PRS S2 upgrades questions. P-Rails vs P90s, and more.

NY Guitarist

NY Guitarist

Power User
What better place to ask guitar advice than where it's all guitar players! :cool::guitar:

I’m thinking about customizing my PRS S2 Standard 24. It has a nitrocellulose McCarty Tobacco Sunburst Satin finish with dot inlays. This looks like a vintage guitar right out of the box.

The pickups are good but to my ears are not very inspiring. I'm not looking for higher output to drive an amp as I only use the AXE III.
I really like the idea of the Seymour Duncan P-Rail pickups. Are they the same as actual P90 pickups just in a different configuration?

~ Does anyone have experience with these?
https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/p-rails-triple-shot-set-flat

Also, I know about the Triple Shot pickup mounting rings but this S2 has the HB mounted on the pickguard so I would need another way to switch (per each pickup) between P90, Blade, HB-series, HB-parallel.

~ Any thoughts on the Freeway 10 position blade switch?
https://www.freewayswitch.com/

If I need to modify the pickguard for whatever reason I was looking at these folks. I like that they are a family operation in the U.S. but I am open minded to other options.
https://www.pickguardplanet.com/

Definitely going with this new bridge from Mann Made:
https://www.johnmannsguitarvault.com/mannmade-usa-prs-mann-vibrato-bridge-nicke.html

Aside from Orange Drop treble bleed, maybe delete tone pot as I never use it, any thoughts on upgrading the controls?

Thanks for ANY feedback and HAPPIEST NEW YEAR ever to all!
 
Whats wrong with the current bridge or controls? I vote not to spend money just to say you did.

If you mostly want the p90 sound i’d say try some phat cats or another brand doing P90-in-a-hb-cover

I have an s2 satin and I didnt do a thing to it til i stopped touring. Great guitar.
 
I put P-rails in my 06 Singlecut with the triple shot rings. Easy to install, and I like the sounds I get out of them. The 90 and the singles are brighter than the bridge bucker so you might want to keep your tone control. My guitar is a 2 knob which I hate because I like the middle position. So I have 2 volumes with a pull cut that’s fixed to take some edge off the 90 or singles. I’ve mentioned these pickups here a few times. I love them, but they don’t get a lot of love here. The complaint is that the combo is a compromise and individual pickups can be better. To me, my guitar went from a 1 trick pony to a guitar with a lot of options.
 
Budda said:
Whats wrong with the current bridge or controls? I vote not to spend money just to say you did.

If you mostly want the p90 sound i’d say try some phat cats or another brand doing P90-in-a-hb-cover

I have an s2 satin and I didnt do a thing to it til i stopped touring. Great guitar.
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I'm not looking to spend money changing stuff unless I'm improving the quality of the guitar and my experience playing it. I rarely change much on my guitars other than the strings and what kind of strap I want to use with it!

The MannMade bridge is the same as is (was?) used in the high-end PRS guitars. I've seen a number of videos where the before/after is noticeably different, with the upgraded bridge offering increased sustain, note definition on lower notes, and richer highs.

The P-Rail pickups are a combo of P90 and single coil blade in one pickup with the interesting ability to use one or the other, and both as series or parallel HB.

Usually if a guitar doesn't work for me I'll just sell it off, but I really like this one and a few mods will make this a forever keeper.

Thanks for the feedback!
 
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skolacki said:
I put P-rails in my 06 Singlecut with the triple shot rings. Easy to install, and I like the sounds I get out of them. The 90 and the singles are brighter than the bridge bucker so you might want to keep your tone control. My guitar is a 2 knob which I hate because I like the middle position. So I have 2 volumes with a pull cut that’s fixed to take some edge off the 90 or singles. I’ve mentioned these pickups here a few times. I love them, but they don’t get a lot of love here. The complaint is that the combo is a compromise and individual pickups can be better. To me, my guitar went from a 1 trick pony to a guitar with a lot of options.
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The challenge with the S2 is that the pickups are mounted on the pickguard so the Triple Shot rings are a no-go. I was thinking of using Fender Jaguar style slide switches or possibly the 10-way Freeway switch as this guitar already has a 3-way blade switch.

This guitar reminds me of a Gibson 'The Paul' I had many years ago. No frills, all mahogany with some hot Dimarzios. I played that thing like crazy but apparently someone needed it more than me and stole it.

As far as the tone pot, I'm on the fence, and this S2 being all mahogany may tame some of the brightness of the P-Rails.

Thanks for the feedback!
 
I put a P-rail in my HSS strat too. For that one I used Fender S-1 switches to switch the pickup. The disadvantage with that option is you have to use strat style knobs. Not a problem on a strat but maybe not a good look on a S2 standard. You could use 2 pull switch pots on your S2.
 
P Rails seem like a great option to get an enormous range of tones out of one guitar, but I have never actually tried them. Does the P90 side sound as good as, say, a set of Lollars? Probably not quite I am guessing, but Seymour Duncan don't make many duds and I am guessing the P Rails isn't one of those rarities. As for the switching, the pickup rings are cool, but in reality you might find push pull pots far less finicky in use.
 
David McCarroll said:
P Rails seem like a great option to get an enormous range of tones out of one guitar, but I have never actually tried them. Does the P90 side sound as good as, say, a set of Lollars?
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Exactly what I'm thinking. Versatile but is the P90 side of the P-Rail the same as a 'normal' P90? It seems like the same size as a P90 with a single coil blade next to it.

I can't find a comparison anywhere to listen to. If I decide against the P-Rails I'll be on the hunt for P90 shootouts. ;)

So many great P90's out there.
 
