Suhr Thornbuckers in a PRS Custom 24

nathan_393

nathan_393

Inspired
Hey all! I've had my Custom 24 (Core) for a bit over a month now and I don't really get on with the 85/15 pickups. (Happy for those of you that do, of course.) I'm looking at swapping them for Suhr Thornbuckers.

In an effort to make this conversation easier, here's what I dislike about them:

  • People talk about how PRS pickups have extended highs and lows, but I don't hear that. I do hear a lack of mids, though, which could cause some to say the highs and lows are extended. Turning up the mids on any amp just sort of makes it worse.
  • The low end is squishy, with a lack of attack. I'm a very aggressive picker (I cut my teeth learning to play like James Hetfield), I use Jazz IIIs for my picks, and the attack on these is just kind of muddy. The tone of the low end is ok, but so much of how I use the sixth string is about the attack.
  • The high end is rolled off in a way I don't find particularly useful. As a consequence, I'm always adding a lot more presence or treble the amps than I'd like, and I feel I have a hard time cutting in the mix with the PRS (compared to my LP, which is very bright, or my Tele, which is also very bright). A side effect of this is that I feel the tone knob is useless; I might as well disconnect it from the circuit entirely.
One last note before I move on: folks talk about how the 85/15 is high output, but compared to my Slash Les Paul (which sounds like it has a built-in preamp), I don't feel like this is high output. It's not low, but it's also not high. (And compared to my EMG-equipped JEM clone, it's very low output.)

Here's what I do like about the PRS pickups:

  • There is clarity here that I really enjoy, especially in the single coil modes. Clear as a bell. Consequently, really clean sounds are wonderful.
  • The single coil modes are also excellent.

Most of the time, though, I'm on the bridge or neck in humbucker mode, and I just don't jive with it.

I'm considering putting in Thornbuckers. I like that you can split them (which rules out the Lollar Imperials, for example), and I like their output level (a little more output than 50s PAFs, but not very aggressive, still sparkly clean if need be). And to be honest, they sound more like a Les Paul to me, with a bright and crisp high-end on the bridge, air in the treble range, and good attack in the lower registers, which is my general preference. I found this Youtube video, which went over a sound demo of Thornbuckers in a Custom 24 into a Boogie Mk V:25, an amp I own and am very familiar with, and I think it sounds fantastic. But I have a few questions:

  1. Has anybody put Thornbuckers in their Custom 24? Do you like them? Is the aforementioned video a good reference?
  2. I don't think I want the Thornbucker +, because I would prefer lower output. But what is the difference between the Thornbucker and the Thornbucker II? And for a PRS, do I need 50mm or 53mm pickups?
  3. What would be the best way to handle splits? The Custom 24 ships with the following, from Positions 1-5: Neck Humbucker, both split, both humbuckers, split bridge and humbucking neck, and bridge humbucker. I assume the same configuration with the Thornbuckers would probably sound like poop, but don't know what I should ask for when I bring the guitar to my tech.
One last note, then I'm done: I don't know how to solder, and I don't want to spend thousands on this, so I'd prefer for this decision to be made once and then done. So I'm not looking for a shopping list of pickups :) but if you think the Thornbuckers are a bad call for somebody like me, I am all ears.

Thanks everybody! Sorry for the novel.
 
How often do you actually use your neck pickup? I vote grab a used bridge tb and try it out.
 
Hi @Budda! In this guitar, I use the neck pickup a fair bit — particularly in position 4 with the split bridge, but also in tandem with the Piezo in the blended mode on occasion. I'll use those sounds live too. (I also use it at home for lead practicing, but that's neither here nor there.)

I'm on worship tomorrow morning and expect I'll spend a bunch of time with this guitar on the neck pickup for cleaner sounds throughout (sole rhythm player tomorrow, with no keys, so I'm doing double duty).
 
Admin M@ said:
I'm a huge fan of Bare Knuckle pickups and the folks who work there. Tell them exactly what's wrong with your guitar's sound and take their advice.
Click to expand...
I did exactly this. PRS Custom 24 and wasn’t thrilled with 85/15s but left them for years. A few months back, I started a thread on this topic, and Bareknuckle came up several times. I did my own research and then contacted them for advice and couldn’t be happier with their suggestions. Some people in the U.S. are put off by paying VAT, but these are worth it to me.
 
I’ve grown to like the 85/15s in my Custom 24-08, I have found that rolling back the volume and tone pots just a little bit gets me where I want to be. I’m not looking for flamethrower pickups to blast the front end, though. I went through that phase 30 years ago.
 
