TCI pickup question

[ELF]

I am unclear about the differences between the pickups in the Core guitars. The information posted for the Custom 24 and Custom 24-08 state it is equipped with the 85/15 pickups, but these are now modified with “TCI”.

The information for the Paul’s Guitar and the Modern Eagle V state they use “TCI” pickups, but don’t say “85/15”, “58/15”, something like “Paul’s Pickup”, etc.

So is there a difference between the TCI pickup used in the Paul’s and MEV vs those used in the Custom 24/24-08? Why does PRS use the term TCI interchangeably without using another descriptor word for the pickups used in the Paul’s and MEV?

Inquiring minds want to know (old old old commercial).

 

[Anthony88]

I've always been curious about this.. what exactly are TCI pickups? I owned the SE versions of the Paul's guitar and the 24-08, and to me the pickups sounded totally different. But that could easily be lots of other factors at play

Very curious if there's a definitive answer if TCI is a separate pickup or just an existing pickup that gets a special tune up or aomething

 

[ELF]

I've always been curious about this.. what exactly are TCI pickups? I owned the SE versions of the Paul's guitar and the 24-08, and to me the pickups sounded totally different. But that could easily be lots of other factors at play

Very curious if there's a definitive answer if TCI is a separate pickup or just an existing pickup that gets a special tune up or aomething

Exactly. Or is it both? One possibility: PRS develops a new pickup using the TCI process, and puts it in a couple of guitars. That pickup is unique to those guitars (Pauls, MEV), but the TCI process is a small breakthrough that can be applied to the other pickups. So they do that. But they weave confusion into the naming standard by calling the Paul’s and MEV pickups “TCI” and the other pickups 85/15 or 58/15 with “TCI”. What do we really have here?

 

[dmatthews]

 

[ELF]

Thanks for sharing. I saw that video before. Yet I’m still confused. If TCI is a tuning process applied to all the US made pickups, then why are the pickups in the Paul’s Guitar and the Modern Eagle V called “TCI” vs called something else with “TCI” applied, like the 58/15 is, or the 85/15 is, or any other pickup? If I buy a Paul’s Guitar, just how different is the pickup in that guitar, called “TCI”, from the pickup in a Custom 24-08, called 85/15 “with TCI”? Or is it the same pickup, optimized/tuned slightly differently?

 

[John F]

My 2016 Paul’s PS came with 408 NF (Narrow Field) pickups. I was unable to find the same number designation for the current guitars, but they look like narrow field models in the current version. I’ll assume they are 408NF TCI until shown otherwise.

NF means the coils in the humbucker pickup are 5mm closer than in a standard pickup. This allows the neck humbucker to mount closer to the neck for improved tone since the arc of rotation of a plucked string is larger the closer you get to the 12th fret. This distance is why a 24 fret sounds different from a 22 fret as the 24 fret neck pickup is closer to the bridge because of those 2 extra frets.

TCI stands for Tuned Capacitance and Inductance. John Mayer wanted his Silver Sky pickups to sound like his ‘63 Fender Strat. Paul and his team came up with a method to measure and tune the pickpus to match John’s original pickups by compensating for the capacitance and inductance differences that result from winding the pickup, thereby making them sound the same as each other. Paul found that a pickup produces a sympathetic note that is difficult to hear, but is there as shown on test equipment. That note is tuned to complement the pickup tone rather than fight with it.

The factory is creating TCI versions of many of their guitars now. Pickups with TCI are not certain to sound better than older pickups without TCI, however the TCI versions will be consistent and not vary guitar to guitar.

 

[ELF]

My 2016 Paul’s PS came with 408 NF (Narrow Field) pickups. I was unable to find the same number designation for the current guitars, but they look like narrow field models in the current version. I’ll assume they are 408NF TCI until shown otherwise.

NF means the coils in the humbucker pickup are 5mm closer than in a standard pickup. This allows the neck humbucker to mount closer to the neck for improved tone since the arc of rotation of a plucked string is larger the closer you get to the 12th fret. This distance is why a 24 fret sounds different from a 22 fret as the 24 fret neck pickup is closer to the bridge because of those 2 extra frets.

TCI stands for Tuned Capacitance and Inductance. John Mayer wanted his Silver Sky pickups to sound like his ‘63 Fender Strat. Paul and his team came up with a method to measure and tune the pickpus to match John’s original pickups by compensating for the capacitance and inductance differences that result from winding the pickup, thereby making them sound the same as each other. Paul found that a pickup produces a sympathetic note that is difficult to hear, but is there as shown on test equipment. That note is tuned to complement the pickup tone rather than fight with it.

