Best replacement pickups for a Prestige 250?

I have a Prestige 250, bought new in 1982 or 1983, and loved and looked after ever since - one chip on the headstock and that's about it as far as damage goes.  I have never been a big fan of the stock pickups, as they sounded a bit muddy to my ears, so I swapped the bridge pickup out for a DiMarzio Super Distortion about 20 years ago. As I now have a bit of spare time and a bit of spare cash, I want to have some fun modding it.  I am looking to replace both pickups and all of the electrics (but will keep all of the originals, just in case my kids want to sell the guitar after I have shuffled off).  It seems to me that, with the Prestige being such a heavy slab of mahogany and maple, and with the rosewood (or is it ebony?) board, I should be able to get somewhere close to sounding like an old Les Paul.  So I have been looking at specialist pickup manufacturers who make vintage PAF style pickups.  So far, Bare Knuckle have really caught my eye, and I have the choice down to their Stormy Mondays or PG Blues.  I'd be really interested to hear from anyone who has tried to do the same sort of thing, and what pickups they would recommend.  When neighbours and the wife allow, I play through a JCM800 50w 2x12 combo; the rest of the time I'm afraid I use a Line6 HD500X and headphones (I know!).

 

Forgot my manners just then.  That was my first ever post, so I should have kicked off with a message of welcome - and a message of commiserations to those who have faced extortionate medical bills over the years from left shoulder pains caused by playing a Prestige!  I also have a non-weight relieved '81 Les Paul, and the Prestige is heavier (and a thing of beauty).

Thing of beauty is right; lovely piece of kit!!

BK pickups are very, very good indeed - I have played guitars with them fitted; I don't own one! - but the price reflects the quality, and I'm not altogether convinced that the über-pickups are THAT much better than the less expensive ones... YMMV, of course!

I put a set of Kent Armstrong P90s in a project Vantage Avenger and am mightily impressed by tbe results; would BK Nantuckets or Bluenotes, or SD Phat Cats have been better because they are 4 times the price? I haven't seen the need to replace the OEM h/b pickups in any of my Matsumoku guitars as I like the noise that MMK45s and 53s make... oh, the exception being the faux UBC pickups in the Spectrum ST which are less than stellar: I turned mine into a faux Telecaster with a set of generic Telecaster pickups and adaptor rings!!

World's your oyster, buddy - have at it! 

(P90s rock WAY HARD!!)

i installed a set of Seymour Duncan P-Rails on my Prestige 150. used the fancy trim rings that have mini switches to get all the combinations available. (knobs are 2V/2T)


supremo sounds, just great pickups. different pickup settings are quite distinct and provide a wide pallet of tonal options.
a bit costly, but worth every penny. a guitar of this quality deserves high end pups!

Fail to see how you find the original MMK 75's muddy, they're far from it fitted with alnico II magnets as per your Bareknuckle favs.

Here's a Prestige fitted with a 57 classic PAF and a Tim Shaw(Gibson) set of pickups. Wired as a Les Paul and sounds like one as a Prestige 250 is basically a Les Paul Custom, just a slightly different shape...

Go for Gibson pups.  Not very expensive (over here in US anyhow...), and they would give you that Gibson sound!

Try a set of these. Great sounding at a fraction of the price of the 'big names toys'. They're really a fine pickup, you won't be disappointed and if you don't like them I'll buy them back off you.... I'm in London also.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tonerider-Humbucker-Pickup-Alnico-II-PAF-Classic-AC2-for-Les-Paul-SG-etc-/381664387607?var=&hash=item58dcf86217mX1wusdQybjqyWGmnWcaCRw


http://www.tonerider.com/alnico-ii

Yep; second the Tonerider plug! I've just received a Tonerider Classic 2 for a project I'm re-visiting after listening to audio clips and reading the specs on about a gazillion aftermarket pickups convinced me that Toneriders offer bloody good value for money...

There may have to be other changes - bone nut for the current brass one, for example - before I get the sound I can hear in my head...

corsair wrote:...before I get the sound I can hear in my head...

As long as it doesn't sound like what I hear in my head mate!

Damn y-o-u tinnitus!

As for the Prestige 250, MMK75's are a very decent pickup with plenty clarity far from muddy.

Westbone wrote:

corsair wrote:Yep; second the Tonerider plug! I've just received a Tonerider Classic 2 for a project I'm re-visiting after listening to audio clips and reading the specs on about a gazillion aftermarket pickups convinced me that Toneriders offer bloody good value for money...

There may have to be other changes - bone nut for the current brass one, for example - before I get the sound I can hear in my head...

and I've just bought a set of Tonerider Rocksong to go in my Vantage project (which is coming along slowly) instead of the Peavey T60 pickups that happened to come with it.

I was hoping to get it largely back together this weekend, but I have to go to Twickenham to watch South Africa get beaten by England....

Adey wrote:

I was hoping to get it largely back together this weekend, but I have to go to Twickenham to watch South Africa get beaten by England....

Good choice.

Hope it's a good game..

See the Irish kicked some Kiwi rearend lately. That was a surprise!

Another thumbs up for tone riders here.

Never played or owned a Prestige (yet) but I did have a PRS Tremonti with Bare Knuckle mules in that had a tap function on the neck pup and and upgraded CNC electrics and orange caps. I don't think it was a perfect match but the sound was very very good, think Allman Brothers. For me the bridge and middle really worked but the neck full bucker was a tad muddy to my ears and yet recorded it was lush and full in the mix 

Tone chasing unfortunately can drive you a little mad, wishing you the best of luck 

A good amp really helps with tone chasing and yes it can drive you crazy, plus also very expensive.

Seen some guitars I sold way back being sold time+time again.
Making a small fortune for ebay.....