suhr pups

[jdurso]

anyone use the suhr aldrich bridge pickup? they were highly recommended on the PRS forum. I'm trying to decide between the Suhr or a Tremonit Treble for my McCarty. I need a hotter pickup in the bridge because the McCarty Treble aint cutting it for the chugging. So basically hotter but not without character... i already have a guitar with EMGs so i'm just looking at passive stuff.

 

[Rocky]

All of my guitars except for my Tom Andersons have either Suhr DSH or Aldrich pickups.


The aldrich is hot but not compressed. Great cut and treble without being harsh....nice tight low end. It is the only high output humbucker I think sounds good. I prefer the DSH, less output than the Aldrich (13k vs 17K) and more midrangey....which is what I like to hear.

 

[jdurso]

thanks for the input rocky. would you say its a pretty even pickup? i'm finding my mccarty pup is a little too midrangey for my taste.

 

[Rocky]

They have strong mids but not overpowering mids. Suhr pickups are very open sounding. Also very clear.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

I run Suhr Aldrich pickups in all 3 of my PRS Singlecuts.

I think the very fact that I have them in all my guitars should speak for my opinion on them :wink:

They are just outstanding...balanced, hot, yet not compressed. I went through just about every duncan, dimarzios, PRS pickups, INCLUDING the Tremonti, and the Suhr takes the cake over all of them.

Don't hesitate in the slightest.

Also, look up a member on the gearpage, 'Rocketmusic'...he's a Suhr Dealer, and will hook you up at a great price. He sold me the pups at $90 each, when they're around $120 everywhere else. Tell him I sent you.

Eric

 

[jdurso]

I run Suhr Aldrich pickups in all 3 of my PRS Singlecuts.

I think the very fact that I have them in all my guitars should speak for my opinion on them :wink:

They are just outstanding...balanced, hot, yet not compressed. I went through just about every duncan, dimarzios, PRS pickups, INCLUDING the Tremonti, and the Suhr takes the cake over all of them.

Don't hesitate in the slightest.

Also, look up a member on the gearpage, 'Rocketmusic'...he's a Suhr Dealer, and will hook you up at a great price. He sold me the pups at $90 each, when they're around $120 everywhere else. Tell him I sent you.

Eric

awesome information ERic. After Rocky's post i was dead set on the aldrich pups its just a matter of time at this point (ive been bombed at work). But its great to hear more feedback on them and having them in all 3 SCs says a hell of a lot. Also thanks for the information of Rocketmusic i will definitely look him up.

 

[camsna]

I used to work for Suhr. EVERYTHING he makes is incredible and every detail is addressed.

Get the Aldrich pups - you'll be totally pleased!

 

[jdurso]

guys is there a audible difference between uncover vs covered pups? never really thought about it because i've never had the option before. I do like the look of covered ones better but thats just asthetics. (although gold covered, with some rosewood pickup rings and gold screws would look nice).

 

[Rocky]

I can hear a difference, open coils have a clearer midrange and more top end. Unless the guitar is REALLY bright I never use covered humbuckers.

 

[camsna]

I really dig covered 'buckers. They are a little rounder and sweeter. Depends on what you want. Über raw - uncovered. Little more vintage - covered.

 

[jdurso]

so i ended up going with the gold cover neck and 53mm bridge Aldrich pups. i may have to wait 3-4 for them to ship but i'm fine with that. I'm going to look for some nice rosewood pickup rings and some locking tuners. The McBraz feels and plays like butter but i think the pickups and locking tuners will make it my dream machine. I really appreciate all the great feedback from you guys... definitely helped my decision.

 

[jdurso]

Ok so i bought a pair of Aldrich pups about a month ago and finely got around to taking it to my tech to get them put in my PRS (i know i'm lazy but things have been busy). So here's my thoughts... BEST MOVE I COULD HAVE MADE!!!!

Bridge: Very balanced tone. Bass is nice and tight, mids pronounced but not too much and highs are smooth... exactly the descriptions i've heard. With heavier stuff i couldnt believe how tight everything was... chunk was on point and leads were super smooth. I want to say the lower mids/bass sounded very much like that of a Les Paul, which this PRS never really had. Cleans sounded very nice as well, very open, very chimey. Now here's the clincher... when i tap the coils on the bridge pup, what i heard was amazing. With the McCarty pups i would get the single coil quack (which i hated) and always needed to adjust the tone to kill the highs. Not anymore, smooth as a baby's bottom and very sweet sounding with cleans. It almost has an acoustic guitar quality with single picking... very cool

Neck: This is the biggest gain for me. I always loved the slash tone and this delivers that in spades. The bottom always used to fart out with the mccarty pups and rendered me using the neck pup basically for cleans, not anymore thought. The neck pup is now my goto for leads because they're just as loud, clear and smooth as the bridge except it has a little more girth. Now using the clean channel with the OCD i can get very gilmore like tones and without the OCD i get the best cleans i've ever had. That includes my guitar through an express which till this point was the clean i've always wanted. Again when coil tapped this pup contols the lowers very well and has a very acoustic-y quality and with the OCD gets me a very JC120 type tone... whcih i love.

