Current 57/08 Pickups

[Senor Verde]

Thinking about a new production 57/08 bridge pickup. I've owned a few in the past and they ranged from full to thin sounding. I see the current version is 9.4K, which is considerably higher DC resistance than my previous pickups. I've also read the 57/08 has gotten hotter and brighter over time. For those that have had multiple versions of this pickup, including the current incarnation, how would you describe the ones they sell now?

 

[gush]

Good question. I'd like to know this as well.

9.4 bridge is a little hotter than I thought they were supposed to be, thats 5909 territory.

I've owned 2 guitars with 5708s. Loved the neck but didn't like bridge so well.

 

[GuitarJammin]

I have 57/08 in a 2010 single cut, and a 2014 CU24...and they do not sound the same. I love them in both guitars though. I also had a 57/08 uncovered on another CU24 floyd WL that was also crazy different and sounded GREAT.

I have a factory set of 57/08 N&B brand new unused in my parts pin hoping to answer this question as well, but I haven't found the guitar I want to install them in. I'm waiting to find the right used core model do the swap on.

Sorry this post doesn't help, but I too am wondering the same thing.

 

[Senor Verde]

Funny, with all the threads and posts about 57/08 pickups on the web, there doesn't seem to be an answer to our question.

 

[tdarian]

I’ve asked this question a few times without getting an answer. The 5708s installed in a guitar of mine in 2009 (unengraved) sound very good, and the bridge does not sound 9.4k hot. That’s as hot as the 5909 bridge.

 

[Going Modal]

9.4 bridge is a little hotter than I thought they were supposed to be, thats 5909 territory.

I’ve asked this question a few times without getting an answer. The 5708s installed in a guitar of mine in 2009 (unengraved) sound very good, and the bridge does not sound 9.4k hot. That’s as hot as the 5909 bridge.

I'll third this electro-magnetic oddity. If indeed they're both AlNiCo II as advertised--and if the coil resistances are as published--then I cannot wrap my head around how the 59/09's end up "hotter" than the 57/08's, which they seem to be in practice.

UNLESS... maybe they're both AlNiCo II, but the magnets in the 57's are degaussed and/or the magnets in the 59's are more strongly charged? This would have to be the case, right? With 2 pickups of physically the same aperture size, and if the "less hot" pickup appears to have a greater DC resistance... then it would have to be magnet strength (and not just composition) that differs.

 

[Herr Squid]

IIRC, one of the characteristics of the 57/08 pickup wire (at least early on) was that it varied in thickness more than than typical modern-manufacture pickup wire. Somehow that was part of the mojo. Variable thickness means variable resistance, and early 57/08s varied a lot until PRS figured out a way to make them more consistent pickup-to-pickup. They didn't tell us how they did that. It might have coincided with when they started engraving them, but that's pure speculation on my part.

Keep in mind that DC resistance is just a single aspect of a pickup -- it's easy to measure, but it doesn't mean a lot if you don't also account for thickness of the wire, number of turns, number of coils, strength of magnets, construction of the pickup, etc, etc, etc.

 

[gush]

I'll third this electro-magnetic oddity. If indeed they're both AlNiCo II as advertised--and if the coil resistances are as published--then I cannot wrap my head around how the 59/09's end up "hotter" than the 57/08's, which they seem to be in practice.

UNLESS... maybe they're both AlNiCo II, but the magnets in the 57's are degaussed and/or the magnets in the 59's are more strongly charged? This would have to be the case, right? With 2 pickups of physically the same aperture size, and if the "less hot" pickup appears to have a greater DC resistance... then it would have to be magnet strength (and not just composition) that differs.

I don't know what to say about that but for two pickups with roughly the same resistance and same magnets they don't sound the same in any way.

I LOVE 5909s

 

[Senor Verde]

Well, some good comments and interesting theories. I've decided I like Wolfetone Marshallheads a lot in my McCarty's, so I'll stick with them. I'm leary of buying an expensive set of pickups that are inconsistent sounding.

 

[GuitarJammin]

Well I just installed my PRS accessory bought 57/08s in my LP....and I at least can confirm that it sounds like the 57/08 in my CU24 transplanted in my LP. They were not thin...very full. Of course the different guitars that give different tone...but I could hear the character similarity. The 57/08 living in my PS singlecut remain different beasts.