58/15 Pickups - anybody not a fan?

Callan

Callan

hack guitarist..
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
405
Location
Melbourne, Australia
I'm not sure if it's just me, but I'm not overly happy with the sound from my CU22 with 58/15 pickups.
Am I the only one?

They sound fine clean, but just don't seem to please me as I put them through a classic rock amp.
Thin, harsh top end, maybe almost strat like in their tone.. i dunno, maybe I just have GAS and want to change something up.

I've had some not-so-popular options in the past with pickups (like taking 57/08's out of my HBii), but that was the guitar I'm sure, as I have 2 solidbody single cuts with 57/08's and they are both great. The HBii also seems much happier with BKP Mules.

Anyway, tell me what you think of the normal 58/15's
58/15 LT and MT's are both different enough that they are a different beast again,

Cheers,
 
I had the same initial impression with the 85/15's in my CU22, so replaced them with a "classic rock" pup setup - Duncan JB/59. But then I realized that the 85/15's were just hotter, more modern sounding pups. I put them back in and really love them for what they are. That guitar meets my hard rock/metal needs, while my McCarty with 58/15 pups covers classic rock and blues tones much better.
 
I didn't think the Cu22 came with 58/15's and thought they had the 85/15's like the Cu24?

Personally I love the 58/15's and have three PRS guitars with variations of these. My 594 and HBii has the 58/15 LT's and these are absolutely perfect for the guitars and the spirit these guitars were built to capture. The low turn PU's really suit the vintage spirit of the 594 and really suit the hollowbody too - you wouldn't really want 'hot' PU's in a Hollowbody. My PRS Special 22 semi-hollow has the 58/15 MT's which certainly have more bite than the LT's but again suit that guitar and the tapped sound too works well.

My Custom 24 has the 85/15's and again I feel that these suit the guitar. The guitar launched PRS in 85 and these PU's suit that era - more modern than the 58/15's but still a classic humbucker tone. The only other guitar I have is the 509 which has its own unique set-up.

I don't know what issue you are having, can't hear the same or maybe prefer the same sound you do but all I can say is that I am yet to hear anything less than a fantastic sound coming from any stock PRS guitar and that includes the Silver Sky which is saying something from someone who doesn't really like strats. Even the SE's sound great and things tend to get better as you move up through the tiers. I really do think that PRS really consider every Pick-up they have made and ensure that it 'fits' with the guitar and the role it was built for. The LT's are a great example of this as PRS wanted to capture that 'vintage' Les Paul sound after it became clear that his audiences had never held or played a vintage Les Paul - just re-issues. The 58/15's weren't quite right for this so they made the LT versions and found they worked really well in the Hollowbody II. The 85/15's are described by Paul as the Pick-ups he wished he'd created for the launch of the company - hence 85/15's. I don't believe that PRS would put any Pick-up into a guitar if they didn't feel it was right for that model and where they feel the guitar 'fits' in its role it was designed to do.

Of course that doesn't mean that the owner has the same vision and/or the same role in mind for their PRS. Some may like the aesthetics and knob layout as the 594 but want that to have a more modern (at least more modern than the 58/15 LT's and vintage) sound so will swap them out for something hotter. All I am saying though is that PRS build and put the right pick-ups in their models to suit their design brief - much like a signature model has the pick-ups that suit their design brief. If you don't like the Tremonti pick-ups, that's not Tremonti's fault as the Pick-ups are designed to meet his design brief to deliver the sound that fits.

If you read about the guitar or know its history, its origins, then I really do think that the guitars tend to have the Pick-up that suits their role, their era, The Custom 22 released in 91 and was basically a core 'Dragon' but without that inlay. The Dragon was a 22 fret version of the Custom 24 but with that incredible dragon inlay. Much like the 594 and 594 HBii starting out as a Private Stock that then became part of the core line, the Custom 22 was basically the same. Its a 'modern' guitar in that its fits the same role as the Custom 24, is in that same 'era' but for those that prefer the 22fret sound because of the different placement of the bridge and bridge PU. I don't see the Custom 22 as being different to the Custom 24 (apart from the obvious difference) and so I would expect it to line-up alongside the Custom 24 if you could place guitars in terms of the era/role they are designed and built for. The Custom 22 for example would be out of place lined up alongside the 594 in this way because its a much more modern era instrument with the 594 designed and built to fit that 50's era (albeit with a few modern touches and PRS's exceptional build quality) and the Silver Sky too is designed and built around the 63/64 era strats and capture that sound (again with PRS's modern touches and build quality of course). Understanding what PRS envisioned for their models, like a musician who have envisioned their own signature model, helps to see why their Pick-ups are designed and fitted to the instruments. I hope that makes sense.

Again that doesn't mean that you share the same vision or role. If you aren't playing Tremonti's music, share Tremonti's vision for his guitar but love the aesthetics, you may not like the Pick-ups as much as he does. I would think they are quite hot (not that I knew but based on the genre) but you may be looking for something a bit more classic, something that isn't quite as hot or something that has a different balance of bass, mids and/or trebles. Point is, you may not have the same vision and therefore may not feel the Pick-ups are best suited to that vision. I do think though that PRS really nail their pick-ups for their Guitars to suit the narrative. That is why I bought the models I have and they are all stock too. I may not want 'every' model because their role doesn't fit with my needs - such as the Silver Sky for example but I really think they have matched the pick-up to the right guitar and what the guitar was designed to be.
 
Last edited:
bodia said:
Really happy with the MT version in the SSH. Fantastic! Didn't much care for the LT. I prefer something a little hotter.
Click to expand...


+1 with what Jim said the 58/15mt just works in that guitar, I also was not overly impressed with the LTs the neck was nice the bridge just needed more for me.
I am finding a happy place with McCartys and Mira ( 245 ) and 408s for hum buckers
 
Ok sounds like I'm just going mad, but that's ok, I knew that already.

