ScottG • PRS Custom 24 Night • 59/09 Pickups

The Other Guitar

Your PRS Custom 24 is not a Suhr. Stop treating it like one. It does things neither Suhr can — and tonight you're going to hear them.

Why the PRS with 59/09s needs completely different settings.

Your PRS Custom 24 with 59/09 pickups (9.3K bridge / 8.4K neck, Alnico 2) is a fundamentally different instrument from both Suhrs. Every setting changes — here's why:

The 59/09 pickups. Hotter than your ML Standards by a significant margin — the 59/09 bridge at 9.3K versus the ML bridge at 7.2K. But the secret is the Alnico 2 magnet. Your Suhrs use Alnico 5 — brighter, punchier, more aggressive attack. Alnico 2 is softer, sweeter, with a natural compression that smooths pick attack. PRS forum consensus describes the 59/09 as having an "immediate, forceful attack with strong mids and lows" — they push hard but with a warm, rounded envelope. The bridge pickup is described as "the bomb for classic rock." The gain structure is excellent for drive but they're less flexible when cleaning up — they don't sparkle like single coils. This means: less preamp gain needed (the pickups push harder), but more treble compensation (the Alnico 2 is inherently warmer/darker).

The body. Mahogany with a maple cap versus your Strat S's alder. Mahogany adds warmth, thickness in the midrange, and natural compression. The maple cap adds clarity and sustain on top. This is the classic recipe for "woody, singing, sustaining" — the Les Paul/PRS voice.

The scale length. 25" versus 25.5" on both Suhrs. Shorter scale = slinkier feel, easier bends, warmer fundamental. Combined with Alnico 2 and mahogany, the PRS is inherently darker and thicker than either Suhr. You must compensate with the amp or the tone fills up and goes muddy.

The 5-way blade. Positions 2 and 4 split the 59/09s and combine inner coils. These splits are hotter than typical single-coil splits because the 59/09s are wound hotter. They quack, but with more body than Strat singles. These are the secret weapon — the PRS doing things a Strat can't (humbucker warmth and power) AND things a Les Paul can't (split-coil clarity and position variety).

The calibration changes from your Suhr settings:
• Amp Gain: 4 (was 5) — 59/09s push 9.3K into the front end, the preamp needs less help
• Bass: 2 (was 3) — mahogany + Alnico 2 + 25" scale = massive low-mid content already baked in
• Treble: 7 (was 6) — compensate for the darker, warmer pickup/wood combination
• AC+ Tone: pushed brighter (1 o'clock vs 11 on Suhrs) — the PRS needs the extra clarity

Set A — Full Wet/Dry Chain

Badger 18 — PRS 59/09 Calibration (changes from Suhr settings in red)

Power

Drive

Gain

Bass

Middle

Treble

Boost

Off

Full wet/dry: AC+ → SD-9 → Badger 18 → FX Send → Mobius (R→Badger, L→Timeline 100% wet) → Mesa 5:25 Ch1 Clean, 5W Class A, Reverb 3.

A1 — Mahogany Warmth

The PRS clean that neither Suhr can do. No pedals except the AC+ as a bright buffer. No chorus — the 59/09 neck humbucker with Alnico 2 already has warmth and width that the ML singles need chorus to achieve. Adding chorus here would turn to mud. Just guitar, amp, and warm analog delay from the Mesa.

AC+ / SD-9

AC+Ch A — gain min, vol noon, tone 1 o'clock (bright!)

SD-9Off

Mobius → Badger

TypeBypass

Timeline → Mesa

TypedBucket Double — 450ms / 10 o'clock / filter 12:00 / grit 9 / mod 10

Neck HB Vol 6 Tone 8 Fingers AC+ Tone at 1 o'clock — brighter than every Suhr preset. The PRS needs this. The 59/09 neck is warm and round naturally; without the extra brightness from the AC+ it'll sound muffled through the Badger at these settings. The dBucket delay from the Mesa adds warm dimension. Play chord melody. Let the mahogany sustain do the work.