Between pups: This is the only downside and i dont know if its the way they were installed or just the characterics of the pickup. The between position (which i se alot) use to have its own sound that was different from both the neck and bridge. Now the between position sounds very much like the neck and when i switch to the brdige, the difference in tone is way too much. Again it could be the way the pups were installed but it could just be the way these pups sound when in that position. None the less this is not a deal breaker for me as the enhanced tones i get with the bridge and neck alone make this con not even an issue.



Cleans: The best way i can describe the pups with my clean channel is heavenly. Very open sounding (not choked like the mccarty pups) with this sweet high end sparkle i never got through the roadster with other pickups. I also noticed the bass frequencies where very controlled, unlike the mccarty pups which always seemed to be too bassy ( i could never dial it out). It also seems like there are more mids and the high end is smoother... all huge gains for me. Here is the best part about these pups... in channel 1 clean i threw on the OCD and to my suprise it sounded very fat, round and still CLEAN!! Never did the mccarty pups sound that good/clean with the OCD on in channel 1, they always sounded harsh... i'm official amazed at this point and haven't even turned channels 3 or 4 on

Mid-Gain: I use channel 3 in raw mode for some mid-gain sweetness, and will use the OCD to get me into early metallica/coheed and cambria territory. With the McCarty pups i always felt like the palms mutes and chords always had a blanket over them... the tone was good but not great. Now with the suhr pups i get this nice open chug that has a very 3D quality... basically sounds like the blanket was removed. I also always felt sometimes if i plucked the strings too hard the tone got a little harh... now with the smoother high end and enhanced mids, everything sounds fuller, tighter and exactly what i wnated to use the channel for. Also for leads i will throw the OCD on and now the leads are much smoother, with a better singing quality.

High-Gain: This is what i've been missing. Going from EMGs in my ESP to the McCarty pups in the PRS, I got better cleans, more complex harmonics and a more musical tone in general, but could not get the chug i got with the EMGs. Well that is the past and the Aldrich pups now give me everything I was missing. The chug is on par with the emgs except with more clarity and a much more open sound (not choked or sterile). For leads on channel 4 modern and the OCD things just get crazy... the PRS is singing like never before and the sustain is soooo smooth.

Overall: Best pups i've ever played through. Almost makes me feel like i have a new amp which was eactly what i wanted. I've always been a firm believer in the fact that your pups can truly be one of the biggest factors in your overall tone... in my mind i've proven this true. If anyone is ever looking for a pup that is high output yet clear and clean this is THE pup in my opinion. I said it atleast 3-4 times in this post and i believe rocky said it before, these pups have a very OPEN sound to them... amazing quality that i havent heard in most pups.

 

[camsna]

Toldja

SO GLAD you like them!!! Congrats!

 

[jdurso]

Toldja

SO GLAD you like them!!! Congrats!

thanks cams... they are unbelievable. They sound so huge without losing clarity.

 

[camsna]

I'd NEVER steer you wrong, buddy! How's that Mogami cable working out for you?

 

[jdurso]

I'd NEVER steer you wrong, buddy! How's that Mogami cable working out for you?

the mogami is good... i know its good because i never think about replacing it

still every time i play through the suhr's i cant believe how good things sound, especially the cleans. great f&*(ing pickup

 

[jhguitar1]

Can someone describe the difference between the Aldrich and DSH pickups? I have the Aldrich in one of my guitars and really like them. I am looking to get new pickups for another guitar. I am going to be playing more mid to low gain type of music. I play out of a Roadster Head.

Thanks

 

[Rocky]

Can someone describe the difference between the Aldrich and DSH pickups? I have the Aldrich in one of my guitars and really like them. I am looking to get new pickups for another guitar. I am going to be playing more mid to low gain type of music. I play out of a Roadster Head.

Thanks

DSH pickups arent nearly as hot and have a smoother character. More low mids also.

I prefer the DSH to the Aldrich myself.

 

[jhguitar1]

My understanding is that the DSH+ are hotter than the DSH, correct? Also, has anyone tried the SSH pickups? While I really like my Aldrich pickups, they are a little dark sounding. I am going to be playing music like Maroon 5, Bon Jovi, Gavin DeGraw, etc...

Thanks

 

[camsna]

My understanding is that the DSH+ are hotter than the DSH, correct? Also, has anyone tried the SSH pickups? While I really like my Aldrich pickups, they are a little dark sounding. I am going to be playing music like Maroon 5, Bon Jovi, Gavin DeGraw, etc...

Thanks

What impedance are the pots you're using? 500k? 250k?