53/10 VS 57/08 with a P22

[JasonE]

I have recently been spending some time with a few of my guitars, checking out the new Keeley AT pedal. I have been using mostly my custom Suhr Standard, DGT and 2012 Experience P22. The pickups in the P22 are a variant of the 53/10 pickups with EXP etched on them. I am finding these pickups a lot darker than the DGT pickups. I will probably pull out a guitar with 57/08s in it to compare to but I already know where it will go.

I am really not loving the 53/10 neck pickup. It is too dark for my liking and compared to other guitars I play at gigs. I am not super happy with the bridge pickup either. This guitar has the 5 way blade switch on it. That now has me thinking about contacting PRS to find out how I can get a set of 57/08s that will work with the Piezo system in this guitar. I love everything else about this guitar and have considered it a keeper for life ever since it showed up here. I remember something about the pickups needing to be built with a specific polarity to work with the Piezo system.

I have a P22 Trem that has uncovered 57/08 squabbins in it. I will probably pull that one out for comparison. I know I like the sound of that guitar for gigging. It is right in the pocket of what I like.

Anyone else think the 53/10s are dark?

 

[bodia]

I've never played a 53/10, bridge or neck. Lots of people love them, though. I think 57/08s would be great in that guitar.

 

[JasonE]

Here is the page where they put out the specs on these guitars. Mine is the P22 but looks like the CU24 in the picture.

Introducing the Experience PRS 2012 Custom 24 & P22 Limited Run…

Specially appointed to commemorate the 6th annual Experience PRS event, this limited run of guitars is comprised of two models: the iconic Custom 24 and…

prsguitars.com

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

53/10’s are cool and plenty here love them. But I totally get it, they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.

It’s hard to go wrong with uncovered 57/08’s

For the 57/08’s I believe the treble magnet needs to be flipped due to the Piezo.

 

[László]

I love the 53/10s. With the right guitar and amp setup...they make the Earth move under my feet.

Of course, no pickup is gonna work for everyone.

 

[Tone-y]

Maybe try raising the pole pieces on the neck pickup a fraction. I did that to my 53/10 neck and it helped give it a little more clarity

 

[Kiwi]

Should you decide to exit your 53/10s, I'd love to make you an offer on them.

=K

 

[dmatthews]

I have a late 2012 P22 with 5708s and I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[JasonE]

I love the 53/10s. With the right guitar and amp setup...they make the Earth move under my feet.

Of course, no pickup is gonna work for everyone.

Do you tend to adjust the amp or pedals a little brighter to accommodate the pickups?

Maybe try raising the pole pieces on the neck pickup a fraction. I did that to my 53/10 neck and it helped give it a little more clarity

That is the first thing I will try. I am not sure when I will get to do this since work is kind of crazy right now and I have a bunch of songs to learn quickly.

Should you decide to exit your 53/10s, I'd love to make you an offer on them.

=K

I will hold on to them since they are a pickup that was made special for these guitars.

I forgot to mention that this guitar has a flame maple neck and is still dark sounding.

 

[JasonE]

I have a late 2012 P22 with 5708s and I wouldn't change a thing.

That is the way my 2016 P22 Trem is. It is perfect. That is how I know if I swap these out for 57/08s that I will like it.

 

[Dimebag11]

I have a bass pickup out of a P22 and it’s labeled P22 Bass 3610-N what pickup do I have? 57/08 or 53/10? It didn’t sound like a 57/08

 

[dmatthews]

I have a bass pickup out of a P22 and it’s labeled P22 Bass 3610-N what pickup do I have? 57/08 or 53/10? It didn’t sound like a 57/08

I ended up asking PTC what my pups are. Based on the serial number it was late 2012 (Nov/Dec) and that was around when they ran out of the 5310 wire and put in 5708. You may need the SN of the donor P22 to tell.
That said I'd ask them any way.

 

[JasonE]

I ended up asking PTC what my pups are. Based on the serial number it was late 2012 (Nov/Dec) and that was around when they ran out of the 5310 wire and put in 5708. You may need the SN of the donor P22 to tell.
That said I'd ask them any way.

I asked PRS Customer support about the pickups in my guitar since they are labeled Exp 2012 and didn't really have any more information about them at the time. They told me that they can't release the information about what they are because they were made special for these guitars. I asked if they were a variant of the 57/08 and they said yes. That is all they would tell me. I then found the page for these guitars years after I bought it and it says they are 53/10 pickups. I am wondering if they are not exactly the same as a 53/10 and are actually a variant of that pickup. I am a bit surprised they put this type of pickup in a guitar with the piezo system in it. I am not sure they fit the type of music most people would play that switch between acoustic and electric tones or use them combined. I will have to measure them to see what they measure.

Does anyone know what the average resistance is of the 53/10 pickups?

