PRS SE upgrades

Pickups, Pots, Caps, Wiring

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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by willow13 »

Conway wrote:
Sinbad343 wrote:
Conway wrote:Buy a proper PRS.

You can thank me later.
I can thank you now - I've been looking into getting a divorce :mental:
I buried my wife several years ago. With the funeral expenses and what I've spent on PRSs since then, I'm still well ahead financially of what a divorce would have cost me...
probably safe to say sinbad doesn't earn even close to what you do given the "not wanting to spend crazy money" comment ... and lets face it "real" PRS are crazy money
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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by Sinbad343 »

That is true sadly! Maybe I need to join a union... Anyway, thanks again for all the advice (I think?!)

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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by Sinbad343 »

Single coil wrote:Erm...


Yeah ok.


Anyway.


Individual saddle tailpiece, locking tuners; friend of mine has p rails + triple shots in his.
If it were me, I wouldn’t go the triple shot route - just [other] decent pickups and a push pull or two for a couple options.
Tuners are a good idea actually, the stock ones aren't the greatest. And the push/pull might be a goer, but yeh, the triple shot thing is probably too much for me!

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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by Single coil »

It’s a cool idea but it’s expensive.
Wilkinson pickups (vanson guitars on eBay) are pretty sweet. Have the hot alnico 5s in one of my guitars.
Standard se pickups are pretty good though.
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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by StratMatt »

Not familiar with your model, but is it HH? You can't go wrong with some Seth Lovers or Dimarzio PAFs. Tuners are nice too, I put Gotohs on my SE Tremonti and it feels much nicer to tune.
Loving it so far

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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by jeremyb »

What's wrong with it? That should be what you ask yourself, fix those things, but.... also consider the massive loss you take on upgraded guitars when you go to sell them :(
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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by robnobcorncob »

Having worked on a bunch of these lately I'd suggest making sure the nut is cut correctly and not worrying about upgrading the tuners (especially if it's non-trem).

The stock SE pickups are fine but they are the same pickups (I believe) as you find in the stock S2 double humbucker models. At SE pricing I'm fine with them, they are decent, but at S2 pricing I'd expect something better. I recently worked on an S2 Mira which had the stock Korean pickups/pots/switch/loom which I changed to CTS/CRL and Seymour Duncan which improved it dramatically, but it also felt like it should have been that way all along.

YMMV.

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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by willow13 »

Sinbad343 wrote:That is true sadly! Maybe I need to join a union... Anyway, thanks again for all the advice (I think?!)
f#*k unions .. deal directly with the boss :thumbup:
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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by mrmofo »

robnobcorncob wrote:Having worked on a bunch of these lately I'd suggest making sure the nut is cut correctly and not worrying about upgrading the tuners (especially if it's non-trem).

The stock SE pickups are fine but they are the same pickups (I believe) as you find in the stock S2 double humbucker models. At SE pricing I'm fine with them, they are decent, but at S2 pricing I'd expect something better. I recently worked on an S2 Mira which had the stock Korean pickups/pots/switch/loom which I changed to CTS/CRL and Seymour Duncan which improved it dramatically, but it also felt like it should have been that way all along.

YMMV.
yea, I`m quietly SHOCKED at what the S2 series are like up close. do they have Korean Trems as well?
There are still some that think the neck PU is moved to accommodate the extra frets which only proves they cannot detect the difference in length of each.

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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by mrmofo »

willow13 wrote:
Conway wrote:
Sinbad343 wrote:
I can thank you now - I've been looking into getting a divorce :mental:
I buried my wife several years ago. With the funeral expenses and what I've spent on PRSs since then, I'm still well ahead financially of what a divorce would have cost me...
probably safe to say sinbad doesn't earn even close to what you do given the "not wanting to spend crazy money" comment ... and lets face it "real" PRS are crazy money
if you are in Auckland any time soon, take a look at the rock shop K rd. they have the absolute nicest Cu24 I`ve seen. satin 10 top dark/tiger burst with a rosewood neck ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh if I had silly money I would throw it at that guitar.
There are still some that think the neck PU is moved to accommodate the extra frets which only proves they cannot detect the difference in length of each.

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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by sizzlingbadger »

I put a bone nut and a pair of 36th annies in an SE and it was a great upgrade. Everything else on them is pretty good.
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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by Slowy »

Conway wrote:
Sinbad343 wrote:
Conway wrote:Buy a proper PRS.

You can thank me later.
I can thank you now - I've been looking into getting a divorce :mental:
I buried my wife several years ago. With the funeral expenses and what I've spent on PRSs since then, I'm still well ahead financially of what a divorce would have cost me...
:wtf: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I'm sorry... that's brilliant :lol: :lol:
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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by Slowy »

Sinbad343 wrote:Hi all,

I've had my SE Custom Semi Hollow (hardtail, 2008) for quite a while now, and I love it. It's completely stock, but I reckon it's true potential could be realised with an upgrade or two. Question is, where do I start?

Obviously I don't want to spend crazy money, certainly not to the point where I may as well upgrade the entire guitar! But all suggestions and advice is welcome and much appreciated. Cheers!
So you think it has unrealised potential. In what way?
Answering this question should give you an idea of how to proceed.

FWIW, I have two SE's. They are both excellent guitars (now). Personally, I have not met an SE pickup I would want a relationship with, but that's just my preferences.
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.

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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by Bg »

robnobcorncob wrote:Having worked on a bunch of these lately I'd suggest making sure the nut is cut correctly and not worrying about upgrading the tuners (especially if it's non-trem).

The stock SE pickups are fine but they are the same pickups (I believe) as you find in the stock S2 double humbucker models. At SE pricing I'm fine with them, they are decent, but at S2 pricing I'd expect something better. I recently worked on an S2 Mira which had the stock Korean pickups/pots/switch/loom which I changed to CTS/CRL and Seymour Duncan which improved it dramatically, but it also felt like it should have been that way all along.

YMMV.
Pleasantly surprised how well my santana se worked out of the box, no tuning issues or sticky nuts etc.. I thought the pickups weren't too bad either. Tin ears though. And it's probably about 4 years old now so maybe a better batch.
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Re: PRS SE upgrades

Post by robnobcorncob »

mrmofo wrote: yea, I`m quietly SHOCKED at what the S2 series are like up close. do they have Korean Trems as well?
No idea as I've only worked on stop tail models from the S2 series.
Bg wrote: Pleasantly surprised how well my santana se worked out of the box, no tuning issues or sticky nuts etc.. I thought the pickups weren't too bad either. Tin ears though. And it's probably about 4 years old now so maybe a better batch.
Probably because it's fine. They are great instruments and I usually only see them when they are in need of urgent attention due to misuse etc. The Mira S2 that I overhauled was because it needed it, I did the same on an SE24. Both had ruined pots/switches from sweat/rust/corrosion. The S2 had a pickup upgrade at the same time. Stock electronics on other SE's I've worked on have been fine.

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