Naked 58/15s

Shawn confirmed on a thread a while back that while similar, there is more to it than just the cover.

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Shawn confirmed on a thread a while back that while similar, there is more to it than just the cover.

Yeah I remember that. Reminds me of the feeling I got when he dropped the "we dont use v12 anymore" bomb on me.
 
ok, so removing the covers lowers capacitance which means more highs..... supposedly more articulate also....

I'll disagree with the others and say that when I add/remove covers I think the difference is pretty audible and that adjusting pickup heights is completely different from adding/removing covers.

Removing the cover won't sound like the same pickup with more highs. It sounds like the same pickup with the cover removed. The change is a bit more complex and affects both the mids, top end and the attack, but it's hard to describe in text. Personally, I like the sound of a covered pickup in the neck because it has more honk, and I prefer the sound of an uncovered pickup in the bridge because it sounds more 1970s.

That said, I'm with everyone else who suggests getting a set of 85/15 and preserving the 58/15.


My only worry is removing the cover and having a bunch of wax on top, I wouldn't think so but ya never know.

It's going to have wax on it. Pickups are typically potted after the cover is installed so that the cover doesn't vibrate and cause feedback. The wax is easy to remove, but if you ever decide to reinstall the covers without the wax they may cause feedback.
 
Yeah, but it's barely audible. Those covers are metal. I really don't think it's worth it.What? PRSh confirmed that they are the same pickup underneath, though the covers do change the sound signature somewhat, which makes them different pickups.

Also, since the wire is magical, each pickup is going to be different, and since the guitars are handmade, each guitar is going to be different, so each pickup in each guitar is going to be different.

Anyway, sorry to contribute to the entropy, gah, ack, ptui.

I haven't seen Paul actually say that. I think it's just been people's interpretation. I suspect the magnets are different because while they measure the same resistance, the differences in voicing are bigger than just a cover.
 
I'll disagree with the others and say that when I add/remove covers I think the difference is pretty audible and that adjusting pickup heights is completely different from adding/removing covers.

Removing the cover won't sound like the same pickup with more highs. It sounds like the same pickup with the cover removed. The change is a bit more complex and affects both the mids, top end and the attack, but it's hard to describe in text. Personally, I like the sound of a covered pickup in the neck because it has more honk, and I prefer the sound of an uncovered pickup in the bridge because it sounds more 1970s.

That said, I'm with everyone else who suggests getting a set of 85/15 and preserving the 58/15.




It's going to have wax on it. Pickups are typically potted after the cover is installed so that the cover doesn't vibrate and cause feedback. The wax is easy to remove, but if you ever decide to reinstall the covers without the wax they may cause feedback.
I was switching back and forth between a bridge 57/08 and the 85/15, I preferred the 5708' heat, but it seemed muffled, when compared to the 8515.
So I went ahead with the experiment and removed the cover of the 57/08.
it was pretty darned easy to use the utility knife with a very sharp razor blade, being very careful not to cut any important wires.
Rocking back and forth slicing through the soft metal solder bit by bit. 30 to 45 seconds, And finally just popped right off.
it was so straightforward, the amplifier was at the same setting, to me it was solidly noticeable, almost dramatic, much clearer string attack, nice cutting tight gain structure, just ever so slightly brighter, same sound but just better, the wax mostly stayed on the metal portion, I just did a basic wipe down on the black plastic surface with a slightly oily rag,
The screw coils were up (so that they would stick through the cover) and needed to be screwed back down about 1 1/2 to 2 rotations tighter, I did leave cover on the neck position though, I think it might help contribute to a better woman tone. when the tone of his rolled back. so I really liked 5708 uncovered it's awesome. Certainly I think certain playing styles might benefit from a slightly more loose tone. But if you like it tight and bright, highly recommended.
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I haven't seen Paul actually say that. I think it's just been people's interpretation. I suspect the magnets are different because while they measure the same resistance, the differences in voicing are bigger than just a cover.
I have seen Paul actually say that, in person, at a PRS shindig downtown DC. Or maybe it was Experience '16, but yes, that's what he said. (I'm pretty sure it was at the shindig downtown, I think @dogrocketp and his son was there, too. Something Room was the place.)

I will admit, I have since come to notice that he's very careful not to outright lie, but he'll hem and haw and qualify, so I don't remember if he did that. I think I could play poker with him now. Not sure, don't commit me to that.

We should ask him again, at Experience '18. Because yeah, this is getting ridiculous.
 
I have seen Paul actually say that, in person, at a PRS shindig downtown DC. Or maybe it was Experience '16, but yes, that's what he said. (I'm pretty sure it was at the shindig downtown, I think @dogrocketp and his son was there, too. Something Room was the place.)

I will admit, I have since come to notice that he's very careful not to outright lie, but he'll hem and haw and qualify, so I don't remember if he did that. I think I could play poker with him now. Not sure, don't commit me to that.

We should ask him again, at Experience '18. Because yeah, this is getting ridiculous.

They're definitely needlessly tight lipped about pickup specs.
 
I have both and they are similar, but different. The 58 has more a bell like tone, in the same guitar. 85 more cutting
 
And just to clarify. I didn’t mean to imply that you could get the same effect of taking off the cover by adjusting the height. They are two different things. Just in my experience removing the cover was a very small change in tone compared to what happens when you adjust the height.

I also have no information about what’s different between the two pickups. But different magnets would be a small enough change, that one could say they’re the same pickup, while tonally being obviously different. Especially if, for example, one uses an a5 magnet and the other a weaker/stronger a5. At that point they would basically be the same pickup, with one having a cover and one not.
 
Hi, Can anyone confirm if the 58/15's are wax potted? If so, I will leave them alone. otherwise it's easy enough to put the covers back on.

Thanks
 
I have seen Paul actually say that, in person, at a PRS shindig downtown DC. Or maybe it was Experience '16, but yes, that's what he said. (I'm pretty sure it was at the shindig downtown, I think @dogrocketp and his son was there, too. Something Room was the place.)
Pete, I think the pickup recipe changes. What may have been true then may not be true even 6 months later. I was there downtown, but not with my son. I would have killed that peckerwood for the way he abused the $10,000 acoustic. Even Paul had to say something.
 
I think the pickup recipe changes. What may have been true then may not be true even 6 months later.
That...that's actually a pretty good theory. I can one-up you, though, I bet revisionist PRSh can tell us anything he wants, true or not.
 
I have seen Paul actually say that, in person, at a PRS shindig downtown DC. Or maybe it was Experience '16, but yes, that's what he said. (I'm pretty sure it was at the shindig downtown, I think @dogrocketp and his son was there, too. Something Room was the place.)

I was there (EXP '16) and yes, he said so. It was while presenting the core MC594.
 
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