PRS Single Cut Trem, not happy, need some suggestions

[knh6sn7]

I have a PRS single cut trem model with 10 top and birds. It is about 5 or 6 years old, and is a great looking and playing guitar. I mostly play Les Pauls through a Mesa MK IV, and my playing is mostly classic rock and some 80's metal, and my sound is mostly pretty heavy. I normally use lower output pickups with the high gain settings of the Mesa, and for the most part, I have a very good sound. I play the PRS sometimes because I wanted a Les Paul type feel/sound but with the trem. Anyway, whenever I play the PRS, I always seem to not get the sound I'm looking for. The PRS seems to sound thinner/harsher when I play on my high gain settings. Played clean the guitar sounds pretty good, but since I play in the high gain modes mostly, I normally end up putting the guitar down after a few songs, and pick up a Les Paul and say to myself, I will have to do something about this. I play with pickups on my Les Pauls, Strats, etc, but I have never changed pickups on my PRS's since I consider them pretty well thought out guitars. My PRS McCarty, always sounds great, so.... Do I change pickups on the PRS single cut trem?? Change pots caps?? I don't know anything about the pickups on the single cut trem model, so I don't know if they are good or not. I do know the McCarty pickups are vintage output, similar to the Les Pauls, but I do not want to change the pickups if the problem may lies elsewhere. Anyway, I love the way the guitar feels and plays, and I still want to use it for trem stuff, so if I can get it sounding fuller/smoother/richer over driven sound, I would be happy. Thanks

[zeppelin101]

It might be the Caps but it sounds like your tone is too high, giving you a harsh raspy sound. Try rolling back the tone and volume. If that doesnt work try a less scooped sound on your amp. Keep the mids and treble in balance and generally lower and bring out the mids a little. From there if it does iin fact sound less harsh, then just mess with the tone, volume and amp settings until you get something that doesnt give you that raspy harsh tone.

Heres a good thread

How did classic rock players like jimmy page use their guitar controls

[knh6sn7]

Hey Zepplin101;

Thanks for the reply. I do not run a scooped mid type sound. I normally run somewhat of a boosted mid sound, for that sort of Marshall-like overdriven sound. I am not a big fan of the nu-metal scooped sound, but for what it worth, playing with the tone control might be a good place to start!! I normally run the tone wide open on my guitars, but I recently got a R8 with the bumble caps, and with that guitar, I can cut the tone without the sound getting muted like it does on my other Les Pauls. I will be doing some tone cap experimenting with my guitars, and maybe, I will do it to the PRS before I scrap the pickups

[zeppelin101]

Well in that case, then I would say try changing the caps and move to pots and eventually to pickups if need be

[Jackyrhode]

They make Les Pauls with Floyd Roses now. That might solve all your problems.

[knh6sn7]

Yes, I am familiar with the Les Paul Axxis. I really like the guitar, and if the economy were better (at least for me, I am in the mortgage business!) I would buy one in a heart beat. The way they recessed the Floyd, and have the body cut away, and the contoured heel, it is a very comfortable feeling guitar, and the Floyd doesn't stick out like a sore thumb, but till I can cough up for one, I have to work with what I have, but thanks for the suggestion.

[DreamKing]

Is it a 245 or 250? I know at least one of them (maybe both) has ceramic magnet pickups, which can be pretty harsh sounding compared to Alnico magnets. If your guitar has alnico magnets, then I don't know what to tell ya. Have you tried lowering the pickups?

A PRS will never have the same kind of thick sound as the LP because it's a smaller piece of mahogany. So, in terms of the thinness, it might just be the way the instrument sounds. But I think you'll probably be able to get the sound you want by changing/adjusting pickups.

[knh6sn7]

Hey Dreamking,

This is the original model, that the model name was Single Cut Trem. The newer one they call 245 and 250, but in any event, you are probably right that it may have ceramic magnets. I will check with PRS to see which ones they are, and based on what they say, may help me to determine my next course of action. Thanks for the input.

[kherman]

Is it a floating trem?
Meaning you can do pull ups as well as dives.
Or is it dive only?

Some people feel floating trems cause thinness and loss of resonance.

Maybe convert it to a dive only.
Get something like a trem-stop or Tremol-no.

Some will just block the trem period with a piece of wood between the body and the trem block in the trem cavity.
Maybe try that as an experiment to see if your tone becomes more full and resonant.

[knh6sn7]

It is set up as a floating trem, and most of my other trem guitars are set up a fixed trem's (only down, not up). This setup works for me, and I may do it out of convenience, since when I play, and the butt of my palm rests on the bridge/tail piece, and I have to be careful not to move the bridge. Sometimes I like it as I can get a nice gentle vibrato with just my palm moving the bridge, but it is really more of a pain in the ass than a benefit to me. Anyway, I called PRS and spoke to them regarding the problem, and the rep told me that the pickups in this guitar weren't his favorites either. He thought they were thin and harsh also, so I wasn't crazy!! He told me they were PRS #6 pickups, and very high output. Most of my pickups are mostly vintage, or close to vintage output, and when I run them through the Mesa MK IV in high gain settings, they are sweet and creamy. Anyway, I appreciate all of the input and suggestions, but at this point, I think I will move in the direction of pickups, and I will probably change the tone cap to a paper in oil anyway. Thanks to all!!