57/08 Narrowfields. Is it terminal?
- Thread starter blaren
- Start date
jfb
Plank Owner
I've seen a number of really beautiful PS's with narrow fields. You guys and gals must be on to something.
My "Go To" guitar is my 2012 Purple Hazel Studio with a BK Cold Sweat in the bridge and those un-freakin-believable NF's! I have over 60 guitars and those NF's made this one my favorite daily player. If they do stop making them I'm glad I already have two! I bought an Artist Studio based on how great those NF's sound, and the fact that it is drop dead gorgeous didn't hurt! 
roud:
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roud:
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My "Go To" guitar is my 2012 Purple Hazel Studio with a BK Cold Sweat in the bridge and those un-freakin-believable NF's! I have over 60 guitars and those NF's made this one my favorite daily player. If they do stop making them I'm glad I already have two! I bought an Artist Studio based on how great those NF's sound, and the fact that it is drop dead gorgeous didn't hurt!
I won't air ALL my dirty laundry here...but...
Why did you swap the 57/08 bucker for a BK?
I ask because you know...the 57/08 is probably the most highly regarded PRS (or any) pickup out there (PAF voiced at least). Most non-Studio owners will surely find that extremely odd.
My Stood sports a Duncan CC in it's bridge.
I'll let YOU tell everyone why that is. Why we both plucked the 57/08s, possibly the greatest pup made since '62 OUT of our Studios. And why my Studio now wears a $50 CC instead of the original $200+ 57/08.
It's odd that the Studios aren't flying off the shelves. You'd think that just the fact that it comes with a 57/08 bucker would sell a few?
And NO...I don't know of ANYONE "famous" who plays a NF equipped PRS :-(
My Studio de-throned my CE as being my #1. It also caused me to get rid of my Fender electrics...the CE almost did that too...it made my strats take a back seat but I still always kept a strat. Not anymore though...not since the NFs and I crossed paths.
Funny thing is now though, that the Studio got "bumped" from the #1 spot too. It has been replaced with a (embarrassingly looking around to see if anyone, especially my wife...is listening) 2103 Tremonti SE Custom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It NAILS Gibson tones for me (with the current pups I have in it). It wouldn't normally do a very convincing Fender impression...but...I musta wired the non-PRS bridge bucker (another CC) backwards cause the middle position sounds out of phase. It's spankier and a little quieter than when switched to either the CC in the bridge or the 59/09 in the neck positions. I kinda miss having that thick full sounding middle position but...I also kinda like the spank I can get out of the middle position. And I love being able to switch from a spanky clean Fender tone to a powerful lead voice just with the flick of the switch.
That IS what that means right? When the middle position sounds spanky and quieter relative to either of the pups alone I mean?
And to test/confirm this I would just reverse the wiring of either pup correct?
I think I'll leave it wrong...if it is wrong...maybe I won't. IDK.
The NF neck pup gave the Studio plenty of Gibsonesque womany roundness...but the 59/09 bass has the NF beat HANDS DOWN in that department! ...the NFs take the belt it in the Fender dept..HANDS DOWN!!
The Studio has NO equal though when it comes to those in between pup Fender-ish tones...and this is gonna sound retarded...even compared to a REAL Strat!!
And FWIW...and it IS all subjective and preference, I'm not too crazy about the looks of the McCartys or other models that have only 2 NFs. Kinda like seeing only two SCs on a guitar. Then again, I too kinda dislike the looks of PRS SC pups (the 305 and 315 ones) too.
Hey I know...since it looks like soon there will be NO PRSs with NF pups (57/08 NFs that is) offered pretty soon...maybe like with the old neck carves, the SEs (or those new "affordable" PRS USA models that are about to materialize) will be adorned with the NF pups??.
But I agree with several of you when you say...WHO CARES? I already have mine so if they stop making them...yeah...WHO CARES?
Maybe they'll be the future PAFs. Maybe the 408 NFs will be next week's Patent Number pups and the original NFs will be as priceless and unobtainable as a pair of '57 A2 Zebra PAFs?
Either way...whether someone who matters starts using them, whether people finally GET IT or not...I and a few of you are in the know when it comes to the 57/08 NFs.
I'm sure there aren't many NFs out there. I doubt that they'll ever be available as aftermarket parts to the general public...they won't FIT anything.
There's no real point to release the NFs for sale. Not even as marketing hype...like it is with the full sized 57/08s. He isn't releasing THEM to the GP either but that IS a marketing ploy. He "released" the 59/09s and 53/10s and did you SEE what that did to their prices? Can you say plummet? But the 57/08s are still demanding big bucks...when you can get em. It isn't because they are a much "better pickup" than the other 5x/xx pups that are available to everyone...I think it's mainly because they are just "unavailable" that their prices remain inflated.
Hey, has anyone ever seen even a SINGLE 57/08 NF pup for sale on eBay or anywhere? Well...or more than a SINGLE one?
