NGD: PRS Bernie SE.

TA22GT

The Kluson machineheads arrived today so I'll fit them over the weekend. The originals held tuning perfectly they just look a bit too green.
I'll say this again in that it doesn't feel like a cheap guitar when you pick it up. I'm actually liking the original pickups because it has a different voice to my LP or 335. I have lowered the bridge pickup from std and it's great!
Good luck and hope you love it! 

thegummy

I'll be putting in locking tuners that I already have that looks like the stock ones cause I like that look.

Also putting my Bare Knuckle Mules in it.

Can't wait!

TA22GT

thegummy said:

I'll be putting in locking tuners that I already have that looks like the stock ones cause I like that look.

Also putting my Bare Knuckle Mules in it.

Can't wait!

I know that can't wait feeling! 

  I had a Mule in the bridge of a high end Tokai LP and loved it.   The guitar is certainly worthy of upgrades because the feel is there.

thegummy

Got it on Saturday night. In general I really like it but the frets are uneven.

Going to put it in for a fret level and get the nut changed to Tusq while it's in.

Then I'll put the locking tuners on, swap the pickups and electronics and go for a volume tone tone config (I like being able to switch from woman tone to open bridge).

100% wish I had bought this instead of the Les Paul a few months ago. Now need to go through the hassle of selling the Gibson which I'm not looking forward to!

TA22GT

Glad you like it but it's a shame about the frets. Have to say that mine are perfect  but I can do that stuff anyway so it isn't too bad in my case.
I think I am going to swap my volume controls around as I play on the bridge most of the time and it makes it more intuitive to grab the first volume knob!

Good luck with selling the Gibson because I hate selling too! Too much hassle.

Keep us posted on progress.

mr-mac

If feel need for a pup change i belive Bernie uses deacci pickups in some of his Les Paul's 

TA22GT

mr-mac said:

If feel need for a pup change i belive Bernie uses deacci pickups in some of his Les Paul's 

I have heard nothing but good things about Deacci pickups.

timmypix

Lovely guitar! Love mine, got a new bridge and electrics on the way. Only thing that's making me wary with pickup choices is mine is very bright acoustically, at least compared to my other guitars. How's yours acoustically?

TA22GT

What bridge did you get? Mine intonates well with 10-46 strings so I'm going to leave it
.
Acoustically mine has a low mid sound to it which is actually different to my other guitars!  Hearing eq acoustically has always been difficult for me but for some reason I can hear it in this guitar. I actually love the sound of it through my amp.

TA22GT

Well here we are a month after I got the guitar and I absolutely love it.

Apart from rolling the fingerboard edges and sanding down the nut ( hired a floorboard sander for a week) I haven't molested it.

I bought the wrong size Klusons, even though I checked the originals with my micrometer, doh, so it is still all original.
I am liking the pickups too because it gives the guitar a rockier voice than my other guitars. I have Paf type pickups fitted in my 335's and Les Paul so instead of doing the same with the Bernie I am letting him rock. I have lowered the bridge pickup so it sounds sweet and the mix is really "poppy"....playing the intro to My Best Friends Girl is really great sounding.

I'm resisting, almost, from saying I got a good example but I really am blown away by the feel of this guitar. The neck is awesome for my hands.

It's getting a lot of use and will continue to do so.

thegummy

TA22GT said:

Well here we are a month after I got the guitar and I absolutely love it.

Apart from rolling the fingerboard edges and sanding down the nut ( hired a floorboard sander for a week) I haven't molested it.

I bought the wrong size Klusons, even though I checked the originals with my micrometer, doh, so it is still all original.
I am liking the pickups too because it gives the guitar a rockier voice than my other guitars. I have Paf type pickups fitted in my 335's and Les Paul so instead of doing the same with the Bernie I am letting him rock. I have lowered the bridge pickup so it sounds sweet and the mix is really "poppy"....playing the intro to My Best Friends Girl is really great sounding.

I'm resisting, almost, from saying I got a good example but I really am blown away by the feel of this guitar. The neck is awesome for my hands.

It's getting a lot of use and will continue to do so.

I spent the other day reaming all the holes on mine to fit the locking tuners and CTS pots.

