Pickups for McCarty mahogany?

P

PSGuitar

Active member
Hey gents!

Recently got a 2005 PRS McCarty (solid mahogany and no maple top) and looking at some pickup options.

I tend to like hotter, sort of creamy, thick sounding pickups. My PRS SC250 has the stock SC250 which is like a Tremonti and I like it a lot. My LP Standard has a Suhr Aldrich which I also like. My McCarty has the stock McCarty and I want more modern and more heat, chunky and fat. I was looking at some other PRS options like the Tremonti, some Wolfetone options like the Timbre Wolf or Monkey, Bareknuckle, etc. Curious what you all suggest and especially those guys who have played or play a McCarty.

Thanks!
 
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Im a fan of the Wolfetones. The Timbre Wolf sounds like it would do what your looking for. The Monkeybucker as well. The Monkeybucker would be more chunky, the Timbre Wolf more creamy.
 
I love the PRS Metal \m/ pickups fit that. I have a set in my PRS Custom 22 that sound amazing. I had a new McCarty 594 a couple years ago, but never swapped the stock pickups.
 
stratjacket said:
I love the PRS Metal \m/ pickups fit that. I have a set in my PRS Custom 22 that sound amazing. I had a new McCarty 594 a couple years ago, but never swapped the stock pickups.
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Are those pickups super tight or stiff, bright? I prefer darker and creamy. We play a lot of 90s and 2000s music, some 70s/80s, original, etc. I don't like super tight and immediate.
 
Emg77 said:
Im a fan of the Wolfetones. The Timbre Wolf sounds like it would do what your looking for. The Monkeybucker as well. The Monkeybucker would be more chunky, the Timbre Wolf more creamy.
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Thanks - been leaning toward these. Wolfe and I talked and the TW is close to the Duncan Custom/C5, as apposed to the JB. Is one warmer? I used the Timbre Wolf for years in a Les Paul and loved it, but no experience with the Monkey. I'm leaning toward TW.
 
PSGuitar said:
Thanks - been leaning toward these. Wolfe and I talked and the TW is close to the Duncan Custom/C5, as apposed to the JB. Is one warmer? I used the Timbre Wolf for years in a Les Paul and loved it, but no experience with the Monkey. I'm leaning toward TW.
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I would say the Timbre Wolf is more towards the Custom as opposed to the JB for comparison. The Timbre Wolf is a more balanced tone compared to the Custom with better clarity. Warmer for sure compared to the JB.
 
Emg77 said:
I would say the Timbre Wolf is more towards the Custom as opposed to the JB for comparison. The Timbre Wolf is a more balanced tone compared to the Custom with better clarity. Warmer for sure compared to the JB.
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Warmer compared to the Monkey as well? I'll probably order a nickel Timbre Wolf to replace my McCarty bridge.
 
PSGuitar said:
Warmer compared to the Monkey as well? I'll probably order a nickel Timbre Wolf to replace my McCarty bridge.
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Yeah I would say warmer and little more give compared to the Monkey. The Monkey has an A8 Mag. It feels bolder and more immediate / stiffer.
 
I'm guessing the top is mahogany, in other words no maple top? It seems most of the prs guitars are all paf style pickups that sound clear and clean up well. I have not had a chance to try the metal models, which maybe I would like. I have an 2002 McCarty with stock pickups, it's one of the most aggressive guitars I've ever played. Has a rosewood neck and ss frets. PRS has all this talk of how highly regarded the p/us are. I find they all seem to be a paf style. Nothing has every struck me as thin, one cu24 I had with an ebony board I did feel was not as meaty as some of the others I've had. Always wanted to try something as simple as an Aldrich or jb for shits and giggles. I never got all the 57/08 hype when those p/us came out and for years had sone highly regarded premium attached to them. Average PAF IMO. Good luck, waiting to hear what you end up with and how it delivers for your needs.
 
Emg77 said:
Yeah I would say warmer and little more give compared to the Monkey. The Monkey has an A8 Mag. It feels bolder and more immediate / stiffer.
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Cool thanks.
Funny because my SC250 which is some form of custom ceramic magnet as well as my ceramic PRS Dragon pickups are fatter with more give than my Alnico pickups. The SC250 is creamy too and dark, like the Tremonti, yet plenty tight.
 