The factory is creating TCI versions of many of their guitars now. Pickups with TCI are not certain to sound better than older pickups without TCI, however the TCI versions will be consistent and not vary guitar to guitar.

Thanks. That makes more sense to me. 408 NF pickups vs just the label “TCI”.

 

[RC Mike]

There are pickups that are named TCI, just as others are named HFS, 85/15, 57/08, etc. Confusingly, TCI is also a "process" that can be applied to other pickups. Hence the 85/15 TCI pickups, among others.

PRS sucks at naming.

 

[John F]

I wish they would sell the TCI pickups. I’d love to put new 85/15 TCI in my 30th Anniversary Custom 24, and move the original 85/15 pickups from that guitar to my SE SAS.

 

[ELF]

There are pickups that are named TCI, just as others are named HFS, 85/15, 57/08, etc. Confusingly, TCI is also a "process" that can be applied to other pickups. Hence the 85/15 TCI pickups, among others.

PRS sucks at naming.

Best reply: “PRS sucks at naming.” Glad they make great guitars.

 

[ELF]

I wish they would sell the TCI pickups. I’d love to put new 85/15 TCI in my 30th Anniversary Custom 24, and move the original 85/15 pickups from that guitar to my SE SAS.

Reverb has them for sale.

 

[ELF]

I wish they would sell the TCI pickups. I’d love to put new 85/15 TCI in my 30th Anniversary Custom 24, and move the original 85/15 pickups from that guitar to my SE SAS.

I just put Wilde L90s in my SE Custom 22.Very happy.

 

[John F]

Reverb has them for sale.

*Drool*

 

[RC Mike]

I wish they would sell the TCI pickups. I’d love to put new 85/15 TCI in my 30th Anniversary Custom 24, and move the original 85/15 pickups from that guitar to my SE SAS.

PRS sold hundreds of sets of them earlier this year. Dave’s still has them, which is likely true for other dealers, too.

85/15 Treble & Bass Humbuckers - Black

Available in limited quantities for the 2022 holiday season! PRS 85/15 pickups bring vintage and modern pickup design together todeliver exceptional clarity and extended high and low end. With balancedfull-spectrum clarity, PRS 85/15’s are perfect for modern players driving apedalboard, and have...

www.davesguitar.com

I picked up a set on CL for well under half of that. There was recently a set at a low price on the Detroit CL.

 

[SinSir]

TCI pickups? I owned the SE versions of the Paul's guitar and the 24-08, and to me the pickups sounded totally different.

Even though both called TCI on the PRS website. They are different pickups. I know it's confusing to call two different pickups the same name, but PRS did. It was confirmed by ohm readings. There's a discussion in a thread around here somewhere from not too long back. The pickups in the Cu24 (8515S) and Cu2408 (TCI-S) both had similar readings of around 8+/- ohms depending on bridge or neck. The Paul's guitar TCI-S reads around 11 ohms.

Very curious if there's a definitive answer if TCI is a separate pickup or just an existing pickup that gets a special tune up or aomething

To add to the mix TCI is the name of a pickup and also a process added to other pickups.

 

[bodia]

PRS TCI Pickups Explained

Hi everyone - Ever since the TCI nomenclature came out, it's been incredibly confusing to follow. From many posts I've seen on the internet about it, it seems that a lot of other people were confused too. So I did a bunch of research, and I think I've written a clear and concise article...

forums.prsguitars.com

 

[Anthony88]

Even though both called TCI on the PRS website. They are different pickups. I know it's confusing to call two different pickups the same name, but PRS did. It was confirmed by ohm readings. There's a discussion in a thread around here somewhere from not too long back. The pickups in the Cu24 (8515S) and Cu2408 (TCI-S) both had similar readings of around 8+/- ohms depending on bridge or neck. The Paul's guitar TCI-S reads around 11 ohms.



To add to the mix TCI is the name of a pickup and also a process added to other pickups.

Now this makes total sense.

I had a pauls guitar, sold it stupidly, than saw the 24-08 had the same pickups and got one.. and was totally disappointed. I don't like the 85/15 pickups, but the TCI ones sounded so good

 

[JasonE]

TCI pickups are basically the same. They are winding them and measuring capacitance and inductance instead of paying attention to a wind count or ohms reading. It is just a different way of looking at the pickup to achieve a specific goal. That is really as simple as it is. They are just going by different measurements.