PRS SE Humbuckers - Specs and Resonance Curve Comparison

[gpdb]

Hi All - new member of the forum. Over the past few months I've been collecting pickups for testing, and it occurred to me that it would be great to catalog all SE pickups, as these specs aren't publicly listed. I also have the equipment to capture the resonance curve of a pickup. When you hear Paul talk about pickups having a "whistle," what he's describing is the character of the resonance curve and peak. So, here's all SE humbuckers resonance curves and specs:

58/15 "S" Bridge
DCR: 8.88
Magnet: Alnico 2
Inductance (@100Hz): 5.75 H
Capacitance (@100kHz): 71.2 pF

58/15 "S" Neck
DCR: 8.25
Magnet: Alnico 2
Inductance (@100Hz): 5.35 H
Capacitance (@100kHz): 77.5 pF

Summary:
Both pickups are designed fairly similar, a great vintage PAF sound. Very interestingly, when I did a comparison between the 58/15 "S" bridge and the Epiphone ProBucker 3 (the bridge pickup in the Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s), they were identical. It's possible PRS is purchasing them from the same company.

85/15 "S" Bridge
DCR: 8.27
Magnet: Alnico 5
Inductance (@100Hz): 5.4 H
Capacitance (@100kHz): 82.2 pF

85/15 "S" Neck
DCR: 7.55
Magnet: Alnico 5
Inductance (@100Hz): 4.6 H
Capacitance (@100kHz): 96.7 pF

Summary:
I was very surprised to find that the 85/15 "S" bridge pickup was so close to a PAF spec, I always thought it was closer to a JB, given it was developed in the 80's. The neck pickup is surprisingly close to a Seymour Duncan Jazz neck spec.

TCI "S" Bridge
DCR: 8.72
Magnet: Alnico 5
Inductance (@100Hz): 5.72 H
Capacitance (@100kHz): 37.2 pF

TCI "S" Neck
DCR: 8.84
Magnet Alnico 5
Inductance (@100Hz): 5.84 H
Capacitance (@100kHz): 48.5 pF

Summary:
Both the bridge and neck pickup are identical. This is a testament to the TCI process that they can make two pickups this consistent. The TCI "S" and 85/15 "S" actually have a similar curve, but the overall dB is lower.

245 "S" Bridge
DCR: 8.9
Magnet: Alnico 5
Inductance (@100Hz): 5.84 H
Capacitance (@100kHz): 108.46 pF

245 "S" Neck
DCR: 8.13
Magnet: Alnico 5
Inductance (@100Hz): 5.0 H
Capacitance (@100kHz): 113.71 pF

Summary:
I haven't had a chance to play these yet, but they seem similar to a slightly higher output version of the 85/15 "S".

For a comparison of how each bridge and neck pickup compares between them, here's that view:

Happy to answer any questions. I'm building a website (Guitar Pickup Database) where I'm gathering all this data for every pickup.

 

[SamIV]

I know this is an older thread, but very useful information here. Probably going to try a couple of my first magnet swaps on my SE 245 pickups. Also pulled a set of 85/15s pickups out of an S2 model in favor of a set of TV Jones, might get a swap as well. I prefer the sound of an A2, so for little money and a bit of time, going to give it a shot. All easily reversible. Figure I can get both done for under $30.

 

[Maxime Bousquet]

Really interesting!
Pickups hunters will be delighted! Seeing multiple models overlaid on the chart gives a good idea of how each is performing!

 

[gpdb]

Really interesting!
Pickups hunters will be delighted! Seeing multiple models overlaid on the chart gives a good idea of how each is performing!

That's the goal of my website and instagram channel - use these charts to make it easier to visualize objectively how one pickup sounds vs. another. I have a ton of comparisons on the instagram account, and slowly moving more to the website. But the website has all the public data available so you can see all the pickups every company makes.

 

[zedzero]

Thanks, this is the information I've been looking for. good job