57/08 or not?

[RonHal]

Hi, I have two guitars with 57/08 pickups. The first guitar pickups, sound like 57/08s. The bass pickup is
darker than the treble and vice versa. This is due to the position. Volume and freq are the same. Resistance is Bass, 8022 ohms, Treble is 8217 ohms. Expected readings for this pickup. Very good sounding pickups.

Onto the next guitar. Engraved 57/08. The treble and bass pickups dont sound similar or like the other guitars pickups. I tested using a Klon buffer and a fixed EQ amp with the same speaker. Guitars are setup the same.
Resistance is as follows, Bass is 7300 ohms, Treble is 9000 ohms. I know resistance does not tell the whole story. This Bass pickup is magic. The treble pickup is bright, almost thin. What are these pickups?
Treble is not a McCarty treble, I have that in another guitar. Wiring checks out. Miss labeled?

 

[Herr Squid]

How old are the respective guitars and the pickups in them? I suspect the second guitar with the "mismatched" 57/08s is older. They were somewhat inconsistent at first, until PRS figured that out and put measures in place (I don't know the specifics) to fix that. The sticker on the bottom of the pickup should tell you what it is, if you haven't pulled them out to look.

 

[Jock68]

Do they weigh the same? That may be the reason.

 

[Jimi D]

I've owned three PRS guitars with 57/08s in them; two 2010s and a 2012... I love one and still own of the 2010s and the 2012, and I sold the other 2010 - the pickups in that one sounded completely different than the other two, and just didn't work for me at all... Whether it was solely the pickups or their particular voicing combined with that particular platform, I don't know, but the difference was night and day...

 

[gush]

I've had two guitars with 5708s.

I put a set of squabbins in my ce24 and I had an HB with covered versions.

Loved neck pickup in both but disliked bridge pickup in both.

I just can't seem to find love in the 5708 bridge pickup.

 

[RonHal]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I a not alone. What ever the reason for the way this pickup sounds, the solution would be to change it out for something else.
As the bass pickup is low turns, 7300 ohms, a low turn pickup should be a match.

 

[VHTStark]

No, you aren't alone. I have (and still have) had a few from 2008 to present and I have noticed some variation for sure. My favourite set is from a 2009 guitar and it actually has alot in common with the 58/15's in my 2015 McCarty: full, clear...maybe just a hair more top end zing. The set I bought last year for my Holcomb model are definitely hotter and brighter. Not a bad thing....all the 57/08's I have owned and tried are some of the best pickups out there!

 

[BrianC]

5708s can be great but can also s@ck. I had a number of them and still have the good ones. Sold off the bad ones.

 

[dogrocketp]

Nobody bats a thousand.