PRS SE Pickup replacement

[paul91157]

Hi, has anybody out there done a pick up upgrade on a PRS SE and which pickups would you recommend ?
Paul.

[BluesGuyJ]

Some pretty tried and true pups for PRS:

Bridge: Custom and C5
Neck: PGn, Jazzb neck and less popular is the 59 neck.

The custom is pretty tight and agressive, works well for palm muted stuff. Can't comment on the C5 but I plan on doing the magnet swap soon to try it out.
The PGn works great for a lot of things. Bright and defined under high gain quite well. Awesome for blues, isn't very modern though.

I have a Customb and PGn combo in my McCarty and love it!

I am sure some other PRS/SD users will chime in soon.

[hanumanlangur]

Don't have a PRS myself, but from past threads, I've picked up that a Jazz or '59 neck, and a Custom 5 bridge is a pretty popular combination.

[cream123]

which model...


don't try and replace the p90s on a Soapbar - it doesn't sound any better.

[theodie]

which model...


don't try and replace the p90s on a Soapbar - it doesn't sound any better.

+1

Its a big step back actually!

[chuckbat]

Hi, has anybody out there done a pick up upgrade on a PRS SE and which pickups would you recommend ?
Paul.

Hey. I put a JB in my PRS SE Singlecut. I left the neck stock. I love it. It may be a little a bright for some though. My next Seymour is going to be a c5

[Ray 911S]

I had the ubiquitous JB and Jazz combo in mine (Santana SE) for a while, and it sounded much nicer than stock. But I decided that I have enough guitars with humbuckers - so I swapped them out for Phat Cats. Needed a cigarette after the first riff.

[ParaGuitarMedic]

I put a PG set in my SE Trem. Awesome tone!!! The Neck is nice and bright without any mud and the bridge is just mean as all get out.

[AthensGuitar]

I just put Seths in my Santana SE and absolutely LOVE the tone! The search is over for that particular guitar -- I consider it "done".

I have been playing for about 30 years and make my living as an acoustic guitarist, instructor and guitar tech.

I have also installed the Jazz/JB combination in PRS SE guitars for other clients, but find the tone, by comparison, to be a bit too bright for my music tastes.

For classic rock / blues/ jazz, the Seths are wonderful because they seem to capture the natural resonance of the all-mahogany SE construction. (Most of the PRS SE's I have played have been very resonant instruments unplugged. Even my wife, who is not a guitarist, has commented on how good the SE sounds unplugged. The Seths seem to give back what you start with and really amplify the sound of the wood to which they are attached. I think alot of folks forget ,that ,like an acoustic, an electric needs to sound good unplugged, too.)

I have heard some good reports of the '59 combination for the SE's too, but some indicate that balancing the neck and bridge to be difficult.

Good luck with your search!

[bigheadood]

I had a Dimarzio evolution/paf pro set in my santana se, which was OK. Switched to JB in the bridge---not good. I put a gibson 496r/500t combo in it which was much better---for metal. The guitar was a one trick pony, that my other guitars could do that same trick better, so I got rid of it.

[Meggo]

I put a Mike Turk Killer59 bridge and a Fullshred neck in my SE Trem. Very nice!
*Turk 9.5kOhm PAF unpotted A5
*Fullshred neck A5 - nice LP neck sound without any mud

[Gr8Scott]

It's not a step back to put a new neck pickup in the soapbar SE. I find the stock pickup in that guitar to be way too dark. The vintage neck pickup is a really nice fit in that slot.