A Question For Those Who Know ...

[CrimesAgainstMusic]

I have seen in a coupla places comments that say ... that the 85/15S and the 58/15 S are the same pickup , the difference being the 58/15S is covered ...

Is that true ?

As an owner of PRS's "junior league" instruments (SE & S2) , I'm thinking not.

The pickups seem to have an entirely different aural balance, with the 85/15 being the brighter of the two.. If I had to guess, I'd say the EQ curves are different , with the 85/15S being smiley faced (more pronounced highs and lows, while the 58/15S seems to have a mid boost, but not exaggerated... .

Do any of the experts here know for sure ? (Do the experts even mess with "S" pickups ?)

And for those with e-lite guitars (Core's / Bolt On's) ,which of the "S" pickups does the best job of sounding the most like its US counterpart ?

 

[Draconomics]

I have seen in a coupla places comments that say ... that the 85/15S and the 58/15 S are the same pickup , the difference being the 58/15S is covered ...

Is that true ?

To my ears, there is a difference. 58's remind me of Burstbuckers a bit, like Gibson style things. 85's seem to be higher output pups. I have never done a teardown to look at the back of those pickups to see how they are labeled, but I would wager they arent the same.

And for those with e-lite guitars (Core's / Bolt On's) ,which of the "S" pickups does the best job of sounding the most like its US counterpart ?

Don't own a core yet, but Ive owned several core type pickups. I've had a few Dragon 2's, 85/15's, HFS, and I think I tried a McCarty one a while ago. The US made pickups I like way better than any SE offering. More life to them. That said, the TCI(s) is closest to my ears. I really like those alot. They have a very sweet, singing tonality to them. My only few gripes is the neck is a bit too hot, and on my 35th they sounded too twangy. On the Paul's SE they sound great. I put the set from my 35th on my "GC Crack of Doom Exclusive" (its an Agile PRS copy that somebody probably threw off a building). They sound killer on that axe, miles better than some Dimarzio Super 2's that were in there before.

 

[aphantomvaper]

IDK the answer. Its prob a no brainer with my comment...

The 58/15s in my S2 594 sound way different than the 58/15s in my SE HB II. I know its the guitar doing that but its a huge diff (SE HB II sounds better to me).

Until this thread I thought I had 85/15s in the S2 594 so thank you for making me check that!

 

[bodia]

No S2 or SE pickups on here, but I would expect them to be similar.

https://www.theguitarshop.ca/prs-pickup-guide/

 

[SinSir]

Last time the 85/15 58/15 discussion came up it was determined there was more of a difference than the cover. Exactly what I don't recall and not sure it was even shared.

 

[CrimesAgainstMusic]

The 58/15s in my S2 594 sound way different than the 58/15s in my SE HB II. I know its the guitar doing that but its a huge diff (SE HB II sounds better to me).

' Ya know it was the Phil McKnight YouTube review of the S2 594 that seemed to cast a bit of "shade" on the 58/15S (he said the Core P/U and didn't say exactly what they were ?) trounced them . Then the flood of SE Hollowbody reviews came out , where the same pickup is doing a creditable job.

I have 'em in my S2 594 Thinline and love them (well ,like 'em just fine) ... And I have heard other YouTube demos of the 58/15 S in the S2 McCarty ... and hey ... makes me wonder what was wrong with McKnight's set !

Yeah ... you can spend $350 or so on a boutique set of PU's that will crunch the 58/15S ... but hey ... the idea of the S2 and SE guitars are not to cost a bunch ... initially

I like the 58/15S more so than than the 85/15 because its "darker"... But as far as 85/15's go ... I think I have heard a difference between the set in my Korean made SE CU 24 (Probably G&B) as opposed to the Indonesian ? set in the Indo SE CU24 I have .I have popped the Indo set for Vaughn Skows ... but the Korean set says ... "Hey ... just wait a minit, I can do that !" (I like it when your gurls try to save you $$$)

 

[Sour_Note]

I have an S2 McCarty 594 single cut and an S2 Custom 24 that have the 58/15 “S”:and 85/15 “S” respectively. Not the expert you are looking for but they definitely sound different. I’ve actually read that they are wound differently. From a user perspective, I’ve only had these a few months but so far I find the 58/15 “fuller”. That’s not to say the 85/15 is bad, just that the 58/15 speaks to me more.

These are two totally different guitars ant there are lots of other variables at play but I don’t think these are the same pickups. If I had to choose between the two I would tearfully but very definitively take the McCarty.

 

[SinSir]

A quote by Shawn was found saying "they are very similar, but not identical. Tonally there are other differences besides just the covers."

I thought I remembered seeing a video with Paul saying it was only the covers. I looked everywhere without luck. So, I'm taking Shawn's word as the gospel. Its always been weird to me that I don't care for the 85/15s but like the 58/15s if it's just a cover.

 

[dogrocketp]

I have the 85/15’s in my S2 custom 24, and the 58/15’s in my SE Hollowbody piezo. Granted, the body types couldn’t be more different. The 24 has amazing top end, the most of my many PRSi. There is a LOT of treble under distortion and this would be a helluva metal guitar. The lows also seem much thicker to my ears. The 58/15’s are really, really good in the Hollowbody. There is less treble, and a little more definition in the bass. It does everything I could possibly want……335 tones, smoky jazz tones, good rhythm quack, and the bridge pickup is great as well. It’s so good, my prized Guild X170 is up for sale, although I may yet change my mind. In each case, I think it’s the right sonic tool for the job, ant they’re definitely different.