UPDATE - New Swamp Ash Special Going Back! New Videos!

[88prs]

I agree, the 5x the price for American is "wow" to say the least,,, but I'm still all in for American guitars.... but a different point....

I find the Neck pickup flipped around the same direction as the Bridge totally annoying! ya, I'm old school. looks so wrong. Just flip it around and it's outta phase, so reverse the wiring also, what a pain.

 

[Butch_Snyder]

SD Hades Gates pickups are an excellent choice as well. You can get them with everything from no covers to various
colored/material covers.

I actually ordered a Duncan Hades Gates bridge model.

 

[Glide-bpm]

I actually ordered a Duncan Hades Gates bridge model.

Let me know how it goes!

 

[Butch_Snyder]

Let me know how it goes!

I will be giving a reaction and posting videos as well. It just may take me a couple of weeks to get to it.

 

[Glide-bpm]

I will be giving a reaction and posting videos as well. It just may take me a couple of weeks to get to it.

Can't wait to see how it sounds in the bridge with an SE Swamp Ash Special!
I know I love SD HG's in the bridge and neck position on my SE Custom 24-08!!!
One of my best sounding guitars out of around 30 guitars, core, S2, SE, and non PRS guitars. And I'm picky with a pickup. One of the few sets of pickups that I didn't screw around with pole piece height adjustments!

 

[cdnaxeman88]

Hey guys, full disclosure here. I am returning my new US Swamp Ash Special. As I played it more and more and A/B'd it with my SAS SE, I can't justify they extra $$$ for the US SAS. Yes, the US SAS is a wonderful guitar and I enjoyed it; but it really wasn't the significant upgrade for the SE model I was hoping for. That said, in my previous post, I went through the appointments I considered upgrades. The pickups I have in my SAS SE are great, but I think I'll replace them with more vintage-voiced humbuckers. Might even opt for brushed nickel covers. I did really like that look. The tuners are another appointment that I might replace. I would love it if I could get a set like what comes stock on the US SAS. But I don't know. I know PRS is kind of limited on what replacement options they offer. The only thing I can't replace that is a significant upgrade is the neck profile. In my hands, the US SAS is better, but the SE version's neck profile is fine after I get used to it. I'm used to and like Fender profiles. The US SAS neck isn't even close to that either.

I replaced the pickups in my SAS SE with superclutch pickups from Pegcity Pickups and it leaps and bound better...

I'll have to look into locking tuners.... its the one upgrade I'd like to do to mine...

 

[Butch_Snyder]

Some of you have kept up with my journey to find my preferred bridge pickup for my PRS SAS SE. A little history first, I replaced the stock pickups, which were decent (but no one wants "decent", right?) with Duncans. I installed a Pearly Gates in the neck, an Alnico 2 Pro Strat model in the middle, and a Custom Custom in the bridge position. I rewired everything so the 3-way toggle would would in the standard way. The push/pull tone pot would engage/disengage the middle pickup and add it to whatever the 3-way toggle's position was.

Life was good for awhile. Then I started thinking that the Custom Custom was too thick-sounding. I opted to try a Hades Gates. The Hades Gates is a notch hotter than the Pearly Gates; which makes it a great bridge pickup to match with the Pearly Gates neck pickup. I liked it but didn't love it. I realized that I missed the thickness of the Custom Custom. I reinstalled the Custom Custom and I think I'm where I need to be with that guitar. I did a couple of videos to show the differences. They're recorded with my cellphone and not in a studio using Pro Tools or anything. They are also recorded using the rig I would use for recording or gigging.