My Modern has a Thornbucker II, V63, Thornbucker neck combo.
My Standard has a Thornbucker II, V63, V63.
My Modern came with the regular Thornbucker bridge and I had the Pete Thorn signature with the Thornbucker + before I got my Modern.
My pick out of the three bridge pickups is the TBII. To my ears it is a clearer sounding pickup than the other two and sounds great from cleans to overdriven tones to Metallica. The TBII is probably the best sounding pickup I've personally tried IMO.
 
nathan_393 said:
Hey all! I've had my Custom 24 (Core) for a bit over a month now and I don't really get on with the 85/15 pickups. (Happy for those of you that do, of course.) I'm looking at swapping them for Suhr Thornbuckers.

In an effort to make this conversation easier, here's what I dislike about them:

  • People talk about how PRS pickups have extended highs and lows, but I don't hear that. I do hear a lack of mids, though, which could cause some to say the highs and lows are extended. Turning up the mids on any amp just sort of makes it worse.
  • The low end is squishy, with a lack of attack. I'm a very aggressive picker (I cut my teeth learning to play like James Hetfield), I use Jazz IIIs for my picks, and the attack on these is just kind of muddy. The tone of the low end is ok, but so much of how I use the sixth string is about the attack.
  • The high end is rolled off in a way I don't find particularly useful. As a consequence, I'm always adding a lot more presence or treble the amps than I'd like, and I feel I have a hard time cutting in the mix with the PRS (compared to my LP, which is very bright, or my Tele, which is also very bright). A side effect of this is that I feel the tone knob is useless; I might as well disconnect it from the circuit entirely.
One last note before I move on: folks talk about how the 85/15 is high output, but compared to my Slash Les Paul (which sounds like it has a built-in preamp), I don't feel like this is high output. It's not low, but it's also not high. (And compared to my EMG-equipped JEM clone, it's very low output.)

Here's what I do like about the PRS pickups:

  • There is clarity here that I really enjoy, especially in the single coil modes. Clear as a bell. Consequently, really clean sounds are wonderful.
  • The single coil modes are also excellent.

Most of the time, though, I'm on the bridge or neck in humbucker mode, and I just don't jive with it.

I'm considering putting in Thornbuckers. I like that you can split them (which rules out the Lollar Imperials, for example), and I like their output level (a little more output than 50s PAFs, but not very aggressive, still sparkly clean if need be). And to be honest, they sound more like a Les Paul to me, with a bright and crisp high-end on the bridge, air in the treble range, and good attack in the lower registers, which is my general preference. I found this Youtube video, which went over a sound demo of Thornbuckers in a Custom 24 into a Boogie Mk V:25, an amp I own and am very familiar with, and I think it sounds fantastic. But I have a few questions:

  1. Has anybody put Thornbuckers in their Custom 24? Do you like them? Is the aforementioned video a good reference?
  2. I don't think I want the Thornbucker +, because I would prefer lower output. But what is the difference between the Thornbucker and the Thornbucker II? And for a PRS, do I need 50mm or 53mm pickups?
  3. What would be the best way to handle splits? The Custom 24 ships with the following, from Positions 1-5: Neck Humbucker, both split, both humbuckers, split bridge and humbucking neck, and bridge humbucker. I assume the same configuration with the Thornbuckers would probably sound like poop, but don't know what I should ask for when I bring the guitar to my tech.
One last note, then I'm done: I don't know how to solder, and I don't want to spend thousands on this, so I'd prefer for this decision to be made once and then done. So I'm not looking for a shopping list of pickups :) but if you think the Thornbuckers are a bad call for somebody like me, I am all ears.

Thanks everybody! Sorry for the novel.
Click to expand...
One of my buddies sold his PRS Custom 24 CE that he put Thornbuckers in to my neighbor down the street. It sounds really nice! The neck is not to dark or murky but not too strident either. Bae on what I heard I would say that it would make a good choice!. I have them in both of my Carvin guitars and I like them a lot.

I will say that I still have an issue with the TB+ that's loaded in the hardtail CT6, a little to snarly in the upper mids for me.
 
I appreciate all the input folks! Ask 20 guitarists about their pickup preferences and get 20 answers, but I love the feedback. I’ll take a gander into Bareknuckle and give it a bit more time before I bite the bullet. Maybe the 85/15 will grow on me like they did for @Frodebro.

