Aside: Confused on the numbering yet? Yeah. Does anyone else think that PRS didn't do any favors to their audience by having "58/15" and "85/15" pickups on the market at the same time? Something tells me that, at least half the time, these things get completely mixed-up by name. I mean, I had to re-read what I typed above like five times just to make sure I was conveying it right myself.
Personally, I think the naming of these Pick-ups is perfect. Most pick-ups have a name that makes no sense to what it does - Mule or Abraxus for example - even old PRS pick-ups were guilty of this - Dragon for example. Yes its a cool name but it doesn't really make sense.
What I really like about PRS's new system is that they make sense. The first number, (57, 58, 85) relates to the year, the era and spirit they are trying to emulate, to capture and the second number (09, 15 etc) are the year these pick-ups were finalised. Released is not quite the right term as they aren't readily available separately. The letters too make sense - LT= Low Turn, MT= Multi Tapped.
Therefore, an 85/15 pickup is capturing that spirit and sound of 1985. Its the Pick-up that Paul say's he wished he'd had in 1985 to go in his guitars. I think it really suits the more modern PRS models and I say 'modern' to mean the guitars that are the most modern style instruments and obviously, the Custom 22/24 are the most modern style instruments in the PRS Range. The 594 though, is the most 'vintage' instrument in the Range and the 58/15 LT's are perfect for capturing that spirit and vibe. I can understand why some may want a hotter PU but the LT's do capture the vibe of a 'vintage' Instrument. Regardless though, these Pick-ups and the naming makes sense - at least to me
There are some other PU's but I do think they also make sense. The JM635 Pups in the Silver Sky for example are called this because of John Mayer (hence JM) and 635 means they are halfway between a 63 and 64 Strat type sound - hence 63.5 - just without the decimal place. The 408 and 509 PU's are named for the guitar they are in - no different from the Tremonti or DGT Pick-ups. As for the \m/ pick-ups, its clear what they are meant to be for.
I like Pick-ups to be descriptive of what they are, what 'vibe' they are going for etc. It should be easy for people to understand what the Pups are - what they offer so anyone can understand. Then if you are looking to replace a set, you can tell just by the name whether or not they will be what you are looking for.