Gibson '59 recreation PAF pickups

With all the debate of what magnets were used and the reported mix of magnets depending on what was in stock and years.. I find it interesting they went with A4.

All the PRS 5x/xx use A2, but the McCarty used A4. I wonder what magnet the new McCarty LT pickups will use?

For gossip and rumor starting time.. Does it make sense PRS released the new McCarty LT pickups to compete with the Gibson PAF recreations? A LT McCarty pickup should put it around the Gibson range.

Legacy PRS McCarty
neck 8 ohm A4 42 gauge
bridge 9 ohm A4 42 gauge

Gibson PAF recreations
Neck 7.7 ohm A4 42 gauge
Bridge 8.6 ohm A4 42 guage
 
SinSir said:
With all the debate of what magnets were used and the reported mix of magnets depending on what was in stock and years.. I find it interesting they went with A4.

All the PRS 5x/xx use A2, but the McCarty used A4. I wonder what magnet the new McCarty LT pickups will use?

For gossip and rumor starting time.. Does it make sense PRS released the new McCarty LT pickups to compete with the Gibson PAF recreations? A LT McCarty pickup should put it around the Gibson range.

Legacy PRS McCarty
neck 8 ohm A4 42 gauge
bridge 9 ohm A4 42 gauge

Gibson PAF recreations
Neck 7.7 ohm A4 42 gauge
Bridge 8.6 ohm A4 42 guage
Click to expand...
This has me juiced up to try the new McCarty pickups even more than before.
 
Didn't Paul already do this with the 57/08s that were made on the old Gibson machine with the old wire? There was so much variation in those first pickups that used the old wire... I am not sure that was a good thing. You never really knew what you were going to get when you bought them.
 
Fer fox sake... we've been "faithfully recreating" PAF pickups for decades now. If we haven't nailed them by now in an affordable, mass-production manner, then I think it's time to admit that they never were that consistently freaking amazing in the first place. I mean yeah, the good 'uns were great--but those in the know will admit that not every '59 had the magic sauce. I'll pass.
 
JasonE said:
Didn't Paul already do this with the 57/08s that were made on the old Gibson machine with the old wire? There was so much variation in those first pickups that used the old wire... I am not sure that was a good thing. You never really knew what you were going to get when you bought them.
Click to expand...
But but but he did a '57! :D

I agree, I'm not sure all the variations is a good thing. They were inconsistent in the beginning and still are today. Good news is they all sound great, even if a lil' different.
 
And yet it's PRSG that gets accused of jacking up prices for no good reason.

SinSir said:
For gossip and rumor starting time.. Does it make sense PRS released the new McCarty LT pickups to compete with the Gibson PAF recreations? A LT McCarty pickup should put it around the Gibson range.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that it does. The people after the PAFs are going to want them in G-like guitars, so the McCarty shape probably won't move the needle for them.
 
SinSir said:
Legacy PRS McCarty
neck 8 ohm A4 42 gauge
bridge 9 ohm A4 42 gauge

Gibson PAF recreations
Neck 7.7 ohm A4 42 gauge
Bridge 8.6 ohm A4 42 guage
Click to expand...
Tempting to get a pair of roughcast A4's to go into the Wolfetone Marshallhead / Dr Vintage set resulting in:

Wolfetone MH/DrV
Neck 7.4k ohm, roughcast A4, 42 gauge plain enamel, unpotted
Bridge 8.8k ohm, roughcast A4, 42 gauge plain enamel, unpotted

Thanks to Gibson to publishing their specs :cool:
 
Prina said:
Tempting to get a pair of roughcast A4's to go into the Wolfetone Marshallhead / Dr Vintage set resulting in:

Wolfetone MH/DrV
Neck 7.4k ohm, roughcast A4, 42 gauge plain enamel, unpotted
Bridge 8.8k ohm, roughcast A4, 42 gauge plain enamel, unpotted

Thanks to Gibson to publishing their specs :cool:
Click to expand...
I had the same thought. Let me know how it goes if you do.
 
SinSir said:
I had the same thought.
Click to expand...
I got the Marshallhead bridge with an A2 and had already thought of trying an A5 to give it 'a bit more' but worth trying an A4 too.

The Dr V neck is really nice already with the A2 but it's so easy to try the A4 & it's probably worth it for the comparison alone.
 
But these have a case...

and go to 11.

Been watching T-Tops in embossed covers go for this price a pair for years. Post-covid, nothing really surprises me too much on price. For only 4 and a half of these pickups sets, I can buy that "rare" NF3 on Reverb.
 
Prina said:
I got the Marshallhead bridge with an A2 and had already thought of trying an A5 to give it 'a bit more' but worth trying an A4 too.

The Dr V neck is really nice already with the A2 but it's so easy to try the A4 & it's probably worth it for the comparison alone.
Click to expand...
Mr Wolfe is the real deal. I have no friggin clue how how a "real old school PAF" sounds - and I don't care- , however my two favourite PRSi feature his PUs and sound glorious.
 
for a real set of 59 soapbars .. $2500
ot1iac60gcsugs8ipkyu.jpg
 
I can appreciate the constant lust and chase after dare I say authentic PAF tone, but I have no personal desire to chase any further than what PRS is doing with pickups. I feel that they have a strong nod to the past, but also not afraid to improve on it. Of 57/08, 59/09, and 58/15, I’ve not found anything I disliked, and can honestly say I wouldn’t replace a set of those in any of my guitars except for the sheer novelty of trying a set of real, vintage PAF’s, if they came my way and money was no object. I would expect to swap them back out for my PRS pickups after trying them.

Although, speaking of novelty… I’m not sure I could ever buy a set of pickups that came in that case. It’s just too much, bruh.
 
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