Members alphamarquis Posted April 7, 2009 Members Share Posted April 7, 2009 hiya guys, I recently got a PRS 20th (obviously used) 22 and the sounds out of it are okay...I love the playability but is it just me or do those dragon pups kinda suck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Maess Posted April 7, 2009 Members Share Posted April 7, 2009 Depends what tones you are looking for. IIRC, they are warm without a lot of brightness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lizards??? Posted April 7, 2009 Members Share Posted April 7, 2009 Does Carlos Santana suck? I think he uses those ones now...switched from the Santana signature pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphamarquis Posted April 8, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 Okay, they are respectable pups then?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lizards??? Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 quality wise yes...if they are not the sound you want, no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DonK Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 I'm always curious about questions like this. On the one hand I'm tempted to say, "Absolutely: Paul Reed Smith gave 'em a listen and said, 'Cool, these really suck: I want them in as many two-thousand-dollars-plus guitars as we can stuff 'em in from here on out!'" On the other, I know (think?) the OP intended a serious question. Therefore, I'll offer my personal opinion: I prefer McCarty's (and, yes, I know Ed Roman hates them ), but the Dragons most certainly don't "suck". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johansolo Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 i like the dragons...are they alnico or ceramic magnets. i really really didnt like the HFS pickups in my alder body CE24i didnt mind them in a CU24 thou but i love the dragon in comparision in the 22s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lizards??? Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 I am pretty sure the dragons (at least the dragon IIs) are alnico. the HFS was ceramic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GibsonVMan Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 Does Carlos Santana suck? I think he uses those ones now...switched from the Santana signature pickups. No offense..but...I believe Carlos could make any guitar sound great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johansolo Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 I am pretty sure the dragons (at least the dragon IIs) are alnico. the HFS was ceramic. that would really explain a lot as to why i prefered the dragons over the HFS as i really dont like what ceramic magnets do to the tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members iego Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 I have a set of Dragon IIs in my Ibanez SZ and I can confirm that(for me at least) they most certainly do not suck.The bridge pickup is not too dissimilar to the JB i have in another guitar, but with a bit less bite in the midrange, a lovley smooth fat sound for leads and nice chunk for heavy rhythm. The neck pickup can get a little muddy, but is real rich and warm sounding with some great harmonic overtones.clean tones can sound a little dull depending on amp, but with a bit of overdrive they can really sing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scolfax Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 i really really didnt like the HFS pickups in my alder body CE24 +1. I really did not like those pickups in my mahogany body CE24. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knotty Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 I have HFS/Vintage in my 20th standard 24 and they are great. I think they suite the mahogany/nitro body well. Split well too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knotty Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 Just a thought, they may be much more powerful than you are used too if you are a strat guy. If you wanna use your favourite old settings try backing them off a bit/lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blakemore Effects Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 I love the Dragon pickups in my Custom 22. Tone to die for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 Everyone is going to like and dislike different pickups. Furthermore, what may sound good on one guitar may not on another. If you don't like them at first, experiment with your settings and if after awhile you still don't like them, get something else. For example, almost everyone loves a JB in their bridge but I find them too harsh. But that's just me. Billy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members docjeffrey Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 The Dragon II's are great pickups. I have them in a CE22. The bridge pickup measures 12.7 K and the neck is 7.8 K. This combination works really well when you combine the the inside or outside coils of each pickup in parallel, you get very usable faux single coil sounds that really sound like single coils. The bridge pickup really cooks for leads and beefy power chords, and the neck pickup is perfect for rhythm or jazz sounds. I own at least 12 very nice guitars with humbuckers (Fender, Gibson Rick, Gretsch, PRS). I even have one of those ultra expensive EVH relic pickups on one of my Les Pauls. The Dragon II's are right up there with the best of the hotter PAF's that I play which, besides the EVH includes Duncan Pearly Gates, BB Pro, 57 Classic Plus, TV Jones Classic Plus, Custom Shop Seth Lovers with Alnico V's, and so on. Some players complain about the darker sounding Dragon II neck pickup, but you don't want your neck pickup to sound just like your bridge pickup, do you? It's supposed to sound different. You have to spend time with neck pickups and see what they can (and can't) do. There are so many cool textures that you can do with a neck humbucker on a PRS, especially with the high quality pots and caps that they use. You roll back the tone and crank the volume so it's just starting to break up a Fender Deluxe and it's like heaven. OK, I'll step down off my PRS soapbox. But I gotta post a photo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cerebrix Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 wait for the new james tyler pickups. i was at a pseudo "focus group" over the weekend and got to hear all of his new pickups. friggin amazing. people are going to be saying "bareknuckle who?" seriously. james tyler knocked it out of the park with these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphamarquis Posted April 8, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 I see, I think I am not used to such powerful pickups, the strongest thing I have in my arsenal regularly are P-90s or a Duncan Seth Lover (in an ASAT). After playing some more, I find that I can really dial in a sweet dirty tone with my OCD running into my Maz 38. But when I run it clean it seems a little lacking. So I think they just aren't my taste, albeit a great pickup, a bit strong for me. I don't feel like going on a swap frenzy yet, so I'll just keep noodling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GRANKOR Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 I love the HFS pickup, it has a lot of output but on the coil split settings with the Vintage Bass pickup in parallel it sounds very nice for cleans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fulcrumpoint Posted April 8, 2009 Members Share Posted April 8, 2009 Another candidate for buying a 2k guitar and destroying it The tone is the player not the guitar.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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