New Pickups for 2025? Should I wait?

Agreed. Another thing I noticed that the mentioned in the new pickup spec is that they are using American magnets in them. That is going to change things a bit as well as make them more expensive to make.
American magnets? That's pretty cool.
 
I'd have to play one to know for sure - but I like the demos of these pickups a lot. Ewald usually has a pretty consistent amp setup in his demos, so it's not impossible to get a general idea of how things sound from guitar to guitar.

I've had 4 or 5 guitars with the 58/15s. They're nice pickups but didn't completely slay me. I'm hearing more low midrange in these, and I like the treble more. It's especially noticeable on the SH Special; I had one, and like the tone of the guitar with these pickups significantly more. I'd like to play one!
 
I noticed when browsing the main site today that the S2's for 2025 have the 58/15 LT's and the Core's move to the McCarty III's .. ahh progress.
 
After seeing this comparison video, I actually prefer the old 85/15s over the newer DMOs.

 
Pickups are such a personal thing , for me it's about variety ( I like them all ) somedays one guitar just sounds better on me than another.
From what I heard in the videos the DMO and Mccarty III are nice pickups but from what I am hearing in the videos they are the came pickup one with covers one without , and from what I have heard so far the DMO sounds better to me.
As far as the 408 you were looking at they are GREAT guitars and really let your amp and pedals shine , to my ear they have a very flat EQ so no humps in the Bass , Mid , Treble some say they are not full sounding but if you look at the new pickups they also have a very flat EQ I am betting the McCarty III and the DMO are likely in the 408 / Narrow 408 realm just in standard humbucker shape. I also think these new pickups are being made to streamline production McCarty III for the vintage stuff , DMO for the more Modern stuff , Thinking the 85/15 and the 58/15 and all there variants will be a thing of the past once stock runs out
 
It was really hard to compare the two in that demo, because the playing passages were so long that you didn't get a true A/B. By the time they switched over, I had forgotten what the beginning of the last clip sounded like. They should have swapped them every 2 bars or something.

Overall, nothing really blew me away with the new DMO pickups. They did sound a bit more "open" but likely because they have a flatter EQ curve than the 85/15s. There's more depth in the lower mids and bottom end, so they sound more pleasing to my ear.
 
The 85/15's have a more open top end than the DMO pickups. This makes them sound better when you use toggle switch 2 and 4 for a more jangle single coil sound. The DMO's have a more even sound. I can see the McCarty III pickups are warmer than the LT's and should get closer to the Les Paul sound that people may want. But personally, I think PRS should focus on sounding like PRS and not Gibson.
The LT's are brighter and cut through a mix better with their open sound which I love. With all that being said, simple EQ on your amp or pedal board can make you 85/15 or LTS sound like the other pickups.
 
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