McCarty help! 57/08 v 58/15

[TRaw]

Hi PRS people

After more than a decade of love for Japanese Fenders, I bought my first PRS — a Swamp Ash Special — and I love it so much that I've decided to go the whole hog and buy a McCarty to fill the double-humbucker-shaped hole in my life.

I have narrowed my choice down to either a used McCarty MC58 or a new McCarty with 58/15s.

I've played the 58/15s a McCarty and the 58/15LTs in a McCarty 594, and I absolutely love them. I really dig the 'airy' sweet top end and the warm lows that aren't as gluggy as, say, a Gibson R9.

Can anyone offer some thoughts on how the 57/08 pickups compare to the 58/15s, to help me choose between the MC58 and the 2016 McCarty?

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I am also interested. I have both pickups, but in completely different guitars, and I have zero experience with a McCarty (still need to get one). I suspect it'd be close, but only inasmuch as I think the guitars themselves would have as much an impact on the sound as the pickups. If you can afford it, get both and do the comparison yourself, and sell the one that "speaks to you" less.

 

[vchizzle]

I can't offer a comparison, haven't played the LT's enough and definitely not side by side. I think I prefer 5708's to 5815's. Again, I haven't played them back to back either. I just feel a "better vibe" on the 5708 guitars than the 5815 guitars I've tried. Not enough time spent with 5815's to tell you why. There's guys here that can give you a much better comparison...hopefully they chime in.

That said, you absolutely loved the 5815's you've tried. My advice is to go with one of those. No reason to overthink it. Go with what you know since you loved it. No reason to question it when you get a vibe from guitars. Just buy one!

 

[TRaw]

Thanks Dusty and vchizzle! I'm leaning towards the new McCarty because I liked the ones I played so much, but of course it would be significantly more expensive than an MC58. If only I could take Dusty's suggestion and buy both and keep the winner...

 

[Whitecat]

85/15s / 58/15s take high gain better than 57/08s IMO.

They all sound great clean-to-slightly-overdriven - it's all about minor nuances. But once you get up there 57/08s can get a bit "flubby", IMO.

On balance I'd have the newer one myself, but YMMV obviously!

 

[TRaw]

Thanks! I don't use much gain, but one of my least favourite things about Les Pauls is that the bottom end can be hard to tame when soloing on the neck pickup. I prefer a bit more focus in the lows, so if the 58/15s have more then that's great to know.

85/15s / 58/15s take high gain better than 57/08s IMO.

They all sound great clean-to-slightly-overdriven - it's all about minor nuances. But once you get up there 57/08s can get a bit "flubby", IMO.

On balance I'd have the newer one myself, but YMMV obviously!

 

[vox801]

I had both.... once I played the 58/15's I sold the other. I also had a Custom 24 with 58/08's and I found they are not the pickups for me. My opinion is the 58/08's sound best without a lot of OD. Not horrible pups at all... but, then again, one of my favorite McCarty's is a korina and has Santana and Dragon II pups. So, go figure . Either way you can't go wrong with a McCarty.