Give Fralin's hum-cancelling P90s a listen. I have them in a couple guitars - a triple P90 PRS and in the neck spot in my Gecko Thinline. The stock wind one I have in the bridge spot is a little on the cool side (like an old vintage P90). The 5% underwound in the neck spot of both is just a tad clearer and less wooly. In the middle spot in the PRS, I put in their AlNiCo hum-cancelling P90, 2% overwound, to give the 2 and 4 positions on the switch a little of the more open, sparkling top end similar to a Strat, but fatter. These ones "know the words".... :D

Mine are regular P90-sized, but they make them to fit inside a humbucker housing, also....
 
NY Guitarist said:
Exactly what I'm thinking. Versatile but is the P90 side of the P-Rail the same as a 'normal' P90? It seems like the same size as a P90 with a single coil blade next to it.

I can't find a comparison anywhere to listen to. If I decide against the P-Rails I'll be on the hunt for P90 shootouts. ;)

So many great P90's out there.
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Duncan says the P90 in the P-rail is the vintage 90 pickup. I like it and I’m on the P90 most of the time.
 
P rail is a fairly mediocre humbucker and only an ok P90 with a lot of third rate other options. A bit of a jack of no trades compared to good hum buckers and nice p90s. The Man bridge is a bit of a brass overload IMO and the USA PRS half steel one sounds better. Brass has I mid range tone that you can recognise. Some like it but it's not even response . The freeway ten is a good idea but not particularly tough and how many good tones are actually in a pickup set? rarely 10.
 
Oh and triple shots are ok on a guitar you hardly use but don't expect them to be something you can switch all the time. The are a bit like dip switches but accessible and should be considered as that.
 
I have a p-rails hot in the bridge of my Hello Kitty strat. I actually really like it as a humbucker because the different coils give it a unique sound. The rail position in the hot model is pretty icepicky on its own but the P90 side sounds really nice and full on clean tones. I've never tried a regular p-rail so I can't speak to that model.
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
Give Fralin's hum-cancelling P90s a listen.
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Joe Bfstplk said:
Mine are regular P90-sized, but they make them to fit inside a humbucker housing, also....
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Joe Bfstplk said:
P90:
https://www.fralinpickups.com/product/hum-cancelling-p-90-humbucker-cover/

AlNiCo P90 (works great along with a P90 bridge)
https://www.fralinpickups.com/product/alnico-noiseless-p90-humbucker/
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Thanks! I have been a Lindy Fralin fan since I had a couple of PRS EGs in the early 90's with his 'noiseless' domino single coils.

skolacki said:
Duncan says the P90 in the P-rail is the vintage 90 pickup. I like it and I’m on the P90 most of the time.
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Vintage-y P90 is what I'm going for. The single coil blade and HB switching options, especially parallel HB are a bonus.

Andy Eagle said:
P rail is a fairly mediocre humbucker and only an ok P90 with a lot of third rate other options. A bit of a jack of no trades compared to good hum buckers and nice p90s. The Man bridge is a bit of a brass overload IMO and the USA PRS half steel one sounds better. Brass has I mid range tone that you can recognise. Some like it but it's not even response . The freeway ten is a good idea but not particularly tough and how many good tones are actually in a pickup set? rarely 10.
Click to expand...
Andy Eagle said:
Oh and triple shots are ok on a guitar you hardly use but don't expect them to be something you can switch all the time. The are a bit like dip switches but accessible and should be considered as that.
Click to expand...
Good to hear your experience with P-Rails. The Freeway would somewhat replace the Triple Shot switches as I can't use them on the pickguard. My other thought is using Switchcraft slide switches on a replacement pickguard, but all this is moot if I decide against the P-Rails.

Hellbat said:
I have a p-rails hot in the bridge of my Hello Kitty strat. I actually really like it as a humbucker because the different coils give it a unique sound. The rail position in the hot model is pretty icepicky on its own but the P90 side sounds really nice and full on clean tones. I've never tried a regular p-rail so I can't speak to that model.
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You hit on something that is in line with my thinking. An 100% authentic P90 sound isn't as important to me as getting a similar sound/feel. I'm really looking for versatility in pickup voicing.

I'm not a massive overdrive/distortion player but at times use a lot of overdrive for soloing. These days I'm drawn to parallel HB sounds and full single coil sounds. This guitar is just a fun little project to make something with a number of voicing options that I leave out to just grab and play, and have a good time.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!
 
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I toyed with P-rails quite a while back in my Carvin and didn't care for them. @Andy Eagle is right they are a different pickup in the respect that they don't do one thing really good. I wound up going with Suhr Thornbuckers in both of my Carvin guitars! Though on the hard tail i'm leaning on running the TB II in the bridge.

Another thought might be the Fishman Fluence! You get a few different voicings and the install looks to be fairly straightforward no drilling or separate switching though they are active.
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
Give Fralin's hum-cancelling P90s a listen. I have them in a couple guitars - a triple P90 PRS and in the neck spot in my Gecko Thinline. The stock wind one I have in the bridge spot is a little on the cool side (like an old vintage P90). The 5% underwound in the neck spot of both is just a tad clearer and less wooly. In the middle spot in the PRS, I put in their AlNiCo hum-cancelling P90, 2% overwound, to give the 2 and 4 positions on the switch a little of the more open, sparkling top end similar to a Strat, but fatter. These ones "know the words".... :D

Mine are regular P90-sized, but they make them to fit inside a humbucker housing, also....
Click to expand...
^^This. Great pickups. I have the HB-sized versions in a Knaggs Kenai. Great tone.
 
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