SE Pickups

[Robert Lavin]

Hello,

My 2009 SE Custom 22 has "PRS Designed" pickups. Is that a specific set of pickups? To me it's sounds like a catch-all term like "Duncan Designed".

They're zebras and I might get panned for this but the neck reads 9k and the bridge gives almost 10k through the lead. Thought it might help with ID.

It's also a fixed bridge if that makes any difference.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Thanks,

Rob.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I’ve found the SE pickups to be great, they compare very well to other custom wound pickups on two other guitars I have.

 

[Robert Lavin]

I have no particular desire to change them. They work perfectly well for me. I just like to know these things.

 

[bodia]

Hello,

My 2009 SE Custom 22 has "PRS Designed" pickups. Is that a specific set of pickups? To me it's sounds like a catch-all term like "Duncan Designed".

They're zebras and I might get panned for this but the neck reads 9k and the bridge gives almost 10k through the lead. Thought it might help with ID.

It's also a fixed bridge if that makes any difference.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Thanks,

Rob.

I'm not sure what the specific model number of those pickups is, but the PRS Designed means that they were made to PRS specifications in another country. In this case, it would be Korea by G&B.

 

[Robert Lavin]

So does the spec of the "PRS Designed" SE pickups change every now and again then? If I had the pickups out, I presume I'd find a model number on them?

That don't have a name to identify them like, for example, the HFS set? Or like Core pickups?

Too many questions...

Thanks.

 

[andy474x]

Some of the earliest SE’s I don’t believe had pickups with a specific name, or correlation to anything in the USA line, whereas now most do. I had a set in my older SECU22, I liked them. The current SE245 pickups remind me most of them.

 

[bodia]

So does the spec of the "PRS Designed" SE pickups change every now and again then? If I had the pickups out, I presume I'd find a model number on them?

That don't have a name to identify them like, for example, the HFS set? Or like Core pickups?

Too many questions...

Thanks.

I'm not familiar enough with the older SEs to know, for sure. In the last few years they have shared the naming convention of the Core models, but with an "S" at the end. For example: Core 57/08.....SE 57/08S

 

[garrett]

Hello,

My 2009 SE Custom 22 has "PRS Designed" pickups. Is that a specific set of pickups? To me it's sounds like a catch-all term like "Duncan Designed".

They're zebras and I might get panned for this but the neck reads 9k and the bridge gives almost 10k through the lead. Thought it might help with ID.

It's also a fixed bridge if that makes any difference.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Thanks,

Rob.

The older ones like that had a generic set of G&B pickups. No labels or anything. PRS never said anything about them, but then they have never been forthcoming about pickup specs anyway. Maybe they evolved some, but the '09 set I have laying around measures about the same as yours and uses alnico magnets.

It wasn't until the 2010's (2012 maybe?) when they revamped the SE line and started doing different pickups with names, like the "SE HFS/VB" and "Tone Furnace" pickups. Within the last few years they've expanded to "S" series pickups, which are G&B-made versions of their USA designs. Those newer ones will actually be labeled on the base plate.

 

[andy474x]

The older ones like that had a generic set of G&B pickups. No labels or anything. PRS never said anything about them, but then they have never been forthcoming about pickup specs anyway. Maybe they evolved some, but the '09 set I have laying around measures about the same as yours and uses alnico magnets.

It wasn't until the 2010's (2012 maybe?) when they revamped the SE line and started doing different pickups with names, like the "SE HFS/VB" and "Tone Furnace" pickups. Within the last few years they've expanded to "S" series pickups, which are G&B-made versions of their USA designs. Those newer ones will actually be labeled on the base plate.

Tone Furnace... still makes me giggle. Wonder why that nomenclature didn’t stick...

 

[Alnus Rubra]

This was put on the Steeley Dan thread, but it may be of interest.

 

[Robert Lavin]

Thank you. That's pretty much what I was looking for.

The older ones like that had a generic set of G&B pickups. No labels or anything. PRS never said anything about them, but then they have never been forthcoming about pickup specs anyway. Maybe they evolved some, but the '09 set I have laying around measures about the same as yours and uses alnico magnets.

It wasn't until the 2010's (2012 maybe?) when they revamped the SE line and started doing different pickups with names, like the "SE HFS/VB" and "Tone Furnace" pickups. Within the last few years they've expanded to "S" series pickups, which are G&B-made versions of their USA designs. Those newer ones will actually be labeled on the base plate.

 

[DK1984]

There are some SE pickups that are simply just incredible out there, esp being made in korea.