PRS Dragon II vs. Duncan 59/JB vs ??? for CE-22

[funkywrench]

I recently scored a PRS CE-22 that the owner changed out the Dragon II pickups to a Seymour Duncan 59/JB set. He also changed the 5-way rotary switch to a 3-way toggle and wired it without any coil splitting options.

As part of my deal in buying the guitar, the seller included the stock 5-way rotary switch and the Dragon II pickups.

I've only had the CE-22 briefly and while I'm happy with the way it sounds, I'm curious as to whether I'd like the Dragon II's more or less. I should mention that I usually play with gain (modern rock to 80's hair metal levels).

I know I could just try it, but the problem is that while I've changed out a pickup in the past, it was drastically more simple than the full 5-way setup that I would need to do in order to restore the CE-22 to stock. With time being at a premium these days, I thought I'd ask for some opinions first!

So long story short, who has had the chance to compare Dragon II's with a Duncan 59/JB set in a CE-22 or any other guitar?

Also thinking of trying out a Rio Grande BBQ or something else instead of the JB in the bridge, partly because I already have a JB in my Edwards Les Paul and partly because the bridge is double-black and the neck zebra (shallow I know )

Has anyone tried these in a CE-22? Are there any other pickups that work particularly well in a CE-22 or that anyone can recommend?

[Taller]

My Y2K Standard 22 came with the Dragon 2 pickups. They were OK, but the Duncans I installed were much more clear and detailed ('59 neck and a Custom C5 Bridge). I've also removed the coil tapping option on my PRSs - when I want single coil tones I grab my Strat or Tele.
Something else to consider - the toggle switch that replaced the 5-way has a larger diameter shaft, so the hole would have been reemed out a little larger than stock. Returning the guitar to stock would require filling the space around the shaft of the 5-way with a bushing of some sort.

[sergiodeblanc]

I just bought a used pair of DII's to put in my SE "O" last month, and while they don't get a lot of love most places, I am extremely happy with split coil tone from the neck pickup.

[aPeRSon]

When I first got my Cu22, I was immediately struck by how dull the D2's sounded, but I do prefer a bright tone. I did think about taking the covers off them, but I also wanted zebra coils (I'm shallow too), so I ended up buying and fitting a Jazz / JB pair. I have the rotary 5-way, so I had to flip one of the magnets, but following the advice of a few Jim Collins posts, it all went fine and I'm more than happy with the tone now. One man's "dull" is another man's "warm", so why not swap back to the D2's the next time you do a string change and see what you prefer?

[MykeWright]

My Y2K Standard 22 came with the Dragon 2 pickups. They were OK, but the Duncans I installed were much more clear and detailed ('59 neck and a Custom C5 Bridge). I've also removed the coil tapping option on my PRSs - when I want single coil tones I grab my Strat or Tele.
Something else to consider - the toggle switch that replaced the 5-way has a larger diameter shaft, so the hole would have been reemed out a little larger than stock. Returning the guitar to stock would require filling the space around the shaft of the 5-way with a bushing of some sort.

There will usually be a large washer on the top side of the pot which should easily cover the slightly enlarged hole. If there enough room it should be easy to add a similar washer to the other side of the hole - between the body of the pot and top of the guitar.

[Taller]

There will usually be a large washer on the top side of the pot which should easily cover the slightly enlarged hole. If there enough room it should be easy to add a similar washer to the other side of the hole - between the body of the pot and top of the guitar.

Covering the hole isn't the issue. The fact that the hole is larger than the switch shaft will cause the nut securing the switch to continually come loose - especially with the twisting motion of the 5-way.

[MykeWright]

Covering the hole isn't the issue. The fact that the hole is larger than the switch shaft will cause the nut securing the switch to continually come loose - especially with the twisting motion of the 5-way.

Good point - I hadn't considered that.

[Ultramog]

I also know that DIIs don't get a lot of love, but I like 'em. Neck is in McCarty territory. I really like the single coils in series for blues. Articulate and full sounding.

[slev]

I also know that DIIs don't get a lot of love, but I like 'em.

+1.

Try them, throw them in there and if you don't like them without the coil tap then drop the Duncans back in there. If you're confident with a soldering gun it's a 20 minute job. If you like them then you can worry about changing the wiring to handle the coil tap. If I'm not mistaken you can keep the three way switch and then replace the tone pot with a PRS push-pull tone pot (McCarty style wiring) and you will not need to worry about the larger hole diameter on the switch.