Torero Pickup (Replacement?) Advice

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cmedcoff

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Just started jamming with a new band. Had been taking my Torero (into a MarshalL JVM) to practice. We're playing anything from classic to more modern hard rock stuff and needed the Floyd for some tunes. Also didn't want to be dragging my custom 24 Artist Package around to get dinged up.

Another week a tune with a non-standard tuning was added to the set list so I took along my custom 24 to handle the non-standard tuning. Not possible with the Floyd on the Torero. At practice when switching (same amp, same settings) I was amazed at how much brighter the 24 was compared to the Torero; more bite, cute through the mix better (at least to my ears). Now I did check the battery and it was quite low, but replacing with fresh didn't seem to address the issue much. Should I consider new pickups for the Torero. Suggestions?

Do I go with another active replacement? Go passive? Still want the Torero to remain a heavy rock guitar but want it to cut a bit more. I want something that can handle pretty heavy overdrive and keep individual string clarity on chords.

Now in comparing this to my 24, I have replaced the custom 24 stock pickups with Seymour Duncan's as the stock ones, thought I liked them, lost individual string clarity when driven hard by my JVM.

Appreciate some advice.
 
Yeah, also give it more dynamic range. EMG states you can run their pickups at 27v, but recommend 18. Even if you don't like that, it's a very cheap option to try, like $10, before you move on to switching pickups of hundreds of dollars.
 
I wonder if an EMG Expander is a good prospect to address this. Still less expensive than pickups. Anyone have thoughts/experience with this?
 
...another thought might be, the CU24 sounds better because it is the superior instrument. You should be playing that one all the time. It's like saying, "I bought this brand new Mercedes but I'm not going to drive it because I don't want it to get dinged up. Rather drive my 81 Honda."
 
John Beef said:
...another thought might be, the CU24 sounds better because it is the superior instrument. You should be playing that one all the time. It's like saying, "I bought this brand new Mercedes but I'm not going to drive it because I don't want it to get dinged up. Rather drive my 81 Honda."
Click to expand...


lol, very true. But as I said earlier I needed the Torero for it he Floyd. I am definitely eye-balling the new 24s with the Floyd. They're a little pricey. :( For now guess I drag two guitars around.
 
I had this same issue myself. I have been playing a Jackson with EMG 81/85's and it sounded amazing, I loved it.. That is until I played my s2 through the amp for the first time and suddenly the Jackson sounds really thin and kinda crappy compared to the PRS, I think it is just the better quality of the instrument. I would recommend you look into the PRS 59/09 pickups or the \m/ pickups, I have heard nothing but good stuff there. I think I am going to try the 18v mod on mine to see what happens but seriously, it's crazy how far this guitar has to go to catch up with the PRS.
 
Personally, I would buy the EMG 57/66 set. They have a cleaner, vintage sound, but can still do high gain stuff when you need them to. very veratile. I have them in my PRS. The tones I get range from AC/DC and Blues Rock, to all out high gain like Slayer
 
cmedcoff said:
I wonder if an EMG Expander is a good prospect to address this. Still less expensive than pickups. Anyone have thoughts/experience with this?
Click to expand...

I have used the EXB Expander on my brothers bass and it is nice. Adds a lot of fullness to the sound. Have you just tried changing the EQ settings when using the Torero to change the sound to more to your liking? I find my guitars need different settings sometimes.
 
Update

So I took my Torero to a local PRS dealer for a setup and to get some advice on pickups. Now the tech is very good and I respect his advice. I was surprised when he kind of talked me out of changing the pickups. He some something to the effect of good pickups (EMG) and good bridge (Floyd) on a 'cheap guitar'. He also said that the SE's were best overseas guitars that money can buy so by 'cheap guitar' I don't think he was talking down the Torero, but rather just saying its not the cost of an American made PRS. He also suggested that if I was bent on replacing the pickups, go with the same the Seymour Duncans - JB Trembucker (bridge) and Jazz (Neck) I have in my custom 24.

Tonight at band practice a couple of members didn't show up and some new sound equipment was brought so there was time for me to have another guitar player play my two guitars one after the other with me standing back. I was amazed, as was the drummer, about how much "BIGGER" the custom 24 was. Not that the Torero was bad, but the CU just sounded so HUGE, bottom end, top end, overall a bigger sound. Even played with the EQ trying to milk more out of the Torero.

So this brings me to the question. Is it the pickups? Is it the guitars? The wood? Both the 24 and the Torero have mahogany bodies and maple tops. I believe my custom has a rosewood finger board the Torero an ebony finger boards. The 24 I'm guessing a bit more maple, the torero a bit more mahogany (based on its heavier weight).

Thoughts?

I also played one of the new custom 24's with a Floyd and was not impressed. It had a blond fingerboard, had 10's (I play 9' on my Torero, 10's on my 24) it and perhaps had not yet been setup, but my Torero plays better after setup by that same tech. I'd love to hear discussion of the Torero compared to the new US Made 24s with a Floyd. Perhaps I should start a new thread?
 
I have had a cu22 for twenty years. I got a Torero for a new band. I finally gave in and got a ce22 with dragons, and it blew everyone away. I didn't use the floyd for dive bombs so the PRS trem works just as well for me. I am going to hold on to it for a possible pickup swap. The Torero did play nicely, but didn't have that fat tone. I'd be interestest in how a swap turns out.
 
carpincowboy said:
Have you tried putting 10,s on your Torero aswell. Might just give you that tone your looking for.
Click to expand...

I did. The night before I took my Torero in for a pro setup I swapped the 9's for 10's on it. I sent a couple hours getting it setup again. Wasn't happy with the outcome so I had the pro put 9's back on. I honestly don't believe the whole 9/10 thing make a big difference for a given guitar. Not like the night and day difference that I hear between the two guitars.
 
I think the 9 or 10 string thing really depends on the instrument. I play mostly 10's, but I have an SE Singlecut with P90's that has a fantastic and distinct sound with 9's on it. I have another one with 10's that has a totally different sound. As always, we should let our ears and brains be our guide.
 
A cheap or free test depending on if you do it yourself or not is to swap the neck and bridge pickups as the 85 will sound fuller in the bridge than the 81. Some people seem to like the 81N and 85B setup too.
 
SteelHorse said:
A cheap or free test depending on if you do it yourself or not is to swap the neck and bridge pickups as the 85 will sound fuller in the bridge than the 81. Some people seem to like the 81N and 85B setup too.
Click to expand...

That's a great suggestion, thanks. I can probably handle that myself.

I'm not finding anything on an "81N" or "85B" even on EMG's web site. Links? Additional info?
 
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