Anyone have a 408?

Several years ago I asked Paul why he always came out with pickups and other parts that don't conform to standardized shapes and sizes? The 513, 509, Paul's Pickups, 408 pickups, the 2 Piece Bridge, Phase III tuners, Squabbins, etc, etc. They all have a unique, non-standard size and shape. So I asked Paul why he didn't conform to the industry standard and he said, "When Leo introduced the Strat pickup, it wasn't a standard size." "When Ted McCarty had his engineers create a pickup that bucked the hum, those pickups weren't a standard size." Only later did these pickup sizes become the industry standard. Paul's theory is this, if the new product is something special, the world will eventually embrace the new shape.
 
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Well it shipped and I got a tracking number. I'm probably crazy for buying this guitar not really knowing what I'm going to get :eek:. It may be a big surprise, a big disappointment or the guitar in the pictures, I'll know tomorrow.

The price was too good to pass up.

Amazon link in case anyone is interested (this was the only one in stock):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8XV6AG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's another pic from Amazon:
OtFDujC.jpg
 
Well it shipped and I got a tracking number. I'm probably crazy for buying this guitar not really knowing what I'm going to get :eek:. It may be a big surprise, a big disappointment or the guitar in the pictures, I'll know tomorrow.

The price was too good to pass up.

Amazon link in case anyone is interested (this was the only one in stock):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8XV6AG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's another pic from Amazon:
OtFDujC.jpg
WOW...you're going to love the tones from this one...and with the $$$ you saved, get the black pickup rings...
 
Well it shipped and I got a tracking number. I'm probably crazy for buying this guitar not really knowing what I'm going to get :eek:. It may be a big surprise, a big disappointment or the guitar in the pictures, I'll know tomorrow.

The price was too good to pass up.

Amazon link in case anyone is interested (this was the only one in stock):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8XV6AG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's another pic from Amazon:
OtFDujC.jpg

Gorgeous guitar!! Can’t wait to read your review when you get it! Also post more pics! Congrats

Now...... back to Les and 11Top ! LOL. :D
 
For me, the 408 was a guitar that I had to play before purchasing. I ended up with 2 of them (but now down to 1) because I was chasing a crystal clear strat like single coil sound and a mean/nasty/gnarly humbucker.

I think the 408 awesomeness was in being able to go between single and hum without a volume drop; also the ability to have a neck in single and bridge in hum was innovative at the time. It produced a single coil sound that was the clearest I’d ever heard... at that time.

I still like my 408. But not enough to hold onto to 2 of them with all the other options out nowadays.
 
I think you buy a 408 for what it is, what tones it offers as it is, the pick-ups in it - not what you can change it into. If you want a more 'conventional' guitar that you can change pick-ups but still have the build quality and body shape of a PRS, you can buy a Custom 22 for example or maybe a 594 as that has separate coil switching too built in - each pick-up with its own tone/volume too. Its easier than drilling into a guitar to put your own mini-toggles in.

Point is there are guitars that look like a 408 (or more to the point, the 408 looks like the majority of other PRS models) but offer the more 'standard' pick-up sizing so I can't think why you would buy a 408 with the intention of swapping the pick-ups, Maybe down the line, PRS may develop new versions which may fit to refresh the guitar but surely the point of the 408 is to be its own, unique thing and that's why you buy it.

I don't own one myself but I do have the 509 which also has its own unique pick-ups that look incredibly difficult to swap out if you 'wanted' - not that I do as I bought it because of what it offers from stock. I can understand that maybe you want a custom 22/24 or 594 but want Seymour Duncans, Dimarzio, Bare Knuckle or what-ever pick-ups you fancy but the 408 is built around those pick-ups. I see the 408, 509 etc as 'specialist' guitars and whilst they are versatile so they are not a 'one trick pony' (like the Gretsch Malcolm Young), they are built around the pick-ups and tones they offer.

Like I said, you could buy a 594 which has standard size pick-ups and built around a 'vintage' tone/feel but you can swap out the pick-ups if you prefer a more modern tone in a vintage feel. The Custom 22/24 can also be swapped out if you want to experiment with different Pick-ups but still love the PRS quality. Its not as if you can't have your own unique 'flavour' to the sound with pedal choices, amp and EQ settings...
 
Several years ago I asked Paul why he always came out with pickups and other parts that don't conform to standardized shapes and sizes? The 513, 509, Paul's Pickups, 408 pickups, the 2 Piece Bridge, Phase III tuners, Squabbins, etc, etc. They all have a unique, non-standard size and shape. So I asked Paul why he didn't conform to the industry standard and he said, "When Leo introduced the Strat pickup, it wasn't a standard size." "When Ted McCarty had his engineers create a pickup that bucked the hum, those pickups weren't a standard size." Only later did these pickup sizes become the industry standard. Paul theory is, if the new product is something special, the world will eventually embrace the new shape.

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I’m an early adopter...love the 408s...all versions...can’t wait to get my hands on the new TCI version!!!
 
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BTW- The pickups in the Silver Sky are a proprietary size, they are not the standard S-size .

That's eventually going to piss some people off, once the newness of the model wears off and people get restless and start swapping pickups. Conforming to standards makes sense unless you are achieving something an existing standard cannot do, for example the tonal impacts of the narrow and wide aperture of the 408 pickups.
 
I am a big fan of 408, they just fit my playing style perfectly.
I have other PRS plus many other guitars but 408 is the one that I feel the most comfort in playing.
Hope you enjoy your NGD.
 
Nah, you just go to pick guard USA and have a new pick guard made for the new pickups.Go all the way, or don't go.
 
I picked up my 408 a few hours ago from UPS and just opened it up. Wow, absolutely gorgeous guitar! The top looks great as does the birds. At 1st I thought maybe the fingerboard was Brazilian as it has a really nice wood grain but it's Honduran Rosewood.
It's definitely the guitar that was on the Amazon page. It's in very good condition. Top is very clean, no dings or scratches that I can see, The back has a few light scratches but nothing bad at all. One very small mark on the headstock. It's missing the trem bar so I'll have to order one asap. May have to also get black pickup rings as WeFixFlats suggested.
I can't wait to get home and play it.

MODCAT

Model: 408 Maple/Std Model
Top Wood: Maple
Frets: 22
Top Spec: Figured Maple
Top Grade: Ten Top
Neck Wood: Mahogany
Neck Carve: Pattern/Thin (Wide/Thin)
Fingerboard Wood: Honduran Rosewood
Inlay: 2011 Birds
Bridge: Tremolo or 2-Piece Bridge
Color: Scarlet Smokeburst
Hardware: Nickel
Treble Pickup: 408 or Bass
Middle Pickup: none
Bass Pickup: 408 or Bass
Electronics: 408

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I don’t think of my guitar as a 408, because it is shaped like a Santana. I really like the electronics. I often have the mini toggles painting different directions.
 
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