McCarty III pickups vs 58/15 LT, and 58/15 vs DMO pickups

[grubeytuesday]

I dunno, these two seem to be pretty happy with PRS pickups........

I don't think my long-winded response was as clear as I hoped haha, but I LOVE my 58/15 LTs, and really all PRS pickups that I've played outside of the 57/08s for some reason, they just sound too compressed to me. I am certainly new guitar-biased, but the 58/15LTs in my new HBII are the closest in sound and feel to the handful of original PAFs I've played, of any PRS pickup.

 

[FJ4]

Bump

 

[JasonE]

I have been lucky enough to play quite a few PAF equipped guitars including a couple bursts and the reality is...they were ALL different. Of the 7 or so guitars I've played, the one commonality between them is that yes they are generally brighter, but a warm bright and not a brittle bright. I don't usually like subjective terms like "round" or "chewy" to describe tones, but they certainly fit the bill. Sounded like really great single coils with more midrange heft. Really nice compression/sag feel to them even playing bone dry clean. (yes i know sag is most commonly used to describe the rectifier/output stage of a tube amp but it's the best word i've got at the moment)

I still try to understand what pickup makers like to describe as "bloom". That term has eluded me, I could very well have experienced it but nothing much to write home about from my pov anyway, other than that they were all great pickups but nothing over the top magical that great modern repros (like Virgil Arlo, TS Bloombuckers, etc) can't replicate fairly easily and inexpensively (compared to vintage anyway). Neck pickups I think are where vintage PAFs really stand out in comparison, they are so much clearer than any modern pickup I've ever played, even the top dollar replicas.

I owned a 2010 Les Paul for a number of years that I described the pickups as having a bloom that my other Les Paul didn't have. I found out down the road that the LP I had was actually chambered. It had this quality to the notes after the pick attack that I could only describe as a bloom of the note. It was exactly what I wanted my other Les Paul to be. This was plugged straight into the front of a Fender Twin Reverb. It sounded so good. I bought it that day. I eventually built up a big enough collection of guitars that I wasn't really playing it so I sold it. It had a really nice top on it too. That is one I have thought a few times that I wished I had back.

I stopped caring after the 57/08. I don't like any of the humbucker pickups PRS has made in the past 10 years, they just get more bland and boring with each revision. I have a McCarty 594 and 594 HBII in the shop, both with 58/15 LTs, and if they were my guitars they would have new pickups in them. I played them last night along side a Les Paul (BB1, BB2), 335 (T-Tops), and my Custom 22 with Suhr Thornbuckers. Both 594s sounded so anemic, like there's such a thing as too clear. I can't understand where PRS is going with their pickups these days. Bring back the rock n roll Paul!

I put a Thornbucker II into my custom carve top Standard Suhr. Wow, that pickup fits that guitar perfectly. That wasn't an option when I had the guitar built 10 years ago. That pickup has definitely found it's forever home in that guitar.

I actually like the 57/08 pickups, especially the couple of sets I have that are wound a little hotter than what they wind them now. They have a little something to them that is different than all of my other 57/08s have.

 

[UncleBabyBilly]

Say you were a fan of the 58/15 LTs, but wish they had a little more oomph, are the McCarty III pickups a spiritual successor or pretty different? Obviously both influenced from pickups from the kalamazoo glory days, but hoping they aren't wildly different.

Something in-between the LTs and standard 58/15 set maybe?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

 

[Rod/]

Say you were a fan of the 58/15 LTs, but wish they had a little more oomph, are the McCarty III pickups a spiritual successor or pretty different? Obviously both influenced from pickups from the kalamazoo glory days, but hoping they aren't wildly different.

Something in-between the LTs and standard 58/15 set maybe?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

Great question!

 

[UncleBabyBilly]

Great question!

Thanks, would love to know!

 

[Basauri]

Don't want to make the discussion bigger, but I'll add my experience.

I have this McCarty 58 with 57/08s and I thought they sounded clear and full. A friend of mine bought another McCarty with 58/15s (no the LTs) and compared to mine sounded even more clear, maybe less bottom. Recently i've tried a set of Dimarzio PAF 59s and they sound so cristal clear that now 57/08 sound muddy to me. So maybe 58/15s are in a perfect middle spot of frecuency spectrum.

 

[FJ4]

What about the McCarty III Pickups? Has anyone compared them to other PRS pickups?

 

[FJ4]

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[DISTORT6]

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[pwrmac7600]

Wish they would offer the McCarty pickups for aftermarket sales. Never understood why PRS only offers certain pickups for aftermarket sale...

 

[TheCraftsman]

So… anyone wanna trade their Santana for a CU24 10 too with 59/09

 

[FJ4]

What about the McCarty III Pickups? Anyone has compared them to other PRS pickups?

Anyone?

 

[Rod/]

What about the McCarty III Pickups? Anyone has compared them to other PRS pickups?

Anyone??

 

[UncleBabyBilly]

Have a '25 594 on the way, I'll report back!

 

[VHTStark]

Don't want to make the discussion bigger, but I'll add my experience.

I have this McCarty 58 with 57/08s and I thought they sounded clear and full. A friend of mine bought another McCarty with 58/15s (no the LTs) and compared to mine sounded even more clear, maybe less bottom. Recently i've tried a set of Dimarzio PAF 59s and they sound so cristal clear that now 57/08 sound muddy to me. So maybe 58/15s are in a perfect middle spot of frecuency spectrum.

That is exactly what I hear as well: the OG 58/15's are like a clearer, slightly less aggressive 57/08. A bit more polished in the high and low frequencies. I REALLY love them in my 2015 McCarty!

 

[Glide-bpm]

I felt the same way. However, the 58/15 LT that is in my 2023 Studio has opened my mind a bit on that. It sounds really good and there seems to be something different about it from the ones that were in my 2016 594. I didn't like the lower volume I got out of those pickups but I was able to get the one in the Studio adjusted to where I like it and I can switch guitars and not notice a volume difference. They changed something with those pickups between 2016 and 2023 that made a difference. I thing the new pickups will still be in that 57/08 vein. They have been using the 57/08 as their starting point for the new pickups from what it looks like. I still love the 57/08s though. I have them in most of my PRS guitars.

I stopped caring after the 57/08. I don't like any of the humbucker pickups PRS has made in the past 10 years, they just get more bland and boring with each revision. I have a McCarty 594 and 594 HBII in the shop, both with 58/15 LTs, and if they were my guitars they would have new pickups in them. I played them last night along side a Les Paul (BB1, BB2), 335 (T-Tops), and my Custom 22 with Suhr Thornbuckers. Both 594s sounded so anemic, like there's such a thing as too clear. I can't understand where PRS is going with their pickups these days. Bring back the rock n roll Paul!

I installed 57/08's into my SE Swamp Ash Special and love the hell out of them.

However, I love my 2024 58/15 LT 594 as well!!!

What's funny is my favorite stock PRS pickups are original 408 wide bridge and narrow neck pickups!

I could play that **** all dang night long, every night, and I've got some really great sounding guitars!!!