PRS McCarty and WCR Fillmores!

[papersoul]

I just have to tell everyone that the WCR Fillmores in a PRS Mccarty are UNREAL! I can't believe the tone I am getting out of this thing......I already was in love with the feel of the guitar but the tone is now to die for...no lie. I highly recommend any Custom 22 and McCarty guys to check out the Fillmores as they seem to work exceptionally well in these guitars. Jim's pickups are the best I have ever played and they make a PRS sound 10X better than stock! I took this to compare to my friend's PRS collection as he has a few Cu22 models, a McCarty and a Singlecut flame top and he is already planning on ordering a set. It smoked his other PRS guitars......

Gotta try it guys.

I feel my Mccarty and Fillmores are now the most versatile guitar I have layed my hands on in 20 years. I am a happy camper.:)

[tone4days]

are they 4-wire?

could you compare them to the stock mccarty pups and tell us how they are different / better?

what kind of music are you playing and what kind of amp are you playing through?

glad you are happy with them!!

cheers
t4d

[papersoul]

"are they 4-wire?

could you compare them to the stock mccarty pups and tell us how they are different / better?

what kind of music are you playing and what kind of amp are you playing through?"

Yes, 4-wire and split great! Nice and strat-like and almost acoustic on certain sounds! These are more punchy than the Mccarty pickups, fatter, thicker, richer, more 3-D and versatile. They sound great clean, very rich, but kill on high gain as well.

I play mostly hard rock these days but jump into blues from time to time and love all styles of music so I try to spend time playing everything from clean to classic rock to metal.

My live rigs are two Line 6 Vetta II amps but I have a tube head sitting at home.

[tone4days]

thanks!

i have a mccarty brazilian that is kinda low-mid and bass 'prominant' ... i am wary to put anything 'fatter and thicker' in there for fear that it will just be a muddy, wooly mess ...

i think the all-rosewood neck and fingerboard really need careful attention to pickup choice .. the search continues ...

glad you're diggin' the upgrade

cheers
t4d

[Jimmydeez]

Anyone try these pickups in a HBI? I am looking for a little more punch.

[papersoul]

Originally posted by tone4days
thanks!

i have a mccarty brazilian that is kinda low-mid and bass 'prominant' ... i am wary to put anything 'fatter and thicker' in there for fear that it will just be a muddy, wooly mess ...

i think the all-rosewood neck and fingerboard really need careful attention to pickup choice .. the search continues ...

glad you're diggin' the upgrade

cheers
t4d

That was the impression I had of my Mccarty till i did the upgrade. You may want to try anyway...they have serious mids and bite. I also upgrade the pots to 530k! I used the RS upgrade kit with PRS wiring.

[Ron K]

Thanks papersoul -- had you tried any other after-market pickups before the WCRs?

[DoobieK]

I currently have Wagner's Darkbursts in my McCarty's, but before those were available, had Fillmores. Compared to the stock McCarty's I would say,

Filmores have better note separation
Better articulation on the highs
More harmonic "Swirl"
Sound more "Straty" when split
Sound WAY better covered than the McCarty

The stock McCarty's are dull and middy to me, covered or uncovered.

[cswolfe]

Thanks for the recommendation. Love WCRs, and am bringing in a mccarty in a couple months where from experience I already know I'm going to hate the pickups. Glad the fillmores get great marks from you.

[sundaypunch]

I went through a lot of PRS's in the 80's and early 90's before finally giving up on them. I just couldn't get them to sound the way I wanted. I've had so much success lately with great pickups in other guitars (Timbuckers, Fillmores, etc.) that I'm almost thinking of giving a Custom 24 another shot.

[FredW]

Man I gave my McCarty that I really never liked to my cousin ( I have a habit of giving perfectly good instruments to family members) and now I realize that what I never liked were the pickups. Any advice on how to get it back? I feel like such a dumbass. The reason I gave it to him in the first place is so I could get back my 92 custom 24 that I had previously given him.

Man I feel like an idiot!!

[papersoul]

My McCarty is a blackburst so the zebra coils look so nice but I have a thing for covers. I am afraid I'd lose something with the covers...not sure....I like the extra bite in this guitar since the 530k pots as well. Funny I hear from some that covers add a bit of sizzle and tightness while some say they mellow the tone.

With all this talk of Goodwoods and Black Magic's I am getting the itch to try these in my McCarty. Oh, the madness.

There is a guy on this forum who uses the Goodwoods in his McCarty and loves them. Hmmm

[Brian Yarbrough]

Fred...This is your long lost cousin Brian...can I borrow a guitar?;)

[sundaypunch]

Originally posted by FredW
Man I gave my McCarty that I really never liked to my cousin ( I have a habit of giving perfectly good instruments to family members) and now I realize that what I never liked were the pickups. Any advice on how to get it back?

I would recommend blackmail. Have you got any dirt on him? :)

[tjs]

How versatile are they in conjunction with the volume control on the guitar? The general consensus seems to be that they sound great both full-up and clean, but how do they sound in between those two extremes? Could I get more of a PAF-ish tone with the volume rolled off a little, or will it still sound like a hot pickup, only at slightly less volume?

[cnardone]

thanks!

i have a mccarty brazilian that is kinda low-mid and bass 'prominant' ... i am wary to put anything 'fatter and thicker' in there for fear that it will just be a muddy, wooly mess ...

i think the all-rosewood neck and fingerboard really need careful attention to pickup choice .. the search continues ...

glad you're diggin' the upgrade

cheers
t4d


t4d,

I have the same issue with my McRosie. I've heard the the HD Z-90 is perfect in these guitars. Not sure if you are willing to take that leap of faith though. I have not been able to pull the trigger.

[suhr_rodney]

Like others, I have been through no less than a dozen PRS guitars since 1987. (no exaggeration) They always felt great but I could never get a tone that I was consistently happy with. I still have a Custom 22 that I bought new in 1992. I fell in love with the feel of it and the way it resonates. But have never played it much because it just did not work for me when amplified. I recently put a set of Seymour Duncan Seth Lovers in it and WHOA the guitar is suddenly useful. I love the round tones I'm getting. Now I'm GAS'ing for a set of WCRs to put in there.... hmmm.... Darkbursts??? Covers???

[papersoul]

I tried a few different pickups in my PRS McCarty, including a WCR Goodwood, but it was all over when I installed a WCR Fillmore. The Fillmore seems to me to be what a good PRS pickup should sound like....it just turns a PRS into a new instrument.

[papersoul]

Not everyone will agree but I could do Hendrix to Maiden to Metallica to Rush to Metallica to The Doors to Zep on this bad boy.

[colinm]

Unfortunately I just sold my PRS, but before I did I had uncovered WCR Darkbursts in my Custom 24. Best coil-tap sounds I have heard. I can't say enough good things about Jim Wagner, his work, and his service!