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Post by trojanhov on Apr 23, 2019 0:17:46 GMT -7
I recently traded my Suhr Classic T Pro for a PRS Stripped 58 with 57/08 pickups. I'm not able to coil tap these pickups so i'm not able to get that single coil "clean" sound. My other guitar is a gretsch with HS filtertrons, and i feel it does a bit of a better job in the clean department than the prs.
Don't get me wrong, this PRS sounds great, but i'm definitely in an adjustment period with it and getting used to humbuckers. I've already realized that i'm getting used to the guitar's sound and im really growing to love it.
Here's how i set my PRS right now:
Both tone controls at 10.
Bridge pickup at 10
Neck pickup anywhere from 6-8.
I find that the middle position with the guitar set this way sounds great clean. It's a nice and bright/full sound. It also sounds great driven as there's more of the bridge coming through than the neck (this is probably my favorite setting). The bridge by itself sounds good clean, but it's forte is definitely when driven. And i can switch to the neck for thicker/cleaner rhythm playing and get a sometimes needed volume drop too.
What do you guys do with your les pauls? This stripped 58 is as close to a lester as it gets for PRS guitars as far as i've read. I'm hesitant to take the pickups out of the guitar just yet and want to spend a good time with them before i go down the PAF rabbit hole. These pickups are highly touted and loved, and i have a feeling that some of my struggles with clean sounds have more to do with me not being used to humbucker pups than it has to do with the pickups themselves....
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Post by Christopher on Apr 23, 2019 1:53:57 GMT -7
Pickup height matters. You can clean up by lowering them or go warmer by raising. It's a fine balance set by your ear and desired "clean". The neck will be fat regardless compared to a single coil but that's a start.
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Post by Russell B on Apr 23, 2019 4:09:59 GMT -7
I roll my tone controls back a little on my LP. Just back to 7 or 8.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2019 5:12:19 GMT -7
I use the treble bleed on my Les Paul guitar volume controls. Did it with my McCarty's also.
I have the Guitar Volumes on around 8 when I dial in the basic sound of the amp. It gives me somewhere to go later, either with a pedal or not.
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Post by doctorice on Apr 23, 2019 5:26:55 GMT -7
I have the Guitar Volumes on around 8 when I dial in the basic sound of the amp. It gives me somewhere to go later, either with a pedal or not. Same here. I don't have the treble bleed mod, so I also back the tone controls down a bit so that I can increase brightness if desired when dialing back guitar volume. Re using pedals: It sometimes makes sense to pull the guitar volume back when using a gain/OD pedal, depending on how the pedal is set. I know it seems contrary to what we guitarists tend to do -- turn it all up! -- but it can be very effective.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2019 5:28:53 GMT -7
I know this isn’t the answer you’re looking for, but if I’m doing cleans I play Strats. I don’t really like humbucker cleans, regardless of settings. Actually, I don’t really like cleans, so never mind.
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Post by The Bad Poodle Experience on Apr 23, 2019 10:13:26 GMT -7
That PRS should sound fantastic stock. Please put the idea that you need different pu's out of your head. Period. If you want a cleaner, strat sound on a HB guitar, you need a coil tap. PAF's will not do anything for you in that regard.
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Post by trojanhov on Apr 23, 2019 10:24:37 GMT -7
That PRS should sound fantastic stock. Please put the idea that you need different pu's out of your head. Period. If you want a cleaner, strat sound on a HB guitar, you need a coil tap. PAF's will not do anything for you in that regard. They sound great, and I’m not particularly in a rush to change anything just yet. I called prs to see if these pickups can be coil tapped and they can’t due to the way they were wired at the factory. I would have to change out the set for another set of 57/08 pickups that are tappable to make it happen. Both the guy at prs and I agreed to just keep the guitar as is for now and really get to know it well before changing anything. Just trying to see what settings people use on this style guitar to get the best clean tone possible. If I were to change the PUPS there are a ton of humbucker sized single coil pickups to choose from (lollar, fralin twangmaster/p-92, etc etc), but I don’t feel like going down that rabbit hole just yet.
