Do you think PRS makes their best pickups now or in prior years?

For me, the best years have been 2008-present. I was always tempted to change the pickups in my earlier PRS'.

That's probably been informed by my playing style. I like a vintage-voiced guitar, and set my amps up for a more vintage tone as well.

I'm not alone; plenty of well-known players have always chosen to play vintage guitars. I just prefer new ones that sound like old ones.
I agree with this, but I really like having a guitar like my 2007 McCarty with stock pickups that have a more modern sound. I love the sound that John Ashton of the Psychedelic Furs got from his McCarty. Equal parts snarl and chime, with great note definition.
 
I either have or have tried most of the PRS pickups. The only ones I didn’t really care for were the ceramic magnet ones, the HFS, Tremonti treble, 250 treble, Santana treble. I don‘t play with heavy saturation. If I did, I’d love them all. The 57/08’s are probably my favorites, but I haven’t played the 53/10’s. The narrowfields and the Starla bridge always make me smile when I put gain on them. It’s always certain pickups in certain guitars that make me say yes or no. Mostly yes, which is why I have only PRS now. Dragon ll’s are the only non- ceramics I ever pulled out of a guitar.
 
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I guess there’s a few schools of thought here. Here’s my experience.… :oops:
My CU22 with Dragon 1’s I love for rock band stuff only and the split sounds with the rotary switch are really great. Very Strat like……Thought about replacing them with 57/08’s for versatility and getting PRS to do a refret with DGT profile Jumbos. I already talked to them about this.
I play Classic Rock and Blues & Bluesrock and some beefed up R&B, not metal or detuned music. So there’s that……..
I have used many pickups over the years and I've become very fond of some of the older PRS pickups as well as some of the newer ones. Tend to gravitate towards hot PAF types…..
I use Dragon 2’s in one of my handmade LP’s after a suggestion on here and they are really good sounding and articulate ….maybe because the body and neck are Black Limba with the typical LP maple top…who knows…
Ive got a set of 59/09’s in my Corsa (chambered) LP that really needed a push and they excel at that. Someone on here mentioned the difference between the 5708 and the 5909 is that the 09’s are just more of everything, which that guitar needed…..
I’ve got a set of usa 245’s in a Santana SE and they just work well in that guitar. TheMann bridge really brought that guitar to life. My outdoor rain gig guitar…..
My DGT’s pickups I adore, but as of yet are not available
The 5310’s in my P22 I also like but they’re a different animal……I don’t find them to dark. I have a stoptail P22 version
I didn’t care so much for the HFS in my old CU24. To many highs for the music genre’s I play… the Vintage Bass I liked….
 
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I have a 53/10 uncovered neck pickup from a P22 (2012)….if anyone is interested in it.
 
I have a 53/10 uncovered neck pickup from a P22 (2012)….if anyone is interested in it.
Was that a stock pickup in your guitar that you removed? I am asking because I am wondering what you didn't like about it. I played mine over the weekend and for the first time, I am really not loving the 53/10 pickups in the guitar. I don't know if it is the pedals I am using it with at the moment or what but I am not only not in love with them but am disliking what I am getting from them.
 
Was that a stock pickup in your guitar that you removed? I am asking because I am wondering what you didn't like about it. I played mine over the weekend and for the first time, I am really not loving the 53/10 pickups in the guitar. I don't know if it is the pedals I am using it with at the moment or what but I am not only not in love with them but am disliking what I am getting from them.
Yes, came stock in my P22. A little under wound and dark for my tastes.
 
Yes, came stock in my P22. A little under wound and dark for my tastes.
Them being too dark is exactly what I experienced this week. I don't know how I never noticed it before. I have played the guitar at several gigs and don't remember it standing out. I have been trying some different overdrive pedals out that I have to prepare to reconfigure my pedal board a little and noticed it. It really stood out when comparing to a couple of other guitars and running through several different pedals. At this point I am thinking I am either going to have to swap the pickups or just know that guitar is dark and only use it when I can adjust the amp specifically for it's tone. I am a little hesitant to change the pickups because it is a special run guitar that is in a low number of builds.
 
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