A2 — Split Quack

Positions 2 and 4 on the 5-way — the PRS doing things a Les Paul can't. The splits are brighter and thinner than the full humbuckers, so NOW the chorus comes in. Session clean with split-coil quack and Landau shimmer across the wet/dry spread.

AC+ / SD-9

AC+Ch A — gain min, vol noon, tone noon

SD-9Off

Mobius → Badger

TypeChorus Digital — speed 9 / depth noon / mix 30% / tone noon

Timeline → Mesa

TypeDigital — 375ms / 10 o'clock / filter 12:00 / grit min

Pos 2 or 4 (split) Vol 7 Tone 8 This is the secret weapon of the PRS. The 59/09 splits are hotter and fatter than Strat singles but still have quack and clarity. Position 4 (bridge inner + neck inner) is the quackiest. Position 2 is warmer. Digital chorus (not dBucket) — the splits are already warm enough, they need the crisper modulation. Crystal delay from the Mesa. The PRS suddenly sounds like a different instrument.

A3 — Santana Bloom

The neck humbucker lead tone PRS is famous for. The AC+ boost pushing the Badger gently past its edge. Vibe underneath. 59/09 neck with Alnico 2's natural compression = notes bloom and sing with barely any gain. This is why Carlos plays PRS.

AC+ / SD-9

AC+Ch A — gain 10, vol 1 o'clock, tone noon, boost ON

SD-9Off

Mobius → Badger

TypeVibe (Chorus) — speed 9 / depth 11 / headroom 2

Timeline → Mesa

TypedBucket Double — 440ms / 11 o'clock / filter 1 / grit 10 / mod 10

Neck HB Vol 8 Tone 7 Less gain than any Suhr lead preset. The 59/09 at 9.3K pushes the Badger harder than the ML's 7.2K — the AC+ boost is enough to push the amp past the edge without any SD-9. The Alnico 2 compresses naturally. Vibe from the Badger, warm delay from the Mesa. Roll vol to 6 for clean, push to 10 for singing crunch. The 59/09 cleanup is smoother than the MLs — the Alnico 2 fades gracefully rather than snapping between clean and dirty.

A4 — Bridge Crunch

The 59/09 bridge doing what it was born for. Classic rock bark. SD-9 at the Henderson setting pushing the already-hot bridge pickup through the Badger. Raw, punchy, immediate. The 59/09 bridge is described as "the bomb for classic rock" — this is why.

AC+ / SD-9

AC+Off (bypass)

SD-9 Dist10 o'clock (less than Suhr!)

SD-9 Tone9 o'clock

SD-9 LevelDimed

Mobius → Badger

TypeBypass

Timeline → Mesa

TypedTape — 380ms / 9 o'clock / filter 11 / grit 9

Bridge HB Vol 8–10 Tone 7 SD-9 Dist at 10, not noon. The 59/09 bridge at 9.3K is already pushing the SD-9's input hard — you need less distortion or it gets flubby and compressed. At 10 o'clock the SD-9 adds bite and sustain without overwhelming the pickup's natural voice. Tone at 9 o'clock (slightly brighter than the Landau 8 o'clock) because the PRS body is darker. No AC+, no mod — raw SD-9 into the amp. Warm tape from the Mesa adds room. This is the PRS doing AC/DC, Zeppelin, Stones.

A5 — Liquid Sax

The Holdsworth tone on the PRS. This is where the 59/09s and mahogany body actually have an advantage over the Suhrs — more natural compression, more warmth, more sustain. Less work for the pedals. The PRS was born to play legato.

AC+ / SD-9

AC+Ch A — gain min, vol noon, tone 11 (slightly dark), boost ON

SD-9 Dist8 o'clock (barely on — just sustain)

SD-9 Tone9 o'clock

SD-9 Level1 o'clock

Mobius → Badger

TypeChorus dBucket — speed 8 / depth 10 / mix 15% / tone 10

Timeline → Mesa

TypedBucket Double — 440ms / 11 o'clock / filter 1 / grit 10 / mod 10

Neck HB Vol 7 Tone 6 Legato, light pick The PRS advantage: the 59/09 neck at 8.4K with Alnico 2 in mahogany already has the warm, compressed, sax-like quality that the Suhr needs two pedals and a dark AC+ setting to achieve. The SD-9 at barely-on (dist 8 o'clock) adds just enough sustain compression. Chorus at 15% (lower than Suhr's 20%) because the 59/09 humbucker doesn't need the extra width — it's already wide. The AC+ tone at 11 (not 10 like on the Suhr) — slightly less dark compensation needed because the PRS is already in sax territory naturally. The mahogany body sustains notes longer than the alder Strat. This is the One Tone equivalent for the PRS.