 

[dmatthews]

I asked PRS Customer support about the pickups in my guitar since they are labeled Exp 2012 and didn't really have any more information about them at the time. They told me that they can't release the information about what they are because they were made special for these guitars. I asked if they were a variant of the 57/08 and they said yes. That is all they would tell me. I then found the page for these guitars years after I bought it and it says they are 53/10 pickups. I am wondering if they are not exactly the same as a 53/10 and are actually a variant of that pickup. I am a bit surprised they put this type of pickup in a guitar with the piezo system in it. I am not sure they fit the type of music most people would play that switch between acoustic and electric tones or use them combined. I will have to measure them to see what they measure.

Does anyone know what the average resistance is of the 53/10 pickups?

Maybe this will help...

Updated List of PRS Pickup Specs

I had posted this to the original pickup list thread. But I decided to move this to its own thread so that it's easier to note list updates and allow people to recommend changes and additions specific to this list without getting lost. This list will continue to expand as I add older pickups...

forums.prsguitars.com

 

[JasonE]

I measured mine at lunch.

Bass 8.03k
Treble 8.72k

I did notice that the screws in the pickups are a bit lower than I would expect them to be. Most of them are a little below the pickup cover. Raising them all up to the cover level may help resolve what I am hearing. I also notice that the neck pickup is set pretty far away from the strings. For a hotter pickup this is typically where I would put it to get a good balance out of it.

These pickups have a hotter neck pickup than my DGT and a less hot bridge pickup than my DGT. I may pull out a couple with 57/08s in them to see where those are coming in at. I have some from over the years so I know there is a variation in them. I could possibly pull out the oldest set and newest set I have. I know what guitars those are in.

 

[JasonE]

Maybe this will help...

Updated List of PRS Pickup Specs

I had posted this to the original pickup list thread. But I decided to move this to its own thread so that it's easier to note list updates and allow people to recommend changes and additions specific to this list without getting lost. This list will continue to expand as I add older pickups...

forums.prsguitars.com

Looks like mine are a little less resistance than the ones measured for the chart. I wonder if anyone has figured out which magnet is actually in these yet?

 

[László]

Do you tend to adjust the amp or pedals a little brighter to accommodate the pickups?

I've always adjusted my amps other gear for each guitar, every time I play. It only takes a few seconds to dial in what I want to hear.

The Singlecut will get a different amount of bass, the soapbar guitar will need different mids and treble, and the pickups on the other guitars each do their own thing and need gear adjustment, too.

Even with the same guitar, the strings and room often sound different on Day Two of a session - some of it's that our perception of sound varies day to day with how much blood glucose is in our blood vessels any given moment, since the brain depends on glucose to operate. But some of it is that speaker cones absorb humidity, strings can sound a little different, etc., etc.

Often when recording I'll adjust and re-adjust for each tune or take. I figure that's what the controls are there for. Hey, it works for me!

I have different favorite mics for each amp, and use the guitar tone and volume controls a lot, too.

I guess you could call me a 'controls freak'.

 

[JasonE]

I've always adjusted my amps other gear for each guitar, every time I play. It only takes a few seconds to dial in what I want to hear.

The Singlecut will get a different amount of bass, the soapbar guitar will need different mids and treble, and the pickups on the other guitars each do their own thing and need gear adjustment, too.

Even with the same guitar, the strings and room often sound different on Day Two of a session - some of it's that our perception of sound varies day to day with how much blood glucose is in our blood vessels any given moment, since the brain depends on glucose to operate. But some of it is that speaker cones absorb humidity, strings can sound a little different, etc., etc.

Often when recording I'll adjust and re-adjust for each tune or take. I figure that's what the controls are there for. Hey, it works for me!

I have different favorite mics for each amp, and use the guitar tone and volume controls a lot, too.

I guess you could call me a 'controls freak'.

I will be playing this guitar live so I won't have a lot of time for adjustments. I have played this one live in the past several times but didn't notice the darkness in the pickups then. I plan on messing with it a bit this week.

I measured the pickups and they are not as hot as I thought they may be. In fact, they are less hot than the 57/08s that I love. I am going adjust them up a bit and raise the pole screws in them a bit and see if I can counteract the darkness that way.

I took a look at how far away the pickups are from the strings and I typically run them closer than what these are set. I must not have dialed those in when I got the guitar and left it at the factory setting. Now that I see how they are adjusted, I have faith that I can either completely fix this with adjusting them or get them in a range were I am happy enough with them to not have to swap them out.

All of my other Piezo equipped PRS guitars have 57/08s in them, two covered and one uncovered. Since these pickups are a little less hot I feel confident moving them close to the strings will help greatly.

 

[VHTStark]

I love the 53/10s. With the right guitar and amp setup...they make the Earth move under my feet.

Of course, no pickup is gonna work for everyone.

Agreed! They have a broader and more round top end than it's wilder 57/08 cousin, but I still find them to be clear and articulate. I have a set in a JA-15 and they sound superb there!

 

[László]

I will be playing this guitar live so I won't have a lot of time for adjustments. I have played this one live in the past several times but didn't notice the darkness in the pickups then. I plan on messing with it a bit this week.

I'd just turn up the treble on my amp. Are you far from your amp when you play out?