My Stripped 58 has 57/08 pickups that are weaker than I'd like...

[Gtrbldr]

Die as in "color" or "shielding"? (Language thing). I guess that stuff will be gone by now? Or did he get the formula or something like that?

I must admid the 57/08 is growing on me. Still not my fav PUs (that honour goes to the Wolfetone Marshall Head mk2 when it comes to humbuckers), but a definately a top contender.

 

[Lewguitar]

Die as in "color" or "shielding"? (Language thing). I guess that stuff will be gone by now? Or did he get the formula or something like that?

I must admid the 57/08 is growing on me. Still not my fav PUs (that honour goes to the Wolfetone Marshall Head mk2 when it comes to humbuckers), but a definately a top contender.

I really like the Wolfetone Marshallheads. They're in the same DCR range as 57/08's. 8.2K neck nd 9K bridge.

I replaced the polished alnico 5 magnets they came with, with roughcast Alnico 2 magnet.s to get the sound I wanted.

More of the sound of the 57/08's or of a real '57 Gibson pat.

The 57/08's use alnico 2 magnets, so trying Alnico 2 in the Marshallheads was something I'd planned on doing.

The A2 Marshallhead set is one of my favorite pickup sets and I have a set in a Bernie Marsden.

 

[Rod/]

I have an SC-58. Mine is also a 2012. I have not had it out for a little while but I don't remember the pickups being weak in it. If I get a chance, I can try to pull it out and test it along a couple of others I have out right now that have had 57/08s put in them, CU24 and 594.

If you decide to swap the pickups, you can actually scuff the shiny covers to have the brushed look with a green Scotch-Brite pad. You put the pickup face down on it and move it sideways to create the brushed pattern on it.

Yes, the Scotch-Brite pad works great as @JasonE said above…..

 

[Gtrbldr]

I really like the Wolfetone Marshallheads. They're in the same DCR range as 57/08's. 8.2K neck nd 9K bridge.

I replaced the polished alnico 5 magnets they came with, with roughcast Alnico 2 magnet.s to get the sound I wanted.

More of the sound of the 57/08's or of a real '57 Gibson pat.

The 57/08's use alnico 2 magnets, so trying Alnico 2 in the Marshallheads was something I'd planned on doing.

The A2 Marshallhead set is one of my favorite pickup sets and I have a set in a Bernie Marsden.

My marshallheads have covers, so I did not experiment with magnets, but I prefer alnico 5 anyway, especially in the neck over a 2. In the bridge a 2 works well for me, mellows out some of the spikey transients, but it is a toss up with a 5 forme. Alico 2s sound and feel a bid squeezy to me, if that makes any sense. Slower than the 5 and combined with the more mellow sound it is too much for me in the neck position. Swapped out a 2 for a 5 in the neck of my P90 (wolfetone as well) and could not be happier.

And by the way: my older spec 57/08 doe not sound weak to me. If anything, they are the most powerfull PUs I have in any of my guitars and they are sometimes too powerfull for my playing.

To each his own

 

[Lewguitar]

My marshallheads have covers, so I did not experiment with magnets, but I prefer alnico 5 anyway, especially in the neck over a 2. In the bridge a 2 works well for me, mellows out some of the spikey transients, but it is a toss up with a 5 forme. Alico 2s sound and feel a bid squeezy to me, if that makes any sense. Slower than the 5 and combined with the more mellow sound it is too much for me in the neck position. Swapped out a 2 for a 5 in the neck of my P90 (wolfetone as well) and could not be happier.

And by the way: my older spec 57/08 doe not sound weak to me. If anything, they are the most powerfull PUs I have in any of my guitars and they are sometimes too powerfull for my playing.

To each his own

Do your 57/08's have the wire for splitting? The pickups in my SC58 do not split and they are NOT magnetically out of phase, They are from 2012 and are the weakest sounding. especially the bridge pickup. NOT WEAK necessarily. Just not as strong as my 57/08's that DO SPLIT and which ARE OUT OF PHASE MAGNETICALLY so you have to reverse the leads of one for them to be in phase.

 

[Gtrbldr]

Do your 57/08's have the wire for splitting? The pickups in my SC58 do not split and they are NOT magnetically out of phase, They are from 2012 and are the weakest sounding. especially the bridge pickup. NOT WEAK necessarily. Just not as strong as my 57/08's that DO SPLIT and which ARE OUT OF PHASE MAGNETICALLY so you have to reverse the leads of one for them to be in phase.

They do.

 

[Lewguitar]

They do.

