Any PRS owners out there how have jerrized their guitars and not been fully satisfied with the results. I had my luthier route and drop in a dual sound in a middle position and swapped out the bridge Dragon II for a Bare Knukles Stormy Monday. I am now going to swap out the bridge pup with a 60’s vintage T-Top I recently acquired, giving me a modern jerry guitar in the middle position (I added toggles to split the Stormy Monday and Dual Sound), and a “vintage sound” with the other two pick-ups. I admit it is an experiment.
So far it’s been an excellent project but given the investment, my 81 Carvin DC160 which has a neck Dual Sound in it is a better jerry sound. I love the PRS and get great compliments on it when I do shows, but it seems to have an air-iness to it, something I just can’t pin down. I now think that the floating trem is sucking some bite, tone and sustain. Its a great sound but more of a Bobby sound than Jerry sound. I just dropped a pair of vintage 65 PAF’s into my 98 LP DC Standard and its absolute tone heaven, and I’m thinking the fixed bridge has a lot to do with it. It is a very similar setup to my PRS with the exception of its chambered. It is a wonderful instrument.
Has anyone had luck locking down their trem, and if so how did they do it (wood blocks? Temelo-no?). Has anyone tried swamping out the sustain block. There is a product out there by GCK Killer Guitar Parts that claims to be manufactured from “musical brass”. I’m sceptical but they seem to have some endorsements on the net. Given the PRS sustain block looks to be solid brass I’m not sure how this can help and could be a complete waste of $95 (I’m beginning to think guitars are worse than boats!).
One other thing. The PRS is without a UGB. I had one installed for one gig before the guitar was properly rigged for the three pick-ups, and then when my luthier figured out the whole PRS rotary switch thing and we put in a simpler “strat” like configuration with an aftermarket 5 way rotary switch, the UGB went haywire. The UGB on its way back to Mike Wald for diagnosis. A second question, would Wald electronics UGB in a stomp box be as effective? Mike feel free to weigh in.
Here’s the guitar
and here is what it sounds like today in the middle position through a 73 twin in a concert setting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JNdQpFirzY
Peace,
James
So far it’s been an excellent project but given the investment, my 81 Carvin DC160 which has a neck Dual Sound in it is a better jerry sound. I love the PRS and get great compliments on it when I do shows, but it seems to have an air-iness to it, something I just can’t pin down. I now think that the floating trem is sucking some bite, tone and sustain. Its a great sound but more of a Bobby sound than Jerry sound. I just dropped a pair of vintage 65 PAF’s into my 98 LP DC Standard and its absolute tone heaven, and I’m thinking the fixed bridge has a lot to do with it. It is a very similar setup to my PRS with the exception of its chambered. It is a wonderful instrument.
Has anyone had luck locking down their trem, and if so how did they do it (wood blocks? Temelo-no?). Has anyone tried swamping out the sustain block. There is a product out there by GCK Killer Guitar Parts that claims to be manufactured from “musical brass”. I’m sceptical but they seem to have some endorsements on the net. Given the PRS sustain block looks to be solid brass I’m not sure how this can help and could be a complete waste of $95 (I’m beginning to think guitars are worse than boats!).
One other thing. The PRS is without a UGB. I had one installed for one gig before the guitar was properly rigged for the three pick-ups, and then when my luthier figured out the whole PRS rotary switch thing and we put in a simpler “strat” like configuration with an aftermarket 5 way rotary switch, the UGB went haywire. The UGB on its way back to Mike Wald for diagnosis. A second question, would Wald electronics UGB in a stomp box be as effective? Mike feel free to weigh in.
Here’s the guitar
and here is what it sounds like today in the middle position through a 73 twin in a concert setting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JNdQpFirzY
Peace,
James