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Post by gbowman on Apr 23, 2019 10:38:31 GMT -7
I make sure that the amp is set up that the neck PU is suitably bright. Then I roll the tone back on the bridge PU. Usually to about 6 on the knob. If I use the bridge with the volume up it will be brighter, or if I using the PU with the volume down, I can still raise the tone to be bright enough. The key is getting the neck to correct first.
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Post by trojanhov on Apr 23, 2019 13:34:16 GMT -7
Has anyone tried the fralin big single set?
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Post by helmi on Apr 23, 2019 13:35:37 GMT -7
I use the treble bleed on my Les Paul guitar volume controls. Did it with my McCarty's also. I've used treble bleed's on all my PRS's. it's the best little mod ever invented!
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Post by mrcapers on Apr 23, 2019 16:22:17 GMT -7
That PRS should sound fantastic stock. Please put the idea that you need different pu's out of your head. Period. If you want a cleaner, strat sound on a HB guitar, you need a coil tap. PAF's will not do anything for you in that regard. They sound great, and I’m not particularly in a rush to change anything just yet. I called prs to see if these pickups can be coil tapped and they can’t due to the way they were wired at the factory. I would have to change out the set for another set of 57/08 pickups that are tappable to make it happen. Both the guy at prs and I agreed to just keep the guitar as is for now and really get to know it well before changing anything. Just trying to see what settings people use on this style guitar to get the best clean tone possible. If I were to change the PUPS there are a ton of humbucker sized single coil pickups to choose from (lollar, fralin twangmaster/p-92, etc etc), but I don’t feel like going down that rabbit hole just yet. I have 2 PRS guitars with 57/08s. Both have coil taps but I rarely (if ever) use that feature. To me, the pickups sound almost the same when coil tapped at 10 or not tapped at 8.
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Post by trojanhov on Apr 23, 2019 16:24:35 GMT -7
They sound great, and I’m not particularly in a rush to change anything just yet. I called prs to see if these pickups can be coil tapped and they can’t due to the way they were wired at the factory. I would have to change out the set for another set of 57/08 pickups that are tappable to make it happen. Both the guy at prs and I agreed to just keep the guitar as is for now and really get to know it well before changing anything. Just trying to see what settings people use on this style guitar to get the best clean tone possible. If I were to change the PUPS there are a ton of humbucker sized single coil pickups to choose from (lollar, fralin twangmaster/p-92, etc etc), but I don’t feel like going down that rabbit hole just yet. I have 2 PRS guitars with 57/08s. Both have coil taps but I rarely (if ever) use that feature. To me, the pickups sound almost the same when coil tapped at 10 or not tapped at 8. Interesting!! Thanks for that information!
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Post by goodez on Apr 23, 2019 18:24:52 GMT -7
Has anyone tried the fralin big single set? I have the Big Single in my Fender Telecaster neck. I LOVE that pick up. I switched out the Fralin p92 in favor of the big single and it was a huge difference in clarity. The p92 was too dark for me. I also did the treble bleed mod on that same Telecaster and it blew me away. That guitar always turned into a blanket over the tone when rolling back the volume and the treble bleed mod cured that instantly. I got it from stew Mac I believe. Dozens of 5/5 reviews for the treble bleed circuit. However, I have no experience with these mods on a prs and I would be hesitant to alter such a beautiful guitar. My Telecaster is a 2000 American made Fender Fat Tele and probably only worth $700. I have no intentions of selling it as my parents bought it for me new back in high school. I’ve just been tweaking it as a fun project to modify to my liking.
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Post by trojanhov on Apr 23, 2019 21:27:46 GMT -7
I use the treble bleed on my Les Paul guitar volume controls. Did it with my McCarty's also. I've used treble bleed's on all my PRS's. it's the best little mod ever invented! Did you use stew Mac stuff? Ceramic or orange drop? This is the first time I’m looking into this
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Post by helmi on Apr 24, 2019 2:03:54 GMT -7
Actually I just go on ebay and find a resistor and cap wired together for humbuckers. some people get really crazy with them. (resistor only, wired different ways, different values) I guess maybe if I was a pro I might also, but I've had different ones and didn't notice a big difference. I just like the resistor AND cap. some people use just a resistor, which can make it sound too thin to me. there's far more knowledgeable people on here who can give you more precise info. actually PREMIER GUITAR had a really good article on them a few months ago. you might want to look it up)
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Post by trojanhov on Apr 24, 2019 7:46:42 GMT -7
That’s what’s inside
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Post by digs57 on Apr 24, 2019 8:00:53 GMT -7
The setups should be close for paul prs...I would think...my fave middle selector...treb 7-8/neck 7-8...treb tone rolled back 6-8/neck tone 8-9...someone said refrain from putting the heater to it right now...until all is exhausted I would agree.
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Post by Paul (TRANE) on Apr 24, 2019 8:19:36 GMT -7
I use the treble bleed on my Les Paul guitar volume controls. Did it with my McCarty's also. I have the Guitar Volumes on around 8 when I dial in the basic sound of the amp. It gives me somewhere to go later, either with a pedal or not. Eric, What values do you use for your treble bleeds?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2019 8:21:41 GMT -7
I use the treble bleed on my Les Paul guitar volume controls. Did it with my McCarty's also. I have the Guitar Volumes on around 8 when I dial in the basic sound of the amp. It gives me somewhere to go later, either with a pedal or not. Eric, What values do you use for your treble bleeds? I use the .001 Cap Only setup. No Resistor.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2019 8:24:18 GMT -7
That’s what’s inside With what looks like the ground wire going around from each of the 4 post that looks to me to be a lot like what gets referred to as "50's Wiring". For a lot of people "50's Wiring" lets them use the guitar volume and retain highs as they turn it down. Does that guitar sound pretty good as you turn it down?
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Post by trojanhov on Apr 24, 2019 8:33:15 GMT -7
That’s what’s inside With what looks like the ground wire going around from each of the 4 post that looks to me to be a lot like what gets referred to as "50's Wiring". For a lot of people "50's Wiring" lets them use the guitar volume and retain highs as they turn it down. Does that guitar sound pretty good as you turn it down? It sound ok, but I do notice it getting significantly warmer/darker. I like the stew Mac idea of soldering the treble bleed to those clips and just clipping it on to see how it is... this electrical stuff isnt my forte and I don’t want to screw the guitar up.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2019 8:35:06 GMT -7
Treble bleed is about as non intrusive a mod as there is. Aligator clips audition should be fine.
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Post by zpilot on Apr 27, 2019 3:38:28 GMT -7
I bypass the tone control on my neck humbucker. It helps make that clearer. It sounds better than with the tone on 10.
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Post by trojanhov on Apr 30, 2019 9:05:10 GMT -7
Lol an update: I bought 180pF ceramic caps and a soldering iron recently but totally failed at doing the “simple” mod. Gonna take the caps to someone who knows what they’re doing. I think I may have gotten high from the solder smoke so it wasn’t a total waste.
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Post by goodez on May 1, 2019 4:08:40 GMT -7
Lol an update: I bought 180pF ceramic caps and a soldering iron recently but totally failed at doing the “simple” mod. Gonna take the caps to someone who knows what they’re doing. I think I may have gotten high from the solder smoke so it wasn’t a total waste. I would talk around and see if anyone has spare guitar components for you to practice soldering on. I used some old factory fender volume/tone controls I had lying around that I was able to try out a few times before attempting the final process. I’ve thought about picking up a cheap fender Strat just to practice soldering different pick ups in from time to time. Oh, always wear a mask lol stuff is toxic. SN-95 mask are pretty cheap. I try to keep a light fan going as well. I’m a noob at this stuff too as I’ve probably turned my new soldering station on maybe a half dozen times. Pretty sure I’ve already ruined the tip slightly as well. I always clean/recoat prior to turning off but I’m sure there’s something I’m doing or not doing. All part of the learning curve I supppose.
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Post by trojanhov on May 11, 2019 21:25:11 GMT -7
Had the treble bleed mod done with prs recommended 180pF caps. Loving it so far! This guitar has really grown on me. Wasn’t expecting it to! This mod helps preserve just the right amount of treble. Best!
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