So yeah Raven17...PLEASE inform us all on why you pulled that awesome "greatest pup in the last 60 years" 57/08 OUT of your studio and replaced it with the NK? ;-)
EDIT: OVER SIXTY GUITARS???? uhhhh yeah...maybe I shoulda asked someone ELSE to explain why they pulled the 57/08 out of their Studio. lmao
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I the NF's a lot too. I want a SASNF also, sad to see them gone. Probably not happen for a few years.
Always the "friend".... :rofl:
Seems to me that the NF3 and the Studio cover the narrowfield needs pretty well...why the speculation that the NFs are somehow going away?
The Mc NF was clearly a special run, and the NF3 and SAS NF pretty much covered the same territory. It makes sense that PRS figured to go with one or the other, but not both.
So have you heard some scuttlebutt that they're going away, or is this just internet speculation?
The Mc NF was clearly a special run, and the NF3 and SAS NF pretty much covered the same territory. It makes sense that PRS figured to go with one or the other, but not both.
So have you heard some scuttlebutt that they're going away, or is this just internet speculation?
I actually like the 57/08, I have them in a few of my other PRSi. The reasons why I put the BK in my studio were due to a combination of the ugliness of mixing covered and uncovered pups and I didn't think IMHO the bridge 57/08 had the balls to match the NF's. The BK on the other hand is AMAZING. So much so I put a calibrated set of BK Cold Sweats in my Navarro in place of the HFS/VB. I bought my DGT used and it came with EMG's, which I love for certain applications, but in a PRS with all that great tone potential they had to go. The DGT is at the shop getting a calibrated set of BK Miracle Man pups installed.
I'm not sure if that was the answer you were looking for, but there will be a few pups going on eBay soon. LOL
DING DING DING DING DING DING DING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have ourselves a winner ladies and gentlemen!!!
Sorry for making YOU say it. When I say it people get mad. Well except for at the other PRSForums where, they've just heard me say those exact words way too many times.
Like I said...the 57/08 is one of the greatest pups ever (maybe a stretch but it DOES sound really good)...but putting it in the Studio next to the almighty NFs...no matter HOW much height and polepiece adjustments that can be done....BIG mistake.
DOH!!!
I just said it again didn't I?
oopsies...sorry.
Point is that ...there you have it...more proof/confirmation.
I know...it's getting WAY too tired. But dammit!! I think the Studio might be a success if they had put a more powerful pup in the bridge. :-(...which may have allowed the NFs to be more successful..and more long-lived (assuming that they aren't long for production).
Peace
no no...just pure speculation.
Since the first second that I plugged-in my Studio I loved it. I know that the HSS set-up is very '80s but I like a neck SC and I have a lot of use for position 2 and 4 of a strat...but I never had a strat whos bridge pup I liked. I ALWAYS changed them for at least a stacked bucker or blade bucker...if not a full sized humbucker in the bridge.
Once you put a proper pup in the bridge of the Studio even the split tones are great. To me it's the most versatile guitar I've ever put my mitts on.
And I don't mean just the normal "does a DECENT strat...does a DECENT tele, does a DECENT humbucker voiced thing..."...I mean it does all of those things AMAZINGLY well!!
Due in large part to those NF pups.
So, when I see most of the NF equipped models being discontinued, and knowing that not many at all, people bought the Studios and no "stars" use them...and a good portion of the small number of people who DID buy a Studio seem to have unloaded them or traded them-in on a DGT!!
That is my "conspiracy theory" with regards to the NF pickups, the guitars that sported them, and the decline and fall of the Studio...well I guess that implies a former reign of greatness...I mean my speculation that the Studio will soon suffer the same fate as the rest of the NF equipped PRS models.
I'm sure that a Studio configuration PRS will always resurface in the catalog every 10 years or so but probably not with the NFs next time?
Just speculation.
Maybe the NFs will be available on a SE or the new intermediate line Studio model?
Since the first second that I plugged-in my Studio I loved it. I know that the HSS set-up is very '80s but I like a neck SC and I have a lot of use for position 2 and 4 of a strat...but I never had a strat whos bridge pup I liked. I ALWAYS changed them for at least a stacked bucker or blade bucker...if not a full sized humbucker in the bridge.
Once you put a proper pup in the bridge of the Studio even the split tones are great. To me it's the most versatile guitar I've ever put my mitts on.
And I don't mean just the normal "does a DECENT strat...does a DECENT tele, does a DECENT humbucker voiced thing..."...I mean it does all of those things AMAZINGLY well!!
Due in large part to those NF pups.
So, when I see most of the NF equipped models being discontinued, and knowing that not many at all, people bought the Studios and no "stars" use them...and a good portion of the small number of people who DID buy a Studio seem to have unloaded them or traded them-in on a DGT!!
That is my "conspiracy theory" with regards to the NF pickups, the guitars that sported them, and the decline and fall of the Studio...well I guess that implies a former reign of greatness...I mean my speculation that the Studio will soon suffer the same fate as the rest of the NF equipped PRS models.