So I would suspect that they're a set wound closer to today's specs than the original first run that can't be split. The pickups in my 2012 SC58 are NOT magnetically out of phase, cannot be split, have the least output (the bridge pickup mainly) and have single conductor shielded cables like old Gibsons.

The bridge pickups in the other 57/08 sets I have are higher in output, the two pickups ARE Magnetically out of phase with other, and can be split. I like the sound of those sets better although if you buy a set there are no instructions whatsoever to tell you to reverse the leads on one pickup to put them in phase.

I can only assume that PRS sees the higher output of the newest sets as being more desirable and more saleable to more players than the earliest run of the 57/08's which were weaker and did not split.

 

[Gtrbldr]

You'd be wrong about my set, because they are from a CU24 from the ltd 57/08 series ;-). They are from the release series of that PU

 

[Lewguitar]

You'd be wrong about my set, because they are from a CU24 from the ltd 57/08 series ;-). They are from the release series of that PU

Maybe they were all over the place at first. Just like old 50's PAFs.

Or maybe Paul wasn't clear on what most players actually wanted and what would sell best.

I have a set of 57/08's that came in a 2012 Bernie Marsden but I don't know when the 57/08 pickups were installed. The previous owner put them in. They are tarnished and look old but they are powerful and do have the ability to be split.

That guitar has a sound that is more appealing to me than that of my 2012 SC58.

 

[JasonE]

Do your 57/08's have the wire for splitting? The pickups in my SC58 do not split and they are NOT magnetically out of phase, They are from 2012 and are the weakest sounding. especially the bridge pickup. NOT WEAK necessarily. Just not as strong as my 57/08's that DO SPLIT and which ARE OUT OF PHASE MAGNETICALLY so you have to reverse the leads of one for them to be in phase.

I have older sets that split. The sets in my SAS and my CU22 both split but they are made like the ones in the SC-58 with the addition of the white wire for the split.

You'd be wrong about my set, because they are from a CU24 from the ltd 57/08 series ;-). They are from the release series of that PU

I have at least two sets like this as well. One set was installed by the PTC in 2009 and the other set was installed by me but came from a special run guitar back in that same time period. They have the shielded single wire to hook them up and then have the white wire for the tap.

 

[JasonE]

Maybe they were all over the place at first. Just like old 50's PAFs.

Or maybe Paul wasn't clear on what most players actually wanted and what would sell best.

I have a set that came in a 2012 Bernie Marsden but I don't know when the 57/08 pickups were installed. The previous owner put them in. They are tarnished and look old but they are powerful and do have the ability to be split.

That guitar has a sound that is more appealing to me than that of my 2012 SC58.

The difference I have seen that is consistent with the sets I have, and I have many, the higher output pickups are from around 2016/17 and newer. They have more wires on them. All of my others have the shielded single wire and some have the additional white tap wire on them and others don't.

I remember a lot of discussion back when they first came out about how they varied widely. I would say that mine are fairly consistent up to the point of the new wiring, and with some, as you noted, the out of phase magnets. I did a quick check and the uncovered 57/08s in my P22 Trem are out of phase just like the ones I put in my 594. The P22 Trem is a 2015 so they had flipped the magnet and wound those hotter in 2015.

 

[Lewguitar]

I have older sets that split. The sets in my SAS and my CU22 both split but they are made like the ones in the SC-58 with the addition of the white wire for the split.


I have at least two sets like this as well. One set was installed by the PTC in 2009 and the other set was installed by me but came from a special run guitar back in that same time period. They have the shielded single wire to hook them up and then have the white wire for the tap.

So there are at least three versions of the cable for 57/08's.

My 2012 SC58 has plain Gibson style shielded cable. No white wire for splitting.

Jason has sets with plain shielded cable but with the addition of a white wire for splitting.

And other than the set in my SC58, my newer sets all have 4 conductor cable.

Is that correct?

 

[JasonE]

The difference I have seen that is consistent with the sets I have, and I have many, the higher output pickups are from around 2016/17 and newer. They have more wires on them. All of my others have the shielded single wire and some have the additional white tap wire on them and others don't.

I remember a lot of discussion back when they first came out about how they varied widely. I would say that mine are fairly consistent up to the point of the new wiring, and with some, as you noted, the out of phase magnets. I did a quick check and the uncovered 57/08s in my P22 Trem are out of phase just like the ones I put in my 594. The P22 Trem is a 2015 so they had flipped the magnet and wound those hotter in 2015.

@Lewguitar I added to my post above. Not sure if you saw the last part. I saw you put a like on it while I was updating it. I checked the P22 and the magnets are out of phase on it. I happen to still have it out in the room on a stand from checking it on Monday.

