Limited vs new Core Special Semi-hollowbody models

Joesnewmatch

Joesnewmatch

Semi-Special Guitarist
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Messages
197
Location
South Florida
Glad to see they kept the SSH in the mix with the addition of the core line. I adore my limited and these keep popping up in the wild with a growing fan base despite the “limited run” from years ago.

Im curious about the differences and I’m not sure if I’m right about this, but I “think” that my Limited had MT pickups and the newer ones have LT pickups. If that’s right, what are the differences, if anyone knows?
 
Joesnewmatch said:
Glad to see they kept the SSH in the mix with the addition of the core line. I adore my limited and these keep popping up in the wild with a growing fan base despite the “limited run” from years ago.

Im curious about the differences and I’m not sure if I’m right about this, but I “think” that my Limited had MT pickups and the newer ones have LT pickups. If that’s right, what are the differences, if anyone knows?
Click to expand...

As far as I can tell, the difference between our Limited Edition SSH's and the new Core line is pickups - and in most cases, the Nitro and TCI process too.

As you noticed, the new Core will have the 58/15 LT's, which stands for Low Turn so has less winds and a lower output (around 7.15k) and also have the option to 'split' the pick up. The Limited Edition has the 58/15 MT's, which stands for multi-tap and are a hotter pickup too (not sure of the output but I expect ~9k in the Bridge and ~8.15k in the neck) and have the option to 'tap' the pick up. The Narrowfield too has been redesigned where ours have a Narrowfield 57/08 pickup, the new one is just called a Narrowfield.

Unless you were lucky and happened to get one of the last made Limited Edition version made very late in 2019 or 2020, then it won't have the TCI process applied or the Nitro over Cellulose finish either so that is another change. I also believe there is 3 'new' colours added to the Core line as well but that's not really a difference.

The LT's are a more 'vintage' inspired Humbucker and the 58/15's have a bit more bite. I don't think you can go wrong with either but I don't think its worth trading in your Ltd Edition to get the Core unless the differences are significant enough to you...
 
Mozzi, you're always a wealth of info -- thanks! I have no plans to get rid of my LTD - it's perhaps my favorite guitar.

Very pleased to see the model saying with PRS, but equally glad that the limited run stays limited, with differences from the new Core.

I'll make the popcorn and wait for the inevitable comparison YouTube vids...
 
So then... has PRS stepped away from associating the Narrowfields as "57/08" then? I see now that they're combined with a 58/15 LT in the bridge-position of the new Studio model, instead of a 57/08 as they'd been paired on past models. Must be that the NF is indeed re-imagined/tweaked and now associates as a member of the 58/15 family?
 
Dead&Co said:
Also noticed reversed neck humbucker for the 2021.
Click to expand...
dd4f2296-2186-45d6-b42a-10966b4f9263_text.gif
 
bodia said:
Yep, mine LTD has MT pickups. I like them very much. Better than the LTs, in my case.
Click to expand...
jm9239 said:
My two SSHs have the MTs, which I prefer to the LTs. The MTs are actually my favorite PRS pickups...
Click to expand...

I love the 58/15 LT's and have them in my 594, 594 Hollowbody and Hollowbody II - in fact its the pick up I have in the most guitars. I really do think it suits those guitars incredibly well. They must be popular as PRS use them in the McCarty and now in the Special and Studio too

I also like the 58/15 MT's too. I really do like them in my Special and certainly wouldn't want to swap them out for 58/15's.

Here is the Demo for the Limited Edition...


And the new Demo for the Core version...


I do think the core sounds great with the LT's but maybe as a consequence of owning the other guitars with the LT's, I wouldn't want to trade myself. I am glad that others can now get such a special instrument but also glad I was able to get the Limited Edition version...
 
I too prefer the 58/15MT over the LT. They are probably my favorite pickups ever and the best sounding tapped/split humbuckers I’ve heard. But maybe there’s now a really good reason to get another SSH.
 
Mozzi said:
As far as I can tell, the difference between our Limited Edition SSH's and the new Core line is pickups - and in most cases, the Nitro and TCI process too.

As you noticed, the new Core will have the 58/15 LT's, which stands for Low Turn so has less winds and a lower output (around 7.15k) and also have the option to 'split' the pick up. The Limited Edition has the 58/15 MT's, which stands for multi-tap and are a hotter pickup too (not sure of the output but I expect ~9k in the Bridge and ~8.15k in the neck) and have the option to 'tap' the pick up. The Narrowfield too has been redesigned where ours have a Narrowfield 57/08 pickup, the new one is just called a Narrowfield.

Unless you were lucky and happened to get one of the last made Limited Edition version made very late in 2019 or 2020, then it won't have the TCI process applied or the Nitro over Cellulose finish either so that is another change. I also believe there is 3 'new' colours added to the Core line as well but that's not really a difference.

The LT's are a more 'vintage' inspired Humbucker and the 58/15's have a bit more bite. I don't think you can go wrong with either but I don't think its worth trading in your Ltd Edition to get the Core unless the differences are significant enough to you...
Click to expand...

Just wanted to throw this out there, just because the build date is 2020 does not mean it has the new finish and TCI pickups. My SSH has a build date of 3/4/2020 and PRS confirmed it has old finish and non TCI pickups. I don’t know how they implemented the changes but it doesn’t look like it was evenly across every model.
 
I’m curious about why the neck pickups were flipped in the limited edition run. I read somewhere in the forum that it was to emphasise the voicing in the 2 and 4 positions.

I’ve also read elsewhere ( in the Les Paul world) that flipping neck pickups don’t have any significant effect on how they sound. I’m not talking about the Peter Green magnet mod, I’m just talking about installing the pickup with the adjustable pole pieces closer to the bridge. Maybe the Les Paul guys are right, since there is no 2 and 4 position to affect? But if PRS did that in the limited edition to emphasise the 2 and 4 positions, why was that dropped from the core model?

Maybe wiser minds will have the answer!
 
Noisykoel said:
I’m curious about why the neck pickups were flipped in the limited edition run. I read somewhere in the forum that it was to emphasise the voicing in the 2 and 4 positions.

I’ve also read elsewhere ( in the Les Paul world) that flipping neck pickups don’t have any significant effect on how they sound. I’m not talking about the Peter Green magnet mod, I’m just talking about installing the pickup with the adjustable pole pieces closer to the bridge. Maybe the Les Paul guys are right, since there is no 2 and 4 position to affect? But if PRS did that in the limited edition to emphasise the 2 and 4 positions, why was that dropped from the core model?

Maybe wiser minds will have the answer!
Click to expand...
In theory, if you fiddle with the adjustable poles, you are fiddling closer to the bridge on the original SSH "flipped" config. And that gives a different "tone" from a non-flipped pup. And when you "split" the pup, you isolate one coil closer to the bridge or one closer to the neck. But the MTs I always took as not being "split" pups but rather the multitap meant you got a pup that had less windings in both coils, but still "HB" configuration - so a tapped 58/15 MT was close to a (non-split) 58/15 LT.

And that's how I hear it - the tap mini-toggle on the Exp 2018 Ltd SSH doesn't sound like it is isolating a single pup of the HB, it sounds like it is "taming" the overall pup to sound more vintage, like the 58/15LTs on my 594SH.

OTOH: it may as well be a bunch of hoodoo voodoo, and just play the dang guitar!
 
I also noticed that both covers of the humbuckers are now brushed instead of being glossy chrome.
Although I love my Special to death, I actually prefer the brushed covers, less fingerprints and probably age better too.
I guess no 58/15 engraved brushed covers are available aftermarket?
 
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