#155796  by Ebearius
 
I, recently, ran into a good deal on an older McCarty model. It's not very Jerry'ish, but I really love the playability. I'm now considering having the middle spot routed out for a Super II. I'm assuming the coil split feature already on the guitar could split a third pickup as well. (Correct?). I'm also guessing the p/u selector switch would have to be replaced.

Has anyone had any experience with this? Any insights or opinions are welcomed.

Thanks.
 #155797  by TeeJay
 
I have no direct experience with a PRS but a couple of thoughts from other builds: You could add another pickup to the coil tap switch. However it is cool to have separate switches for more tonal options. Make sure there is enough space to add another standard pickup mount ring in the middle position or you might have to go to a custom 3 HB mounting plate. The 3 way selector switch can be changed to a free way switch or a rotary switch.
Last edited by TeeJay on Sat Feb 25, 2017 10:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
 #155798  by Gr8fulCadi
 
The Freeway switch from Stewmac is pretty sweet. Gives you a 6 position, Gibson style pickup selector with many different options, including coil splitting I believe, with the addition of push/pull pots. Check it out for sure. I just routed for a middle pickup (not for Jerry tone) but because I like the tone of the middle, neck-bridge and bridge-middle positions, on a semi-hollow Ibanez. I changed from humbuckers to three Lollar P-90's and was well worth the effort of putting in a middle PU. The Freeway switch makes it all work properly.
 #155801  by TI4-1009
 
+1 on the Freeway.
 #155823  by Ebearius
 
milobender wrote:Here's one I'm working on right now... had to enlarge the electronics cavity.
Image
That looks great. It appears to be a Custom 24, correct?
My concern with the McCarty is the 22 fret 25" scale, combined with the mahogany neck and back, might preclude it from every sounding Jerry-like. I still think that may be the case. I like the guitar. I can get nice tones out of it. I was just wondering if I could get a bit more versatility in this genre by adding a Super II in the middle and keeping everything else stock.
 #155824  by milobender
 
That looks great. It appears to be a Custom 24, correct?
My concern with the McCarty is the 22 fret 25" scale, combined with the mahogany neck and back, might preclude it from every sounding Jerry-like. I still think that may be the case. I like the guitar. I can get nice tones out of it. I was just wondering if I could get a bit more versatility in this genre by adding a Super II in the middle and keeping everything else stock.
Yes, that's right. It's got a mahogany back, but I'm not sure about the neck wood. I've done a number of mahogany guitars now, and they can get very Jerryesque. It may not be as much as you'd like, I don't know. Listen to gdeloian for some excellent tone from an SG I worked on... forum/viewtopic.php?f=419&t=18473

I did this one a short while ago, to keep it stock and add some Jerry to it too... added a blaster, blocked the trem, and added a Dimarzio in the middle. The Freeway switch is key for this type of mod, works great. We decided to go with the rail pup to keep the single coil sound with an output roughly equal to the humbuckers. There was an existing single coil route in the center, but no cover.

Image
Last edited by milobender on Tue Feb 28, 2017 10:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
 #155831  by MattMan
 
I Jerryfied my PRS Custom 24 (which is now my back up axe). Love it. I called around and found a registered PRS repair shop and had them use their jig to route out for the middle pup (Elderly Music in Lansing, Michigan). I also installed all the necessary accouterments for Jerry tone (coil split and OBEL switches, Fender 5-way, and Wald TPC1-small buffer). I used the push pull existing coil tap tone for the Bridge/Neck, and the coil split switch for the middle. This gives me the opportunity to do more Jerry combo tones (middle single + bridge hum, etc.). The wiring schematic I used is on my band website in my sig. Regarding the 25" scale, there is some "debate" about pup placement relative to where the coils would be on a 25 1/2" scale guitar, so I used a 3-way switch for the middle pup tap to give me bridge vs. neck coil tap, and the bridge coil tap aligns almost perfectly with where the neck coil tap would be on the 25 1/2" scale guitar. I think it sounds very Jerry.

 #155841  by Ebearius
 
Very nice work and super impressive rig. That is the same wood selection and set neck as my Mccarty, but a 24 fret vs. a 22 fret board. I had a middle Super II set up to split bridgeward on my 24 fret Carvin. It works fine. The Carvin is walnut, alder, and maple, with an ebony board.
My PRS is maple capped mahogany with a rosewood board. Still concerned it will sound too dark. But, I think the thing that's making me really bond with it is the style of fixed bridge. The strings sit a bit higher off the body. I play mandolin, and there is something comfortable about the geometry of the McCarty over my Carvin or my Strat. I, actually think the best play might be some sort of new bridge on the Carvin with a similar break angle.