 

[JasonE]

So there are at least three versions of the cable for 57/58's.

My 2012 SC58 has plain Gibson style shielded cable. No white wire for splitting.

Jason has sets with plain shielded cable but with the addition of a white wire for slitting.

And other than the set in my SC58, my newer sets all have 4 conductor cable.

Is that correct?

That is correct. I have all three versions of that wiring across my guitars.

 

[Lewguitar]

Well after all that talk, I took the original pickups out and put almost new 57/08 pickups in!

First I did the brushed nickel finish on them using the green Scotchbrite pad I'd already practiced with.

This time i went a little lighter and I think they look a little nicer than the first time around practicing on the Duncan cover.

And how do they sound? To my ears ALOT better.

The bridge pickup is noticeably stronger. I can really make it honk and squawk and I can catch a note, hold it and make it feedback much more easily.

I really do prefer the sound of the more recent 57/08 sets with more output from the bridge pickup.

https://imgur.com/lxJMUGa

 

[Gtrbldr]

Good! They look great and hopefully the guitar speaks more to you now!

 

[Lewguitar]

That ability to find a BBKing, Peter Green or Santana style note and catch the feedback and coax it into sustaining "forever" is what was missing in this guitar.

The new pickup set really helps. Just a little more "oomph" (and a certain mysterious resonance that accompanies it) makes a big diff in getting that endless sustain thing going.

Peter Green really nails it on this cut he wrote for the album Hard Road, recorded after he replaced Eric Clapton in the Bluesbreakers. That's a '59 Les Paul. Same one Peter sold to Gary Moore and which Kirk Hammett owns now.

 

[JasonE]

Well after all that talk, I took the original pickups out and put almost new 57/08 pickups in!

First I did the brushed nickel finish on them using the green Scotchbrite pad I'd already practiced with.

This time i went a little lighter and I think they look a little nicer than the first time around practicing on the Duncan cover.

And how do they sound? To my ears ALOT better.

The bridge pickup is noticeably stronger. I can really make it honk and squawk and I can catch a note, hold it and make it feedback much more easily.

I really do prefer the sound of the more recent 57/08 sets with more output from the bridge pickup.

https://imgur.com/lxJMUGa

Look as good as the stock pickups to me. Glad to hear you did this. Now the guitar does what you want it to do. Play the crap out of it like it deserves.

As a side note, I spent more time with the Hot Cake. I am digging it. I took a few other OD pedals and hooked them all up together. I picked ones that I know I like and pulled one out that I have been thinking about that I haven't had out for a very long time. The Hot Cake has this openness to it that the others don't have. It does it's own thing and it is a good thing. I have the gain at about 1 o'clock, the presence also at around 1 o'clock and the level set to unity. I flipped the cream switch on and this thing sounds great. It is nice and touch sanative so it is very controllable with the volume knob on my guitar. The settings I have it on work for a solo tone and I roll my guitar volume back and get a great rhythm tone.

I feel very luck that I found this pedal when I did. They sold out fast and the new ones out there now are almost $100 more than what I paid for this one. The used ones are listed higher than I paid for this one new. The shop where I bought this from had two more. I wish I had bought a second one at that price and may have even been able to talk more discount on two.

 

[László]

That ability to find a BBKing, Peter Green or Santana style note and catch the feedback and coax it into sustaining "forever" is what was missing in this guitar.

The new pickup set really helps. Just a little more "oomph" (and a certain mysterious resonance that accompanies it) makes a big diff in getting that endless sustain thing going.

Peter Green really nails it on this cut he wrote for the album Hard Road, recorded after he replaced Eric Clapton in the Bluesbreakers. That's a '59 Les Paul. Same one Peter sold to Gary Moore and which Kirk Hammett owns now.

Great playing on that one, of course, and the basic guitar tone is great, but ya know...

The guitar is so drenched in the godawful reverb of some tunes in that era that I've never been able to enjoy that recording. I realize that was kind of a thing for him, but...nah.

If the audio is bad, I just can't deal with it. I realize this makes me pretty weird.

 

[Lewguitar]

Great playing on that one, of course, and the basic guitar tone is great, but ya know...

The guitar is so drenched in the godawful reverb of some tunes in that era that I've never been able to enjoy that recording. I realize that was kind of a thing for him, but...nah.

If the audio is bad, I just can't deal with it. I realize this makes me pretty weird.

I'm pretty sure Santana liked that particular recording a lot. A lot of us did.