Anyway, a set of BKP Abraxas are being built for me at the moment. I want to try them in both the cu22 and maybe 594dc too.

To be clear as well, this wasn't a PRS pickup bashing thread. I have 57/08's (covered and bobbin), 59/09 and 58/15lt (SC & DC). It's only the 58/15 in my cu22 that doesn't seem to work for me at the moment. I love the feel of the guitar and it's a bit of a looker as well, so no plans to move it on.

bodia said:
Really happy with the MT version in the SSH. Fantastic! Didn't much care for the LT. I prefer something a little hotter.
Click to expand...
I think I'd like the LT's a little hotter as well, but I am enjoying their balance. I can increase signal down the chain in multiple places if needed
 
58/15s are the only 5x/xx series I just can’t seem to bond with.

I love all the others - 53/10, 57/08, 59/09, 85/15, 58/15LT. Just not the regular 58/15.

I recently tried the SH special with the MT version and I did like those quite a bit.
 
I think you'll love the Abraxas. I put a set in a Bernie and was beyond happy with them
 
bodia said:
I think you'll love the Abraxas. I put a set in a Bernie and was beyond happy with them
Click to expand...
Yes - that's what I want to gear!
I am very much looking forward to getting them... 7-10 days build, hopefully only a few more days to ship.

I'm thinking of keeping the 5 way switch as-is, but adding a push-pull on the tone to split both pickups.

Tone pot down (stock)
Position One: Bridge humbucker
Position Two: Bridge humbucker with neck singlecoil, in parallel
Position Three: Bridge and neck humbuckers
Position Four: Neck singlecoil with bridge singlecoil, in parallel
Position Five: Neck humbucker

Tone pot up:
Position One: Bridge split
Position Two, Three, Four: Bridge split with neck singlecoil, in parallel
Position Five: Neck split

8 options total.... not sure how it will sound, but could be fun (easy enough to reverse)

I could add more going with push-push on both pots, not sure if that's needed yet though.
 
Callan said:
They sound fine clean, but just don't seem to please me as I put them through a classic rock amp.
Thin, harsh top end, maybe almost strat like in their tone.. i dunno, maybe I just have GAS and want to change something up.

I've had some not-so-popular options in the past with pickups (like taking 57/08's out of my HBii), but that was the guitar I'm sure, as I have 2 solidbody single cuts with 57/08's and they are both great. The HBii also seems much happier with BKP Mules.

Anyway, tell me what you think of the normal 58/15's
58/15 LT and MT's are both different enough that they are a different beast again,

Cheers,
Click to expand...


I tried a pair of non-LT 58/15 set on this P245 through a JCM800 modelled amp from clean to distortion with all EQ set noon. I agreed with what you said about these pups. And, as I experienced many PRS guitars with 57/08s before, I can say definitely that the newer 58/15 sounds brighter, clearer, and better cutting-through. I personally prefer these 58/15 over 57/08, but that's just my taste.

IMHO the 58/15 was born to serve classic rock genre but with addition of heights, controlled-mids, and string clarity. It wil not sound like BKP Mule and 57/08 for sure.

The bottom line is, both 57/08 and 58/15 are just different beasts. And because you prefer mellower tone then it's no wonder why you don't like the 58/15.
 
Last edited:
FunkyFreeman said:

I tried a pair of non-LT 58/15 set on this P245 through a JCM800 modelled amp from clean to distortion with all EQ set noon. I agreed with what you said about these pups. And, as I experienced many PRS guitars with 57/08s before, I can say definitely that the newer 58/15 sounds brighter, clearer, and better cutting-through. I personally prefer these 58/15 over 57/08, but that's just my taste.

IMHO the 58/15 was born to serve classic rock genre but with addition of heights, controlled-mids, and string clarity. It wil not sound like BKP Mule and 57/08 for sure.

The bottom line is, both 57/08 and 58/15 are just different beasts. And because you prefer mellower tone then it's no wonder why you don't like the 58/15.
Click to expand...
Interesting, thanks
I won’t be selling the pickups, so if my tastes change then i can change it back without much effort. I Only have my phone on me now, will listen to your video at home with better speakers
 
I like the 58/15s and the LTs, though my playing style is to use my volume knob to control amp gain as well as my tone; as with most pickups, rolling the volume knob back a bit controls brightness, and the tone controls are also useful.

Both pickups are a little scooped in the mids, making them appear brighter, so there’s that, but it also gives them a lot of clarity.

I’m also digging the 85/15s in my CU24.

All that aside, the 57/08 is a very balanced pickup, and one of my three favorites, the others being the 53/10 and the Paul’s Guitar 408s.
 
I had a set of "full strength" 58/15s in a McCarty that I loved; excellent PAF-style pickups with great dynamics and note bloom, if somewhat bright. I really wish I hadn't sold that guitar. The LT variant in a 594 (also sold, but not regrettably so) seemed not as nice to me. I would describe them as thinner and more weedy-sounding than the non-LT 58/15s that were in the McCarty; almost more like fat single-coils.

While I do really like them, then non-LT 58/15s aren't my favorite PRS humbuckers. I prefer the DGTs (though I wish they weren't so microphonic), the 57/08s, and the 245 bridge.
 
I love the 58/15 on my McCarty. I notice that many PRS guitars have a really wide range in the tone department, so I use the tone knob a lot. With tone knob all the way open it is brighter and have more clarity than a lot of other guitars with humbuckers. However, they get much darker than my other guitars with the tone rolled all the way off. The tone knob is very sensitive so I’m able to get virtually every sound in between. They are awesome in taming an overly bright or overly dark amp.
 
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