The Quintessential PRS Pup

rugerpc

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Is there such a thing?

PRS famously winds its own Pups. Some of them are designed to be as close as possible to favorite or wonderful pups from the past. Some are just where Paul wants to take them.

So, is there ONE pup that can be considered a Signature Pup? The one that defines the PRS sound and vision?

I think we should discount artist-specified pups like the Santana, Grissom, Tremonti, etc, as these are not just Paul's vision.

I'm thinking more of pups like the vintage bass, the HFS and the dragons.

I think it comes down to something like the 408s.

What do you think and why???
 
I think it's gotta be the dragons and the 408's. After all, the 408's came from the PRS signature guitar. Nothing else like it out there.
 
Honestly, the 408s are so unique, but I think PRS are best known for standard humbuckers, and of all of them, the 57/08s really stand out to me for some reason.

I do love the 408s, though, so I need to have both. ;)
 
Dragon 1's are nice. I like the Deep Dish II pickups a lot but the HFS/VB combo is definitively PRS.
 
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Tough call. I feel like one has to go with what put PRS on the map when they started getting big, rather than what might be the overall favorite. So I'd have to go with hfs/vb combo - maybe T&B. I realize the 5x/xx series is probably most popular and 408's are the break the mold pickup, but I think ya gotta go hfs/vb.
 
I'm in the HFS/Vintage camp too. Over time the 57/08's or the 408's might dethrone them, but for now they have the top spot if only for the amount of time they were the signature pup set. Oh, and they are great pups!
 
The 408s are certainly IMO the most innovative!

But I love the 57/08s. I never cared for the 59/09s or the 53/10s but the 57/08s were great. I have them in my Custom 24. Not exactly a PAF-y guitar but it came with them and it nails those classic humbuckery tones from yesteryear.
 
I mean, all PRS made pickups serve different purposes and I'd say all PRS's pickups give that signature tone unique to that very model only.

If I were to pick, the pickups that brings the most "PRS" feel IMO is the HFS/VB combo, it's the hot but very articulate tone, or what some people refer to as "sterile-ness" of the set that makes the unique PRS tone.

But the more revered PRS pickup title goes to the 57/08 without a doubt. Yeah, they're wound in-house by PRS to give that 1957 LP sound plus a bit more. So I feel that it's more of a G sound rather than PRS. Many would disagree I know, it's just my personal opinion. It is the quintessential PRS pickup, but it's a pickup that gives a classic LP feel/tone, not the PRS tone.

However, I think the Narrowfield and 408 pickups are pretty cool ideas. They're probably the biggest innovation in pickups since Seth Lover's PAF, everyone that came after Seth just made copies/variations/modifications/"improvements" on the original PAF and didn't go with anything too radical. Paul's really got some cool voodoo going on in his workshop everyday, and who knows what's coming up next? Which is why I love PRS guitars, they're always moving forward, whereas the rest of the guitar industry is always looking backwards to make more and more rendition of original classics.

:beer:
 
I really feel as though the Narrow 408 treble pickup (the version found in the Paul's Guitar) will be the big winner as the years pass.
 
I like the 5X/XX series pretty well, but to the extent that they are trying to be PAFs or flavors thereof, I can't think of them as a quintessential PRS tone.

I'm torn between the HFS/VB combo and the 2 flavors of 408...
 
I think the Narrowfield and 408 pickups are pretty cool ideas. They're probably the biggest innovation in pickups since Seth Lover's PAF, everyone that came after Seth just made copies/variations/modifications/"improvements" on the original PAF and didn't go with anything too radical. Paul's really got some cool voodoo going on in his workshop everyday, and who knows what's coming up next? Which is why I love PRS guitars, they're always moving forward, whereas the rest of the guitar industry is always looking backwards to make more and more rendition of original classics.

:beer:
I agree 408s are a fantastic idea. However, I would argue that pickups like Q Tuners or Lace Alumitones are truly innovative, while 408s are more of a well thought out progression from regular old humbucker splitting. PRS is, as usual, straddling the line between all new innovation (which most guitarists seem to shun), and pushing old ideas to new limits, thus getting guitarists to jump on board.
 
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