I forgot, though, that the metric knobs it comes with don't go on to imperial sized pots so I'm waiting on new knobs being delivered before I can post a pic.

Apart from the frets, I really like everything about the guitar. My other PRS SE is very high quality including the fretwork and the same is said by just about everyone I've heard talk about them so I'm open to believing the series does just have good quality control standards.

Glad to hear you're still loving yours a month on. The fret buzz has stopped me playing it as much as I might otherwise but I've still been playing it plenty and I love it, especially with the Bare Knuckles installed - I forgot just how much I like those pickups in the month or so that they'd been sitting uninstalled.

timmypix

@TA22GT I got the Mannmade 2300 bridge. I will need to take out the imperial stud wells and put in metric ones. All the more annoying considering he announced he was doing metric/imperial fit studs a week later!

Which Klusons did you get? I recently came across the locking Revolutions which aren't the cheapest, but they have a 19:1 ratio, keep the look and should just drop in. Also need to find the right size Graphtech TUSQ nut. 

TA22GT

thegummy said:7

TA22GT said:

Well here we are a month after I got the guitar and I absolutely love it.

Apart from rolling the fingerboard edges and sanding down the nut ( hired a floorboard sander for a week) I haven't molested it.

I bought the wrong size Klusons, even though I checked the originals with my micrometer, doh, so it is still all original.
I am liking the pickups too because it gives the guitar a rockier voice than my other guitars. I have Paf type pickups fitted in my 335's and Les Paul so instead of doing the same with the Bernie I am letting him rock. I have lowered the bridge pickup so it sounds sweet and the mix is really "poppy"....playing the intro to My Best Friends Girl is really great sounding.

I'm resisting, almost, from saying I got a good example but I really am blown away by the feel of this guitar. The neck is awesome for my hands.

It's getting a lot of use and will continue to do so.

I spent the other day reaming all the holes on mine to fit the locking tuners and CTS pots.

I forgot, though, that the metric knobs it comes with don't go on to imperial sized pots so I'm waiting on new knobs being delivered before I can post a pic.

Apart from the frets, I really like everything about the guitar. My other PRS SE is very high quality including the fretwork and the same is said by just about everyone I've heard talk about them so I'm open to believing the series does just have good quality control standards.

Glad to hear you're still loving yours a month on. The fret buzz has stopped me playing it as much as I might otherwise but I've still been playing it plenty and I love it, especially with the Bare Knuckles installed - I forgot just how much I like those pickups in the month or so that they'd been sitting uninstalled.

It's a real shame about the frets although easily sorted. I love Mules too but I'm hanging on with the originals so far.
I've done that trick with the knobs too! Now I have drawers full so can always find something!
Enjoy!

TA22GT

timmypix said:

@TA22GT I got the Mannmade 2300 bridge. I will need to take out the imperial stud wells and put in metric ones. All the more annoying considering he announced he was doing metric/imperial fit studs a week later!

Which Klusons did you get? I recently came across the locking Revolutions which aren't the cheapest, but they have a 19:1 ratio, keep the look and should just drop in. Also need to find the right size Graphtech TUSQ nut. 

Bummer about the studs! I had a mannmade trem once and it was quality stuff.
I got the wrong size Klusons! They were too big for the ferrules. I have spare bushes but could only find 5 so I am still on the originals. They hold tuning but look a bit naff in green.
I haven't replaced the nut but I have made it look a lot better than the abomination that was fitted.
Nobody can write enough words to convince me that the nut that was fitted is the correct way to make a nut!!
Good luck with the bridge.

TA22GT

Loving this thing!

I play on the bridge pickup about 90% of the time and I found the existing control layout a bit fiddly. Although it makes sense logically for the front volume knob to be for the front pickup it meant having to "find" the bridge volume as I was playing.
I use volume and tone a lot to vary the sound.

I plugged in the soldering iron to swap pickup wires but when I removed the backplate there was an abundance of spare wire so I just swapped the volume pots around. Job done.

It's so much easier now to tweak on the fly. It's just a bloody good guitar.

thegummy

I changed mine to a master volume and individual tones. To be honest I really only use volume for practical reasons like turning it off, I've never been able to use it to clean up a dirty tone without a massive drop in volume.