of finding out what these pickups are, then have them copied by a boutique maker with better quality materials, because surely there are compromises made in their construction to meet the price budget. Everyone praises the originals, so I want to retain their character, just more depth and tone.
im sure you will agree, making the right modification choices can be very rewarding.
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