58/15LT "Bass" vs "Treble" - same magnets?

[Nickpierro]

Hey guys. I'm very late to the PRS party, but I recently picked up TWO newer McCarty's. (The first was a Goldtop, followed by a beautiful McCarty burst).

I'm loving the 58/15LTs, but I do wish that there was a *little* more calibration between the neck and bridge pickups.

Out of curiosity, I broke out the ol' multimeter, and took some measurements. (Keep in mind, measurements were taken off the output jack, which usually read lower than normal).

2020 Goldtop:
Bass: 7.63
Treble: 7.88

2021 Burst
Bass: 6.95
Treble: 7.12

As-is, each guitar's pickups are offset by about 3-4%.

This got me thinking: If I swapped the Burst Treble and the Goldtop Bass pickup, each guitar would now have an offset of 10%. (Easy procedure, and each guitar would still be stock(ish) with proper PRS pickups)

I've read on the forum that the 58/15LT Bass and Treble pickups are essentially identical, and winding readings would confirm this. Has it been confirmed that the magnets in are the same in Bass and Treble too?

Any information would be greatly appreciated, before I attempt this switcheroo.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the two new guitars.

It would be great to see some pictures of them when you have a chance.

 

[Nickpierro]

hey Alnus, here you go! Two beauties.

The 2020 Goldtop I picked up locally for a steal, and was dead mint. Then I started drooling over the Bursts, and found my 2021 McCarty burst on a ridiculous cyber Monday sale.

I can't say enough good things about these guitars. Super resonant, perfect weight, flawless playability. Love em.

I avoided PRS for the longest time, for the dumbest reasons. (I didn't like the birds, popular with the "nu-metal" crowd, etc). But after revisiting the brand this year, and scoring these two McCartys, I GET IT now. My two LPs have been collecting dust lately.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Mmmmm very very nice!

 

[RickP]

Both gorgeous guitars @Nickpierro !

I don’t know on the pickup magnets, but an email to customer service should get you the lowdown. Address is in my sig below

V V V

 

[Nickpierro]

Hey RickP, thanks for the advice.

Just sent this email to the Customer Service center:

I recently acquired two newer core McCarty Models - a 2020 Goldtop and a 2021 Burst. Absolutely loving them both!!! I have a few Questions regarding the 58/15LT pickups.
Question 1: Are the pickups tuned to specific treble/bass positions, or is the wind and construction essentially the same?
Question 2: Do the treble/bass pickups utilize the same type of Alnico magnet? Or is a different type of magnet used for each specific position?
In a nutshell, I’d like to know if the Treble and Bass pickups are essentially interchangeable.
(I was considering taking the two highest output reading pickups in by two guitars, and placing them in the bridge positions)
Thanks so much for any info you can provide!

I tried to ask in a respectful way that's not revealing any proprietary "Secret formula" or even specs.

 

[Nickpierro]

Hey all, I received an answer from the PTC.

"The 58/15 LT Treble & Bass pickups will vary in their construction and windings. I'm sorry, but I cannot disclose the magnet type, or specifics of these pickups as they are closely guarded secrets of our R&D departments.

Essentially, the treble & bass pickups will have their own intrinsic tone, so they are not interchangeable. Let me know if you have any further questions."

This is all I needed to know. I'm going to keep my pickups where they are, and keep neck and bridge as-is.