What PRS models or years have the HFS and VB pickup combination?

[Guithartic]

I'm looking to get my first PRS. I have several Fenders and Gibsons, and one semihollow D'Angelico, so I don't need anything with single coils or vintage/PAF-style humbuckers like the 59/09 or 58/15. I don't know much about the 58/15, but I heard a shootout video between that and the HFS, and I liked the HFS a lot better. I don't have a guitar with super hot pickups and thought that getting a PRS with hot pickups would be a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone (pardon the pun).

 

[DISTORT6]

They were the original pickup combo in earlier 24 fret guitars. Customs, Standards, CE-24’s, etc.

 

[veinbuster]

They were in my late 90s SAS

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

The majority of 24’s

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

They were in my late 90s SAS

SAS and 57/08’s is a magical combo

 

[MarcWink]

These would have been in any of the 24 fret models from the mid 90's through the 2000's. I think around 2010 or thereabout they started being phased out by the 59/09. If you want another alternative for hot pickups in a PRS, look for a 22 fret model with the Dragon 1 pickups. I have a set of those in a '97 CE and that guitar RIPS. I've also got a Core Custom 24 and an S2 Custom 24 with the 85/15 TCI and they're somewhere between the HFS and Dragon 1 and a true PAF copy.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

These would have been in any of the 24 fret models from the mid 90's through the 2000's. I think around 2010 or thereabout they started being phased out by the 59/09. If you want another alternative for hot pickups in a PRS, look for a 22 fret model with the Dragon 1 pickups. I have a set of those in a '97 CE and that guitar RIPS. I've also got a Core Custom 24 and an S2 Custom 24 with the 85/15 TCI and they're somewhere between the HFS and Dragon 1 and a true PAF copy.

Early 90’s to roughly 2009, even a little after as you mentioned.

My ‘91 Standard 24 had a VB/HFS combo. Even my ‘90 Studio had the “Vintage Hot” which is basically just an HFS.

 

[Guithartic]

These would have been in any of the 24 fret models from the mid 90's through the 2000's. I think around 2010 or thereabout they started being phased out by the 59/09. If you want another alternative for hot pickups in a PRS, look for a 22 fret model with the Dragon 1 pickups. I have a set of those in a '97 CE and that guitar RIPS. I've also got a Core Custom 24 and an S2 Custom 24 with the 85/15 TCI and they're somewhere between the HFS and Dragon 1 and a true PAF copy.

Cool. I don't know anything about the history of PRS or if they had certain years that were better than others. Are older PRS guitars ('90s-early 2010s) up to the consistent build quality and reputation as newer ones (Late 2010s to 2020s)? I see a couple 2017 Velas (Vernon Reid Signature with Floyd Rose) with HFS pickups on Reverb.

 

[MarcWink]

Cool. I don't know anything about the history of PRS or if they had certain years that were better than others. Are older PRS guitars ('90s-early 2010s) up to the consistent build quality and reputation as newer ones (Late 2010s to 2020s)? I see a couple 2017 Velas (Vernon Reid Signature with Floyd Rose) with HFS pickups on Reverb.

PRS has always been super solid and consistent with quality. There was a stretch in the late 90's and the early 2000's when a lot of folks sort of steered away from PRS because they were widely used by those in the nu-metal scene. That said, the PRS Custom 24 and a Dual or Triple Rectifier was THE tone of an entire genre for a good while, much like a Les Paul through a Marshall was decades ago. All that being said, I'd love to snag up a couple early to mid-90's era Customs, and I'm still keeping my eye out for the RIGHT 1985 Custom 24.

 

[thewesdavis]

Late 90s CEs are usually available on Reverb for ~$1500 and they're essentially a Custom with a bolt-on neck.
As mentioned previously, the CE24s of that era (black headstock) should have the HFS/VB combo. Typically the 22 fret versions from that time should have the Dragons - neck pickups are identical between Dragon 1 and 2, but the bridge humbucker in the Dragon 1 set has a ceramic magnet so runs hotter/closer to the HFS.

Enjoy the quest!