Beandust said:
I'm guessing the top is mahogany, in other words no maple top? It seems most of the prs guitars are all paf style pickups that sound clear and clean up well. I have not had a chance to try the metal models, which maybe I would like. I have an 2002 McCarty with stock pickups, it's one of the most aggressive guitars I've ever played. Has a rosewood neck and ss frets. PRS has all this talk of how highly regarded the p/us are. I find they all seem to be a paf style. Nothing has every struck me as thin, one cu24 I had with an ebony board I did feel was not as meaty as some of the others I've had. Always wanted to try something as simple as an Aldrich or jb for shits and giggles. I never got all the 57/08 hype when those p/us came out and for years had sone highly regarded premium attached to them. Average PAF IMO. Good luck, waiting to hear what you end up with and how it delivers for your needs.
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Yes sir, no maple.

Some of the pickups are a bit different. My SC250, Dragons, Tremonti, etc...are thick, chunky and darker, yet still have good clarity.

Mine is a 2005 and it's got a nice growl. The bridge pickup is around 9.2k.
I may keep this in for a while before I decide to swap. I tend to like the feel of hotter but so far, not bad.

I had a 2003 McCarty with Maple top and stock pickups, which was more mellow and soft. This one seems more growly and mean.

I use the. Wolfetone Timbre Wolf years ago in a dark and heavy LP and it rocked!
 
PSGuitar said:
Yes sir, no maple.

Some of the pickups are a bit different. My SC250, Dragons, Tremonti, etc...are thick, chunky and darker, yet still have good clarity.

Mine is a 2005 and it's got a nice growl. The bridge pickup is around 9.2k.
I may keep this in for a while before I decide to swap. I tend to like the feel of hotter but so far, not bad.

I had a 2003 McCarty with Maple top and stock pickups, which was more mellow and soft. This one seems more growly and mean.

I use the. Wolfetone Timbre Wolf years ago in a dark and heavy LP and it rocked!
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Sounds like I need to try the Timbre wolf, is it medium or high output?
 
PSGuitar said:
Yep I have an Aldrich. Want more lows.
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I had an Aldrich in a PRS, and I can't imagine needing more lows. You'd probably get more mileage out of an EQ in the loop.

Any hotter, you're looking at mush. Maybe a Black Winter or a Distortion? Dimarzio Titan?
 
stratjacket said:
I love the PRS Metal \m/ pickups fit that. I have a set in my PRS Custom 22 that sound amazing. I had a new McCarty 594 a couple years ago, but never swapped the stock pickups.
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The metal pickups are awesome! I have two with covers lying around, and I have a set in a custom 24
 
napalmdeath said:
I had an Aldrich in a PRS, and I can't imagine needing more lows. You'd probably get more mileage out of an EQ in the loop.

Any hotter, you're looking at mush. Maybe a Black Winter or a Distortion? Dimarzio Titan?
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I've never had mush from more output. Depends on how it's made. My Dragon is hot but sounds amazing. I think my Tremonti and SC250 ar around 15k and my Aldrich around 17.
I could move the Aldrich to my McCarty and the Timbre Wolfe to my LP Standard but I think the Aldrich has an EQ like a JB, better suited for an LP and the Timbre Wolf closer to a Custom or Custom 5 and better for the McCarty. I could just experiment.

My Tremonti and SC f eking hotter than the Aldrich. Super clarity though. I know you can't only judge the output of a pickup by the resistance.

Amy at, I'll grab a Timbre Wolfe and try it in both guitars. I did originally think bally think of the Aldrich for the McCarty. And this is solid mahogany at 8.10 lbs, so it has plenty of chunk.

I think of the Aldrich like a JB and the TW like a Custom.
 
PSGuitar said:
I've never had mush from more output. Depends on how it's made. My Dragon is hot but sounds amazing. I think my Tremonti and SC250 ar around 15k and my Aldrich around 17.
I could move the Aldrich to my McCarty and the Timbre Wolfe to my LP Standard but I think the Aldrich has an EQ like a JB, better suited for an LP and the Timbre Wolf closer to a Custom or Custom 5 and better for the McCarty. I could just experiment.

My Tremonti and SC f eking hotter than the Aldrich. Super clarity though. I know you can't only judge the output of a pickup by the resistance.

Amy at, I'll grab a Timbre Wolfe and try it in both guitars. I did originally think bally think of the Aldrich for the McCarty. And this is solid mahogany at 8.10 lbs, so it has plenty of chunk.

I think of the Aldrich like a JB and the TW like a Custom.
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I had the #7's in the SC250 I had, which is the one I went with the Aldrich's in. I wasn't a fan of the #7's. I had plenty of bottom out of the Aldrich's, but that was an old-school 10lb. guitar, so it was naturally deep on the lows.

I'd try a Duncan Custom! Or, as much as the JB can be finicky, it could be a good fit for the McCarty. I don't care for it in Super Strats, but it worked very well in one of the S2 Singlecuts I had, and equally as well in the ESP Skolnick I've had a couple of. They were golden in those.

The Custom works well in ANYTHING!
 
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