Set B — Stripped Back (Guitar → AC+ → Badger 18 only)

Stripped-back chain: Guitar → AC+ → Badger 18 front input → Speaker. No SD-9, no loop, no Mobius, no Timeline, no Mesa. One guitar, one pedal, one amp. This is where the PRS shows you what it can do without any effects masking the tone.

Same amp settings as Set A (P4/D5/G4/B2/M5/T7). The AC+ does all the work.

B1 — Naked Wood

AC+ Channel A at minimum — just a buffer. The PRS straight into the Badger with nothing in the way. Every nuance of the mahogany body, the maple cap, the 59/09s, and the tube rectifier sag. This is what your guitar actually sounds like.

AC+

ChannelA — gain min, vol noon, tone 1 o'clock

BoostOff

All 5 positions Vol 6 Tone 8 Cycle through all 5 positions and really listen to each one. The neck full humbucker is warm and round. Position 4 quacks. The middle position has both humbuckers — thick and creamy. Position 2 quacks differently. The bridge is bright and punchy. You're hearing the guitar, the amp, and the room. Nothing else. This is your reference. If this doesn't sound good, adjust the amp before you add anything.

B2 — Sunday Afternoon

AC+ Channel A with the boost ON and gain at 10 o'clock — gentle push. The Badger just starting to breathe and compress. Sunday afternoon noodling tone. Warm, easy, unhurried. The PRS on the couch.

AC+

ChannelA — gain 10, vol 1 o'clock, tone noon, boost ON

Neck HB Vol 7 (ride) Tone 7 The AC+ boost's low-mid emphasis + the PRS's natural mahogany warmth + the Badger's tube rectifier sag = notes that bloom without any obvious breakup. Clean at vol 5, touch of hair at 7, proper warmth at 9. The kind of tone where you pick up the guitar and don't put it down for two hours.

B3 — The Whole Guitar

AC+ Channel B with the mid control and EQ shaping — the PRS through a proper tone-shaping stage. Channel B on the AC+ gives you bass, mid, and treble controls plus Hard/Soft clipping modes. This lets you voice the PRS like a second preamp, sculpting the 59/09s before they hit the Badger. One preset, five voices from the 5-way blade, guitar volume rides clean to crunch.

AC+ Channel B

Gain B10 o'clock

Volume B1 o'clock

Bass9 o'clock (CUT — the PRS has enough bass)

Mid1 o'clock (PUSH — vocal midrange focus)

TrebleNoon

ClippingSoft

The 5-way map with these settings

Pos 1 (Neck HB)Warm, vocal, singing lead. Woman tone.

Pos 2 (Split)Bright, funky, Strat-like quack + AC+ mids

Pos 3 (Both HB)Thick, creamy, wall-of-sound rhythm

Pos 4 (Split)Thinner quack with body, Tele-ish

Pos 5 (Bridge HB)Bright crunch, rock rhythm, dig in for bark

All positions Vol 5–10 (ride!) Tone 7 This is the practice preset. The AC+ B's bass cut at 9 o'clock removes the low-end thickness the mahogany adds, tightening the response. The mid push at 1 o'clock emphasises the vocal, guitar-like midrange that makes the PRS sound like an instrument rather than a bass or a keyboard. Soft clipping is more open and touch-sensitive than Hard — better for dynamic practice. With the 5-way blade and the guitar volume you have ten different voices from one AC+ setting. That's the whole guitar in one preset. No SD-9, no loop, no effects. Just the PRS being a PRS.