I'm sure that a Studio configuration PRS will always resurface in the catalog every 10 years or so but probably not with the NFs next time?
Just speculation.
Maybe the NFs will be available on a SE or the new intermediate line Studio model?
justmund
Plank Spanker
I highly doubt PRS will pull the NFs. It's a no win situation, they need amortize the R&D cost so from a business perspective it makes zero sense.
The lead singer from Switchfoot plays NFs:
and yes, I have seen them for sale. I bought a pair and put them in my SE EG along with a 59/09.
The lead singer from Switchfoot plays NFs:
and yes, I have seen them for sale. I bought a pair and put them in my SE EG along with a 59/09.
Not to beat an already pulverized proverbial horse....notice my second photo of my Studio Artist? Yup, 57/08 covered pup pulled in favor of an open 59/09.....and I'm the 2nd owner and it was like that when I bought it. We are not alone! LOL
I have a McCarty NF and a Studio. I found the NF to sit between humbuckers and soapbars very nicely. They are very nice when recording multiple guitars with humbuckers and wanting some distinction between the guitar parts. While I'm happy with the 5708 and NFs combo in the Studio, I have not tried anything else to see if I like it better combined with the NFs. I think the NFs are great pickups. The two guitars I have with them compliment my set of humbucker, soapbar and single coil PRSs.
IMHO when the NFs first came out in the 25th Anniversary series, the different look especially in the McCarty and the new neck binding were turn offs for some. The three NF pickup configuration looked more balanced (i.e., familiar as in a strat). Many dealers did not carry many of the NF equipped guitars so lack of hands on experience probably did not help matters. I do not recall much discussion or push coming from the PRS factory about the NF besides the initial introduction. I bought my McCarty NF after playing the various NF guitars at the PRS Experience. The SAS and Modern Eagle were more strat-like so I went with the McCarty since it better suited my tastes and desires at the time.
IMHO when the NFs first came out in the 25th Anniversary series, the different look especially in the McCarty and the new neck binding were turn offs for some. The three NF pickup configuration looked more balanced (i.e., familiar as in a strat). Many dealers did not carry many of the NF equipped guitars so lack of hands on experience probably did not help matters. I do not recall much discussion or push coming from the PRS factory about the NF besides the initial introduction. I bought my McCarty NF after playing the various NF guitars at the PRS Experience. The SAS and Modern Eagle were more strat-like so I went with the McCarty since it better suited my tastes and desires at the time.
crgtr
Zombie Eight - DFZ
I couldn't warm up to the NF's. I had a Studio for a few weeks and I really didn't like the 57/08 in the bridge in that combo. But bridge pup aside, I thought the NF's were too dark for me. I also couldn't lower the middle pup enough to get it out of the way of my pick.
That said, I played a hardtail Studio down at Derek's & it sounded really good. That guitar sounded great in every pup selection. I probably could've lived with that guitar with no mods. There was a distinct difference in tone in the hardtail. It worked for me. I didn't have to change any settings on the amp to adjust for the previous "dark" sounding NF's and the 57/08 had more lows/balls to my ears. Now I'm wondering if he still has that gtr for sale...........damn GAS!
Just my thoughts on the subject.
That said, I played a hardtail Studio down at Derek's & it sounded really good. That guitar sounded great in every pup selection. I probably could've lived with that guitar with no mods. There was a distinct difference in tone in the hardtail. It worked for me. I didn't have to change any settings on the amp to adjust for the previous "dark" sounding NF's and the 57/08 had more lows/balls to my ears. Now I'm wondering if he still has that gtr for sale...........damn GAS!
Just my thoughts on the subject.
markie
Zombie 27 - DFZ
I am a fan of the NF P-ups. My Studio does not get much play as I also have trouble negotiating around the middle P-up. I ordered it with a 59/09 in the Bridge, so I cannot comment on the 57/08. I do have a McCarty & a CU24 with NFs. I really dig both of those Guitars!
Do you have a photo of your Studio? And/or interest in parting with it? PM me if you do.
markie
Zombie 27 - DFZ
As pictured Studio, McNarrowfield, CU24 NF..........
I've heard it on a video, i think it's the one where Paul and Mike were in the studio testing out the Studio. Paul said the Studio getting pulled out of the catalogue next year. No news on the NF3 though, I think it'll stay since the NFs definitely made a significant point in not just PRS but all guitars, being the only new type of pickup innovation in decades! and that was before the 408 came by. They definitely need to have at least one guitar carrying the NFs, or else, like what justmund had said, they've put in a lot of effort into creating the NFs, throwing it away just like that seems like a big shame and at the same time wasting their resources.
I've always been a fan of the McCarty with Narrowfields, but they're out of my league with that price tag! It's sad to see that they had to go.
I've always been a fan of the McCarty with Narrowfields, but they're out of my league with that price tag! It's sad to see that they had to go.
