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Question for 3-Pup Owners

Turbozag

Banned
Joined
Jun 6, 2002
Messages
369
Hi all,

I just got my R7 3-pickup Black Beauty a coupe days ago.

This thing has THE most awesome neck I have encountered!
The ringing sustain is awesome. In short, it's easy to see why everyone talks up these Historic models. VERY nice!!!

However, I have never owned a 3-pickup model before and the middle pickup will obviously take some getting used to. Mainly, it's my right-hand technique that is affected.

Question: Is this something I will quickly get used to? I LOVE the guitar in all aspects except for the occasional annoyance of hitting the middle pickup with the pick.

BTW, I also love the tone of these 57-classic pickups! They go VERY well with my Mesa Boogie amp...

Will I grow to LOVE my 3-pup or should I move to a 2-pup model?
 
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Ed Driscoll

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
4,691
Turbozag,

You may have to screw the middle pickup down slightly to give your pick a little more room to maneuver, but I've found it to be not a very big deal. I use a flatpick and use my middle finger for fingerpicking, and I haven't had any problems on mine, once I made a minor adjustment to the height of the middle pickup.

Frampton, Fripp, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton all played three pickup Customs at various times in their careers, and the center pickup didn't seem to impede their technique too much. :)spin

BTW, congrats on the new guitar--three pickup Black Beauties are gorgeous instruments.

Ed
 

Turbozag

Banned
Joined
Jun 6, 2002
Messages
369
Thanks Ed!

It IS a thing of beauty! I know a lot of you are saying "why did you buy it before playing one"...

Well, it was there, it was gorgeous, and I could! I got it from a very cool guy from the PRS Forum who let me pay on it a couple months. Otherwise, I would not have been able to afford a Historic model. Now that I do, I can see why all the praise!

This has to be THE easiest fretting guitar I have ever played!

I'll try adjusting the middle pickup if it continues to annoy me.
 
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Park

New member
Joined
Jul 24, 2001
Messages
76
I also find lowering the p/u a bit is helpful. Congrats on you new ax, PLAY IT LOUD!!!!!!!
 
J

Jesse Segovia

Guest
Turbozag said:
However, I have never owned a 3-pickup model before and the middle pickup will obviously take some getting used to. Mainly, it's my right-hand technique that is affected.
Congratulations! I've got an '89 - it's the regular Custom line but I love it!

I've screwed all three pickups down even or just a little above the pickup ring for tone reasons - to my ears pickups sound a lot better, a lot more definition, when they're farther away from the strings.

Picking doesn't really bother me but I pick a lot differently than I used to. I now use 3-mm thick Jim Dunlop Big Stubby picks that let me pick a lot faster and cleaner than normal flat mediums do. In the old days, with the pickup covers off and the pickups screwed down I still caught the pick under the edges of the pickup. I guess these days I'm picking faster and harder but with less downward motion.

Photos? And would you mind sharing an idea of how much you paid? I'm considering buying a new or used '54 or '57 Custom Shop Black Beauty myself.

Jesse
 

sixty2strat

Active member
Joined
Jan 5, 2002
Messages
2,390
I had my 70's BB 3 pup custom for almost 10 years and I have never had ANY PROBLEMS at all. my pups are set low med and high....they run about the same distance from the strings so it froms a slope
 
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