Mullen PRP - a pleasant surprise

[Landon Johnson]

Recently acquired a 1989 Mullen PRP SD-10. Finally got it set up the way I like it and boy does it play nice!

I also have a Williams S-10 and, while both equally playable they fit into completely different environments sonically.

The Williams has an Alumatone pickup and gives a very forward, lead-level sound. I use it for my solo stuff where I play primarily melody.

The Mullen has an E66 pickup. I was a bit apprehensive about that due to the idea that people seem to either hate them or love them. I find that the PRP-E66 combo works well for me in an ensemble, where I am doing mostly chords and fills.

I really like the idea of having two guitars with different and complementary sound profiles....

[David Higginbotham]

Years ago I arrived to listen to a close friend of mine (Danny Cormier) playing a gig on his pre-RP Mullen and it was one of the best sounding steels I’d ever heard. When I walked up to see what pickups he was using (expecting something like original 705’s) I was amazed to see E-66 on both necks! My thoughts are that the darker sounding Mullen and the brighter E-66 are a perfect match. I’ve had a couple of pre RP models and they’re absolute tone monsters and sustain for days. Particularly the black anodized changer models. I completely refurbished a red/orange lacquered Pre RP model mixing my own blue stain and unconventional gold maple inlay. I regret parting with that guitar to this day and the last person I knew to have it was the late Steve Takacs. He & I had great conversations about it. But those Mullen Pre-RP models are amongst the best steels ever built.
Dave

[Dave Meis]

@ David... I have that blue guitar now, and it really does sound nice!