Had to queue up a bunch of low-gain sounds tonight in prep for worship in the morning and it just sings with this guitar. But as soon as you add a bit more gain I find it gets muddy? I don’t know how to describe it. Maybe I have too many effects stacked or something (darn praise and worship with their delays and verbs).
 
nathan_393 said:
I appreciate all the input folks! Ask 20 guitarists about their pickup preferences and get 20 answers, but I love the feedback. I’ll take a gander into Bareknuckle and give it a bit more time before I bite the bullet. Maybe the 85/15 will grow on me like they did for @Frodebro.

Had to queue up a bunch of low-gain sounds tonight in prep for worship in the morning and it just sings with this guitar. But as soon as you add a bit more gain I find it gets muddy? I don’t know how to describe it. Maybe I have too many effects stacked or something (darn praise and worship with their delays and verbs).
Click to expand...
I have been griping about that as of late, everything is slathered in verbs and delays everything... It's to the point where you can't tell if it's a guitar anymore oh the travesty :rolleyes: Phil Wickham anyone how about some elevation worship ten more times hit me with that melancholy tune some more please. ;)
 
Sixstring said:
I have been griping about that as of late, everything is slathered in verbs and delays everything... It's to the point where you can't tell if it's a guitar anymore oh the travesty :rolleyes: Phil Wickham anyone how about some elevation worship ten more times hit me with that melancholy tune some more please. ;)
Click to expand...
I have a stereo delay fed into a stereo delay with a Stratocumulus reverb on top at all times on Sunday mornings. It somehow feels like the minimum requirement? One Sunday I’ll really tick everybody off and just use one Carbon Copy instead. People would notice!
 
I have an idea for you to try that doesn’t ncolve changing pickups. Have you tried adjusting the input EQ of the amp block to have a mid boost? In theory that would add kids to the sound of the pickups without having to add mids to the amp’s EQ.

Otherwise, Suhr pickups are great and I think those are a good choice for very low output humbuckers.
 
That was the first thing I tried. It’s a good idea, but it seems like adding more mids muddies up the sound a bit. A lot of clarity is lost. It’s possible that what I think I’m hearing as scooped is actually mid-rich, but the rolled off top end really throws off what I hear everywhere.
 
Ok, it sounds like a pickup swap is in order then. Ultimately that just comes down to making a choice and trying them.
 
Budda said:
are you using the same preset for the lp and the prs @nathan_393 ?
Click to expand...
I am not. Usually the PRS has a little more or a little less gain. And waaaay more treble, usually more presence. My church preset is a JTM45 with the treble at 10 for my LP, and I can’t find a way to make it bright enough for the PRS. I also have a hard time dialing in almost anything with this PRS. I just can’t wrap my head around the sound. Feels like everything needs scooped mids, no bass, and crazy amounts of treble and presence.
 
nathan_393 said:
I appreciate all the input folks! Ask 20 guitarists about their pickup preferences and get 20 answers, but I love the feedback. I’ll take a gander into Bareknuckle and give it a bit more time before I bite the bullet. Maybe the 85/15 will grow on me like they did for @Frodebro.

Had to queue up a bunch of low-gain sounds tonight in prep for worship in the morning and it just sings with this guitar. But as soon as you add a bit more gain I find it gets muddy? I don’t know how to describe it. Maybe I have too many effects stacked or something (darn praise and worship with their delays and verbs).
Click to expand...

That doesn’t sound right at all, my Custom doesn’t ever sound muddy with those pickups. In fact, it has more high end than most of my other humbucker equipped guitars. I would take a closer look at that preset before you do anything else.
 
nathan_393 said:
I am not. Usually the PRS has a little more or a little less gain. And waaaay more treble, usually more presence. My church preset is a JTM45 with the treble at 10 for my LP, and I can’t find a way to make it bright enough for the PRS. I also have a hard time dialing in almost anything with this PRS. I just can’t wrap my head around the sound. Feels like everything needs scooped mids, no bass, and crazy amounts of treble and presence.
Click to expand...
Same IR for both guitars?

Sounds like poking around xformer match and negative feedback may help out a little.
 
Frodebro said:
That doesn’t sound right at all, my Custom doesn’t ever sound muddy with those pickups. In fact, it has more high end than most of my other humbucker equipped guitars. I would take a closer look at that preset before you do anything else.
Click to expand...
After looking up the specs of thoses pickups I would tend to agree it does sound like something is off. With the op numbers 8.8k / 8.2k and the Mags used Alnico V / II in the 85/15 pups they should be fairly bright sounding and are in the hot PAF territory! Although the neck pup should have a rounder sound to it.

@nathan_393 did you buy the guitar new? I'm wondering if there might be something wrong with the electronics. You might want to have the guitar looked at just to rule out that part of the equation. Also can you post up your preset? I would like to try it out!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom