Do many PRS user change the stock pickups?

[Sorg]

It seems to me that a lot of PRS users change the pickups in their guitars. Why is that? Are not the pickups (dragon or whatever they're called...) good enough?

[Zerberus]

Why does ANYBODY change pickups in any guitar, regardless of quality?

Because they´re looking for a different sound than the one it´s producing now.

[Sorg]

Why does ANYBODY change pickups in any guitar, regardless of quality?

Because they´re looking for a different sound than the one it´s producing now.

But we're talking about a really expensive guitar here... That's the point..

[darkshadow54321]

Cuz the pickups suck.

[Archer_of_Fish]

Expensive guitars, cheap pickups.

[frankfalbo]

Expensive guitars, cheap pickups.

Their pickups are fine. I have a HFS and Vintage Bass in an Ibanez S-Classic, and they're great. People put the JB/Jazz combo into $2k+ Les Pauls all the time. They also put Gilmour EMG's, Fralins, and Duncans into $1500+ Strats, and swap Dimarzios on $1500+ prestige Ibanez's. It's got nothing to do with quality or "cheapness."

Pickups are fun to replace, and a good guitar like a PRS will respond well to pickup changes. Proportionately, I don't see as many used PRS pickups out there in the world, so I'd venture to say that it's not as rampant as you think. If you hang out on pickup forums and other guitar forums you'll hear about all the people who changed pups, and not so much the people who leave them in.

[vinterland]

I changed mine. Why? Because the dragon IIs were wayy too warm for my taste.

[Voxman]

My friend bought the prs tremonti se and was happy about it.
Now he`s playing punk/rock and wants a different sound,
So i got him a couple of duncans.
Thats about it!!

[Luke Duke]

Some people feel the PRS pups are: too modern, too sterile, or too Hi-fi sounding for their tastes. Others feel as if they are too warm, it's all about tastes and preferences. I want a warm singing tone with just the right amount of bite. The stock pups didn't offer me that. It's a bonus that my pups are white and contrast....alot

Luke

[junior]

I liked mine at first, but I'm a restless tinkerer, and pups are easy and fun to change and experiment with.

[TheArchitect]

It seems to me that a lot of PRS users change the pickups in their guitars. Why is that?

Why do people climb Everest? Because its there and they can.

It really doesn't matter what the guitar costs. I built my warmoth from the ground up and knew exactly what I wanted but I still went through 2 sets of pickups to get it right. How can you expect the mfg to have pickups that are right for everyone from the factory? Tuning the electronics is no different that tuning string gauge. Its something you just have to dial in for yourself.

[Zerberus]

Expensive guitars, cheap pickups.

I have to disagree with the "cheap Pickups" part... I´ve used PRS pickups over the years for customers and had a HFS in the bridge of my Charvel when I got her, and the build quality is on par with Duncan, Dimarghzio, Gibson, Anderson and most other "names". And the winds are for the most part quite similar to popular Duncan Winds, the HFS for example is pretty much a Custom.

Whether you like the particular tone is another question entirely, but they´re far from being cheap, crap, sucky, POS or otherwise under par.

[aleclee]

Not a big fan of the pickups in the 24 fret models. I'll change out the ones in my '94 at some point this summer. I just need to decide what to put in 'em. I'll leave the current pickups in my '89 because they sound "right" for the stuff I tend to play on that guitar.

[MikeS]

Of the guitar manufacturers PRS makes some of the better pickups, and certainly some of the best Humbuckers (note again that this is for production guitars not recieving pickups from an after-market producer like Duncan or DMZ). You could ask this same question for Gibson and Fender.

It's not that the pickups are bad, they just aren't quite the right flavor for the player. That doesn't change the fact that the guitar sans pickups isn't an incredible guitar.

[Voxman]

Here it is,a prs tremonti se with antiqutys

[OlinMusic]

Their pickups are quite good,
and the old ones were HANDWOUND.

The McCarty neck sounds pretty good, the Vintage Bass and HFS (which is in the vein of a Custom or JB) sounds good.

Problem? The sound on many of their pups are compressed, not as open as a Duncan per se. They are built perfect for recording, esp. thru rack hear, kinda like Dimarzios.

Why did I change mine? The sound is a bit dated. I kept them in nice boxes, and when times and music changes again, or everyone finds out Eric Johnson or someone of his likeness is using them, they will become $400 a set, and I will reinstall them, and everyone will go mad for them again like they did way back when.

Right now it's either Metal or Vintage that anyone wants to talk about.

[Rainald]

I bought a three USA PRS guitars a custom 24 a custum 22 and a CE24. Stock pickups were dragon Ii and HFS. They sound all right but not really outstanding like the guitars do. Replaced them with amberpickups a german high end manufactor. The difference is mind blowing. Compared to that all prs pups sounded muddy and steril. Transparency and air in the sound was missing. No well defined bass and lack in the hights. Quite other story with amberpickups and I guess that stands for any high quality pup.

I tried both inside a cheaper guitar an epiphone custom shop sg. The difference got even worth. Well, nowI`m quite shocked how much each guitar costs and the pups are not really high quality. Theguitats themselfes are total killer in sound playability and looks.

[UberMetalDood]

I love the McCarty pickups. I think they're real nicely balanced with a warm vintage vibe. The Dragon II's are ok. Their ceramic pickups, like the ones they use in their Miras, are too hot and a little harsh. I think they're as pretentious as the guitars they install them into.

Yes, indeed that is correct. I did say "pretentious." I think PRS has gotten so wrapped up in their executive level snobbery that their guitars have become pretentious and their prices far too expensive to consider even if I were wealthy.

[Funkfingers]

I changed the pickups in my PRS EGII … to some different PRS pickups. Two (Fralin-made) Domino pickups out, PRS Artist HBs in. The bridge/Treble pickup continues to be the stock HFS humbucker.

Even without coil splitting, the guitar sounds very Stratty.

Why do some other people change the pickups in their PRS guitars? Possibly, because they wish to project their idea of how an electric guitar ought to sound onto whichever guitar they happen to own.

EDIT - Something that ought to be pointed out, some of the stock pickups offered on PRS guitars are sourced from outside manfacturers. I have already mentioned Lindy Fralin. On US-made PRS guitars, the P-90s are by some guy named Seymour Duncan.

[9unslin9er]

Cuz the pickups suck.

+1
Worst stock pickups on the market. Their weakest link.
No wonder Tremonti's rig could sink the Titanic.

EDIT - Something that ought to be pointed out, some of the stock pickups offered on PRS guitars are sourced from outside manfacturers. I have already mentioned Lindy Fralin. On US-made PRS guitars, the P-90s are by some guy named Seymour Duncan.

Amazingly enough, the PRS SE One sounds awesome. I wonder why.